Mother nature put a damper on my original travel plans to New Jersey, but it all worked out in the end.
I got the call from Katie – MuckFest extraordinaire Friday afternoon while I was in session at my sales kickoff letting me know that extreme weather conditions and poor air quality had caused them to postpone MuckFest New Jersey until the following weekend. My first reaction was UGH – but took a breathe and thought, well, plans are already set…hubby is already there, I should just go, and figure out next weekend with points. There was NO way I’d miss a race – that would kill my whole story for dad – but I’m certainly not one to pass up a date weekend in NYC with my hubby!
Yay for Alaska Airlines Rewards and cash options – I was able to book another flight to New Jersey. Grateful to keep my tribute intact, I made it back to run in the rescheduled New Jersey MuckFest!
I initially wrote this on my flight home from MuckFest – let’s try this again, and what an incredible weekend it was! It was the first mud run I’d ever done solo, so to be honest, I was a little nervous, which in hindsight seems silly, because it was an awesome track, with a great group of runners.
The course seemed a little different than the past two races, so perhaps it was my imagination…or the heat that made it all seem harder, but I loved it nonetheless. There was one obstacle that got me to second guess myself as I took the initial leap, but managed to channel Ninja Warrior, which ironically I caught for a few minutes the night before in my hotel room. Thanks to the teams surrounding cheering me on, I was able to leap to each of the slippery hills making it across the obstacle without falling into the muddy water or banging up my knees.
Likely due to the change in dates, lines at the obstacles were not an issue and I benefited by getting through the course in record time. I took a ride on the zip line for the first time this MuckFest season, but clearly I didn’t learn during the last race. I gain back my favorite designer sunglasses that were recovered after the Philly race, but lose my new favorite cheapy pair!
While the track itself was by far the best so far, the real highlight of New Jersey MuckFest was seeing a group of people cross the finish line together sporting KPMG t-shirts. Before joining Microsoft in 2017, I enjoyed several exciting years of career growth at KPMG, so I was certainly a proud alumni to see them, and of course had to snap a pic!
Taking post-race pictures was a bit more awkward being there solo, but I made sure to document the day and pause for a few minutes after the race to people watch and reflect on why I was there. Chatting with dad in my mind during the race was the perfect antidote to take my mind off the humid heat.
I made sure to rinse off post-race better than usual, and my loyal kicks survived race #3. I was able to air dry my shoes overnight and even wore them home, Sunday! I’m determined for them to make it to Denver, so I can donate them there!
As a treat to myself post-race, I took full advantage of having nothing to do and enjoyed local Yelp recommendations for satisfying meals…and even indulged in a 2-hour massage at a spa right around the corner from my hotel! I even got a little shopping in before heading to the airport.
MuckFest Chicago is less than a week away! The lake house is rented and just a short drive from the race start. I can’t wait to venture there with the girls. My “sister” Ana and most dedicated colleague Siobhan will be running alongside me this Saturday, and I’m still recruiting a few locals who I’ve enjoyed working with throughout my career, and are amazing people in my life!
MuckFest #3 in the books – Chicago here we come!
