What Lies Within

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

 – Ralph Waldo Emerson

DC recently penned a post entitled "One Goal - Many Paths" which you can read by clicking here.  In this post he talks about how each of us has taken a different path towards the same goal.  At the end he challenges Pat and I to highlight our path so far this year.  This is my attempt to sum up the first part of my 2014 year in the mud.

I learned a lot about myself at World's Toughest Mudder.  Three things really stick out to me when I think about lessons learned. 

1. I am capable of doing things that I never thought I could and that most people would never think of doing.  This has been a big part of the journey so far.  There is always a notion to up

   

   Me at the end of almost any workout!

   the ante with each challenge and adventure.  This has caused each of us to visit numerous doctors, emergency rooms, etc.  It has also forced us to push past the limits we impose on ourselves. 
2. You are in big trouble when your strength and grip begin to fail.  The number of penalties I began racking up for failed obstacles undoubtedly adding unnecessary miles to the race.  The feeling of taking a penalty at boa constrictor because you know you cannot pull yourself up has driven me
   
   so far this year.  I have been relentlessly working on grip and upper body strength through a rigorous CrossFit program.  I've seen in this short time the amount of weight that I can press, squat, clean, etc. grow tremendously.  There is something about ringing the bell to note a new personal record (pr) that drives you even harder to get better.  I also recently became a CrossFit Level I Certified Trainer in an attempt to learn more about this evolving sport and the benefits is can have on my mud running career.  I feel confident that this year I will show up stronger and ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
3. Everything we have accomplished including World's Toughest Mudder is because the three of us do it together. I guess somewhere along the way we gave up on finding our elusive fourth member and settled on the magic number 3. DC, Pat, and I would not have been here without the constant push and competition.  Each of us have pushed past breaking points because the other kept going.  I wouldn't be out on a course by myself because to me the journey is as much about camaraderie as it is about pushing my personal limits.  We are taking slightly different paths this year to get back to WTM.  Many races we will run as a three man unit but others will only have 2/3 of the Bad News team.  DC and Pat will also be running races individually.  

I know we will be better prepared and ready to up the mileage and the adventure at the WTM 2014 wherever it is going to be held.  Since the beginning of our 2014 season is underway I thought I'd add where you will see us this year.  We have a new logo (coming soon) and t-shirts so be on the lookout for those.  Let us know if you will be in some of these places so we can meet up and take on challenges together.  One of our favorite parts of this journey is the amazing people that we have met along the way.

What Lies Before Us

The season has started with a two lap performance and an unforgettable road trip to Atlanta.  The calendar for the year is as follows:

June - VA Mudder

July - DC Spartan Sprint

August - Virginia Super Spartan (The team returns to Wintergreen where this whole crazy adventure began)

September - Capital Region Mudder

October - Tri-State Mudder

                Spartan Beast (This completes our first Trifecta)