Mud Run

 Let me start out by saying that a few years ago I started a “Life List.” Super creative name, I know.  It’s kind of like a bucket list, except I’d rather focus on the living part instead of  the “kicking the bucket" part.

Anywho, there’s not a ton of things on it yet, I try to put only things on it that I really want to do, but there are a good handful.  Some serious, some not.  For example, one of the items on it is to go shark cage diving in South Africa.  I LOVE sharks. Another is to, at some point in my life, live in a place where horseback is a normal form of transportation.  And no, I don’t plan on living with the Amish to check that item off my list.  I’m thinking like a jungle in Cameroon or South America or something. 

Anyway, one of the lamer things (or easier to achieve) on my list was to do a MUD RUN.  I’ve seen pictures, and they just look like amazingly dirty (as in dirt) fun.  So when my housemate Tavia mentioned that there was one in Irvine coming up, I jumped on it.  My housemate and fellow nursing student Emily and I ended up putting together a 6-person team of our classmates (we’re all in our 5^th year of nursing school so don’t really have any other friends). Our team name? Victorious Secret. 

We got placed in the afternoon heat, which was perfect, because I could go to the 9 o’clock service at my church, Southlands, where we were also having a blood drive to raise money for the church in Cambodia we’ll be partnering with on our upcoming trip.  But, back to the run. 

I was SO EXCITED.  As Emily and I were running around the house getting ready I told her “Today is a day that dreams come true!”  Ok, so I was being a little dramatic.  But I was seriously excited. 

We drove over to the girls house, and had the first of what would be many photo shoots.

How legit are we? 

I’d had the girls over a few weeks before so we could tie dye our shirts, and Jenna found those awesome sweat bands online for super cheap. I am all about the neon.

We piled in Emily’s awesome car, Mable the Sable, for a rockin, slightly squishy ride to the Irvine Lake (which by the way is BEAUTIFUL).

We got there, duct taped our shoes (you wouldn’t believe how many people came through the finish line shoe-less), checked our bags, and headed over to the starting line to stretch and find our wave.  

(These photos are all thanks to our lovely fans and supporters who drove all the way to Irvine to cheer us on!)

 I think we all got sunburned while we waited for our heat, but FINALLY, we got to the starting line.  And we were off! 

Seriously, the first mud pit was maybe 100 yards into the 3.8 mile race.  Now, I knew that running through mud was going to make it harder, but I was not prepared for HOW HARD it was going to be to run with sopping wet, muddy shoes and clothes.  Lets just say we walked more than I anticipated having to. 

We jumped over walls, crawled through mud and sand pits, ran up mountains, slid down muddy hills and swam thru mud pits (well, Emily swam anyways).  I have to say my favorite part was the mud fights.  We’d camp out in a mud pit and wait for the other girls to come and attack them with mud.  Gross, but awesome.

We may have had the worst race time on the planet (I think people 2 waves behind us passed us), but we had a TON of fun.  I think it's safe to say that was the dirtiest I've been in my entire life.  

And I can check one item off my life list :).