More than half a million people finished a Spartan Race in 2013. If you were one of those proud Spartans, chances are you may have seen some crazed OCR junkies in red and black jerseys screaming, “CORN FED!” If the Corn Fed Spartans were in fact at that race, then chances are they were being proudly represented by Wisconsin native Missy Morris. She would have been the one with “Cheesehead” printed on the back of her jersey and a huge smile gracing her face. Now residing in northern Illinois, Missy is an event coordinator at a large Harley Davidson dealer, who also spent the better part of 2013 travelling all over the United States to compete in forty different races and even spending time atop Spartan Race’s Open Class leader board. What makes this all the more amazing is that she was able to this just one year after major knee surgery. Missy is a superb and determined athlete that will never be told that she cannot do something, because she will find a way with that smile on her face, and will probably help whoever is around her while she’s doing it.
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So I just saw a picture you posted of your right knee that looks twice the size of your left?
Yep. I had major knee surgery, bilateral microfracture, in October 2011, just three days after I did my first Spartan Race, the Midwest Sprint. I was non-load bearing and on crutches for three months and spent a year on limited activities while I recovered.
So the knee injury was a resultant of your first Spartan??
Actually, the surgery was preplanned. I injured my knee playing softball back in the fall of 2010. I was originally slated to have surgery in August of 2011 but pushed it back, so I could do the Spartan Race.
You're in your thirties now, correct? Have you always been a softball player?
I am thirty-six and have been playing softball since I was six. I played softball through high school and originally went on to college thinking about playing as well but instead ended up playing on the collegiate golf team and then was also a part of the basketball team.
So sports related injuries are nothing new to you I'm sure, as well as the conditioning and training that goes along with being an athlete. Is the training you do now any different than what you did as a collegiate athlete?
Honestly, back when I was in high school and college I didn't do a whole lot of training. We had weight room days and cardio days, but it wasn't nearly as intense as what I've been doing recently. I found a great gym, Undisputed Strength Company, about a year ago. They incorporate elements of strength and CrossFit. I also try to incorporate some runs into my training, but I really hate just running.
Are you looking for that perfect recipe of running, like as in the whole Zen running thing, or do you just see running as the necessary evil?
For me running just sucks! (laughs) It's definitely a necessary evil. I've tried to find a way to love it, but I think for me it's just boring. I find myself wanting to jump over things, splash in mud puddles, climb trees, do cartwheels - basically do anything I can to take my mind off the actual running.
If your schedule, health, and the weather are perfect, what is the ideal week of training for you?
If it's an in-season, non-race weekend, I'm in the gym Monday and Wednesday doing strength training and WODs. On Tuesday I work with a personal coach on physical therapy for my knee. Thursdays are full mobility. Then Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays I usually find a fun activity to do on at least one of those days –hiking, trail running, OCR specific training: rope climbs, sand bag carries, rucks, etc. As I go into my offseason I'll be increasing my time in the gym to Monday through Thursday.
Will the physical therapy always be ongoing?
Because my activities were limited for an entire year, I suffered from a lot of atrophy. My right leg was seriously lacking in muscle compared to my left. Because of overcompensation, I've had to deal with whole body issues. I have been working with my trainer for the past year to try to build those muscles back up and fix the other problem areas. I have come a long way from where I was but it's definitely still a work in progress.
So the injury occurred at the end of 2011, and you had an incredible 2013; I'm sure that throughout 2012 you were fighting a lot of fights, physically and mentally. On this date, one year ago, did you see yourself where you are now, with this year's accomplishments behind you? Was the goal even there, or did you just start playing it by ear, signing up for races, gaining momentum?
When I woke up after my surgery and was told that the damage in my knee was worse than originally thought, I was devastated. My mind immediately went back three days earlier when I was crossing the finish line at my second Spartan Race. It was then that I knew my goal was to get healthy enough to run the next Midwest Spartan Race. I had a lot of ups and downs during my year-long recovery. I remember one visit to my surgeon's office back in July of 2012 when we couldn't keep the swelling down in my knee. I had an MRI done and was told there would be a chance I would never run again. I wouldn't accept that. I followed the doctor’s orders of no activity for six weeks, besides therapy. It killed me not to be able to do anything, but I worked my way back, and two weeks after being fully released from my surgeon I competed in the 2012 Midwest Super Spartan.
I know that even out of the small select group that is the Corn Fed Spartans, there are individuals battling bad news from doctors even as we speak. So you definitely have always followed medical advice, but have stayed determined to beat the odds...
