The other day I participated in my first 5k....and not just any regular 5k but a mud run! I have been excited about it since they announced it last year, and my friends and I have been talking about it so much over the past few weeks.
I woke up early that morning and ate an apple and some peanut butter. I wasn't sure what constituted a good pre-race breakfast but that sounded pretty good to me. We were shuttled over to the Hephzibah Home where the race took place. (Hephzibah Ministries put the race on and the proceeds went to their cause. Check out their page for more information!)
We had decided on camo and black pants for our "costumes"...I think it turned out pretty cute! I did start to think about how hard it would be for someone to find us if we got lost in the mud!
Our start time was 11 am, the first wave to run. I am glad we were the first to go, less time to get nervous about it and the track was fresh. Well, as fresh as a muddy track can be!
The first wave was off and we ran around the parking lot and straight into the woods. The course at the beginning was VERY narrow and although we were all running at this point, it was probably not the best area of the course to run. It was a tough terrain, a lot of uphill it seemed, with stumps and tree roots everywhere. And yes, I busted my tail. Just once though....and I got back up so quick it almost seemed like a planned move!
The first mud pits came quickly. After that, a few obstacles including an area where we had to climb over and under things, a tire obstacle and lots more mud pits!! They had told us there was a 4 foot wall to go over, but we never saw that. We did have to climb down in a ravine and have to climb out using a rope. It was higher than 4 foot and the rope was a small little rope! Thankfully, the guy behind me gave me a little boost and held the rope tight for me! (Thanks, whoever you are!)
They had two 8 feet deep ponds that we had to cross. The weather was nice outside, probably about 75 degrees, but let me tell you....the water was FRIGID. There was no easy way to get in the pond, it wasn't like a pool where you could wait on a step while your body got used to the temperature. It was calf deep and then all of the sudden you plunged in! It was a nice wake up though, and we went as fast we could through the ponds.
Near the end, they had some featured mud pits that spectators could watch us at. My friend Megan and her daughter Cadence were able to get some pictures here. Megan was supposed to run with us but had to sit this one out. We are looking forward to her joining us next year, and she and I are running a race at Disney in May. Look out for the blog on that one too! We were thankful to have her to take pictures though, and I think she enjoyed being able to come out and watch!
Here's a picture of me sliding down one of the mud slides into a pit. It was so much fun sliding down these hills. I think I would go out and slide down the slides today if they would let me!
Next we had to do a belly crawl in a muddy trench. I love my face in the second one. A couple times through the race we would come up on an obstacle (such as the place where we had to climb out the ravine) and I would say, "They didn't tell me about this part!!". Joking, of course. No complaints here, all of the obstacles were great.
And then, the grand finale. A GIANT slip 'n slide. What better way to end the race then sliding down a hill into the mud. They had covered the hill with a tarp and had this truck spraying water to keep it wet. We had planned on a great finish, all sliding down the hill holding hands. Well, our plan didn't go smoothly because somehow we seemed to find the one place on the hill that wasn't wet enough. Kim went sliding sideways and we all followed once we finally reached a wet spot. You would have thought we were wet enough from the mud to slide on down!
It felt so great to cross the finish line. I had finished my first 5k. We finished in 1:19, which I know is VERY slow for a 5k, but I think for our first mud run, this was a great time. Next time maybe we can improve on time because we will know more of what to expect. I honestly was not so much worried about the time, I just wanted to finish.
Let's just say, I was very proud of myself. It was a tough course, and I know that a year ago I may not have been able to finish it. I did not struggle with too many areas. I think the biggest area I struggled with was getting in and out of mud pits. I think those are the areas that slowed me down because I was a little nervous just to go jumping in (I had a fear of losing my shoes in the mud or getting stuck somehow) so I would slow down to get in the pit, then book it as fast as I could through the pit. Getting out of the pits always seemed a little slow too because you had to get your feet out of the thick mud at the bottom of the pits!
So, I learned a lot about mud runs and about myself. It was FUN to let loose and get a little dirty! I cannot wait for another one. I am already on the lookout! I really recommend everyone try a mud run...it is a fun time and a great experience to share with friends!
Hopefully it will not be so long in between blogs next time!
Emily
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