WARRIOR DASH!

ever since reading this post, i was bound and determined to do the warrior dash. 

because whatever today's letters thinks is cool, i think is cool.

like, if emily said "alligator wrestling is where it's at", i'd probably be doing a blog post about that instead.

but fortunately, she is more into outdoor adventure sports than dangerous reptilian combat so we're clear. 

anywho, heather and jason (our favorite friends from fort collins) joined us for the adventure on copper mountain.

in order to get ready for the race, jumping pictures were definitely in order.

i reverted back to my middle school track days and jumped in perfect hurdle form.

heather, on the other hand, is a jumping pro. 

after making our way through the crowds, we found the registration tent and suited up.

our costume theme? 

work warriors (hence the ties, argyle socks, and dark rimmed glasses).

also, i just have to say that as were were donning our warrior paint, mr. lesley had a specific request.

he spelled it out, letter by letter, and when i was done writing this message on his arm, i realized it said

 "i <3 captn crunch." 

what? 

i chose to let it go, instead of pushing the issue any further.

i know he is very passionate about his cereal, but really?

are you intimated yet? 

after some intense stretching, we were pumped.

and we took off like flashes of lightening from the start line. 

(observation: i think this was the only "race" i've participated in where people started walking .345 seconds after the start:) 

our first obstacle almost took me out.

but i was tough and took that tire to the face, no problem.

number two was a breeze and the third one made me feel like a gazelle (a.k.a. olympian hurdler).

the fourth obstacle was where things started getting interesting.

nothing like a nice mud bath to exfoliate your pores.  

we breezed through the fifth and sixth obstacles like it was our j-o-b.

although my crawling and balancing skills were definitely put to the test.

we crawled our way through number seven and slid down the backside of number eight with only minor leg scrapes. the mud served as a protective layer:) 

when we came up to obstacle number nine, i really thought someone was injured and laying on that stretcher. fortunately it was just a search and rescue team of some kind practicing with a dummy. 

phew. 

and fortunately, with the help of mr. lesley's advice, i climbed my way up number ten, no problem.

"walk up and use the rope to help you. don't try to pull yourself up."

the man is a genius.

we finished the race by jumping over fire (!) and crossing the finish line...

HOLDING HANDS.

it may have been the best moment of my life so far.

the boys weren't exactly thrilled, but i didn't care:)

we accepted our medals and posed to our hearts' content. 

we ate our bananas, i donated my shoes, cleaned up, put on our new viking hats (well, at least I did) and made a b-line to the beer tent.

can't let a free coors light go to waste!

the afternoon cover bands and hula hoop dancers were quite a sight to behold after the race.

prime people watching, let me tell you:) 

we found our friends susan and justin and chatted with them for a bit.

can you believe justin finished the race in less than 30 minutes?

he's the real warrior of the group.

before heading out, we had to bring out our little friend.

to reward ourselves for a job well done, we stopped at my new favorite restaurant for the club sandwiches and mac n' cheese (yes, this is the second weekend in a row that we've eaten here:) 

and yes, i wore my new hat the whole time.

i couldn't help myself:) 

and after getting home, winston made it very clear he didn't want to be left out of the fun.

what's next you ask? 

the tough mudder...obviously.

can't wait to get electrocuted!