10 Questions Answered in Mid-Atlantic (Only 6ish Were Actually Answered)

The Mid-Atlantic Mudder has come and gone but answers to the questions remain.  Prior to each Mudder we begin a series of 10 questions that we would like to be able to answer after the event.  Some of these questions involve the team while others will be directed at particular team members.  Not all of our questions were answered due to various reasons.  Each question is linked to take you back to the original post.

10.  How will the rugged mountain terrain impact the quest to complete the challenge on both Saturday and Sunday?

We were able to complete both days but our course times slowed down dramatically.  Read bruised and humbled for more information about the course.


9.  Will we ever get used to the shock obstacles within the course?

That answer is a resounding no.  We did escape the Electric Eel with minimum damage but Electroshock Therapy put us all down once again.  It was even the subject of two posts by Patrick because he was actually knocked out!  DC and I managed to beat the standing 8 count but it still took us to the ground.

8.  How will the self-proclaimed yoga master perform on the balance obstacles?

The yoga master did not have an opportunity to tackle Twinkletoes or attempt a crane flip off of Walk the Plank.  He did impress people with his yoga warm-ups.

7.  A familiar face returns to "Our Year in the Mud" for his second Tough Mudder.  How will he fare the second time around?

The familiar face was unable to travel at the last minute due to sickness.  It is unfortunate because he would have been able to exact revenge on the dreaded hay bales.

6.  Will anybody receive a warning from course officials?

I believe the hills took away some of the creativity on the course that leads to warnings.  Flips were once again okay and I managed to pull off a flawless front flip.  We received no warnings from course officials on either day.

5.  Will this be the race that DC and I catch the Gazelle?

We'll let the footage speak for itself...

4.  Will this be the race that DC conquers the dreaded rings?

DC don't not fall into the water on the rings in West Virginia.  In fact, nobody all day fell into the water on the rings.  That's because there were no rings this time.  We'll revisit this obstacle in Virginia Beach.  It gives him time to replace the bulb on the easy bake oven and start constructing his homemade rings.

3.  Will this be the race that we find our elusive fourth team member?

We did not find the elusive fourth member but we did meet and befriend Sandy.  Sandy helped us with our laundromat struggles and provided wise council on body parts, duct tape, and more.  I'm quite sure that DC will end up writing a post befitting of the one and only Sandy.

2. Can we as a team stay true to the pledge that brought us to Tough Mudder in the beginning?

Patrick touches on this subject in his most recent post "How Important is Having Fun?".  I have a tough time for the first 3 or so miles during Tough Mudder. After that point I tend to relax and have a great deal of fun.  This was true on both days at the Mid-Atlantic event.  I'm glad that I'm not doing the Warrior Dash because I wouldn't start having fun until I finished since it is only a 3 mile race.  I'm going to work on enjoying the first portion of the event because the final 2/3 is always a blast.  It helps when you run with a guy who sings his own version of songs along the Tough Mudder course.

1. Will this be the race that Our Year in the Mud finally takes on the course in the rain?

There was no rain (unlike the entire ride up) but there was plenty of wind to go with the cold water. 

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Bruised and Humbled

There are many points in a leader's life when everything seems to be moving along perfectly.  You are making the right decisions, getting the right results, and feeling unstoppable.  This can be a very slippery slope for a leader because it is at these moments where you become complacent and take things for granted.  This is a lesson we learned during our recent trip west of the Virginia border.

This year in the mud has been quite successful during the first few months.  We ran our first back to back Mudder and qualified for the World's Toughest Mudder on our first race.  Our injuries were minor and training seemed to be going well.  DC had even posted on two consecutive days.  In our estimation everything was going about as well as it could until....The Mid-Atlantic Mudder.

In the video you hear the target time of 2 hours or 2 hours and 15 minutes.  We ran Miami in 2 1/2 hours on the second day.  We knew we could run faster in West Virginia.  We couldn't have been more wrong as we came in around 3 hours on day 1.

Mid-Atlantic was humbling for a number of reasons.  The first had to do with the terrain of the course.  It was our first real up and down course since Wintergreen.  I had numerous flashbacks on the course and ended up walking some of the uphill terrain.  This was the first time since Wintergreen that I had to walk at all.  I am in the best shape of my life and the course reduced me to walking within the first couple of miles.

• Had I gotten complacent and overconfident?
• Had I not trained hard enough?
• Had I reached the peak of what I could accomplish?

