What a Week!

I have been remiss in writing any blog entries, but MAN what a week!

Last Sunday, I ran a 5k called the Monk Run. I was supposed to complete 10k, but may right ankle started wobbling and swelling up so I thought it best to stop. But first things first, the Monk Run is awesome! If you’ve never completed an extreme obstacle course, I would highly encourage you to do it. It is such a confidence booster!!

It started with a cannon bang and fireworks at the starting line! Then we had to climb over a stack of hay bales. It’s easier than it sounds. There are no ropes to haul your ass up the hay bales and there are people climbing up ahead of you and others coming behind you and you have to do it fast or someone’s going to knock you off!! Then for a short run to the river.

Ahhh, the river. We had to cross the river. Not just cross, but run in and along the river bed for about 50yds. The water temperature is 12C (52F). COLD! By time I got out of the river, everything from the knees down was numb! So we run some more, probably for about 3/4 of a mile. And then my nemesis, the river.

Yes cavemen and women, we had to cross the river, but this time we had to swim across. It’s 50m (150ft) across of 12c water with a semi swift current. Before I got in to the river, there was this pretty big guy in the middle who became disoriented and they had to coach him out. Fun. Well, as I entered the water, an image flashed through my brain. Leonardo di Caprio. I thought this isn’t a good thing. I pride myself on being a very strong swimmer (I can tread water for England), but when I got chest deep, I could feel myself start to hyperventilate. It took everything I had to concentrate on not hyperventilating and trying to swim all while freezing my ass off! I finally got to the other side, and scrambled up the river bank on a muddy cargo net.

We run some more to the next obstacle, low crawling, then we run some more. There are hills and dales and more rope work to complete, low crawling, etc. To me, these are all easy and I have no issue. We run back down the giant hill and repeat all of the rope work we just did. I’m tired now and my ankle is starting to hurt. Then we get to the end, and what’s there? The river. We have to go back across.

Instead of merely swimming across, they have built a water slide. From the slide to the water, it’s a five foot drop (see the photo below) How considerate! I slid down the slide in to the water and get completely drenched. Instead of just being able to swim straight across, we have to swim along the water bank to the 50m swim lane. We swim across, numb to the core. No Leonardo di Caprio in sight and then I scramble up the other bank.

The end is near! There are balance beams, over and under’s, jumping through tyres and commando crawling through the mud! I crossed the finish line in about 45 minutes.

I was muddy, my right hand was bloody and I already had bruises on my knees and forearms. It was such an awesome feeling to have completed something like this! It certainly highlighted what my own training program was lacking. So I kicked it up a notch this week and I have been sore all week. But it’s a good kind of sore! I can’t wait to do it again!

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