So, on this Sunday afternoon some people were following the Master's, others were watching Nascar, while I, along with a few of my bootcamp partners, were conquering "The 2011 DFW Original Mud Run!" Let me explain the Mud Run....
"The Original Mud Run" is a fundraiser for the National MS Society, The Young Marines and Salute Inc. It is a course of 6.21 (ish) miles to run with at least 15 muddy obstacles, that we knew of (via the registration packet), and a few "suprise" obstacles thrown in just to keep us wondering what is next. The first run is 1.8 miles then an obstacle and for the rest of the race there is an obstacle every 1/2 mile. Here are some of the obstacles...
The Hurdles, The Mud Pit, The Quigley (belly crawl in mud), The Mine Field (low crawl in mud), The Stairway to Heaven (3 story giant "ladder" to climb), The Rope Swing (if you can't swing across you will fall in the mud!), The Wall (take a good run at the wall, put your foot on it & pull yourself up...I had to jump up to reach & grab the top then pull myself up & over!), The Tunnel (crawling thru a tunnel), The English Channel (literally about 30-40 yrds of treading thru waist deep water while your legs are sinking in mud up to your chins), The Low Crawl (42 feet of crawling thru mud & under wire), The Cargo Nets (a climbing task on loose cargo nets), The Over and Unders (you have to take a breath, go under the mud & log, then back up over another log & so on), Leap of Faith (just as it sounds, climb up to a platform about 15-18 feet off the ground then jump into the mud!), and a swim of about 100 meters across the river. There were a couple more obstacles, but this is all I can think of right now.
So here is my background story. I met Pam, my trainer, last summer as she was Lily's swim coach. I found out Pam is, also, a fitness trainer and so I started going the her bootcamp on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays at 5 a.m. Yes, I just typed 5 a.m.! It's literally like working out in the middle of the night for me, but I love it! 5 a.m. is the best time for me to workout, before the kids & the husband wake up, I don't have to find a babysitter or send the girls to a daycare at a gym, plus, when I come home after working out I still have at least an hour to myself to do "whatever" I want! Sometimes I catch up on my DVR, read a book, make my grocery list, cut coupons, clean, start laundry, take a long, hot shower with no one bothering me or sometimes I go back to sleep!
I love my workout group and have met some awesome people! We are all on different endurance levels, but support each other in every way! And that is how I accomplished the Mud Run! Because I had the support of my bootcamp girls. When we started talking about the run I really wanted to do it, but was afraid to. Afraid that I couldn't "keep-up" or even finish. This is when my supporters said, "Natalie, you can do it!" So I took their word to heart and signed up. And, of course, they wouldn't let me sign up in the "non-competitive" race, only the "competitive" race where we had to wear combat boots & utility/cargo pants! So that's what we did... Dressed up like military and ran our Mud Run. I will have to say there were a few times today when I was thinking to myself, "What have I got myself into?" But I never wanted to quit. The running was the most difficult for me because I'm not a distance runner. I'm good with a 1/2 or full mile so the first almost 2 miles really tired me, but when I came to "the Wall" and used my upper body strength to pull myself up & over, I thought to myself, "I can do this, I am strong & I will push thru!" Oh, and couple of times while running I did think to myself, "I have been thru 29 hours of natural labor, I can finish 2 hours of mud, running & obstacles!"
I won't lie it was hard, but I will do it again & I will beat my time because I will do more running to train for it next year!
The Original Mud Run was the most exciting, agonizing, fun & rewarding Sunday afternoon I have EVER experienced!
Pre-Mud Run pic
During Mud Run
first pic taken after Mud Run
(post race)
Pam & I getting hosed off by the fire department!!!
unfortunately the fire engine is missing from pic :(
Ain't that something?!
Awesome job girl! SO proud of you and jealous... you look SO freaking good :)
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