These questions and more kept racing through my head on day 1 as I meandered through the course.  I also had multiple failures at the Everest obstacle and even fell almost immediately after attempting Funky Monkey.  What in the world was going on?  I scaled Everest on the first attempt both times in Miami without assistance.  We all dominated Funky Monkey both days in Miami.  That's what keeps this journey fresh for me.  Each course is different and even obstacles that you perform easily on one course become a nightmare on another course.  Everest in West Virginia was placed in such a way that you were running uphill.  Funky Monkey was placed after Everest  for the first time ever so fatigue was an issue.  In addition to fatigue, every single rung on the monkey bars would spin instead of being fixed.  While things were the same they were also very different.

This is also the case with leadership.  You cannot approach every situation or every person you encounter with the same approach.  Effective leaders possess a high degree of situational awareness.  They see the changes in the environment around them and adjust accordingly.  This type of awareness is what separates good leaders from great ones.  It is also likely separates weekend mudders from the world's toughest.  That and an extremely high tolerance for pain and cold are also beneficial.  

We completed the course on both days which was a big accomplishment considering the difficulty of the terrain.  The wounds are still fresh and the ego is certainly bruised.  The work hard/be humble approach is taking root and the training program is being launched.  We will be back on the course in Virginia Beach where the plan is to do two laps on Saturday and one on Sunday.  This is another level of insanity ....even for us.    I believe the humbling experience in West Virginia will propel us towards success in Virginia Beach and beyond.

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How Important is Having Fun?

This is just going to be a quick post, but I wanted to put up something about a thought I've been having lately.  One of the main things I've come to realize from this adventure is that I'm having a huge amount of fun.  That may not be the case for Danny or Brian, but I can honestly say that I'm having a blast...and not just with the events themselves.  Running in a Tough Mudder isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, but they can have moments of humor and lightness. Likewise, each day's workout can't really be thought of as fun, but the overall journey has been a really fun process.  But, if I'm honest, the main reason for me having so much fun is because of Danny and Brian.  Those are two funny, funny dudes - and they keep me laughing whenever we're together. 

I think that's a key element of success: having fun.  I know that each of us is passionate about different things, but the one thing that ties our passions together is the fact that we have fun doing them.  But is "fun" necessary or is it a byproduct?  This is important for education, in particular, because there is a huge argument about whether it's appropriate for us to use educational resources that seem to be focused on having fun (for example, ask a teacher what they think about "games" in their classrooms and you'll get a huge variety of thoughts).  If "fun" is necessary to build passion, then it's absolutely essential that we us things like games in schools, but if "fun" is a byproduct of our passions, then it wouldn't make a difference to use games (except for people who are already passionate about games, that is).  I don't pretend to have the answer, but it is a thought worth exploring.

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A Collection Reflection

We are back from the Mid-Atlantic Mudder and you have already seen on this blog that one of us was knocked out.  The lessons we learned during this past weekend will undoubtedly fuel many future posts.  I was unpacking and putting my 2 new headbands up when I realized how much the stack had grown.  I decided to lay them out and take the picture below.

The discolored headband was worn during lap 2 of the Carolina Mudder.

The three of us have gone through a lot individually and collectively over the course of these 8 headbands.  We survived the initial shock of a Tough Mudder, got in the best shape of our lives, and dramatically altered the course of the world (possible slight exaggeration on the last one but you never know....)  We are only four months into the year so this journey is far from over.  We have big plans for the Virginia Beach Mudder and the stack of headbands will continue to grow.  We will also own more Tough Mudder t-shirts than we will ever be able to wear.

I didn't realize I was starting a collection when I said yes to the Wintergreen Mudder.  Upon reflection, the most amazing things I've ever done in life all started with a similar yes to a challenge that both scared and excited me.  More challenges await and we have many more miles in the mud ahead.  Thank you for reading and being a part of our journey!

P.S. By my calculations we have each completed 15 shocking obstacles.  Although this is radical behavior modification I do think I am starting to see improvements in both DC and Patrick!!!!!!!!!

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What to Learn from Getting Knocked-Out?

The most memorable part (and I say this with all kinds of irony intended) of the two laps at Mid-Atlantic this past weekend was getting knocked for a loop on Electroshock Therapy on Saturday.  I'd heard stories about people who got knocked unconscious from a shock, but I figured that was hyperbole and that they just got knocked down.  Well, I can tell you, there's no hyperbole involved.  I was legitimately out of it for a second.

Since Miami was so intense, I knew that I wasn't going to simply go charging in and hope for the best.  Rather, I decided to stand at the starting point and watch a few other people as they went through.  I figured this would help me gauge how bad the shocks were.  If no one else was falling, then I thought it wouldn't be too bad.  There was a guy standing next to me looking very skittish about going through, and after I had watched about a half-dozen people make it through with no real problems, I turned to him and said something like "It's okay...it doesn't look too bad today" and went in.  The next thing I remember is opening my eyes, wondering where I was for a second, and realizing I was on my hands and knees about 2/3 the way through.  I tried to get up, but got shocked again, so I stayed down and crawled my way out.

