Had my butt kicked!

Well, just when I was starting to feel like I was getting in shape, I had my butt kicked at a Tough Mudder training class with a different instructor. My in-laws were visiting us for Presidents' day, so I had someone to watch my kids early in the morning, and decided to head to the 6:00 AM Tough Mudder training class.

The room was packed, and I saw 2 ladies from my Saturday morning class. I introduced myself to the instructor and he helped me put the weights on my bar (something I never worked with in my Saturday classes). I set up my step and the instructor told everyone to start moving and doing jumping jacks while we waited for the class to start.

I don't remember everything we did during the class, but I do remember that it started out with 100 bench presses with our legs raised up off the ground, then 50 side lunges, then 25 dips (I think that's what they were called). Then, he told us to do it all over again.

We also had to do lots of exercises around the perimeter of the gym, including a bear crawl on hands and feet around the entire perimeter. I also remember doing 50 lifts with the barbell, then a bunch of push ups with our hands on the steps and a bunch with our feet on the steps. I could barely keep up with this class, and everyone looked so fit!

This had to be the hardest hour of exercise in my life! But, I got through it and realized I need to start pushing harder. I wish I could go to those 6:00 AM classes more often. They are so challenging. But, my kids are still asleep at that time, and my husband leaves for work at 5:20 AM. So, it's pretty much impossible for me. I can pretty much guarantee that babysitters won't want to wake up early to watch my kids for me either, and even if they did, it would probably cost me a fortune.

I'm glad I went to that class though. Since then, I've been pushing myself much harder when I exercise and I know it's helped my along my journey in becoming a Tough Mudder.

Training

I've been training for almost 6 weeks now, and I feel myself getting stronger. I take a Tough Mudder training class at the Y every Saturday morning at 7:00 AM, and work with a personal trainer every Wednesday. Then, I do other things on my own, like running on the treadmill, push ups and other exercises. But, I know I really need to step up my activity soon - especially my running. Tough Mudder is in 2 1/2 months, so I still have some time to step things up.

I am making progress though. After my first Tough Mudder class, I could barely lift my arms to use a hair dryer after my shower and felt like I was going to pass out for the rest of the day. The 2nd class was more difficult, and although it was painful to lift my arms that day, it was easier. Now, although I feel a little sore after my classes, I don't feel like I'm going to pass out. Now, that's progress in my book! Eating a decent breakfast in the morning before training also helped a lot. I guess it is the most important meal of the day!

Enlisted!

I really wanted to register for Tough Mudder, but I wasn't sure if I could physically do it. I called the Y and talked to the person coordinating the team. She told me I should attend at least 3 Tough Mudder training classes a week to build up my strength for April. Unfortunately, only one of the classes actually fit into my schedule. So, I signed up for the one class, and decided to see how I did and then ask my instructor if s/he thought I'd be able to do the Tough Mudder.

Then, I called my friend Lynn, who had previously completed a mud run. I asked her if she thought I'd be able to train for it in 4 months. Up until this point, all I had been doing is using the treadmill 3-4 times a week. I hadn't done a push up or pull up since high school (20 years ago) and didn't really consider myself strong. She said it was possible, and that was all I needed to hear. I registered that day. I wasn't going to wait for an instructor to tell me if I could do it - I was going to tell the instructors that I was going to do it, and ask for advice along the way.

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."

- Henry Ford