Angela Norvitch is a running enthusiast who became a Twitter pal around the time of Grandma's Marathon -- which we both ran -- and the legendary #sharktrek of John Sharkman. We saw that she was going to do the Dirty Girl 5K mud run over the weekend. It seemed like a fun event, so we asked if she would do a guest post. She obliged, so here you go in both words and pictures:

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"I'd rather run a full marathon than ever put myself through that again." -- me, post-Warrior Dash 2011...

Fast forward almost exactly a year later, and after actually having run a marathon... here I am running a similar obstacle/mud/crazy-hill run; the female-only Dirty Girl mud run 5k.

After swearing off these obstacle races, my friend was looking for a few teammates to join her and somehow she twisted my arm. The main draw (or arm-twist for me) was the race supported breast cancer research. My sister, who also ran this race, as of this year is a 28-year-old breast cancer survivor. Needless to say, it's a cause near and dear to my heart. So, without really thinking too much I jumped back on that train. After all, it's a non-timed fun run, so it had to be much milder than Warrior Dash, right? Eh, kinda. Not by much. Just a little less up and down massive hills.

The race was held at the Welch Village ski area. Yup, more ski hill running ... not my idea of "fun". After a few logistical rules and a special honoring of breast cancer survivors, the race started each wave off running UP the ski hills. Ski hills covered in mud ... and extra-muddy from the previous night's monsoon, meaning extra tough. One wrong slip in that mud and you're down for the count.

Angela (third from right) and her peeps before the race

About 2 miles into the 3.1 mile race, I was quickly reminded that this race was indeed a female-only race when I passed a group of ladies walking and chatting about curtains they planned to hang. Totally made me smile to myself as I scaled another annoying hill, only because interior decorating is the last thing on my mind while running. But honestly, that made me appreciate how fun it is to see other women of all ages, lifestyles, and physical abilities challenging themselves, having fun, and supporting breast cancer research.

The course was set up with an obstacle after every massive, muddy hill. That in itself gave me time to catch my breath ... and not die. The obstacles, which were all optional, ranged from climbing over a wall of hay bales to crawling through numerous mud pits, and my favorite -- the cargo net. That's where I witnessed a girl having -- what I would classify as -- a mild panic attack at the top. I guess she forgot that there's only one way down once you've climbed to the top! Not to worry, with the help of her friends and others she did eventually make it down.

I had a blast in this race. Maybe because last year's obstacle race left me terrified of running one again? Maybe I just knew better what was coming my way this year, though. Either way, the race and the camaraderie reset my disposition to these types of races. After all, nothing is more fun than still finding mud in your toenails for a week after, right? Pedicure, please!