Camp Pendleton Mud Run: Lacking Grace

This doesn't sound like a proper pre-race song.

After a restful night's sleep in nearby Carlsbad, my brother Jesse and I found ourselves on a bus headed towards the start line of the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Madonna's "Holiday" blared overhead, in stark contrast to the Metallica songs that accompanied us to the parking lot.

As I had run this race three times before, I knew what to expect. My mind wasn't so much on the obstacles or the course or the logistics, but rather a bit free to think about things like Madonna.

The bus ride was short enough to keep us from having to endure the entire 80s hit song and before we knew it, we'd checked our bags in and were pinning our bibs on our backs. We'd met up with our other brother Danny and his brother-in-law David, the four of us setting out for our fourth consecutive Mud Run together.

It's called a tradition.

There were more casual conversations, jokes and a sense of calm around us than before. It felt a bit low-key, although everything around us was not. There were hordes of runners, throngs of stands and vendors and a field full of checked-in bags. This was no small event.

After running for about five minutes or so to get my heart rate going, I met up with the other three and waited. We weren't quite ready for the start line yet but rather waiting to be let in to get to line up at the start. Yes, a pre-start line start. If there was anything we'd learned about this event, it was this - if you want to avoid being stuck like cattle for the first stretch of the race, a good starting position was imperative.

Finally, we were allowed to go to the start line. We walked. Sort of.

This is more of a walk-shuffle-almost run.

We were in prime position to start off well until...

Um, this isn't the start line?

... we walked forward a few hundred yards to the start line. Previously the early part of the course thinned out quite a bit, and with the crowds made it impossible to avoid getting herded like cattle. To avoid that, the start line was moved up. The four of us got split apart, but no bother. I was ahead and hopefully I would finish ahead, of Danny anyway. My goal was to finish ahead of him.

Even that's not a really big goal... just something to target.

As we were at the real start line, Metallica's Enter Sandman serenaded the runners...

Now that's more like it.

... and after a few more words from the host, we were off.

I got off to a quick start, was moving past runners and trying to focus on my breathing. I got wet with the first water truck that sprayed runners down.

Cold!

After the first turn, we went up on the road and then the path cut through some trees. I was keeping a good pace, passing some runners, getting passed by others. So far, no mud or water.

The dirt trail weaved out of the brush and meandered uphill. We passed the first mile marker very quickly and were still going uphill.

And more uphill. And even more uphill. I looked to my right and saw runners running up another hill.

Did they add more hills too?

Of course, this part of the route was unchanged but it certainly seemed as if there were more hills. We kept going up and up and up, and when I thought we were done going uphill, there was another one.

Finally, after about four miles, we started our descent.

Okay, here comes the wall. I was worried about the wall. I'd hurt my wrist recently from a bike spill and while it had been feeling better, I feared that I wouldn't be able to get over the wall. Add to that the fact that I was tired from the hills and I wasn't exactly expecting to prance over the walls.

I sloshed through some foul-smelling water and mud...

I don't even want to know what's in there.

... and came up to my nemesis, the wall. I put my hands on top, leapt and got my right leg on top. I wanted to step up onto it and leap over but I had no energy to do that, so I sort of rolled my other leg on top and let myself fall over into the stinky water/mud on the other side.

As graceful as a swan.

I was exhausted. Wasn't sure why I was feeling more tired now than I had in other races at this point, or perhaps my memory was fuzzy.

I tried to run hard to the next obstacle, the river, but I was too tired to hit the extra gear. I just maintained my pace, got to the river, and got in. The water was about to my chest and I grabbed one of the two ropes that stretched out across the river. I tugged on the rope to keep my balance as slippery algae on the bottom threatened to knock me down.

Once out of the river, I took a few steps before starting off on my run once more. More running, another uphill, and then we were at the famed slippery hill. A water truck on top made for a muddy hill, but I went up the middle and didn't encounter too many problems. Once at the top, I encountered my nemesis once more, the wall. I got to this wall okay but wasn't sure of myself. I must have had a look on my face because one of the Marines near the wall asked me: "You got this?"

I think so.

Again, I placed my hands on top and pushed, and again I laid my leg on top. Somehow I will the other leg on top as well and as I was falling over I heard "There you go!" from the other side.

Something was dragging me forward. I sure didn't feel like I was blazing through the end of this race as the obstacles and the hills had done a number on me. Now was probably the worst obstacle for me, the tunnel crawl. I had to get on my knees inside a tunnel and crawl through. Others, like the lady in front of me, managed to stay on her feet, sort of crawling along on all fours. Not it. I didn't have the energy to do something like that, nor did I have the agility. I got on my hands and knees and shuffled forward, certain that I'd be slicing my knees up in the process. I eventually made it through, and the giant metallic worm I'd been in regurgitated me out.

I bet you looked like a ballerina, you were so elegant.

I got up and tried to reach down inside. We were a quarter of a mile away. The last obstacle was upon us, the mud crawl. I rather liked this. I got into the water, extended my legs behind me and moved across with my hands. I felt better doing it this way and actually crawling. I felt...

Graceful?

... quicker going this way. I got up, got out and pushed forward towards the end. Almost at the finish line, I passed someone but then someone passed me. A woman. She was gonna chick me. Wait... she was gonna chick me?

Um, NO, I'm *NOT* going to get chicked.

I went full throttle. She'd passed me up but I overtook her, and as soon as I did she picked up her pace but I was too strong for her. I finished ahead of her, glad that I wasn't some dude to be chicked.

I got past the finish chute and saw Danny.

Aw man!! What the hell?!?

My finish time was 1:07:35 and his was 1:07:10. Had I known he was so close to me, I'd have run harder towards the end.

No matter. Not even finishing behind my brother could ruin this day for me. I conquered the Camp Pendleton Mud Run once again, and again I had one thought running through my mind.

Next year's gonna be fun!

Mud Run In The Books

I'll have a full race recap later on from the Camp Pendleton Mud Run but for now, just wanted to share this picture.

I've now run that many Camp Pendleton Mud Runs - four.

The fourth one was different, as they all have been, but like they all have been as well, quite enjoyable.

I didn't bleed this time, so that's a positive. The hills were long and longer and longest and neverending but the mud and water was just as fun now as they've ever been.

And I'm trying to put up four fingers but I guess I was more exhausted than I thought.

Gearing Up For Camp Pendleton

It's that time of year again.

On Tuesday, I got my bib from the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in the mail. It instantly put a smile on my face.

