When it comes to trying something new, like riding a bike for the first time or even having a taste of gooey duck sashimi, it is never easy or motivating and we are left with our natural instinct to back out – it’s just easier. In my case, it was signing up for a 10k Mud Run – way back in January.
Having never run a marathon or even walked one, the thought of doing a 10K obstacle course that entails two 5 foot walls with mud on both sides, a quarter mile swim across a muddy lake, crawling through tunnels, major inclines and to top it off, crawling in mud –marine-style, is down right intimidating. Even the hot (hot-looking, that is) marines couldn’t motivate me for this one. I’m a dead duck.
The day arrives. What in the world did I get myself into? Anne, who roped me into this mess will never hear the end of this. And I will never hear the end of it from Janetta, who I in turn roped in. “You can do it,” I would tell myself. Just think hot marine, I would tell myself some more. It’ll be fun!”
3 hours worth of driving, a Campendleton t-shirt, and a peanut butter Power Bar later, we are at the start of the race – well, as far forward as four thousand runners will allow. I am still trying to keep cool and making conversations to hide the fear. It seems as though my fellow friend runners were doing the same thing. The race begins slow and steady, following the lead of other runners before us like a school of fish. Before we knew it, it was just a quarter mile from the top of the hill. I couldn’t believe it. At one hour and fifty minutes, we are high-fiving marines (yes, the hot ones) and hearing screams from the crowd. And by the way, the marines, were hot! Wow, it wasn’t so bad. It was actually fun!
A couple of weeks have gone by and I’m stilling thinking about it. I will be the first to be on that sign up sheet, which will be in January, 2010! If you are reading this, you are coordinately invited to join me and the team.
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