Muddy Buddy 2009

Chris and I signed up for the Muddy Buddy a few months ago after he heard about it from a friend while he was in Iraq. It is a 6 mile adventure type race. You and your buddy switch throughout the race between biking and running. The bikers stay to the left and runners stay to the right on the trail. After each mile, there is an obstacle to conquer and at the end of the race you crawl through a mud pit.

Chris began on the bike and I started with the run. Immediately, after the start I was not thrilled because the path was extremely rocky. I am not talking pebbles either. I have always been a pavement girl and I was freaking out that I was going to twist my ankle and go down any second. I really would have been ticked off if that had happened because remaining injury free is high priority! It was annoying to have to watch every step I took, but that is what I did.

The first obstacle consisted of walking across a balance beam- easy enough! I found the bike where Chris left it and took off. I am not a regular biker and riding on the rocks made it even more of a challenge. I told myself to just go for it and if I crashed then I would just pick myself back up- no sweat! I was cautious during certain parts of the route and just tried to go as fast as I could without crashing into a runner or another biker.

At obstacle two, I saw Chris because he was waiting for the bike. I got to him as quickly as I could and he took off. You had to climb a rock wall and go down a net on the other side at this obstacle. A bit more challenging, but very doable! I was happy to see that the obstacles weren't too difficult because that was one of my concerns. I completed the obstacle and took off running again. Let me tell ya- I was SO happy that Chris was on the bike because the trail during this leg of the race was freakin unbelievable! We went down a very steep hill and then when we thought we were almost at the bottom the volunteers were hollering that it was even more steep and to be cautious. I have no idea how he did it, but Chris was able to cycle down that entire hill- I would have killed myself or injured someone else. I ran with caution and for some reason I didn't even consider the fact that if we were going DOWN we were eventually going to have to go UP! Yes up! The hill that we had to climb had to go on for more than a half mile. I have trained on hills, but this was unbelievable. I have never in my life heard myself breathe the way I was breathing today. It was almost like I was wheezing and it even alarmed someone else because they asked if I was okay. I decided to walk a bit and recover. Chris on the other hand biked up this entire mega hill and had people cheering him on while he did it.

At the next obstacle, we had to crawl under a huge net that hovered over the ground- no problem there. I accomplished that and was ready to get my last leg of biking out of the way. I felt a little more comfortable this time around, so getting to the next obstacle seemed to happen a bit faster. I was so proud of myself because at obstacle four I caught up with Chris! I was excited to see that I wasn't sucking wind as badly as I thought! I hopped off the bike, he got on and I tackled obstacle four- a huge inflatable slide that you climbed up using ropes. I zipped down the slide and took off running.

During the last leg, I began talking to Missy from somewhere in the state of Kentucky. It was great to chat and pass the time. We booked it up one last hill and saw the crowd of people at the end. Hallelujah! Chris was waiting for me and we ventured through the ropes and into the mud pit. The mud pit had flags going across that you had to climb under, so you crawled through on your belly. We laughed the entire way! Chris thought I needed more mud on my back, so he kindly splashed some at me. When he splashed I turned my head to look at him and it ended up right in my mouth. Ugh! We climbed out of the pit and went to do a photo shoot with the kids.

My two youngest did the Mini Muddy Buddy, so they had a short obstacle course and the opportunity to enjoy the mud pit. They had a blast! My 5 year old son smiled through the entire event. It was great to know that this was something different they were able to participate in and would probably remember forever. We made some memories!

We hosed off as best we could and threw all of our nasty shoes, socks and clothes in the back of the Suburban before heading home. We were a funny sight, but we didn't care a bit.

Overall, I had a great time. It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. I hated the terrain and the hills were crazy. Plus, running with a bike helmet is really a pain in the butt! It was something out of my box and definitely a memorable event. Chris loved it and didn't have any complaints.

My goal for the week is to do 30 miles of running and I plan to blog about it each day. I am using this blog to be accountable because I want those miles! I am still on the fence about counting the three miles that I ran today in my weekly total. Chris says no and I am leaning towards yes. :)

Speed Work

Once a week I join friends and we do some speed work. As I drive to the track I tend to feel dread, but once I get going and the music is blaring in my ears it becomes kind of fun- notice I said kind of. We usually do a mile warm up, half mile sprints with quarter mile recoveries in between and then a mile cool down. Those half mile sprints are tough, but very rewarding too.

Today we brought our kids to play while we ran in circles around them. It worked out great and they had fun. On my second sprint, my youngest son hopped on the track right in front of me and took off like a jet plane. Seriously, it blew my mind! I could hardly catch him and I know we were running around 7:30 minute pace! He did the fastest quarter mile and I had no idea he had that kind of speed. I was very proud of him!

This weekend Chris and I will participate in the Muddy Buddy here in Nashville. I am really excited about the race and look forward to having a good time. It is a bike/run where you alternate between the two and do an obstacle in between. While one teammate bikes the other one runs and you switch after each obstacle. At the end , you crawl through a mudpit to get to the finish line. Cool huh? He keeps pushing my buttons and telling me that we have to win, but believe me I am totally there for fun. I am sure I will be driven to pass some people, but winning isn't my top priority. No pressure in this one!

Slug

I haven't ran in 5 days and I feel like a slug! Ugh! I really hate that feeling. Long holiday weekends and staying with family equals no running and a lot of eating. I could have ran with friends this morning, but decided to sleep in instead. Lazy? yes, but it sure did feel good.

The kids are on summer break and things should slow down. I plan on hitting the gym a lot to get my weight training in and running as much as I can. The heat is going to be a pain in the butt and I may just realize that running in the winter is the way to go. I would like to run around 30 miles a week- I think that is a very attainable goal! Early morning runs might be the only way I can get out there without being miserable!

Gym

I haven't done much running since the marathon. I have been focused on weight lifting and short fast distances on the treadmill. I went to the gym last Friday morning with Chris and I am still walking around in pain. Last night, I went to bodybuilding.com and found a 5 day a week workout routine that I think I am really going to benefit from. Today I lifted on my own and felt comfortable in the gym next to all of the guys. This is another step out of my box experience for me.

Chris is bike shopping and encouraging me to get one of my own. He is lined up to do a few triathlons this summer and fall. A few of my friends are interested in doing a short distance triathlon in the next few months. This means I need a bike- an expensive bike at that! Again, stepping out of my box.

It feels so strange not to be training for anything at the moment. I feel a little lost, but I really am trying to take advantage of the gym before fall rolls around and I begin training for the Memphis Marathon. My hotel reservations are booked for that race and I am really excited to start training with all of my fantastic running friends. We really are going to have a blast on our runs. I think the miles are going to be full of laughter and fun.

Weights

Beginning Monday morning I am going to join 3 friends and we will begin Body For Life. It is a 12 week program combining healthy eating, weight lifting and cardio. I am so excited! I hope to get a lot out of this program- muscle tone & definition, losing a few pounds and I am really hoping that the weight room at the gym becomes a more comfortable place. I have always been intimidated when I go in there, so I am happy to be venturing down this path with some friends. There is safety in numbers right? :)

I am still going to be doing quite a bit of running even though only 20 minutes of cardio is recommended. I can't just do 20 minutes of cardio- it just isn't in me. I would miss running terribly! I never thought I would say those words! A few of us are hoping to get together a few times a week for a regular run throughout the summer.

It wasn't until recently that my 14 year old could beat me at arm wrestling, so maybe if I get in that gym consistently I will be able to give him a run for his money. That would make me happy because I thoroughly enjoy beating him. You should have heard his shouts of joy when he won for the very first time. He was thrilled!