Survivor Mud Run 2013

I did it, I stepped out of my comfort zone. Heck, I did more than step out of it, I leaped about a million feet away from it! On Saturday I completed the Survivor Mud Run 2013 challenge in Berthoud, Colorado.  I've never in my life done something like this.  I don't like being dirty!  Being sweaty I don't mind.  But dirt, actual dirt, I hate that!  And trail running?  Yeah, I don't do that.  Give me asphalt, concrete, and maybe a some AstroTurf, but trails, nope.

So this challenge started with about a half mile run (I'm not sure on the exact amounts since both my phone - with my Nike+ app - and Fitbit were left with my husband so they wouldn't get destroyed.  This was on a dirt trail with lots of ups and downs (it's really a dirt bike track, so you get the idea).  That was no biggie other than the whole trail aspect and me watching my feet to make sure I wasn't about to twist my ankle on rocks or anything.  Then, the first obstacle.  Right into a lake of mud, going under wires.  I was drenched in mud from my neck to my toes.  Suddenly my shoes felt like they were made of wet cement.  But the run continued.  I went slower than I could have. But I was doing this with my sister-in-law, her step-mom, her step-mom's niece, and her step-mom's friend.  At the beginning it was decided that my sister-in-law wanted to go for it and be competitive.  The rest of us would stick together and help each other out.  Even though the woman I was running with (she was in her early 50s and doesn't run) said I could go ahead, I didn't want to leave her behind.  It seemed rude after we'd decided to stick together to help each other out if needed.  So I didn't run on all the parts that were just running.  The obstacles were still a challenge for me, I don't have a lot of balance, grace and all that other stuff.  But it was fun and I would love to do one with my husband.  He would definitely run all the running with me...and push me to run even faster since he's a fast runner.  And he would LOVE the obstacles!  In all it was 3.47 miles of trails and mud and obstacles and more mud...oh so much mud.

The worst part of the whole thing was near the end when I went head first out of a tunnel into a pool of mud!  I got mud in my eye and it hurt so dang bad!  I fell twice after that because I couldn't see where I was going. But I survived!  I have my medal.  And my shower when I got home was the best shower ever!  Although I think I'll be digging mud out of my ears for the next millennium!  And my only injury is a skinned knee...I was a little worried about getting all banged up.  Phew!

Now I'm back to my sidewalks and streets...heaven!  Today's run was a little over 7 1/2 miles up and down hills in neighborhoods, then down through the old downtown area of our city, past the police station and back into the neighborhoods before talking a (sidewalk) trail into the county fairgrounds where I finished it off.  Awesome!