Irvine Lake 5K Mud Run
The mud run was EPIC.
The temperature was a brisk and very breezy 65 degrees. Perfect for running... not so much soaking wet and standing still. The anticipation before the start was unbelievable! Newspapers constantly clicking pictures, it was amazing!
Tyler never left my side. My son has amazing endurance. He never broke a sweat. Never faltered or muttered a complaint. It was constant, "C'mon mom... you're doing great... let's keep up the pace!" Every once in a while, he'd run a little bit ahead of me, but never out of my eyesight. He'd wait for me to catch up and continue running again. It felt wonderful running with him. He and I as a team.
He had laid the ground rule: We start together, we finish together. We achieve together or we fail together...
"Oh, son, we won't fail." I promised him. "I don't care how half dead one of us is... we don't give up."
He only smiled at me.
I must admit, I wasn't prepared for how heavy my shoes felt. I wasn't prepared for so much uneven ground and rocky terrain. I don't know how many times I almost slipped in the thick mud. I actually did fall in a mud pit. My foot sank into a deep hole, and i twisted my ankle. I had mud up to my waist. There were a lot of up and down hills and I had to run at a slant. I truly disliked this. My shoes never felt like they had any traction at all. So much gravel and loose dirt on the slopes.
I constantly tried to pace myself. My side pain was relentless. It never disappeared fully. In the end, I pretty much gave up trying to ease up on it, and decided to just run my ass off. As my trainer says, "Always finish HARD." And that last mile? I ran it through at a hefty speed, Tyler by my side. My breathing was rough and ragged, I inhaled a breath each step for two steps and exhaled the third - nevertheless, my side kept splitting in two, my knees and joints aching, my legs burning in protest, pebbles and gravel in my shoes and socks, rubbing and making blisters, but I kept running, my teeth clenched... I finished it hard. Never faltered on not one hurdle. My spaghetti arms barely able to lift me up and over. And the mud crawl? Sliced my palms and knees up pretty bad.
But I finished. And I must say... there is such a sense of accomplishment as you pass that finish line.
I am so proud of my son. He truly makes me proud. He has grown into such a fine, young man. And I will never forget this moment we had, accomplishing something together.
It was grand.
After it was over, we headed over to the 45 minute shower line and took freezing cold showers in 65 degree temperature with the wind blowing. I can't begin to describe how horrible this was. We all stood in ankle deep mud water and each women screamed in pain as the water hit her body. The mud never completely came off too. I stood and tried to get the mud out of my clothes for 5 straight minutes under that water. And then... walking the half a mile, dripping wet and cold to the car for our towels and change of clothes... another story of horror. There was one point where I publicly announced I would sell my body for a towel.
No one took me up on my offer.
We finally reached the car - the entire team, and we were all so cold, we (my co-workers and I - along with our kids) changed in the parking lot, right then and there. I didn't care that my ass cheek was showing or I gave someone a side boob shot... I was so freezing cold and wanted to be in my warm, dry clothes, I stripped as best as I could with my towel somewhat wrapped around me.
I'm sure the guys I worked with were happy as shit.
Tyler had not a care in the world. He proudly walked around in his boxer briefs like it was nothing.
Once changed, I was happy again... and we all head over to Foothill Ranch - just outside of Irvine and Orange - and went to Wahoo's taco's. I ordered myself a well deserved soda (it's been 2 and a half months of no soda) and drank that mother up like it was nobody's business. Unfortunately they didn't have coke, so I chose the next best thing...
and it was the best Dr. Pooper I've ever tasted.