I had seven races planned for 2013. I ended up finishing the year with forty races and eighteen Spartan Races. I don't like anyone to tell me I can't do something. To me that is enough motivation for me to prove them and others who may be thinking the same thing wrong.
When did you first get involved with the Corn Fed Spartans?
Shortly after they were established. CFS was started after the original Midwest Spartan race, which was a Sprint back in 2011. The goal of CFS was to bring a Spartan Race to Indiana. In order to make that happen, Spartan Race requested so many preregistrations. I knew I wouldn't be able to run in 2012, but I still wanted to be a part of the movement.
Ahhh, the Founder’s Race –the race that Spartan Race didn't think enough people would be interested in. I like to look back on that one as being tougher than the subsequent Sprints.
It was SO hard for me to be sitting on the couch that weekend reading all the updates, hearing all the stories, and seeing all the pictures. I was close to driving down there just to take it all in, but knowing me, if I would have done that I would have attempted to run the race.
I'm sure you would have…and finished! So, with forty races this year, eighteen of them Spartan, is there any one race that stands out in your mind as the most difficult, or is it like comparing apples to oranges?
It's funny, I've been reminiscing a lot about this year and all the races. Each race was so unique that it's hard to compare. Physically I would have to say that this past weekend's Texas Beast was the most difficult, but that was because I went into the race beat up with a bad back, a twisted ankle, and no training for about two months, because I was too busy racing every weekend. Followed by that one, it would have to be the North Carolina Sprint. That race was the coldest race I have ever done, and the only race that I was close to quitting. Mentally, the hardest race was without a doubt the Virginia Super. One week before the race I lost a really good friend of mine to a freak accident. I attended his funeral on a Thursday, and that night I hit the road to travel to the race.
I would have guessed the Virginia Super, but my reasoning would've been wrong…
Physically the Virginia Super wasn't too bad. I did the Hurricane Heat that morning and still managed to get through the race fairly easily.
I was going to ask if the heat or cold had ever been a negative factor. How cold was it last week at the Texas Beast?
I absolutely HATE racing when it's cold. I would take 100 degrees and humid over cold any day. I did Texas on Sunday; it was cold --upper 40s/low 50s at the start, but the sun was out.
The sun being out is nice. When it clouded over at the Carolinas, I noticed a huge difference with all of the runners. It was like a huge weight of despair hit everyone, especially after the rolling mud.
Absolutely!
So, you spoke of doing a Hurricane Heat and then running the Virginia Super. I know you did the Hurricane Heat in Indiana –how many did you do this year?
Four: Indiana, Midwest, Virginia, and Nebraska.
I forget: when was Nebraska? Wasn't that just in the past several weeks? That sounds cold...
Nebraska was the middle of October. The Hurricane Heat started Saturday morning in the dark, and it was freezing. I pushed back my start time, because I spent an hour in my Jeep trying to get warm afterward. The race itself wasn't too bad --again the sun came out, and it warmed up.
Wow! That is crazy, but it's also part of the fun as crazy as that may sound; having to monitor what's going on with your body and taking steps to salvage what you've got. I also don't think a lot of people realize how much work and effort some of the volunteers put into a Spartan. Take us back to the Midwest in July. How many laps and total mileage did you do that weekend?
For the Midwest I did the Hurricane Heat Friday, ran Saturday morning, did the Sweeper heat Saturday afternoon, volunteered at the finish line Sunday morning, and Pulled the course Sunday afternoon. I think the total mileage was somewhere around thirty-six miles.
And those are thirty-six hard miles. Absolutely amazing. And explain to us what sweeping and pulling are...
The Sweeper heat basically follows the last group around the course. It's a time to fix any markings that may have been disturbed during the race day, picking up trash and discarded clothing, and most importantly help the last racers to the finish line. Pulling the course is pretty much the same thing, but instead of fixing the markings, all marking tape and signs are pulled from the course.
That's work that no one considers. I really hope that readers take note of this, if not for the purpose of reconsidering how and where they discard trash on the course. I find it hard to believe that they openly litter, but every race when you look at the course there are GU wrappers everywhere. It's a shame.
It really is. We usually have a team of two to four people doing sweeping and pulling. It is one of the most rewarding volunteer spots, but also one of the hardest.
We spoke briefly at the start of the Carolinas race about shoes. What is your favorite shoe right now?
The past three races I have worn a trial pair Solomon Fellraisers and have been pleasantly surprised with them. I would say it's a toss up between those and the INOV8 Mudclaws.
