Happy Halloween!!!

Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloweeeeeeeen!!

 

1984; Cyndi Lauper

1987; Wonder Woman

1990; Birthday Gift

 

What was your favorite Halloween costume? Any good costume stories?

Halloween Time!

Non-running post.  Just for fun!

I really love scary movies- less on the side of horror and more on the side of suspense.  Even the movies that scare the bejesus out of me suck me in every time they are on TV.  I will watch and re-watch, at times finding new things I love about the movie.  AMC has been running its yearly Frightfest of movies and I love it!  It got me thinking of some of my favorite thriller/horror/suspense movies- from the classics to the cheeseballs.  So in honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday…

My top ten fifteen favorite scary/suspenseful thriller movies:

• Cape Fear– Scorcese is a genius- his movies tend to top all my favorites lists.  In this thriller, a man who served fourteen years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit spends his time out of prison going after his defense lawyer whom he feels botched his case.  The movie keeps the audience on the edge of their seat and has an all-star cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Jessica Lange and Nick Nolte.  This was the first scary movie I ever watched…at age 10.  No joke this movie did, and still does, scare the poop out of me.  To this day, I look under my car before getting into it every single time!
• The Shining- Writer Steven King and Director Stanley Kubrick nail it with this hauntingly chilling thriller.  Jack Nicholson is as excellent as ever as Jack Torrence, a struggling writer who takes a winter job as a hotel caretaker.  His family is snowed in and suffers from serious cabin fever; Jack’s son begins having visions and Jack himself begins to slowly go mad.  Intricately constructed, this movies takes you inside one mans unbridled insanity.  And even if you have never seen the movie, I am sure you have heard the famous line…”Here’s Johnny!”
• Seven- I remember when my friend and I decided to watch this “super scary movie with hottie Brad Pitt” and then immediately after watching, we watched again.  In one of the darkest, most brilliant serial killer films ever made, the suspense will keep you guessing and the ending will raise the hair on the back of your neck.  Morgan Freedman, Kevin Spacey and Gweneth Paltrow complete this amazing case.  I have since watched this movie more times than I can count and it never gets old!
• The Sixth Sense- If you are in the small percentage of people who have yet to see this movie, you must see it!  M. Night Shyamalan is one of the top writers and directors of our time; he got it right in his first movie, a psychological thriller starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osmet about a boy who sees dead people.  This movie produces genuine scares in a movie that at its core is a poignant study about loss and what happens when you die.  I can honestly say, there is no other movie like it before or since- one that really takes intimacy, excitement and mystery and rolls them into one amazing plot.
• Poltergeist- The sequels have left a lot to be desired, but the first Poltergeist will really give you a head screw.  This movie takes the “haunting” out of old castles and puts it right into suburban America.  Along with great special effects (for the time) the movie is consistently creepy as the viewer watches as a family tries to deal with forces they cannot control.  Adding to the weirdness, in real life many of the Poltergeist cast has since died causing a rumored “Poltergeist curse.”
• The Ring- This film is just plain freaky.  It could have easily been a cheese fest- I mean a girl coming out of the TV (reallllly?) but instead the movie is intensely creepy.  I am not familiar with the director and I don’t even remember the cast outside of Naomi Watts; I just remember that I was totally freaked out by the “worst is yet to come” feeling I had throughout the entire viewing of the movie!  And then, when I turned the TV off later that night (I was in my then boyfriends dorm) after having watched the movie, the cable happened to be out.  That was all it took… and the TV ended up in the living room for the night and I didn’t sleep a wink.  I have heard people talk about the movies lameness and inconsistencies but have never had the guts to watch it a second time.
• Rosemary’s Baby- Mia Farrow is perfect in the role of Rosemary, a pregnant woman on the verge of a breakdown, who moves into a Satan worshiping apartment building.  This movie truly succeeds though by what is not seen or told- the more the viewer imagines through the characters mounting sense of paranoia, the scarier the movie becomes.
• Dark Knight- The fact that Heath Ledger died shortly after the movie was completed, made it more intense as he gave the performance of his all too short life.  With a fabulous supporting cast this movie WAS Ledger- he was riveting as The Joker and proved that one performance CAN carry a movie.  Part thriller, all action packed…and fully awesome!  This movie took the Batman legacy to a new height and Ledger lived up to every ounce of hype.  Sadly, he didn’t survive to bask in the amazing’ness that was his performance as The Joker.
• Scream- This movie got me right from the start.  I expected a lame teenage horror flick (ie: carrie) but ended up honestly jumping out of my seat at points.  Wes Craven does horror right in this film; a semi-parody on horror films without getting silly and succeeding in a suspenseful film about tortured teenagers.  It is one movie where I can honestly say, the killer stunned me.  From the very first phone call scene with Drew Barrymore to the last scene with Naomi Campbell, I was hooked on this movie.  Seeing it ten years later can make me laugh at parts but others scenes still give me the jumps.
• Jaws- I cannot imagine anyone old enough to read this blog hasn’t seen this movie.  In Spielberg’s scariest movie, about a killer shark and the men who are out to take it down, the scenes are amazingly intense.  I still find myself constantly brought to the edge just to be reared back and then smacked with heart-stopping suddenness when the climax occurs.  There is nothing I can say about this movie that hasn’t already been said- it is simply a classic thrill ride!
• Deliverance- In many cases a film can be made or broken by its musical score.  In this case, the music adds a creep factor that takes the movie to a whole new level of disturbing.  It is uncomfortable and at times a bit too realistic…but that is what makes it such a damn good thriller.  To this day the “Duelling Banjos” gives me the creeps- and anytime I am in a wooded area, the music rears it ugly way into my head.
• L.A. Confidential- This is a case where the cast really makes the movie- each main character is seamless in their portrayal of lead investigators of a crime in a story about crime, violence and corruption.  This is a rare suspense film with endless complexities not normally found in “thriller” films; it is cynical, twisted and completing worth watching more than once.
• The Fugitive- A great example of everything coming together for a movie would be this- the characters, the plot, the suspense…everything.  Both Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford give amazing performances as a man chasing a man in this thriller than converges two parallel suspense plots.  The characters bring you in and as a viewer you feel their emotions with conviction and intesity.  And soon, you find you are rooting for both men at the same time.  
  
