When the Race is Over…

Spartan racing has had some unexpected but very positive side effects for the couple. They say they have always had a strong relationship, but training and racing together has made them even closer.

“It cemented our relationship,” said Patti. There have been many times when Eric was her coach, her trainer, and her main cheerleader, and it was very special that they were “doing this together.”

And, according to both Eric and Patti, it has helped them deal with the trials of everyday life.

“The struggles are the same,” said Eric, “that never changes, but we now have the tools and the ability to deal with them in a way that doesn’t get us down. It drives us forward, it keeps us going. It gives us a goal; a reason to do what we keep doing…To live more.”

In Six Words

A year ago, Eric and Patti said, Spartan racing launched a campaign, asking racers to say why they race in six words or less.

“I thought a lot about it,” said Eric, and it was hard to capture his reasons in a mere six words. He finally decided to say, “I want to live more…blank,” he said, leaving a space to be filled in. “Because there’s so many things you can put into that blank.” You could say: I want to live more healthy, more happily, more fully. “And I could go on and on and on.”

Yes, there are plenty of days when the furthest thing from Eric’s mind is a strict regimen of exercise and nutrition. Some days, Eric said, “I want to eat all the crap…And I do, and I pay for it.”

Still, Eric said, he enjoys leading a more disciplined life. “I’m happier doing this, I’m happier being stricter with myself because of everything that I gain from it all…the friends you make, the accomplishments that you see.”

Patti’s take was more succinct. She races “So I can tell fear to suck it.”

Physical and Emotional Strength

Patti said the exercise helps her not only physically, but mentally.

“What I didn’t expect was how much it helped me as an outlet for my mild anxiety and depression,” Patti said.

She said there were times when she struggled to manage her anxiety and depression. OC Racing, the exercise regime, and the discipline involved have all helped her cope with her mental strains.

Eric knows that there will always be challenges in life. “But our direction in life is much more positive…We can overcome those obstacles in life because we can overcome those obstacles on the course.”

Originally, Eric planned to display the quotes and medals only  and Patti completed the Spartan Trifecta. Upon reflection, Eric is keeping the display up because it also says something about life.

“That’s life. That is our life, and it’s not a bad thing.”

The Spartan Lifestyle: Willpower vs. Discipline

Patti and Eric often alluded to the “Spartan Lifestyle.” When asked what that meant, they both said a Spartan Lifestyle had a great deal to do with integrating the Spartan mindset into their daily lives.

Patti said that she initially thought of these Spartan Races as just a hobby. “But I think that… there is an opportunity for you to make it more…You can make it part of your life and for me it’s all about discipline.”

She and Eric said that, whenever fitness is brought up, the word “willpower” is thrown about with great abandon. “And willpower is fleeting,” said Patti, “it’s based off emotion.”

She said that if you focus in primarily on willpower, you’re basing your success on something that it is “fleeting and elusive” and a force you cannot just “conjure up.”

Eric and Patti said there are days when you are exhausted, frustrated, and just don’t want to do what you promised, to train, exercise, or eat right. And that leaves you sad, yearning for more “willpower.”

“It’s backwards,” Eric said.

“You have to have the discipline first,” Patti said, “You have to have the structure in place to say ‘this is what I’m going to do today.’” She said the discipline leads to results, and results encourage you to have the willpower to complete your task, be it fitness- or life-related.

Eric concurs and adds flexibility to his version of the Spartan life. “Be open to change,” Eric said. For a year or so, Eric tried to make himself to exercise after work because he’s not a morning person.

“And I still am not,” he said. But he found out that he had more energy to work out in the mornings and switched his routine. His morning workout “sets the tone for the day.” Whatever he did or didn’t achieve in a day, he could always claim his workout as an accomplishment.

“To me, that’s a great motivator…to do that again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next week, and so on, and so on.”

Supporting the Local Spartan Community

Eric and Patti are now focusing on newer OCRs, run by local racers to support the local racers as well as master a new physical challenge. For example, the “Fit Challenge” was created by Robb McCoy, retired military and a member of the New England Spahtens. McCoy strives to create unique obstacles for his races to distinguish them from other OCRs. He organizes two races a year, one in November and one around April. For the April race, Eric said, he is expecting racers from “six different states.”

“For a little, and I say little, but I really mean new, OCR,” Eric said, “That’s huge.”

“And that’s what we like to do…We will always run Spartan Races,” Eric said, “Because they’re fun and their they’re challenging… But the “Fit Challenge” appeals to us because “they’re local guys. They’re one of us. And you want to support those people and those races.”

And supporting these new races is important because it supports the local OCR community – the same community that supports Eric and Patti.

“We love doing this,” said Eric.