Warrior Dash Maryland

What better way to celebrate National Running Day by sharing a race recap for a race I didn't run! Okay, I could wax on poetically about what running means to me and how important it is for my sanity, but this year while running has still be extremely important to me my greatest joys have been watching the hubs tackle his newest addiction.

Yes, I've helped create an addict - a running addict.

Sure enough, I got pregnant and the hubs became addicted to running. The love/hate affair began last summer when he casually mentioned he'd like to run a half marathon and now he's at the point where he's trying to run a race a month. It's fantastic! He's not overly competitive with his times, but rather signing up for a 10k here and there "keeps him honest."

His May race was a bit different and he "ran" Warrior Dash with his brother and a friend. They guys stayed together the entire time, which meant walking up any part of the course that included an incline because my brother-in-law is not a fan of running and especially not a fan of running up hills.

Overall they had a really fun experience, but if you wanted to actually "run" this race you'd be sorely disappointed. It took them almost two hours to complete the 5k distance because there were such long lines at each of the obstacles. They were in the 11:30am wave and from what I heard the wait times got even longer as the day progressed.  We had a friend run in the 9:30am wave and it took him 50 minutes to complete the course, so if you wanted to run more and wait less I'd highly recommend signing up for one of the earliest waves available.

The hubs was also annoyed by the number of selfie-sticks and group photos out on the course. He got the feeling that so many of the participants were "running for Facebook photos" and that caused even more backups along the way. I say that with a massive grain of salt because it is a struggle to get the hubs to stop for a photo even pre- or post-race! The man is just not a fan of being in photos.

The way this particular course was laid out wasn't very spectator friendly. While the dudes ran, us ladies were able to see the start of the race and then the last 3 obstacles. We sat around for 90 minutes and had no idea where the guys were or even what anyone else was doing because the course was closed to spectators. That was a tad bit annoying because I would have liked to have seen more of the course.

The post race beer line moved quickly and the rinse off shower line wasn't terrible. I'm happy the guys were able to rinse off at least before making their way back to our car! We brought chairs, a cooler filled with beer, and snacks to tailgate afterwards and so many people walked by our tailgate and proclaimed, "why didn't we do this?!?!?"  Definitely tailgate, but just make sure you have a designated driver.

Also, bring sunscreen!

Any other obstacle racers out there? What has been your take on these things? I've yet to do one, but I'm thinking a post-baby fun run sounds like a good time.