If you're my Facebook friend, you already know that I participated in and finished the Primal Challenge Race recently. Sound scary? It should! Having "challenge" in the name of the race is quite fitting. This probably doesn't mean much considering how little experience I have with races now (this was my third), but this was by far the physically most challenging thing I've ever done!
It involved 4 miles of running with 15+ obstacles in between. The obstacles ranged from running through deep muddy ponds, taking a tightrope over another scummy looking pond you do not want to fall into, army crawling under "barb wire," climbing/jumping over tall walls, climbing ropes to hit the bell at the top, monkey bars, and more! It was definitely tiring.
It took me 1:23:10.8 to complete the course. I placed 13 out of 35 individual women (as opposed to teams) in my age range (20-29), which I think is pretty good considering I'm on the older end of that age range! I placed 32 out of 99 individual female participants and 131 out of 261 overall individuals (so I guess the men whooped me). Again, I'm no speed demon but my main goal was to just finish the race so I was pleased with where my time ended up!
I was very sore the next day and hurt my shoulder coming down from one of the big walls, but I am slowly recuperating and hoping that my shoulder will heal completely on its own. Some battle wounds a few days later:
And a special treat for those who spend the time to read my blog. It looks kind of like art, if you ask me. Enjoy:
Picture 1
Picture 2
Very recently, I ran the Hogeye 4-person relay marathon. This was a much larger and more formal race than my first race, the Poker Run. That made me nervous, but also very excited. I ran the second leg, which was 6 miles. I ran at a 9:50 pace and was ranked #9 out of the 33 other women relay runners on my leg. My team was ranked #7 out of 33 and we were very happy about that. We weren't running to be competitive and win first place so we thought that was very good! It was only my second race and first relay and I really enjoyed it! Something about having teammates who cheer you on was really motivating to me. I even got my first race medal, which I was so excited about! Here are some pictures from the race:
Me and my teammates cool and smiling pre-race.
My medal; pretty cool!
After I ran my leg, I went to cheer on my sister as she was finishing the 3rd leg and then went to the finish line to cheer on my teammate, Holly, as she was finishing her leg. That being said, like so many others, I was shocked and saddened to see and hear what happened at the Boston Marathon.
It hit close to home because that's exactly where I was standing at the Hogeye Marathon. I stood at the fun finish line with dance music bumping, people dancing and cheering, and food and drinks flowing, waiting to cheer on my teammate and take pictures of her as she crossed the finish line. It was so much fun and not once was I concerned about danger. I'm sure that's somewhat like the Boston Marathon finish line was.
I am so happy that law enforcement tracked down the suspects and hopeful that the second suspect will recover and we will find out more information about their motives and use that information to do what we can to help prevent future events like this.
Like others, I was glad to see the good side of humanity come out during this time as well. The first responders and civilians helping the injured, and the nation pulling together to support Boston, were inspiring. I am still praying for all those impacted in Boston (as well as West, Texas).
My friend, Mandy, made this statement on Facebook and I thought it summed up nicely some of what I was thinking during this time as well:
"I saw
a comment today that said that all people are born good. It's a nice
thought, though not entirely accurate. True all people are born with
the ability to do good, but with the propensity toward evil. Not that
all people will become crazed killers, but even my 17 mo old will
demonstrate an understanding that he is not supposed to do something and
does it anyway. We all intentionally or unintentionally
hurt others in a variety of ways, act selfishly more times that we
would probably care to admit, and under the right circumstances can snap
out of fear, anger, frustration, and desperation. This comment, while
it is a nice thought, causes me to reflect on what is good about me and
what are traits or behaviors that are not. Upon this reflection, I
become evermore grateful for the grace and mercy shown to me by God and
forces me to acknowledge that really and truly the only good things
about are because of and from God himself."
Next post, I'll catch you up on the Primal Challenge, which I ran this weekend. "No pain, no gain" should be the motto of this race!