• Candyman- Sure, there is a huge cheese factor here but I would be remiss if I did not include this movie on my list.  This was the second scary movie I ever watched; at a sleepover when I was 12.  There were five of us that night and I remember we all went to the bathroom together every time someone had to go.  It would be many years before I could ever go into the bathroom without looking in the medicine cabinet.  And even now you couldn’t get me to say Candyman three times into the mirror!
• Dolls- If Candyman isn’t cheesy enough for you, this movie will be.  Despite the fact that it was low-budget and semi-predictable this movie got me at my core.  The movie, about dolls that come to life and turn people into doll like versions on themselves freaked me out in a way that I can still remember over fifteen years later.  I couldn’t tell you much of the plot but I can tell you that to this day I cannot stand to be in a room full of porcelain dolls- especially if I have to sleep in the room.  Chills.

As you can see, I had a tough time narrowing it down!  As much as some of them haunt me, and as much as they freak me out when watching, I can’t help but to love them!

What are your favorite scary movies?

Monday Brain Exchange- It’s Back!

Good News!!!  MBE is back!

For a refresher, here’s the idea:

Every Monday, at the end of the current weeks M.B.E answer, I will post a question for the following week.  This way you can cue your post for Monday if you wish.  If Monday doesn’t work for you, you can still play along any day of the week that works best.

If you want to play along, all you have to do is post the question and your answer on your own blog.  Link your post to my blog so that I know you have participated, and in the following weeks post, I will link all the participant blogs from the prior week.

NOTE: Since we are just getting re-started there is no question for this week.  The question posted is for next week and should be cued up for next Monday.  Next Monday, I will post my answer to this question and post a new question for the following week.  In the following weeks post, I will link all the responses from this question.  Make sense?  Ok then…:) Start posting and spread the word!!!

