Spartan Race UAE.......We did it!!

So on a dusty Friday morning, around 5,000 people turned up to test themselves both physically and mentally at the first ever Spartan Race in the UAE. 5kms of sandy course, with 15 obstacles to navigate stood between the start and finish lines.

 I think just running over desert terrain, up and down sand dunes, tested many of the participants before they even got to any of the obstacles, but whether it was rope climbs, tyre flips, scaling walls, commando crawling under barbed wire or wading through mud, everyone gave it their all.

Some of the obstacles definitely required team work and it was wonderful to see people gratefully taking that 'outstretched hand' to help them along the way.

Events like this are amazing and it was wonderful to see so many people of all different fitness levels and abilities giving it a go for their own personal goals. We just wanted to finish! And finish we did.......looking very worse for wear, after wading through all the mud, which was probably one of my favourite things.

The first race seemed to be an unquestionable success and I hope they will bring the event back to the UAE next year, including the longer, tougher, Super and Beast courses which will add extra challenges for people taking part.

If you've never thought of signing up for something like this, why not give it a go? You never know what you can achieve if you don't set goals and try. I'm now looking forward to similar races to test myself further and having a whole lot of fun whilst doing it.

This......is.......SPARTA!!!! Training for a Spartan race.

So, after the disaster that was the end of 2014, with all the health issues and so on, I've decided that 2015 is going to be a year of setting goals and pushing myself well and truly out of my comfort zone. What better way to do that, than by signing up for a Spartan race!

The Reebok Spartan Race Dubai, will be the sprint version. That means 5k with 15 obstacles to tackle. Entrants don't get told what the obstacles are, but you can guarantee there is likely to be tyre flipping, crawling through mud under things, pulling blocks, rope climbing, fire jumping  and I heard through the grapevine - spear throwing.

What has daunted me most, is fining out that if you can't complete an obstacle, then the penalty is 30 burpees. These are my least favourite exercise - EVER!

I've managed to coerce a few people into putting a team together, because let's face it, these things are far more fun with friends. Plus we can push, pull and shove each other through the course and make it a real team effort.

We've already completed a couple of Spartan training sessions, which were pretty brutal and I don't think we'll aim for time, just to be able to drag ourselves across the finish line.

I'm really looking forward to this. It's a challenge. If you don't set challenges or goals for yourself, then you never achieve anything and I really want to achieve some things this year, it being the last of my 30's after all. AROOOOOOOOOOO :-)

There's still time to sign up: www.spartanrace.ae

You can follow updates on the Facebook page: Spartan Race UAE

And on Twitter: Spartan Race UAE  

No passion for shopping

I've come to conclusion that I must be completely abnormal when it comes to shopping. Unlike my girlfriends who get over excited and coo and fawn over the latest lovely shoes, or dresses, or anything shiny, shopping in fact leaves me cold.

This morning I spent two hours wandering round Dubai Mall, but only because I needed to buy presents for my family for when I head out on vacation at the end of the week. So I had my little list of some Molton Brown products for my sister-in-law, clothes for my elder niece, something cute for the new baby, perfume for mum, a book and cd for my dad and some cut offs for my brother. I knew exactly what I wanted and where to get it and was done pretty quickly. I am definitely my father's daughter, I know what I want, I go in get it and walk straight back out again.

I've never been one for window shopping. My mother can wander around shopping malls for hours on end, whereas I get a glazed look in my eyes after about ten minutes and the boredom sets in. Even my boyfriend likes to shop and he always asks why I don't buy anything for myself and just buy things for other people - I don't have an answer to that one, maybe I just never see anything that really catches my attention. So when we go shopping he always insists on making me go and try some things on and ends up buying things for me - hey I'm not complaining about that part :-)

Maybe I need a girlie shopping spree, where you all go and have a laugh trying on different clothes and making a nice time of it, but I seriously doubt I'm ever going to have a passion for shopping, unless it's for a wakeboard, motorbike or swim wear.