Tri-State Tough Mudder – The Most Firsts

While the Tri-State Tough Mudder has not been officially voted upon and named – there were truly a lot of possibilities – I thought I would go with the idea of it being titled The Most Firsts. I always find it interesting that no matter how much you train for something, how much you think you know what the goal is, there are always so many little things that always arise, make you shake your head, and in the end become the driving force that keeps you going and makes you want to come back for more.

I’m sure my fellow educators out there can all relate to some degree. In an earlier post titled Mental "Freakin" Grit Baby, I posed the question – What mudder are you preparing for? The general idea here was that you don’t have to be gearing up physically and mentally to traverse a series of monkey bars nor do you have to be mentally prepared to throw yourself through some live electrical wires, but in the end we all need to dedicate ourselves to something that helps us push our limits and find out what we are really made of.

Keeping focused on a goal, preparing ourselves to try something new, those are the things that wake us up in the morning and help us push through those parts of our lives which can become a bit monotonous. This is why reflecting on the Tri-State Tough Mudder has been so much fun. Our driving goal, that Mudder we were preparing for, was to complete the Black Jack run – 2 laps on Saturday and 1 lap on Sunday. This was to be our test, or so we imagined, for our ability to actually compete in the World’s Toughest Mudder.

There were also individual goals. For me it was conquering some of my nemesis obstacles. I did not do well on Funky Monkey during our last Mid-Atlantic race and I was disappointed given that I had already completed Funky Monkey on our first ever attempt at a double Saturday Mudder in North Carolina. You would like to see that first of all firsts one more time - I could go for that.

Walk the Plank - NO FLEPS!

That video certainly warms the heart. For me there were, and I say were, Berlin Walls as well. I have gotten so tired of needing a push to get over those things and was committed that this was my race to beat them myself.

What I keep reflecting on, and I think the power of reflection could be an entire post in itself, was no matter what we thought our goals were, what we couldn't keep talking about were those little things that we had never done or witnessed before - those “Firsts” as I've labeled it - that pushed us around the course. Things that were not part of our overall mission but nonetheless became more of the focus and kept a smile on our face with each turn. It was these “Firsts” that kept us laughing when our bodies wanted to stop, and actually helped refocus on all those little things we would have walked right by. For me, this had a really incredible effect. I began looking for these little things everywhere and in the end, before I knew it, 30+ miles and three laps and 3 laps were complete.

Here are a few of those "Firsts" for you to enjoy – I'm sure my Mudda Brudda has plenty more to add. 

• First Black Jack run (2 Laps on Saturday and 1 Lap on Sunday)

• First Triple Funky Monkey (followed by the First Quadruple Funky Monkey for the heck of it)

1st Funky Monkey

• First Island Hopping experience

• First Walk The Plank with an actual plank

• First Greased Lightning mud hill slide (not to future mudders – slide on your feet – this is not Greased Lightning. This is bruise your as* lightning) 

• First large hay bale in the middle of Electroshock (thanks TMHQ – that was fun)

• First time enjoying Electoshock after the race (we will make it a point to do this in the future – hee- larious)

• First time run with Team Ilene

Finished Electric Eel - Lap 2

• First time of yelling “You Are Freakin’ Awesome” at random times throughout the course. (That is what happens when I get no music on the course. I begin to imagine my life as Start Line Sean.)

• First time of seeing the true effects of Kryptonite on Superman – poor fat Superman – poor, poor fat Superman.

• First time of seeing Mudders make an obstacle where there was none. (For all future Mudders – there are volunteers at each obstacle. Just because people are picking up a random pile of tires does not mean you have to help move them.)

• First time of being criticized for not participating in made up Mudder tire obstacle carry.

Triple Funky - Day 2

• First time for Extreme Mudder rules on Everest (please consult TMHQ official rules and policies ;)

• First time thinking wouldn’t it be great if his name was Finish Line Fred?

• First writing of the bib number on your Mudda Brudda’s head (guess they really do need more volunteers)

What does this all amount to – simply having fun. We all set challenges for ourselves. Hopefully we are all working on identifying that Mudder we are planning to train for, and most of all taking the time to enjoy those little things along the way that let us have fun. Without the fun, there is no coming back. When you hurt, when you're tired, when you want to quit, it is finding the ridiculous that can keep you going, make you shake your head, and decide one more time to lace up your sneakers. Laughter is such a cure all. We simply need to take the time to look for it - especially in the most unseemly of places.