Next Weeks Question:

What do you miss most when you are in the heat of training or gearing up for a race?  Do you skip late nights out?  Do you give up goodies and alcohol?  What is the first thing you crave when training is over?

Life Update- I Do Actually Run!

Onelittletrigirl has been seriously busy!

I am exhausted, I won’t lie..but I am so focused on the long-term goals I have that I refuse to get down.  I am still keeping up with my running which is the priority training right now so as long as I am doing that I feel good.  After the Philly half, I am hoping to get into more of a routine as I get ready for winter training and my 2011 race schedule.  Is it a lot?  Of course.  Can I do it?  Do you even have to ask???? 🙂

Few updates:

• My swim/bike/strength training is really suffering right now so it is a good thing I am in the off-season!  My efforts to keep up with my running while getting used to my new schedule have kept me from doing much else as far as working out is concerned.  Once I get into my routine, I think know I will be fine, but for right now…if running is all I do until the Philly half, then so be it.
• Speaking of running- two runs this week.
  • Wednesday I went for a morning run and have nothing to say about it.  It sucked.  Got it done but it sucked.  I was tired and completely out of focus.
  • This morning I had my long run scheduled.  I totally was not into it- from the second I woke up I was mopey and unmotivated.  I think even made up a few “running sucks” songs while I drank my coffee and got ready.  But you know what, running doesn’t suck and I ALWAYS feel better after I run.  So I headed out despite my cruddy attitude.  About a mile in, I was basking in the gorgeous fall weather and loving the run.  I cannot say that my right calf loved the run as much as I did but it was a great run.  I used my first half mile as a warm up my last half mile as a cool down and still averaged 11:15/pace so my confidence level is high at four weeks from Philly.
• So the Phillies lost.  The truth is, they did not come together as a team.  Giants were definitely hungrier for it and we lost.  And it sucks.  Considering that the Giants and Texas teams have about 384 fans combined, this is slated the be the most boring World Series ever. I won’t watch because I dont want to die of boredom I don’t care, but for the record, I hope Texas wins.  I know what it feels like to root for a team that is the underdog and that no one thinks can do it- plus I got love for Cliff Lee.  So much as I hate the state of Texas, I will be rooting for them to win.  And meanwhile, I’ll be counting down the days till Spring Training and looking forward to the start of the Tarheels basketball season.
• File this under Things that only happen to Jillian: today on my run, I was about 4’ish miles in when I heard sirens.  A lot of sirens.  I jumped up onto the sidewalk and turned around to see a bunch of cops…and behind them a bunch of motorcycles.  And by a bunch, I mean like over 100 motorcycles.  Must have been some kind of event but it was really cool- they had flags and they were beeping and cheering…it was pretty fun to watch but totally random.
• My second job is going well but man do my legs hurt.  I forgot how much the first few weeks of waitressing killed my legs before and I am really feeling it.  It doesn’t help that my cheapy work shoes suck.  Next weekend, I plan to invest in some really good shoes so that my feet don’t suffer on account of having a second job.
• As I said, I am tired…very, very tired.  But I wrote out some long term goals to get myself more financially sound and secure and I feel better just seeing it written down and knowing that I can achieve these goals as long as I don’t lose sight of them.
• Once again- thank you for all your honest responses on this post and this post.  Love you guys!!!!

How I Feel On Hold…

This is how I felt today(minus the testicles!) on hold with my credit card company:

 

A little something light after my two serious posts.  Oh, and if you are wondering if I still work out and do running-type things…the answer is yes 🙂  And perhaps this weekend, I will write about it!  Meanwhile, the second job is going splendid and I am waiting for the Phillies to get it together and take home this series at the Bank!!!!

*Of course I stole this off of a website- it is an “Oatmeal” original.  If I were funny and smart enough to come up with that myself, I would have so much money a credit card wouldn’t be necessary in the first place!

Notes On Yesterday’s Post

Wow- what great and honest responses on yesterdays post!!!

