Hey All,
Since the mud run is coming back around I'll re-post the blog about the 2010 mud run that Mel, Jerrod, and I did.
Ah, the mud run... I had a lot of fun doing this event. I had an idea of what to expect but it was a lot longer than what I had planned. I'm very glad that I picked the right thing to wear, that was a BIG factory in making the event a lot less irritating than it could have been. There was a great turnout and besides the little fuckers acting like want to be marines it was a blast.
The event started off great, we were all packed in and started about 15 min late. That's not a big deal since most races always start late for one reason or another. It was about 1.3 or 1.4 miles to the first obstacle. That wasn't a straight 1.3 since the course was designed to be hard. It was along the trinity off northside but you would run up the hills of the dyke and down, up and down the hills then a straight a way and some more up and down. By the time we reached the first obstacle I was very ready for it. Mel and Jerrod had passed me at this point. I started off quick and then fizzled to a slow jog... The first event was running up a dirt mound probably 10-12 feet high and then jumping into a huge pool of water at the bottom of it. We waded through another 8 feet or so of water that about chest high and then climbed out. I was wearing regular running shoes so I needed a lot of help getting some traction on the way up. The mud was compacted and very slick so there wasn't an easy way up without help. I loved it!
The next phase was about 7-8 obstacles of varying levels of mud and cold ass water. Then there was the rope bridge. A 20' pond of muddy cold water accessible by two ropes. You started on one side and then had to traverse to the other side by holding your arms above your head holding a rope and balancing your feet on another rope. Having done this numerous times in the Ranger course at Benning it wasn't a big deal. The little fucker's acting like Marines would swing the rope to try and make you fall. But a 12 year old doesn't really have the upper body strength to shake my fat ass off the station. After that there was a few logs that changed hight. The goal was to run to the log and traverse it without missing a beat. The best way to do this is to run at it, hit it with your body elongated and then roll over it. It's easier than it sounds if you've done it before. The last one was about 5' high so you did have to get some lift to clear it and I saw numerous people (mainly girls) having a great degree of difficulty with it.
The next few stations weren't that hard, just kind of messy. Some low crawls through mud with covered canopies, running through mud, etc. There was another run of probably a mile or so on concrete followed by the station that kicked my ass. You went about a little less than waist deep through water that was about a football field's length. This was a lot of work on your thighs and hip flexors. The water wasn't deep enough to swim on your stomach through but too deep to run "high knee" though. It really was a good burn.
After that a few other stations, crossing the trinity via a rope, running up the side of the trinity and then Jacob's ladder. This was a wood ladder 15' high by about 10' wide. There was a wood step about every 5' so I would stand on one, jump to the other and pull my self up. The way down was about the same way; hold on to one and then drop to the other. There was a padded mat at the bottom in case of an accident and I didn't see any people fall. I did see a lot of good number of people bail on the station due to being frightened (Jerrod) of the height with various excuses (I don't think it'll hold me, it doesn't look stable, I'm a big vag, etc).
After that it was smooth sailing. A few basic stations and then one wall to traverse. It was 7' high and flat so the best way was to run, jump and pull yourself up. There were a lot of people that couldn't get through this event due to being vertically challenged (Mel), but we can't hold that against them. A couple rolls in the mud later and you're done.
Overall all the event was a lot of fun. Mel and Jerrod beat me by about 8 min; it felt like they were days ahead of me though. There was free beer afterwards by Coors light and Clo from the Russ Martin show MC'd the event.
Things I learned... Mel by far was the smartest of the 3 of us in her attire. Running tights and a sports bra; it allowed her to dry quickly from the multiple water obstacles and kept her (semi) warm. I wore some wick drying clothes and no socks with regular mizuno running shoes. I thought by not wearing socks I would cut down on the chaffing from the water events but it just made things suck. I had to take my shoes off twice since the running shoes let in small little pebbles from their mesh cooling system. Next year I'll rock some trail running shoes for traction and pebble blockage. I'm also going with some Underarmor coldgear. It'll keep me warm(er) and provide the water drying properties I'm looking for. Some people wore sunglasses and that was a big mistake. Throughout the course there were numerous pairs littering it, both whole and broken. While i'd prefer shades for the sun I'm going to continue to leave them at home. I did wear a bandanna and it magically held through the whole thing. It was a great event and I had a ton of fun, next year should be a blast!!!
