Lessons Learned from the Tough Mudder 2013


1.     It was actually fun!  I did not see that coming.  For the first mile or two I felt like I was going to cry (which is how I feel in most road races) because I was overwhelmed by how much was ahead of me.  But once I relaxed and was able to enjoy myself it was one of the most fun days I’ve ever had.
2.    You have to do it as a team.  I hadn’t met anyone on my team other than on facebook briefly.  Maybe I just lucked out with a really good team.  Most of them were police officers with a real hardcore team mentality (which I am trying incorporate into my workdays because it was so awesome). The comraderie was invaluable.  After every obstacle we all gathered counted off and started up again, we would walk a few minutes then someone would yell “slow jog” and we would start up again!  After every obstacle there were high fives and complements.  I can’t imagine doing it alone.
3.    Your spectator can see you throughout the race.  I was used to seeing Vin at the beginning and end of every race.  I saw him at at least 5 or 6 obstacles.  There was time and space to stop and chat.  This is good knowledge for the future – your spectator could carry snacks, water, a change of clothes, towel or any other item you think you might need.  I spend a lot of time planning what I was going to carry and went light but I would have worried a lot less if I would have realized I could have access to some of the things I thought I might need.
4.    Some of the obstacles were (too) hard.  My upper body strength, while greatly improved from training, was not where it needed to be.  I grabbed the first bar on the Funky Monkey and dropped.  I attempted the Berlin Walls but it soon became obvious that completing it would involve two of my teammates lifting me over and risking injury to themselves, not me completing the obstacle.
5.    The electricity was not that bad.  I contemplated skipping over the last obstacle based on my though that running  through electricity did not reflect your training (or maybe I was just rationalizing my fear).  By the end I was pumped up, it was a short run and was not a big deal.  The spectators and the cheering really get you through. 
6.    It doesn’t matter if you skip an obstacle.  Really.  See #4.  Granted I am still fretting over the Berlin Walls but that only motivates me to train harder and differently for  the next one.  And my pride isn’t worth injuring myself or someone else.
7.    Don’t plan on wearing your clothes again.  Mine still smell like a swamp.  Even after repeated washings.  But I just couldn’t get over my habit of buying a new outfit for a race.
8.    The right shoes help.  Running shoes absorb too much water and are too open around the ankles letting rocks in.  I wore Salaman Techamphibean 3’s and my feet felt great throughout the course.  Good traction.  Very light.  Mesh to let water through. 
9.    At age 46 you better make sure and train.  Some of my younger teammates joked that they hadn’t done too much training but still seemed to sail through it!  I chalk that up to age and gender.  If I had not trained as much as I did, I would not have been able to complete the course; it’s as simple as that.
10.    Training pays off in many ways.  I don’t really care too much about what I look like anymore but was amazed at how good I felt about my body at the end of training.  I lost 8  pounds and flattened my stomach out.  I was actually able to wear a swimsuit in public without wanting to die.  
11.    Playing in the mud is fun!!!  Really fun!!! 
12.    Conquering your fears is an amazing feeling.  I still cannot believe that I jumped off on the Walk the Plank.  Cannot. Believe. It.  Good thing my husband got it on tape.