Tough Mudder Finisher

I can now say I am an official Tough Mudder finisher! I've been wearing the Tough Mudder shirts while training, but didn't feel like I'd really earned the right to wear them. Sometimes, people would ask me if I did the Tough Mudder when I was wearing one of the shirts, and I'd have to tell them I was training for it. Now, I can say I did it!

This was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life (right up there with jumping out of a plane when I went skydiving back in my 20's). But, while I have no desire to ever jump out of a plan again, I'd love to do a Tough Mudder again!

Don't get me wrong, I loved the experience I had when I went skydiving, but this was completely different. I had to study a book and take an 8 hour class before I was certified to jump out of a plane by myself. But, my preparation for Tough Mudder required hours of training, and the accomplishment of crossing that finish line was so much more rewarding.

When I first saw the videos of Tough Mudder playing in the fitness center at the Y, I thought: Wow, that looks so cool...I wish I could do that! After talking to my friend Lynn, who did a mud run last summer, I changed my thought process to: This is my goal...I just need some guidance on how to achieve it. But, I WILL achieve it! Thank you for inspiring me, Lynn!

I've never been much of an athlete. I didn't make the softball team in high school, and I was on the basketball team my freshman year, but really only played during the last minute of the game when the coach was certain that I couldn't mess up the lead, or when he was certain we had no chance to catch up to the other team. I spent most of my time at the games filling up water cups for the starting players and handing them out during time outs. I also could barely run a mile in gym class. I was so out of breath by the end, and I would always blame it on my asthma.

After my first Tough Mudder training class at the Y, I could barely lift my arms over my head to wash my hair in the shower or dry my hair, I had trouble walking down the stairs, because my legs were so sore, and I seriously felt like passing out for the rest of the day. I kept going to the classes though, and I also started working with the most awesome personal trainer in the world - Marsha Hughes.

Little by little, the classes started getting easier for me. I knew the classes were actually getting tougher, but I was getting stronger and wasn't in so much pain afterwards. I went from barely being able to do a push up the regular way (not on my knees) in Mike Sobczak's Saturday morning class back in January to doing 350 regular push ups on the Monday before Tough Mudder.

I started this journey not because I felt like I needed to lose weight, or get in shape. It was because I wanted to prove that I was tough, like those people in the Tough Mudder videos at the Y. I wanted to prove it to myself, and to the people who told me they didn't think I could do it when I started talking about it.

This Tough Mudder challenge made me realize one very important thing...Being an athlete is a choice, and not something that just comes naturally. Of course, there are people who have natural talent, but even the superstars have to make a choice to train for their sport and do what it takes to be successful.

You can't just show up for practice and games (or the mile at gym class) without doing anything else, and expect to be good at it. It takes more than that to be a true athlete. You need to do more than you think you can and push yourself harder than you've ever pushed before. Sometimes, it takes another person like a trainer, an instructor, or even a friend to keep you going. Sometimes, you can do it on your own and just keep pushing yourself, even when your body and your mind are telling you to stop.

I've always been a "glass is half full" kind of person, but this experience just solidified that mentality for me. I'm doing the Broad Street Run next weekend, and I just registered for my first half marathon in September. I am also quite certain that a marathon is in my future. If I can run through fire, jump into icy water and swim out when I can't even breathe, make it over a massive wall and get electrocuted at least 8 times, why can't I do that too?

There might be some things I won't do, but there is NOTHING I can't do. I believe there is a path that leads to the achievement of every goal...You just need to follow the path, stay focused and believe in yourself.

Thank you to the Central Bucks Family YMCA for helping me to realize this amazing goal!

Amazed

Tonight at Tough Mudder training, I did:

• 80 sliding push ups
• 200 squats with a barbell on my shoulders
• 60 burpees with knee jumps in between
• 30 sit ups
• 50 Russian twists
• Army crawls across the studio 8 times
• Lunges with a barbell across the studio 8 times
• Crab crawls across the studio 4 times
• Bear crawls across the studio 4 times

...plus some more stuff that I can't remember. And, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill this morning.

This is absolutely crazy to me, especially since before the past 3 months, I literally haven't exercized at all (except for walking) in the past 17 years. It just goes to show you can achieve almost anything if you want it badly enough and work hard enough.