Since the mud run is coming back around I'll re-post the blog about the 2010 mud run that Mel, Jerrod, and I did.
Ah, the mud run... I had a lot of fun doing this event. I had an idea of what to expect but it was a lot longer than what I had planned. I'm very glad that I picked the right thing to wear, that was a BIG factory in making the event a lot less irritating than it could have been. There was a great turnout and besides the little fuckers acting like want to be marines it was a blast.
The event started off great, we were all packed in and started about 15 min late. That's not a big deal since most races always start late for one reason or another. It was about 1.3 or 1.4 miles to the first obstacle. That wasn't a straight 1.3 since the course was designed to be hard. It was along the trinity off northside but you would run up the hills of the dyke and down, up and down the hills then a straight a way and some more up and down. By the time we reached the first obstacle I was very ready for it. Mel and Jerrod had passed me at this point. I started off quick and then fizzled to a slow jog... The first event was running up a dirt mound probably 10-12 feet high and then jumping into a huge pool of water at the bottom of it. We waded through another 8 feet or so of water that about chest high and then climbed out. I was wearing regular running shoes so I needed a lot of help getting some traction on the way up. The mud was compacted and very slick so there wasn't an easy way up without help. I loved it!
The next phase was about 7-8 obstacles of varying levels of mud and cold ass water. Then there was the rope bridge. A 20' pond of muddy cold water accessible by two ropes. You started on one side and then had to traverse to the other side by holding your arms above your head holding a rope and balancing your feet on another rope. Having done this numerous times in the Ranger course at Benning it wasn't a big deal. The little fucker's acting like Marines would swing the rope to try and make you fall. But a 12 year old doesn't really have the upper body strength to shake my fat ass off the station. After that there was a few logs that changed hight. The goal was to run to the log and traverse it without missing a beat. The best way to do this is to run at it, hit it with your body elongated and then roll over it. It's easier than it sounds if you've done it before. The last one was about 5' high so you did have to get some lift to clear it and I saw numerous people (mainly girls) having a great degree of difficulty with it.
The next few stations weren't that hard, just kind of messy. Some low crawls through mud with covered canopies, running through mud, etc. There was another run of probably a mile or so on concrete followed by the station that kicked my ass. You went about a little less than waist deep through water that was about a football field's length. This was a lot of work on your thighs and hip flexors. The water wasn't deep enough to swim on your stomach through but too deep to run "high knee" though. It really was a good burn.
After that a few other stations, crossing the trinity via a rope, running up the side of the trinity and then Jacob's ladder. This was a wood ladder 15' high by about 10' wide. There was a wood step about every 5' so I would stand on one, jump to the other and pull my self up. The way down was about the same way; hold on to one and then drop to the other. There was a padded mat at the bottom in case of an accident and I didn't see any people fall. I did see a lot of good number of people bail on the station due to being frightened (Jerrod) of the height with various excuses (I don't think it'll hold me, it doesn't look stable, I'm a big vag, etc).
After that it was smooth sailing. A few basic stations and then one wall to traverse. It was 7' high and flat so the best way was to run, jump and pull yourself up. There were a lot of people that couldn't get through this event due to being vertically challenged (Mel), but we can't hold that against them. A couple rolls in the mud later and you're done.
Overall all the event was a lot of fun. Mel and Jerrod beat me by about 8 min; it felt like they were days ahead of me though. There was free beer afterwards by Coors light and Clo from the Russ Martin show MC'd the event.
Things I learned... Mel by far was the smartest of the 3 of us in her attire. Running tights and a sports bra; it allowed her to dry quickly from the multiple water obstacles and kept her (semi) warm. I wore some wick drying clothes and no socks with regular mizuno running shoes. I thought by not wearing socks I would cut down on the chaffing from the water events but it just made things suck. I had to take my shoes off twice since the running shoes let in small little pebbles from their mesh cooling system. Next year I'll rock some trail running shoes for traction and pebble blockage. I'm also going with some Underarmor coldgear. It'll keep me warm(er) and provide the water drying properties I'm looking for. Some people wore sunglasses and that was a big mistake. Throughout the course there were numerous pairs littering it, both whole and broken. While i'd prefer shades for the sun I'm going to continue to leave them at home. I did wear a bandanna and it magically held through the whole thing. It was a great event and I had a ton of fun, next year should be a blast!!!
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