Pete and I did the Mud Hero race on July 6, and it was totally different from any other run I've done. I'm not sure how widely known Mud Hero is, like if it's an international thing, but it's a 6KM obstacle course-style race, a toned-down version of events like Tough Mudder. There's a lot more information on the Mud Hero site.

I registered for this event months ago, and then I didn't forget about it exactly, but I certainly didn't train for it. I run 6Ks and longer distances all the time. It takes me about 30-32 minutes, or somewhere thereabouts, so I figured Mud Hero would be no big deal. Climb a couple walls, crawl through a tunnel, get muddy, get a medal and go home.

Any time I have to sign a waiver I poop a little.

There were a few key things I didn't take into consideration...

1. The heat. Our event was at 11AM on a day where temperatures reached at least 35C (95F) plus humidity. Some people were saying it was closer to 40C, which is 104F, which is officially hot as balls. The kind of weather where anything other than floating in a pool with a Corona is just barbaric.

2. The fact that the course went up a mountain. I knew it was taking place at a ski hill, but somehow, didn't put two and two together that ski hill = mountain = we are going to be climbing a mountain. In 40 degree heat.

3. The conditions. Until you do it, you don't understand the effects of being drenched and mud-bogged - sneakers full of water and muck and weighing about five pounds each, for example. There are elements you just can't train for, unless you have a mud pit and a ski hill in your backyard.

So there were challenges, all right. But in spite of (or maybe because of) them this race was a blast. I got to run it with my husband, who helped me when I freaked out over some of the obstacles. We got dirty - like filthy dirty, mud-was-still-coming-out-of-our-ears-on-Tuesday dirty. We got a nice CLEAN t-shirt and a medal at the end. And it was an insane workout. At one point (when we were climbing up the face of the world's steepest mountain peak NBD) I said (gasped) that it was harder than a half marathon.

My time ended up being 55:31, abysmal for a 6K but not terrible for Mud Hero. I finished 71/728 in my age group and 1,072 overall out of 6,235. Definitely won't be representing Canada at the Mud Hero Olympics or anything but I was just happy to be done in less than an hour and with all my body parts intact.

Pics or it didn't happen!

Before obviously. So fresh and so clean!

Running over cars is fun

Dirty

Most flattering picture I've ever taken. Boys, boys, no need to fight