I barely slept. I dreamt of sludge, warped walls, and underground tunnels. Ah, the excitement of Tough Mudder, a race consisting of 12 miles and 29 gnarly obsticles. We woke up at 5am and rushed to get everything together. My only ID was my passport which was at my dad’s house (my purse had been stolen out of my truck the night before 😦 ). We rushed to his place, got the passport, and then back-tracked to Bill & Mandy’s. Half asleep when we arrived, they greeted us warmly, grabbed their pillows and blankets, and hopped in the back of the truck for the 2+ hour drive to Paige, TX.
Now, we knew there was a storm system brewing in central Texas. What we weren’t prepared for was a tempest of prodigious proportions. The black sky lit up with lightning. Sheets of rain slapped the windshield. I gripped my hands in fear, confident in Chad’s driving, not so confident in those driving around us. When we finally made it to our destination, I said a silent prayer of thanks. We were told by the parking officials that registration and start times were delayed due to the weather and decided to drive to a gas station/general store/Aggie fan paradise for some breakfast tacos and coffee.
While we were chilling at the station, a couple walked in and asked if we were doing Tough Mudder. We replied in the affirmative. She said, “My dad was just down there and he said the event was cancelled!!!” She seemed upset. “This is how rumors get started,” I thought to myself. After all, water was needed to make mud, right? It would just be a little more wet and a little more hard. I looked over at Mandy. She wears her emotions on her face. She was bent! We decided to drive down there to see for ourselves. As we were pulling out of our parking spot, some guy yelled, “It’s cancelled!!!” Just then, Bill got a text to his phone that Tough Mudder was indeed cancelled.
Initially, I fumed. The anger lasted all of two seconds and was immediately replaced with a sense of guilt. Why was I so upset? The people of Bastrop County had been plagued by wildfires for the last several months. Thousands of people recently lost their homes, lost everything. Bastrop needed rain far more than we needed an adventure race.
I learned a lot yesterday. I learned that as humans, we’re inherently selfish and need to consistently work at selflessness. I learned that sometimes you just need a day off from life where you lie around in PJ’s and do absolutely nothing. I was once again reminded how grateful I am to have friends like Bill and Mandy, friends who see you at your best and worst and love you regardless. And there’s always another race 🙂
Liani Oistad Fitness 