It’s the morning after, and I’m not feeling too bad. I have a few scrapes and bruises and my triceps are a little sore but I made it through Rebel Race! It actually wan’t as bad as I thought it would be. The hardest part wasn’t the mud (because there was very little mud to be found!), it was the dust.
We started the race in a crowd of 50-75 people. It was impossible to run without stepping on the heels of the person in front of you. The Pine Barrens were so dry, the dust we kicked up was noxious. It felt like my nasal passage and lungs were coated in sand. We had to wait in line, as if we were at Disney for the first 3 and last 3 obstacles of the race.
The scariest part of the race was the last obstacle, the wall climb.
We waited in line a good 5 minutes for our turn up the 15ft. wall and it seemed like every other person up the wall froze on top. Once I got to the top I realized why! It’s not so scary on the way up, but once you’re there and have to hoist your legs over and climb down it seriously intimidating. Fear conquered! Running this race definitely built my confidence and made me realize I do have what it takes to make it through and I realized that it’s necessary to step up my game if I’m going to make it through Tough Mudder in October!
After the race we were thirsty and starving. Thirst was quenched by 2 bottles of smart water and a few beers. The hunger was a bit more of a challenge. Everywhere I turned people were noshing on smoked turkey legs. It was grossing me out and driving me crazy at the same time. We made our way to the food vendors in hopes of finding suitable (vegan) nourishment. Veggie burgers sold out. Corn on the cob dripping in butter and “fruit” smoothies made with sugared fruit syrups and energy drinks. I ate a bag of chips. Totally disappointment. And that’s where my fall from grace began.
Good vegan food is oftentimes hard to come by. After a 5k in the dust with scary obstacles I was driving myself crazy thinking about a juicy burger. Not a veggie burger. Not a turkey burger. A char-grilled beef burger. I caved and got one at the pub down the street from Tracy’s hotel.
I was riddled with guilt making the decision to order it. I was riddled with guilt when I took my first bite and I was riddled with guilt when I took my last bite. I ate 1/2 the burger. The taste was delicious. The physical and emotional effects of eating it were terrible. It’s a fight between the taste on my tongue and the feeling in my body. Even now, knowing how bloated and awful it made me feel, I am seduced still by the taste buds.
There are thousands of vegan athletes of every kind from body builders to marathon runners. They have no problem refueling after their workouts and races. I need to figure out how they do it, because I couldn’t even think straight. Every thought was consumed with animal protein.
If you have any ideas, lay them on me!
