Faith and Fitness at 50: Getting our Warrior on

I think that normal families get together with their grown children a little differently than we do. They probably go to Disneyworld, ride Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain, take a safari through Animal Kingdom and walk in Downtown Disney. Or, they go to the beach, rent beach chairs, dig their toes in the sand and read a good book. Get in the water a little, maybe pick up a game of beach volleyball.

Well, normal doesn't really apply to us. When we get together with our grown girls, we usually strap on scuba gear and jump off a perfectly good boat to see what lurks below. Or, we go whitewater rafting, kayaking, or hiking through tropical rain forests. And, I don't think any of us would have it any other way. Well, the girls and I might enjoy digging our toes in the sand a little and reading a good book, but we usually get a dose of that sometime during the year.

This weekend, we drove to Houston, Texas, where our oldest daughter lives and the four of us participated in a Warrior Dash in nearby Splendora. May I add, this was Gary's idea. If you're not familiar with a Warrior Dash, it's a race with obstacles sprinkled throughout. It's only a little more than a 5k, but, as their website proudly proclaims, it's the most hellish 3.2 miles you'll ever run. True that.

I was a little nervous going in, not for the run, but some of the obstacles looked a little out of my league. Scaling walls with ropes, crawling through barbed wire, net bridges, and mud, mud, and more mud. I'm an old broad, for pete's sake. But, I have to say for the most part, the obstacles were a pleasant surprise. Lots of mud and water, lots of slipping down, but the first wall climb went okay. I'll admit I wimped on the vertical wall, I was having trouble with my sugar & I was a little afraid I would get to the top and pass out, so I went around. I think that's the only one I missed, though. The girls were lightening fast, but my man stayed to babysit me, so he and I were not so fast. I did okay until I got to the fireman's pole, went down a little faster than I thought and landed wrong & twisted my ankle pretty badly. I limped the rest of the way, but fortunately, all the obstacles after that were mud or swimming under barbed wire, so I was able to finish with my dignity more or less intact. And, let's remember, this isn't the first race that I've limped across the finish line.

Things to remember if you plan to run a Warrior Dash:
1) Make sure your tetanus shot is current.
2) Make sure your shoes are tied on tightly. You'll probably lose them at some point anyway, but at least they'll stay on most of the time.
3) Don't get cocky. I don't care if your playhouse did have a fireman's pole in it when you were growing up and you slid down it a million times, things are a little different 40 years later.
4) If you're trying to set a record, get a grip. It's a fun run.

If I do another one (and the chances are good), I'll need a volunteer to babysit/run with me, so Gary can actually race. I'm thinking Hollye McInnis, Debi Cox, or Debbie Flynt are good candidates. Get ready, girls.

I have to say, this was more fun than I thought it would be. That said, I'm icing my ankle and hoping for the best. But, I think this is a great race to do to awaken your inner child. You remember her, don't you? The one who ran like her feet had wings, jumped into mud puddles, slid down geronimo poles, and leaped over buildings in a single bound. Oh, wait, that last one was a super hero, I think. Anyway, very fun way to spend the afternoon with your family. Sign up for one soon. You won't regret it.