I wish I could say “I had no idea people felt that way” but the truth is, I KNEW people felt that way.  I have emailed with enough people on the topic to know that this not something I alone was feeling.  I know that I am not the only one that grapples with my own self-guilt over what I read and don’t read.  And I know I am not the only one that follows someone just because “everyone else” does.  That was part of the point of the post- to get an honest discussion going about those feelings.  And to hopefully make others realize that if they are feeling like the only one who feels this way, they aren’t alone.

A few things I thought about as I read through all your comments, which by the way were thoughtful, honest and very much appreciated!

• I had to laugh when so many of you kept writing “if you still read mine” because every single person who commented is a blog I love and read 🙂  Like with most things in life, when you try to point something out–the ones who you are referring too, never see it in themselves.  It reminds me of my job; often I will send out an email correcting a procedure- I send it to everyone because that is fair and polite- without fail, all of the people who did it right, will respond.  Those who did it wrong, rarely recognize it.
• Like many of you, I keep my Reader organized with folders.  I have the ones I try to read every day, the ones I try to get to each week and the ones I stop by when I can.  I always star the posts I want to read later if I know it is one I want to take my time to read. 
• In regards to my notes on commenting- I suppose I should have clarified.  In no way do I assume anyone has time to respond to every single comment or visit every single blog every day and comment.  Mostly what I meant is, that after repeated attempts to reach out to certain blogs without any reciprocation, I feel a bit…let down.  And I do think that if someone is specifically reaching out, especially with questions, they should be reached out to by the writer.
• Meg and Lindsay– yes, I am sure we all had the same conversations with Rick 🙂

Again, thank you all so much for your thoughtful and honest responses.  I have to admit- even thought I knew people felt the way I did- I did worry a little that putting this out there so honestly would cause me to lose readership.  But then I reread my post and remembered what it was all about it the first place!  It is about people, not numbers.  And people who enjoy my blog will respect my honest posts. 

Blog on interwebs…blog on 🙂

You Can’t Read Them All

For a while I was going through a bit of a block and struggling with both writing and keeping up with reading blogs.  I could not figure out what the problem was- it wasn’t that I was uninterested and it definitely wasn’t a lack of material…but I just couldn’t find the motivation to complete a post.  Or to keep up with my reader.

And then it hit me. 

I was reading WAY too many blogs.  And because of that, my own writing was suffering.  As I began to look at the blogs I was reading I found they fell into four different categories.

Blogs with connections- In the almost two years that I have been writing this blog, I have made some amazing connections with people from all over the world.  It has brought so much to my life and I am thankful for these friendships in the same way I am the ones in my “real” life.  I love reading your posts, I get excited when something great happens for you and sad when you have a disappointment.  I look forward to your comments and appreciate your responses to mine.  I think about you when you are going through a rough time, channel your energies when I am racing and lean on you for support.  I am grateful for this group of wonderful bloggers.

Informational Blogs- These blogs are written mostly for informational purposes.  I read them to gather information and to be a continuous learner.  I don’t typically leave comments on these blogs, although when I do they are almost always returned.  I don’t expect or anticipate forming relationships with the writers behind these blogs but genuinely enjoy their posts.

The “Popular” Blogs- The epiphany that started this whole post happened actually while I was reading a blog I don’t actually visit much but happened to be reading.  The post had a lot to do with how many followers the writer had, how many visits their blog gets and was basically a self-love fest.  I found myself extremely annoyed by the post but then remembered that the reason I hardly ever read this specific blog is for that exact reason.  But then why was it still on my reader?  Why was I still reading a blog that clearly irritated me?  I hate to admit it but part of the reason was because I wanted to be acknowledged.  So even though my questions went unanswered and they never bothered to visit my blog, I kept going back.  Less and less over time but nonetheless, I was still going back.  And it wasn’t just this blog either- my reader was clogged with blogs that I spent time reading/commenting with nothing in return.  It was like high school all over again- you know, like when you try to be part of some group and they just won’t let you in no matter how hard  you try.  (I won’t mention the blog [so don’t ask] but every person who reads blogs knows the kind of blog I am talking about.  There are many of them out there.)

