So you are warned, there is a lot of stuff and a ton of pictures in this post 🙂

 

My week was pretty quiet and uneventful for the most part.  My hamstrings and calf muscles were really tight and sore so I took the week pretty easy so that I wouldn’t hurt myself.  I did go to Zumba on Thursday and thought about going on a short run that night but we had a meeting instead.  I just stretched my legs and was good to them so I wouldn’t get injured.

On Friday I went up to Big Peach Running Company to pick up my race packet.  Now I didn’t have to get it early but it was a great excuse to go get a new pair of running shoes.  I’ve never been officially fit for my running shoes.  I did a tons of research on shoes and picked a good one for my slight overpronator and for my really wide feet.   I have been over all happy with my shoes but I don’t LOVE them.  My running friends have told me that you will know when you find the perfect pair of shoes.  I packed up my reward fund that I had been saving up and a coupon plus my favorite pair of socks and went off to get fit.  I had a real nice (and young – high school I think) guy that knew his shoes.  So we talked about my slightly odd feet and what I’ve tried, what I’m currently running in and what not.  This part was really cool – he brought out a neutral shoe (one that doesn’t correct for anything) and had me jog on the treadmill and they video taped it.  He also took a scan of my feet to see my arches, pressure points and which foot I put more pressure on.  He could tell that my right leg is a hair longer than my left leg because I put more weight on my right leg.  I have normal arches and pretty normal pressure points.  The video confirmed that I do roll in ever so slightly which is what I was told my a rheumatologist and an orthopedist several years ago.  So he came out with 4 pairs of shoes.  The first one surprised me – Nike!  I have never had a pair on my feet because they are so wide.  Second pair was Saucony, third pair was Mizuno and the fourth pair was Brooks. Once I got the Saucony’s on, I knew that I didn’t like the Nike’s.  The Mizuno’s just felt different than what I’ve worn but not a bad different.  The Brooks were a big no because I could tell that my right leg is a touch longer and that’s not good.  Just wearing those shoes for a few minutes made my hip and knee ache a little for the rest of the day.  So then I put one Saucony on my right foot and one Mizuno on my left foot and walked around in the store for something like 10-15 min.  Just so you know these are two very different feeling shoes.  If I never had put on the Mizuno, I would have walked out of there in the Saucony.  But the longer I had them on, the more that the Saucony felt like mush on my foot and the Mizuno just cradled my entire foot.  So I’m taking a chance and trying something new – I’m a proud owner of a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 8.

Once I got home, I started gathering all my stuff together that I needed for the Gladiator.  Here is my race outfit and my race t-shirt with my number.

Set my alarm just in-case.  I didn’t have to get up super early (7 am) but it would be my luck that I would over sleep.  Well I didn’t need my alarm, my 3 yr-old woke up at 6:30 needing to go potty and then wanted me to lay down with him in his bed.  That ended up waking up both boys and the whole house was up before 7 am.  Great!!!!  you should hear the sarcasm dripping from that one.  I got ready and was out the door at 8 am.  Not with out a picture, of course.  My timing chip is zip-tied to my shoe just in case you were wondering what is that thing sticking out from my shoe.

 

Here are a couple shots including a rainbow at the race before I headed out.   That is one of the last obstacles it’s a mud pit that you crawl under the flags through the mud and over some little mounds.

 

 

Cargo net and the fire.

 

So my husband and I had talked about them coming to the race.  They haven’t seen me race yet.  But the boys were being cranky and we had a GT football game to go to later. So when I left, I wasn’t sure I would see them at the finish.  Well they surprised me and got several pictures of me on the last couple obstacles.

You can also see my honorary team.  I was suppose to run this with a friend but they had a little too much sickness in her family and she couldn’t make it.  That made me even more nervous to go do a big race (big meaning all those obstacles and 4 miles by myself) all by myself.  I luckily found the Mom’s Run This Town and knew that there was a bunch of them coming so I wouldn’t be alone but it still freaks you out.  Well after the 2nd obstacle which was the monkey bars (I fell in a big pile of mud when my hands slipped), I talked with the lady wearing the wonder woman shirt.  Well she said I could join in with them and be an honorary member.  After the 3rd obstacle, I talked with all of them and we were in it together.  We stuck together so matter how fast or slow people were going and that made this fun.  When the official photographer post pics, I’m in several group shots with these ladies.  They were awesome!!!!

By the way, I hate heights and the cargo net SUCKS!!!!!!

 

All Done!!!!! and I got a picture with my boys.  My little guy looks thrilled to be there 🙂  He was happy to see mommy and told me I was yucky!

 

I in no way broke any speed records and I walked more than I really wanted to but it was hot and humid.  But I did it!!!  I made it 4 miles and 18 obstacles which is something I probably thought I would never do.  This year so far has been full of things I thought I would never do like run much less doing mud runs.  I’m proud of myself for surviving and trying to do all the obstacles.  There were a few that I just couldn’t physically do but I tried and that’s what counts.

 

Ok official finish results – 162 in my age group and in a time of 1:30:59 with a pace of 22:32 per mile.  I don’t care what my pace was, I DID IT!!!!!!

 

So the running group I mentioned – Mom’s Run This Town – well I got two vinyl iron on’s for your shirts this week.  I’m super excited!!!  One is reflective and the other is not.  Now I just have to decide which shirts to put them on or maybe I need to go shopping.  The lady I bought them from is local and I can get her to put them on if I want to (heard that they stay on better that way).

 

So I’m a little sore in some typical places and some weird ones.  The tops of my feet are sore and the sides of my calfs are too.  My guess is that since this was a trail run I was using so many more muscles.  My forearms, shoulders and hamstrings are sore but I expected that.  The plan for this week is to go for a nice and easy treadmill run on Wednesday night, Zumba on Thursday and a group run on Saturday.  My big boy is starting soccer but not yet, we still have one more free weekend from that.  We have a GT football game but that is in the afternoon.  I will be able to escape for a 7:30 am run before we need to head downtown for the game.  I will be wearing my Mizuno’s around the house to test them out and then I will run with them on the treadmill.  The wonderful thing about Big Peach is that if I run in them a few times and don’t like them I can bring them back.  So I should know this week if I love them or hate them.  I really am hoping that I love them.  The weather is starting to cool off and not be near as humid.  Two things I am seriously happy about.  So there you go, you are all updated and completely overloaded with pictures.