MUD REPORT...MUD??? Do you say MUD???

Ok so my last Tri of the season was last week...but that does not mean that racing season was TOTALLY over...NO WAY!!!

This weekend was so much FUN.....A mud run, hanging out with a friend and her beau and a great run and homework (ok that part was not fun at all!)

I got up at 5 am..Yahoo...a late start for a race day!

Everything was packed for the weekend the night before like I try to do each time.  But I had to double pack things...First I was racing two and half hours away..... and then driving all the way back and going another 30 minutes the other direction to hang out with a DEAR Friend!

Most of you probably do not know this...but I OVERPACK EVERYTHING and EVERY TIME.... if I need one pair of shoes I'll bring 3 pairs.  Since I knew we were going out to dinner last night, but did not know where or the dress attire needed...Yes I had a backpack, a race bag and a "small carry on" sized suitcase... Hey i needed layers for the race, clean dry clothes for afterwards and then stuff for the rest of the weekend RIGHT?????

Ok back to the MUD Report: up at 5 am...breakfast and coffee, load up the Jeep...and head to gas station ( this is going to be an expensive weekend for gas).  Jeep all filled up..my coffee cup is almost empty so over to D&D!!  EXTRA LARGE skim milk and equal HOT COFFEE.....it is 6 am and I have a 2.5 hour drive ahead of me...Traffic is not bad at all...

Got to Southwick, MA and to the race venue right on schedule..The traffic line to get into the parking area is about 1/4 mile long, there is a big school parking lot , almost completely empty right to my left...I pull in and ask a couple of the guys that were there in the lot, "Can we park here for the race?"  They are like "We are"..ok so am I...Come on it is only 1/4 to the race venue... Why not!

I grab my race bag and water bottle and head out walking...It was a quick 1/4 mile..people were asking me as I walked by where did you park? I said to them "RIght there"..pointing over to the parking lot...they just drive by it.....LOL

Check in is smooth...OH forgot to tell you... I am on a team for this race...The Trumanatiors... a bunch of staff form one of our local ER's and I somehow agreed to do this with them.... I think I have to blame  Adam and Cathy for that...and neither one of them were able to come and play int eh mud with us yesterday....:-(...I did find Bob and Dave though... I was told there were more coming, but I did not see anyone of them.   I rented the video camera..so in about two weeks I'll post what I saw as I was racing....

My wave is to go off at 1045 AM...by the time I checked in and went to the Porta-Potty and then did my bag check and took off the extra layers I was wearing...CAUSE yes I was FREEZING!!! is is already 9 am...I heard over to the race area...Cause a mud race is more about the obstacles then the run!

I stood watching as people jumped in chest deep COLD water and then cargo net climbed out ...

1030 , I pick up my camera rental...I figured if I am doing I might as record it try to remember it later....LOL!  It is my view of the race...

After I get the camera.  I see Bob and Dave getting ready for the
wave.  Bob and Dave work in the ER.  I was not sure who else beside Cathy and Adam that was suppose to be doing the race.  I found out the night before that Adam was not going to be able to race and then the next morning Cathy called me to tell me she was not going to make it there....I felt so bad for both of them.....

ok the gun goes off and we are off....This race is not about the TIME  it is about CONQUERING THE OBSTACLES!!!!!  Not int his order but in the way my mind works: The Following was what I remember of the race, ...There was this AWESOME SLIDE...LONG DARK tunnels you had to crawl thru...on your hands and knees..there are 12 foot high wooden walls to climb over and down on the other side... barbed wire strung out and you had to crawl thru the water and mud!  jumping from logs stuck in the mud, more tunnels and some you have to crawl on your belly to get thru...Walls you have to jump up onto to get over and others you need to climb over..Cargo nets between two huge shipping container that you have to get over....a "fire" to jump over........did I mention everything is COVERED with MUD!!!!  

Bob, Dave and I played "TAG" a lot during the race...I am a "runner" and they are not what they called "runners" but they FLEW over and through the obstacles where I was so much slower on them....But they waited for me each and every time I went over or through one....Thank you GUYS! As soon as I was through with the obstacles I would run ahead and wait for them other times we would run together or walk together.....  we all went down the water slide together,,,we all started with our feet out front and I am not sure how anyone of did not end up on the other side of town we came down so fast,,,,That is one of the obstacles I WANT TO GO DO AGAIN!!!!

We finish up in just under 1:05...I am not 100% sure of my time...cause I was not on the results page...so I emailed the company and told them I finished with Bob and Dave  or int hat time frame and we will see what they give me....But I am pretty sure about 1:05 or less....

BEER TIME::::  Yes one beer is part of the SWAG for the race...Thank you....then grab my bag and go over to the "showers" A pole hung between some trees with hoses attached to it...and there is NO HOT WATER!!!!!  changing rooms are big blue tarps tie to and around trees...enough to make a big communal changing room.....

Thank God I am not SHY!!! 10 - 15 ladies all changing in a open air tarpped wall "room"...I just wanted my pink fuzzy socks on my cold wet feet.....

Changed and ready to walk back to my jeep....SO glad I parked in the other lot and not right near the registration... I was out of the other lot before people in the registration lot were even on the street..

Drive to D&D and yes get more COFFEE.... another long ride to go home... Yes I drive 5 hours to race a 5k obstacle course called the  RUGGARD MANIAC ::::::::  CAUSE I CAN NOW!!!!!!!