Around this time every where, I say pretty much the same thing: We’re at the end of the year already?!

Well, we are, and for me, this has been my muddiest year yet. Here’s my recap:

• In May, I completed my second Rugged Maniac. Maybe I have a soft spot for them because my first ever race was a Maniac, but it was an even better time this time around.
  
  

  Rugged Maniac selfie with two awesome young ladies who let me join them in the race.

  Not only did I have another dirty good time, but I met two awesome young ladies there. I also competed in my first ever stein-holding contest. I didn’t do well, but it didn’t matter. It was still awesome.
• Later, I made the decision to shoot for Tough Mudder. I began training in a way I hadn’t done before, and even rung in my birthday by running over 6 miles, the longest I’d run in a single stretch to date. Eventually, I put Tough Mudder on hold, but next year is a new year.
• In September, I did the Space Coast Mud Run in Melbourne, Florida.
  
  

  My older brother and I right before taking on the Space Coast Mud Run.

  This isn’t a national race at all; it was put on by Brevard County Parks & Recreation and the Home Builders & Contractors Association of Brevard, a local 501c(3) to raise money for a scholarship fund. More importantly for me, it was the first time I was able to drag a family member (my older brother) out to do a race with me. It was a blast having our parents, my sister-in-law (his wife) and my nephew rooting us on. And for a local race, they did a pretty good job. (Oh, in case you’re curious, yes, we ran the whole race with the ties on.)
• October presented my biggest challenge to date. Because of my choice to skip Tough Mudder this year, I had to find one big race to do before the year was out. That led to a last-minute decision to sign up for Savage Race. I signed up just two weeks before the race and managed to get through it in one piece. I’ve already written about Savage several times, so I won’t talk too much more here. (Instead, go read my review!)

So with 2015 winding down, what does 2016 have in store for me?

Well, it’ll actually start with my last race of 2015: the Insane Inflatable 5K. Not really a mud run, but it will certainly give a very different experience. In February, I plan on finally taking on the race that initially inspired my interest in OCR’s, the Warrior Dash. March holds round two of me versus the mighty Savage Race and my plan is to conquer it this time. April will bring my back once again to the Rugged Maniac, my very own rugged trifecta. Then, I hope to take on Tough Mudder and finally earn the orange headband that I’ve had my eye on since this summer.

So, 2015 has been one muddy year. But 2016…time to really get messy. Happy New Year to all! And may the mud be plentiful to you.