This time last week I was soaked, filthy and struggling to believe I could finish the run with the group. But let’s not jump ahead of ourselves..
Two weeks before the race, my personal trainer, Gary, asked me if I wanted to do the 10km run with them. They had spare tickets so it would be free for me to attend and to be honest, I don’t know many people who enjoy fitness for fun so I thought it would be a great idea to get outside, challenge myself and make some new friends along the way. I’ve done a 10km before and last year I ran a half marathon so I thought with two weeks of training, I’d be ready and rearing to go – which would have been fine, had I trained at all. I ended up not doing any practise runs beforehand which I regretted about 4km into the course. I kept to my usual weights training which helped with the obstacles and the night before, I loaded up on carbs with a big bowl of veggie noodles.
Race day
It started on a windy but sunny Saturday morning at Hexham Racecourse with stunning views across the North East Countryside.
We were a group of 12, all excited, and I’d go as far to say some of us were a little nervous, for the morning ahead. The wind was cold and biting and we all shivered as we left our coats in the cars and made our way to the starting line.
Immediately, the first obstacle was a slip and slide so 5 minutes in, we were wet through. I tried to tackle each obstacle in a way that would leave me the least wet or muddy (which I know isn’t the point of a mud run but I was more in it for the obstacles than the mud).
We also did a lot of climbing, crawling, wading through puddles (which gradually increased in depth until we ended up in a lake!) and running up and down hills on very uneven surfaces. By the end of it, my poor knees were as sore as they were after the Leeds Half Marathon.
The best part though, was the team effort. I was constantly at the back, struggling to keep up but never once did I feel left behind. At every obstacle, the team helped each other and waited for everyone to get past before carrying on jogging and we all encouraged each other to keep going. The spirit that day was incredible and we completed it in under two hours!
After the race, we all showered off back on campus and went to the student’s union for a much needed lunch (and in Gary’s opinion, beer). I was shattered and desperately wanted to go home and sleep but I powered on like a trooper and stayed with everyone until it was time to meet my friend, Hannah.
It felt like such a long day but ending it with Hannah and a pizza was the cherry on the cake. I was going to buy a few of the professional photos that were taken at each obstacle but honestly, I look so unhappy in every single one, it’s not even worth it. This challenge took me above and beyond my comfort and that was definitely reflected in my face throughout the course. Nonetheless, it was so much fun! Thanks again, Gary, for inviting me!
Have you ever done anything like this before? Leave a comment below and tell me all about it!
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