reporting from battle

Warrior Dash, Central Texas 2010, was a huge success.  This was truly a blast!  If you ever get the chance to run a Warrior Dash, I'd tell you to DO IT in a heartbeat, even if you aren't an avid runner.  If it's somewhere in Texas, I would love to do it with you! I haven't run a race since middle school cross country, and I survived having so much fun (but yes, i'm quite sore today, ha).

Here's a quick summary of our day:

After breakfast, Melodye and I picked up Russ and drove to the middle of nowhere.  More specifically, Rusty's Walnut Creek Ranch in Cedar Creek, TX.  The first races had begun at 8am, so as we entered the park at about 9:30, the atmosphere was already so exciting.  We picked up our bib numbers and shoe tags, along with the wonderful and complementary viking hat and t-shirt.  You can then check all of your items in a tent and get ready just to run.  We wandered around and watched many competitors finish the last hundred yards of their heat at the finish line.  That's the final 2 obstacles of jumping over fire and crawling through mud under barbed wire.  We enjoyed seeing everyone struggle through, and got to laugh at the occasional ridiculous costumes.  I saw a tiny woman dressed as an oompa loompa, a hulk, lots of ninja turtles, and tons of unnecessary tutus.



Team RAWR getting pumped up before the race





Trying to look ready



We finally got to enter into the starting gate with our heat.  I estimate that we ran with at least 400 people, if not more.  Our bright orange attire stood out, and the RAWR was a huge hit because everyone roared at us frequently.  Much thanks to Paige for that idea!  The first half of the race was full of tough terrain and a few obstacles including running through and over tons of demolished cars.  The second half really turned fun as we ran through a large creek with water up to our knees.  Melodye and I came out of that looking like we swam.  There was a huge spiderman horizontal net that is probably the cause of most of my sore muscles, and there was also a towering pyramid of bales of hay to climb over.  I think pure adrenaline got me through.  As we neared the end, we climbed over a 20 ft. tall army wall and sprinted (well, tried) over two rows of burning fire only to come to the dreaded mud pit.  It's covered by barbed wire so you have no option but to crawl through.  It looked easy enough watching others but turns out it was extremely cold and thick.  After running, we barely could pull ourselves through that mess.  I loved it!  We finally crossed the finish line with 10 pounds of mud and debris on our bodies and we were handed a medal, water, and peeled bananas. 





We did it!

We finally got cleaned up by two men who spray fire hoses of water on large crowds of muddy racers.  Russ thought it was a very 'third world' experience, but it felt so good to be mud-free.  The final perk of the race is a free beer.  It was cold and refreshing and paired so nicely with the 5 lb turkey legs I'd been dreaming of. 

I ended the day by learning how to throw tomahawks, because that seems like such an important skill.  Not your normal Saturday to say the least! 

I really want to do another dash if I get the chance.  I also secretly wish they were about 5 miles because that would be a true endurance test if you ask me.  Thanks so much to Russ Guild who is the reason I even knew this race was happening in South Texas.  I had so much fun with both of these kids, and I'll leave you with one final picture to enjoy....especially if you are an ACU Wildcat!