If you haven't had this kind of thing happen to you, the best way I could describe it is to think of any movie or TV show you've ever seen where a robot has to be shut down and then restarted at some point.  In some cases, the restart will be shown through the eyes of the robot, and you'll get a chance to see the eyes open, everything come into focus, and then the robot comes back online.  Sometimes you'll even see a data scroll, like the Window's start up screen. The same thing happened to me.  I remember opening my eyes, and for a split second not knowing how I got there.  Perhaps it's because I'm a technologist, but the best way to describe it is as if my mind had been "reset" for a second, and I had to power-up.  It wasn't nearly as scary as you might think - particularly since I quickly realized that I still had other things to worry about at that point (namely, I had to get out of those damn wires).  This, of course, became fodder for lots of humor throughout the weekend, and I have absolutely no doubt that Danny and Brian will chime in with their well-placed two cents on the topic at some point (more than likely, this will become a running gag).

I started thinking about what kinds of lessons could be learned from this experience for educational practices (I know, it seems unlikely, but with enough time to reflect connections can be made).  I realized that some of our current school practices would benefit from this kind of hard-reset. It would be a great way to clear out some of the institutional inertia that takes place in educational settings.  Powering down and then restarting the system might be just the time to re-examine all of those places where things are "done that way because that's they way they've always been done."  We might be scared of the shock that causes the restart, but I would guess that the benefits would outweigh the costs.  If it's anything like my experience, I would guess that the really important things would come into focus most quickly.  After all, when I got reset I was much more interested in getting out of those wires than in how cold my beer was going to be at the finish line.

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Knocked Out - A Little Bit

We've just settled in for the night after running the Saturday Mid-Atlantic Tough Mudder, and I thought I would provide a quick rundown of what happened.

1. It was a very cold course.  The water obstacles were bad enough, but the wind just made it that much worse.  At the end of our run, we all had the shivers and couldn't really get them stopped until we'd changed clothes and gotten back into the bus heading back to the parking area (or maybe that was just me)
2. The hills were pretty tough. Not as bad as Wintergreen 2011, but pretty bad nonetheless.  In my estimation, this was the second hardest course that we've run.  There was a lot of up the hill and down the hill.  The only thing that was missing was the Black Diamond ski slope that was used as the Death March.
3. We didn't see the course map until we were on the bus heading into the course, and even then it was only because the people we were sitting next to were spectators, and the map was available for them.  We were slightly disappointed that there seemed to be few new obstacles.  Little did we know that the obstacles that were there were going to be very difficult.
4. The Mud Mile obstacle was absolutely the best one we've had so far.  The gaps were far enough apart that you couldn't just hop from one to the next.  Add in the fact that the ridges had almost no foot or handholds.  None of us would have been able to make it through without a good deal of help from others.  It was the most collegial, cooperative event that I can remember.
5. The big news is that the electrical elements were as bad as we've ever seen.  The Electroshock Therapy was a beast.  I had been knocked down a couple times in Miami, but I actually had my brain scrambled a little bit this time.  I must have gotten shocked, but I don't really remember.  I remember opening my eyes about halfway through and wondering where I was for a split second.  I tried to get up, but got shocked right back down.  I eventually had to crawl my way out.  All I can say is that it's lucky that no one was taking pictures.
6. We all feel pretty good now.  A nice shower to get the mud off, a quick jump in the hot-tub at our hotel, and then a nice meal at a local steak restaurant, and we all feel 100% better.  Tomorrow's run should be tough, but not so much that it's frightening (although, I think I might be a little shy about Electroshock Therapy).

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Rainiest Mudder Ever: T-Minus 1 Day

1.  Will this be the race that Our Year in the Mud finally takes on the course in the rain?

This is a picture of a good portion of the drive to our hotel.  We have yet to run a rainy mudder so far during this journey.  We have run the coldest mudder ever which was oddly enough in Miami.  That claim is actually still being debated but DC and I are united on this one.  Patrick is double checking the farmer's almanac to be sure.  We have run in mudders with crazy mountains (Wintergreen) and even the muddiest of mudders (Carolinas) but we have never run in the rain.  Rain, mud, and electricity make for a great combination.  We even found out that this course will actually cross state lines so we will run in both West Virginia and Virginia tomorrow.  Stay tuned for the answer to this question and more.

If you haven't noticed....DC has posted on consecutive days which means anything can happen!!!!!

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Miami Reflections Heading to WVa

Well the time has arrived for us to head North this time to the Mudder in West Virginia. Below are a couple of videos summarizing our post race comments after Miami - arguably the coldest Mudder yet. It seems like WVa may end up being our wet Mudder. I think it actually rained during Mid-Atlantic last year and the Sunday race got cancelled. Hopefully our luck holds out.

