In the final few weeks of training before a race, I know that my margin to get faster or stronger is pretty small. So instead of doing a lot of intense speed sessions or lifting a lot of heavy weight this close to race day, I'm focusing mainly on race-simulation workouts.

The run, obstacle, run nature of an OCR is different than a road race, a trail race, or even a ninja competition. You have to cover a lot of distance while dealing with fluctuations in your heart rate. So, to mimic those conditions, I'll do a 3 or 4-mile run with some kind of exercise or obstacle every 1/4-mile or so.

There are all kinds of great options you can throw in to a workout like this: push-ups, pull-ups, farmer carries, rope climbs, anything with sandbags or kettlebells, etc. But if I could only choose three, I would go with: burpees, jumping lunges, and my ninja course. I like this combination because it hits the upper body, lower body, and grip strength.

The important thing is to do something (hopefully race-specific) to spike the heart rate and then work on compromised running - running as fast as possible in a fatigued state. That means: 1.) running with good, efficient form and 2.) giving the body the opportunity to regulate the heart rate while trying to maintain a competitive pace.

It takes practice to get the right pace dialed in, so that's why I like to use the final month to get this aspect fine-tuned. And of course, if you can get outside and do a workout like this in the cold and in the snow, even better!

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