Essentially, Tough Mudder is an endurance race. It's about the length of a half marathon, but also features around 25 obstacles spread throughout the course. Some of the obstacles include rope walls, various baracades to overcome, tires to run through, cargo rope nets to climb across, monkey bars, mud to run through, heavy logs to carry for various distances, dumpsters filled with ice water to swim across, and electric shocks. (Yes, electric shocks.)
For most of you reading, the burning question now floating to the front of your mind is probably: Why? Why would you want to do this Allison? A basic race with obstacles I could understand, but why one clearly meant to torture you at some points?
The best answer I can offer at the moment is: I honestly don't know. For some reason, when I learned about this race just a few months ago I knew I had to do it. I didn't know why, but I knew that this was my new fitness goal. This is significant because I had JUST gotten the point where I could run 2 miles without gasping for air and falling over in pain.
I have never been especially athletic, but I have always wished to be so. At various points in my life I made strides toward general fitness- running, swimming, and some team sports- but I'd always hit a wall and rarely reached any sort of fitness goal before I'd give up. My biggest excuse had always been school. I would get too busy with school, get off of my workout schedule and never get back on.
When I graduated from my master's program last May with the intention of taking time off school to get myself back together, I decided to make the health and fitness goals I had always had a priority. I got involved in a cross-fit like fitness program at a local gym. At first, I really struggled with it. But I enjoyed it more than I ever had any other group fitness class. It was smaller by nature, and there was some accountability to it. Eventually, I found myself getting better at the class and feeling less like a beginner, especially as newer girls would join in. Maybe it was the fact that I was beginning to finally feel a bit athletic from this class that the challenge of the Tough Mudder appealed to me.
Another factor was probably my experience in the Rugged Maniac 5k mud run two years ago. I was nowhere near being in the kind of shape I should have been for it, but I still had a LOT of fun. I knew I wanted to do another one, but I wanted one that would push me to actually follow through with a training plan. (The distance alone in the Tough Mudder will be enough to do that for me. I still can not contemplate running for more than half an hour.)
So, I recently managed to talk a few other crazy people (including my husband) into doing the Tough Mudder with me this year. (I was at least smart enough to know that I could not do it on my own.)
I now have 145 days to prepare myself so that I will be able to complete the course without dying. That's not a joke by the way. According to recent events, that is a very real possibility:
http://blogs.findlaw.com/injured/2013/05/tough-mudder-death-is-1st-since-race-began.html
Once again, you probably are wanting to ask why. Is this worth risking your life over?
Well, no. And I have no intention to do so. Records indicate that (death-wise anyway) the TM is still safer than most other endurance events (including marathons). Also, I am not going in this alone, but with a team. We will look out for each other. We will not take unneccesary risks. We will come out bruised and tired but otherwise fine.
Also, and now I come to the point, I have this blog. It will be a place to post regularly about how my team and I are preparing for this race both physically and mentally. (And, given that I do have a degree in theology, I'm sure spiritual issues will also come into play.)
There is much more to write about as well as to do. I hope you will follow my journey here. I have already began training and will update soon!
~Allison (aka That Crazy Mudder Girl)
PS- It must not be forgotten that the Tough Mudder does not just exist to make a profit and attract crazy people like me with the promise of post-mudder bragging rights. They have raised nearly six million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project- an organization dedicated to helping wounded soldiers. If you are interested in supporting me in this crazy journey you can best do so by donating to this cause through the link: https://register.toughmudder.com/tm/#event/18022/page/donate/fundraiser/r10183117
The more money I raise for the real Warriors, the more it will motivate me to keep going both in training and in the actual event. Please consider supporting me by donating!!
Thank you.
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