I'm alive! AROOOOOOO!

So I'm not dead and that's a good thing. I do however look like I was taken hostage. 

This is the start of the race. I'm the one in the pink in case you were wondering.

It wasn't raining. It wasn't too cold and I hadn't seen a single lady ab in sight. All and all a good start to the race. I was feeling reasonably confidant. After all I did show up and wasn't that half the battle? (it's possible I'm confusing GI Joe with my 'motivations' calender)

My first glimpse of "hell"

This was of course all before we hit the first obstacle. I'm not going to describe them all. No one needs a lame play by play. Plus it wasn't like I could take pictures of them. But.....


I lost my shoe!

Then I found my shoe so it was all good.

Then I got wet, that was okay.

Then I got really dirty.

Then there was barbed wire.

Then there was MUD.

We aren't talking pretty brown mud that you put in your garden. No Sir! This is Carolina red clay and it is slippery and heavy and it stains everything!

This is the "hose off" station. Yes a "hose off" station.

So I ran, climbed, carried, pulled, crawled, walked and did some burpies. When they day was done I had missed only 3 out of 17 obstacles and traveled 4+ miles.

It was hard!

But I didn't quit, hell I didn't even stop smiling. So I guess I am a bit of a sadomasochist because it was fun. 

And hell yeah I jumped the fire! AROOOOOO!!

(Spartan Battle Cry, or at least the Spartan Race Battle Cry)

fun fact: I weighed the bag of clothes I took off after the race. They were wet and covered in mud.

13 pounds! I was carrying around an extra 13 pounds.

Maybe I should have gone to the hose off station?


UPDATE:

If you want to see e crawling through the mud.....