I Am A Warrior!

This past weekend I participated in the Warrior Dash in Copper Mountain. For those unfamiliar it is a 5k obstacles course which includes lots of climbing, crawling and mud. I went with a good friend of mine who I somehow convinced to join me six months prior. Leading up to it neither one of us trained. We both are frequent exercisers and decided our usual routines were enough. After all how can you really train for these "hellish" feats of strength?

Costumes are highly encouraged (any excuse to dress up, right?) and we decided to go military style and bought Army t-shirts at Target. Wanting to add some flare we ripped up the sides and added arm and head bands with the left over fabric. Add some warpaint and you got yourself two bad ass looking chicks! The closer it got to our 3:30pm wave the more anxious we became and it wasn't until we crossed the start line  we both focused and got into it.

We ran for the first half mile or so before we hit an obstacle.We passed a lot of walkers but we didn't slow until the hill leading up to our second feat. The mud pit was the fourth one and we had decided earlier, much to the dismay of my friend, we were going to dive right in. It is located in an area where the crowd can watch and take pictures and they booed the ones who daintily entered. I was not going to let that happen. We didn't cannonball it but we did a nice leap into the gross muddy pool. I was excited to get dirty until I got out and realized mud had crept into uncomfortable places. The path remained muddy and slippery for a good portion making it difficult to run. Bystanders along the path tried to help clean you off with a hose but it wasn't enough to really help. The mud quickly dried on your skin making it tight while it weighed down your clothes. I don't know how some people managed their costumes as we had seen some women with old wedding dresses on. That would have been a nightmare. The last half went by quickly and before we knew it we were jumping over fire and crossing the finish line.

After ripping off our shirts Hulk Holgan style, taking lots of muddy pictures, donating our shoes, and rinsing off, we grabbed our free beer and talked with fellow warriors. My boss had participated  with her family and was in the wave before us.  We discussed our favorite and least favorite parts before leaving and heading to the condo we rented with some friends. Needless to say that night everyone slept hard. It was a fun adventure and I'd highly recommend doing it. You can surprise yourself when you get out of your comfort zone and push your limits. I'm a warrior and you can be, too!