{ Life } Warrior Dash

This weekend, Carl and I took on the Warrior Dash at Afton Alps.

What is the Warrior Dash, you might ask? Their website describes it as:

...the ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes. This 5k race is held on the most demanding and unique terrain from around the world. Participants will take on intense obstacles, and celebrate their feat with music, beer, and muddy shorts! The Craziest Frickin' Day Of Your Life!

Having never run... ever, this was going to be a crazy day for me. Carl did a great job of motivating me for the four months before the run. He encouraged me at the gym, he inspired me to push harder... And I was running an 11 minute mile by the day of the event!]

Unfortunately, the Warrior Dash started out straight up a hill. NO THANK YOU. That set the tone for a walk-jog for me the rest of the way. Just as I was ready to run again, there was another hill or another obstacle. Thankfully, I met a lovely lady who kept me company on our walk-jog.

Carl wanted to hang back with me to encourage me and make sure I was okay at first. After we stood and watched the finish line for awhile and watched all the people do the plunge, fire jump and mud crawl, he was too excited. While the idea of running the whole course together was fun and enticing, I didn't want to hold him back, so I was glad to hear he was going to give it his all and run ahead. I think I would have killed myself trying to speed up for him.

Along the way, I ran in to a man and woman who were really encouraging each other. She even used his shirt to wipe her sweaty face! I smiled and said 'now THAT'S a good friend!', and with a big smile, he replied 'no, that's 31 years of a great marriage.' That was really sweet... and as I jogged by I said 'that's exactly what I'm shooting for!'

The end of the race felt soooo good. I couldn't wait to get into the cold mud pit and crawl my way to the finish. Other than getting mud in my eye, it was awesome! Carl spotted me and yelled my name. He had a huge smile on his face and seeing him made me super excited to move faster so I could give him a big, muddy hug.

A turkey leg and a beer later, we were ready to head home. Carl ran the course in 43 minutes. I managed to get out of there in an hour and three minutes... I was hoping for under an hour. Oh well! Motivation for next year!

It was a great way to spend a Sunday together. We relaxed all night at home with delicious fish tacos and Food Network. These are the best days, ever.