Spring Break at the Lake

Something in my life, fat, thin, young, old, fit, or out of shape did I EVER think I would do would be a MUD RUN.  Well I have now completed 4 of them all Irvine Lake Mud Run.  They are a blast.  As a middle aged mommy and autism slayer and cancer survivor, the most awesome sauce thing I could do was challenge myself to get fit.  So while a half marathon is an event I plan and train for, I now throw in a couple mud runs a year because I need a little mud up my nose, and scrapes on my body to gain an appreciation for my long tiring boring runs of 10 miles on a dry paved road!

The Mud Run is not something I would do everyday, or for every race. The Mud Run is a challenge, it is kicking yourself up a notch.  There is so much about running a mud run that will take you out of your comfort zone and make you want to be more fit and BETTER for the next one.

Irvine Lake is located in Orange, California.  The course of the runs is a little bit more than 5K about 3.8 mile.  It is a moderately challenging terrain, with moderate/hard obstacles.  But there is options for every fitness and phobia level.   It is located in the picturesque Santiago Canyon area of Orange County.

The run itself is a blast, there are plenty of characters out there in costume, there are teams and families running together for their causes, and raising money for charities.  My favorite team shirt that I saw along the course was a group of people with "50 Shades of Filth" - it cracked me up. There are people having a good time, moving, getting or staying fit and for the most part people are having an amazing time.  Yes there are scrapes, scratches, twists and soreness that go along with it, but come on it's a mud run not a day at the spa! 

I finished this race in about an hour,  I did all the obstacles but the big slide, which looked amazing, but I just didn't have the time to wait in the line, I didn't see a person come off of that slide without a smile on their face, so I would venture to say it was a HUGE HIT with the participants.

The whole event is highly organized and well done, from bag drop off, and pictures, and showering and changing.  They make it easy for the novice mud runner to do this event with little to no logistical challenges.  The food vendors are good, and there is plenty of them, the music is great, the vendors are generous and the events have just been full of good people.  The Spring Break at the Lake was my 4th mud run, and I am planning on my 5th being Summer of Mud on June 22nd. The location is perfect, it's easy to reach in Orange County, it's affordable, and the course is something that all fitness levels can reasonably accomplish.

I promise you that you won't be sorry, you will not regret kicking up your fitness a notch, or getting dirty.  The event is great, and will leave you with such a sense of accomplishment, you will be smiling for days to come after the event, when after 4 showers you're still getting mud out of your hair ;)   Who is running with me??????

Rebecca