The Camp Pendleton Mud Run is one of my favorite races. It's become a tradition since I first ran it in 2008. It also inspired the name of this blog. When I first started blogging, back in spring 2008, I didn't intend on running marathons or becoming an all-out runner. I had signed up for this race, the Mud Run, and figured it would be cool to write about my experiences in training for the race and running it.

Like my running progressed and developed, so too did this blog. I guess the two go hand in hand. After my initial Mud Run, I caught the running bug bad and went on to run a 10K and a half marathon in the six months after.

And while I've run a lot of races and lot more challenging races (no matter how tough this race is, a marathon is more of a challenge after all), the Mud Run is very special to me.

This year is no different. I'm looking forward to running past the water trucks, trying to avoid getting soaked; trying to pick up the pace as I traverse the hills; scaling the mud pits and walls; wading my way across the river; inching my way through the tunnel and hoping I don't bleed... too much; dragging myself through the mud crawl and coming up with the inevitable mouthful of mud; and pushing myself at the end to finish strong.

Yes, this race is a challenge. It's a 10K course with obstacles. And while there are many other mud runs out there, this one seems like it's about as tough as you can get. Maybe the Tough Mudder is a challenge as well, but this course is unique. I mean, it's on an active marine corps base, and this mud run is scaled down from what marines used to run. I mean, there used to be barbed wire on the mud crawl. Yeah, you had no choice but to get down on your stomach and crawl.

Anyway, unlike the Fontana Days Half Marathon, I feel confident and great entering this race. I know what to expect. I know I have a good effort in me and I know that I will kick some major ass in this race once more.

This is a fun race and I will have a fun time there, I know it.

Girls Take On The Mud Run

On Saturday, the girls will compete in their second-ever Mud Run. It will be an exciting day to be certain.

For the occasion, I decided to ask the girls about their experiences with the Mud Run and record it.

Enjoy. First, Kennedy.




And up next, Yvie.

Friendly Words Of Muddy Advice

Are you up for a Mud Run? The mother of all Mud Runs, the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, is coming up. Well, not really. The actual races will be held in June - on the 4th, 5th, 11th and 18th.

But the date to sign up for all races is on Jan. 1. As in Friday night.

Let me give you a little bit of a warning:

DON'T WAIT

Ahem. Let me repeat myself:

DON'T WAIT

This race will sell out.

It. Will. Sell. Out.

It will totally sell out. All four races will sell out. How quickly? Race number one sold out in less than 12 hours on Jan. 1, 2010. Race number two and three sold out in a day or two. Race number four sold out quickly afterward.

They have Marines stationed at the race entrance looking for bandits, so don't even try to crash this party.

I will sign up for race no. 4, on June 18. Now, while the course is no different than the other three, that one's the ASYMCA one. Not really sure what the difference is but there are different pictures for this race. A different company shoots the pictures for the ASYMCA run versus the other ones, and those pictures are better. So if you like to see pictures of yourself in races, I'd recommend signing up for the June 18 race.

Anyway, one thing you must do on Jan. 1 is to sign up for the race. Wherever you are at midnight, sign up. If you plan to get blitzed, please be sensible enough when the ball drops to log onto the site and register. If you think "That LB, he seems like a nice guy, but I'm sure he's exaggerating," well, you are mistaken (about me exaggerating - I do think I'm a nice guy). Don't wait or you will miss out. And you will be sad. You will cry. Okay, maybe you won't cry but you will be sad.

If you haven't decided if this race will be part of your 2011 race calendar, you best decide by Friday.

Register here.

If you need help deciding whether this is a race you should participate in, let me offer this as an argument.

Do it. This race is so much fun. I've run marathons, half marathons, 10Ks, a Ragnar Relay and this race is still very much fun, still very much a race I look forward to running.

So do it. And do it on June 18 because I'll be there.

Just remember to sign up on Friday.

Motivational Mondays: Best Racing Year Ever

It's not quite the end of the year yet, not quite time to do year-end recaps, but for me it is.

When I ran the Mission Inn Half Marathon on Nov. 14, I also completed the races I'll have run in 2010. It's kind of a downer to know that I won't race again until February but that just means I'll be able to focus on my next race, the Surf City Marathon on Feb. 6.

Anyway, I wanted to look back at the year I had in races. In terms of running, this has been the best year ever.

Feb. 7: Surf City Marathon

My first marathon! How superb it was to start the year off with a bang, jumping feet first into my first-ever 26.2-mile effort. I'd trained for the marathon so hard and did everything by the book beforehand. I was nervous, anxious, excited and worried about the race. The race itself went off without too many problems until I got past the Mile 22 mark. I hit the wall hard at Mile 23 and it felt like the last three miles took an hour. But I survived and shuffled across the finish at 4:42:26.

The whole race and the days leading up to it were very special moments to me. It sort of culminated all of what I'd gone through for the previous four years, from having weighed 308 pounds to having lost 120 to then having taken up running. I wore a bib on my back with an inspirational message I wrote and it really hammered the point home. I became a marathoner on Feb. 7, and that's something that nobody can ever take away from me.

Race report here.

Will I run this again in 2011? I am already registered! So, barring injury, this will be Marathon No. 3.

March 13: ARMC 5K

After having tackled a marathon, the thought of running a 5K seemed insignificant. However, this race was anything but. First, I wanted to get a more accurate read of the type of runner I was now. My only other 5K had been my first-ever race, back in 2008 when I was a newbie who didn't know what was going on. Also, I bet my brother, my more-athletic, in-shape, works-hard plays-hard brother, that he couldn't beat me in a 5K. We had a lot of fun talking smack before the race and we really did want to compete and beat one another.

I had one of my strongest performances here. Since it was only a 3.1-mile run, I went all out. I hit top speed and stayed there. I finished in 23:03 and beat my brother by more than one minute. I still talk smack to him about this race, and I know it eats at him. I've offered a re-match but he's scared; he just won't admit it.

Race report here.

Will I run this race again in 2010? Well, considering it was free, I'd like to. But I won't run it for speed. I'll save my thoughts on this one until I know it's going to happen but I'll probably be there one way or another.

March 27: Lefty's 5K

Another free race. I signed up for this mostly because it was free, reason enough to get me out there in the fierce wind and run. Also, I enjoyed the race because it was at a bit of a unique place. How often, after all, can you run on a NASCAR track? The best part of the race, bar none, was running on the track at the California Speedway. There were so many skid marks and tire marks on the course, it was unreal. My favorite memory of this race was running down pit row and seeing all the pit areas up close.

Race recap here

Will I run this race again in 2011? Not sure. If it's held again I might want to run it again.

