Monday, February 25, 2013

I Will Always Place the Mission First… Miami Super


Amazing things happen to ordinary people every day.  Amazingly enough, I woke up and made it to work on time today.  A bit scraped, a good amount bruised, rather sore, but glowing in pride to have been called the “workhorse” of my amazing team, The Corn Fed Spartans, this past weekend.  (thanks Rick)  Like with most races, I sign up and then kind of wing it until I actually have to prepare to leave.  I bring new meaning to “Don’t sweat the small stuff” as I usually don’t know how I am even getting to a race until a few weeks (days) before it.  The Miami Super was no different.  So much happened over the course of just a few days, so I will try to keep this short and sweet.  The ride to Miami was pretty awesome.  I actually slept a bit!  First Corn Fed road trip I was able to sleep during!  We laughed a lot and truly just enjoyed being together for the whole 25ish? hours down to Miami!  Once we got checked in, we met up with some of the rest of our Corn Fed Family for a pre race celebratory dinner!  I hit a brick wall and had some shit to deal with around 11pm, so I headed up to the room and went to sleep in the most comfortable bed in the world.  Surely made from the feathered wings of angels.  My alarm clock went off… Race Day!  We all got ready and loaded up the truck as we were to head back home after the race.  Once we arrived at the race site, the adrenaline started pumping.  It was a gorgeous day in paradise.  Sunshine, palm trees, sand, warm temps, the animalistic smell of adrenaline and sweat, and music and cheering in the background.  Picked up our bibs and proceeded to marker up.  We headed over to the Race Site and met up with a few other Corn Fed Brothers and Sisters and then made our way to the Start.  Everything else was kind of blurred… music, announcements, silly little start line dance that I always do, cloud of smoke and GO!  They even announced our team!  I love that!  I felt good, I felt strong…took off running with the team and then realized I was missing one.  Where did my Belle go?  I immediately dropped back to find her.  I told her I would never leave her and grabbed her hand and we walked hand in hand while everyone else went to run their own race.  This girl, so full of fight and power, was determined to make it through to the finish.  Her story is not mine to tell, however knowing everything she had been through up to this point, makes her a true inspiration to me.  We laughed and pushed onward.  A few others fell back and walked with us.  We made our own little group and chatted and laughed under the sun.  We rounded a bend and were welcomed by the oceans embrace in our first water crossing.  I could see the rest of the team up ahead and smiled, knowing they were having a great time.  One of my Girls stopped and waited for us, with her man, and we went on together for a bit.  Then it was just us 4 again.  Friendships are strengthened during circumstance and I would never trade the amazing day I had.  Before I knew it, there was Ricky Booby waiting for us!  I knew he would eventually, he always does.  And he even said, “I went out there today to run my own race, but then it just didn’t feel right.”  I knew Belle was safe with the girls, so he and I would run and then wait and help at the next obstacle until the girls caught up.  I probably did over 60 burpees with fallen Spartans to push them through, while Rick cheered motivation to those crossing the monkey bars.  I knew better than to attempt those due to my shoulder and that was justified when I saw one guy drop and scream out in agony as he had dislocated his shoulder.  Then we ran.  The trail was twisty and turny, up and down and around and it was exhilarating!  Around mile 4 I got pissed because my energy was starting to waver and I realized I gave my Shot Blocks to a teammate, because we were all supposed to stick together.  Silly me, I know better.  Always be prepared!  I got over it and kept running.  Each obstacle, we helped, we waited, we ran.  No one failed at an obstacle with team Beast and Booby nearby!  It’s hard to remember every detail of this race, but I do recall the look of gratitude in the eyes of everyone we helped.  The one that stands out the most was at the cargo net climb.  A very fit woman had run past us a bit earlier, but there she stood at the bottom, looking up, terrified.  I shook her hand, told her my name and said, “There, now we are friends and I will help you up this!”  She started the climb and I stayed right by her side, to the top.  We got to the top and she gave my the biggest hug, which crumbled as soon as she saw how we had to get across and down.  The poor girl started shaking, crying and hyperventilating.  Literally could not catch her breath.  I promised her I wouldn’t let anything happen to her and I would keep anyone from bumping into her.  I got her to lay down on her back and just inch her way over to the other side, very slowly, while I bear crawled over the net behind her, making a wall so no one would bump her or hurt her.  Once she made it across, I got another huge hug… until she looked down.  Same thing, I told her, we will go down together.  Step by step until we hit the ground.  She then cried in pure joy that it was over and she did it!  I have never been hugged so tight!  I told her I was super proud of her and then my little team and I ran off.  The rest of that race I’m sure was easy for her after that.  We came up to some walls, lifted some heavy shit, lifted more heavy shit, and ran a bit more.  I, of course, carried the men’s sandbag, flipped the men’s tire, and finally lifted the men’s stone in the Hercules Hoist.  Well, with the help of Ricky Booby on the Hoist!  Scale down the side of a wall, pull up and dump buckets of water, and then scale the wall back up.  The final mile!  I could hear the music and practically smell the finish line.  Ran into a Weeple and The Main Man from MUDRUNFUN.  Finally met the Legend, Andi Hardy and was blessed enough to have her cheer me up the rope and across the traverse wall.  How lucky was I?  Honestly, if it weren’t for Rick though, again, I’m sure I wouldn’t have made that wall either.  Thanks so much Rick… I owe you!  Barbed wire roll, slippery wall and then Gladiator Pit!  Ricky Booby to the rescue again to grab my foot as it started to slide down the slippery wall right when I was at the top!  We did end up dropping Belle on her head… Sorry Honey!!!!  Then I put an arm around her to try to shield her from the Gladiators.  One hit her pretty hard, so then I wrapped practically my whole body around her as a shield.  ”Don’t you touch her!” I shouted.  Then we finished!!!! Darling Andrea put my medal around my neck and then we hit the final walk… t-shirt, banana, water, shower area.  Now I need a beer!  Looked for my team and then realized I really wanted to get my trifecta medal!  It was well-earned!  As I was leaving the tent, with both medals clanging off my chest, there was Ricky Booby again!  He knows me too well!  Next stop… beer!  I wouldn’t let myself be rushed, so I enjoyed the post race atmosphere for a bit, gave hugs, took pictures and then we had to head out.  The usual burger and fries with a beer or two and then we all piled in the truck to trek back home.  Great memories made, with the most amazing people I could ever know.  Strangers, turned teammates, turned family.  I love you guys!  Until we meet again…CORN FED!
miami

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