8.01.2010

What did I sign up for?

There is one key feature missing from my training plan for the Portland Marathon: a Half-Marathon.  For my past four Marathons I've run a Half halfway through training as a gut check for the Marathon and as a convient way to get another state off the list.  As it turns out, it's never really a gut check.  I run the race knowing that it's not the "serious" race I'm training for.  Also, I'm running out of neighboring states to run in, so the half-way Half-Marathon doesn't help with the 50 state goal.

However, always being game when someone suggests a run/race, I did just sign up for a race a few weeks before Portland.  But this race is not a Half-Marathon or 10K or 5K or anything that resembles a standard running event.  It is a nuts crazy uphill, obstacle laden 3.23 mile race called the Warrior Dash.

This race takes place on Windham Mountain, which is a ski slope during the winter.  During the race not only do you zig zag up and down a ski slope, but you also:

  1. High step through a series of tires
  2. Jump over a wall
  3. Crawl through a pipe
  4. Navigate a forest
  5. Wade through a swamp
  6. Run across a gully on thin wooden planks
  7. Run over a rickety wooden bridge
  8. Run through a wide stream
  9. Climb cargo nets
  10. Scale a wall of slate bricks
  11. Go down a mud slide
  12. Leap over a line of flames
  13.  Scramble through a mud pit under barbed wire
And there is no further description than what is on the website.  There is no walk through or detailed orientation of what the obstacles entangle.  That's all part of the challenge.  Even though I've never done anything like this before and it's completely out of my typical races, I'm really friggin excited!

8 comments:

FLYERS26 said...

You will find that this will be the most fun race you do all year!
I did a mud run last year, and it was a blast! It's a great way to break up the long weeks of marathon training.

The Laminator said...

That does sound like a lot of fun! It should be interesting. Good luck!

Allie said...

Good luck, I want to do a Warrior Dash so bad, I want that badass helmet. LOL

CyclingDivas said...

A bunch of Team in Training runners have done the Warrior Dash as a fun training - its dirty but they've all gone back for more.....That does sound like fun....

The Boring Runner said...

HA! This is going to be a riot. So, the real question....do you have a playlist for it?

sRod said...

@adam: hilarious! You know me too well. Even though Liam has fallen into a toilet, survived a wash in the washing machine, and has been dropped from various heights, I think this might be too dangerous for him. There will be no playlist.

Laura said...

Which day are you doing the Dash? They only have the Sunday date still available, but you have me tempted to do it with you :)

sRod said...

Hey Laura--I'm signed up Sunday for 2p. Let me know if you're in and want to carpool!