Down and Dirty!

Sunday was such a fun day.  Dan and I both ran in the Delaware Mud Run.  We were each on different teams. Dan's team ("Can you Diggety It?") was made up of some guys from his volleyball team and my team (The Dirty Dancers) was made up of dance friends.   What an amazingly fun time!!

Pre-race chaos.  The mudders are starting to arrive.

If you don't know anything about the Mudrun, it is a 5K race through mud (sometimes knee deep) that also includes various obstacles on the course.  I'm honestly glad I didn't really know what to expect because I probably would have bailed if I had know how much upper body strength it required (I have NO upper body strength).  It's not a normal race because there are very few people who take this seriously.  Most people are dressed in ridiculous costumes and most people tailgated both before and after.  My team did not tailgate before because we were too nervous (and because it was 9:00 in the morning) but as you can see from the picture, Dan's team did:-)  ).

 The Dirty Dancers pre-race:  Me, Terianne, Heather, and Misty

                          

Can You Diggity It?:  Jim, Dave, Dan and Joel

The race started with a little jog through slippery mud (great) and a run through a little mud pit (fun) and then we came to a point where we were waiting in line for the first real obstacle. It was really backed up when we got there and we had no idea what we were waiting for so we just stood in line and chatted.  It was taking forever, so everyone in the line started chanting various things and then we did the wave which entertained us for awhile.  Eventually we got around the last bend in the line and see this big muddy hill and people climbing up the hill by pulling themselves up ropes (AHHHHH!).  Again...I have 0 upper body strength.  I was TERRIFIED!!!  My teammates all made it up super easily and then it was my turn.  I made it about 3/4 of the way up and then the guy in front of me falls.  I hang on for dear life while he gets his footing again...and then he falls again (it is very slippery). At this point my arms starts to shake (I don't know if I mentioned it but I have 0 arm strength).  I see that there is no one on the rope next to me so I make the decision to switch ropes.  I get on the other rope and continue to climb but what arm strength I did manage to muster up was gone.  At the very top, I try to pull myself up but fall flat on my stomach in the yucky mud but I hang on for dear life because the only thing I could think of is "if I let go, I am going to have to start all the way at the bottom of this damn hill again".  I did manage to get back on my feet and up another foot where my friend Misty grabbed my hand and helped pull me over the last little lip (Gosh...I love that girl).  By this time, I was exhausted but it was time to run again so off we went as I sucked wind.

We go through a couple of the easier things and then we get to the next major obstacle.  Guess what it is?!?!  A freaking vertical wall of mud with a rope dangling from it.  I take one look at this wall and think, "There is no way in hell!"  My next thought was "How can I get around this?"  The fighter in me quickly surfaced though and I realized that I may not make it up but I sure as hell was going to give it my best.  Because I'm a dancer, I have a ton of leg strength so my strategy was to use my legs as much as possible and get up the wall as quickly as possible.  Much to my amazement I flew up the wall and was able to turn around a cheer for the rest of my team as they climbed up the wall.

I don't remember the exact order of things but the rest of the race alternated obstacles and running.  We did the bear crawl through the mud, walked on a balance beam over a mud pit, climbed a vertical wooden wall, did the army crawl up a muddy hill and then dropped into the pit of icy water (we had no clue it was icy water until we dropped into it).  We did a tight rope walk over a mud pit, crawled through tunnels full of water and mud and climbed over various muddy hills and pits.  The big finale is the a giant mud pit.  You have to climb over a small hill and then your entire team jumps into the the giant pit and then crawls under wires.  Following that, it is just a short run to the finish line which the Dirty Dancers completed holding hands.

 This is a picture of the last mud pit prior to the start of the race.  It was a about waist deep at the deepest point but you also had to go under wires so you were "all in".

It sounds completely crazy...and it is!  But I had the best time that I have had in a long time.  I would honestly rank it up there with my Miss America parties (which is a highlight of the year).  We were filthy but we conquered the obstacles, used a lot of team work, and just really enjoyed it.  I am honestly so proud of my team!  We are already planning for next year...and I can't wait!!!

After the race...so gross!