The Beast Report: December 2019

Issue 25
December 2019

By Kim Collings

1. Beast Profiles

2. Seven Pillars

3. Nutrition

4. Looking Ahead

1. Beast Profiles

Articles and interviews dedicated to reporting on the amazing people and stories of Your Beast Team!

Meet Lorenzo Contreras!

What was your first OCR race and what made you decide to try it?
My first OCR was the 2016 Rugged Maniac. The first OCR I was signed up for was the 2016 Portland Sprint though. I was invited to the Sprint by a mutual friend of a friend and for some reason I agreed to it, I guess deep down I wanted to do something new and get out of my comfort zone.

How has OCR helped you overcome challenges?
OCR has helped me in many ways, its given me more of a reason and a purpose. It has challenged me to step out of my comfort zone, try new things and be more social. Its taught me how to deal with failure and how to come back from them.

What do you love most about the OCR Community?
The OCR community is full of the most amazing people I’ve seen. You don’t get this from any other sport, the encouragement, support and genuine good heartedness you find in OCR is like nothing else. The relationships we’ve built will stand, even if OCR were to fade away.

Who inspires you?
I get so much inspiration from all over. From the first time racers who are just getting started to the racers who show up every day, work hard, set goals and leave it all on the course every time they take to the course. The kids race as well, watching the future of the sport going out, running, getting in the mud and challenging themselves makes me want to set as good of an example as I can.

What is your favorite OCR memory?
Favorite OCR memory, what a tough question, I have a lot of great memories. The feeling I got while in the venue area from my first Spartan Race. The many hours on road trips with friends. Strolling down the hill in Kimberly Canada with a group of us dressed from head to toe in Red, White and Blue. So many other memories but those are some to name a few.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know, whether OCR related or not.
Sometimes I get the feeling that people look at me like I may be more naturally gifted and athletic, but I weighed in at about 190 lbs. when I started racing, not having ran for 8 full years and not coming from any running background. It’s been a solid 3 years of training and hard work that got me where I’m at, and its nothing that’s out of reach for anyone else, I don’t believe I’m special, just obsessed about my passion. Something else many may not know about me is that I am a nerd, I have been a big comic book fan since i was a kid.

What are your goals for 2020?
I am 10 days out from the 2019 Spartan World Championships in Lake Tahoe and the goal this whole year has been to get to Tahoe as healthy as I can, push hard and compete to the best I can. Ideally I would love to come out of Tahoe with a top 10 finish.

Photo credit: Spartan Race, Lorenzo Contreras

2. Seven Pillars

Endurance Strength Athleticism Recovery Nutrition Mind Code

We work hard to improve our physical selves which is important in racing and a healthy life. I wanted to also focus on other aspects that can help us be well rounded in our racing and personal lives. Each month I’d like to choose a topic from the Spartan Seven Pillars above and then offer a challenge to you. You have an entire month to work on it. Research shows that lasting changes often occur when you take things slow and do one step at a time.

This month we are going to look at Strength:

We complete several heavy carries in OCR. Improving our strength can help us crush these sections of the races. We are entering the off season and this is a time I like to work on strength. It will pay off when we are climbing hills with sandbags or carrying a bucket a long distance. Here are a two workouts you can incorporate (always warm up first and scale back if needed):

Workout 1: Lunges, step ups, and box jumps with grip training
Incorporate these into rounds with grip movements and light running/elevation. No rest between rounds if possible.

-Run 1 mile at zone 2 pace 0% incline

-Run 3 minutes at zone 3 pace 0% incline
-30 lunges
-farmers carry 30 seconds – 1 pull up – 12 shoulder taps – 10 hand position changes – 1 pull up

-Run/walk 3 minutes at zone 3 pace with 15% incline
– 30 step ups
-farmers carry 30 seconds – 1 pull up – 12 shoulder taps – 10 hand position changes – 1 pull up

-Run 3 minutes at zone 3 pace 0% incline
-30 box jumps
–farmers carry 30 seconds – 1 pull up – 12 shoulder taps – 10 hand position changes – 1 pull up

-Finish with 10 minutes at 15% incline with sandbag and 10 additional minutes at 15% with no sandbag, keeping in zone 3. Cool down with 5 minutes at 0% incline in zone 2 and stretch.

Workout 2: Hill repeats
Get a few weighted implements ready such as a bucket, sandbag, tire pull system, rock, log, etc.

Again, always warm up first and scale back if needed (walk instead of run, etc.).

-Slow zone 2 run for 2 miles

-Find a hill approximately 1/4 mile long and keep your HR in zone 3 for each round:

-Run up and down
-Run up and down with bucket
-Run up and down with sandbag
-Run up and down with tire pull system (this is great for helping with good running form)
-Run up and down without an implement. You will probably find you feel lighter and faster than the first round

– Cool down with a 5 minute walk and stretch

Photo credit: https://www.yancycamp.com/grip-videos/ https://ultimatesandbagtraining.com/sprints-and-sandbag-ultimate-workout/

3. Beast Nutrition

Holiday Nutrition: Enjoy your meal with a balance between healthy food choices and happy indulgences

This is a little different than the typical nutrition section of the Beast Report. With the holidays in full swing I wanted to include some ideas for keeping our nutrition in check while still enjoying the festivities and meals with our friends and families.

You don’t need to stay 100% rigid and strict.

Eat a large, healthy breakfast.

Bring a veggie tray if you are going to someone else’s house.

If you are the host, you can incorporate snacks such as veggies, sliced strawberries, nuts, olives, etc. If you put these out before the main meal people can snack on some healthy options.

If you are the host, you can control hidden calories such as leaving butter off the vegetables and out of the potatoes and put a butter dish on the table for those who would like to add some.

If you are the host, you can prepare a couple of options such as mashed potatoes and throw a couple of baked sweet potatoes in the over that can be eaten just as they are.

Drink a large glass of water before the meal.

Eat an apple before the meal if it’s appropriate. It will fill you up so you eat less.

At meal time start with your protein option. Choose a nice size portion to keep you satiated.

Look for the veggies next and load up….green beans (without the cream sauce/frizzled onions), salad, veggie tray, fruit. These will help fill you up.

Next. mashed potatoes & gravy, dinner rolls and butter, chips & dip, etc……….don’t feel like you have to skip over these options entirely. Put a small serving of each on your plate or choose a little bit larger serving of one of your favorites but try to keep it to about 1/4 of your plate.

Savor your meal and chew slowly. Really enjoy the flavors while visiting with your family and friends.

Choose drinks wisely. Enjoy a glass of wine, or a cocktail, but sip on it slowly while drinking water too. You can also try sparkling water with lime, cucumber, or a couple pieces of fruit. The flavor will come through after sitting for just a couple of minutes and give you a festive, nearly zero calorie, drink.

Have a small piece of dessert. Skip the added whipped cream, ice cream, etc. unless that is something that really makes the dish come alive for you. If you add the extras, just make it a small amount so you get the flavor without adding a lot of extra calories.

Photo Credit: https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/sheet-pan-chicken-potatoes-and-green-beans/

4. Looking Ahead

MAR28

Ghost 2020
Mar 28, 2020 – Mar 29, 2020 · Shared to Beasts Endurance

530 Wynoochee Valley Rd
Montesano, WA