Let's Get Muddy.Or... not?

Who does not just love mud and running right? I mean, I know that I love them. Especially in Arizona. The cool mud would feel so good in the warm, blazing sun… even if it is November, and Thanksgiving just passed. Arizona is my hometown. I absolutely love it there! I could soak up the sun for days. That is why I was so excited to go home to Arizona after the chilly rush of the Utah snow. So, when my friend invited me to go on a 3 mile “mud run” with her a couple days after Thanksgiving, I thought, Sure! Why not?! Three things that I love: running, Arizona, and mud. “Of course I’ll do it!” I announced to my friend.

            Theeeen the day of the race approached. I got on some clothes I could get muddy in, and headed out the door. We drove through the desert terrain for miles until we began to approach the race site. I looked out the window to see signs reading, “MUD FACTOR… WE CHEATED DEATH”. Oh pish posh. They are funny. As we parked I noticed more signs reading, “DANGER” and “BEWARE” and many with just a skull on them. Hmmm… very strange. But, I brushed it off. This was just for fun.

            As we waited in line and then got our gear, they handed us our number and then a bandana with little things all over it. As I went to tie the bandana around my head, I noticed what all of the little things on it were… more skulls. What is this, a death sentence? It only got worse. They made us sign a waiver. As I skimmed through it—afraid to read it thoroughly—I saw words like “resulting in death”, physical, responsible, obstacles, oh yeah…. and did I mention, death?!?!?!

            However, I figured that I had already paid, and that I could not back out now. But I wanted to. I really did. Was the money really worth me dying? I guess we were soon to find out. Eager, my friend beckoned me to the starting line. What the heck, here it goes. As the gun fired, we took off. Be hardcore. Be hardcore. MUD FACTOR!! ARRRGHHHHHH!!! I repeated over and over in my brain. About a minute into the race, we reached the first obstacle: a bare wall staring me straight in the face. What the?? Why is that there?? As I observed I saw why: people in front of me running up and jumping the wall. So.. I followed, repeating to myself, I am super human. I am not clumsy. I can jump a million foot wall. Come at me bro. I approached, and without hesitation, I flew myself over the wall. Wow. That was easier than I thought. This gave me the motivation to keep going, and then… I saw it. MUD. And a whole pool of it. People just ran straight through it and then kept on going. Again, I follow. Now my shoes were heavy, but the mud felt good and it kept my mind off the physicality of everything.

            As we kept on running, we just kept on encountering more obstacles. Tires, ropes, barb wire, slides, more walls, pipes, fences, and just crazy rocks and huge things we had to find a way to get over… or under. Plus, there were hills. Loads of them—steep ones. But surprisingly, it was FUN! I loved being there with my friend and seeing the crowd cheer us on, laughing when we would slip because of the mud, and throwing mud at each other as we continued on our journey. I felt strong. I felt like a completely different person—my worries had been lifted, I was not scared, and I was committed to finishing. I also felt unity with the others on the race; everyone was rooting for each other and helping people under and over things, especially me when I needed it.

            As we crossed the finish line, I felt like it was not even bad! All that worry I had had subsided and I had finished. I am so happy for my friend who helped push me outside my comfort zone and that I was able to experience this race. In fact, I would do another one in a heartbeat! It was a blast. I learned a valuable lesson that day. If anything, never let fear allow you to cheat yourself. By completing the race, I now have a Mud Factor medal that says, “I cheated death!” It is official. I eliminated my fear, and by doing so, it allowed me to better myself.

Emmaline:)
This week.. don't let fear get in the way of becoming your best. We all have a fire inside us that needs to be fed to reach its best potential. Be a fireLIGHTER for yourself and those around you, not a fireFIGHTER. Thanks for readin! Have a great day!!
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