Frontline OCR May 27, 2023 Special Forces Wave with a 20 lb weight vest

This was my second time running Frontline OCR, and it is without a doubt the most challenging race out there right now. Without wearing the 20 pound weight vest, it would still be a challenging race, with multiple rigs and upper body obstacles, thrown in with plenty of carries. The weight vest does more than just make you heavier. It forces you to go over walls differently because you can't bend the way you normally can. It gets in your head and makes you doubt yourself. At least it does with me.
My race was going pretty well until I got to Kraken, with monkey bars to a twister-type obstacle with nunchucks instead of handles. Last year I went through it pretty smoothly, but this year, I threw out any solid technique and went all kinds of ways trying to get through it. When I fell, my forearms were tight and I started to lose confidence that I would be able to finish the race. I ended up waiting a really long time before trying again, but this time I used a solid technique and made it through. But my confidence was still shot. It didn't help when I struggled through the next two upper body obstacles. A simple pipe and rope traverse had me puzzled when I took way too long to reach the high bell. Then, I had to try an obstacle with hanging wood poles and rock climbing grips 4 times before I got it. I was frustrated because I just couldn't figure out the right way to do it. Once it clicked, it was too easy and that frustrated me even more.
I hit a dark place after that obstacle, walking a while. In my head, I figured, why should I rush to the next obstacle if my grip isn't going to be ready and then I'll just fail again. I trudged along, a little down on myself, and then started to remember last year. I was stuck at the vest collector a long time in the first half of that race, and was fighting doubts for a while. By the time the race ended, I felt much better about how I was doing and finished strong. At that point, I decided that this is what the race does to you, and I will do the same as last year. That helped a little, and when I got to the next big rig, Mooring Lines with hanging ropes, I was able to get through it first try and gave me a much needed extra boost. From that point on, I was determined to finish strong, and I was able to beat this year's version of Vest Collector on my first try!
I absolutely love how this race challenges you, and I will definitely be back to do it again.