Mud Mania!

Pre race

Today was a momentous occasion for me.  As you know I've been training for a Spartan race in April but I knew I needed to do something before hand to ease my distaste of getting wet and dirty.  For the last two years, my hubby and friends have done a mud run in Auburn, AL.

Mud Mania!  The first year he did it, I watched it.  Yuck!  I didn't go the second year, cause it was not a great venue and the parking was a mile out.  The second year, the venue was changed and again this year.  Found out it was bought out by another entity.  Venue was nice as far as woods, but still lacked other things that I saw in Ga at the Spartan - like a nice hosing off area.

We got to move up our race time.  Clearly, this event was not full.  10:30 the horn sounded and off we went.  Hills and mud pit, running.  I embraced it and had a good time!  There were two obstacles similar to Spartan, the incline rope climb and 2 4ft. walls.  Did those with no problem.  They also had a water ice tank.  I was so pleased with myself that I got through that even going under the wooden bar.  I was soaked.  But the most gross or fun, depending on your pov, was all the mud that was there.  Holy Cowboy!!  Deep and sucking in places.  I don't even think I can describe it properly.  The last mud obstacle nearly did me in.  I got stuck and could not move, so I rolled off to the side and got out.  (One big difference between this and Spartan - No burpees)

I'm guessing that we finished in about 1:15.  Results aren't out yet.  I will do this again.  Super excited for Spartan in April.  AARROO!

Post Race

Less Than a Week

It's less than one week until I run my first OCR.  I'm thinking that it will be a good start to the adventure.  It's local, Mud Mania - Auburn, and if I can't do an obstacle, I don't have to do 30 burpee's.  This event is also for me to get over my aversion to getting wet and dirty unnecessarily. While I've never been a girly girl, I also don't like to to get wet and dirty for no reason.  LOL.

I've been hitting the WOD either at home or up at school regularly and feel like there is improvement.  I can actually hang on the pull up bar and do three knee lifts, run 2- 4 miles at 4mph or the treadmill and not be wiped.  I'm also really liking the trail runs.  Basically, I'm happy with where things are at the moment.  

Happy Monday and St. Patricks Day!

Absence

I've been absent from posting on this blog.  I know that, but it has not meant that I've been absent in getting on with becoming the athlete I'd like to be.

After the last post, my husband and I decided that once a weekend, we'd go running together.  The week after our trail experience, we went to the bamboo forest, better known in our area as, Wilderness Park.  I'd heard about it and passed it driving many times.  It is a very pretty place. It is fairly magical, if you don't look at the pond with all the dead bamboo in it.  There is lots of living bamboo around.  Note to self, call the mayors office and tell them to clean it up.

The funny thing about the park is that once you go down the path about 1/10 mile, then has a loop around this pond.  Again, it is about 1/10 mile.  So let's not count how many times I went around the loop to get in my miles.  

 Happy Trails!

Happy Trail Adventures

Last weekend hubby and I decided to do a trail hike.  I carried a backpack with about 15 lbs of weight.  There is an electric right of way to the side of the house.  We headed out downhill and then lots of uphill.  At the top of the hill was a natural gas pumping station.  We decided to turn and go to he left where there was a vista of wide trail for the gas right of way.  As we were walking, we saw a deer stand, and private property sign a little further on.  Cresting a hill we saw a house.  Two dogs came out and a guy said, Hey! You know this is private property?  Better to ask for forgiveness than permission as far as I'm concerned.  Turns out that he was a nice guy.  Gave us his number to call to tell him we'd be hiking again in the future and warned us about other property owners that hunt or shoot guns all the time out there.  So hikers be warned....  

Committed

I am now on my way to becoming a Spartan racer.  I signed up for the sprint in Laurel, IN for April 26th.  It will be one of the ways I celebrate the end of the semester.  Now my training is real for me.  Yesterday, I did the WOD.  It was 30 burpees and then run a mile, do 3x.  I have to say that I was not thrilled.  In the e-mail, it said something about, if you are able to finish this, then you are ready to be at the start line of a Spartan...  I bought into it.  Halfway through, admittedly, I wanted to quite but I also wanted to complete.  In the end, I did and was exhausted.  All I wanted to do is cry. The last song I listened to was from Passenger from their Wicked Man's Rest album.  It really spoke to me as I was struggling that last 1/4 mile to complete.  It is entitled, Things You've Never Done.  I've posted a animated version of the song with lyrics.

Passenger-Things you've never done (Animation)

Back on Track

It's been a successful 7 days.  I got prepared mentally and completed HIIT workouts on both Wed. and Thursday.  Friday I rested.  Went shopping and bought an awesome running gear so I can start running on real roads.  Picture later.  The weekend and now start of week have continued to be good routine days between Spartan WODs and HIIT workouts.

I think next, is to intensify my capacity for upper body work.  I'm looking at Spartan run videos and posts on FB and now know that it's just not the rope climb, that I'll be struggling with but a few others like an inverted wall climb.  I'm going to scout around the area for play grounds and such that I can use to train if I don't have the tools here at the house.

Have a great fitness week everyone and for all my Alabama peeps - stay safe in the snow and watch out for the people who don't know how to drive in it.