Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder was in September.  It was definitely tough, but it was also lots of fun. Probably because I did it with a bunch of friends. Friends make a huge difference.

I'm not going to tell you everything about the experience because I really think it is something you have to do yourself. I'll give you some highlights though.

1. Just to get into the starting gate you have to go over a 10 foot wall. :/  Really TM?
2. The ice bath at the Gladiator Rock n' Roll run was worse than the Arctic Enema.  Just sayin'.  (Oh, I didn't tell you about that race either, did I?)
3. Spartan Sprint was more fun because the course is smaller meaning less time between obstacles.  We did lots of "running" at TM.
4. A person (not me) can put away a lot of beers in 10+ miles.
5. Electric shock is no joke. Context:  before the event my boss and I were talking about the electric shock obstacles.  There were two places on the course.  One where you belly crawled through water under the wires if you could manage to avoid them (you couldn't). And a second at the very end of the race where the wires hung down like a shower curtain and you have to run through them.  My boss says, "There is no way they can really hurt you.  It must be a very low voltage." I said, "Well, I don't know...you do have to sign a death waiver."
   
   Let me say again: Electric shock is no joke!  They HURT so much!  The first obstacle (the low crawl) wasn't horrible, it snapped and stung, but you were through it pretty quickly.  The last obstacle was awful.  I was hit several times.  One was so hard it knocked me to the ground and another lashed me right across my mouth!
6. Not all mud is created equal.  This event was held at a coal mine.  It was a special kind of muddy. A few days later I was cleaning out my ruck and marveling at the black water running off of it.  I was shocked at the amount...then I remembered the pools of black water we had to crawl through.
7. TM doesn't have the same accountability as Spartan Sprint.  At Spartan if you skip/miss an obstacle, its a penalty of 30 burpees.

All in all, TM was good times.  I was proud of myself and my team for what we accomplished...even if we were nearly the last team off the course.

I'm not the only one who got a shock across the face.

Run, KK, Run

I've taken on some challenges this year. 

Mostly they're all leading up to a single challenge.

I want to complete a GRC.

What is it?  Honestly, that's a really good question.  It's a team event, not a race.Eight to ten hours, fifteen to twenty miles, and offers to under promise, over deliver. You can learn more about it here.  Watch one of the videos. I'll wait.

Intense, right?

I want to be one of those smiling people at the end. Exhausted, but rewarded. There's something that drives me that is difficult to express. It demands I be one of those people.

So, how do you get ready for this event that offers sketchy details at best?

For me, I'm weight lifting three times per week, doing my darnedest to increase my stamina, and taking on some other challenges along the way.

May - Capital City Marathon: Nothing too big here...a little 5 mile race. I'll be happy to just finish.

June - Goldsborough Creek Run: 7 miles. Just hope to have a faster time than the CCM.

June - Spartan Sprint:  If you've never heard of a Spartan Race, check this out!  For this one, I just hope to come out alive.

September - Tough Mudder: Assuming the Spartan Sprint doesn't break me, bring on the mud! Tough Mudder is almost four times as long as the SS with many more obstacles. Wanna peek? Click here.

And finally...

December - GoRuck Challenge: The pinnacle event of the year!

You may have noticed some time gaps there. I'm hoping to fill July, August, October and November with a race or challenge of some kind. 

I'll keep y'all posted!