I am a WARRIOR!

So a friend of mine (SJP) and a group of girls did the Warrior Dash last year and suggested that I do it this year with them.  Okay!

A couple of years ago I wanted to do the Mudathlon but the timing never worked out.  This event didn’t seem as muddy so I felt like it was a win-win; less mud and good friends.  I looked at the course online and wasn’t too worried except for the Great Warrior Wall.  This girl (ME) has little upper body strength so I figured I’d give it as many tries as I could and then if I was still failing, I would walk around it…and hang my head in shame.  However, SJP told me that I might not get my medal if I don’t complete all the tasks.  WHAT?  She later confessed that this was just a joke.

The first obstacle prior to event even starting was finding a pink tutu.  That’s what they wore last year so it was decided to stay with that theme.  I really thought that finding a tutu would be easy.  Oh my gosh…it was NOT.  SJP looked for one at the State Fair which is where we purchased them last year but no luck.  So the day before the race, I am scurrying around town looking for one.  Aren’t all the little girls still wearing these? Or is that the problem, all the little girls have them and the stores are sold out.    Needless to say, it was as I was driving home at the end of the day that out of the corner of my eye, I say a Halloween costume shop.  Of course I wasn’t in the correct lane so I had to drive past it, make a u-turn and head back toward the store.  SUCCESS!  They had one – well sort of.  It was a slip dress with a tutu at the bottom but I felt like it would work. 

Side note: I did buy 3 different “faux” tutu skirt-like items at three different stores throughout the day...just in case.

Race morning, SJP and her husband and KBS met us (me and my husband) at a gas station so that we could all ride to the race together.  In the car, I was given my Hello Kitty Princess Crown and Princess wand and the other accessories; a pink flower, pink wrist band and some awesome knee socks to wear.

Packet pickup was a breeze and it wasn’t long before we would start.  My husband became our pack mule, carrying all of our items back to the car once the race started.  A few pictures and it was time to start.  Technically, I wasn’t supposed to start until 11:30 because I registered later than they did but there was no way that anyone would have known that.  The countdown begins, flames shoot up in the air and we are off.

It was crowded and we had to wait for some of the obstacles. Saw some guy that looked like he was running in nothing but a pair of Underoos.  At least he didn’t look too bad in them.  Some of those mud hills you were merely a passenger for how and where your feet wanted to take you.  The Rio Run (crossing the creeks) wasn’t bad but sadly because we have been in some serious drought conditions. The first “real” obstacle (in my opinion) was Storming Normandy.  We had to crawl on our hands and knees under barbed wire.  The ground was hard and knee pads would have been a good addition for this one but at least it wasn’t muddy.  My tutu got caught on the barbs at one point so I had to keep my butt lower. Next were the Trenches.  Welcome to the mud portion of this event.  This was another area where we had to stop and wait our turn to go through. This was another crawl and I was in mud up to my elbows.  So gross!  Next we encountered Mortimer’s Crossing which was a rope tight wire kind of thing.  Afterward there was a small creek to cross.  This would have been the perfect opportunity to wash some of the mud off until I saw SJP doing it and some dude jumped in the water next her completing splashing her.  Not. Cool.  She was not pleased to say the least.  Next was the dreaded wall – The Great Warrior Wall – would this be my nemeses? I went to the end hoping that I wouldn’t be in the way if I had to make several attempts.  Plus, there was no one on that rope.  Let me tell you this…I ROCKED THAT CLIMB!!  One attempt and I was over.  I actually sat at the top for a moment to bask in my glory.  The Mud Mound was next.  The only fun part of this was watching KBS "butt-plant" into one of the mud pits.  (I’m sure she did not find this the fun part.)  Then it was on to the Leaders Ledge which we renamed the Wipe Out Wall because that’s what it reminded us of.  On to the Chaotic Crossover, a rope climb thingy and then Road Rage which was hay bales and old boats to climb over.

We were getting close to the end of this thing.  And I’ll admit I was sort of ready for it to be over.  Then we come up on an unexpected twist – a swim event of sorts.  The Capsized Catamaran, you had to swim out to this platform, climb up on it and then back in the water.  UGH!  I didn’t realize that this would be there.  Obviously, I didn’t look at the course map closely.  We get in the water and you can’t touch!  I felt like I was wearing cement shoes.  Luckily, the girl in front of me let me know that there was a rope that I could hang on to.  I think this rope was actually a marker but so many people were hanging on to it, it was completely underwater.  I seriously thought that I was going to drown!  I got to the platform and held on.  I tried to pull myself up but couldn’t.  It seriously felt like I was living a scene from the Titanic.  I “yelled” that I needed help and someone pulled me up.  I’m sure it was a very attractive sight.  I had to sit there for a minute and get my head back in the game.  I saw my friends on the left so I got up and walked that way but going to the right would have been better.  Finally noticing that on the right side, you could touch once you got back in the water.  I was so glad when I was back on dry land.  Another obstacle Cargo Climb and then it was time for what I had been waiting for – the Warrior Roast!  The three of us girls held hands and jump both fire strips together.  SO FUN.  This would have been the perfect obstacle to end on but nooooo, there is one more mud pit, the Muddy Mayhem.  I was so over the mud.  But we did it and we locked arms for the final photo.

Getting clean was no easy task.  It was either back in the pond or the freezing water from the fireman’s hose.  I tried to tolerate the water from the hose but it was way too cold.  So I did the best I could in the pond.  We forgot to tell my husband how long it would take us and where we should meet up, so it took some time finding him.  They all got their free beers and then it was back to the car to put on clean clothes.  We sat and chatted for a bit and then headed to a Mexican restaurant. 

When we got home, I thought I’d never get all that mud out of my clothes.

For SEVERAL days afterward, my upper body was so sore.  My lats and delts and everything up there that had never been used in those ways – so sore.  But it was fun and I’m glad I did it but not sure I’ll do one again.  If there is something out there that has less mud but challenges me overall physically, that’s the event for me.