Yes, I speak of the inimitable...
MUD RUN.
I have compiled a little photographic tour so that you might be able to experience some of the glory that was the 5k Mud Run from the comfort of your computer, without so much as a fleck of unwanted dirt on your person! I know, I am a giver...
Here I am looking cocky before the race. Ooh, look at my shiny white tank top! I'm so clean and mud free!
It is approximately 7:30 am here, btw, which is a feat worth mentioning in itself.
So then, I meet up with the other members of my team,
which were assigned by our mutual friend and relentless organizer Kat. You may remember Kat from other such "active" blogs, as Hiking, and other activities where she uses her wiles to convince me to do things I would usually not. Though I guess in the end, that's probably a good thing... I mean, look at me! I have a number on my shirt! I look like a seasoned athlete in this photo!
So the Mud Run begins, and we take off, all smiles and high hopes. Here is the beginning of the race, where a truck propels water over all of the participants as we begin. Ha! Water? That's the least of our concerns......So the beginning is not too bad for Team Bigfoot (as we have inexplicably called ourselves), we try to pace ourselves while also trying to gain ground on Kat's team. There are obstacles in our path, like haystacks and tires and tunnels that we have to navigate, but nothing too major up front.
This is the first mud pit. Jack (on my team, in the red) appears to be pretty confident about plunging into the mud. The look on my face, however, says one thing.Ew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Damn, suck it up, Heather! You're embarrassing your team!
This is the second mud pit. As you can probably tell, this was much, much worse (aka, muddier) than mud pit #1. See those turquoisish poles? There were Mud Run volunteers yelling at us to "GO UNDER! GO UNDER!" So, as we approached, we had to fall onto the ground, in the mud, to crawl under the poles. They were pretty close to the mud, so there were instances where we had to hold our breath, and just duck our heads into the mud. Pret-ty gross.
So after emerging from the mud like some kind of bog monster, I am saturated in mud. Shoes, socks, shorts, underwear, everything. I found mud in my ears afterwards. I am in the midst of blinking away mud, when I look up to see, looming ahead...
THE HILL.
The Hill would not end. This photo doesn't really do The Hill justice. If you think it ends where you can kindof see the horizon, you would be wrong. The Hill leads you up a sharp right and continues for about twice as long. Everyone is at this point caked in mud, trudging uphill, and murmuring curse words when breath will allow it. Running is no longer an option for me. I am sucking air, The Hill has taken my last ounces of energy. I wonder, at this point, if I will have to be carted down The Hill, if I will indeed make it to the finish line. There are volunteers standing by, surely one has a walkie talkie they could summon help with. My team was ahead of me, but I was pretty sure Kat's team was behind me... and so, I kept going. I could NOT be the reason my team lost to Kat's... Closer to the top, Sylvia and Jack (Team Bigfoot) waited for me with words of encouragement. I kept going, but was thinking, my God, I bet we're not even halfway done...
And would you believe it, after The Hill, it was all downhill! I caught my breath, and it was easy for me to take off down the hill... we were home free! We just had to link arms and cross the finish, except(!), to our dismay, for a final mud pit. Oh, sure, why the hell not? Crawling again, under the flags, we finally made it to the end, and in an astonishing 23 minutes!
Yes folks, that's less than an 8-minute mile! We did in fact beat Kat's team, and rinsed off some of the grime before they finished, but Sylvia and I were kind enough to wait for them to finish for a semi-muddy last photo...It was, in fact, a very triumphant feeling. And they had free pizza waiting for us at the end! I was actually pretty pleased with myself that I had done it. Dammit, Kat was right again. At least I beat her in the race! Face, Kat! And... I did get this picture to take away...
*photo credit to Kat's boyfriend. Nice one, Burton.