So my challenge for everyone in this post is to keep looking for that Tough Mudder that interests you. What is the Tough Mudder that you are preparing for in life...in the classroom? But remember to keep things in perspective. If you aren’t having fun with it, there is nothing that will keep you coming back when you mentally or physically want to quit.


Now let's enjoy the "First" ever Cuatro Funky Monkey!!!

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The Blackjack

I'm guessing that right about now my Mudder brothers are either listening to the starter at Tough Mudder New Jersey, or have started their journey around the course.  I just wanted to take a quick second to say good luck, and II can't wait to hear the stories.  Wish I was there with them.

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141 Days...the Most Heroic Mudder.

The total number of days between Friday, May 17th, 2013 and Saturday, October 5th, 2013 is 141 days.  I tore my Achilles on the 8th of May, but I didn't have surgery until the 17th, so that's the date that I'm using as the starting point for my recovery.  That means that it was 20 weeks and 1 day, or 4 months and 18 days, between my surgery and my first Mudder.  I'm not sure how impressive that is, but for an injury that is supposed to take as much as 18 months before you're fully yourself again, I feel pretty good about it. 

A couple thoughts:

Me and Simon (first time Mudder) after crossing the finish line

• The venue in Seattle was absolutely beautiful.  It was just over 11 miles, and was run in a Quarry.  It didn't have any new obstacles, but it tested my ability as much as any other course so far.  There were A LOT of blackberry bushes, and they could have caused some serious headaches with all of their thorns, but otherwise the course was very nice.
• I was expecting the course to be more mountainous, but it ended up being relatively flat and wooded.  There were a few steep inclines, but nothing too bad.  The worst part of the inclines was a series of slides and climbs out of a watery ditch.  The sides of the slope were so steep it was impossible to go slowly, and most people ended up sliding down into the ankle-deep water at the bottom of 15-foot inclines.  I refused to slide because I didn't know what the water held and I didn't want to hurt my ankle, so I ended up going really slow. 

Approaching the Electroshock Terapy, the finish line and beer!

• Speaking about the series of inclines, this was perhaps the silliest obstacle in terms of causing a backup and injuries.  While I was doing them, we had at least one person require medical assistance (in fact, I was able to throw my first X up).  When we came back around the course and stopped at a water station relatively close by, we were told that injuries had been happening all day long at that obstacle - one of the girls at the water station said she had been there 10 minutes and medical had been needed 3 times in that 10 minutes.
• My ankle held up pretty well.  Although I fell while doing the rings, the only obstacle I felt beat me was Everest.  I made an attempt, but I couldn't get enough speed to really do it.  I probably could have tried again, but I kind of jammed my foot while going back down the ramp so I figured I'd live to fight another day.

The official Seattle TM Course map.

• The electrical obstacles weren't all that bad.  I got zapped on Electroshock Therapy, but I didn't get hit at all on the electric eel.  Hopefully, that's not simply tempting the electrical currents in my next event to hit me extra hard.
• I came out of my Saturday run with relative few bruises.  The only two bruises I had were caused by carrying a rather bulky waterproof video camera in my pocket...it would bounce around while I was running and caused two pretty big bruises on my thighs.  I think I could have done the Sunday run, which I had registered for, but I would have had to run it by myself.  That's not nearly as much fun as it might sound, so I decided I would spend time with my sister, niece and father.
• This was the first mudder that I've run where spectators came to see me run.  My father, sister and niece were in attendance, and got to enjoy the 2-mile spectator route through the course.  I think it was as muddy as what I had to run, but they seemed to enjoy it.
• I still can't believe that I'm the first one of the three authors of this blog to actually complete a Tough Mudder course since my injury.  That's gotta count for something.  

Our custom has been to provide a superlative for each of the mudders that we run.  For example, Wintergreen was The Toughest, Mid-Atlantic was The Windiest, and Miami was The Coldest.  When Danny asked me what the superlative for Seattle was, without hesitation I said it was the Most Heroic.  Running a Tough Mudder with a surgically repaired Achilles less than 5 months after surgery is easily worth 3 headbands, but I wish the boys luck this weekend with their little Blackjack - if the weather allows it, of course.

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Fear of the Unknown: T-Minus 3 Days

3.  How will the unknown obstacles impact our run in New Jersey?

The map for Tri-State has been released so DC and I have been like kids in a candy store studying the route and the obstacles that we will face this weekend.  There was both good news and bad news as we looked at the course.

