Raise Your Glass

If you put eight women together and throw in a whole lot of mud, a little bit of fire and the blind determination of a team to push through every obstacle regardless of the sweat, the pain or even the fear of possible failure...what do you get?

Absolute perfection.

Back in December, I mentioned I was running the Warrior Dash in May, a 5K on crack with miles of ankle to knee-deep mud and obstacles like walls, barbed wire and rope climbs. Although I didn't really expect anyone to take the bait, I was hoping perhaps I would be able to scrape together a team of women willing to step out of their comfort zone and try something totally new and totally insane.

I had run muddy obstacle races before, so I knew what I was getting into. However, for someone who has never done one, I realize it can be rather intimidating. So, I was shocked when not one but seven women jumped on board the warrior wagon and blindly signed up for their first mud race and became team Dirty Little Freaks. 

You could tell as May crept closer and closer, the ladies were beginning to worry, and I started to hear comments like "Mary, just leave me behind."; "I don't want to hold you back."; "I'll probably die on the first obstacle."; "You may have to carry me."; "OMG! What are we doing?"; "I'm really scared." and my personal favorite, "YIKES!". And, I started to wonder if I would even have a team come May 22, especially after the Run Amuck disaster two years ago when all six of my teammates backed out race day, and I ended up running solo.

So, when I arrived at Budd's Creek in Maryland on Sunday and joined the thousands of warriors checking in for the race, I cannot express how relieved I was when my phone started to ring with one call after another until I knew all seven of my warriors had survived the two-hour trek and arrived ready to get dirty.

At 11:30 sharp, with shoelaces triple knotted and our team shirts glistening in the spring sun, team Dirty Little Freaks crossed the start line amid a flurry of nervous energy and surging adrenaline. I looked over my shoulder as we neared the opening to the trail and our first sign of mud and saw a line of strong, determined women in hot pink shirts boldly running forward, ready for whatever obstacle this race would throw at their feet. I knew in that moment these women had finally embraced that warrior spirit I had seen simmering in them all along and that no matter what they faced on this 3.11-mile course, this race was going down and these tough chicks were going to show the world what they were made of.

And, show the world they did. I saw these women maneuver through mud so thick and deep it threatened to eat your shoes right off your feet, trudge up steep hills, leap over fire, pull their muddy bodies up and over walls and under barbed wire, through dark tunnels and up a two-story cargo net. I saw them conquer the half-way point when you start to get stitches in your sides and feel like you might just hurl if you face one more hill. I saw them eat dirt and spit mud-stained sweat. And, as we rounded the bend where hundreds of spectators waited at the finish line with the band playing Pink's Raise Your Glass and the last mud pit waiting, I knew my team had not only survived the Warrior Dash and finished, they had conquered it.

I have to tell you, though, the most amazing part for me was watching the transformation in my seven teammates. You could see it all over their faces, etched deep into the mud and sand and grit. You could see it in their newfound swagger as they walked away from the finish line dripping with foul-smelling mud, their shoes sloshing against the dirt. You could hear it in their voices as they discussed their next race. Somewhere along this six-month journey that led them to this very moment, these women had discovered their inner warrior, and these tough chicks weren't turning back.

So, raise your glass to my tough, strong, hot Dirty Little Freaks! And, I'll see YOU on October 1 for the next Warrior Dash. 

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Want more pictures of team Dirty Little Freaks? Check out this link to access our full album of totally awesome insanity!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1890080544135.2104563.1605147158

I'm a Tough Mudder

Okay, so when you think of tough, confident, awesome chicks, what comes to mind?

I'm guessing you are not thinking the same thing I am, but that's okay because mud is not usually the first thing that comes to someone's mind when they think of the word awesome. However, I think mud is totally awesome. And, I think women who run like maniacs through mud are totally awesome. And, so, I am going to run my 3rd mud race this Sunday. Why? Well, have you been listening....it's going to be AWESOME! Okay...definite overuse of the word awesome. But, seriously, I can't wait to run the Warrior Dash. It's like a 5K gone wild with mud, mud, mud and some minor (hee-hee) obstacles to deal with. You know...walls, ropes, tunnels, tires, barbed wire, fire...just your ordinary balls to the wall type of entertainment. And, need I not forget the complimentary warrior helmets and beer?!?! Now, I don't drink beer, but I have a funny feeling most people running the race do and will and therefore, I'm guessing there will be nothing funnier than a bunch of drunks running through mud. The best part about this whole Warrior Dash thing? I convinced a group of friends to run their very first mud race with me. I probably won't end up converting them to my madness, but I'm putting my money on them having some kickass stories to tell later on and walking away from the finish line feeling like they could conquer the world...the universe...all while completely bathed in gooey brown poo! So, if you happen to be at the Warrior Dash Sunday, look for a group of tough women with hot pink shirts and Pink's very own words plastered across the front...Dirty Little Freaks. Appropriately named, yes?

As for training, I have been taking full advantage of the monsoon-like weather we've been getting this week, and I have done some pre-race mud running. I know, I know...you're thinking I'm crazy and why would anyone want to willingly get muddied up? All I can say is...try it. Try it once. Try it twice. What the Hell, go for three times. It's a rush! You let yourself go, and just go for it. Uh...there's that IT again. It's that feeling you get when you are invincible. You feel tough. You feel strong. You feel like you can rock it out because you took a chance and tried something out of the ordinary. Like running through miles of mud....and other stuff. And, when you feel tough, you have no choice but to feel pretty damn good about yourself. That, I can promise you, makes every inch of mud well worth it.