Mud Wars 5K 2012...

So... Most people who know me well know that I am a bit of a neat freak... and I HATE getting dirty.  As a kid I hated finger painting at school and even remember feeling sick to my stomach before having to have my face plastered in art class.  I have this crazy amazing friend who is much more of a hardcore person than I, and much less girly :) who decided we were doing Mud Wars this year.  For those of you who do not know... Mud Wars is similar to many of the other mud races which take place: You run, encounter military type obstacles, many of which involve mud, as well as the mud pits...

Because of the very messy nature of this event, I really couldn't wear my electronic knee (imagine doing this event with your laptop computer or iPhone strapped to your leg...) and since the running leg is just a loaner, decided that was also not an option.  I ended up using my total knee, which is a pretty basic setup.  The knee has a hydraulic cylinder in it, which helps control the speed of my stride, but for the most part works similar to a door hinge.  Even though I would have loved to run the entire time, we decided walking was best.  It actually worked out just fine since we had to stop every few hundred feet to complete a crazy obstacle and our pace was perfect :)

The first obstacle was a haystack pyramid, and looked pretty simple: just climb over the top.  Um... definitely had no clue how deep it was, or that we would sink three feet down every step we took.  It was funny... On the website the order of the obstacles seemed to ease you in: beginning with silly obstacles, and increasing intensity as well as the amount of mud.  Needless to say, when we approached the second obstacle and I realized it was the mud pit, I had to fight the urge to run the opposite direction.  I was a little hesitant getting in, (I'm the same way when I swim; one inch at a time...), however, Melissa decided it was a better idea to grab my arm and yank me.  I face-planted in the mud, right as another participant flipped in and splashed me right in the face.  I was COVERED! I screamed, whined, and kept moving.  Right before getting out of the pit, Melissa, who was trying to give me a hand, lost her balance and landed on top of me forcing me again to soak in the mud.  We got out and headed to the next challenge: a set of balance beams which inclined and declined.  We held onto one another and teetered across.  The next obstacle was set of hurdles.  I'm a pretty small girl (5'1 3/4 to be exact) and decided after several tried to go over them that under was a much better idea.  We approached a few sets of military style tires which were by far the easiest part up until that point.  The next one was rough.  A 15-20 ft ladder looking wall which you were supposed to climb up and over.  I knew my issue was going to be the very top, being able to hold balance and throw my body to the otehr side.  Melissa was awesome, staying right with me (as planned :P) and being my rock and arm to grab onto when I felt unbalanced.  I began climbing and started hearing people telling me how awesome it was that I was doing this.  I got to the top, threw one leg over, and froze.  I was terrified to move.  The crowd began to cheer me on, and I grabbed Melissa's arm and threw my body over.  As I climbed down eveyrone started cheering.  I felt amazing.  I ended up skipping an obstacle: an set of inclining monkey bars, after watching several people fall face-first and on top of other people.  We climbed over a wooden structure that reminded me of a "jack": kind of a five point star like obstacle.  At the very end I jumped on Melissa's back, and she ran with me for about 50 feet before we encountered our final obstacle.  Yup. Another mud pit.  We were much more graceful entering this one, and I must say that I exhibited much more control over my movement than the first.  We crossed the finish line and jumped into Lake Michigan exhausted, muddy, and feeling completely accomplished :)

So... I may not have run this race, but I completed it.  I definitely do not enjoy mud, or getting dirty but it felt good to face my fears.  And I'm soooooo picking the most girly girl event held in the Chicago area and forcing Melissa to participate after the crazy day she put me through :)

Pre race... making a leg adjustment at the bus stop.. haha... no big.

um... really? You are taking a picture of me?

Before picture. clean... happy...

My Totalknee... :) note the tape job over the release button (tryign to keep the leg on during race... you know...)

trying to look tough

a few of the obstacles... haystack and tires and waaay in the background the ladder/wall 

after. 

muddy... but tough :)

ewwww....

so muddy... but so worth it