April 19: Run Through Redlands Half Marathon

The challenge, should I have chosen to accept it, was to run a half-marathon in under two hours. I ran with Loper pal (and then-blog buddy) Angie since she also wanted to PR. It was a hilly course and the sun began to weigh on us the further we went along but that wasn't enough to stop a pair of determined runners. We each set a PR, each got under two hours for the first time and each were proud of our accomplishments. My year wasn't close to being over after this race but I believe this was my best performance of the year, that I ran my best race in April, in Redlands.

Race report here.

Will I run this race again in 2011? If I don't take a break after the LA Marathon, I might want to run this again.

May 1: Run For Rescue 10K

I had run my first marathon, shattered my 5K PR and gotten under the two-hour mark in a half marathon. But there was one more obstacle to tackle. I wanted to get under 50 minutes in a 10K. The Run For Rescue course was uphill for a good portion, making the task more difficult. Despite fretting about the hills, I got through them just fine and at the end of the race I knew I was close to a sub-50 minute finish. I was all but out of gas but still fought through and crossed the finish at 49:42. I even placed fourth in my age group!

What also stands out is that my daughters ran their first race afterward. It was called the Kiddie K but it really was just a loop around the parking lot. It was a fun experience for all of us.

Race report here


Will I run this race again in 2011? Probably not. The race was actually for a good cause and it's a small race but I don't know that I'll be up for a 10K in early May.

May 22: San Bernardino Mud Run

I didn't want to find a closer and better race than Camp Pendleton - and didn't - but rather I wanted for my daughters to participate in a Mud Run. The SBSD Mud Run had a children's 1K Mud Run and this was the main reason why I chose to run this race. The course was not as challenging as Camp Pendleton and the obstacles seemed to be just pure mud, mostly mud pits. It was a 5K so not a lot of running either but I still enjoyed myself out there and got plenty muddy. The kid's course, though, was a true 1K; the first portion mostly running and the last part the same exact obstacles we had to go through. Yvie surprised me with her determination while Kennedy cried through a lot of the race but still pushed through. In the end, we were all muddy and all proud of what we'd done.

Race report here

Will I run this race again in 2011? It's a pretty safe bet that we will. I don't know if I'll do the 5K but the girls ask about the Mud Run and seem excited about it.

June 5: Camp Pendleton Mud Run

The race that started it all for me. The bonus this year - I got to meet blog reader Anne (aka Tahoegirl) and her husband. The race was fun as always, perhaps made even more challenging because of my inactivity. I didn't run at all the week before to see if rest would help my ongoing heel issues. I didn't bother trying for a PR and I didn't come close to it. But that didn't diminish from the experience at all.

Race recap here

Will I run this race again in 2011? Yes, the only question is the date. I'm hoping for June 18.

July 25: San Francisco Marathon

The mother of all hilly runs. I took this one on head-first. I wanted my second marathon to be special, and this one certainly was. Mrs. LB and I traveled up to San Francisco and made a weekend out of it. This race had so many special moments, it's tough to narrow them down. The few miles I spent running on the Golden Gate Bridge were an absolute highlight of my running life. The hills, though, took their toll on me and the last few miles my legs were shot. However, I tried to finish strong and fought through the hill-induced aches. I finished in 4:37:51 as I bested my Surf City time by about five minutes. I also got to meet three blog buddies! Amanda of Fat Wuz Here, Katie of One Run At A Time and Jill of Run With Jill. And Mrs. LB and I had a fantastic weekend - how's that for a race experience?

Race report here


Will I run this race again in 2011? Even though I told my wife as I hobbled walked back to the hotel room that I would not run the full marathon there again, I am all but sold on the idea of running that race once more.

Oct. 17: Long Beach Half Marathon

I had already set a half-marathon PR earlier in 2010 but I wanted to beat it. I wasn't sure if I could but my previous PR was on a hilly course. Long Beach was advertised as "flat and fast" and it lived up to the billing. Despite sleeping only four hours, I was up for the race. My Garmin, though, was not. The Garmin was not reading accurately in Mile 3 so I stopped relying on it.

The loss of the Garmin made me focus on simply getting to the next mile marker. I enjoyed the beachfront path and the smell of the ocean. Once off the path and headed down the stretch, I knew I was close to a PR. I cruised into the finish but still wasn't sure what my official time was. However, a few minutes after finishing Mrs. LB sent me a text with my official time - 1:55:03!

Race recap here


Will I run this race again in 2011? If I run this race, I might run the full. Otherwise, I might just pass altogether.

Nov. 14: Mission Inn Half Marathon

I closed out the year with my local race, the Mission Inn Run. I'd run the 10K the last two years but opted for the half marathon this time (it's only been the second year the race has featured a half marathon). I wasn't feeling confident about setting a PR - and didn't - but I knew I had a strong race inside of me. I figured that if I ran strong and ran a good race, I would be happy. I did that and finished strong. My time of 1:56:20 is not my PR but it's still a time I was very happy with.

Race recap here


Will I run this race again in 2011? I'd like to. It's my local race so that makes it very appealing.

Guest Blogger: Tahoegirl Conquers Camp Pendleton

While spending time with Tahoegirl and her hubby on Saturday, something slipped my mind. I wanted to see if she'd be up for guest blogging here. I wanted to have her recount her experience for the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. But since she was on vacation, I figured I'd ask her once she got back to Michigan. However, I just forgot to ask.

Luckily, she went ahead and did something to the effect. She posted a comment on Tuesday, after going on a run up near Lake Tahoe. Ha! Tahoegirl's in Tahoe. Anyway, I didn't really ask if she would mind if I posted the comment here but I did want to give it a platform of its own (and sprinkle in some of the official race pictures I came across of her).

Without further delay... I turn the blog over to Tahoegirl:

===

A brief recap of my thoughts on the mud run as I am still on vacation but I had to see LB's post:

Hills? ah, I got these. Then I saw and felt the hills -- lets rephrase that to say several long hills that n-e-v-e-r seemed to end. Yes, I had to walk some of it as I was thinking eff these hills, eff this race i am on vacation what am i doing here? I was joking with LB earlier about the sun, you know it's always sunny in southern California right? Well it wasn't...until we were 10 minutes into the run. Hello SUN!!

The walls where a piece of cake. (ok, Mr. TG helped me) The slippery hill was a snap 'cuz LB told us to run up the middle. The river crossings, well, there is nothing like running with water, sand, mud, sticks and stones in your shoes for the next 6 miles.

