Purple and Blue Challenge Run - 10/2/11

I've officially gone a little crazy in the running department!  A friend of mine suckered me into a Challenge Run.  It was a local 5k based on the Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash races.  I'm not really sure what convinced me.  Maybe it was the cause.  But I ran my first Challenge Run on October 2, 2011.

I got there a little bit earlier than Krystyn, so I went ahead and picked up my packet.  On my way in, I noticed a map.  That was when I started to panic.

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

 

I started to wonder what I'd gotten into.  Especially when the starting line looks like this...

I realize it was advertised as a "5k run with 12 obstacles", but I kinda thought we'd RUN before we saw some of those challenges.  Nope!  Straight into the woods and over downed trees.

First up: 3 HUGE tires.  HUGE! (No that's not me.)

Then some mud...some water...some more mud...an army crawl...some more water...(you get the picture)...

At one point, we carried car tires 1/4 mile.  That's right...a CAR TIRE!  How do you carry a tire and run?  I started the way this guy is, but after about 10 yards, it was digging into my shoulder with every bounce so I opted to wear it like a hoola-hoop.  Worked great to run...but boy did my arms hurt on Monday!

We crossed the brook around 8 times.  It was anywhere from a trickle of water to an actual swim under a bridge.  Ever try to swim through freezing water with sneakers on?  Quite a wake-up call.

Right before the finish line there was one last army crawl through mud.  We were quite the sight by the time we crossed the mat!

Here's Krystyn finishing strong:

We all had water-proof GPS anklets.  I sorta felt like I was on house arrest.  Maybe that's what helped me run through the woods.  I gotta tell you though, I'd be a horrible fugitive.  I would just give up.  I could never outrun anyone.

The goal of my race was to finish...finish and have fun! Mission Accomplished!  I've never had more fun running...ever!

So out of 140+ runners, I finished #44 overall.  I was pretty happy with a 41:48 finish and love the fact that I was in the top 10 women finishers!  I definitely see more challenge runs in my future!