I am a WARRIOR!

 And I don't think I'll ever take off my medal!

I'm wearing a red t-shirt today

 So - a few months ago, I saw this:

...signed up with a few friends and made it my second Big Scary Goal for 2011.

I've been pretty busy with other events this spring...but this has been in the back of my mind the whole season.

I woke up the morning of the race absolutely terrified. The "I'm-not-going-to-get-out-of-bed-and-you-can't-make-me" kind of terrified. I went through the motions though - shower, breakfast, clothes - said goodbye to the kids (we were staying at my mom's) and got in the car with my husband, my faithful roadie ;-)

Drove out to the event, picked up my race kit. A couple of my friends and my sister had to drop out from injuries, but I found the rest and a few new ones:

Leslie, Elissa, Rachel, Sarah, Emma, me

...and headed to the starting line:

Looks like a mild enough starting line, no?

Headed into the course:

...and what a course it was. See the lighter green lines on the course? Those are ski hills. FREAKIN' SKI HILLS!!That we had to run UP. And sometimes DOWN.

OK, now - see the darker green areas? Those are forests. Forests with steep inclines. Inclines so steep that most of them were marked "CAUTION - STEEP INCLINE".

Steep inclines that we HAD TO RUN UP. And sometimes DOWN.

At least they were shady. The ski hills were brutally sunny. I believe I did a lot of cursing on the trails.

What is this event like in flatter parts of the world - like Texas? Couldn't have been anything like this!

Even without the obstacles - the course alone was punishing.

Oh, right - the obstacles! All were challenging, but none were as brutal as I'd feared. Or maybe they were just a welcome break from running the hills?

As you read this list , remember - we had to run up and down SKI HILLS and steep forest trails in between EACH AND EVERY ONE of these:

• Run through knee deep muddy trenches here and there in the forest (is that compost I smell?)
• Through tangled rope webs
• Crawl on hands and knees through a blackout trench
• Up and over a 15' high (I think?) wall - that was shaking from all the warriors on it
• Up and across about 20' of webbed rope net
• Up and over a haybale freakin' mountain
• Through a junk yard of old tires and over a bunch of junker cars
• Up and rappel over a sandy hill
• Slide down a  wet, slick slope 
• Up and over 30' high cargo nets - also shaking from all the warriors on it
• Jump over fire
• Crawl about 30' through a gravel-bottomed (OUCH) mud pit under barbed wire
• Finish!

I have to say - during the course, my legs were shaking and I was desperate for water. Lots of water. And bananas.

I also mentally thanked every boot camp class, every workout, every bike ride and every hike I've ever been on for making me strong enough to keep going.

Just off the cargo nets and heading to the fire - that's me in the white t-shirt

Seriously? By the time I got to the fire, my legs were so tired I could barely manage a pathetic little hop over it. Not feeling bad about that at all - my husband says some people completely bailed and went around it!

And by the time I got to the mud pit? I was so tired that I needed the threat of barbed wire to force me down on my knees and elbows.

Me in white, about to get REALLY muddy.
See the chair lifts at the top of the hill - yep, those are freakin' SKI HILLS we were running through.

Crossing a finish line has never been so satisfying! Medals, water, bananas and photo ops:

Emma and I. Extra points if you can see my race bib.

Lots of fun photo ops:

Sarah, Elissa, me, Emma

Some very nice firefighters hosed us down - with fire hoses and heart-stoppingly cold water. We cleaned up as best as we could, and hit the food tent for beer, turkey legs (not me) and veggie burgers (that's more like it).

WARRIORS!
We totally earned those fuzzy helmets!

Somewhere in there, I had the presence of mind to ask my husband what time it was, and almost fell over from shock.

We finished in 1:05.

One hour and five minutes.

We trudged through 5 kilometres of ski hills, punishing forest trails and a dozen obstacles.

And finished in one hour and five minutes.

I'm crazy proud of us. Wicked proud of myself.

I think I'll keep my medal on for a few more days. Actually - I don't think I'll ever take it off.

Later that day - on the beach at my SIL's cottage.
Wearing my medal.

PS - This event was amazingly well organized. From parking to shuttle bus to checkin, from start to finish on the course, and the after party - every single detail was well planned. Very, very impressive - well done Red Frog!