5k

I finally put my money (and ego) on the line and registered for the Dirty Girl Mud Run taking place later this month. That means I’ll be there in all my muddy glory (maybe nobody will recognize me covered in gunk) running through a barren field, climbing over obstacles and trying to keep up with my two young nieces.

This means I have less than three weeks to get myself in some sort of shape just to finish this crazy race. My husband and I boxed on the Wii Sunday evening, and geemanee I’m paying the price. Really? One round of boxing and I can barely raise my arms? I guess I just shouldn’t plan on moving the day after this race.

The Dirty Girl is not a traditional 5k because it involves several obstacles throughout the course with names like H2OMG and PMS (Pretty Muddy Stuff). Still, this will officially be my first 5k and while I’m so not prepared I’m very much looking forward to it. So is my husband — he plans to get a few laughs as he cheers me toward the finish line.

There is a more serious note to every Dirty Girl Mud Run and that is the search for a cure to breast cancer. Proceeds and generous donations support breast cancer charity organizations in numerous communities across the nation; so if you would like to be a Dirty Girl, visit their website and join a run near you.

I’ve heard of this thing called a” Runner’s High” but what I really want to know is if there is such a thing as a “Runner’s Low,” because, if there is, I just know I’ve got it.

After a few days out of town, helping my husband recover from surgery, two snow storms and a long bout of the crud, I’m just not sure how and where to renew my training for this summer’s 3.1 mile race (a.k.a. – 5k). I had been following my training schedule closely until my two-week hiatus, and now I’m actually afraid to start running — okay, as my husband points out, “running” is a term used loosely here. My gait feels more like Forrest Gump (the young version still in braces); but none the less, it’s still a step up from walking. I don’t know if I should continue where I left off or back up a week or two on my schedule. I’m mostly afraid that my legs, shins and lungs will object to having their vacation cut short so abruptly.

As we all know, things turned out well for Forrest on the running front and he’s probably the only person I know of (yes, I realize he’s fictional) who actually experienced the elusive Runner’s High. . . and boy, wasn’t that a trip. While that high may not actually exist here in the non-Hollywood world because I can’t name a single real person who claims to have experienced it, I can tell you the opposite is a reality and it has knocked on my door.

So here’s to the Runner’s Low, there’s nowhere to go but up from here. . . unless I bite it on the treadmill today.

Tag: 5k

Being a 40-Something Dirty Girl

Running Like Forrest