Volkslauf 2009

Now I get to tell you about my crazy, amazing, horrible, wonderful, exhilarating, frightening, painful, INCREDIBLE day! ha ha ha! These friends of mine pictured above with me BEFORE THE RACE were doing this 10K Volkslauf on Post last weekend and one of the girls got sick and so the evening before they started calling around looking for a repalcement. And I said YES. I don't know what I was thinking! ha ha! If you're not familiar with a Volkslauf it's a Marine tradition. And after today, I consider myself to be as tough as a Marine! ha ha The "race" started off with 1.5 miles on pavement which was bad enough, then we hit "the mountain". This is where I almost met Jesus! ha ha ha! There was just this clearing down the side of a mountain and we climbed up the steepest hill I've ever seen in my life! It was STRAIGHT UP. And all rocks! Halfway up I started getting dizzy and nauseus and even with all of my friends' encouragement I didn't think I could make it. Then one of them offered to go back down and get a medic to come get me... that was all the motivation I needed! That day we saw Marines carrying people off on stretchers and I did NOT want to be one of them so I hoofed it up anyway! That was the hardest part of the race. After that was more walking/running through the forrest, up and down rocky paths, through the mud, through the weeds. Then we hit "the hill". It was a steep grade but not nearly as bad as "the mountain". The problem with "the hill" was that it was a mile long. Literally. A mile. A mile of rocks at a steep incline. In fact, it was bad enough that the Mariens couldn't even set up a water station on it. There was no place flat enough. After "the hill" came some more pavement and then "the first river crossing". This was MY FAVORITE PART!!!!! The Marines stretched a rope across the Big Piney River and you have to make your way across. The water came up to my neck most of the way and was pretty swift. I flew out to the middle of the river with ease and then the current picked up. There was a bit of a struggle but once I managed my footing I was good again. You just had to hold on tight to that rope and pull yourself along. It felt AMAZING to cool off in the river, too. It was 93F that day! So, after "the first river crossing" there was more hills, more rocks, more mud, more pavement... and then came "the mud pit". We were told that we'd be trudging through mud up to our knees. We were lied to! :-) A Marine at the entrance to the pit told us to stay in the middle, walk out half way and then when you feel it drop off it will be up over your head, so fall on your belly and swim it. So that's what we did. Towards the end of the pit it starts getting shallow again and you have to use your hands on the bottom of the pit to claw your way out. It was the grossest thing I've ever experienced and it STUNK so bad!!! Plus we heard they put deisel fuel in the mud to keep the mosquitos away... so it was just nasty all the way around. We clawed our way out of the mud and proudly smiled for a group photo! ha ha ha! Then we trudged our way through more rocky trails, with grit and mud and God knows what else in our shoes and in our clothes. Then we hit pavement! Right in the middle of the road the Marines were set up again telling us that we were at the "last river crossing". The problem? Getting to the river. All we saw was this long drop off from the side of the road. Yep, that was it! It was just mud and tree roots and we had to lay on our bellies and carely fit our toes into the tree roots and hold on for dear life as we lowered ourselves back into the river. This time there were Marines stationed every few yards across the rope... it was much swifter this time. This time I couldn't even keep my feet on the rocks for the current so I had to pull myself across river with my arms on the rope. I have the rope burn and bruises to prove it!! When we got to the other side we linked arms, ran up the hill (they had to practicly drag me! lol), through the sand and crossed the finish line. It took us 2 hours and 40 minutes. I have never experienced such immense pain, heat, exhaustion, fatigue, muscle failure, and satisfaction in my entire life!! I can't even explain the sense of achievement and accomplishment I have!!! I mean, the MARINES do this for bragging rights!!! And I was out there with LUPUS!!!! How cool is GOD?!?!?!?!?!?!? SOOO Cool!!