The World’s Toughest Mudder

As spectators, Anamal and I watched part of the World’s Toughest Mudder on December 17, 2011.
I have to admit, this event was very impressive.  This is a 24 hour event where the participants have to complete the 8 mile, 42 obstacle courses as many times as they can.  Starting with nearly 1,000 participants, these mudders had to endure extreme cold and wet conditions, and overcome continuous physical and mental challenges to stay in the game.  Out of the 1,000 participants, only slightly more than 50 saw that 24 hour mark (according to official results posted by the Tough Mudder).

Barely half of the participants even finished one lap, and only 238 started their second.  I saw everything from people shivering so bad that no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t stop, to people in wet suits breezing through the course like it wasn’t even a challenge.

Driving down to Raceway Park, I was contemplating having the World’s Toughest Mudder be my next challenge, however, after walking around in the extreme cold temperatures for 4 hours (regardless of being bundled up and completely dry), I quickly changed my mind.  It takes a very tough and well prepared person to take on this challenge.

This is definitely extreme!

The coffins for those who don't survive....signing a death waiver for this event is no joke!

The Electric Eel....military crawl through muddy water, but don't lift your head too high, you'll get shocked by the electric wires overhead.

The Tough Mudder in Retrospect

To be honest, I expected the Tough Mudder to be harder.  Don’t get me wrong, it was probably one of the most challenging events out there, but from looking at the event details, reviews, and videos, I expected it to be nearly impossible.

At no point during the Tough Mudder did I feel extreme exhaustion or fatigued, which is what we expected when we were training  At the end of our workouts, we hit the point of ultimate fatigue where we couldn’t do another single thing.  At no single point in the race did I feel this same exhaustion.  As we crossed the finish line of the Tough Mudder I felt that I had more go in me.
Anamal and I are heading to the World's Toughest Mudder as spectators, maybe that will be the type of event I strive for as my next challenge….

Most Rewarding part of the Tough Mudder…
…was running along side a group of wounded warriors.  I instantly felt a sense of pride running along side of them.  It amazed me and motivated me to be all that I can be and to push myself to do anything I can do.  Not only were these warriors wounded, but they were young men who ran with confidence and a passion for life.  To this day I still get chills thinking about how these men risked their lives and will always be broken; however, despite their loss, they won’t let anything limit them.

Nov. 12, 2011: Tri-State Tough Mudder: completed in under 3 hours...though time is not a contingency

Tough Mudder Training in Review

Once I heard about this incredible event, which “aim(s) to replace Ironman as the preeminent brand in endurance sports”, I had to sign up. And of course, according to Fact #3  (“You cannot complete a Tough Mudder course alone”), I recruited my side-kick, Anamal, to join in on many peoples’ torturous definition of fun.

Now our next challenge wasn’t to “hit the ground running”, but was to figure out, how EXACTLY does one train for the Tough Mudder.  Well, we found that answer out quite quickly, cause there is no one method of training.  We had to explore all avenues, from running long distance, to working on short bursts of energy, to exhausting all forms of muscular strength, while still having the mental drive to keep going.

In order to prepare for the chill factor of both the mental and physical challenge of plunging into extreme conditions, Anamal and I created a trail run filled with random natural and man-made obstacles that we ran one week prior to the Tough Mudder.  At the completion of this 3 hour run, we plunged into the Musconetcong River, which was 42 degrees on that brisk day in November.  After emerging from the river, we realized that we were in no way prepared to face the extreme mental challenge that lay before us the following week.  The only way to conquer every aspect of this event would be to dive in head first and have no regrets.  


Weekly Training Schedule - in no particular order:
-long runs (Saturdays) that range from 8-11 miles
-Insanity
-Sparticus Circuit Training (from Men’s Health)
-Tough Mudder workout
-other cardio (Dance, bike, elliptical)

Race specs:  12 mile race with 32 obstacles

Nov. 12, 2011: Tri-State Tough Mudder: completed in under 3 hours...though time is not a contingency

Half Marathon Training in Review

I definitely think I trained correctly for my first half marathon.  My goal was to run at least a 10 minute mile and to finish the half marathon in 2:11, and would be extremely happy if I finished in 2 hours.  To my surprise, I finished the half marathon in 1:55 without even trying to maintain speed or break a certain time goal.

I started training 10 weeks prior to the half marathon with starting to taper off my training 2 weeks prior to the race.  I changed my diet from eating a good portion of protein and few carbs to eating primarily carbs and barely any protein.  This is very important in providing endurance energy for your body burns calories by utilizing carbs, proteins, and then fats.  With little to no carbs in your diet, you are primarily burning muscle which leads to low energy, greater muscle soreness, and overall greater fatigue.  Though I didn’t log my diet, or really pay attention to what and when exactly I ate, my diet consisted mostly of whole grain cereal, sandwiches, and pasta.  As I wasn’t trying to lose any weight during this training, I found a lot of joy indulging in many sweets which I tend to stay away from in the off season.

Seeing as I finished my first half marathon in an unexpected time, I would like to train for another half marathon and work on increasing my speed.  As to when I would like to complete this challenge, I haven’t put too much thought into it.  At the moment there are many other new challenges I would like to take on first.

10 Week Training Schedule:

Week 1:

Mon- Rest; Tue- 3.5 mi; Wed- Circuit Training; Thur- 3 mi; Fri- Rest; Sat- 6 mi; Sun- 3 mi EZ

Week 2:

Mon- Rest; Tue- 3.5 mi; Wed- Circuit Training; Thur- 4 mi; Fri- Rest; Sat- 7 mi; Sun- 3 mi EZ

Week 3:

Mon- Rest; Tue- 4 mi; Wed- Circuit Training; Thur- 3 mi; Fri- Rest; Sat- 8 mi; Sun- 3.5 mi EZ

Week 4:

Mon- Rest; Tue- 4 mi; Wed- Circuit Training; Thur- 4 mi; Fri- Rest; Sat- 9 mi; Sun- 3.5 mi EZ

Week 5:

Mon- Circuit Training; Tue- 4 mi; Wed- Rest; Thur- 10 mi; Fri- 3.5 EZ; Sat- 4 mi; Sun- Rest

Week 6:

Mon- Circuit Training; Tue- 3 mi; Wed- Rest; Thur- 8 mi; Fri- 4 EZ; Sat- 4.5 mi; Sun- Rest

Week 7:

Mon- Circuit Training; Tue- 4 mi; Wed- Rest; Thur- 10 mi; Fri- 3 EZ; Sat- 5 mi; Sun- Rest

Week 8:

Mon- Circuit Training; Tue- 3 mi; Wed- Rest; Thur- 12 mi; Fri- 3 EZ; Sat- 4.5 mi; Sun- Rest

Week 9:

Mon- 3 mi; Tue- Rest; Wed- 4 mi; Thur- Circuit Training; Fri- 3 mi; Sat- Rest; Sun- 5 mi

Week 10:

Mon- 2.5 mi; Tue- Rest; Wed- 3 mi; Thur- 30 min; Fri- Rest; Sat- 20 min; Sun- RACE DAY!

Event:

Sept. 11, 2011: Lehigh Valley Half Marathon