Fitness Adventures: 10K Down & Dirty Mud Run in the Bronx

I have to be honest. I wasn't entirely looking forward to this event...

You may remember that William (aka Sour Balls, my co-worker and one of my favorite people on earth) and I did the 5K Mud Run in the Bronx last year. It was probably the toughest event (besides my first bike tour) that I've ever done. There was running, obstacles, mud, people yelling at me, more mud. And oh yeah, it was freezing. I remember being glad when it was over.

So when he insisted we not only sign up again this year, but this time for the 10K!!!, I reluctantly complied. And I've been stressing about that decision ever since. I had flashbacks of needing help on one of the obstacles because my upper body wasn't strong enough to lift myself over it. I remembered shivering while waiting in line to start and then never getting warm the entire time I was there (Note: being cold makes me pretty cranky). I reminisced (and not fondly) about military men yelling at me to "get down deeper in the mud" and not worry about my makeup. I recalled completing the event, only to then have the pleasure of hosing off with cold water. And finally I thought back to trying to get into my clean, dry clothes while still wet and shaking.

So why was I doing this again at all, let alone twice the amount?! Why did I agree to do this?

Pretty much for the same reasons I did it last year 1) It's William and I adore him and 2) this is so out of my comfort zone that I felt like I had to do it 3) I knew that even if it was tough *during*, it would be awesome after. And the after is far greater than the during.

Here's how the day went...

I didn't spend much time getting myself ready (no hair, very little makeup), but spent a lot of time packing everything I needed: food, and a clean outfit, towel, shoes, something to read, etc.

I purposely wore pants, underwear & sneakers I didn't like.

I had to take the bus to Queens, and then the 7 Train to Grand Central...

Posing in my usual mirror in the upstairs Grand Central bathroom

From there I caught the 6 Train. That's why I needed reading materials. I had to take it to the last stop in the Bronx.

This is not a sight I ever see - these turnstiles are usually jam packed!

Uptown 6 Train pulls into Grand Central

Finally, the last stop - Pelham Bay Park

It wasn't long before I found my buddy and partner, William!

Team Sour Balls for the win!

We were SO lucky with the weather. It was warmer than expected and the sun was nice and strong. I didn't need half the clothes I brought! I was already happy.

And since we didn't have to line up for about an hour, I wandered around and took photos:

US Marines. "Pain is weakness leaving the body."

Casually posing by a tree. I look very casual, don't I?

One of the 5K waves being released from the starting line

It's Bruce! This is William's beloved little shiatsu. He loves this dog more than his girlfriend or mother, both of whom I had the pleasure of meeting!

Posing by the wall while still clean

That's the last mud pit. The one I'd be crawling through to reach the finish line.

Still clean, and now lined up ready to begin.

This guy was in line ahead of me and I LOVED his arm tattoos. They said "One Life" and "One Chance". I thought what an awesome reminder, and asked to photograph them. He kindly obliged.

William & Me waiting to begin. We're both nervous!!

Just crossed the starting line. Not running yet - too crowded...

Shortly after taking that photo, we actually began running. So far it was the same route we ran last year. First, running along side the beach.

These guys seemed to be enjoying watching the event

And soon we were at the first obstacle!

Obstacle #1: We had to climb over this wall. I did very well!

I got over the wall first. William offered to help me, but I did it myself! Here he is making his way over. Look at those manly arms!

As we ran through the trail, we came upon a mud puddle. Everyone was running around it. I told William "May as well get used to it now!" and ran right through it.

Ready to get dirty!

Running through the woods with William behind me

Obstacle #2: We had to crawl through these tubes

Action shot of me crawling through

William emerging on the other side. Nice job, buddy!

Yep, I'm still splashing through the puddles, in anticipation of the big mud pits later

Come on, dog!!!

Obstacle #3: I made it over this myself this year! I had trouble with this one last year and had to stand on William's knee to get over, but I was strong enough to do it myself this year. The military guy watching me was super supportive too. I was so proud!

