Did I mention the Turkey Legs???

It's not the destination, but the journey.

That's a creed a lot of Harley enthusiasts live by. Same is true for gym enthusiasts. Because, whether you are a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, a mom staying in shape, a sprinter, an avid 10K runner, or just your basic gym rat, I have news for you. You will never be done. You had better like the ride, or better yet, LOVE the ride. We are in a sense, artists. Our medium, is our bodies. We will constantly be striving for one more rep, one more mile, one more minute, one more inch. The day we look at ourselves and think, "Ah ha! THIS is what I've been striving for. I'm finished." We have given ourselves over to mediocrity.

Having said that, I traveled down to Lake Elsinore this past weekend and competed in my first ever Warrior Dash. The trip itself was its own blog. If you are interested, let me know. I'd be happy to share.

If you are a runner and can successfully navigate yourself over the hood of a car, a la Dukes of Hazzard, you can do this race. It is filled with many a knuckleheads, and I say this with respect and affection. This is a motley crew of people who love to challenge themselves. People who aren't living by the boiled chicken breast and broccoli, but those that put in the hard work and know they have earned themselves a few beers and maybe a turkey leg, to boot.

Please, check out their site, because Warrior Dash is coming to a city near you. If they aren't, I'm sure if you contacted them and let them know you are itching for them to visit your town, they'll put a plan together to make that happen or point you to the closest one. This being the first of the year, I'm sure you have plenty of time to get yourself in Dash-shape.

Race day is filled with energy, excitement, pulsing rock music, and characters. Everyone was encouraging, supportive, and motivating. The race itself is split into multiple heats, consisting of 500 people per heat. You see the muddy, sweaty competitors and know they have already completed the course. A part of you will be itching to get out there, but another part of you is envious. Because, they are finished and finished means there is beer and a turkey leg. Did I mention the turkey legs before? I'm sorry, but that is just savage. Walking around with beer and a turkey leg, while covered in sweat and mud just screams bad ass. Plus, if you are able to meet someone there who is STILL into you after that, take them home to Mom and Dad. Because, that kicks eHarmony's ass. You aren't going to find a better match.

The minutes leading up to your heat, the race announcer begins his torment. Challenging each racer to be the day's champion. or at the very least, earn that beer. It becomes apparent, we all have the same reward in mind. Some lackluster stretching, some shared grins, a few uneasy nods, and the race begins. You get funneled through the shoot, and thoughts of cattle being rustled to the slaughter run through your mind faster than your feet are moving. The run itself starts off great. Cat calling, whooping, cheering, and a few jokes about "are we finished?" replace the thumping music. The pack itself slowly stretches itself out and more and more, the runners are separated from the funners. I quickly deduce I'm solidly in the latter group.

I mentally use each stretch of trail as a way to gauge how far I have traversed and am certain I have reached halfway, when I hit the first obstacle. That doesn't match up with my earlier study of the map, which shows the first obstacle is securely in the 3/4 mile mark. Oooph. A long, hot, Southern California afternoon awaits me. Obstacles gave way to long stretches, gave way to obstacles, gave way to longer stretches. The official obstacles included large hay stacks, junkyard cars, fences, cargo nets, balance beams, tire/high steps, jumping in the lake to straddle spinning logs, leaping fire, and finally, the mud swamp with barbed wire. The unofficial obstacles were heat, soft footing, bad shoes, years of dead lifts, lack of running for training, and missing a motorized vehicle!

I was fortunate enough to run the race with my sister in law and couldn't have been happier with my partner. She was strong all the way through and very motivating. Her only Achilles heel was her lack of ability to down her one free beer. Since, she was so great at being my partner in the field, I had to return the favor and kill her beer for her.

This October, Warrior Dash is making a trek to Northern California. I'll be participating in that one, as well. I breezed over the "characters" aspect earlier. But, I'd be remiss if I didn't say they helped make the day. There was a mini Ultimate Warrior from 80s wrestling fame, a few Mexican wrestlers (lucha libres), several traditional Vikings, a 6'2" Hooters girl, numerous cheerleaders, and thousands of would be Warriors Dashing and having fun.

As you know, I'm a lifter. I like to feel the iron in my hand and move things that don't like to be moved. I took this challenge to keep me out of my comfort zone and I encourage everyone to do the same. In this case, the thing that didn't want to move was me! I valued the experience and am looking forward to the next one. I challenge you to find your inner Warrior.