My Spartan 300: A Story in Photos

For my friends and family far away who haven’t seen a Spartan 300 workout in action, photographic evidence of the adventure:

Dave gave me war paint with a Sharpie.
And I was really excited to get started. I warmed up with the group, then took a quick 400m run to get sweaty.
1st task: 25 pullups. Even with a box under my feet for swinging and jumping, the pullups are really hard.
2nd task: 30 deadlifts. I used 85 lbs. and it’s always shocking the first time I pick it up. So heavy!
3rd task: 50 pushups. This was the first time I got through all 50 on my toes. That was a huge accomplishment for me. When I joined Bootcamp last October, I could barely do pushups on my knees. I’m really proud of these.
4th task: 50 box jumps. I’m still scared of the tall box (24 inches), so I used a 12-inch box with a plate on top of it. It’s about 16 inches, I think. I really want to conquer the tall one in the coming year.5th task: floor wipers. I used 65 lbs. and, taking them 5 at at time, muddled my way through. They felt like they took forever; definitely the hardest, most time-consuming part of the workout. Today, I’m very aware of every inch of my abdominal wall.6th task: 50 clean+ press (tap the kettlebell on the floor, swing it up to the shoulder, then push it overhead). I think this kettlebell weights about 16 lbs. I was so relieved to get to this part of the workout. Vertical! One arm at a time! Only one more station to go!
The big finish: 25 pullups. I love that Dave’s photographic skills make me look tough in the picture. I was definitely taking advantage of jumping from the box, but damn! They’re still hard.I finished in 19:14 — just 46 seconds shy of the cut-off. Whew!

Some of the girls who help me keep on going: Crystal, Carla, and Devon.
Then when Dave and I got in the car to (finally!) go get some breakfast, he gave me a trophy. It says, “Melissa Joulwan | For 16 Weeks of Awesomeness | Summer 2008.” How sweet is that?!
Oh! Almost forgot… I lost another inch off my waist and another 1/2 inch off my hips this month, plus assorted 1/4 and 1/2 inches elsewhere. My calves got leaner!