My friend and running partner ran the Kansas City Warrior Dash with me on Sunday. I linked a video yesterday about the Warrior Dash, but I’ll give a short explanation here as well. The WD is a 5K (3.2 mi) race over a course with 12 obstacles. There are 2 water obstacles, numerous walls, and several that test your balance, agility, stamina or nerve.

There were signs all along the route, including one that said "your highschool gym teacher would be so proud."

Here we are before the race. Don’t we look clean and excited?

The hat comes with the entry fee. Swank, right?

We passed this on the way to the starting line, from the races the day before:

The race coordinates the donation of shoes for charity.

We had paparazzi waiting for us near the finish line in the form of my friend’s teenage daughter.

Check it out - I'm STILL talking (if you knew me in real life that would not surprise you).

See the wall we scaled right before the previous photo was taken?

Ropes on the way up, 2x4s on the way down...

This was my favorite obstacle:

By the height of my jump, I'm guessing I was far more concerned about it than my partner...

And the final feat before the finish line:

This was actually the second time during the race we were fully immersed in mud. See me at the bottom of the photo? I don't know why I'm smiling either...

We did it!

Cheers! Though we had water - no beer served in Missouri before noon on Sunday (drat!).

And the final rite of passage:

I can't help it; I love me some alliteration.

It took the top layer off, anyway…

Yep - sprayed by a great big hose with FREEZING water.

Thank you to all the volunteers who made the KC WD possible – you put on a great race and it was a terrific time. It was like going to a big party. I am especially thankful for my running partner; a teammate in staying healthy who has grown into one of my closest friends. We have each other’s back whether we are crawling through mud or facing a real-life problem. *sniff* Now I’m all mushy!

And as a side note, I was selfish and kept my sneakers…they were my most recent pair of retired running shoes and we had been over many miles together. I gave them a good washing and they look great! My socks, however, are a different story…please pass the bleach.

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