The **&%*)((*%^$&^^)( Wall: The Sequel

This year's Dirty 30 was even dirtier than last year. And we loved it. It has rained for the last 2 days.  So last year where there was dry land, this year was mud and mud puddles and in some places water up to your thighs. Two girls in front of me where yelling and whining about all the mud. Really?! It's called Dirty 30 for a reason. I tried to ignore them until one slipped in the mud and took me with her.  I pushed her off of me and straight into a big mud puddle (unintentionally, of course).  Then I turned a corner and there it was, my archnemesis, The )(*^#(*^@ wall.  It stood there all big and orange, mocking me, taunting me.  I got two steps up it and started to fall. Here we go again. Yes, I fell off the wall.... again. This year wasn't as high a fall as last year, but it still sucked.

Moving on... they had a few new obstacles. One was a tire mountain that you climb up to the top of a shipping container, climb down a plank, up another plank, and slide down a fireman's pole. I was doing just fine until I looked over the edge of the second container and saw just how far away that pole was. There were fireman on the ground telling people what to do. I yell down, "I don't know about this." He tried to reassure me that it would hold my weight.  Uh, thanks but that wasn't what I was worried about... until now. So he hollers up, "Think of it as a stripper pole." With my response being, does it look like I know how to work a stripper pole. Then the only thing flashing through my head is that commercial where the big girl puts a stripper pole in her living room to dance for her man and it breaks when she gets on it. Thanks for that, Mr. Fireman. But he walked me through step by step and I guess I did it so well that his parting comment was, "I knew you knew what to do". Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone.

There was tires, cargo nets, and hay bales, oh my. I even hopped the over-unders in record time like a good little Mexican. But the real clincher was a new ice bath. You had to jump in and go under some boards. You didn't have to completely submerge yourself, but it was enough to make you feel like you were on fire. Until you got out that is and then you were just numb. It took me a good minute to get any feeling back into my legs. My legs were moving on their own volition. I had nothing to do with it.  Then last but not least was the mud crawl. It's always the best part (and not just because it's at the end). I'm crawling. I'm crawling. Getting dirty. Then I hear people yelling my name. Yay, friends! Then they all scream, "Get Dirtier!" So I belly flop into the mud. It was so much fun. : )

Then we got hosed off by even more fireman. It was almost as cold as the ice bath. One fireman said that after 18 years as a fireman, this was the best day of his life. :) I don't think that he was talking about me, but you're welcome just the same. Mud, music, friends, and tacos. It was a good time.

So until next year...(%&^$%*& wall, I will defeat you. BAHAHAHA! oh, wait! You're the villian. Oh, well. BAHAHAHAHA!

Get out of my HEAD!

I was getting really pumped for tomorrow and then today, it started raining. Bone-chilling, pneumonia-inducing, cranky-Cyndi-making rain. : ( So I started thinking about the thing that usually gets me through a rough patch in the race, my music. I started thinking about the songs that really get me pumped. It was working; I was starting to get pumped again. Until...I thought about Eye of the Tiger. It started playing in an endless loop in my head. Over and over and over and over and over. Now I won't be able to use my music tomorrow and so there really is no point in making a running playlist for this race, but I needed to get EOTT out of the rotation in my head. So the following is my imaginary D30 playlist.

A-Punk by Vampire Weekend
Addicted To Love by Florence & the Machine
All Day and All of the Night by the Kinks
Always On The Run by Yuksek
Borne Alone by Wilco
Chemical Party-Stripped Version by Gavin DeGraw
Fluorescent Adolescent by Artic Monkeys
Follow The Arron by Rosi Golan
Footloose by Kenny Loggins
Get Over It by OK Go
Go Outside by Cults
I Belong in Your Arms by Chairlift
Invincilbe by Hit the Lights
Jerk It Out by Caesars
Lonely Boy by The Black Keys
Lust For Life by Iggy Pop
Places To Go by Leftover Cuties
Shake It Out by Florence & the Machine
Sixteen Saltines by Jack White
So What by P!nk
Speed of Sound by Coldplay
The Longer I Run by Peter Bradley Adams
Too Close by Alex Clare
Tubthumping by Chumbawamba
What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction (Yeah, so what?!  : ) What you have to say 'bout dat?)

Now if I just play this over and over until tomorrow I might be ready to get dirty.

I need help!

Seriously, I can't ever go into a race at 100% but I keep doing them anyway. I'm sick, possibly slightly deranged. : ) But in a good way, right?! Right?! I hurt my right arm (my dominate arm) the other night and have been nursing it in hopes that it will be back to 100% by Saturday. It doesn't hurt that bad until I put pressure on it. In a normal race, it wouldn't be a factor, but in a climbing, swimming, pulling, pushing race, it might suck. Regardless, I am starting to get pumped up for the race this weekend. Since it's a mud race, I won't be wearing my Ipod and therefore not making a running playlist.  I actually miss doing that. So I might have to do another race soon just to have an excuse to make a new playlist. Oh, the smallest things that motivate you. : ) More than anything, I am looking forward to spending some time with good friends. I get to hang out with my Geek-twin Aubs (who've I've missed lately). M and J are always cool to be around. Drea the Spidermonkey and the greatest neighbors ever, J and A will be there to laugh and mock me if I fall off the freakin' wall again.  Good times to be had all around. : ) My week is packed between now and the D30. So good luck to all that are going. See ya there!
Peace, love, and RED MUD!

Well....crap!

There are less than 2 weeks until the Dirty 30! I repeat: There are less than 2 weeks until the Dirty 30! Well...crap! I am no where near ready. My life is chaos...clean, organized chaos, but chaos none the less. Between working a new job, lawyer stuff, potty-training, cleaning, cooking, running, and loving,  I need more hours in the day. Could someone please arranged that? Great, thanks! When I do get a free minute I am soooooooo tired, I just want to sit and breathe. So....I am just going to have to suck it up and do the very best that I can for the race and for the love of God, would someone please motivate me to exercise more!!! The idea of the upcoming race isn't doing it. The idea of losing weight isn't doing it. The promise of a new ukulele if I lose a certain poundage isn't doing it. Even the looming threat of jiggle, jiggle, cellulite season (aka swimsuit season) isn't doing it. I may have to seek professional help on this one. I may have to call my trainer, Mark and let him yell at me a while. >sigh< When all I really want to do is sleep and eat a doughnut. : )

Peace, love, and zzzzz's.

Update: A quick once over of my previous entries has led me to the conclusion that I am having such a hard time recently because I lost my mojo. And I'm pretty sure it moved to Australia. : ( What's a girl to do now?