Camp Pendelton Mud Run. I double dog dare you.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a friend asking if I’d be interested in filling out their group of 5 for the Camp Pendelton Mud Run in June.  My immediate reaction was violent head shaking…NO WAY!  I’m the kind of girl who doesn’t eat anything messy without a fork for fear of getting my hands dirty.  Now you want me to dive in the mud??

I also am the worst runner on the face of the planet.  I’ve tried the Couch to 5K program a few times and have quit every single time.  It just doesn’t hold my attention and well, I’m awful at it.  The Mud Run is a 10K so I knew I’d have to train.  Needless to say, this was not my cup of tea.

But – then I thought of something Chalene Johnson (creator of TurboJam, TurboFire and ChaLean Extreme) taught me: “Do something scary every day.”  She teaches that personal and physical growth come from doing what we fear the most.  The Mud Run definitely made that list for me.  So, I committed.  I am officially signed up with 4 other friends who are much more physically fit than I am to complete this race.  Their goal: To complete the race in UNDER 1 HOUR.  That’s 10 minute miles with obstacles.

Oh boy.  I have a lot of training to do.  I decided to “dust off” my Couch to 5K application on my iPhone and hit the pavement.  I’m currently nearing the end of week 5 (out of 9) and I’m actually enjoying it so far.  *GASP* At the end of 9 weeks, I will start the Bridge to 10K program and hopefully work on my time during this entire process.  In addition to this, I’m doing strength training with ChaLean Extreme and P90X so that I’m strong enough to scale muddy walls and swim my way through mud pits.

I’m excited.  This is the biggest challenge I’ve ever taken on physically (and mentally!).  Let’s hope I make my team proud!