There may be a few minor curses (as I remember from my own mouth), glorious flowing locks, and the fairy tale of a young Mudder turning into a beautiful butterfly.

Stay tuned for post race comments from WVa.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Sunday, March 3, 2013

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Leadership Thoughts Heading to West Virginia

Nothing wrong with finishing behind the leader, as long as you get out their and run.

Attributed to a Self-Proclaimed Yoga Master

All stereotypes aside of our beloved neighbors to the northwest, or at least as long as I can refrain from adding stereotypes, I feel more firedup for the West Virginia Mudda than I have been for any of the others. I gointo this event relatively pain free – imagine the regrouping and regrouping sucks stuff worked out after all (and some cortisone, of course, can't deny the benefits of that wonderful drug – May I have another please?) – shoulder is strong, running without a knee brace for the past 4 or so weeks, back in the gym and back into P90, and have even moved our short run up to 6 miles. Still no runner’s high per se, but I did fee lreally good on my last run and thought I would reflect a little.

I hate running by myself. I can think of few other things thatI like to do less even as a group so getting out there by myself is a real testament to what training for these events has done for me in my general fitness regime. And really that is why I got into this whole thing in the first place – plus spending some quality time with the fellas. I wanted to share my split times during my last run. They are not bad for me and I know they would be even better if my running partner Mr. Nichols was out there too, but he is utterly consumed with the count down posts and the associated deadlines that I decided to give him some space. I honestly just think he is giving me some time to catch up to his overall physique which in the end I am always thankful for. I mean look at this beauty.

So my most recent split times from Noland Trail:

Mile 1: 8:59.4

Mile 2: 9:26.5

Mile 3: 9:29.9

Mile 4: 10:13.2

Mile 5: 10:25.6

Mile 6: 10.25.7

(remember Noland is a 5 mile loop so onmile six you are back on the more flat, less hilly terrain. Not to detract too much from my times - still a pretty mean 6th Mile lap time for me)

Now for some of you better runners out there this may notseem like much, but from all the posts I have already shared about my, let’s call itnon-love, of running, this is pretty darn good. Did I already say our short runis up to 6 miles – never ever would I have thought that would come out of mymouth – or technically from my fingers as I am typing and not dictating thispost. The time that is most impressive for me is Mile 5. This is arguably thehilliest section of the course with lots of ups and downs and switchbacksgalore. So to run this time on Mile 5 was impressive, but I will have to admitthat I did not get there alone.

I wanted to share one of my most favorite leadership videos.(Hope I haven’t already posted it.) Click on the link below to go to theclip of Leadership Lessons from the Shirtless Dancing Guy.

Leadership Lesson from the Shirtless Dancing Guy

This video is just great on so many levels. I mean how inthe hell did he get this on tape and then the commentary. (Can't wait for the Jon Hoccccckkkkkkman commentary during Sunday of West Virginia.) I mean I haven’t seenanything this good since three educators I know tried to pull together a blogon leadership lessons learned from crawling through a bunch of mud. Still a stretch if you ask me. But I thinkit really captures the essence of Leadership – namely that it is overrated. Thereal talent lies in being that first follower. This one little lesson is sorelevant to our work as educators.

I’ll admit that at Mile 4 I was frankly done, but I hadjust passed a section on the course that traverses Lion’s Bridge. Lion’s Bridge is theonly section on the back of the course that has parking for people wanting toaccess the trail. This is thus a location where many runners jump in and starttheir trek. As I reached Mile 4, two other runners came uphard on my heels. I heard them for a little while and knew I had no chance ofstaying out in front. So I shared mytrail as a good trail runner should and waited for the inevitable pass.

Anyone who really knows me (especially my blood brothers ofwhich there are 2) always shake their heads because I will talk to anyone about anything. Theychoose not to because - well frankly there are some crazies out there. This has led to some obvious weird glances here and there butalso many smiles or smack talk – especially from the Steelers fans (Go Bengals!!!).So of course a comment comes to mind as the pass is happening, “Thankgoodness. I could really use a rabbit at this point.” And without a secondglance, one of the runners looked at me and said, “Great. Jump in.” So I did.As best I could of course at Mile 4.something, and I noticed that my paceimproved. I had picked it up. I was keeping up which felt great because my feelings of "doneness" had vanished. (And I might have even gotten to my planned run of 55:00 minutes if they had not diverged and taken the road less traveled.)

This is when I got to thinking of being a follower ratherthan a leader. I think there are times when we can all venture out on theleadership circuit – leading the way for a time, charting a new direction,possibly using these new situations or new people met as a spring board to restructure our own leadership approaches. But not at any one time are wealways out in front leading. Sometimes it is good to be a follower. Oftentimes it is good to be a follower. For me, I caught asecond wind. Even after my new group veered left and I went right, it was enoughto push me to my finish line.