I have scraped knees from the tunnel crawl as a badge of honor and I somehow have a huge bruise on the inside of my right arm. Dunno where that one came from.

The final mud crawl was a chore as I initially sank shoulder deep but then moved to a better path.

Would I do it again? Heck yeah!! We had so much fun running and gettin' dirty. Look for us again in 2011 but this time I will train for those hills! :o) Thanks LB for hanging out with us. I knew I wasn't going for any records. I just hope we didn't hold you back from going all out.

Next up, Chicago (Marathon) 10-10-10...

==

Thanks again to Tahoegirl and Mr. TG for including the Mud Run and yours truly in your vacation. It would be a treat to have you participate in the Mud Run again next year.

And of course good luck on your training for the Chicago Marathon. You will have the support of the entire Muddy Runner nation.

A look back at the Mud Run and what's next on my race calendar.

* Not having run for five days before the race, I think I did okay for myself. I felt good, felt strong and actually felt a lot stronger towards the end. I destroyed those hills, and trust me, those hills are daunting. I remember feeling good going up those hills a year ago but I think I handled them better this year. Still, I would have liked to have seen what I could have done with a full week of training and a better starting position. That just makes me hunger for 2011 even more.


* I'm always amazed at what role muscles play in running. Now, I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have bulging biceps, triceps and shoulders, but that doesn't always translate into strength for running. Somewhere during the long trek uphill, I passed a few guys who were ripped and had muscles galore. They were walking and looked like they were having a rough go at it. Of course, I'm not saying I'm better than them - heck, I could use some of their motivation to get my butt to do some bench press - but this just goes to show the Mud Run and distance running is more than just muscles.

* I didn't rinse after the race. Kinda gross maybe, but there was a long line of people and I chose instead to spend more time with Tahoegirl and her hubby. The mud was caked on to my legs but I took a nice shower with soap once I got home. But my racing companions rinsed off and said there were people using shampoo and conditioner in the showers. Ugh. The showers there are meant to really just rinse you off, not to double as a beauty salon. But that's just my opinion. If I had long locks, perhaps I would feel different. Doubt it, but perhaps...

* The pictures were up super quick, but not all of them. In previous years it took a week or so to get the pictures up but there were shots of both Saturday and Sunday up by Sunday night. I might post some more pictures in a separate post so keep an eye out for that. I have thus far found only one shot of me - but several of my racing buddies. The pictures I'm waiting for are the shots from us getting out of the river. I actually posed for a picture there, so I'm hoping it came out and I don't look like a tool in it.

* Will I run this race again in 2011? Damn straight I will.

* So what's my next race? Well, now that the Mud Run is out of the way, I am setting my sights on my next race, which is the San Francisco Marathon. What do I do now in terms of training for it? Well, I think that could (and probably will) be a separate post but in short I will get back to running (heel/Achilles issue notwithstanding) here soon. I'm planning for 13-15 on Sunday and then 20 on the 20th, with 22 coming up just two weeks after that. So lots of mileage planned for the next 6-8 weeks before a bit of rest.

Motivational Mondays (June 7) aka Camp Pendleton Mud Run Race Recap!

The Camp Pendleton Mud Run is a fixture on my race calendar. For the past two years, I've ran the race and have had so much fun that I've vowed to run it each and every year. It's become a tradition, and I look forward to each race with great anticipation.

It's just the details about the course that I mostly forget.

I don't forget the hills but I don't remember how tough they are until I'm finally out there. I don't forget the mud per se but I do forget what it feels like to run several miles with sand and pebbles in your shoes. And I don't forget the river crossing but I don't recall just how slippery and slimy it can be.

Camp Pendleton greeted me bright and early on Saturday morning as it does every year. My brother Jesse and I made the nearly 80-mile trek in a little more than one hour, record time for us. I was looking forward to the race for several reasons, but one was to meet a blog reader who had planned the first part of her vacation around the Mud Run. Tahoegirl and her husband, Mr. Tahoegirl, flew in from Michigan earlier in the week and were staying a few days in Southern California before driving up the West Coast. They will fly back home from Seattle. I was happy to meet them both, especially Tahoegirl. She recently ran her first half marathon and will tackle her first 26.2 in October as she'll run the Chicago Marathon.

LB and Tahoegirl

I wore a bright yellow shirt so she could spot me. It really was a treat to meet her and her hubby, and we hung out together before the race. Once it got closer to 8:30, we made our way down to the start line area. This was our fatal mistake. At the Mud Run, you can not approach the start line until about 25 minutes before the race. They will herd you into the starting area at that time so if you are concerned about your time, then you need to stand around for quite a while until they let you get near the start line. I wasn't concerned about time simply because I had not been running all week, plus with the Tahoegirls there I was far more interested in talking to them than I was in worrying about my time.

But we did make our way over there before they let the runners in, and once they did we went into the starting chute like cattle. As soon as we got to our little spot amidst the mass of humanity, I had a strong feeling the race was not going to feature a new PR. We were too far back from the start, and there were way too many people between us and the start line to get past.

That was fine, though. I was a bit relieved since I knew I wasn't going to PR. I didn't want to push myself and feel bad about not having been in prime condition to do so. Instead, I was going to take some friends' advice and just enjoy the race.

With about 15 minutes left until the start of the race, my brother Danny, his wife and brother-in-law finally showed up, and they made their way through the crowd to get to us. Finally, I gave Tahoegirl a few final words of advice and then the gun sounded. Off we went.

Except. Too. Many. People. Prevented. Us. From. Running. Right. Away.

It was crowded and the crowd slowly moved forward but there was virtually no room to run. I tried to run, tried to get out in front but it was tough. The road was narrow enough, but the mass of people made it tough to do anything. I could almost see my PR flying away on wings, but it really didn't matter. It was for the best, I told myself.

I'd told Tahoegirl to not worry about water early on. You're going to get wet and muddy at the Mud Run, no sense in trying to avoid it. Having said that, I wanted to avoid it. Near the start there were three water trucks shooting water at the runners. The first water truck was by itself and I managed to avoid getting completely soaked. The second water truck was across the street from the third, and there was no getting around this obstacle. I looked up to see water raining down on me and I emerged on the other side completely soaked.

Among the things I told Tahoegirl was that the first half of the race was just hills, but we'd been running a good portion already and so far it was flat. I hoped that she wasn't thinking badly of me when we'd only gone through a mild incline at best for probably the first mile of the race or so. While we didn't encounter hills right away, we did hit a stream, and with a splash splash, splash splash my shoes and socks were now completely soaked.

