Playing in the Mud!

Yep, I'm a dirty girl ;)  On Saturday, I participated in the Dirty Girl 5K Mud Run - a 3.1 mile course with 12 obstacles and yes, I completed every obstacle no matter how gross. 

Why?  Good question.  My friend Kathy invited me, my daughter, and her friend to go. They immediately said yes (see - I didn't raise a girly girly!) and I said, "hell no."  Well...three against one - I was out numbered.  Actually, I changed my mind once I learned that it really isn't a race to the finish and I could walk the course if I so desired.  Plus this was more a fun run and a portion of the proceeds go to cancer research.  Win - Win (except for my sneakers).  The worst part - the time!  Our wave left at 9:00 am (the am stands for I AM usually asleep until noon).

Here's a before picture of our team the Madames of Mayhem.  Can you recognize me?

Our team, like most teams that participated, dressed alike - black tank top, black shorts (spandex because according to my friend, cotton would have adsorbed the water and been around our ankles by the end), bandana, grease paint (mayhem - remember?), and water guns.  Some teams went all out with pink tutus and rhinestone goggles - one team dressed as the characters from the Wizard of Oz. 

Here's a before picture of me with Jenna and Sam:

And here's a picture of a poster someone did for us! It was very lovely and we were thrilled - however no one knew who the dude who craves the Hawaiian pizza is!  Was it one of you?? I did mention our team name in a Facebook post.  If it was, THANK YOU - we felt very special!

With 300 people in a wave, it's hard to run at first - so we jogged and chatted.  I learned the best way to run in the mud is by digging your toes in and not pushing with your whole foot.  The first obstacle was an inflatable tire course - I tripped midway - too much forward momentum and legs that just wouldn't keep up! Good thing I just bounced right back up.

Most of the obstacles were easy/fun - ropes course, climb over a wall, climb up then bounce down this big inflatable pyramid (my favorite obstacle), climb up then slide down into a big mud puddle.  My least favorite obstacle was the tunnels - filled with water and mud, you had to belly crawl through them. Swimming through mud - not too bad, but being inside a small space not fun - I felt like Trella trapped in a water pipe (if you don't get this reference - go read INSIDE OUT).  There were two of these obstacles, but the second one was better because it had netting over the top. And despite being apprehensive I did them because I wanted to experience it, to get myself out of my comfort zone, and it's all fodder for my books!

Here are after pictures:

I learned a couple of things during the run.  I don't mind being covered head to toe with mud.  Crawling through the muck cuts up your knees and elbows. Sneakers filled with water, mud, and gravel are not comfortable and they weigh a ton. My friend, Kathy is crazy - she made mud angels and splashed in every puddle.  And it reaffirmed that when I do something that my first instinct is to say, "hell no" to - I end up having a blast!  Thanks to Kathy and Jenna for dragging me along.

If you've made it this far, then here's a little sneak peak into my new Study book - the first paragraph: "Ugh mud, Kiki said as she splashed through another puddle. The wet muck clung to her copper coat and dripped from her long tail. It packed into her hooves with each step."

And here's the link in case you want to be a Dirty Girl (sorry no men allowed to run - but you can come and cheer your ladies on!): http://godirtygirl.com/