A few weeks ago, MCCS had a mud run up at Camp Hansen. since a few of us couldn’t make it, Marie Lewis was kind enough to write up a description of the run for WOOT. Thanks, Marie and great job everyone!!

When I signed up to run the Single Marine Program’s first-ever mud run on Camp Hansen last year, I went into it somewhat reluctantly and came out loving it. This year, the 2^nd Annual Bushido Mud Run did not disappoint. The course was muddier, slicker, steeper, and longer than before, and a true challenge for even the super fit.

I (blessedly) wore my dingiest running clothes and my oldest pair of running shoes, which I knew I would have to trash after the run. I left my Garmin at home, because I wasn’t sure it would survive the constant mud-dousing. Competitor that I am, I kind of hated that I did not know the exact length of the course (and please feel free to jump in here in the comments if you do know the distance), but I was happy to finish near the front of the pack.

The run was designed to be tougher than last year, and it was in every aspect. Just a few minutes into the run, I was already faced with a near-90-degree wall of mud so slippery it was impossible to climb up without help from someone at the top. I struggled to speed up my turnover, all the while sliding backwards. The mud was merciless. Fortunately a hand from above reached down in my direction, and a man I did not know helped pull me to the top. Thank you, kind stranger!

These deep trenches continued for a decent stretch, and when the course flattened out I found another obstacle—ropes to crawl under. The easiest way to do this was to dive down into the knee-high mud pit and swim/crawl through. By this point, as you can imagine, every inch of me was covered in a thick layer of mud. Oh, and my muscles were screaming.

I hit pavement again—oh, solid ground, how I’ve taken you for granted—just long enough for the mud to dry, leaving me caked in beautiful brown patches. My favorite section of the course was weaving through the trails, winding around branches and leaves in every direction, hopping over ruts and ditches—true trail running. Parts of the trail were so steep you had to use a rope to lower yourself down the slope, or climb back up. In these sections there was a lot of bottlenecking, but I found the other runners to be courteous and patient.

Marie, when not at her desk job

Just before the home stretch of the race, I was sprayed rather violently with water from a fire hose. I have to say, it gave me a bit of whiplash, but it felt like a final push to give it my all. I took this fire hose blast as a signal to begin my race-ending “kick,” and I crossed the finish line breathlessly.

I loved the adrenaline rush this run gave me. I have a desk job. I don’t get dirty on a regular basis. My runs are almost always on pavement. Diving into a mud run is deliciously filthy. It feels like an act of defiance against my clean, orderly routine, and I revel in it.

      As WOOT has grown and continued to be the best women’s trail running group on Okinawa (and beyond!), I often meet women who have good intentions of joining us but, for their own reasons, haven’t made it out with us. I am sure you have heard the same things, when you mention running trail here.

The reasons I hear:

• SNAKES! Yes, there are snakes on Okinawa. And in California, North Carolina, the south, the midwest, the States, the world. Very few places are snake free: New Zealand, Scotland, Cuba, Haiti so if you live there, awesome. Otherwise, snakes are everywhere. Part of the new comer’s brief that most of us go through when arriving, warn of the Habu. They are poisonous and people have gotten bit, roughly 100 per year from one article I read, mostly farmers. The population of Okinawa is 1.385 million.
• Spiders! There are banana spiders out there that spin webs at night. The webs are not harmful and the spiders try to get away from you as fast as they can. Close your mouth and run through.
• Twisting an ankle. Yes, this can happen. Keep your foot falls light and quick and try to pay attention to the terrain.
• You guys are too fast! We have all speeds who come out, including walkers.
• It’s too early! Yes, it is. But summer here starts in May and lasts until September. If we wait too long, it gets dreadfully hot. Plus the sooner you start, the sooner you’re done and onto the rest of your day. Not once have I regretted waking up to run with WOOT. Sleeping in, on the other hand…

As we all know, life is full of reasons not to. What I can say whole-heartedly, is say Yes! Put your hand on the door of the arena, and be brave. Trying it once or twice, will let you know if you absolutely cannot stand the sweat, the hills, the dirt, the mud, the trees, the flowers, the fresh air, the support of running with WOOT. You’re only here for a short time, so say Yes!

Okinawa summer: the longer races are over due to the hot sun and intense humidity. So how can you stay in great running shape? Set a goal and have a group of supportive running women keep you in check and WOOT has just the challenge for you.

Come and step up to 100 miles on trail!

The rules.
Recording trail miles begins on June 1st (sorry for all those that ran 10 on Figure 8!). All miles on trail need to be run before September 1st. You can run, walk, jog, hike, crawl, just move forward. No bikes, Heelies, scooters or roller blades 😉

What “trail” counts–
1) any non-paved trail counts including beach, grass, gravel roads, broken up old pavement. The grass next to the sidewalk counts.
2) any castle run, including miles up and down on sidewalk
3) Habu trails on Kadena and Futenma
4) paved trails around any Okinawa park (e.g. Comprehensive, Convention Center park)
5) Zampa and Maeda point trails

What doesn’t count–
1) running sidewalks (exception on #2 above)
2) running paved roads
3) the miles to get to trail (e.g. the 58 to get to Spider or Paintball)

This will be a FB event on WOOT: 100 miles of Trails. Join the Event and pay entry fee via PayPal, check or when you see me next.
Record your trail miles on your GPS via Garmin, Nike+ app, Mapmyrun, etc. and upload it to your comments on the Event Wall. This is your running log. A selfie or picture is always nice too! Run your 100 all in one shot, or 1 mile or so a day. It is up to you and your schedule.

You can run your trail miles wherever you are in the world. We have WOOT friends from Florida, to SoCal, to NC and VA. Connect with them through this Event and find a great new running partner. If you are looking for a partner, post on the Event. We all will be looking for miles and women to share in the summer fun.

It is up to you to record your miles and add them up.
When you have completed the 100, besides all the cheers, whoops and hollas!!, we will give you a window emblem to display your 100 proudly.

The cost is $30 and will go to a local Yomitan charity in need. My good friend, Rikiko is helping us locate the best place for the $ to go to, such as an orphanage or women’s shelter.  At the end of the Event, we will be looking for volunteers to help us deliver the goods, too.

Thank you for taking on this challenge with us. 100 miles on trail in the summer. Oh yes, push yourself farther than you thought you could. We are right next to you, running along side you.