5 things I learned by doing the Hell Run!

Hello, everyone, I'm back from Hell and am living to tell the tale! And what a tale it is...I definitely had fun, and have some wisdom that I gleaned from the experience that I'd like to pass on! The only bummer is that my ninja mask fell out in the car, so I was not nearly as mysterious as I had hoped to be...

1. Get in the front of the pack if you can! For the first half-mile I was worried that I'd overtrained, because I was walking more than running. This is because unlike a 5K, everyone piled up behind the first set of obstacles. Also, if you're behind a bunch of people, you're more likely to get mud dropped in your eye as they're climbing the wall in front of you. Once the first obstacles were cleared, though, the flied opened up and I was able to run the rest of the race.

2. Trail-running will serve you better as a training tool than treadmill running. I do both, and was grateful for that fact - none of the race was paved, and there were lots of switchbacks and clambering up and down hills (can you clamber down a hill? Hmm.). I overheard some women muttering at the beginning that "this race is an sprained ankle waiting to happen." This is true unless you've spent a considerable amount of time working on balance, stability and different-surfaced running, which I've been focusing on. You can further improve your chances of getting out injury-free by working on core stability and single-leg strength!

3. No matter who you are, you can do this. There were very serious CrossFit-looking guys running alongside women that looked like my grandmother, who was in turn running alongside a 30-something woman in a tutu and pink pigtails. It's for everyone who doesn't mind getting dirty. There were a lot of groups running together, and I think I'll definitely have to get my people together for next year - it seemed like a lot of fun! People were sprinting and walking, hopping over obstacles and walking around them, stern-faced and constantly cracking up.

4. It was cold. I mean, I wasn't that cold to start, but I was wearing this in the beginning and this at the end, and it was not a warm day. I opted to drive home how I was and skip the at-race "showers," mostly because the people that I saw post-rinse-off looked way colder than I currently was. By the time I walked to my car and drove an hour to get home, though, I was super duper freezing. Next year I'll do the shower and change into dry clothes!

5. Check the race course the day of the event, because things might have changed. I was dreading beforehand the "Tactical Tires" section, afraid that when the tires got muddy and slippery I'd blow out my knee. Turned out the specific Hell Run course I did didn't have that section...although I did end up in the river up to my waist, wading through the icy water for about five minutes. Yeah...did you know your shoes get heavier when they fill with water? Anyway, the point is that they adapt the course to fit the location, so check the website as late as possible for the most up-to-date info!

Very glad I did the race, both because it was fun and gave me extra reason to train hard, and also because my kids now have a Hell Run shirt, medal, and superhero cape to play with. :)