Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Warrior Mom

I like to think of myself as tough. Not tough in a brutish way, but rather tough minded, driven by a strong will. So, when my sister-in-law recently asked me if I'd be up for participating in a Warrior Dash with her, I thought "why not?" I've survived combat with the General, the Tank and the Destroyer and I am unscathed, not counting mental wounds, surely I could handle trekking through a little mud. Later that afternoon, I told the Bear that I was thinking of running the Warrior Dash with my sister-in-law. His growling laughter was not the reaction I had expected. "What's so funny?" I barked. "Do you know what the Warrior Dash is?" The Bear couldn't contain himself. "You don't even like to get dirty!" His laughter was now booming through my ears. "I can handle the mud! I go quading with you and the boys and get muddy!" I responded defensively. "Yes, and you also carry baby wipes. And you're riding on a machine, not crawling through the mud. I think you better do some more research before you sign up," said the Bear. Truthfully the thought of actually crawling through the mud, didn't sit well with me. I decided to google "Warrior Dash." This is what I found, "Warrior Dash-A mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme 5k run from hell. Warriors conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits and celebrate with music, beer and Warrior helmets." I was horrified! Fire! My sister-in-law never mentioned fire. And helmets? Unless my children would be chasing me with sticks to get me to run faster, why would I need a helmet? And, I have to be honest- running through mud to celebrate with beer at the end doesn't excite me. However, if wine were waiting for me at the end of the race, I may consider running through mud AND fire. God, I hate to admit when the Bear is right.