My First 5K!

I'm not much of a runner. In fact, I loathe running.  I swear I have ADD or ADHD or LMAO or one of those letter things.  I get SO bored with running after about 60 seconds.  I, however, signed up for the Dirty Girl Mud Run 5K that was at Coonskin Park in Charleston, WV this past Saturday.  I figured, if I was going to do a 5K, the money was going to go to breast cancer, and there better be pink, tutus, and tiaras involved.  Due to various circumstances my original team self-destructed, so one of the trainers at Snap Fitness in Winfield (where I teach Zumba) invited me to be on her team!  We were team "Tatas & Tiaras." :)

As race day grew closer, I wanted to get out of it more and more.  Unfortunately, my money had been paid and there was no turning back, which turned out to be a good thing because I'm super happy I went through with it.  Anywho, as you can see, the name of the game is "get muddy."  SO not me.  Our team was spread out throughout the course.  We had some runners who were really in shape, some people who were just there for fun, and then me, right in the middle!  The race was a 5K with 12 obstacles, which varied from inflatable bouncy thingies, to mud pits, to rope ladders.  After the first 2 obstacles I was thinking "Oh dear Lord, what have I done!?" but once I got into the swing of things I was a'movin and a'groovin.

I must say, I am REALLY proud of myself for doing this run!  Although it wasn't competitive or timed, I sort of faced some fears.  I ran almost all of it, aside from the parts that were just so muddy that you couldn't run.  I did it pretty much alone, and I didn't need anyone to push me or cheer me on, which is awesome because I was self-motivated.  I climbed up things that were way too high for my liking, and I went down a big slide, and I hate water slides.  Most importantly, I army crawled through freezing cold mud pits! Yes, me! (Hence the face haha)

Before I got on the shuttle bus to go to Coonskin, I met a woman while waiting.  She was probably in her 50s, very tiny, and because she was the only one wearing camo amongst all the hot pink, she stuck out.  We chatted about the weather and and made comments about a few outfits before she asked me if I knew anyone with breast cancer.  I told her I knew a few people and that my Grammie passed away with breast cancer several years ago.  She lifted her shirt and showed me her flat chest and said she had been cancer-free for 6 years and she was running for the people who couldn't.  Throughout the race, I thought of her quite a few times, and I knew she was running alone, so I made sure to congratulate her when she crossed the finish line.  I never caught her name, but I hope she knows how much I appreciate her spirit.  I desperately hope that if I am ever in that situation, I can share her strength and positive attitude.  I, like many others, signed up for this run to donate a little money and jump in mud.  By the end of the day, I appreciated the run a little more.  It makes it that much more fun to know that what you did really meant something to someone.