Now granted I wasn’t able to arouse the raucous followingthat the first follower did in the shirtless dancing guy video but I liked to think that I madea couple of lone nuts look like leaders for a time. It might not have done anything forthem but it certainly got me going and enabled me to finish my run at 59:00.5.Not too shabby.

So whatever Mudder you're working on - take the time to follow here and there - it might just be what you need to finish strong.

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Overcoming all Fears and Staying True: T-Minus 2 Days

2. Can we as a team stay true to the pledge that brought us to Tough Mudder in the beginning?

It's easy to lose sight of what this whole journey is about even though we recite the Tough Mudder pledge before every race.  The pledge requires a great deal of balance especially when your goal is competing in the World's Toughest Mudder.  You want to run fast and set a personal best for course time but the teamwork and camaraderie is what truly keeps bringing you back.  It is one of the few places where completely strangers go to extraordinary lengths to help each other conquer the course. 

My favorite part of the pledge is one that I don't think gets enough focus because you are really overcoming many fears.  Some of these are known fears while others are unknown because you have never subjected yourself to electroshock in the dark (Dark Lightning).  Just about every fear you may have is out on the course including:

• heights
• water
• heights that lead to water
• electroshock
• electroshock in water
• extreme temperature changes (Arctic Enema)
• running 10-12 miles
• tight spaces
• tight spaces in water
• tight spaces where you get shocked

Can you tell that shock may be a worry of mine going into West Virginia?  We all have fears that we will face on the course.  Some we readily speak about while others are kept closer.  I am confident that by putting teamwork first and helping fellow mudders that all fears will be overcome.  Stay tuned to the whole fear report!

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Finding a Fourth: T-Minus 3 Days

3.  Will this be the race that we find our elusive fourth team member?

In order to run as a team at World's Toughest you need to have at least 4 members.  Let me first say that I am confident that we will find a fourth member to run at World's Toughest Mudder now that we have qualified.  I'm not sure if this will actually occur at a race where somebody of a similar frame strikes up a conversation or if we will connect with this person through the blog, facebook, etc.  We are putting a full court recruiting press on for the fourth member.  Mid-Atlantic is the second closest mudder to our home which means would could potentially run into local people to train with as we push into the summer months.  I'm not sure anybody will actually seek us out especially since DC is planning on a halfhawk which will undoubtedly be all wrong.  Stay tuned to find out if we find a fourth! 

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The Waiting Game

I've focused several posts so far on finishing what we start and comparisons between different exercise programs once I've gone through them.  Each of these has served to focus on very specific issues associated with undertaking and completing structured exercise programs, which seems to work pretty well for my personality.  I have come to realize that the structure and organization of things like Insanity and Asylum have helped me to stay motivated between Tough Mudders.

The gap between the first and second mudders that we ran (Wintergreen in October 2011 and Pocono in May of 2012) seemed interminable - particularly as it dragged on.  I needed something to push me through the gap.  So far, we've averaged about 5 or 6 months between mudders, but that timeline becomes compressed from here on for the rest of the year.  Between Miami and West Virginia is about 6 weeks, and then we'll have another six weeks or so until Virginia Beach.  The more compressed timeline makes it easier to stay motivated, but it doesn't necessarily work well for my need to incorporate structured workout programs.

I know that I have many foibles that other people would consider weird, and maybe it's me being a little wacky, but I have difficulty fitting the "square" of a 30-day exercise cycle into the "circle" of 45 days to fill.  The 63-days of Insanity are even more awkward.  I like the concept of checking off boxes, and I really feel engaged as I near the finish of a cycle.  I don't like the idea of starting a new cycle and having a mudder fall midway along that process (something just doesn't "feel" right about that to me).  This means that I finished Asylum about a week before the WV event, and have found myself in a holding pattern. The waiting game is driving me a little crazy.

I'm wondering what lessons I can take to translate this to the educational and leadership arenas. I think I've realized that this may be one of the reasons that the draw of procrastination is so powerful.  If we finish things when they are due, then we don't necessarily feel the listlessness of the waiting game.  Of course, we have the pressure of deadlines and stress of not knowing whether we'll finish, and it would seem to me that those would be worse than feeling a little directionless for a couple days, but procrastination is such a universal human trait that I have trouble figuring it out.

Perhaps, I'm reading too much into this, and I just need to go for a run and clear my mind.  The more I think about it, the more likely that seems to me. After all, if I feel restless because I am waiting for an event, perhaps I need to fill that time with something productive rather than "navel-gaze" it to death.

