Mud Runs: They Are Awesome

Before I even begin, here's the before and after:

Mud runs have been quickly gaining popularity nationwide over the last couple of years. Three years ago I wouldn't have been able to find a mud run in our area if I tried. Now, it seems, that there is one every month. Brian and I felt that we had to find out- first hand- what all the hubbub was about. So, we took off early Saturday morning with our friend Ryan to go to Jacksonville and compete in the FL-Roc obstacle challenge. I cannot believe how much FUN this race was. The course was 3.5 miles and had 30+ obstacles. We climbed over walls, crawled through mud pits, ran through the woods, snaked through underground tunnels. At one point, I was chest deep in water. This is by no means a comprehensive list of obstacles- it goes on and on. I'm not going to lie- it was tough... but so much fun! Brian and Ryan stayed together for a good portion of the race- til Brian got bogged down in a mud pit and had to tell Ryan to "go on without him". I started off pretty strong. My plan was to get as dirty as possible on the first obstacle (which turned out to be a water pit followed by a mud crawl) so that I wouldn't waste time trying to keep clean during my run. I ended up sticking with another girl for most of the race. As we were making our way through the big mud field in the final mile, the photographer told us that we were the first two females in our heat. This gave us the push that we needed to finish strong. I ended up finishing second in my heat- which made me think that I may qualify for an overall award. As it turns out, I did. I finished with a chip time of 45:30. Of the 34 women in my age group, I finished second (and I was only 3 seconds behind the 1st place runner). I also finished 12th of the 181 women (of all ages) running the race. Not too shabby for a first attempt. Brian's chip time was 1:12:16. He would have finished sooner, but he got bogged down behind several "groups" of runners and had to wait to do the obstacles. Even though some groups flat out skipped the obstacles, Brian completed every one of them. Our friend, Ryan, also did well and finished in the top portion of his age group. I loved this race. We got lots of schwag. In addition to the t-shirts, all runners got pint glasses. Plus, I receieved a huge, heavy medal that doubles as a bottle opener. We will be doing more of these!

The Gate 2012

Here's to another successful 15K at the National Championship Gate River Run. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I LOVE this race. Everything about it is great- the course, the organization, the proximity to my house, etc... Remembering that we got caught in traffic and barely made the start at all last year, Anna and I left super early this year. Quincy- who was making the leap from 5K to 15K was also with us. (Who really needs a 10K anyway?, says she). We arrived in plenty of time to check in, get our gear together, stretch, and make it to our respective starting locations. I actually got to take advantage of my seeded time this year, and began in the "orange" corral with like-paced runners. This is definitely the way to go- no weaving in and out. I actually think that starting in a seeded section helped me better pace myself because I ran really well this year. I finished in 1:21:42. This is nearly 7 minutes faster than last years' time. I finished in the top 10% of women runners and received a "top 10%" ball cap. I was super stoked about the hat and sported that thing for the rest of the day. Everyone else also finished with impressive times. Quincy made a great showing in her first 15K and finished in under the 2 hour mark. In the picture above is our Gate River "crew" consisting of me, my girls Anna and Krystial, Quincy, Karina (Krystial's sister) and Jared (Karina's boyfriend).

Bonus picture: Picture taken at start line. Can you find me? (Hint- look to the left)

A Monster Anniversary

Who needs a romantic dinner when you can take your kids to see monster trucks leap into the air and crush the daylights out of cars? Not us! For our eleventh anniversary Brian and decided to forgo the traditional date and took the kids to Monster Jam instead. The Murray family also went, which made it even more exciting. The kids loved it! There were two competitions at Monster Jam. The first was a racing-type event. The truck "Grave Digger" won this. Then, it was time for the freestyle. This is the event where trucks do all types of "tricks" to earn points. We all had our favorites- "El Toro Loco", "Monster Mutt", and "Mohawk Warrior" to name a few. But the night belonged to "Grave Digger", and he ended up winning the freestyle by performing an adrenaline-packed routine which ended with two forward flips. The crowd went wild. The monster jam crew definitely knew how to put on a show, and we all had a good time.

