Dirty Foot Adventure Run

Sometimes in life you need to push your comfort zones and do something you have never done. Today marked one of those days. Back in March I committed Michelle and myself to an obstacle course run. I had heard about them and that they were becoming a popular alternative to a standard running race. We had never done anything like an event such as this and really didn’t know how to train for something. You don’t usually choose to go off running in mud, creeks, and sand paths just for giggles. This led me to train as I thought I should. I started following Crossfit Endurance and began the process of getting ready for this unique event. Fast forward to June 9, 2012 and the race/event was upon us. We started with our standard breakfast of champions which consisted of an egg mcmuffin from McDonald’s with a diet Coke. Once on premises we realized these events are for real. There were people everywhere. Oh yeah, many of the people wear costumes. Some are more detailed than others but they are really into this type of fun. After we got through registration we finished up our final prep, which for me meant downing 2 bottles of water, hanging out in the porta potty, and chilling with our family that had come out to witness do this insanity. 10:30 came and it was time to go. We started out and within 200 yards we were soaked when we entered knee deep water. This was only a prelude of things to come. Traversing through the motocross track began our 5 ½ mile course. They had the sprinklers on and with the astonishing amount of rain that had accumulated on property the course was a muddy and sometimes slippery mess. After we got off the motocross track we hit the real course. The sun was shining brightly so the excursions through the woods were welcome reprieves from the heat and humidity of the day. We crossed creeks, slogged through mud bogs, and jogged through sandy trails. These were constant reminders that we weren’t having an ordinary jog. Some of the obstacles included balancing on a log to cross a creek, standing on a rope and holding onto a rope while crossing over a creek, and going over and under ropes while walking through the creek. These were tame and at times were welcome rests during the route. Since my shoulder surgery I have doubted my upper body strength and some of the obstacle today really tested this. We climbed an inverted wall, we had to hop over three walls that increased in height and then there were some major upper body tests. The first was the 20 foot high wall that had some foot and hand holds as well as ropes to help pull you up. I completed this one alright and once on top I looked down the other side and realized I had to get down. Oh yeah, I am scared of heights which will come into play later on as well. After completing the first wall we came around a corner and guess what, there was another one. The only difference this time was there were no foot holds. It simply had three ropes hanging down and we had to pull ourselves up and over. I couldn’t fail at this point because we were so close to the end. I fought and clawed and willed myself over the wall. We also had a rope swing into a massive mudhole that was actually quite refreshing. We traversed through a cattle corral weaving through ropes intertwined through the fencing, climbed massive bales of hay, balanced on logs and poles, and did I mentioned crossed creeks at least 15 times. Finally we were at the five mile mark and that’s when the ass kicking really kicked in. To finish the course we started by jogging through a mud bog, traversing through the creek and being required to duck under some poles. At this point the legs have hit the wall but the rest of the fun was about to take place. Starting the final push we climbed a sand hill, entered a flag pond walking across it while fighting not to fall in the many deep holes and exiting on the other side. Once out we jogged to a little triangle wall. This obstacle wasn’t hard but at this point you can see the finish and being tired takes over. After fumbling over the wall and entering another big water crossing the last obstacles were in sight. Getting down on my hands and knees really didn’t sound exciting but it was necessary. We had to crawl through the mud under barbed wire. After 75 feet of trudging through you caught a little break then you had to squat down to get through a concrete culvert pipe. After coming out the other end you got yourself through some tires piled up and then you squatted down again to go through another pipe. Have I mentioned that my legs were on fire at this point? The last two obstacles were in my grasp. The second to last was a 100 foot crawl on your belly through broken up pieces of watermelon. Yes, it was as gross as it sounds. There was also wire above you to keep you on your belly throughout the entire obstacle. Michelle and I came through and could see the family cheering us to the finish. The final obstacle was 125 foot swim across the swimming pond they have on site. No problem except in order to enter the swim you had to jump off a 20 foot high platform into the water. By the way, I am still scared of heights and when I looked down the water was way down there. Michelle and I grasped hands and prepared to jump. We had made it this far together and we were going to finish together. We made the leap and wow, the water felt amazing. I slowly swam across to the other side and waited for the other 4 people we had done the event with. We all exited the water and crossed the finish line together. We congratulated one another, turned in our scoring chips, and then celebrated by having an ice cold beer. I am so happy that Michelle and I decided to do this event. Brianna was too young to do it with us but she truly was frustrated that she couldn’t. It is neat to see her want to push herself as well. We had a great group to run with as well. Michelle and I met up with Meghan who is a trainer at FSC, her boyfriend and two of their friends. We pushed one another, cheered one another, and throughout just assured each other that we would see the finish line. The event was hard but very doable and also incredibly rewarding. Yes, we got dirty and had mud in places I didn’t think was possible but it was nothing a shower couldn’t get rid of. The teamwork displayed by all the participants was amazing. Everyone was willing to help anybody with an obstacle either by pulling, pushing, or cheering you over. We didn’t win but I feel that we competed well. We had a time of around 1:32 or 1:35. To me this was pretty good considering we ran 5 ½ miles and completed 30 obstacles. The next time Michelle and I do one of these will be in December when we compete in the Tough Mudder. This one will be 10-12 miles with about the same amount of obstacles. The next event we will be doing is the Scenic 17 Triathlon at the end of July hosted by WIU. Training for that starts Monday. My thought is if I keep myself uncomfortable I will continue to go and strive to be better. Sleep well and don’t call me early.