What do you pack in your hydration pack for longer races –besides White Castles?
I use a Platypus 2.0 hydration pack. I carry two waterproof bags; one for nutrition and one for gear. Nutrition-wise I usually have margarita flavored Bloks, salted caramel GU, elk jerky, granola bars, and trail mix. I also have salt tabs and Nuun. Gear-wise I carry a headlamp, a pair of gloves, ibuprofen, an extra pair of contacts, and Kleenex. Inside my hydration bladder is a combination of Pedialite and Smart Water. I probably carry more than I need to, but I would rather be prepared. I usually end up handing stuff out throughout the race.
I know you said that your work schedule may be heavier this coming year, affecting your weekends, but withstanding that, what are your goals for 2014?
That's a great question. It will be near impossible to match 2013. I have a number of things in the works, so my race schedule is really up in the air. I will definitely be doing the Indiana Sprint, the Midwest Super, and Vermont Beast. Other than that, I'm really not sure. I have a 2014 season pass, so I'll be jumping into races last minute when I can.
Didn't you have a race change dates on you when you already had your flight and hotel booked?
At one point Spartan Race had switched the Texas Beast from a Saturday/Sunday race to just a Saturday race. Because of a work conflict I could not get to Texas until Saturday afternoon, so I would have been out my flight and hotel. Luckily there was enough demand to keep it a two day race.
I remember a bit of panic and scramble on the Corn Fed Spartan facebook group page…
I understand things come up, and I would have accepted it if need be, but I'm glad it all worked out.
For 2013 you ended up extremely high on the Spartan Race Open Class standings, and as I recall coming into the Carolinas you were on top…
From the start of the 2014 race season points which began with the Sunday Vermont Beast and then up until this past weekend I was 1st overall. After this weekend's Texas Beast, I dropped to 3rd overall, 1st in my age, and 1st in gender –so for about 2 months I was in 1st.
That’s incredible! Now this past year you raced all over the country: Boston, Florida, Colorado, Texas, Nebraska...just to quickly define a crazy swathe of geography --even up to Toronto! I know you said that you're definitely doing Indiana, Midwest [Illinois] and Vermont, but are there some locations further west, or even out of the country that you'd really like to do?
I would love to do some races out west. Right now both Arizona and Vegas are very good possibilities. I would definitely like to do a Mexico race. From the stories I have heard, some of those races are pretty amazing.
Are there any miracle foods that you're swearing by these days? If not for just practicality sake...the bang for the buck...
For most of the winter and spring, I followed the clean eating guidelines. I tried to eat healthy as much as possible. Once I started getting busy with work and racing, that all went down the toilet. Right now I pretty much eat whatever I want.
What's your favorite beer right now?
Believe it or not, I grew up in Wisconsin and don't drink beer. My adult beverage of choice is Angry Orchard Hard Cider.
Really? That’s pretty interesting. I forgot you're quite the proud Cheesehead.
I am definitely a proud Cheesehead!
To wrap things up, I know a lot of ladies that are new to the whole concept of obstacle course racing. Their experience ranges from 5K to marathon distances, but they’re still anxious about signing up for their first OCR, and even more specifically, a Spartan Race. What advice would you give them considering all that we've discussed this morning?
I would recommend starting with one of the smaller, fun mud runs - Dirty Girl, Warrior Dash, etc. My first mud run was the 2009 Muddy Buddy. It was fun because it was a partner race, so you had that added support. Also enlist friends and family or find a team to run with. These events are so much more than the races, they are about the incredible people you meet along the way –the inspirational stories. Don't be afraid to try something new. As far as training goes, I would recommend continuing to run, but also incorporate some body weight exercises; these can be easily done at a local playground; burpees, monkey bars, push-ups, pull-ups, etc. Also the Spartan Race workouts of the day are a great place to get ideas for workouts. And finally, find someone who has done one or two of these races before and pick their brains. I'm someone who loves talking about OCRs, and I love to see new people getting involved. I'm always available to help!
Missy, thank you so much for taking the time to talk. I know that others have and continue to inspire you, but realize that you're doing the same for me and other athletes. I look forward to racing with you in 2014! Hope you have a great holiday!
Thank you so much! I am surrounded by some of the most amazing and inspiring people I have ever met. My accomplishments would be nothing if it wasn't for everyone in my life!
You can read more about Missy's journey back from microfracture surgery in her own words at this Patient Experience blog.
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