Dashing Through the Mud

Many years ago, I dabbled in a hobby I never thought I’d get involved in… running. 

I don’t run anymore, and I’m okay with that. To be honest, running wasn’t good for me physically or mentally. For one thing, I was always injured. There was frequently something wrong with my knees or my back, and I had plantar fasciitis for over two years. I also compared myself to others all the time. I was too involved with people who were faster than me and could run a lot farther. I found a running community, but I couldn’t keep up with them. Being the worst runner in the group really sucks. Instead of enjoying my own experiences, I constantly beat myself up. I also had horrible issues with body image that I never should have had!

I went through a phase where I did a lot of events. Then I put running on pause about halfway through my pregnancy with Eva (she was born in April of 2015). I ran a little bit after I had her, and the last event I did was a half-marathon in 2016. Shortly after that, I hurt my back and haven’t ran since. 

Several months ago, Zoe started begging me to sign her up for a mud run. She also begged me to get her a treadmill so she could train. I didn’t get her the treadmill, but I did sign her up for the Muddy Dash on July 1st. 

So on Saturday, we headed an hour away to Soldier Hollow (the location of many other muddy events I’ve participated in), and Zoe, Nicky, Scotty, and I did the Muddy Dash. After all these years, I was surprised to find that people still do mud runs. I thought they’d kind of died out.

The event itself… was kind of a mess. There weren’t enough parking spaces, bathrooms, washing stations, or check-in lines. We had an early start time, got there almost a hour before our wave, and still had to start a half a hour late because the lines were so long. And they only got worse as time went on. When we left, cars were lined up for miles trying to get to the venue. People ended up parking miles away and walking. Their shirts were ugly and way too small (Zoe couldn’t wear hers - it looked like it was for a toddler -so we gave her Nicky’s and gave Scotty’s to Nicky). I wasn’t impressed with the Muddy Dash at all. 

But Zoe loved it and had the time of her life. 

When I signed up for the run, I asked all my kids who wanted to do it, and as predicted, just Nicky and Zoe wanted to. Nicky was really cute with Zoe through the whole thing. He took the most messy approach to everything, as he should! Hopefully sometime he can do a mud run with friends and really live it up.

One thing I did enjoy is that they had bubbles at the finish line. Nicky and Zoe had a ton of fun running through them. The bubbles didn’t help at all with the mud situation, but they were still a bit of a treat! They were piled up so high that Nicky crouched down and completely vanished, and Zoe was able to stand under the bubble dispenser and get completely covered, to her utter delight! I’ve never done a bubble run. 

After a really long break from running events, I can say with confidence that they are not my thing anymore. I will do them for my kids, but that’s about it, and I probably won’t ever do anything I need to “train” for. I got rid of all my medals in 2019, and I have never regretted it. They were fun to have while I was actively running, but it got to the point where they were just taking up space, so I KonMaried them out of my life. 

As far as mud goes… I can handle a little mess. But life is a lot easier when you don’t have dirty water in all your nooks and crannies. We didn’t even attempt to clean up at the venue because they only had two hoses (TWO!!) for washing, and there were thousands and thousands of people! (Other mud runs I’ve done have had more like 20 washing stations, and that wasn’t enough either. I waited in line for a hose after my first mud run and have never done it since because the lines are just too long). I can drive home, shower, and watch half a movie in that time. 

That is all to say that we came home very muddy. We tried to bring a portable shower, but when we went to fill the water, we found it was broken. At home, we took all our muddy gear outside and gave it a good spray with the jet attachment on the hose. We all took showers and scrubbed all the bits, but we still keep finding little remnants of dirt. We’re going to be dirt stained for a while, which gives us the opportunity to spend the next week playing “Dirt line or tan line?”

I can’t say I won’t ever do another mud run (after all, Zoe might be hooked), but if I don’t, I won’t be sad about it. 

Just in case I get dragged to another one, here are a few reminders for myself (some of these things we did this time, some we didn’t):

Wear sunscreen

Everything will take a lot longer than you think

Sign up for the earliest wave possible - nothing after 9:00 am

Wear a tank top

Stop at a bathroom before you get to the venue

Consider loading some 5 gallon jugs of water in the car (or a working portable shower)

Have cold drinking water ready in the vehicle

Maybe just be a spectator