Athletic
Outdoorsy
These are 2 words that definitely would not normally be used to describe me, and definitely would never have been used to describe me a year and a half ago. So the fact that last weekend I willingly participated in, finished, and enjoyed a 5K mud run is bordering on miraculous. Not part the Red Sea miraculous, but more of a my life is changing miraculous.
My friend Emily sent out an email a few months ago with this crazy idea to get a team together for a mud run. I saw some of the other names she sent the email out to and they included major runners. I’m not in their league! The fact that she sent me the email was flattering. Two years ago she definitely would not have included me in it. I was the fat girl who had no interest in physical activity, if you’re going to a movie, invite me, but definitely not for something like that! Last year she might have sent it to me knowing I was doing the Couch to 5K program. But I would have never thought myself able to do it and would have declined. But this year, when she sent out the email, I thought, “Hmmmm, maybe…”
I sent reply emails:
Once I signed up, I never wavered from the fact that I was going to do it. But, I was definitely nervous for it. The day came. We drove 2 hours to get there. I saw the obstacles. I saw the hills. And you know what? Even though I was expecting it to be difficult, I knew I was going to be able to do it. And I just took it all in and thought how far I’ve come!
The race began and the 11 girls in my group and I ran over a hay hill…
Ran up a mountain, through a rope course…
Jumped the tires…
Went through several mud pits (usually being splashed by our over-zealous friend Joli)…
Used ropes to go down steep hills…
Crawled through mud tunnels, under a net, and went over a wall (the obstacle that ahead of time I worried I wouldn’t be able to do)…
Went through more mud… some parts waist deep!
Went over tire swings…
And over a tall cargo net…
We laughed, we joked, we cheered for each other, we worked hard and we all did it! At the end, I once again thought about how far I’ve come.
We got muddy… well, except for our one friend Deena who managed to stay pretty clean. And although I’m not a total girly girl, getting muddy is not my norm. Some women seemed to wear their mud like a badge of honor, but not me… I was ready to get it off. Cleaning up with a garden hose is also not my norm… but that’s what we did. I wouldn’t purposefully do that regularly… but for one day – it was fun! (My girly girl side did come out after the race when I sat down on my bag in the changing tent to apply my makeup.) And the hot shower later at home was heavenly!
So the moral of my story… never define yourself by things you’re not (I’m not athletic, I’m not outdoorsy)… because who knows… that just might change! And if I can do something like that, then pretty much anyone can.
Oh, and before I sign off for the day… several people have asked for a follow-up from Running Girl Adventures (part 1). My youngest was sick, so we didn’t go on the field trip the day the random stranger, Sarah, was supposed to meet me to run. I drove over with my son sitting in the van holding a bowl in case he got sick. And we waited… but the random stranger never showed up. I was there again today… but still no Sarah. Wonder if I’ll ever see her again????
♥Becki
