Skip to main content

the finish line


Posted by Picasa


This afternoon me and my husband ran the Fort Worth Mud Run.
Ok we ran some of it and we walked ……..and we crawled and climbed and waded the 6.2 miles in our boots and long pants.
It was hard.
There were 15 or so obstacles along the course like over-unders, walls to climb, pits to slither through and nets to go under and lots of running.
There were mini Marines ( like 8 year olds) yelling at you to keep running. To jump in or they’d push you. That their grandmother would get a better time than I would.
Occasionally we would stop to catch our breath or to pour mud out of our boots. I needed my husband behind me to give me a good shove over a wall or out of a pit. And I skipped the top plank of the dreaded “Stairway to Heaven”…which is not at all a stairway and more of a giant really tall ladder. (did I mention I am afraid of heights). But mostly we ran, even with our boots full of mud, and We Finished.
Slowly but surely and together.
Wet and dirty and aching.
Today there are blisters and cramps.
Tomorrow there will be unspeakable aches.
Occasionally on the course I wondered why I was doing this.
Why I kept pushing my self to run. Why I was so determined to make it up the nets or over the wall despite my lack of any upper body strength whatsoever.
But mostly I thought it was fun.
I’m not really that fit or a gym rat or an overall fan of pain. But there is something about crossing a finish line. Pushing yourself beyond your limits. Doing something hard and succeeding. Sloshing through the mud and making it to the other side.

Comments

Carolee Hollenback said…
Good for you!

You wouldn't catch me exerting myself that much :-}

Stopping to say Hello from the Ultimate Blog Party.

Hope you have fun blog-hopping!
April 11, 2010 at 6:19 PM
Dawn said…
Glad to see the wedding band finished the race this year too!
April 12, 2010 at 6:23 AM
brickmomma said…
What a fun looking race! Let me know about it next year :)
April 13, 2010 at 3:33 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

voice

I remember waking up the day after the election tired and stunned. When I got to work I went downstairs to make copies and make some tea and did not make it back to my classroom until right before the tardy bell rang. I have a large class, full of all kinds of students from all kinds of backgrounds. I had not even thought about how they would respond to the election and that since we begin school so early that I might be the first adult they saw that day.  Immediately an African American on the front row told me that she was disappointed in our country. I teach science, not government and thought that I needed to turn the conversation as quickly as I could safely back to the objectives on the board, but I could not ignore her hurt and the rest of the quiet in the room. I told her that  regardless of what candidate she supported that this country is run by more than one person, that very soon she would be able to vote, that she had a voice. Behind her, a student that also ha...
1 comment
Read more

different

Someone recently sent me a meme about tattoos. I reminded them that I have over half a dozen, although none in such obvious places as the picture. I thought about it while I washed my hair, and how once my hair was also purple, and what kind of memes could be found about that. And also, my nose was pierced. Other than the first two tattoos, none of these were things I did in my youth. All were in my thirties. Currently my hair is a plain brown in a sensible cut. My tattoos all easily hidden with most clothing and only my ears are pierced. As this decade closes I have made efforts to dress more professionally, drink less, stay on top of the laundry although I still refuse to make my bed and talk at an appropriate volume level. Yet, I only looked back on my purple-haired days with longing rather than regret. See, I used to do those things to be different.   Sometimes I’d feel just a little trapped by my suburban life although perfect, felt a little too predictable. I fel...
Post a Comment
Read more

around the bend

I like to do things fast. Knock them out quickly. Before I get scared or tired or bored or distracted. (What was I talking about again??) This morning, in need of some reliable wifi and peace to work on homework, I drove into Taos. It was only 24 miles but took me a good 45 minutes. You have to move slower when the road winds and twists and turns and the other side is a steep drop off. Down a giant mountain. Most of the drive is a no passing zone. You can’t see down the road far enough to get out ahead. You are just stuck. Winding and turning. And following the advised speed limit or the car in front of you. Occasionally feeling your stomach lurch with another turn. It is easy to not care about the time because it is so damn beautiful. My husband is all about the mountains. He breathes easier in this thin air. I am a water girl. Give me a beach or a paddle board and I am in my happy place. Even if I have to put on a swimsuit. But I get it. I get how much easier it ...
Post a Comment
Read more