Obstacle #4: Crawl in the mud under the net

Action shot

Obstacle #5: More of those tubes. This time I told William "I'll race you!" We actually both came out the other end at the exact same time. We tied!

Obstacle #6: The rope ladder. I love this one! This was my favorite last year and I enjoyed it again this year.

Coming down the other side

Obstacle #7: The first mud pit. It was in THIS pit that William started throwing mud at me as we crawled next to each other. I was screaming like a girl and he was giggling and shouting "This isn't a beauty competition" - a quote from one of the military guys last year when we did this same challenge. Oh, Sour Balls!

And that's why I had mud on my face. That's what William tossed at me!

Running on more muddy trails

Running on wooden planks

Still wandering around the woods

Obstacle #8: a wall to climb over. Look at how tall that wall is - I made it over this one last year too but it was much easier this year! My upper body strength had improved!

No little buddy, don't think about going the 5K route!

Come on William, you can do it!

Obstacle #9: Bales of Hay! This one was so much fun - I climbed up and over this one like it was nothing.

William coming down the other side.

Haha, yes, we are STILL running in the woods!

William runs across a wooden bridge

Obstacle #10: I'm sorry this is blurry. I LOVED this one! It was a rock wall. The military guy offered to help me, I told him No, I want to do it myself! And I did! Once again I was super proud.

Running onto the beach

Running in the sand

Obstacle #11: THE OCEAN!

They made us walk into the ocean again, chest high, with all our clothes on. This sounds awful but it was warm enough that it really wasn't so bad. And it's nice to get some of the mud off you. If only momentarily...

Walking in Orchard Beach

Woo hoo!

Obstacle #12: Rope Climb - I purposely challenged myself by picking a short rope, because those were tougher to grab. I didn't want the 'easy' long rope, I wanted that little challenge! And I did great at this one too!

And that was it, we were at the last obstacle - the BIG mud pit!!! I put away my camera (in a zip lock baggie, in my bra) gave William a fake high-5 and we got DOWN AND DIRTY!

Obstacle #13: The big mud pit!

William and I emerged victorious! And proceeded to race each other to the finish line while picking up mud and throwing it at each other. I love that guy. We collected our dog tags (that's what they had out to all the participants) and then found his family to get some photos of us.

Stand up, William! We did it!!

Heck yeah!

Best team ever!

After posing for those photos, it was time to rinse off. This year they set up a ton of hoses. I was afraid the water would be freezing but it was actually very pleasant! I think it was much better organized this year than last.

Other muddy participants hose off

Since I knew it would take a long time to get home, I said good bye to William, changed into my dry clothes, donated my sneakers, threw out my pants, and got out of there.

I actually rode home like this. Here I am in the 6 Train station.

I told Amanda that riding the train home covered in mud was awesome - no one sat next to me, no one hit on me and no one talked to me. That's a first! It was nice to be invisible for a little while.

After getting home, I actually couldn't wait to shower - it was one of the best showers ever!

At home, before getting in the shower, wearing only my dog tags.

Here are my heart rate monitor stats for the day:

• Total Time: 89 minutes, 12 seconds
• Minutes in Cardio Zone: 82 minutes, 7 seconds
• Percentage of Time in Cardio Zone: 100%
• Average Heart Rate: 151
• High Heart Rate: 187
• Total Calories Burned: 733
• Calories Fat: 18%
• Total Miles: 6.2

Not only did we finish sooner than I expected (I thought it would take us closer to 2 hours, but at least 90 minutes) but you know what? It turns out I had SUCH a great time! All that worrying for nothing - the weather cooperated, my body was stronger than last year and the military people seemed a lot nicer too. I didn't even mind the mud pits! The same mud pits I had been dreading - I really didn't mind them! I was ready for them this time. I can't believe I was so stressed out about this event. I had a blast and I *would* do it again, without hesitation. What an awesome day!


(Here's a link to my entire set of photos)