Saturday, October 29th is the last leg of Dr. Fonke’s Spartan Trifecta which includes completing three Spartan Obstacle Course Races in one calendar year: A Spartan Sprint (3-5 miles), a Spartan Super (8-10 miles), and a Spartan Beast (10-13 miles) all with many obstacles between those miles. Read on below as he shares his thoughts leading up to this last and monumental challenge!
“The Spartan Super and the Spartan Sprint are now history. The medals are on display in my reception area at the office. The Beast awaits us October 29th, Winnsboro, SC with approximately 13 miles and 30+ obstacles. So, what have I changed in my training regimen? What worked for the Super and the Sprint? Leading up to the Super (which I ran in August) I was strength training five days/week and running five days/week. In retrospect, I did not allow enough recovery for my body. I forced my body to train and move while I was tired. My thought was to train before I was fully recovered resulting in more endurance for a long Spartan course. I achieved that goal. During the Super, I was pushing myself within the first mile. The elevations and hill climbs were exhausting. I had not trained over hills. However, by training while fatigued I was able to push through the fatigue during the Super. With the knowledge gained by experience, I would allow more recovery between training sessions. I would train longer during sessions and include hill climbs or the stair climber as an alternative. I would take in more calories in the week prior to the event. I would eat breakfast the day of the event. I did not eat breakfast the day of, which resulted in stomach cramps late in the day. The energy foods we carried with us did not offset the stomach cramps.
Recovery from the Super took me three weeks! It took a week just to get over feeling tired all day. I was back in the gym after the first week, but my strength and endurance were reduced. I cut back on the frequency of the workouts by combining two body parts per workout and cardio on alternate days. I would exercise legs and back, shoulders and chest, then arms. Each day I would do some abdominal work and towel pull-ups. That was a 5-6 day routine. This training was perfect for the Sprint (which I ran in September). I felt stronger and had more endurance for that race. The Super was slightly over 9 miles and took me 8 hours, 51 minutes to complete. I rested at intervals during the event (2-3 minutes) and occasionally 10+ minutes. The rest intervals were necessary for recovery to continue. The Sprint was approximately 4 miles. I reached the rope climb in about 2.5 hours and then waited 1.5 hours for the OEW team to arrive. I wanted to finish with the team. The Sprint did not require rest intervals during the event. However, my body still required 10 days of recovery before returning to the gym. The one concession to age that I am willing to make is my need for more recovery time. I require more time to heal and more time for muscle recovery.
When I started combining two body parts three times per week I anticipated losing strength. I found the opposite to be true. I am making strength gains and feeling more energetic. I am less fatigued during the day.
So–the Beast is in days as of now. This was my evolving training protocol from September through the second to the last week of October: Strength train 3 days/week, 2 body parts/day, 3-4 exercises per body part, 2-4 sets each per exercise, 8-12 reps per set. Cardio 3 days/week, recumbent bike and stair climber. I have increased my daily caloric intake. I was eating one full meal/day usually in the evening. Snacks would include coconut oil in coffee or tea and graham crackers with coconut oil. I have now added an egg white protein drink, fruit during the day, food bars, and I am continuing with coconut oil. The additional calories have increased my energy level. I haven’t been able to run since the Super. The hip and leg pain I’ve dealt with are always worse in the early morning, and that’s when I have time to run. I have been receiving acupuncture for the hip and leg pain. Progress has been slow but steady. The acupuncture combined with chiropractic and physical therapy has been the turning point in the recovery. I noticed that I have lost some size in the left calf and quadriceps because of favoring the leg while walking. The pain causes a limp and I have been unable to push off with my toes during a stride. I have stopped barbell squats and have added leg machines. The leg press has been particularly effective in isolating the upper hip and gluteal area. Adding leg extensions, leg curls, and calf exercises have brought balance back to my legs.
All in all, I’m excited and ready to take this challenge on. I’ve enjoyed sharing this journey with all of you and eagerly anticipate sharing after our team completes this BEAST and I have a Trifecta to my name!”
All the best,
Dr. David Fonke, D.C.
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