The Countdown Continues: 5 Days until Ruckus St. Louis

Ruckus St. Louis is right around the corner!  In fact, our muddiest obstacle course yet will be open in just 5 days.  So what should you do to prepare for Ruckus St. Louis this week?  It’s time to breathe a sigh of relief, RuckStars, because this week is taper week!

What is taper exactly?  It’s a term that long distance runners, swimmers and bikers long to hear after an intense season of non-stop training.  Taper is what happens when practices and usual exercise literally “taper off” and allow for athletes to recover before their biggest races.

So now that you’ve been training for Ruckus St. Louis for a few months (or maybe weeks or days if you’re running the Heater), it’s taper time!  Here are our top tips for tapering just five days before Ruckus St. Louis:

• Do you last long run a week before the big day.  After that, it’s time to cut down your mileage at least 80% of what you were doing before.
• Less is more!  Five days before Ruckus, keep in mind that the less running you do, the better.  Allow your body to build up that energy that you would normally be burning during a long run.
• Resist strength training.  Allow your muscles to rest and skip your strength-training routine in the final five days leading up to Ruckus. 
• Mentally prepare by visualizing yourself hurdling over tires, swinging on ropes and climbing over walls.  The more you mentally prepare, the better you will execute.
• Eat plenty of carbohydrates before the race (like whole-grain breads, pasta and cereal) and drink plenty of water.  Try to resist drinking alcohol as it can have a dehydrating effect.
• Two days before Ruckus St. Louis, resist the urge to run.  This will help you build up that extra bit of energy that you will need to finish up those obstacle with style.  

Best of luck to you during taper and we will see you on May 5^th at the GCS Ballpark! 

Participating in Ruckus St. Louis? Check out our Facebook Photo Contest and win a free registration for the 2013 race! 

The Countdown Continues: 25 Days until Ruckus St. Louis

Can you even believe it?  We are only 25 days away from Ruckus St. Louis!  That means that you only have 25 days to get ready for muddy trenches, swinging ropes, mounds of tires and Mount Ruckmore—our coolest obstacle yet. 

Are you getting in Ruckus shape?  Here are a few quick tips on how to train for Ruckus when you’re just 25 days out:

25 Days Out for the 2-mile Heater: 

For all of you sprinters out there, the 2-miler heater may seem short, but it’s a toughie!  The 2-mile heater consists of more obstacles and less running, so we recommend trying out some of these cool exercises to prepare for your Ruckus experience:

• Weight lifting:  During the Ruckus Heater, you need to be prepared for some heavy lifting.  Get those biceps and triceps in shape and hit the dumbbells at the gym.  Strength training is one of the best exercises you can do to prepare for this obstacle-heavy run.
• Body weight exercises: Ruckus implements a lot of body weight challenges, so make sure to work on our pushups, pull-ups, planks and more.  The more body weight exercises you do, the more prepared you will be!
• Playground exercises: Head to the school playground (hopefully not during recess) and try out the monkey bars, balance beams and slides.  Get your hands prepared for some blisters, because the Ruckus Heater will bring them out!

25 Days Out for the 4-mile Challenge:

Ruckus’ 4-mile Challenge takes all of the innovative obstacles from the 2-mile Heater and adds a little more fun (AKA running).  Therefore, in order to prepare for the Challenge, you need to get ready with:

• Endurance: Be sure to prepare for the Challenge by beefing up your endurance workouts.  Go on long, slow-paced runs, but incorporate short sprint bursts as well.  Try running some hills, too.
• Body weight exercises: Just like the 2-mile Heater, the Challenge will bring a lot of obstacles that require muscle.  Do pushups, pull-ups and planks every day and you might make your way to the Champions Heat!

25 Days Out for the 8-mile Champions Heat:

Ruckus’ 8-mile Champions Heat is a doozy, and it’s something you can’t really predict to be in or not.  If you’ve done a Ruckus Challenge before, we suggest that you come prepared for the Champions Heat—you might just make the cut!

• Even more endurance:  If you qualify for the Champions Heat, you’re going to need a lot of endurance to make it through the day.  That’s because the Champions Heat takes the best of the 4-mile Challenge runners.  So get that endurance training going!
• A lot of everything:  In order to succeed in the Champions Heat, a RuckStar needs a little bit of everything; sprints, endurance, body weight exercises, weight lifting and overall athleticism.  Do a little bit of everything this week to prepare yourself for muscle confusion! 

25 Days Out for the Ruckus Mini:

Like we said, Ruckus is for anyone from age 2 to 92.  And if you’re under the age of 15 and are signed up for the Ruckus Mini, it won’t be too difficult to get in Ruckus shape.  After all, you’ve had hours of recess and intramural sports to practice.  Keep using up your endless energy to get into the best Ruckus shape possible—try out some monkey bars, climb up the slide (if you’re allowed!) and get those running legs moving!  It shouldn’t be too challenge, because you’re a little ball of energy, aren’t you?

We’re 25 days out!  We hope you’re prepared to bring it on May 5^th in St. Louis!