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The Dreaded Rings: T-Minus 4 Days

4.  Will this be the race that DC conquers the dreaded rings?

"Hangin Tough" is one of the more difficult obstacles to complete on the course.  Patrick seem to effortless flow through the rings as only a Gazelle could.  On the other hand I have adopted a very awkward, clunky two hand approach which is effective but far from effortless.  You can see both approaches in the video below.

This obstacle remains the nemesis of DC.  He has attacked it with both the Gazelle and two-handed approach.  He has also hatched a plan to create an easy-bake oven recipe for creating homemade rings.  I know he has this obstacle square in his sights.  Will this be the race that DC conquers the dreaded rings?  Stay tuned to find out.

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Catching a Gazelle: T-Minus 5 Days

5.  Will this be the race that DC and I catch the Gazelle?

Patrick has somehow earned the nickname of "Gazelle" during these races.  He is almost always out in front of us leading the way.  He seems to effortless move through the course.  It really starts to drive you crazy after a while.  Initially he was a good 10 minutes or more ahead of me.  This gap has been closing with each race that we run.  DC now do a good job of keeping him right in front of us.  I posted during my "Mudder Resolutions" that I will catch him at some point on a course.   Since we have crossed off qualifying for WTM I thought this was good goal to focus on.  Will Mid-Atlantic be the race that we finally catch the gazelle?  Stay tuned to find out.

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Potential Disqualifications: T-Minus 6 Days

6.  Will anybody receive a warning from course officials?

A couple of crazy things happened during our time on the course in Miami.  The first occurred at the "Walk the Plank" obstacle.  This is an obstacle that we have encountered numerous times.  There are times that I get an urge to do a back flip off the obstacles.  It is one of the only tricks I can do anymore.  This urge hit me in Miami so I lined up backwards next to the official.  Just when I get ready to jump I hear him yell, "No Flip!".  It actually sounded more like "No Fleeeeeeeeeeeeep!".  This was followed by a warning to all that the next person who flips will be kicked off the course.  This was odd since Tough Mudder highlights people flipping this obstacle all of the time.  I thought I was lucky to get away with the warning and we continued on our way.  

The second event occurred the next day on the "Cage Crawl" obstacle.  This was new obstacle to us and it unfortunately turned out to be pretty boring on Day 1.  That's why I had the idea to try to swim the obstacle underwater instead of the traditional cage crawl.  Once again this did not sit well with officials and yet another warning was received.  Two warnings in two days may be an unofficial record and I am not trying to continue the streak in West Virginia.  I do plan on flipping and attempting some other unorthodox approaches to obstacles.  We'll keep you posted about any additional warnings or disqualifications.  You will know it didn't turn out well if one of us is missing a headband in post race photos!

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Getting What You Want

So, as Brian mentioned, we've qualified for the WTM.  I received the email, and immediately after re-reading it three times and trying to catch my breath, I tried to call both Danny and Brian.  When neither one of them answered, I immediately texted Danny the following message: "You NEED to call me ASAP!"

After a quick phone conversation with Danny, and a message left on Brian's phone, I started to think seriously about what we've gotten ourselves into.  After all, it's all well and good to aim for these kinds of things.  Setting goals helps us to do many things in life: chief among them to keep moving forward with actually living that life.  Many goals that we set are small, for example, waking up at a certain time.  Some goals are large, for example, getting a Ph.D.  Some goals are unthinkably insane, for example, qualifying for a 24 hour endurance race.

What started as a bit of a lark based on reading an article in ESPN the Magazine has lead the three of us to a monumental challenge.  We've pushed each other.  We've tested ourselves.  We've joked and laughed with each other, and we've achieved every goal that we've set for ourselves (surviving our first Tough Mudder, thriving on our second, running two laps on a Saturday, running the Saturday/Sunday double, and qualifying for WTM).  Each of these goals has seemed more extreme than the last, and yet we continue to aim higher each time.  Not only that, but we end up crushing those goals once they're set.

The question is, what happens when you get what you want?  Does setting unreasonable goals and then achieving them scare or motivate you?  The first thought I had when I saw that email was "Wow, we actually did it!" and the second thought was "Holy *@^#, now we have to do it!"  I'll be honest here, so far, none of the goals we've set for ourselves have scared me.  I'm not even all that scared of running in the WTM (after all, no one would actually expect us to compete for first place).  We all know that Pak will compete for - and probably win - the individual challenge, and if he doesn't then the winner will be a beast.  Amelia Boone will push the men, and might beat them.  The group winner will probably have to run 6 or 7 laps.  As long as we show up, run a few laps, don't get hypothermia or frostbite, and make it back to our wives, I'm pretty sure that everyone would consider that a win.  The thing I'm worried about is the complacency that comes with achieving our penultimate goal so early in the process.  What do we do between now and then?  Do we try for double laps on Saturday and Sunday?  Do we go for speed?  Do we try for three laps on one day (I think this would actually be the toughest to achieve because it would probably mean we'd have to do two sub-2 hour laps on a Saturday to make a third start time)?  Each of these is challenging, but they pale in comparison to running in the WTM.

