Camp Pendleton Mud Run 2013

Originally, when I planned to do two mud runs on back to back days, I planned to stay down closer to Camp Pendleton in between and not go home.  All that flew out the window when Spencer, who was supposed to do them both with me, wound up having to work in between.

As it turns out, he decided one was enough for him, so I headed down to Oceanside late on Saturday, but not as late as it would have been.  As originally planned, I stayed with my friend Ian who is stationed there.  And he ran it with me.  Well, sort of.  He took off at his own pace at the start and beat me by half an hour.  Still, it was nice to have someone waiting for me at the finish line this year.

And I had a blast.  I love how getting to the mile two marker always seems too early these days.  The rest of them feel about right, but I always have a hard time believing I’ve made it to mile 2 by that point.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of the mud run, and they added some new obstacles, including a small mud pit probably around mile one.  Of course, the water levels are so low that both of the water crossings were dry, which was a bummer.  Anyway, they added a rope wall and hay bails and an over/under section.  And they still had the classic mud pits and the walls, although the second wall seemed higher to me this year.

I was definitely tired by the time I finished.  In 24 hours, I’d done 10 miles of mud run.  But I recovered quickly after a good lunch.

And I finished in 1:28.  Yes, about seven minutes slower than last year, but last year I was training for Tough Mudder, so I was doing a lot more running by that point in the year.  Frankly, I was thrilled with my time considering how under trained I thought I was.

Afterward, we went back to Ian’s to clean up and then met up with some of his friends from church for lunch.  Then we cruised the coast a bit before I packed up and headed home.  It was a nice, relaxing afternoon.

The day would have been perfect if Spencer had come like originally planned, but overall it was a great day.  I’m ready for next year!  And considering last year I wasn’t feeling the same way, that’s saying something.  I’m sure it ahs to do with having someone to run it with this year.  Although some year, I’d like to do it with the people I sign up with again.