I went to my first ever mud run yesterday called LoziLu and it was a blast. LoziLu is an all women's mud run race, which is nice because there are some women, like me, who get nervous competing with men on a course. The course has several obstacles on it which require you to crawl and climb in various ways as you navigate through the 5k course. Let's be honest, I only signed up for the mud!!! The added bonus is that portion of the race fees go to the Cancer and Lymphoma Society for cancer research. So here is a run down of the race.
We arrive over an hour early. My husband hates crowded areas so he parked about a mile or so away from the Fairgrounds and we walked. We get there a little after 7 and I check in and then check my bags. Before the race, I also purchased a spectator band for my husband so he could be on the course watching. It was only $5, he was not happy about having to pay to watch me make a mess. But to be fair, he was not happy about me doing a mud run because he hates anything involving messes. I think spectators paying is pretty common at mud races though, so I had no problem with this. Also, the money made from watching the participants went directly to cancer research. I feel like if I am going to have to pay to have a spectator watch then the money should go to a worth while cause. It did, so no complaints here.
The first, second and third obstacles all were pretty basic. One was getting through tires and two were climbing up and over wall like structures. They weren't too big so our entire wave stayed together. It wasn't until "Tan Lines," which was a giant fence/wall like structure that there became a back log. I will be honest, I skipped that obstacle because I did not feel comfortable doing it. One of the nice things about LoziLu is that you do only what you feel comfortable doing and no one shames you. I have heard from various people (not sure how true it is), but they can give you a hard time for skipping an obstacle. In this case, they just want you to have fun. It was also really cool hearing everyone cheer and clap for each woman who made it over.
The first mud pit was fun, I jumped right in and crawl/walked through. I emerged understanding what it was like to have sand and pebbles in my shoes. Soaking wet I was expecting, but sand/pebbles I was not. It was interesting running the rest of the race like that. Then, I hit the crawl space which was just stinky, humid, and wet. It wasn't hard or bad to do, just stinky, humid, and wet.
My least favorite obstacle was the balance beam. If I do this again, I may skip it. I did okay with the first two beam, but what you can't see is that the beams are slightly tilted. I usually do well with balance beams, but these weren't entirely flat and I am not sure if that's because it was designed that way or if something knocked a beam or two slightly off kilter because of the participants in front of me. Eventually a spotter had to hold me hand through the remaining three beams because the third beam was very unstable. So much so that the girl in front of me jumped off because she couldn't keep her balance. That beam wiggled and wobbled very badly and it made me really nervous.
The next series of obstacles were pretty easy, but tiring. I had to jump over and then crawl under a variety of things. By this time, I was feeling pretty tired and I was surprised how much more exhausting obstacle courses are in comparison to just running. But, I hit the cargo net, which I went up very quickly and then got stuck at the top for a little bit because I couldn't figure out how to get down. The spotter had to verbally walk me through it. Once I figured out my footing I was fine and climbed down. I was high up and it was scary. What you can't see is my husband laughing a little bit because I got stuck.
There was another mud pit, a wall you climbed over, and then the giant inflatable slide called the Fun House. You climbed up the steps and then slid down into a big pool of water. I of course picked the one side that didn't have a support rope and I lost my footing for a second. I thought I was going to fall, but I managed to pull myself up and slide down. I went completely into the water and apparently splashed a whole bunch of little kids. This led to me emerging from the water with little kids cheering me on very excitedly. This was my husbands favorite obstacle because he thought the excitement of the little kids was hilarious.
I ended with the exfoliator, which was giant mud pit that you had to army crawl through. I decided to go for it and I just flopped right into the mud and army crawled my way through. When I emerged I had mud and sand everywhere. I also cut up my knees and shins a little bit during my escapades, but it was worth it.In the end, I hosed off and changed clothes. I also donated my old shoes to charity. The muddy shoes that are donated are cleaned up and donated to people in Africa so that they can shoes to protect their feet.
I would absolutely do a mud run again. However, it would still have to be women's only. Also, I think I would work on my flexibility. I am not very flexible, but I think that would go a long way in mastering these obstacles. Another thing I would do differently is wear a different bottom. I wasn't sure what I would wear if capris would be to difficult to maneuver in, but I think they are a necessity. My knees are pretty torn up and I didn't really think that would happen. However, knowing what I know now, I would totally wear longer pants to protect my legs more!Well happy running, next race is about a month from now!
