Anyone who knows me know that I hate running (well exercise in general) with a passion. So when my beautiful, leggy bride asked me to do a mud run for her Hen Do I must have had a face like a smacked bottom. After being assured there would be no actual running (to be fair, the bride herself has a slipped disk and one of the bridesmaids has a broken toe) I felt much better about the whole thing!
For those who don't know, Pretty Muddy is a 5k Mud Run which happens up and down the country for Cancer Research UK. There are many obstacles including balance beams, inflatable hurdles and, of course, the famous mud slide.
1. The Atmosphere
The whole thing has such a buzz! People are stood laughing, chatting, taking photos, very much my scene. If you do it make sure you take someone with you with a camera, if you're going to get covered in mud you may as well have some pictures to remember it by!
Here I must put a huge shout out to the brides Dad who not only carried all of stuff (thank you!!) but followed us around the whole 5k taking photos and shouting encouragement. That is great parenting right there ladies and gentlemen, I totally owe that man a beer! Please note that he did all of this in a large wedding hat and donned some very fetching lippy, just to make sure we could spot him among the crowds!
Everyone was super friendly! People were encouraging each other and being complimentary of outfits etc (in our case, we did stand out a little....), even the reporters were getting into it! Plus there were dogs and we all know that I can't resist puppy kisses.
2. The Obstacles
Ever done a stretch of 5k on a space hopper? No? Well I have and let me assure you, its one of the best ways to travel.
These guys made it run like clockwork. There were people helping at every stage, sometimes just manning the stations, sometimes throwing extra mud at you (yeah, thanks for that) but always shouting encouragement and making you laugh.
4. Being with Friends
To all the lovely ladies I ran with, thankyou. I was nervous to begin with but you all made me feel super welcome and involved and my nerves dissolved within mins. Fellow bridesmaids, you were amazing. And Bride (see, I didn't add zilla!) you were fabulous from start to finish. Well done for making me get off my arse and enjoy myself and thankyou for A) understanding i'm allergic to exercise B) encouraging me C) for all the muddy cuddles!
I had no idea my family were coming to support me, so when I crossed the finish line at the end and saw them it was such a huge surprise!
I did know that my poor long suffering boyfriend was there (he even gave me a kiss afterwards, if that's not love I don't know what is) but my Mum and Dad also showed up to point, laugh and take photos. My parents really are the best bunch, the always put the effort in for me and I love them for it. Plus the sponsored me £20, can't complain at that can you?