![\"\"](\"http:\/\/a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net\/hphotos-ak-snc6\/227689_10150178681934450_789139449_6586021_609949_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHell Run.\u00a0 I didn’t take the name seriously.\u00a0 I mean, I love me some Warrior Dash, but they do exaggerate a bit when they tout the badassness of the courses.\u00a0 Not to say they’re not fun, or a challenge, but craziest frikkin day of your life?\u00a0 Nah.\u00a0 Try running a semi-trail half marathon in late June in San Antonio.\u00a0 Now that is a crazy time.<\/p>\n
However, we love these things.\u00a0 From the costumes to the obstacles to the bands to the post race party… they are way fun.\u00a0 Whereas most races are about going all out and getting a PR,\u00a0 these are about the experience.\u00a0 We love getting the costume together, we love the mass humanity and people watching, we love the obstacles breaking up the run, getting muddy, post race muddy pictures, the post race beer or 4, and chillin’ out in the sun listening to a band.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hell Run had a lot of that, and I figure they’ll figure out more of it with more races (this was the first one ever).<\/p>\n
I had intended to do something different superhero-y (since the schwag included a cape) because supergirl is getting a little tired.\u00a0 However, the week got away from me and I didn’t put anything together until about 11pm the night before.\u00a0 I decided I was just going to go with\u00a0 Super Quix, because if you throw knee high socks + short running skirt + a cape on, anything looks superhero-y.\u00a0 There were a lot of wonderwoman costumes so next time I might do batgirl.\u00a0 Or just elaborate on my own super outfit.\u00a0 I definitely looked like I had the “before” version of my super suit (think Kick Ass – when he’s just wearing the old wetsuit).\u00a0 That’s ok, because I still felt super.<\/p>\n
I mean, come on, check out these biceps!\u00a0 They kinda snuck up on me.\u00a0 I’ve got some righteous guns forming here.\u00a0 Hooray swimming!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net\/hphotos-ak-snc6\/229573_10150178681484450_789139449_6586018_8000466_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The capes had to go for the actual race though… they were a bit too big and cumbersome, but they sure looked cool!<\/p>\n
So anyhoo, we got there pretty early and actually ended up with pretty rockstar parking (3rd car from the front), picked up our packets, dropped off everything but the keys, bag checked, and went to go watch people at the finish line… and we ran into J and J (the folks that put on the duloop<\/a>), which shouldn’t surprise me because we run into them every friggin’ race, but still blows my mind.\u00a0 They were running in our wave so we hung out with them.\u00a0 I hit the porta potties one last time and ran into Tricia<\/a> and family.\u00a0 She had just completed the Super Hell (6.85 mile) course with her hubbs and said it was a blast.<\/p>\n We saw the wave before us gathering, and the folks we were with decided to wave jump, so we did too.\u00a0 Felt a little bad about it, but it just kept getting hotter and hotter and caved to peer pressure.\u00a0 Karma caught up with us, as we ended up in the back of the pack, and a quarter mile in, we came to a complete stop and shuffle.\u00a0 For like, 5 minutes.\u00a0 We figured we were at the first obstacle, but nope, it was just a steep narrow downhill.\u00a0 With each of those steep downhills (this was the first of many), there was another evil uphill.\u00a0 At first it was grass and dirt, and then the terrain got worse – sand, and then rocks.\u00a0 Not nice, small rocks, but apple size rocks.\u00a0 I spent a lot of time playing the “where to put the foot to avoid bruises and turning my ankle” game, as I was wearing old shoes and was just terrified of hurting myself.<\/p>\n I can’t say they didn’t warn us.\u00a0 The damn place WAS called Rocky Hill Ranch.\u00a0 The run WAS called the Hell Run.\u00a0 I just didn’t have the respect.<\/p>\n The obstacles were sorta standard fare.\u00a0 There were mud pits (sadly, they were pretty dry by the time we got there so it mostly got our shoes muddy.\u00a0 Hopping over walls.\u00a0 Hay bale climb.\u00a0 Jumping over fire.\u00a0 What WASN’T standard fare was the steep uphills and downhills and amazingly uneven terrain.\u00a0 Very quickly, we decided that we weren’t really going to push it.\u00a0 I have a 5k in a few weeks I am REALLY wanting to PR.\u00a0 I have no use for the idea of not being able to run hard in preparation.\u00a0 We walked when it seemed appropriate and ran when the hills weren’t SO steep and there were clear paths.\u00a0 We saw the super hell course split off and were almost tempted but figured breaking the rules once to jump waves was bad enough.\u00a0 Maybe next year!<\/p>\n The second to last obstacle was a swim through a pond.\u00a0 That pond was NASTY.\u00a0 Apparently, to add to the soup, someone had thrown up about 15 minutes before.\u00a0 Didn’t know it went I went through, and it felt damn good even though it was stinky.\u00a0 We hopped over the fire (was a lot lower than WD but we ARE under a burn ban now so it was cool they even had it) and finished up.\u00a0 Sadly, we weren’t very dirty, but we were VERY happy to be done.\u00a0 We finished in about 56 minutes, which was super slow, but preserving my body was absolutely first priority.<\/p>\n We waited in a HUGE line to get hosed off (one dude with a hose), enjoyed our post race beer (plus another), and hung out with our friends.\u00a0 We were going to wait around for awards because they might have had a chance at the age group awards, but it took longer than expected so we all just took off.<\/p>\n The drive back was nice and uneventful, and then Italian subs and champagne ensued.<\/p>\n The aftermath the next day?\u00a0 A hangover (but that wasn’t the race’s fault, heh), screaming quads, a sore wrist from bracing myself from a near fall after jumping over a wall, but NO feet bruises.\u00a0 So nothing is sore that I needed for today’s sprints, so that’s super happy!<\/p>\n I’d do this one next time.\u00a0 It has potential, I’d just like to see less people per wave (send them off every 15 mins maybe) or a course that isn’t so dang narrow, more mud, a better tech tee (it’s kinda lame, although men’s small fits ok now, so I know and don’t have this drawer full of pajama race shirts), and instead of having the band on the course that you saw once for 10 seconds, have the band at the post race party area.\u00a0 DJs just weren’t the same.\u00a0 However, I loved the cape, as frustrated as I was with the course while on it, I would just need to be prepared with better shoes, a better position for the start, and knowing what to expect.\u00a0 However, that being said, the next one in the area is the same weekend as Austin Warrior Dash.\u00a0 I would likely do the dash over this if I had to pick.<\/p>\n There may be a Hell Run coming to your area<\/a> – you can check it out here.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net\/hphotos-ak-snc6\/225747_10150178680839450_789139449_6586004_6429271_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net\/hphotos-ak-ash4\/222507_10150178681164450_789139449_6586005_6732150_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n