We in the obstacle racing world are a class of our own. We find joy in the mud, climb walls when not being chased, and overall find pleasure in what many would consider a painful experience. Did I mention we pay to get electrocuted and pummeled by large men (well we use to)? We gave our contributors a task, finish this statement – “You Know You Are an Obstacle Racer When…” This is what they has to say.
- Your whites are now a fab shade of ‘grey’
- You have to refer to your “spreadsheet” to confirm any free weekends!
- You know you're an obstacle racer when waivers are saved to your desktop for easy access.
- You see a puddle and ‘crawl through it’
- You carry everything like a ‘rucksack’
- Your running/racing shoes have taken over your closet.
- You see an outdoor playground as a ‘training opportunity’
- You take on a new vocabulary: ‘STFU’, ‘AROO’, WOD, Trifecta, Icebug, XRacewear, Platinum Rig etc…
- Changing beside a car is ‘normal’
- Showering in public is ‘accepted’
- You hear yourself say “no matter what, drag me across the finish line”
- You don't really need compression sleeves but they look so cool
- Your tan lines are abstract art
- Your life is planned around race season
- Hotels give you separate ‘mud towels’ upon your arrival
- Your backyard has evolved into ‘boot camp’
- A road race seems dull and ‘uneventful’
- You come I to work Monday morning and people wonder if you have been in an accident.
- You come into work Monday morning, battered, bruised, and black and blue.
- People you race with don't recognise you unless you are dirty, muddy and bloody.
- You have replaced your washing machine because there was an excessive amount of course debris clogging it up. True story.
- You paint your toenails black or any other dark color because well let's face it your toenails are already black.
- You accidentally throw your tube of war paint into your purse instead of your tube of lipstick when you go out for a night on the town.
- Both you and your child treat the curb like a balance beam.
- Instead of drinking and chilling out at a barbecue you drink and try to do muscle ups at a barbecue…for hours.
- Your significant other gets you compression gear for Valentine's Day.
- You can't afford to go out to dinner with your friends because all of your money is tied up in race entry fees.
- You find random medals and bibs and race shirts around the house because you have not yet gotten around to putting them away…and you have too many so quite frankly you haven't found room for them yet.
- All of your coworkers and acquaintances referred to you as “tough mudder” whether you have actually done a Tough Mudder or not.
- Everyone expects you to be stronger than you are and never get grossed out at anything because you roll around in the mud and climb over walls.
- Everywhere you are you look at things and wonder “How can I climb/cross/jump that?”
- After you tell your friends what you're doing this weekend they reply with “another one?”
- You understand what “The dreaded spear throw” means
- You randomly find trash bags in your gym bag.
- You can identify the brand if not the model of trail shoes based on the track left in the mud
- Your first thought when you get a wedding invitation is which race the date will conflict with….
- The carwash isn't just for washing your car anymore.
- You know you're doing good as an OCR parent when your kids take their medals to school for show and tell!
How many of these sound familiar to you?
Comment below with how you finish that sentence…