The Year of the Mud

5:30AM came way too quickly because I was so nervous and totally unsure about the upcoming day! But, when I rolled out of bed with the sun rising above the Bridgers, I could not help but have a fire in my belly for my first 5K race. The car was full of three of my closest friends, hillbilly outfits, old running shoes, body wash and three dresses for a wedding. Only two of us were running in the race, but all four of us were attending the wedding. From one extreme to the next...Saturday was a dirty day! Two hours from Bozeman to Billings is a lot longer with a pit in my stomach. But, nothing cures my nerves like singing at the top of my lungs to Train, Garth Brooks and a little bit of GaGa. Arriving in Billings with plenty of time, G and I dressed for the occasion. Our team name was Team Swamp Ass, and no better way to embrace it than to dress like a bunch of red necks. Cut-off jeans and sleeveless flannels with homemade suspenders made for a good looking bunch! Let me tell you, if we didn’t have suspenders we would have been absolutely SOL. Our pants would have never stayed up, and it would have been a full moon of fun for everyone. Well, some people on our team had that problem even with suspenders!

Thankfully, the jitters went away once I noticed how relaxed and low key the race was going to be. Almost every team was in costume, and one team even wore adult diapers! Team Soggy Bottom was totally appropriate for the diaper team. (Way to go Team Ridge!). It has been so fun to be working out with the same people all summer, and then to run my first race with a few of them was a blast! I could not have been more pleased with my team members. Getting over the straw bales would have been impossible if it weren’t their help in hoisting me over each of them. Thank you ladies (and G) for helping me get over and through each obstacle. It was so fun to run together, and thank you for sticking with me making my first 5K totally enjoyable and memorable. It’s going to be hard for me to run any other race because it won’t be nearly as fun!

My first real 5K is Saturday, and what can I say, I’m still a little nervous but more excited. Lots of people are running with me again, and I think that’s going to make the difference! Look for me crossing the finish line! I SHOULD come in under 45 minutes, but even if I don’t that’s okay too, right?

One Less Day