We will probably come up with something insane as a test, and, based on our conversations in Miami, I feel confident in saying that we have some fun - and funny - things planned in the coming months, but I fear for the safety of the three of us if we keep feeling the need to raise the stakes.  I guess that's what comes from getting what you want, though, right?

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Year In The Mud Qualified for World's Toughest Mudder!

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” 

― E. Joseph Cossman

This journey began with a goal of competing in the World's Toughest Mudder in November of 2013.  To compete in this 24 hour race we must first qualify by placing in the top 5% at a Tough Mudder event.  This is quite a lofty goal considering where the three of us started about a year and a half ago.  We have seen our fair share of obstacles along the way.  Some of these obstacles come with the courses we compete on while many come at us with the struggle to balance all that life throws at us.  Through these obstacles we have not taken our eyes of the goal.  

Things took an interesting turn this week when I received a text from DC and a phone call from Patrick within minutes of each other.  They had received the notice we were so focused on.  Each had qualified for the World's Toughest Mudder based on their times in Miami.  I was excited  and relieved to also see the following email when I checked my inbox.

Our Year in the Mud qualified for the race that this year is focused on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This email has certainly rejuvenated our training efforts and our focus for November.  We are a few short days away from traveling to West Virginia for the Mid-Atlantic Mudder.  We'll be running back to back days again this time with an eye on improving our overall course times.  The dream of competing at World's Toughest Mudder is now a reality.  This is yet another thing we can cross off the list of accomplishments already in #nobullshit2013 (sorry mom that's what Tough Mudder calls it).  The whole journey just intensified as everything is now real.  I am a little surprised about our efficiency in qualifying during our first race.  This efficiency does not translate into any other facets of our life.  

It's not just good enough to qualify.  It's time to compete.  The countdown clock to World's Toughest now says 216 days.  We will undoubtedly be ready!

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A Familiar Face: T-Minus 7 Days

7.  A familiar face returns to "Our Year in the Mud" for his second Tough Mudder.  How will he fare the second time around?

It is very difficult to prepare for your first Tough Mudder.  You can read the blogs and posts on Facebook but you really don't know what it's like until it hits you in the face.  I believe Patrick and DC would share that sentiment.  There is a certain way that you want to attack Funky Monkey or Conquer Everest.  I have even tried countless strategies on the rings and still haven't found one I like.  I even bought my own set of rings so that I could train more effectively.  There is even a rumor that DC is working on a homemade version of the rings using an Easy Bake Oven.  That is certainly a post worthy topic!

Our fourth member for this race is our good friend Jonathan Hochman who first ran  with us in South Carolina.  He returns for this mountain run and it will be interesting to see his approach to the course the second time around.  I know he is looking to exact revenge on some hay bales.  How will he fare against the course?  Stay tuned to find out.  

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Yoga Master in Training: T-Minus 8 Days

8.  How will the self-proclaimed yoga master perform on the balance obstacles?

There have been many interesting revelations so far during our year in the mud.  One of the most interesting has been DC's newfound love of yoga.  I find this funny because the calmness of the yoga drives me crazy.  DC is now mastering the Warrior 3, Crane, and Downward Dog poses and is confident that this will pay off in Mid-Atlantic.  There are many obstacles that require a great deal of balance including DC's nemesis..."TwinkleToes".  Will we see a Crane on the course?  Will the Warrior 3 make an appearance?  Will DC's yoga skills translate into success on the rings?  Stay tuned to find out.

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Electroshock Aversion: T-Minus 9 Days

9.  Will we ever get used to the shock obstacles within the course?

Electroshock Therapy Proudly Sits in the Background

The whole concept of electroshock within Tough Mudder has been written about in several posts including Leadership Lessons from Electroshock Therapy and Amped Up.  In theory I keep thinking these obstacles that provide the shock will get easier.  We have now been shocked countless times across both the "Electroshock Therapy" and "Electric Eel" obstacles.  Each time it seems to get worse instead of better.  In Miami I lost a shoe and we all took a tumble through Electroshock Therapy.   The shocks in Electric Eel stopped me in my tracks.  With that in mind it is exciting (not really) to see Tough Mudder introduce additional shocking obstacles.  On a related note people around us are noticing positive personality changes that could potentially be a result of these obstacles.

Will the aversion to electroshock continue through the Mid-Atlantic Mudder?  Stay tuned to find out.