My Adventure Around Lake Galena - Tough Mudder Training At Its Finest!

Tough Mudder is exactly 1 month away, and I really want to step up my running. I finished my first 5K over the weekend, but the furthest I had ever run was 4.5 miles, and that was on the treadmill! I've been to Lake Galena before with the kids and read that there was a running path around the entire lake (5.75 miles). I thought today would be the perfect day to take the step to run just a little further than usual. Little did I know that I'd also be training for The Tough Mudder!

I started out running on a path that winded pretty tightly around the lake and it was absolutely gorgeous. I had Bon Jovi's greatest hits playing on my iPhone and I really enjoyed passing by other runners and walkers who either said hello, waved, or nodded at me as I passed. It made me feel like I wasn't alone, even when I was running by myself.

At some point along the way, I lost the running path. I was following the path and it ended up in a parking lot. I didn't see where it started up again, so I headed back down the way I came and decided to head towards what looked like a slightly overgrown trail. I followed it for a bit, but had to climb over fallen trees and make my way through sticker bushes, and then the trail just completely stopped. So, I just made my way towards the lake and started running alongside of it.

I was definitely not on any kind of path, and found myself running through lots of rocks and mud. TONS of mud. There were times when I had to go through mud that was deeper than my ankles, because there were trees and overgrown bushes all around the lake and nowhere else for me to go! Other runners might have gotten upset by this, but I was actually kind of excited. I felt like I was in real world training for the Tough Mudder.

Prior to this, my training had been in the gym or outside of the gym. My Saturday training class was held outside one morning in the drizzle and mud, but I soon realized that did not prepare me for walking in the sludge I was facing!

There was also some psychedelic sludge, which scared me a bit. I'm guessing it was mixed with motor oil from the boats that are on the lake in the summer? I saw animal footprints in the mud too. I was hoping they were from dogs.

My initial goal was to run the entire 5.75 miles around Lake Galena without ever slowing down to a walk. But, at some points, I needed to walk in the woods, or my legs would have been scraped up from all of the sticker bushes. I also had to stop running when I was in the very deep mud, because I think I would have run right out of my shoes! Note to self: Tie your shoes very tightly for The Tough Mudder.

One thing that helped me get through the really thick mud was to walk on my tippy toes. I think it was something about the angle of my feet that helped me keep moving without feeling like my shoes were being pulled off my feet!

Finally, I saw a little bridge and decided it was time for me to find my way back to the running path. I saw some footprints heading back into the woods, and decided that might be the way to go. So, I made my way through the the overgrown brush and finally found the path that went over the bridge. This path did not wind tightly around Lake Galena. It went up a steep incline and I was high in the hills above the lake, looking down at it. At some points, I couldn't even see the lake.

Now, I was running on a path with a ton of mud soaked through and on top of my sneakers and ankles. It felt like I had 5 pound weights strapped to my ankles and I was going up a very steep hill too. I came upon a little clearing and saw an animal carcass. I literally screamed out in fright when I saw that. I stopped for a moment to take a picture and then kept running!

The one negative to being back on the running path was all of those park benches on the side. They all seemed to be calling my name, but I pressed on. I rounded a corner and saw a parking lot and really thought it was the one where I parked my car. I actually screamed: "YES!" because I thought I was reaching my finish line. I got a little closer and realized it wasn't the right lot, and kept on going.

I heard "Wanted, Dead or Alive" playing on my iPhone and kept telling myself I needed to pretend an animal was chasing me and I had to keep running, or I'd end up like that carcass! Even though I did slow down during the really rocky, woodsy and muddy parts, I did run the entire time I was actually on the trail.

I rounded another corner and saw the little fishing dock that my kids like to walk out on when they're throwing rocks, and I knew I was close to the end. I threw my hands in the air as I maded it to the dock and was so proud that I made it the entire way. I checked my iPhone's pedometer and it said I went 6.1 miles in 1 hour and 2 minutes, which I thought was fabulous!

My shoes were so muddy after I finished, that I decided to drive home barefoot!

I also took a picture of myself next to the lake to celebrate finishing my first non-official "mud run." It didn't come out that great, but as they say: If you still look cute after you work out, you haven't worked out hard enough!

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