Today, I did something I never thought I'd ever do...I entered a mud run. With the walking and hiking I've been doing, I wasn't really too worried about the distance (a 5k) and the hills. It was the heat and the obstacles that frightened me. Fortunately, I had a couple friends and family doing the race with me.
What I didn't expect was the off camber trails that we were on. With my planer fasciitis and weak ankle, I was immediately in pain. But, it wasn't just my heel that was in pain, but the outer side of my leg that went about halfway up my lower leg. It was a pain that wouldn't quit, and it only got worse with each step.
When I got to the first obstacle, which was a giant stack of hay bails, I powered up them without any problem. When I went over the top, my foot (yes, the hurt one) fell in between two hay bails and I twisted my ankle. I honestly felt like I was going to have to bow out...it hurt THAT bad.
The next obstacle was a set of boards over a shallow gully that you had to balance across. That didn't cause any problems. Then up a small hill and then I hit the tires. There were a group of little kids cheering us on and high-fiving as we went by, which got me going. However, I'd never done tires before. I took it slow, sort of bouncing through them to get through.
Next was a rope walk over a water pit. There was a rope on the bottom you walked across, which a rope on top that you used for support. I'm fortunate enough to have pretty decent balance, so I was totally good. Then, came the rock climbing wall. Rather than assess what was ahead (and deal with my fear of heights), I just went for it. Getting over was actually quite easy, and I passed a couple people on the way over it. I had also caught up to my sister-in-law, and had passed Johnny (the hubby's friend).
Next came this structure that looked like an old barn with just the frame left. It wasn't, but that's the best was I can describe it. You could either climb to the top, then back down, or bipass and crawl through a metal tube. Since I wasn't going for time, I figured I'd just climb over. Again, I was able to pass a couple people on this obstacle.
Then, down a hill and next up was a wall with a rope and some boards that ran across. This is the only obstacle that I was told about that I truly feared. I didn't want to use too much of the rope, so I grabbed the rope with one hand, and used the other to grab the horizontal boards (where you place your feet). I was doing great until I got to the top and then had to figure out how to get over it. Since this wall was totally vertical, I made the mistake of stopping at the top and started over-thinking. That's when I freaked out, and I actually thought I was going to fall. My S-I-L was cheering me on, and the guys working the obstacle said they don't recall ever hearing so many cuss words at one obstacle, which helped lighten to mood and I was able to get over the top.
Up a super steep hill and then we hit the water slide. Only one person could go down at a time, so there was a pretty long line. Since our wave was the 5th wave to go, the bottom of the water slide was a giant muddy mess at the bottom. There was absolutely no way to avoid flying into the mud hole at the bottom. So, down I went and into the mud I slid. I climbed out as quick as my overweight, 41 year old body could get out, but I probably had about 5-10 extra pounds of mud now caking my whole body, including my shoes, which were a soppy, muddy mess. This made it harder to run at the point.
We went through some hilly, windy paths, then came to the over/under obstacle. There were 4 or 5 walls that were about 5 feet tall that you had to somehow climb over, and in between those walls were barbed wire that you had to either go under, or climb through. TJ was there at that obstacle and helped explain how to get over. Basically, I threw my leg up and hopped and rolled over each wall.
Finally up that last hill and to the giant 16-foot cargo net to climb up and over, and then under the barbed wire through the final mud pit before hitting the finish line.
I was absolutely beat and could barely breathe, but I finished strong and with a smile on my face. I am still finding mud in places where it clearly doesn't belong and my clothes are destroyed, but it was so worth the experience, and I'm actually looking forward to doing it again next year!
To see the course and obstacles, check out RanchRomp.com.
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