Mud Run: a Preview

To get you as excited and anxious as I am about Saturday's Mud Run, I thought I'd share with you some tidbits I've gotten from the race organizers either via their web site or by email.

First the training tips (I have done none of these things):
• Practice running in wet shoes and wet clothes. Jump into the ocean, river, shower or a pool fully dressed
and then go for your run.
• Train on dirt, mud, sand and through water.
• Run hills and stairs.
• Train harder than the actual event will be.

Other tips (thoughts from me in Italics):

Wear boots. The hills of dirt that you climb along the race have been known to eat a sneaker now and then
because they come off so easy.
(I'll be wearing sneakers. I can not imagine wearing any boots for five miles.)

Contact lenses can be a pain when mud gets in your eyes.  If you wear contacts, be certain to pack a spare pair and solution to clean as necessary after the run.
(A friend who's done the race before suggested we go without contacts or glasses. That's just not an option for this practically blind chick.)

Don't run through the middle of the creeks or mud pits where they can get deep; run along the shallowest sides (edges) of the water obstacles. There may be unexpected divots and holes in the creeks and in the mud pits; proceed with caution.
(Doesn't this sound like something on America's Funniest Home Videos? Running along and then all of a sudden you step in a divot and disappear?) 

This is just the tip of the ice berg. I have definitely not trained hard enough, but at this point it's a little too late to fix that.  I think I'll employ the "I'll just avoid thinking about it" tactic. That strategy worked with skydiving at least!