A Marathon???

So after finishing the Tough Mudder I began to think what my next running challenge should be. I have competed in the shorter long distance races like 5 and 10K's numerous times and I have finished a half marathon. What should come next? After talking to a friend who is an avid marathoner he reminded me that qualifying time registration for the Houston Marathon ends on Thursday, and having already been tossing the idea around about conquering the marathon I made a bold decision. I signed up to run the Houston Marathon in 2015. This will be by far the longest race I will complete, and the training will be farther than I have ever pushed myself to run before.

It didn't hit me until I clicked the register button that now I actually have to do this; I can't just talk about wanting to run a marathon in the future...because now I am committed to doing it. I am really excited to begin this new training program and begin pushing myself further, and I am also dreading this major shift out of my comfort zone with training. My goal is to run under 3 hours and 35 minutes so that I can qualify for the Boston Marathon!! Wish me luck!!!

The Plunge in Hamilton Pool

A quarter mile down a winding gravel trail through hill country limestone, cactus, and trees a stream meets the path and a bouncy bridge brings you upon Hamilton Pool. The jade green pool is half lit by the hot sun and the other half remains in the shadows of the overhanging limestone cliffs with water flowing over the edge creating a delicate waterfall.

Recently I had the privilege of spending an afternoon lounging on the shore, climbing on the boulders around the pool and cooling off in its cool waters. Thankfully it was extremely hot, humid and sunny when I went because the water is very cold and it took me a while to get in all the way, but the water was very refreshing and soothing on my sore muscles from running a long race the day before.  A word of advice I have for anyone needing to take an icy plunge west of Austin is to get there early because they do cap the number of vehicles allowed in the park, so to avoid waiting in line get there before noon. 

Tough Mudder, A New Type Of Competition

On May 4, 2014 I completed the Central Texas Tough Mudder event. Now I refer to it as an event because it is unlike any other competition I have participated; I cannot call it a race for many reasons. First, there is no clock or timing system which was a unique experience for me since I am so used to competing against the clock and my fellow competitors. Second, it is really isn’t a competition…it is very focused on teamwork; this is the aspect that caught me off guard. In all my time competing on the track and in the woods for cross country it has always been an individual-team effort; I had to finish the race on my own with only the possibility of encouraging words from teammates and spectators to help me. However, in the Tough Mudder it was completely different because as I was approaching the obstacle called “Berlin Walls” which is vertical walls 3 meters tall, a guy who had already climbed to the top and reached down to grab my hand to help pull me up. Now this may not seem like a big deal to some, but this was a huge change for me. I have been in the mindset for ten years that when I am running in any kind of competition I am on my own and can only rely on my training and how well I have mentally prepared. Throughout the race I received help from various people who I will never see again most likely, but without their help and encouragement I wouldn't have been able to complete the Tough Mudder. 

The Tough Mudder was a ten mile obstacle course filled with lots of mud. The running was the easy part and the mud made it a ton of fun, but the obstacles definitely push you physically and mentally. A few obstacles stick out in my memory because they were either very physically demanding or scared me to the core. The Mud Mile was extremely challenging in the most humorous manner; the mounds of slick mud with giant pools of watery mud in between completely covered me in mud from head to toe. It was extremely hard to climb up the mounds of mud and I couldn't even stand in the water because I am too short, but I laughed so hard throughout that obstacle that it became the highlight of the race! Walk the Plank was the most refreshing cannonball mid-race, and Pyramid Scheme required the most teamwork. Balls to the Wall surprisingly scared me to my core...I have never thought that I was scared of heights but it hit me when I couldn't reach the next knots in the rope that if I slipped I would be falling a long ways down, and when I had gotten to the top i was to short to reach the ladder rungs to climb down...I actually froze in fear at the top. However, the toughest obstacles for me to complete were the Warrior Carry and the Push Ups sadly; my wimpy arms were completely exhausted. 

In the end the Tough Mudder was the most fun I have had in a race in a few years, and it was so enjoyable because I was challenging myself just to prove to myself that I could do it, not because I won something. This opened my eyes to a new way of competing that really intrigues me, so I plan on completing another Tough Mudder in the future!!!