There's No Crying in Tough Mudder - T Minus 1 Day

Tough Mudder has released a brand new wave of terror as if ice, electricity, heights and confined spaces weren't enough fears to conquer.  Cry Baby is one of the newest obstacles added to the course and we will see it this weekend for the first time.  Cry Baby is described a an enclosed structure filled with a safe tear gas-like substance and littered with hazards along the way, Cry Baby will have your eyes flowing with tears of, um, laughter--yeah, laughter.  You can read more about the obstacle by clicking here. 

Will one of the three of us prove that there is crying in Tough Mudder?

OR

Will it just be the standard whining that we pledge not to do and then end up doing anyway?

We will find out tomorrow as we tackle Cry Baby and the rest of the Tough Mudder Virginia course.

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The Chase for Three - T Minus 2 Days

If two wrongs don't make a right, try three.

Laurence J. Peter

Many people think running in a Tough Mudder is crazy.  Even most people who run Tough Mudders think doing two laps is insane.  Three laps would have to be completely certifiable.  Three laps is the current plan for the Gazelle.  I do not currently have ambitions to run three laps.  I will go to the concession stand at least three times while Patrick runs.  That's as close as I'll get to a threepeat this weekend.  Many things have to go right for an athlete to pull the elusive triple.  Here are three and also my analysis on Patrick's chances.

1. You need to be fast to complete three laps.  The Gazelle by virtue of nickname has that covered.  A Gato on the other hand is sly, sneaky and fast in short bursts.  Eleven miles is no short burst for me.  
2. You also need to have a lot of people running so you have additional late start times.  This has been problematic in other pursuits.  Sometimes the body is able but you are just out of time.  Start Line Sean has already left to join Finish Line Fred at Electroshock Therapy by the time you finish the second lap.  I don't know how the start times fare on Saturday.  This could be the most problematic part of the triple crown.
3. The third factor contradicts the second factor entirely.  You need a lot of runners to provide more start times.  You also need a course that does not get backed up which only happens when you have a lot of start times.  This is when a Gato becomes a valuable commodity on your team.  A Gato is adept at navigating lines to move the team forward.  I believe the Gazelle can conquer the backups and navigate the crowds.  

Will Patrick win the triple crown?  Who knows?  The temperature at 94 degrees and the 50% chance of rain may also cause havoc to the race day.  Stay tuned for the recap and possibly some live coverage from the event.

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Volunteering our Time and Talents - T Minus 3 Days

D Dub C first volunteered at Tough Mudder Virginia last year while Patrick ran a 3rd lap and I

played a little GATO game called "How much free stuff can I accumulate?".  This year the Gazelle and I will both be volunteers on the course for Sunday.  Rumor has it that Start Line Sean is worried about potentially losing his position in the company.

I'm not sure where we will be volunteering.  I would like to opt out of bananas and water duty for sure.  Passing out beers at the finish line is also a dangerous proposition when you start doing the one for you...one for me game.  Patrick and I are going to try to be at an obstacle somewhere inspiring the masses to complete the course.  I may even just post up at the wounded warrior carry and carry people all day.  Don't skip leg day bro!  Either way it is going to be a great time because helping fellow mudders complete the course is one of the many reasons we keep showing up.

I am also excited to get my very own volunteer shirt which will make the next version of "How much free stuff can a Gato accumulate even more interesting?"  We will definitely have pictures and videos of our volunteer efforts.  It also opens up the potential to run a second mudder for $40 sometime this year.  

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The Return of a WTM Friend - T Minus 4 Days

This Tough Mudder will be memorable for many reasons.  One of the reasons this will be extra special is that Chris will be flying in from Texas to run with us.  Technically, he is visiting family and will also run with us.  We ran into Chris at WTM14 standing in line to register.  Chris was running by himself and without a pit crew.  He was adopted on the spot and we pitched tents in the same spot and kept tabs on each other throughout the 24 hour race.  Chris is incredibly fast and has the distinction of running 50 miles at each of the past to World's Toughest Mudders.  It will be fun to catch up with Chris and also run an event that does not have an insane sandstorm and last 24 hours.

Who knows...Chris may actually be the long lost fourth member we were initially looking for.  We look forward to seeing everyone out on the course in four days!

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Ice Ice Baby - T Minus 5 Days

The time has come for the team of three to reunite and run what may be our only Tough Mudder of the year in our home state of Virginia.  Actually that is no longer the home state for all three of us as D Dub C has moved to North Carolina.  The countdown is on and TM Virginia is just 5 short days away.  The map is up and you will notice the arsenal of both new and revised obstacles that were promised for the coming year.


Some of these obstacle revisions are exciting like Funky Monkey 2.0.  We sampled this obstacle at last year's World's Toughest Mudder.  It was a bit flawed with bungee cords and to be honest I was quite flawed in my approach.  Other obstacles are less exciting like the revised Arctic Enema 2.0.  This obstacle is not scary but the thought of being that cold just sticks in your head on the entire course.  The thought of now sliding under a chain link fence into the ice water is not something any of us are looking forward to. This is being billed as the scariest ice experience since the Ice Ice Baby world tour.  (Full Disclosure:  I did attend one of his concerts back in the day)

To get through Arctic Enema 2.0 the team will undoubtedly have to STOP...COLLABORATE...and LISTEN because Tough Mudder is back with a brand new invention. I'm sure we will all weigh in on the obstacles during the aftermath.  Until then enjoy the fact that now those lyrics will be stuck in your head all day!

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