Let me prequel this with: I don’t recommend running a trail race after not running essentially for two weeks. Add to that mud pits & stream crossings…lol. I have to say hands down this is one of the most exciting and fun races I’ve ever run (not to mention slowest). My heart rate won’t indicate that but imagine trying to get your legs out of quick sand that is freezing cold and running after that. Yeah…
Anyway, after staying out til 3:00am Friday and not getting nearly enough sleep since getting back to Europe, I was up and going at 6:45am this morning. As I was getting ready to head out, I hear someone trying to open my front door. That made me nervous. My roommate was home and I was here. Finally, I hear the door bell. I open the door and there is my neighbor getting ready to take his bike out. It turns out he woke up someone sleeping on my doorstep. Evidently, she thought she lived in my apartment and when she tried to use her keys, it obviously didn’t work. My neighbor asked her where she lived and it turns out she lives on a different floor. I’m thinking I should go find out what she did last night because evidently she had a bit too much fun;-)
So, oh yeah, the race. My attire: bike shorts (I don’t want dirt in unnecessary places), a long sleeve top, gloves for gripping, and an old pair of running shoes ready to go to the shoe graveyard wrapped in ducktape. It was 38 degrees at the start which made my legs look just great;-) And not having sun for 6 months doesn’t help;-) Anyway, no start gun. Just a simple go. And we were off. I had zero intentions of racing. My only intention was to come out in one piece!
It wasn’t easy as I jumped over tree trunks, slid through mud, sunk in mud. You get the idea. All that and it was so much fun! I wore my garmin as I was curious to see how the ole’ heart would hold up. Truthfully it shows I did as I stated I’d do: not race. My heart rate never went above 170 and was right around 160-165 the entire time. More energy was spent making sure I didn’t do a face plant. I came awfully close on several occasions. The first mud pit – about 1/2 mile into the race – my foot got stuck in the mud and bam – my hands go into the mud. The remainder of the race was spent with a rather muddy glove and very cold feet.
Laughter was a plenty! I chatted it up with fellow runners as we approached another mud or water crossing. About 1/2 mile from the finish line there is a water crossing which can be up to your chest if there is a lot of rain. However, this time it came to just above my waist. It actually was good timing as about 1/4 mile earlier I landed awkwardly on my ankle on a turn and it was starting to hurt. The stream numbed all feeling so if it hurt, I couldn’t tell:)
As I approached the finish line, my teammates cheered from the sideline and I showed my love back as I ran up the lovely hill to the finish. No awards to be won today but I haven’t had that much fun in a race since the trail race I did in the fall!
My legs were caked in mud and my shirt looked like it had been through a war. Never fear as a change of clothes was near. And ducktape – oh that saved my feet! If I could count the amount of times there could have been a sneaker lost on the course…
Awards were won in the form of cookies! YAY! Millercass won first female and Eric won for best entry into the water (and he thought he’d been DQ’d!). After the ceremony, we headed back to the city and enjoyed liquid refreshment at a local establishment. It’s now 9:45 and I’m absolutely wiped after another fantastic weekend in NYC which included a bar with a mechanical bull, running off the alcohol still in my system, and a mud run…what could be better? Pictures to follow!
Mudders
How fun???!!! Nice report…
Mudders
How fun???!!! Nice report…
Mudders
How fun???!!! Nice report…
Mudders
How fun???!!! Nice report…
Mudders
How fun???!!! Nice report…
Mudders
How fun???!!! Nice report…
Mudders
How fun???!!! Nice report…
damn
sounds like a good time—- damn i missed out on this! 2009 here i come!
-morrissey
damn
sounds like a good time—- damn i missed out on this! 2009 here i come!
-morrissey
damn
sounds like a good time—- damn i missed out on this! 2009 here i come!
-morrissey
damn
sounds like a good time—- damn i missed out on this! 2009 here i come!
-morrissey
damn
sounds like a good time—- damn i missed out on this! 2009 here i come!
-morrissey
damn
sounds like a good time—- damn i missed out on this! 2009 here i come!
-morrissey
damn
sounds like a good time—- damn i missed out on this! 2009 here i come!
-morrissey
It makes me laugh to think that people do mud runs for fun. And then it makes me laugh again to think that I a little part of me thinks it might be fun to try once.
It makes me laugh to think that people do mud runs for fun. And then it makes me laugh again to think that I a little part of me thinks it might be fun to try once.
It makes me laugh to think that people do mud runs for fun. And then it makes me laugh again to think that I a little part of me thinks it might be fun to try once.
It makes me laugh to think that people do mud runs for fun. And then it makes me laugh again to think that I a little part of me thinks it might be fun to try once.
It makes me laugh to think that people do mud runs for fun. And then it makes me laugh again to think that I a little part of me thinks it might be fun to try once.
It makes me laugh to think that people do mud runs for fun. And then it makes me laugh again to think that I a little part of me thinks it might be fun to try once.
It makes me laugh to think that people do mud runs for fun. And then it makes me laugh again to think that I a little part of me thinks it might be fun to try once.
nice work! Enjoyed reading about your race….check to see if you are in any of my pics from the race.
http://nytrails.blogspot.com
pete
nice work! Enjoyed reading about your race….check to see if you are in any of my pics from the race.
http://nytrails.blogspot.com
pete
nice work! Enjoyed reading about your race….check to see if you are in any of my pics from the race.
http://nytrails.blogspot.com
pete
nice work! Enjoyed reading about your race….check to see if you are in any of my pics from the race.
http://nytrails.blogspot.com
pete
nice work! Enjoyed reading about your race….check to see if you are in any of my pics from the race.
http://nytrails.blogspot.com
pete
nice work! Enjoyed reading about your race….check to see if you are in any of my pics from the race.
http://nytrails.blogspot.com
pete
nice work! Enjoyed reading about your race….check to see if you are in any of my pics from the race.
http://nytrails.blogspot.com
pete
Awesome race experience! And great write-up! Mud always adds an element…
Awesome race experience! And great write-up! Mud always adds an element…
Awesome race experience! And great write-up! Mud always adds an element…
Awesome race experience! And great write-up! Mud always adds an element…
Awesome race experience! And great write-up! Mud always adds an element…
Awesome race experience! And great write-up! Mud always adds an element…
Awesome race experience! And great write-up! Mud always adds an element…