mud run 2009

wow, might sum it up in one word.  sore...might be another word to sum it up with.  here's some more:  hard, hot, dry, fun, challenging, empowering, wet, not wet, competitive, strong, happy, adrenaline.  seriously all these words remind me of the ASYMCA Mud Run that took place yesterday on the camp pendleton military base.  it is just a mixture of craziness and fun!  this year i was really nervous, more than i thought i would be, to run and compete.  i realize now that that is because i was trying to better my time, which really put the pressure on myself to do well.  what made it harder to do that:  hotter weather, dry weather (totally dry mouth most the run...thank goodness for water/powerade stations so often!), no water in the reservoir (SO sad...meaning no rest while floating across the reservoir like last year...not to mention no cooling off) and the fact that i was running it totally alone.  i had mike and robin with me for the first mile or so.  then it came time to go our seperate ways.  it really put a damper on my run when i got to that part of the race (the reservoir) and found no water to ease my eyes and tired legs.  my sis-in-law, robin, had warned me that her sister said there was no water in the reservoir, but for some reason my brain couldn't let go.  it was rough.  but i did get over it, i promise.  and i ran across where it would've been.  and then i kept going.  and it was great!!

nenna had fun hanging out at the mini-park in the festivities area.  chloe did too, until she fell off the swing onto her face.  i had walked away for a sec to get some water,  15 feet away.  chloe decided to get off and follow me while swinging back.  down, down she went!  i'm happy to report that she is fine; just another bump to her noggin.  it's a regular thing for the bug.

here we are...the three bodacious bakers that run the mud run this year.  robin, mike and me.  and i have to give major props out to mike, who let me use his visor the whole run.  man, was i lucky he did that.  it seriously saved me the whole race.  that sun was beating down on me, especially during miles 2-4 (huge hill).  i frequently felt bad that i got to use it when he probably was really wanting it back.  what a nice bro!  thanks mike (i'll return it soon...washing it).

the race pretty much just started here.  stephen was able to at least snap this of me, though nothing else.  apparently chloe gave him a pretty hard time around the time i ran in, so he totally missed me.  bummer!  that's mike and robin just behind me.  about 2 minutes later we all get sprayed by fire hoses....hallelujah, did it feel good!  robin got the most soaked.  mike used his super power strategies to fly under the radar there.

this is the first guy to cross the finish line, according to stephen.  this is the mud "swim", where you have to literally crawl/swim your way across.  it's only about 50 yards in length.  it feels so good to get in after all that toil up and down the mud hill.  phew!  the best is the marines yelling at you to "catch up to that girl in front of you"....saying "you can't let her beat you!".  i loved it!  it totally pushed me to go faster and try to beat her....which, i might add, i did. 

the plane above flew over us during the race.  it was HUGE.  it was landing just nearby at a small runway. 

and then you have chloe cheering whoever on.  oh, and me.  my time was 6 minutes better than last years time.  last year (1:26:39)....this year (1:20:??...despite what the website says, i KNOW it was 1:20 when i passed that finish line!)  go, go, go!!!

twas a good year at the mud run!  next year will be better!!!!