Monday, March 26, 2012

My Warrior Dash Experience

Warrior Dash Finishers!
Yesterday I participated in Warrior Dash, my first ever 5K!  I know in my last Warrior Dash post, I said I was training by running every day.  However, since that post I eventually stopped training due to laziness, and some bad weather.  I kind of regret not training as my body is incredibly sore today and it's been hard for me to even get out of bed =/ but there's always next year (hopefully!)
We arrived about an hour before our start time.  We signed up for the 9:30 wave and the weather was perfect.  We picked up our packets at registration which contained our timing chip (which was to be attached to your shoe), warrior hat, shirt, and our participant number.  We headed to the start line as soon as the 9:00 wave left, and 30 minutes later we set out on the 5k course.  I got off to a good running start and ran a good mile without stopping to walk, but after that I was so tired I walked the rest of the way.  The obstacles in order were:
Teetering Traverse
Giant Cliffhanger
Great Warrior Wall
Horizontal Hike
Chaotic Crossover
Storming Normandy
Barricade Breakdown
Deadmans Drop
Assassins Escape
Deadweight Drifter
Warrior Roast
Cargo Climb
Muddy Mayhem
The infamous mud pit
I was able to complete every obstacle except the Great Wall, which I wasn't even able to get myself halfway up without letting go.  I felt that one was the most challenging, probably because I lack upper body strength.  I was a bit worried about jumping over fire, but since we had just come out of the lake, it wasn't too bad.  The muddy pit at the end was the cherry on top, and such a fun way to end the race.  At the finish line you receive your medal and we also got a small packet of granola and a banana.  Honestly I don't think giving out snacks at the finish line was such a good idea.  As we headed to the rinse-off area (which was in the lake), we saw a bunch of uneaten bananas and granola packets all over the ground.  I didn't eat mine either and ended up throwing it away.  Even though we rinsed in the lake, needless to say when I changed afterward, I had mud in some unwanted places =/
One thing I was surprised with was how organized this event was.  There was food, merchandise, live entertainment, a bag check, changing area, first aide (both on site and along the course), etc. You also got a free beer if you handed in your timing chip from your shoe.  The live music was pretty good, and I highly recommend getting the turkey legs!  They were surprisingly really good.  The merchandise they were selling was also reasonably priced so I got a tank top ($10) and a towel ($15).  On your participant number, they had a coupon for $5 off $25 or more, so I got both for $20!
Even though I finished with a time of 1:08, I'm still proud of myself for finishing strong, and it was such a fun experience.  I will definitely do this next year if they come back to Hawaii!

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