Tough Mudder Atlanta - What I Missed The Most

This past weekend was a rather sad weekend in some respects. Not the weather - that was beautiful. I even got to watch my wife and my two girls compete in their first Color Me Rad race. It is actually quite a lot of fun to be a spectator for a change - and to throw color bombs at people, kind of fun too. This weekend was the first Tough Mudder I missed as a part of the Bad News team. And as I head into another week of work, I am working to stay positive and focused on my own first mudder of the season - the upcoming DC/Maryland Savage Race. Staying positive is the least I can do for my Bruddas who represented down in Hotlanta this weekend. 

This truly marks the beginning of a new racing season for us, and a perfect opportunity to reflect on those things that I missed the most being away from the action. So here is to my Bad News Bruddas – the top five things I missed about the the Hotlanta Mudder.

 

1. The Road Trip 

Our adventure always begins with a road trip and it is truly one of the highlights of any race weekend in my opinion. Of course, there is the conversation that stretches from educational reform to Game of Thrones. There is the time searching for the latest posts about the upcoming race or waiting on TMHQ to post the course map. But most of all, there is always the radio. It might be Howard Stern, with the volume turned up to one (yes - a little inside humor), so you can barely, just at an inaudible level, hear when Howard says something about panties or vagina. I mean - we are three guys - the conversation does lull at some points on a seven hour road trip. And there might be the gangster rap where we can revisit those ol' favorites from childhood. Whatever the selection though, the road trip has come to represent the beginning of the entire Tough Mudder experience for us, and something we all look forward to. So here is to you Bruddas, and if you shared a waterbed this weekend, smile. You have arrived at Tough Mudder Atlanta.

 

2. The Laundry Mat

For our “constant” readers, you will remember all about Sandy and that fateful day when we had our laundry mat virginity stripped away. If you would like to reflect on that first  trip - and you have a strong disposition (graphic material ahead), you can read here all about Superstorm Sandy. While the Tough Mudder course is what we are there for, it is the laundry mat that made us into the Mudders we are today. I mean who would have ever guessed that we would learn the wonders of duct tape and dryers, how to prevent gang bangs when traveling with your kids, and countless other factoids that have helped us grow into new men - Mudder Men. Honestly – I still wake up with night terrors to this day thinking that Sandy is waiting for me in a hot tub. But sitting here in the comfort of my living room, I can laugh and smile. It is something that Brian and I will always share. So here’s to you Hurricane Sandy. We miss you!!! 

3. The Mohawk 

Deciding what type of mohawk to wear for a Tough Mudder has also become a personal favorite in prepping for an upcoming run. I personally use the mohawk to tell my Tough Mudder pictures apart. It is such a great feeling to hear someone on the course say, “Hey man – nice reverse mohawk. Or, “Dude – is that a side-hawk. You look like Two-Face.” So to me the mohawk is more than just something to do, it has become a part of my Tough Mudder tradition. But for me, this time around, I am a bit sad. A bit sad that I am missing the first ever mohawk of my Brudda Patrick. Again you “constant” readers will know that Pat has become known for those long flowing locks. Those locks that have served as a guide for Brian and I on the course and a beacon, when they stop bouncing, that the next obstacle is just on the horizon. Pat, despite his seemingly gruff exterior, is a passionate philanthropist and works very hard each year to raise money for the St Baldrick’s Foundation. This year he was able to raise funds for St Baldrick’s and for Locks of Love. So this is the inaugural mohawk for Pat – and damn it – I missed it. But Virginia Tough Mudder is right around the corner, so maybe we will see the first triple side-hawk for our first attempt at the triple mudder!!!!

The Locks and the Hawks

   4. The Mudda Bruddas 

They say pictures tell a thousand tales, or something like that about pictures, and the one below certainly says a lot. Whether it is a hand out of Boa Constrictor or a thigh to reach the top of Berlin Walls, I would have little interest in doing any of this without the team we've created. Not being a part of the team was the hardest thing about this weekend, but our Virginia Mudder is right around the corner - barring any torrential super storms that is.

 

4. The Freakin’ Awesome Start Line

There is nothing quite like arriving at a Tough Mudder though. Watching the school buses roll into some mud trap of a corn field we've parked on. Listening to all the stories and excitement of those on the bus. The exhilaration of seeing the most interesting man in the world. The music blaring over some poorly placed loud speakers. I can actually sit here and completely envision walking into the race. Now, granted I have done this a few times, but still it is always exciting. Then it is some last minute stretches and over the first wall and up to the front of the start line. This is where the wait really begins, and for me the time when my mind says, "What in the hell are we doing here again." But soon it is time to embrace the suck, and we are off on another round. This is the start and definitely something I will miss a lot. This moment that signifies all you have trained for and where you really learn that you indeed are  

FREAKIN' AWESOME!