Payson Mogollon Monster 5k Mudder

Last weekend I was at my in-laws house ready to compete in my first ever 5k mud run. I had no idea what to expect, but I did look at the video posted from previous years https://youtu.be/OEb1UK3GIJ8  I was both excited & nervous. This 42 yr old mother of 3 didn't have a whole lot of confidence in herself, but I thought it would be fun & something to check off my list. I knew I had to do my best because my kids, hubby & father in law were all watching & recording. I remember waiting for my heat to start & I had serious cotton mouth because I was so nervous. I made sure to place myself towards the back of the pack so I could watch everyone else & get an idea where to go & how to tackle the obstacles. They advertised 30 obstacles, but actually had 46. Woah! There was no turning back so I headed out & did my thing. Now let me tell ya I'm not a fan of heights so when I came to the first jump into a muddy pit I hesitated......for a while. Yes there's video, but I did it & ooohhhweee that water was cold! If there was ever a time to pee in the nasty water, that was a good time to do it....hahahaha! Anyway after that I had to climb a wall, but thankfully there was an A frame on the side I was able to step up on to get myself over. From there I had to pick up a tire & carry it then there was climbing over a metal rail fence, picking up a sand bag & walking with it then carrying it thru a muddy pit. There was also hopping in & out of tires, walking up a big rock hill (smelled like hot asphalt), sliding down a water slide into nasty muddy water, running, climbing over a tire wall (needed a bit of technique since they are flexible), army crawling under barbed wire, trail running, walking (hunched over) thru a metal tunnel thingy where I gashed my finger & thumb (bled a lot). There was also a big jump into more yucky water that smelled like either horse or cow poo (yes I hesitated again) and mud so thick I almost lost a shoe. I had to pick up a fireman's hose, toss it over my shoulder & walk up bleachers (I ran!). Then there was the maze of rope to duck under, climb over. I also scraped my forehead going under a log (there was about a 4" gap between the log & water I was floating thru). Many more obstacles, but my oldest asked me which one was my favorite. I thought about it & it had to be the 2 sets of monkey bars. Why? Because I thought for sure I wasn't going to be able to do it without falling. I thought my arms weren't strong enough. I thought I wasn't fit enough. I saw the lady in front of me, who looked pretty fit, fall after 3 bars so I assumed I'd do the same. I scooted over to the side where it wasn't as wet on the bars & proceeded. I was shocked that I made it all the way thru without falling. There was a break in between then another set of monkey bars. I had a little more confidence at this point so I proceeded & again I made it all the way thru without falling. I blurted out "I can't believe I just did that!" I know for some it seems ridiculous, but I was so proud of myself (I haven't been able to do that in years) & as I came to the end of the mudder I was all smiles because I not only accomplished what I set out to do, but I did it without quitting & I was having the time of my life. I was on a "runners high" and ready to do it again. Who needs an expensive mud spa when you can do a mud run? I'm already planning on doing it again next year & any others that pop up in the mean time. Of course as the day went on the soreness started to set in (& lasted 3 days or so). The next day all the bumps & bruises surfaced & I counted 18 bruises & about half as many scrapes. I was asked "did you learn you lesson?" Why yes I did. I learned I should have done one of these years ago & I learned I needed to do it faster, but most of all I learned that I should believe in myself more because I CAN do whatever I set out to do. The ultimate best part was when my kids said "congratulations mommy" and "you did great mommy". They held my medal & jumped up & down all excited. My heart was full