When I first heard of the Warrior Dash, I was convinced I would never compete in a “race” like that (a 5k at elevation, on trails, filled with obstacles, and multiple places to get hurt). Besides, it was on a weekend that I should be running a half marathon to prepare for the Marathon I have in three weeks which I have spent all summer training for.It was my husband and his friends who convinced me to run this race. They promised a fun weekend with friends and I couldn’t resist.
I was pretty nervous at the start of the race. I did not sleep much the night before, I am terrified of heights, and I did not want to get hurt so close to the marathon I’ve been training for all year. Then the announcer said the fastest time of the day for females was 26 minutes. This made me even more nervous, thinking about how difficult the obstacles must be for the top female time to be so slow.
The gun went off, flames erupted at the start, and my nerves disappeared. The race was a blast! My adrenaline got me through the obstacles (think military basic training) without much difficultly. I followed “Captain America” throughout the race, which kept me motivated.
As I crossed the line of fire, all my friends said I had finished between 23 and 24 minutes. I didn’t believe them, so I went back to the house. I was enjoying a One Beer Steam Shower (for muscle recovery, of course) when my husband came banging on the door telling that I had won the female division and the award ceremony was “Right NOW!”The 1st Place Female Award: A heavy duty, real metal, Viking Helmet.
As I walked up on stage with an AC/DC cover band, I placed the Warrior Helmet on my head, my name was announced, and fireworks were shot off in front of me. Pretty dang cool.
The final numbers….1st of 6,574 females … 10th of 12,687 overall runners….only female in the top 50...
P.S. To prepare for the race, I did 10 pushups once a week. It really buffed me up. Anyone wanting to run this next year, I am happy to give you my training plan.
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