Showing posts with label warrior dash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warrior dash. Show all posts

Monday, April 12, 2010

Pendalton,

hello you. so warrior dash... rock! i unfortunately didn't take but 2 or so pics from my cellphone. in hindsight i wouldve taken a water proof cam with as i had time. but maryann will hopefully let me download some of the highlights so those of you not stalking me on facebook will be able to see them.

we got there early enough. the vibe was subdued but for a few rolicking types in full regalia sending out warrior cries with flowing beards. the rest of us weren't sure what exactly we'd gotten in to. and once we'd lined up to start doubly so. the first experiment is in pack mentality. it is enormous pressure to not run with the herd. to deliberately draw yourself back, and say, I will not run. I will not run. and watch them disappear in a literal cloud of dust. And as I encounterd each obstacle none of them were that scary. I can imagine the energy as lots of people mightve surged over the stack of haybales but by myself i smirked and clambered over with no competition in sight and the asian girl volunteers stopped tweeting long enough to be all, like, woo! and you can do it! and then went back to looking bored. clambering over the vehicles, no problem. and my breathing was good as i took some water at the 1/2 point, and complained to the guys that a 3ft wall, 3 in a row, regardless- sucks. granted had it been taller i would've actually had to face the question if i could pull myself up it, but maybe another year of training (or 2) i can face a truly scary course like 'the camp pendleton mud run' which has a time limit of 2 hours and 45min in which you must traverse over 6 miles. it sounds like you might actually have to dash this course in order to do it.

but back to my race. half way through i found it shockingly curious i had not been overcome by the 2nd wave. I'd gotten far enough, about the 1/2 way point and should've faced another pack of people battering their way through the cardboard tube that i shuffled through and then some more lovely landscape of blooming heather in this flat field of a landscape, moored by rolling hills and green grass, birds overhead and a golf course nearby, but none came to challenge me. It was gorgeous. But still as I went over the gully of sharp rocks on a plank, which did require balance and then up and down the loose rocks to then yes, leap over some tumbleweeds, still not overtaken, I was nearly there. I hit the not so vertical rope wall and only then some very tired 2nd wave folks came by, but few. And then after I vanquished the upthehill tire obstacle, i stopped to chat about the race with a curious volunteer and then turned the corner to yes take a running start at the wall of fire. which as it billowed its smoke and blackness, the flames funneling toward you because of the wind, i felt a sensation of being warm as I did in fact leap over it, and then jog walked down the bank into the cold water and as i lifted my leg on the first one nearly lost my shoe in the silt, but luckily with a little height advantage managed to make it over the next 2 no problem. i admit some humourous shots were taken. and heard as i dove into the mud, which was more like a watery loam-like compost, the cheers of my friends who had finished the course, filled me with humor, i made it with good spirits through and then ran the rest of the .08 through to the finish line.

Hazah!

i then had a banana, which you know in doing anything really taxing its totally a good thing to do. (did not help as my calf was seizing as i walked toward the car however and is still strangely sore today-) i then capped it off with water and gatorade and then went to frolick in the water channel nearby to clean myself off proper. (more excellent pics taken here) and then found out later that the 2nd wave- and this is epic- went 2 (two) miles in the WRONG direction. All of them. The whole fast running lot, like lemmings off a cliff. And were only after a bit, tracked down by a person in a golf cart and told to turn around. mwah! awesome.

by then the happy endorphins of exercise and fun had kicked in and all of us were pleased to be walking around dirty, tracking down our free beer, buying turkey legs to eat, (which i like way more in theory then in actuality) and then we all got stuck in traffic on our way to chick-fil-a. were more giddyness abounded as we wore our newly aquired viking helmets, medals and t-shirts... it is quite possible the next day at church we showed up in the hats, but that is only rumor.





Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Penelope,

Hello you.
I yoga'd with my fav teacher just to find out she's leaving again. Whatevs! And I do only have one more class left in my series and need to decide what to do. Also i was very brave and returned things to actual stores to get some pittance back, and even complained to michaels about the inferiority of a product and they took it back! Rock. I capped it off with a salad to erase the memory of the bad salad of last night. Though props to the bar keep for a tasty watermelon martini. And I said no to: more shopping at Ross, a caramel apple, and a latte.

Yesterday in addition to bad salad, I walked 3 miles to prep for my warrior dash. I won't be dashing fast. I could get to maybe a 14.31 minute mile, but will probably be able to sustain a 15min mile and then add the obstacles. I credit swimming with giving me stellar lungcapacity that if I could I would try for a solid 13 or 14mins if I could run. But as it is I can feel my thigh getting all twitchy and I need to figure out what sort of gear i need to buy/procur to protect myself from the tumbleweed field, the haybales, the rope obstacle... not to mention the wall of fire and mudcrawl. I'm thinking my dad has some gloves... hum. I would wear my rollerblading gear but thats a tad cumbersome i feel. Kerry is totally making a warrior costume which she is trying to get me to wear but i said only if she walked with me, and she's not willing, so i win. I will braid my hair, because that will look totally cute. Oh do tell me about you walking barefoot for a couple miles, how that goes and all. Because that in itself is your own activist dash. Though it'd be way more awesome through miles of sand. ;) or chocolate or a coal walk like pam on theO. But anyway our WD, there's about 20 people from church doing it and there's a hubub and carpooling excitement afoot. (oh and ps. have totally lost 30lbs total).

And in other yesterday news my new/old battery is completely lame. Not holding a charge and i don't know if its my ipod or the battery. But that the whole thing is entirely lame because it dampers my assembling techgadget victory. I hang my head. Who wants to start over? Suck.

Also I read about your chocolate post. Totally fixated now. Lindt gets a semi-sweet rating. I can't do dove anymore but i do occassionally sneak peanut m/n/ms but i pay for it. So bitter has been ruled out by natural selection. Poor cocoa slaves. I forget ben/jerrys... again, i love the newyorksuperfudgechunk but when i eat i pay the price. rash, hives, allergy. Stupidfrickinsoylecithin. I'm having trouble letting go of dairy. Thou betrayer.

Allright i'll stop babbling. I totally should be working on my essay. Totally not. It's so shiny and lovely outside. Sigh. Next time i'm going to talk about you being a warrior for the light.

m.