That's right I did it! I wasn't sure I could do it. (and neither was Lindsay) But I did do it. I successfully participated in and finished the 2009 Marine Mud Run 5k. I was a little over ambitious by signing up for a simple 5k the day before Lindsay went into labor with Elijah. In July I was casually talking to one of my friends and neighbors about how I would like to to start running and how I needed a buddy to run with and keep me motivated. He proceeded to tell me that he was going to sign up for a Marine Mud Run 5k that was in September and that he was starting to train for it. He explained it as a 5k with a big mud puddle you have to run through in the middle of the race. Well that got me all excited and I told him to count me in! Ha! The next day we had Elijah! I really had no idea how sleep deprived a first time parent actually was the first few months of their child's existence. So I kept saying to myself, "Self. You need to start training for this 5k that is coming up. Oh well I will start next week when I'm not so sleepy." Well day after day went by and I was still sleepy. So I decided that I had to start training sometime. My training was running twice for a total of 3 miles in two weeks. (Not hardly adequate training for what I didn't know about yet)
Two days before my big 5k adventure, I happened to mentioned to someone in the office that I was going to be running in the Marine Mud Run. They said really! My son did that last year and it was pretty intense! She then proceeded to give me the link to the pictures from last years race. So I went looked at the pictures and soon realized that this was no ordinary 5k this was a 3.1 MILE OFF ROAD OBSTACLE COURSE IN THE MUD WITH 1200 PEOPLE!
So our team has the appropriate name of "Team Snail Pace." We show up along with 1200 other participants. It has been raining for the past week so we are ensured that it will be muddy the entire race. Because we are on a team, we have to all cross the finish line together because Marines "Leave No Man Behind" I will spare you all the details of all the obstacles and just past the link to the pictures from the race. After all pictures do a far better job of helping you get the idea that this was no ordinary 5k.
http://www.mclknox.org/html/mud_run_2009.shtml
The pictures you see of me are at my house after I had been hosed off by a fire hose and washed off in Melton Hill Lake. Our team finished in 41 minutes. Later that night I had to sing in our good friends' wedding. It took some scrubbing to get all that mud off.
I think I still might have some under my toenails! Next year I am going to do the 2010 mud run but I will co
me prepared for what lies ahead!
