Oh yeah... I also forgot to tell you about the zombie 5K I did at the beginning of the month. It was fun. It was challenging. It was messy. I felt like a tough chick after finishing that kick-butt course--a very orange, tough chick. Check out the photos, but do it soon. They're available only for a limited time. There are some more photos on Facebook if you are really, really interested. Look for orange-hued ones from Atlanta on March 3.
We had torrential thunderstorms the night before the race. (For those of you who are not aware, Georgia clay does not respond well to rain. Clay + Rain = Super Mess) Running on sand is tough. Running on wet clay is a total body workout. You're trying not to slip while avoiding zombies who are greedily grabbing for your life force (football flags) and trying not to lose your shoes in the tenacious clay that envelops your foot, sometimes up over your ankle. (I kept thinking of Mr. Rooney and the mud scene in Ferris Bueller.) To add to the challenge of it all, the clouds opened up for a 5 minute soaker rain just before our start time. It provided a nice slick surface-perfect for wiping out as you ran a curve. Not that I did that or anything...
You'll get a slight idea of the clay situation in the photos but they really do not tell the complete story. When I got back to my parents' house afterward, my mom directed me to the water hose out back and brought out a washtub for my race clothes. I lost one pair of shoes, a towel, and a shirt to the clay. My skin was stained for 2 days following, even after several showers with scrub brushes.
In addition to zombies, there were obstacles throughout the course. Some of the more interesting ones were
- a huge vat of water, topped with logs suspended right at water level that you had to go over or under, with zombies positioned in between
- swimming across a freezing cold creek - no zombies there, just freezing cold, nasty water that took your breath away and induced temporary hyperventilation
- sliding down clay mountain into a man-made pond (that was the finish line)
Don't let this post fool you-it was a good time. I partly wanted to do it for the adventure and partly to prove that I am not too old to do this sort of thing anymore. You could tent camp the night before or after the race... in the rain and mud. I am definitely too old for that crap.
In case you were wondering, I didn't cross the finish line alive. I was turned into a zombie somewhere around the half-way point. I lasted longer than I predicted and that's fine by me.
Would I do it again? Maybe. Maybe I'll try something else instead. Come on, world. Show me what you got!
