Muddy Buddy 2011

Yesterday I ran/biked/accomplished the Muddy Buddy 10k in Richmond! It was really awesome, as it was the two previous years I took part in it with the very awesome Brian Campos. This year the weather was the best of my three years-- cool and clear. It was a bit chilly when we arrived at Pocahontas State Park at 6:15 in the morning, but perfect weather for such athleticism (or attempts thereof).

For those who don't know about this race, one person runs while their partner bikes. There are four transition stations where the biker drops the bike and the runner picks it up and does some obstacle. At the end the partners meet and crawl through a giant mud pit before crossing the finish line. The race happens in several US cities; the one in Richmond is actually half a mile longer than a 10k, but who's counting? I ran first, so I ran three legs (slowly) and biked two.

I was enjoying the sunshine and got into a good groove. I ran, I climbed over a short rock wall, I biked, I crawled through a foggy maze, I ran, and then I started to climb over this inflatable moon bounce-esque obstacle thingy. As I pulled myself up over the first of three inflated walls on this thing, some big guy climbed up next to me and then swung his legs up, swiftly kicking me upside the skull. After hitting the ground and then walking in circles for a few minutes seeing stars, I found our bike and rode quickly through the fourth leg, managing not to fall off the bike or throw up. Man, did my head hurt.

The fourth obstacle was another inflatable thing, a giant wall with a cargo net to climb and a slide. One was set up for the runners, one for the bikers. The one for the runners had popped so the line for the bikers got really long and we were given permission to bypass it. I caught my breath for a minute and then carried on to the fifth leg, running down a hill to the stream crossing.



It wasn't too deep, and wasn't as cold as I expected. Quite refreshing. From there, the end of the race is straight uphill and then around a long curve. I admittedly walked up the hill, but I ran the curve to meet up with Brian, climb one last wall and crawl through the mud pit.





It felt awesome to finish! What a great race.

A little while later was the Mini Muddy Buddy, a chance for kids to do a small obstacle course and then run through the mud. I accompanied Brian's four year old daughter while he attempted to keep up with his seven year old son.



Sure, she didn't really get down IN the mud, but this is a huge improvement over last year when she ran away from anyone with mud on them, crying, "Soap? Soap?" It was so much fun.

The rest of the day was spent showering and relaxing. I eventually met up with friends in Richmond at Capitol Alehouse for dinner before heading back to Northern Virginia to sleep like a champion. Today I drove back to Fredericksburg to visit with my dear undergrad advisor. The only other thing I really did was become familiar with a lot of small muscles that I didn't really know existed, but are sure reminding me of it today. Overall, I feel pretty good though. Another awesome Muddy Buddy, another awesome adventure!