Blogs I’m not very interested in- In just the same way that some people aren’t interested in my blog, there are ones that do not interest me.  I make a valiant effort to visit every blogger that comments and check out their blogs.  Usually, I will put them on my reader and then over a matter of weeks determine if it is a blog I want to keep with or not.  Just like in “real life” either a connection gets made, or it doesn’t.  For quite a few months though, I was keeping all of the blogs on my reader even though I genuinely wasn’t interested in them all.

Only days after I came to these conclusions, Rick passed away.  Rick truly was one of my favorite bloggers.  He was sincere, kind, supportive and responsive to all commentors.  He valued his readers and genuinely cared about their well-being.  I miss Rick and I miss his blog.  But his passing has already taught me about being a better blogger.  I took a look back at some of our email exchanges (wherein we talked about some of these issues) and decided to make some changes. 

What it all boils down to is this- I don’t care if I have 12 or 200 followers.  But I want them all to be genuine.  I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to read my blog.  I don’t just want 300 followers just to have them.  Likewise, I don’t have to follow every blog.  And I shouldn’t feel bad about it.  So I went ahead and took my blogroll off my blog.  And I cleared out all the blogs on my reader that gave me anxiety, irritated me or did not personally interest me.  It was like cleaning out a closet of clothes I never wear or don’t like…it took some time to get it done but now that I did, I feel so much better!

I feel like now I can be the blogger I really want to be- the one that devotes time to the blogs that genuinely interest her with the writers with whom I have formed connections or feel like I will connect with down the line.  And along the way if I find new, inspiring and amazing blogs then that is a great thing.  And if at some point a blog I currently read finds its way into one of the last two categories above, than I will remember that it is okay to stop reading.  At the end of the day, you can’t read them all!   

Calling All Boston Bound Bloggies!!!!

Today was a big day for many of you 🙂 

Leave me a note if you are Boston bound this coming April- I will be there for the marathon weekend and would love to cheer you all on!!  I am hoping to get into one of the 5,000 spots for the BAA 5K that weekend; Rick and I had planned to meet up for the race and now more than ever I want to complete that race.  I am going to be flying in on Friday and will be there until late Monday night.

Who’s in for- Running? Spectating? Bloggy dinner meet-up one night?

Delanco 5K Race Report!

This was my third year in a row doing this race…it is held in my hometown, is very no frills and the route is pretty much what I run when I run at home.  I also like that I have been able to see my steady improvement over time…

-The first year I ran it, I was in the back of the pack…still a new runner.

-The second year, it poured rain and only about 30 runners showed up.  I won second AG, but only by default because there were only two of us in my age group.  So even though it counts of course, it doesn’t feel like a legit win.

-This year, I wasn’t sure how I would do but I ran great AND…

…I won THIRD PLACE AG.  Legit win too. Like I really actually beat people- haha 🙂

Pre-Race:

Woke up and ate a PB bar and got dressed.  Grabbed a cup of coffee and was at my parents house by 815am.  Headed over to the race start, hung around with some friends who were also racing and got ready for the 9am start.

Race:

First mile- cold while running against the river but I was feeling fast.  Kept pushing myself and got to mile marker 1 at 9:12-wooohoo!  That was a huge confidence boost as I knew if I kept it up, I would have a PR.  The second mile was my best mile and I was passing some people too!  I was pretty sure I passed some people in my age group and was feeling really great! My dad was volunteering at a stop that I passed twice in the second mile and it was super fun seeing him on the course.  I hit the second mile marker at 18:21 (negative split!!) and was pushing pretty hard.  The wind was insane at this point and even though I knew I was slowing down I was just trying to keep my pace as fast as possible.  I knew a PR was still possible and I wanted to stay ahead of all the people I had passed.  When the wind was blowing in my face and I wanted to slow down, I thought of all the people running a lot further than me that morning and I just kept repeating positive affirmations to myself.  As I rounded into the last tenth of a mile, I knew a PR would be a stretch…and by the time I was in the final stretch, I knew I wasn’t going to PR…but I also knew I was still ahead of the people I passed AND I had a sub-30 time.  I sprinted with everything I had into the finish.