I only remembed one stream crossing the last two years but this time there were three streams early on, so by the time we hit the hills, our feet were nice and saturated.

The hills.... ah yes, the hills. The neverending hills. I remembered with clarity the hills once I was actually on them. I remembered what I felt like the first year, looking ahead and seeing a stream of people going uphill, of seeing a hill that had no top, of wondering how I was going to get through it. This year, though, I was excited. I wanted to tackle the hills, wanted to take the challenge on... and I did, but part of me was sad. I was sad that I wasn't in optimum condition and that I wasn't able to tackle them with the same ferocity I'd hoped to tackle them with. Instead, I was reserved because of my heel/Achilles issue and I was wondering if I should just take it easy. But my foot was not bothering me so I plowed through.

Sometime near the top, it felt like we'd been running for days on the hills, and I wondered if Tahoegirl would think "Eff these hills already" when she'd come across them.

Finally, though, the summit and then downhill. It was a speedy downhill, and I was feeling the beginnings of exhaustion. I was worried though because of the walls. I knew I had the strength to scale them, but was worried that if I was too tired to jump over them, that I'd flail like crazy and become frustrated. So as we descended down into the first mud pit, with water to our knees and a muddy mess beneath that, I mustered up the strength to scale the wall. I did on my first effort, pushed myself up, got my right foot on top and leapt over. I'd like to say it was a graceful landing, but it was about as graceful as box falling out of a moving truck. I landed on my hands and knees, apparently too worried about leaping over the wall in the first place to concern myself too much about the landing part.

From then, it was onto the river. When I saw it, I smiled. All I could see were heads peering out of the water, and a line of runners getting out on the other end, dripping wet. A volunteer shouted over and over "Watch the first step; it's very slippery" as I descended into the river.

The first step was slippery and so was the second and so was the third. In fact, I think all 100 or 200 or however many steps we took to get across were slippery. There was no sense in trying to swim either, because even though the river was nearly up to my neck, you'd be best served to just walk it instead of trying to swim. Why expand the energy it takes to swim to save maybe a few seconds?

As I slipped and slid across the slimy bottom, pieces of algae caught my eye. Some of them found my hand was I waded through the water. I picked up algae in my hand and tossed it aside and out of my path. Several times. The river was filled with it, and while it did not smell I just figured the less time I was in it, the better.

On our way out towards the next part of the race, we were headed towards the runners going into the mud pit and into the river. I scanned for the Tahoegirls and was wondering if I'd missed them when I saw them. I said "Tahoegirl!" over and over again and she didn't hear me at first. Mr. Tahoegirl did and waved and smiled, but she had to force a smile once she realized it was me. I don't think she A) like the hills very much and B) liked me very much for having ever given her the idea of running the race in the first place.

I moved along, though, and pretty soon met up wtih the next obstacle: mud pit and wall number two. This wall was my nemesis from a year ago, the wall that stole my watch. In case you missed it, in last year's race a beloved watch of mine, a Polar F4 heart rate monitor my wife had given me as a present, popped off on this wall and was lost in a sea of mud. I vowed to conquer this wall for the sake of the watch, and I came upon it with focus and concentration. On my first leap, I got up high, got on leg on it, leaned my body forward, got my second leg over and all but fell on the water down below. I'm not the most graceful at climbing, okay?

The tunnels were next and I loathed them. You have to crawl through them - there is no other way. My knees were in pain from the moment I started crawling and I had visions of blood dripping down them. After about a mile's worth of crawling, I came out the other end. I plopped out the end - picture a metallic caterpillar regurgitating a piece of meat.

After that was Slippery Hill, a steep hill made more fun by the addition of water. A water truck sprayed water down the hill, causing the hill to be super muddy and slippery, tough to climb. However, if you run where the water has carved out a path in the hill, it is easier to navigate up the hill, which I did.

I got past that, ran some more, began to sprint even, when I realized we had the mud crawl to complete. Crap. I wasn't prepared. I got into the water though and began to crawl. The mud was thicker than last year, making it hard to get through. I gripped whatever I could and hoped to not scrape up my knees. Finally, I came out other end, with only a few slurps of muddy water into my mouth.

Then one immense downhill portion ensued before the final stretch.

Giving it my all

I waited around to see both my brothers finish (yup, I beat them both, holler) and then saw the happy vacationing couple slog through.

The Tahoegirls thinking 'Thank goodness this is over.'

We did celebrate though, had to.

Tahoegirl is a Muddy Runner too!

When I crossed the finish, I saw my time, roughly 1:11:40, and wasn't disappointed. I'd wanted to get close to an hour but knew there were many reasons why that would not happen. Instead of disappointment, though, I was happy. I had a time to shoot for in 2011.

Muddy Pics

I don't have a ton of time right now to write up and post the race recap for Saturday's Camp Pendleton Mud Run but I did want to give you a sneak preview of what's coming Monday.

Jesse's expression capturing pretty much how we all felt after the race.

Four of the five that ran the race together once more.

Celebrating Mud Run No. 3.

Race recap coming Monday! In it, you'll hear all about the hills, the never-ending hills; some algae buddies who greeted us in some deep water, a blog buddy meet-up and how I met and conquered last year's main nemesis.

Mud Run Of Yore

The countdown for the Mud Run is on in earnest. It's been on for a bit, but now it's rapidly approaching and pretty much right in front of me.

This will be the third edition of the Camp Pendleton Mud Run and I can't wait to stand out there at the start line, corralled in like cattle, waiting for final instructions from a Marine about the race. That brings back some really fun memories, and I will create even more in a few short days.

I figured I'd post some pictures from my first Mud Run here to give you an idea of what Saturday might look like. I'm thinking of wearing the same outfit so Saturday could really look like this.

Stepping out from the river, which was up to my chest.

Looking for space to crawl through.

Not sure if I was smiling or grimacing... or both.

The finish line is in sight...

... gotta step it up!

This race was in October 2008 and was my second-ever race. That alone is a bit strange, to think that Race No. 2 was this one, a monster of a challenge for a newbie, and still a worthy challenge for me now and always.

Maybe this year if I get some good shots of myself I'll actually buy one or two.

Mud Run High

On June 13, 2009 I ran my second Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Aside from losing my watch in that race, it was an awesome experience yet again. I was happy to have run it again and happy that I beat my time and survived the race once more.

But I wondered what the next year's race would be like. After all, I was going to take on a much more challenging race and run my first marathon. Would I still enjoy the Mud Run after having run a marathon?