Fun at the "Fund" Run

This week's 5K was in Blackshear. Since the race was local, Brian and I took the kids and let them participate in the 1-mile fund run. As usual, the kids were among the youngest in the race (so we finished last). I was especially proud of how well Owen did. He ran more than he walked, and seemed to be enjoying himself. He even beat Olivia this time (granted- Olivia had been sick earlier in the week and was still not back to 100%). At the finish line, the kids received medals and lots of cheers from the crowd. The event organizers had set up bouncy houses for the children to play on after the 1-mile race, so that is what the kids did while I ran the 5K. I ran a 25:04 and placed first in my age group. Quincy also ran and placed second in her division. And here's some more good news: this race marked the return of my "running buddy" Anna, who was cleared to make her grand re-appearance in running after recovering from injury. Welcome back, Anna!

Inside the Father/Daughter Valentine's Dance

"Is it time to get ready ready yet?" I bet I heard that question fifty times on Saturday morning. The annual Father/Daughter Valentine's Dance was Saturday night, and this was a really big deal for Olivia. She had already chosen her dress (which ended up being the same as Claire's) and had decided that she wanted her hair "straight with curls on the bottom". She even went so far as to lay her dress out on Friday night, and she wanted to put it on the moment she got up on Saturday. To say that she was excited would be an understatement. When it finally came time for her to get dressed, I only had to give the word once. She ran back to her room and had changed into her dress immediately. As soon as she was totally ready, we heard a knock on the door. There stood a very handsome-looking Brian with a bouquet of roses for Olivia. After snapping a few pictures, Brian and Olivia were off to eat at Captain Joe's and then to the dance.



Since this is a father/daughter dance, the moms don't get to be part of the fun. I did convince Brian to take the camera to the dance so that I could "spy" on all of the fun that everyone was having. He took a several pictures and a few short video clips (two of which are posted below). I have watched the videos and all I can say is that the moms are missing out. This event looks like a ton of fun. What a special time for daughters to spend with their fathers! Olivia is so lucky to have such a GREAT dad, and I'm glad that they get to do this together each year. She is glad, too, and is already counting down til next year's dance.

Super Dolphin Day 2012

How does it happen that I am late to at least one race each year? It turns out that my "late" race this year was this morning's Super Dolphin Day Race. I had pre-registered for the 5K (which began at 10am), but I woke up early and decided to go on over to St. Simon's Island and do the 10K as well. The 10K began at 7:30, but I left in plenty of time to get over there and register before the race. I don't know if I just drove slow or if I drove through a hole in the space-time continuum or what, but the end result was that I pulled up to the race site 10 minutes before the race began- and they had already closed registration. Oh no! I begged the lady at the table to let me run. She stated that I could but could not guarantee that she would be able to get my name into the computer to have an "official" time. I didn't care, I filled out the form as fast as I could, pinned my number on, and ran to the starting line. I did really well on the 10K and finished with a time of 51:22- a new PR. Here's some more good news- the lady was able to get my name into the computer...but... I had been in such a hurry to fill out the registration form that I did not list my age (meaning I was not eligible for any of the awards). This stunk because I would have gotten second place in my age group. Oh, well.


After the 10K was over, I waited for the start of the 5K. (Thankfully, I had pre-registered for this and I was there on time.) Quincy and her friend Maura were coming to run the 5K, so I met up with them at the starting line. I did pretty well in the 5K and finished with a time of 25:13. Quincy and Maura also had good times. Those girls keep getting faster and faster with every race that they do.

Sidney Lanier Bridge Run 2012

This morning I went to Brunswick with my sister Quincy and my cousins Hunter and Thomas to run the Sidney Lanier Bridge 5K, the "toughest 5K in the southeast". This race gets bigger and bigger each year. This was Hunter's first 5K, and he really liked it. My cousins, sister, and I all did really well and met our individual goals. I ran the race in 25:51- which kills my previous time of 28.08 on this race. After the race, I met up with my friend Krystial and we walked back up to the top with third wave of runners (the walkers) so that we could take some pictures. It was a fun morning, full of great exercise and fantastic views.