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Asylum versus Insanity - The Final Analysis

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been doing Asylum instead of Insanity as the lead up to our West Virginia mudder, and I just finished, so I thought I would give a few of my final thoughts.

1.  I am worried about my cardio, but I feel great about my strength.  There is some cardio in Asylum, but nowhere near as much as in Insanity.  Since I haven't really been able to run due to my travel schedule, I am a little worried about how that will impact me next weekend.
2.  The Gameday video of Asylum is NO JOKE.  That is a very hard 60 minutes of working out, and the last two times you have to do the Overtime video as well.  Those were, by far, the two most grueling days of the entire 30.  For me, the hardest part of that workout was the Mountain Climbing sections, but the swimming and speed skating were pretty tough too.
3.  You need more room to do Asylum, and I felt cramped at times.  I feel like I would have done better with this outdoors since I would have been able to do all of the jump rope work and I wouldn't have had to worry about accidentally bumping my head on the wall by over-jumping and falling.

4.  I'm still not a huge fan of all of the equipment that you need.  As a bit of a minimalist, I really liked that I could do Insanity without anything other than a comfortable pair of shoes and a space for jumping up and down.  Asylum requires ladders, weights, resistance bands, pull-up bars, and jump ropes if you do everything.  Luckily, Shawn T offers alternatives if you don't have some of these things or space to use them, but you don't get as good a workout without them.
5.  I guess the "proof is in the pudding" (as they say).  I'll know for sure how effective Asylum is if I get to WV and can't get my wind.  There's a 30-day, hybrid Asylum/Insanity workout calendar that is absolutely bonkers.  In essence, you're doing an Insanity workout each day on top of an Asylum workout each day.  I may try that next, if I need to improve my cardio, but I'm not sure I have it in me to do Insanity and Asylum at the same time.

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Return to the Mountains: T-Minus 10 Days

The Mid-Atlantic Mudder is only 10 days away.  Prior to the Miami Mudder we began a series of 10 questions that we would like to be able to answer after the event.  You can see both the questions and answers to that series here.  Since we have fantastic reviews from this series (Mostly from Patrick and DC) I thought I’d continue the 10 day series that poses a different question that we intend to answer at the Mid-Atlantic Mudder.  Some of these questions will involve the team while others will be directed at particular team members.

10.  How will the rugged mountain terrain impact the quest to complete the challenge on both Saturday and Sunday?

I have developed a healthy fear of mountain courses after our first Mudder at Wintergreen.  I've never been in a situation where I had to will my legs to move (and I was only on mile 1).  We experienced another mountain course in Pennsylvania but it did not seem to be nearly as difficult.  Part of that had to do with the fact that the three of us were training and lighter. We have been away from the mountains and on relatively flat courses for the past two events.  It is uncertain how rugged the terrain will be in West Virginia but we know it will not be flat.  How will this impact our World's Toughest quest?  Stay tuned to find out in 10 short days.  

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Forward Failure

"Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street." - Zig Ziglar

Failure is the greatest teacher that I have ever had in my life. I've learned more through my mistakes than I ever have through successes. This has been chronicled in several posts detailing mudder, leadership, and education failures.  One of the people I admire and read about often is Abraham Lincoln. Failure was a critical component to Lincoln's success. Here is a short list of the failures that helped him move forward.

• He failed as a businessman - as a storekeeper.
• He failed as a farmer - he despised this work.
• He failed in his first attempt to obtain political office.
• When elected to the legislature he failed when he sought the office of speaker.
• He failed in his first attempt to go to Congress.
• He failed when he sought the appointment to the United States Land Office.
• He failed when he ran for the United States Senate.
• He failed when friends sought for him the nomination for the vice-presidency in 1856.

Each one of these failures helped him move forward on his journey towards greatness. The most important thing I can do as a leader is to cultivate a culture of risk-taking and forward failure. This is the culture necessary to help students and teachers move outside of filling in bubbles sheets and into the world of problem solving, critical thinking, and creating new products/projects.

Lincoln is not the only prominent failure that exists in history. The video below shows several more. Keep in mind that Edison failed thousands of times before he revolutionized the world with his invention. Our students hold the key to the next great idea. We cannot continue to try to solve today's problems with yesterday's answers. We need to set up the environment that fosters the surfacing of that idea.  How are you cultivating a culture of "Forward Failure" in your work? 

We are two weeks away from the "Mid-Atlantic Mudder" in West Virginia.  This will be a  new course and we are bringing back a familiar teammate for this challenge.  There will be a fair amount of failure on the course for sure.  We'll have the opportunity to run it on both Saturday and Sunday again.  The failures on this course will certainly fuel the training for our hometown "Virginia Beach Mudder".

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