I logged many firsts between that Mud Run and now - my first 18-mile run, my first 20-miler, first 22-miler, first marathon. Having met and survived the ultimate challenge, would I still be excited to run the Camp Pendleton Mud Run? After all, it's "only" a 10K, and many marathoners look down on or refuse to run 10Ks.

Well, I am five days away from running my third Camp Pendleton Mud Run and I can say that I am just as excited as ever to run one of these.

This is the ultimate 10K. It's a 10K on steroids with a nice injection of human growth hormone. This race separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls. It was a tough test the first two times I ran it and I think I can run it 20 more times and it will be a tough test every time.

I want to do well in this race, of course. I want to set a new PR. I finished in around 1:06 last year and I want to get as close to an hour as possible. This race has a good balance between running and obstacles, and a lot of the running involves hills. I've been kicking butt on hills lately and the obstacles will pose a challenge as usual. I'm going to focus and approach this race with as much energy and excitement as I do any other race.

My following race will be the San Francisco Marathon, which poses its own set of unique and difficult challenges, so I will enjoy the Mud Run as a sort-of sendoff for San Fran.

And I have no doubt that once the race is over, I'll be thinking just one thing: I can't wait for next year's Camp Pendleton Mud Run.

Opening Up

Missed on the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, did ya? Well, the race has opened up spots for more runners. On Sunday June 6 and Saturday June 12, the race has now opened registration. But there are only 500 spots available, and who knows how many of those are gone.

Register for Sunday June 6 here.

Register for Saturday June 12 here.

As for me...

I. Can't. Wait.

Comparing The Mud

Not all Mud Runs are created equal.

I figured that would ring true no matter what Mud Runs were in question. My only Mud Run experience until Saturday was, of course, the Camp Pendleton Mud Run.

Now, I'm a veteran of another Mud Run, the SBSD Mud Run.

I want to preface this entire post by saying that I did enjoy myself at the Mud Run on Saturday and I will consider running it again. It may not sound like it at times but just wanted to get that out there.

Having said that, there were notable differences between Camp Pendleton and SBSD, and initially I had a hard time stopping myself from comparing the two. I didn't want to keep thinking "Well, at Camp Pendleton it's this way" and cause myself to thumb my nose at something. Just didn't want to do that. I wanted to experience this race for what this race had to offer, not how it compared to Camp Pendleton.

I am so fond of Camp Pendleton that I can honestly say that hardly anything compares to that. It's an experience that is hard to match.

But the SBSD Mud Run wasn't some cheapie race either. It was challenging and I felt tired afterward, and sore throughout the rest of the day and into Sunday and Monday too.

So how did the races compare?

Running The Race

There is more running at Camp Pendleton. This of course is not a surprise as that's a 10K and SBSD is a 5K. However, at last year's race they either offered a 10K or it was a 10K, and the 10K course was the same course twice. That would not have been fun. I hope if they do bring back the 10K, perhaps for the fall running of this, that they'll have it as one continuous course instead of the same course twice. In general, I'm not a fan of such races though I understand for logistical reasons it might be easier to do it that way.

Camp Pendleton is one continuous course, a 10K loop. You start where you finish. Now, Camp Pendleton is also more running. The first half of Camp Pendleton is almost all running, and a lot of it is hilly. It's a challenge just to get to where the obstacles start. SBSD had some portions of it that were running but there were also a lot of obstacles that impeded you from running too far. Now, I realize this might be a bonus for some, not having to run a few straight miles so take it for what you will.

Obstacles Aplenty

Neither race had any obstacles that were easy. There was nothing easy about SBSD, and there sure as crap ain't nothing easy about Camp Pendleton. They differed, though. There was a greater variety of challenges at Camp Pendleton. There are two walls, each six feet high, that you have to scale - one of which claimed my watch last year - and there's also a river you have to cross at Camp Pendleton, an actual river with water that reached to my chest. SBSD had the mud pits and the mounds of dirt on either side, and that was actually challenging to get out of because it was so damned slippery. At one point, I got near the top of one mound and slid straight backward and would have slid all the way back down to the water had someone not stopped me. That was fun.

In both races I had lots of mud and stones in my shoes, but I probably had more of them in SBSD. And since I was in more mud during SBSD, that's natural. The obstacles in SBSD were more spread out, and muddier. I got more muddy at SBSD than I did at Camp Pendleton.

Logistics

Each race was sorta in the middle of nowhere. Camp Pendleton is about a 10-15 minute drive into Camp Pendleton. While there's a checkpoint in front to get back there, you still have to stop and show your license and proof of insurance... I think, if I remember correctly. SBSD was fairly simple to get into. It was on the grounds of the San Bernardino Sheriff's training academy... next to a women's correctional facility :) There was plenty of parking, but SBSD was easier to get to the start line from your car. At Camp Pendleton you either have to take a bus from the lot to the start line (which really isn't a big deal) or walk about a mile.

Bib Pick-up

SBSD was fairly easy to get to. I picked up the bib the day before, shot right in and out without too much hassle. But Camp Pendleton mails you your bib. You cannot beat that.

Post-Race

The hose station was pretty cramped at SBSD, and a water truck nearby had to turn on its water and just let it all spew out so we could get some reprieve. But at Camp Pendleton there are outdoor showers, I'm guessing where they make the marines clean up on a normal day. So it's better to be herded in to some outdoor showers with several thousand people I don't now versus having to wait for a garden hose.

Consensus

There are thints to like and to dislike. Putting SBSD in front of Camp Pendleton would be tough, but I suspect any race would fall into that category. Camp Pendleton for me is tops, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

After The Mud

Some thoughts about the SMSD Mud Run and some things that didn't make the race report.

* I heard some things about how this race wasn't that organized last year. I didn't think that there was much, if any, sort of organizational issues this year so it seems they took care of them. The race started on time - at least I think so, since I didn't have a watch, I couldn't quite tell for sure. There were sheriff's deputies and volunteers throughout the course, plenty of water and fruit and mini-Clif bars and other such items available once we crossed the finish line. About my only complaint was enough water stations for runners to hose off at, but even still they did have plenty of hoses and even a water truck just spewing water constantly. There were just a lot of runners.

* The Youth race was awesome. I would highly recommend that for anyone who wanted to have their children under 13 years of age run a Mud Run. It was a good distance, a good mix of running and obstacles and a challenge. It was just as much a challenge for young children like my own as it was for children 10-13.

