We didn’t start until 12:45, but we got to the race site around 11 to give ourselves plenty of time to pick up our packets, check our bags and mess around with the challenges. We watched a bunch of waves go out and heard that we would be going straight up the mountain along the path of the ski lift. The whole way up, we would climbing either a black diamond or a double black diamond ski slope. I was thinking that I can’t get down these ski slopes, let alone get up them.

Soon enough it was time to line up for the 12:45 heat and all I could think was how much the climb up the mountain was going to stink in the heat and sun. The beginning wasn’t bad. I took the advice that one of the Reebok reps gave me at my first Spartan – Go slower than you think you want to. While most of the crowd sprinted out of the start, I took my time. I got to the first obstacle with little trouble. The first obstacle was an under, over and through set of walls. Easy enough. The second obstacle was the sandbag carry, which I had heard would be the worst part of the day. The sandbag carry was straight up a double black diamond slope that was difficult to stand on, let alone climb up carrying a 40 lbs bag. I took my time and made it to the top, with a lot of breaks.

I spent some time at the top waiting for one of my teammates, and it was fun to look down and see how much I had just climbed and to cheer on others making their way up. The views off the top were amazing and I had wished I had a camera to snap some photos.

After the sand bag carry, it was more uphill climbing, but I knew the worst was past me. There was at least one more obstacle before I reached the top and it was climbing up a steep slope with the help of a rope. Once at the top there were five obstacles in a row – pulling a weight on a chain, tire flipping, spear throw, monkey bars and lifting a 40 pound weight on a rope and letting it back down. Since all the obstacles were one right after another, there was some waiting, but it wasn’t bad.

Once the obstacles were complete, it was all downhill from there, literally. On the way down, we had to climb down another steep slope with the help of a rope, climb a cargo net, get over a 7 foot wall and crawl through two barbed wire mud pits. There was also another 7 foot wall at the end of one of the mud pits where I totally fell off the top right into the crossbeams.

But I can say it was all well worth it to go down the giant slip and slide into the lake. I heard about the slip and slide at the beginning of the race and every time we emerged out of the woods, I would cross my fingers that it was time to go down the slide. When we finally made it there, I was pretty freaked out, but it was so so fun. Swimming through the lake also felt amazing after being it the heat from the last couple hours.

We crossed the finish line at 3:08:10. I knew that I could have finished earlier, but when you’re a team you work as a team and don’t leave anyone behind. It felt great to cross the finish line, get my medal and stuff my face with a banana because I was starving!

After washing ourselves off a bit, it was time for my celebratory beer.

Beer never tasted sooo good!

And since I can’t get enough Spartans, I am already signed up from the 2014 Tri-State Sprint in Tuxedo New York. I think I also want to do the CitiField Spartan, to get a taste of the clean version of the race. I think 2014 may also be the year of the Super Spartan for me, but I have a long time to decide about that!

Have you ever done a mud run? What obstacle would you want to try?

The post Blue Mountain Spartan Sprint appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

On Saturday, we headed down to Easton, PA to visit the Crayola Experience. It was only a 30 minutes rides from Tommy’s parents in the Poconos and a great way to spend a Saturday.

As soon as we pulled up to the building, Alex was super excited. I mean, how could you not be seeing a box of crayons falling off a building.

After paying for our tickets ($15.99) we headed upstairs to watch the live crayon making show. The show was very cute and had a Crayola worker interacting with two virtual crayons on the screen. He also had scaled down machines that showed how they actually make crayons and at the end of the show we all got a brand new red crayon.

After the show, we went over to the make your own crayon name station. Alex decided to name his a bunch of random letters, but he had a great time picking out the little picture that went along side the text. We also made our own marker and got a bunch of Crayola model magic to take home. There was also a toddler section that Alex enjoyed. It didn’t really have anything to do with crayons, but the kids had a blast running around and shooting the balls inside the machine.

The log flume was also a favorite. We actually went through the course twice because the little guy enjoyed it so much. On our last time through, there was some sort of malfunction and all the water started draining out and no one knew where it was going. There was also a light studio, where you could draw with special markers on a light board, a huge crayon themed jungle gym, lots of coloring and craft stations and a drip design station where you melt crayons into a cool design.

Overall, we had a great time. The Crayola Experience is definitely geared toward younger kids, but is also a great day trip that won’t break the bank. With your ticket, you get a bunch of tokens that can be used at different stations to make crayons, markers, etc. I loved how everything there was Crayola themed, down to the benches in front of the place.

Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch. There are a bunch of places within walking distance and most of them have outdoor seating, which was great given the gorgeous weather on Saturday. After lunch, we decided to walk down to the river, just a few blocks away and we stumbled upon a great little playground on the water. The playground sad a seesaw, which I haven’t seen since I was a kid. Maybe it’s a New York thing but the last time I was on a seesaw was before they renovated the local park, a good 20 years ago. Alex had a blast and didn’t want to get off of it when it was time to go.

Our trip to the Crayola Experience was a success!

Have you ever been to the Crayola Experience? Are there seesaws at playgrounds in your area?

The post A Trip to the Crayola Experience appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

When we got to the ski rental shop, I told myself that if we get the boots and skis on him, I would write the day off as a success, no matter if he got any real skiing done, because after all, he is only 3. When we got his little boots on in the store, I was relieved and felt like we were over the first hurdle. Next up, getting in the snow. We trekked out to the magic carpet, put on our skis and the tears started flowing. He couldn’t stand or walk and he wasn’t feeling it. We asked him to give it one try and he did. Tommy pulled him up the little hill and by the time they reached the bottom, he was yelling “Try again!”

After a few runs at the bottom, we were ready to get on the carpet. We got to the top of the hill and headed over to the practice area, where he basically killed it and shocked us in the process. He doesn’t have the concept of stopping down yet, but he has incredible balance and only fell once or twice throughout the whole day.

The main reason I wanted to get him on skis at three is the lack of fear at this

age. Fear is the number one thing that holds me back when we’re skiing and I wanted him to have a chance to try before his awareness kicked in and kept him from trying.

We are already planning another trip back, preferably on a less crowded day, to let the little man give it another go this season. I could not be more excited that he loves skiing and hopefully in a few years he’ll be zooming past me on the slopes calling me a slow poke!

Do you ski/snowboard? At what age did you learn?

The post We’ve Got a Skier on Our Hands! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Drivin’

Climbin’

Sprinklerin’

Explorin’

Drivin’ some more

Flyin’

Today’s children spend way too much time indoors and in front of the TV or computer screen. The average kid only spends less than 10 minutes of unstructured playtime outdoors, which I find to be first of all crazy(!) and second of all, really sad. There is nothing like running around, free as a bird and exploring the world around you.

Hope your weekend was just as great!

What did you do this weekend?

The post Little Boy’s Dream appeared first on Frolic Through Life.