The Dirty Girl Run

Today I was a Dirty Girl.

Last May I heard about the Dirty Girl Mud Run.  It's a 5K non-timed run that involves obstacles, fun and lots and LOTS of mud.  I had just started my whole "I'm-going-to-be-healthier" kick, I signed up hoping and thinking that by the time August rolled around, I'd be svelte and in tip-top shape.  Well, I'm definitely not svelte and while I'm in better shape than I was, I'm still not what I would call, athletic.  However, I was really excited for today to get here.

The Dirty Girl Mud Run benefits the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  A small portion of each registration fee goes to that Foundation.  It's also a fun obstacle course where women can dress up in costumes, there's music, food afterwards, and lots of fun.  I found out about it through the mom's group at my church.  They wanted to put together a team and I was all in.  However, I ended up texting a friend about it, because I knew that she did a lot of marathons and 5K's.  She was all in, and asked me to be on her team with some of her coworkers.  Sooooo, I ended up going with them and not my fellow moms.  MISTAKE.

This morning I saw on Facebook that this friend had posted that she wasn't going to do the run because she had the "beginnings of a summer cold".  Are you freaking for real?  It annoyed me further because she evidently let the other girls on the team know, but not me or my sister (who is also her friend and on the team).  Oh well, wasn't going to let it get to me.  If she didn't want to participate, it's her loss not mine.    At the end of the race, we showered and we couldn't find her afterwards.  I texted her and she texted back that she was already on the freeway.  Argh.....she left with the two other girls and worse, she had our freaking tickets for our FREE BEER in her pockets.  Next year, I'm not messing with that....going back to my moms group!

Ok, the actual race was fun.  I am not a runner by any stretch of the imagination.  I started out by jogging to the first obstacle, but even that made me tired.  I did the obstacle though, it was this blow up mountain thing that I had to climb up and then bounce down the other side.  After that, my back started hurting.  Afterwards, I told my dad and he told me it was because I am out of shape.  Whatever!  It felt like when I had gallbladder attacks, so I was not going to take any chances on having a gall bladder attack in the middle of this race.  Therefore, I walked the 5K.

The great thing is that this run was for all ability levels so it was untimed and I didn't feel bad walking.  The rest of my so-called team took off and I saw them occasionally way ahead of me.  Other than that, my sister would run to the next obstacle, go through it, and then wait for me.  I appreciated that.  Another reason I'm ditching teams next year.  Who leaves your teammate behind?

I liked most of the obstacles.  There was a few that sucked.  One in particular was a large wall you had to scale.  I admit, I went around....the back and all.   There were quite a few areas where you had to army crawl through mud under ropes.  My sis and I had fun with those!  At one point we were slapping mud on each other's ass and laughing so hard as we got up from it.  Another I really liked had like 5 tubes you had to crawl through, again in the mud.

The second to last obstacle sucked.  It was a really long army crawl underneath a really low net.  The problem was that there were rocks and pebbles underneath the mud.  Crawling on your knees hurt like a bitch.  Army crawling more on your belly was fine, but took forever.  That was by far the most painful.

I would definitely do it again.  I'd switch teams to one that was more focused on team-comradory and I'd want to make sure I am in a little better shape.  Other than that, I loved it.  I recommend doing it.  I think of all the crap I've been through with the PTSD in my husband, the marital issues, the kid issues, financial stress.....and to be able to leave all that behind, even if only for an afternoon, and run and do this stuff for me.....to say I did it.....that was an awesome feeling.

I did it!!!