* Things we learned about attire, Part 1: tight shorts are better than loose shorts. Kennedy wore tight shorts and they were fine; well, they weren't exactly choking her but they fit well, nice and snug. Yvie wore loose shorts and they slipped a lot. They kept falling down towards the end, to the point where I briefly considered having Yvie just walk in her undies (she was covered in mud, so it would have looked like a swimsuit). I think next time just having them wear a one-piece swimsuit underneath would be good so they can walk around in it afterward. It was funny because whenever her shorts slipped Yvie said "Oh. dang it!"

* Things we learned about attire, Part 2: we were prepared to part with the clothing the girls wore but the stains came out for the most part. Yvie's shirt was already stained so no loss there. The socks are a disaster but that's the thing about mud runs - socks will get dirty dirty dirty and the stuff won't come out in the wash very well. Mrs. LB also washed the shoes and they seem to be okay.

* Things we learned about attire, Part 3: I'm not joking... if I run this race again, I will consider running it barefoot. My shoes sucked, a lot. There was not as much running in this as Camp Pendleton, as there plenty of mud pits and obstacles, and my shoes were loaded with mud and stones. I think I could have saved myself some heartache by just having ran barefoot. I mean, I saw people halfway through the race carrying their shoes.

* I was sore and tired after the race. My arms were and my legs were sore because I was working muscles that I normally don't work since I don't cross train. Just a quick aside.. what the heck is wrong with me, not cross training? Argh. I get so mad at myself... Anyway, it was a 5K with not a ton of running but I felt it. I still went and ran 15 miles on Sunday, but luckily I ran with some Lopers who took it nice and slow. I needed a nice and slow run.

* I got mud in my hair, on my goatee, in my ears, in my mouth, underneath my fingernails and toenails and some other, uh, interesting places. I also scraped up my knees and elbows. Good stuff.

* What's next? The Camp Pendleton Mud Run, on June 5. I am so excited for that one! Look out for my post on Wednesday for the comparisons between the two Mud Runs. Also, I'm still training for the San Francisco Marathon, and I will have a lot of long runs the next couple of months. I have 20 slated for the weekend after the Mud Run, for instance.

* SBSD Mud Run redux? Will I run this race again? I think I will, yeah. I'd like for the girls to run the Youth 1K again, and they've said they'd be up for running it again. We'll see what happens but for now, that's what they have in mind.

Muddy Madness

I had no idea what to expect on Saturday. I knew I'd be running a Mud Run, I knew it was a 5K and I knew my girls would do the Youth 1K afterward, but that's about it. I did not know the course, did not know the obstacles, did not know much at all.

Mrs. LB and the girls probably knew even less of what to expect, but we all piled into our truck and drove up to the SBSD Mud Run nice and early.

It didn't take too long to get in and get parked, but by the time we got out, grabbed our stuff and started walking towards the start line, I had to go to the bathroom something awful. I bit the bullet and waited in line for quite a while. Since I didn't have my watch and I'd turned my phone off, I didn't know exactly how much time I was in line, but 20 minutes would be a fair estimate.

Once I finished, I said fare thee well to Mrs. LB and the girls and hoped the girls would be excited for their race, which was set to start in less than two hours from then. I met up with blog/Loper buddy Angie and we walked towards the start line. It was an overcast day, no sign of the sun, but that didn't affect the race. Fire trucks still hosed down the crowd with water.

Luckily, Angie and I were just out of the water's reach.

Neither Angie nor I wanted to get wet quite yet, and while we didn't that would only have postponed the inevitable.

We were herded like cattle as we were well off the start line. Once the race started, we were off and running - briefly. I tried not to compare this Mud Run to the Camp Pendleton Mud Run but it was inevitable. I'm going to save those thoughts for an upcoming post so you'll have to wait for that. Anyway, we took off as fast as we could without expending too much energy. It was all dirt at this point, not much mud and no obstacles. It was still fairly crowded but thinned out after we'd run maybe about a mile, possibly less.

That's when the obstacles started. We had to get over a large dirt mound, then run down and into a large mud puddle, then back up another dirt mound, down and into more muddy water, up and over like that for quite a while. My shoes were instantly loaded with mud, and once we got out of that series of obstacles they felt like they weighed about 10 pounds each.

We came up on a giant hill, and someone at the bottom said it was a quarter-mile uphill. They weren't joking. I tried running up but quickly realized that I would probably burn myself out so I walked. Nobody else was running. We trudged up that hill and I kept thinking "This is what San Francisco will be like." Maybe not that extreme of course but I have it in my head that San Fran will be one gigantic hill.

Now, all the while we were running and going through the water, there loud explosions around us - fireworks, bombs, grenades... it sounded like we were in a war zone. And the race web site had even said to expect that, since it was supposed to simulate running through such conditions. Remember, the SD in the SBSD stands for Sheriff's Department. Just like the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which is on a military base, this wasn't just a stroll in the park.

We got through more of the muddy water obstacles, with mounds of dirt on either side, and I was weary. I just wanted different kinds of obstacles, but had no choice but to slog through. My shorts were caked with mud, my shoes had long been covered in mud and there were rumors of socks somewhere on my feet. Unfortunately, there was also a sensation of cuts, which I confirmed when I wiped my knee clean and saw spots of blood on my knee.

Finally, we came near the end... or so I thought. We were near the end, sure, but we had to navigate up, down, back up and then briefly down before we got to the finish. And throughout all of this was more muddy water. This time, though, there was a bonus. Some of this required crawling on your hands and knees. I got on my stomach, with my legs fully extended behind me, and used my elbows to drag me forward. I felt my elbows stinging and knew that I'd probably cut myself.

No matter. I trudged forward. The rocks in my shoes were more than just rocks. It felt like dirt was caked down in there. Finally, we came up the final obstacle, down the other side and saw the finish line. Angie was right behind me and we finished sometime around the 46-minute mark. I'd predicted finishing in the 30-something minute range but, as I said, there were more obstacles than I'd anticipated.

Normally, I would have peeled my clothes off and gotten hosed off but I did have another Mud Run to tend to. So I just got wet enough to get the really heavy mud off of me, took my shoes off to get the surprisingly large amounts of mud inside out of there and strapped everything back on to help the girls with their Youth 1K.

The calm before the girls' storm

I wasn't sure of the course but realized that it was no small task. This was an actual kilometer of running. We would start and finish at the same spot as the 5K but the course cut off four of the kilometers. That meant all of the final obstacles, where I thought we were close to the finish line but weren't, we'd have to do again. I didn't enjoy them that much the first time around, but now had to go through them all over again. And with the girls no less.