Official time- 29:16; course PR and good enough for an AG win 🙂

Post Race:

My friend Mark’s dad was helping with the race and he told me that he thought I placed.  Normally a 29 minute 5k would never place but that is the nice thing about small races 🙂  My friend Ryan placed 2nd overall and my friend Mark placed in his AG.  Then they got to females 19-29…and third place went to me!!!!!  I got a bronze medal to commemorate my win 🙂

Still waking up!

Ready to Run!!!

Post Race- Ryan (2nd overall), Me and Mark (2nd place AG)

Third Place AG 🙂

Warrior Dash Race Report!

It’s gonna be a long one!

The Warrior Dash is a race held in 10 different locations around the United States.  Each one if relatively the same with a few obstacles being different for each event.  No two Warrior Dash races are ever exactly the same.  To find out if there is one near you, or to read more about it in general, go here.

The Warrior Dash I participated in was the Mid-Atlantic event.  The race was held in the town of Quarryville which is right outside of Lancaster.  Once we got to the race site we parked, packed a check bag and made our way to the bus shuttles.  As we walked into packet pick-up the first heats of the day were on their way back and they were covered in mud!  Once we had our whole group together and ready (many of them dressed up- the race was full of people in costumes) we headed down to the site.  There were people everywhere!  We took lots of photos and then before we knew it, it was time to get in line for our heat.  We got a spot fairly close the front and it was packed!  And then it was go-time!

The first part of the race was pure running; the run was on straight dry dirt which was really annoying because it was all in my eyes and throat.  After what seemed like way too long, we finally got to the first obstacle. 

First up was the Tunnel Of Terror.  I won’t lie, I wasn’t scared.  The tunnels were about 20 feet long and it required a hands/knees crawl.  Unless you are me and then you can basically walk through 🙂  I was so small  that I could have zipped right through, but of course people in front of me were not so zippy and held me up.  Once we went through that, it was on to Tanker Trouble.  This was one of the more difficult tasks for me and a place where I could see injuries happening.  Basically you had to climb over a series of old junk trucks with only the help of a flimsy rope.  Once over the truck you had to jump down onto uneven ground and then run to the next truck.  I am fairly certain the majority of my bruises came from this obstacle! 

Once we were off the trucks it was more running…mostly in an open field and I imagine to help spread out the crowd which was a good idea and much-needed.  Next up was Hay Fever; basically this was a series of ladder stacked straw bales that we had to run up on one side and back down the other.  I felt that of all the obstacles, this was the most lame and unnecessary.  Following the hay, we hit the Cargo Climb.  This was a large cargo net that we had to scale up, run over and then scale down the other side.  I got up without any problems and quickly ran to the other side.  Then my fear of heights sank in a little and it took me a few deep breaths to get back down the other side.  Once down, it was more running…but at this point all the running was on trails.  I was having a blast jumping over logs and running around sticks and small trees. 

Halfway through the trail running we came up on the Plank Walk.  This was a huge disappointment- each plank was about 6inches wide and only about a foot off the ground.  As I went across, I thought “why bother” and felt myself getting a little frustrated that I was still so clean!  I figured at least I was enjoying the trails and running with my friend Brian.  (side note: once we had started we all kind of seperated, but Brian and I did the whole thing together- it was definitely more fun having him with me as opposed to being alone.) 

As the trails opened up a bit we came up on Black Out- basically a lot like the tunnels, but more trench like and harder on the knees.  Luckily, again because of my height I was able to almost walk through.  Almost as soon as we were out of the trenches we were back on the trails and headed into the Mossy Maze.  This was a series of ropes to climb over and under along with a lot of larger logs to jump over as we ran through the trails.  It was one of the more technical aspects of the race and I loved it. 

And then it got muddy!!!

As we rounded out of the Mossy Maze we saw the water ahead.  My excitement level rose about 10 levels as we approached the Breathless Bog which could only be described as a swamp.  It was dark, murky and smelled of cow poop…and I jumped right in.  It was FREEZING and I had no desire to know what I was swimming in, but this is what it was all about for me.  I could not wait to get wet, muddy and dirty!  Wooo-hooo!  The water was fairly shallow ar first but as we approached the series of logs floating in the water it got deeper and deeper.  Getting over the logs was a project for me- the water was about chest high and I had to basically roll over each log.  More bruises occurred here!  Once out of the water we had to scale a few super muddy hills in order to get back onto the trail.  It was so wet and muddy and people were falling and face planting left and right.  I basically held onto small tree branches for dear life as I worked to pull myself up the hills.  It was tough but so much fun!