Bad News:  There will be no redemption on the rings for DC unless it appears as a mystery obstacle in an enclosed space, with electroshock over water.

Good News:  We will finally have our shot at Island Hopping which was the subject of a previous post that can be found here.  The other good news is that there are several more obstacles that we haven't faced and we have no idea what they are.  One of the downsides from running so many races is that you get used to the same obstacles and some of the fun disappears.  Even though obstacles remain tough no matter how often you face them nothing compares to the first time.  Can you remember the first time you faced Everest and saw all of the people hanging down to help you?  There is something magical about those moments and I'm excited to face some new challenges.  Who knows how these obstacles will impact our performance?  Stay tuned to find out if we survive the Zombie Apacolypse or can scale whatever Climbmax ends up being.

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The Dreaded Rings Revisited: T-Minus 4 Days

This countdown post is actually a repost because we have yet to encounter the rings again on the course.  I'm confident we will see them this weekend and even more confident in DC's redemption.

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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Island Hopping: T-Minus 5 Days

5. How will we fare in our quest to hop islands?

We have encountered most of the obstacles that Tough Mudder has to offer during this year of mud.  Island Hopping is one of the few that has eluded us.  It seems to be a favorite among participants because of both the difficulty level and the likelihood of some ridiculous falls.  The Tough Mudder website bills this obstacle as:

Keep your speed up or Island Hopping will quickly give you a sinking feeling. You must leap frog from pad to pad if you want to make across and staying in one spot for too long will make it nearly impossible to get moving again. This obstacle will test your speed and agility more than anywhere else on the Tough Mudder course.

I've read online that only around 40% of participants are successful on this obstacle.  DC and I in theory will have 3 shots at it in New Jersey.  I am working on three different approaches for this obstacle so that I can make it across.

1. Run across the boxes as fast as I can.  This could result in utter catastrophe or sweet victory.
2. Pretend that it is the old school frogger game and hop across.  
3. Step across slowly and carefully. 

While I have three strategies now I'm quite sure the execution will look the same each time.  The only difference is that I'm bound to be moving slower on lap 3.  This obstacle sets up nicely for the yoga master and his uncanny ability to balance.  Will either of us make it across?  What is 40% of 3?  Does that mean that there is a statistically significant chance of one or both of us making it across?  Stay tuned for reports from Jersey for all the answers!

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The Gazelle's Return: T-Minus 8 Days

The Gazelle's Return

Our long layoff is almost over and we are about 8 days away from running in Tri-State.  Before DC and I get to Tri-State Patrick will be in Seattle attempting his first mudder since tearing his achilles.  This would put him ahead in the headband quest but could put him substantially behind if he isn't careful on the course.  If anyone in Seattle sees the gazelle go down please X him immediately because we care about his safety.  Also, please take pictures because we've always wanted to X him since he is typically so far ahead.  How will the surgically repaired gazelle fare?  We hope he does well so that he can run Mid-Atlantic and ultimately World's Toughest.  We'll count on Patrick to keep us updated this weekend.  

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Ramping Up Again

It has been a while since I have last posted.  DC and I are running neck and neck in blogging proficiency or lack thereof lately.  Part of that is due to the long layoff combined with the cancelled Virginia Beach Mudder. Another part is due to the start of school and a very busy time for the three of us.  With all that being said we are staring directly at another mudder in less than two weeks.

Actually the rumor is that Patrick will be taking the headband lead by running/walking/limping the Seattle Mudder this weekend.  It is likely the flowing locks but he is actually ahead of Kobe Bryant with his recovery.  DC and I will be traveling to the Tri-State Mudder to attempt three laps during the weekend.  This will be immediately followed by running the Mid-Atlantic Mudder the following weekend.  Just typing these words make my shin and foot start to throb.

In a sense I am nervous about ramping up again because it has been so long since we ran a mudder. Training has stayed intense as I have developed a love/hate relationship with Crossfit but nothing compares to actually running in the mud and being electrocuted.  From this point on running mudders will be our official training. We have a total of somewhere between 6-8 laps ahead of us before we hit the World's Toughest Mudder. None of us have pulled the trigger on that registration but all it will take is one.  That's just how this group operates.

While this is more of a ramble than a post you will begin to see more action on our blog.  A lot will be answered in the next few weeks.  Will Patrick and his achilles survive Seattle?  Will DC and I survey the New Jersey Turnpike and the three laps that await us?  Will any of us make it World's Toughest?  Stay tuned.  I see a T-Minus series coming up...

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