I am Awesome Ange.....: I am Warrior Ange

Warrior Ange reporting for duty...... I registered for Warrior Dash a couple of months ago not really thinking to much about it... Until yesterday morning when it was the DAY of Warrior Dash.

Me so very Proud of myself..

I was very very nervous, everyone else who was participating were cool calm and collected about it and so was I on the outside, but on the inside my mind was telling me ALL the reasons that I couldnt do this, my weight will hold me back,I wont be able to keep up, someone at 115kg doing obstacles, I must be OUT OF MY MIND!!!! A friend of mine who was doing it with me (He will be known as PT throughout my blog) texted me the morning of - Warriors report for duty.. I was so nervous, I replied, lets gets ready to rumble my fingers were shaking typing it...
We met and drove up together, I was so nervous the whole way, the close I got the more nervous I became, we got there and as we walked up to register I saw one of the obstacles, it was huge, high cargo nets off the ground, I started to get even more nervous.....

The Last Three (3) Obstacles... Including the Big Cargo Tower Net Climb..

We grabbed out numbers, timing chips and packs and PT said lets line up for the 11.30 wave, I noticed that everyone else had timing chips but me I was going to do the race without it but I really wanted to know my time and to PROVE that I did do it, even though PT was running with me (we would have the same time) I wanted my name to be beside it... So we ran back to the register tent, got a new number and tag and ran back to the start line and BANG we were off... I looked up and it was 10000km of hills, ok slight exaggeration but that is what it felt like, I ran for as far as I could and then had to walk it took it out of me straight up and guess what happened, all those you cant do this negative talk came back, my breathing got whack, I was taking short sharp breaths, I was not even 500m in and I was struggling, what am I doing?? PT talked me out of my frenzy and we made it to the first obstacle, which was jumping over fences and under barbed wire fences, PT had to help me over, it was a struggle I was fine going under but the fences were up to my chest, I'm short so lifting myself over was a challenge, but everyone I tried... we got through it and continued running, up hills more hills and then some more hills, then started going down a hill a slippery one - this is where I kind of forget what obstacles I did so I will just tell you the ones I remember.. There was a plank walk which I was fine walking up but coming down I had to go down backwards and on my knees, but I did it, it doesn't matter how you do something as long as you do it.. A lady beside me tried to run down it slipped and fell, I'm glad that I took my time as she will be hurting today... We continued on to the cargo net crawl, this one I did really well,we had to climb up the cargo net and then about 7 metres across the top and down, I used my arms and legs to climb across, some people knelt and did it but I stood and it was great.. Jumped off PT high 5'd me and we continued on.. We ran up hill and then got to run down the other side, ok when I say run I mean slowly walk or slide.. ha ha... We arrived at the rope wall climb, I tried three times, but I could not lift myself up, I would get up the first one but trying to pull myself up with the rope and a wet wall and wet shoes, its no excuse, this was just one obstacle I couldn't do, PT was great he supported me and told me to keep going.. He was happy to walk with me as long as I didn't stop, there was plenty of times when I wanted to stop but he was right behind me pushing me up, sometimes with words other times with his hand.. He was the support that I needed to get to the top.. We kept going and came to the barbed wire crawl, this was great nice soft mud but with barbed wire above, we made it through quite quickly and the photo man was just on the other side ha ha so those photos will be hilarious.. ;D
I was feeling really great grabbed some water and kept running, this was fantastic Im half way through yes Im hurting but Im doing GREAT!!! we kept running sliding walking talking then came to the straight drop wall climb, this is a wall with a 'kind of' ladder up onside, I climbed up ok got to the top and paniced, how do I get down the wall is flat and goes straight down, Im sitting up the top looking down at PT and Im freaking out, everyones just sliding down it I mean EVERYONE... I was sitting up there thinking how am I going to do this.. PT said ok so you just have to slowly ease down, come over to this side, still holding on, let one leg go and slowly slide down, well as soon as I let one leg go my whole body let go and I fell, it was the most scariest part of the day, it really freaked me out a shooting pain went up my leg and I freaked out, I started crying but continued on, PT was great, he talked me through it and I did it, not gracefully or the correct way but I did it.. We walked for a bit as the next hill was pretty much STRAIGHT up and it was muddy and slidey and people were falling down the whole way up it... so I dug my feet it and just took it one step at a time, it was so slippery and even so often I felt PT steady me and we kept going, we made it to the top and I was so happy, Im doing this, Im not giving and I am SO FAR OUT OF MY COMFORT zone right now I cant believe it.. We slowly (ok sometimes not so slowly) slid down the hill, as I found out later there were alot of rocks, sticks etc which tore a hole in my pants. haha..

The hole in my pants..

We kept going and made our way to the mud trenches, we crawled through mud tunnels and a whole lot of mud and reached the arachnophobia obstacle, it was ropes wrapped around trees which again PT helped me through.. I was getting fatigued and my body was hurting from my wall fall... We got to the next barbed wire crawl, this time it wasn't soft, it was sticks and rocks, and tree roots and barbed wire, I got a cramp half way through it in my leg and stood up straight into barbed wire, a friendly warrior helped me unbarb wire myself, I stretched and got back on my knees and kept crawling...
As we ran up the last hill ok walked very short steps up the slippery hill I could see the end, I could also see the big cargo net tower that I sore when we arrived, I freaked out I was sore I was tired, I said I couldn't do this, PT said lets see how you feel when we get there,my head was saying no just walk around this one, but a little voice way up the back was telling me to give it a go, I got there and PT went up and waited at the top, I ummmed and arrred for about 3 mins (which felt like 60) I heard the little voice again YOU CAN DO THIS.. So I put my leg up and pulled myself up onto the net, I surprised myself how quickly I made it to the top, I got over PT was there and we climbed down together, when I jumped onto the ground I was so happy and proud of myself, I did it, I did the big scary cargo net tower... I gave PT a massive hug and we started running to the Mud Slide, we ran into the muddy water and then up the muddy hill then down a steep slide into more muddy water, again where the camera man was, hahaha.. Got out of there and PT said we are going to run to the end, so we did, we ran, we got to the start of the mud river and ran through it, we swam under the barbed wire and got out at the end, the lady in front of me sprayed me with mud water and thats when my photo got taken haha.. Awesome timing... Got up and ran towards the end got a Photo with PT and we ran across together, it was amazing... I felt like the little voice in my head/heart had won, it was small but such a powerful voice.. I did it..

If it wasnt for the support of PT I dont know how far I would have made it, he was inspirational for me, he kept me going, he picked me up when I fell both physically and emotionally, he doesnt know this but I will be forever indebted for his help with this, yes I did it I pushed my body, but he pushed my mind and shut up the negative talk... Thankyou so much PT you are great friend and I really appreciate all of your support on Warrior Day, you are this Warriors hero....

Warrior Dash - Ange the Warrior...


Just in case you didnt see it - I survived Warrior Dash 2012..


My war wounds - Swollen and Bruised knees..

After finishing the race, we got our free beer and handed in our timing chips, had a communal shower by a massive water truck

grabbed our bags, took some photos then headed back to the car, got changed and then headed home.. I have never been so proud of myself, I look back and think 2011 Ange would not have done this... I am rocking right now, I am the best Ange I can be... Because I am believing that I can do anything.. And after surviving Warrior Dash, you know what I think I can.....