Foam Fest 2013

In the beginning of the year, Sal and I made a list of 13 goals for 2013. On my list, one of my goals happened to be... Run more than 2 5Ks and start training for a 10K. I crossed off part of that goal in July, but I wasn't about to stop there. This past week I completed my third 5K this summer! I've now ran 4 5Ks since I started really running.

My first 5K this summer was the Foam Fest, an obstacle fun run that was based around... yup, you guessed it... FOAM. I asked Sal to join me, and also ran with two ladies I knew from kickboxing. Sal and I ran the entire time, and stopped and completed each obstacle together. It was motivating knowing he was right there beside me and he wasn't going anywhere. We stayed together at the same pace and pushed each other during each obstacle. It was hysterical to get stuck in mud, run through foam, and crawl under barbed wire together. It made me realize that we could get through anything together. There was one obstacle in particular that I was a little nervous about...  you had to climb up a rope ladder and back down the other side and it was extremely steep. I wanted to go first; I'm not sure why but just knowing that he was right there behind me was comforting. I heard his words of encouragement and I felt safe. I knew he probably couldn't catch me if I fell, but I knew he'd at least try, and that in itself helped me get over the obstacle. It was exciting and thrilling to be on a team with others because we were all determined to finish. The huge 3 story slide at the end was exhilarating and if the line wasn't so long I probably would've gone down again.

When we crossed the finish line, I felt like I could accomplish anything. They handed us our medals, which I took proudly. It would be the first medal I'd receive for a race, and hopefully not the last. We took a team picture and grabbed our freebies from bananas and juice to a shirt and beer. The foam washed most of the dirt and sweat off, so I quickly changed in the makeshift tent and grabbed Sal's hand as we made our way back to the car on a mission to eat Taylor ham, egg, and cheese on a bagel, because, honestly, what else is better than that after a run?!