Today is my one-year anniversary of starting boot camp. And while I do have an entry planned about that, I want to write today instead about a related topic. Something amazing I did on Saturday…something I hope someday you’ll do too.
I woke up, and dressed like this:
I participated in a Warrior Dash.
I ended the day looking like this:
In between those two photos I jumped over busted cars. As in, RAN ON TOP OF THEM. ON TOP OF CARS. And then through tires. And then I climbed over chest-high walls and under barbed wire.
Shit just got very real, y’all.
(Let me sidetrack and tell a story: A girl was screaming at me when I was going over the cars. Yelling, “Come on LADIES! FASTER!” to me and another woman. She was trying to be “encouraging” I guess, with her Personal Trainer Vibe/Voice but it irritated me to no end. She continued hollering through the tires. I don’t respond well to that type of “coaching” but I guess she thought she was being helpful. She had a CrossFit Trainer shirt on, so maybe that’s her job. I let her pass me but I caught back up to her at the barbed wire/wall obstacle where she was STRUGGLING because she didn’t want to crawl on her belly under the wires. And she was trying to do it on her butt/back and she was loudly bitching about how this was DANGEROUS. I passed her and never looked back. I saw her finish about 10 minutes after I did. I resisted yelling, “FASTER!!!!”)
There was a mountain of hay to climb, and a solid black tunnel to belly-crawl through. There were downed trees to jump over. There was a horizontal bed of cargo nets raised about 5 feet or so off the ground. I had to climb over that hand over feet.
And there were WALLS. Several walls that had you climb up in some way (Knotted ropes, cargo nets, ladder wrungs…) and then the toughest part for me: Going down on the other side. Every one of those walls had a top that allowed you to see what was on the other side, and what method was there to get you down. I’m scared of heights so every time I contemplated going BACK DOWN the way I came and just running around the wall. EVERY TIME I thought about doing that…basically chickening out. But Donnie was waiting for me and cheering me on, so every time…I just did it. I threw my legs over, fought back tears, and slid down the pole, or the wall, or the net. One time, on an oddly vertical wall I just screamed to Donnie, “WHAT DO I DO?” I was so scared. But I just did it. One foot after another. Down the wall. Every time.
That was the best part of the whole experience; that Donnie was there by my side every step of the way. We weren’t going to run together originally, but I’m so glad we did. He could have gone much faster without me, but he stayed with me so we’d have the shared experience. He waited after every obstacle and high-fived me, pushing me to the next TERRIFYING thing. And we did it all in 42 minutes which I felt like was DAMN FAST. We jumped the fire pits together and we crossed the finish line covered in mud, kissing at the end. As amazing as the whole thing was for me, personally? It was more amazing as a wife to my husband. I think Saturday was the most fun I’ve ever had with my husband. We cheered on our friends, we pushed ourselves beyond our limits, and we came home with viking hats. I think about the whole thing and am grateful for the physical challenge I faced and the fears I overcame, but I was pleasantly surprised by what else it gave me: A wonderful 42 minutes with the man I married, having fun and playing like kids again.
Well done for completely the Warrior Dash!!!!! I love the idea of doing it but it scares me lol. Then again health and safety is so crazy here in the UK that it would all probably be banned lol.
Zoot, that is AWESOME!!!
Wow!
And I just have to ask – how did you get home (or did you get hosed off somewhere)?
This right here is a perfect example of why I love your blog.
And I suddenly want to run.
Am I strange that this made me cry?!?!? You guys rock!
So awesome. So AWESOME. Between the cake balls and the running and the parenting and the everything, you are my hero.
You guys rock. And that Warrior Dash – serious craziness. Every time I see photos posted by a friend whose done it, I think “ya’ll craz-eee.” There is no way. But, its seriously cool.
You guys are awesome. It’s so great that you did that as a couple!
YAY! GO you!!!
Your experience sounds amazing!!! Congratulations on completing it.
What a great time! We have some friends who did one in August, and it looked like so much fun! After reading your post, I am DEFINITELY doing this next year, with the husband!
That’s awesome Kim. Thanks for sharing this. MAYBE I will be in shape enough to try it next year… and maybe I can work up the courage, too, between now and then. I think the mud scares me more than anything. LOL
You are awesome. Seriously, so inspiring. I need to get in shape so I can do crazy messy stuff like this with my husband!
I think it is so awesome that you a) did a warrior dash that sounds amazing and terrifying at the same time, and b) got to do it with you husband. I hope I can do so someday and get my husband to join me.
That sounds so amazing! My husband wanted to do the warrior dash this year, but life got busy and he didn’t get around to it. After reading this, I think maybe we’ll run it together next year.
Wow. First, I want to try this in Chicago! It sounds like a huge challenge but a lot of fun. Way to go! I have to also say, that I really love what you write about you and Donnie doing this together as a team. That’s a real metaphor fir relationships and marriage, I really love what you said about working together and supporting one another.
great job! and your husband is so cute!
Dude. That is eleven flavors of AWESOME SAUCE! 🙂 Congrats, I’m proud of you and glad you had fun with your husband!!! Now I want to find something like that and try it!
Glad you loved it. I signed up for it months ago here in Virginia with my sister and brother and some friends. We do ours in two weeks! Cannot wait to get that viking helmet!!!
You guys are the cutest of all the patooties. Congratulations — it sounds like an amazing experience.
That’s so cool. You obviously had a blast, and you’re utterly adorable.
Wow! You guys are so cute and bad ass!
You two crazy kids. That kind of made me hyperventilate, just reading about it. Good for you both for going for it.
Good for you!!! Sound thrilling and terrifying.
This made me tear up a little. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. (also, totally afraid of heights)
What a great post! Sounds (and looks) like you guys had A BLAST! I especially love the various hidden analogies in this. Getting through the walls, barbed wire, muds piles, and all else that life throws at you, and getting through THAT obstacle course AS A TEAM, as husband and wife (or the equivalent). Overcoming the fears; diving head first into challenges, etc.
Such a kick-ass post and kick-ass team you two are!
I so want to do warrior challenge with my husband now (after considerable training on my part. Or at least making it up a flight of stairs without my thighs BURNING like hell.).
Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Why don’t you live here so you can inspire me in person?! I know we could have fun exercising together. Except the 4 am part. In any case, congrats on the race. It looks really fun–and excruciating. Great photos, too!
It is so SO cool that you and your husband both ran this race together. I really admire that!
I have a friend who does that – I’m so going to convince my husband to do it with me next year! Sounds like fun! (or maybe not next year – how often do they have these things?!)
ach! this made me cry.
congratulations on your race, and having so much fun with your man.
I’m so glad whoever created this race did because it is traveling all over the country inspiring people and everyone has so much fun. It was in Wi earlier this month and I think when it comes round again I’ll have to do it.
To keep connecting worlds, I have a high school friend who got turned on to roller derby through me. She saw a link my derby friends were doing to the Warrior Dash, decided she and her boyfriend were going to do it in Des Moines — and they got married at the Warrior Dash in the muddiest ceremony of all time.
Happy to see you so dirty and in love.
And I apologize for that crackhead sentence construction up there.
Love this. Awesome.