Kennedy was not exactly enjoying the notion of having to run the race. Unlike Yvie, who seemed excited and focused (in karate class, they've been working on focusing) Kennedy was a ball of nerves. As we walked towards the start line, she started to cry. She cried off and on for about 10 minutes until the race started. Once we took off, she stopped crying. And started wailing.

I decided to let Yvie run alone if she wanted to, and she did. She took off as soon as the race began. I looked up at her, looked back to make sure Kennedy was with me, and looked back towards Yvie but she was gone. I did not see her. I scanned and scanned and scanned for her but I could not find her. There were quite a few children and quite a few parents/adults doing the race, so it was easy for me to have lost her. It was an odd feeling. I knew those obstacles were no joke, no watered down version of the real deal. They were the real deal, and I wondered what Yvie would do once she encountered them.

Kennedy was a mess. I tried holding her hand but it didn't matter. I tried telling her that she was brave, that there were some 4- and 5-year-old boyos who would be too scared to run, that this was something only big kids do, that she was tough... but none of that mattered. She cried and cried. I told her "When we finish we can get to mommy" and she said "I want to go with mommy NOW!" so I stopped saying that. Instead, I ran a little ahead of her and told her that she better not fall behind. That seemed to work as she ran and kept up.

I'd had one eye looking out for Yvie but still nothing. We came up to the first muddy part, which by this point was a quagmire to end all quagmires. It was wide, deep and ridiculously muddy. My feet were swallowed up the by the mud and my knees were nearly touching it. I tried to get Kennedy in but she wailed louder. Finally I just picked her up and put her down in part of the mud. She seemed okay with it though, not freaking out like I'd thought she might. She wasn't exactly liking the upcoming mud obstacles - she was still crying - but she was going through them. At first, I held her hand but it was easier for her to do them on her own, so I went first and she followed.

I felt like I'd pushed her too hard, too fast, that perhaps she wasn't quite ready for this. Yvie was either going through the obstacles fine or struggling mightily, and I wasn't there to help her, so I wasn't feeling that great about myself.

We came up to a difficult part of the race. There were really steep dirt/mud hills and on top was a cement barrier, the kind you'd see on the shoulder of a freeway. I wasn't sure if Kennedy would be able to go over them with help but I helped her up and she was able to go over just fine. I still had not found Yvie and I worried how she was doing. On the side, though, there was enough space to walk around them but still I wasn't sure if Yvie had seen that.

On the next incline, though, I spotted Yvie. She was lifting herself over one of those barriers and I smiled excitedly. She was composed and deteremined, and judging by her muddy stains I could tell she'd been going right through all the muddy obstacles. This seemed to lift Kennedy's spirits too. We were together again and I was happy. Then we saw Mrs. LB and we were all happy to see her.

This next stretch was where I had to crawl during the first go-round, but I realized that the girls and most of the other children didn't have to, since they had more room.

Once we got to this part, Kennedy was fine. She even cracked a smile or two. At this part she got ahead of me and I joked with her "Don't beat me!" She apparently remembered this, because on the other side of our last dirt/mud mound was the finish line. She went down before Yvie and I did, and I told her that was the finish line. She smiled at me and took off running. She was quite happy with her "victory" afterward.

We were all drenched with mud at this point, and if their shoes were anything like mine, they were not having a comfortable walk. In fact, I took my shoes off and walked barefoot to the hosing-off station.

While it was a long walk for the exhausted runners, there were no tears at this point, only feelings of a job well done.

Mud Run's Done

I don't have a full race report for you and may not have one for a while, but I did want to let you know one thing.

Mud Run is DONE.

Angie and I ran the SBSD Mud Run and finished right around the 45-minute mark.

The course was more mud than run, more muddy mud pits and big quicksand-like quagmires to plod through than actual running.

After a brief moment to collect myself and get the mud and pebbles out of my shoes, it was time for the girls to start their race.

Yvie was more adventurous about the entire race than Kennedy. I stayed with Kennedy and lost track of Yvie right from the start, but caught up to her a little more than halfway through. Kennedy cried for a lot of the race, but she stuck with it and was proud of herself once the race was over.

I'll have plenty more later, but for now I need to rest.

Muddy Madness, Pre-Race

What have I gotten the girls into?

When I went to pick up the race bibs and goody bags for the SBSD Mud Run on Friday afternoon, this thought was prevalent in my mind. At first anyway.

I pulled off the freeway and swung a left onto a road headed out of civilization. The SBSD Mud Run is just north of San Bernardino, on the outskirts of the IE (Inland Empire). It's about a half-hour from Victorville, on the way to Las Vegas. Pretty much the edge of nowhere.

Desolate. Barren. Isolated.

Well, I should temper that with mostly.

SBSD stands for San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, and the race is on their training grounds.

First, though, I came across a rehabilitation center. Not sure what kind of rehabilitating they do, but I'm guessing it's not injuries or anything medical. Then I came upon a women's correctional facility, and just so I could get an idea that this was indeed the real deal, a group of orange-clad women were out in the yard, behind several chain-link fences, just a tad off the road.

Finally, I came up to where race central was - parking, the start line and the registration tables.

On Saturday, this area will be teeming with runners - and mud.

I parked and the first thing I heard were cracks. It sounded like gunshots. Actually, it didn't sound like gunshots. They were gunshots.

On left: a shooting range; On right: bib pick-up and registration

I heard some loud voice over a speaker blaring instructions and then a series of crack crack crack crack piercing the air.

I got our bibs and goody bags and t-shirts and started to head back to my truck. I was excited as we got consecutive numbers: Kennedy is 622, I'm 623 and Yvie is 624. Awesome.

But then I realized that I'd meant to check out the youth course. I asked around and was pointed to the course itself.

So what it looks like is the girls will have scale those mounds and then the cement barrier on top. There looks like four sets of mounds, which for the girls might be muddy hills. They can go around the barriers on top, I was told, so if they can't do that part, they'll still be okay.

Of course, it's not going to be this dry come race time. No way. There's going to be plenty of water and mud everywhere.

As for the main race, the start line is off in the distance.

Notice the "Gun Cleaning Room" and the silhouettes of the SWAT team?

If the course is anything as hard core as the location, this is going to be a helluva race.

What did I get the girls into? Well, that thought dissipated fairly quickly. They are going to have fun and they are going to take this challenge. The best part of this for them is that they will be able to say they ran their first Mud Run when they were six and four, respectively. How cool will it be for Kennedy to say that she ran her first Mud Run before she was even in kindergarten?

They might like ponies and unicorns and butterflies but my girls have a tough side to them. And they're going to show that on Saturday.