5K First Timer – Mud Girl Run

Late last summer, I was very vocal about wanting to get my body back after having two kids back to back. (Insider scoop, still hasn’t happened.) My algorithm must have heard me loud and clear because I started getting bombarded with ads for a Mud Girl 5K. Please note, I am not, nor have I ever been, a runner. The ads made it sound like it was more for the experience, bonding and motivating, with other women who are in the run along side you and overall a good time. In my postpartum mind I thought, “I can do that!”, “I have lots of time to train for this!”. Which, yes, I did, but did I have the self discipline to do so, not yet.

I started training a bit more seriously in January of 2025 for a run happening in June 2025. Now when I say training, lets use that term more loosely. I would go to the gym to run once a week, unless I was sick (which happens more often with kids, not cool!) or schedules did not allow it. All the while, fitting in home workouts, treadmill walks in our basement and lots of walks with our kids once the weather was warmer. And let me tell you, it was not enough.

Please, don’t get me wrong, the experience overall was pretty awesome. I did this with both of my sister-in-laws, who are both far more athletic than I am at this point in my life. They were beyond awesome, encouraging me as we went and backing off if I did not want to be pushed, understanding I know my own limits. I completed 15 out of 18 obstacles. Not too shabby if I say so myself. The only obstacles I did not complete were ones I did not trust my abilities to do safely and given my home life, I cannot be injured and out of commission for my children.

Otherwise, I got down and dirty, made it up the steep hills, crawled through the mud and soaked through every inch of clothing I was wearing. I had mud in places I can truthfully say I never had before. I can now tell all that I have done this, and honestly, I would do it again. I’m going to take a hot minute to decide if this will happen next year or the following, but I would totally give this another go.

But next time, I want to do all of the obstacles so I will be training to take that on. I can do better than I did. In less time, less fear, less anxiety and far more confidence. I went into this blind, and now that I have seen what I would be up against, without making excuses this go around, I would take this on with a more prepared training schedule.

I owe it to myself, my body and my self esteem to gain the strength and confidence to persevere and try again. We have the awesome ability to learn from our experiences and that is exactly what I plan to do with this now under my belt. I loved the encouragement and laughs and overall fun that was happening all around us. No one was there to show up the next. We waited our turns at obstacles to not interfere with others. We took this challenge head on, regardless of weight, or strength or stamina. It was an incredible team building experience, one I will cherish forever and would love to expand on with my sister-in-laws.

Would you ever give this a try? This event or any other like it? I hope you think about it and consider it. As someone who would have never even given this a second thought ten years ago, I am so glad I did this.

Melanie xoxox