Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. A few years ago I participated in my first Dirty Girl Mud Run with a group from one of the studios where I was teaching Zumba classes. At the last minute, my little sister and I decided we would register and sling some mud at each other. The cost was absurd because we had waited so long to register. The run itself had been marketed touting charitable contribution to breast cancer awareness and research. After some reading, I found the contribution from each registrant’s fee was nominal and I was extremely disappointed. This finding made me less inclined to take part in this particular race in the future no matter how much fun I may have had. That being said, I DID have a lot of fun! - Read on to find out why I just did this race again, after all!
This had been my very first mud race. In fact, this was the very first “race”, “run”, “wooded-hike/jog”, that I’d ever taken part in. I am not and have never been much of a runner. You’ve heard the phrase, “if I’m running, you’d better run too because it means something is chasing me”? That’s me. My little sister, however, is ten years my junior, ran cross country in high school and had also spent time in the Coast Guard. At 33 years old, I felt I had something to prove in a way. I had to prove to myself that I could hang with my badass little sister! I was in the best shape of my life so there was no better time for me to give this mud run thing a chance.
The Dirty Girl is great for a few reasons. First, this is a run, but truly there is no real pressure to run. There are obstacles, but there is no pressure to do them. You can just as easily opt out of any you are not comfortable with and continue on your race. Second, the camaraderie created by this event is pretty amazing! It’s just the girls so there’s no intimidating muscle heads breathing down your back when you are struggling with an obstacle. Everyone comes to this race knowing it’s for fun, like a day at the spa with your girlfriends, only a little rougher….well sort of like a day at the spa….they do mud baths, right?? Facial, anyone?? This race is great as a first for someone wanting to try something in the latest craze and it’s fun for someone who just wants to join their friends for something different than drinks at the local watering hole. You will find yourself able to go at your own pace, embracing and rejecting personal challenges as you see fit. You’ll get as sweaty and dirty as you allow yourself to get. For my sister and I, it was all about getting dirty! We had paid way too much to come away from this experience clean and unscathed. That race was spent jogging, sloshing and slip-sliding through muddy pits taking advantage of any opportunity to shove one another further into the mess! It was a blast and we came away feeling accomplished and empowered. I think that is what these mud run experiences are about, empowerment.
This had been my very first mud race. In fact, this was the very first “race”, “run”, “wooded-hike/jog”, that I’d ever taken part in. I am not and have never been much of a runner. You’ve heard the phrase, “if I’m running, you’d better run too because it means something is chasing me”? That’s me. My little sister, however, is ten years my junior, ran cross country in high school and had also spent time in the Coast Guard. At 33 years old, I felt I had something to prove in a way. I had to prove to myself that I could hang with my badass little sister! I was in the best shape of my life so there was no better time for me to give this mud run thing a chance.
The Dirty Girl is great for a few reasons. First, this is a run, but truly there is no real pressure to run. There are obstacles, but there is no pressure to do them. You can just as easily opt out of any you are not comfortable with and continue on your race. Second, the camaraderie created by this event is pretty amazing! It’s just the girls so there’s no intimidating muscle heads breathing down your back when you are struggling with an obstacle. Everyone comes to this race knowing it’s for fun, like a day at the spa with your girlfriends, only a little rougher….well sort of like a day at the spa….they do mud baths, right?? Facial, anyone?? This race is great as a first for someone wanting to try something in the latest craze and it’s fun for someone who just wants to join their friends for something different than drinks at the local watering hole. You will find yourself able to go at your own pace, embracing and rejecting personal challenges as you see fit. You’ll get as sweaty and dirty as you allow yourself to get. For my sister and I, it was all about getting dirty! We had paid way too much to come away from this experience clean and unscathed. That race was spent jogging, sloshing and slip-sliding through muddy pits taking advantage of any opportunity to shove one another further into the mess! It was a blast and we came away feeling accomplished and empowered. I think that is what these mud run experiences are about, empowerment.
Now, a few years since my first experience, my 13 year old daughter expressed interest in doing a mud run. I knew the Dirty Girl would be in our area in the spring and lucked out finding a deal on Groupon so I jumped on it and my stepdaughters joined in. Weather continued to prove nothing short of bizarre this year so race day sunshine and blissful temps above 60 degrees in May was sorely lacking, but we were all excited to get out there regardless. We joined our little group with the mob that would progress through the muddy mix of trails and obstacles scattered throughout Montage Mountain in NEPA, a venue usually home to concerts and music festivals. The girls happily participated in every obstacle and sang as they made their way through the forest in the home stretch. We watched all kinds of kinds taking a turn climbing inflatables and bouncing their way down, crawling through mud pits and tubes, climbing rope nets and rock walls….even very pregnant women carefully maneuvered many of these obstacles!!! The beauty of it is that you are in control. While there is always the risk of getting hurt as a participant in this kind of race, the only pressure to perform is that which you place on yourself. Seeing mothers and daughters, sisters, aunts, groups of friends of all fitness levels and capabilities come out together just for the sheer weird enjoyment of it, for whatever the reason, is inspiring on so many levels. If you are considering a mud run for the first time, I have to recommend the Dirty Girl Mud Run as a great intro! Go out there and make some muddy memories ladies!