2012 Warrior Dash

May I just start this post off by saying that I have never been more sore in my life?

My left leg feels like it's just about to fall off, and the rest of me is not far behind.

It's a good sore, though, a sore that tells me that I worked really hard and had a lot of fun.

I signed up for the 5k/mud run/obstacle course known as the Warrior Dash two months before it was scheduled. It seemed to me that two months wasn't nearly long enough to train for something that would require all of the strength and stamina that I had {not a lot}. Well, no-one knows how to squander two months like I do. I can honestly say that I did not train for this race, unless you count the incredibly insane "carb loading" I did the night before.

On race day, I woke up early and ate some egg whites and Greek yogurt to get some protein in me. I drank as much water as I could in the morning. Then, I headed over to my friend's house, so she could drive us to the course.

My first race bib

Before the race. Note the eye black and bows.

 

I was really concerned about drinking too much water before the race, because it always seems to slosh around in my stomach and give me sharp cramps while I run. Note to self for next time: drink as much water as humanly possible. Dehydration is way worse than cramps.

We decided to run an hour ahead of our start time just so we weren't hanging out in the 100 degree weather any longer than necessary. I ran the first mile and then reached the first obstacle. It was a climbing obstacle, and I was really scared. I conquered it, though, definitely taking my time and whimpering throughout. There were a lot more climbing obstacles that challenged me and left me feeling impressed with my abilities. I was able to face up to a lot more than I thought I could. There were some really fun obstacles thrown in with the more difficult ones, like jumping over fire and wading through muddy water.

After the race

Warrior strong

My friends in the mud, after the race

Gun show

Warrior helmet sign

Even though it was hot as sin, and I wasn't very fast, I still had so much fun and really impressed myself with my ability to conquer all of the obstacles and finish the race. I'm also very pleased that I didn't break my knee, because it's t-minus 3 days until NYC!