A Post-Race Post

"This is the hardest thing I've ever done. But I hope it's not the hardest thing I'll ever do."

I'm cool with 12 miles. I'm cool with mud and getting dirty. However, I'm not cool with hypothermia.


It was a partly-cloudy, fully-windy Saturday morning, weighing in at just above 50 degrees. Until the obstacle titled "Arctic Enema", a dumpster filled with ICE WATER, I thought I was actually doing quite well. 



Actually, I believe we did do very well. We finished at about 3:50, which considering a 20 to 30-minute wait at a bottleneck in the course, actually puts us at about 3:30. We kept a very consistent pace throughout the whole 12-mile course, and I never felt winded or out of breath. 


My biggest problem, with the exception of almost losing my shoes in a mud pit, was the total loss of use in my fingers. I had to re-tie my shoes at one point, and it took four attempts to complete because my fingers would not work, pretty much rendered useless. Not frozen, but no circulation, even with gloves.


I skipped the monkey rings obstacle, the one with the half-hour wait, because I knew I could not solidly grip the rings, and didn't want to fall in the ice cold water and make matters worse. We skipped four obstacles total, either because of the wait, or because my teammates really wanted to be done with it. After 11 miles, the last couple obstacles are just a hassle. 


Perhaps if the race was in May or September, I'd finish the race completely. But, cold is not a factor I enjoy. Just like in crew, leave it to the cold and the wind to eff things up.

Pre-race picture with my Vet teammates, Chris and Kevin.

Just before Mile 8, "Hold Your Wood" and go through a field of tires.

Post-Race Picture, does not convey the amount of pain and numbness.

At mile 7, I felt like someone was continuously punching my bruises every time I  took a stride…

I would totally be up for doing this again. Fingers Crossed for a warmer month, no pun intended. As a reward, but mostly for recovery, I will not be going to the gym for at least three days until the bruises and soreness clear up. 

Happy Recovery everyone!