Back onto the trail until we hit the Warrior Walls.  Each wall was about four feet high and while it was a simple jump or leap for most people, I had a harder time because of how small I am.  For me, I had to pull myself up with my arms (like I was getting out of a pool at the wall) and then lift one leg over, perch on the wall and jump down.  The landings over each wall were sketchy as the mud was very slippery.  There was no way to run through it or get a running start for the next wall.  Yeah…more bruises!  Pretty much as soon as the last wall was jumped we were back on muddy terrain and at another swamp.  The Slithering Swamp was even grosser than the first swamp and even more difficult to climb out of.  More falling and face planting by people…and hills were a lot steeper this go around.  Again, I was holding onto small tree branches just slowly making my way back onto the trail.  Towards the end of the trail we could hear all the finish line commotion and as we came out of the woods we were greeted with spectators, cameras and Muddy Mayhem.  This obstacle is another mudpit but this time with barbed wire across, forcing runners to crawl into the mud.  I thought I was being slick and just tried to sneak under the first wire but I got my shirt caught and learned my lesson.  I got on my hands and knees and crawled through the rest.  As soon as that ended we were at the Warrior Roast- a series of fire pits for us to jump over.  I totally got a little freaked out and bombed the first jump!  But then I was fine and hauled ass over the next jumps.  As I went over them I could feel the heat and I have to say, it was really cool! 

As soon as we were over the fire pit it was about a 50 foot sprint across the finish line.  There was one guy, with one hose, that I guess was supposed to get us clean. Yeah right ahahaha…clean??!?!  That was NOT going to happen!  I had mud everywhere and i really didn’t mind it except for on my hands.  I just wanted my hands clean!  I finally decided it was a better idea to just find grass and try to wipe them off.  It worked enough to make it okay until I could find some water.  Met up with all my teammates, finally found some water and made my way up to the fire hoses to get washed up.  I went through the hoses twice and it felt so good to get cleaned up.  I didn’t mind the mud until I started to get all crusty and then I just wanted it off me!  After I was washed up, I had to get changed, but…ready for this…they CHARGED for bathrooms!  Good thing I am not modest- I got changed right on the field…held a towel around me and got dressed- ohhh lala! 

Post-race we all went back to the cars; it was my friends Dee and Michelle’s birthday so we celebrated with some food and adult beverages!

Pros of the Race:

• Muddy obstacles were great- I had so much fun in the water and trying to get up the mudslides!
• Trail running is so much fun.  I am so interested in trail running now- I have already looked into two trail races for next year!
• Huge water park area to get hosed down with firehoses post-race. 
• I was with my team and we make everything fun 🙂

Con’s of the Race

• Too much of a back up at certain obstacles
• Some obstacles were downright lame.
• Disorganized set up- it was very confusing to get from place to place post-race.
• Everything cost money- parking, food, drinks…even the bathroom to get changed!  There was only one small cup of water and a banana for racers at the finish- but I was so covered in mud I couldn’t open or eat my banana.  I felt really nickeled and dimed at this race and wish they would have simply charged more to enter rather than charge for every little thing along the way.

And of course photos!!!

I did not wear a costume.  Neither did my friend Victoria, but she wore a shirt that said “I don’t do costumes, but I might do you” which was a hit!!!

All the shoes donates post race!

Overall, I am glad I did the Warrior Dash.  It was a fun time despite some of the problems I had with the race in general.  I am back and forth on recommending it to people because I think it depends.  If you are in it with a group I think it would be fun no matter what- I don’t know how much fun I would have had if I did it solo.  I think I would tell people who like this kind of stuff to go for it, but not to have too high expectations and to take it for what it is as a fun race.  I mean, in the end you do get a really cool hat!