Hanging Tough: Conquering the Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder Los Angeles was epic.  I thought I was prepared.  I increased my upper body workouts, I went to the Camp Rhino Obstacle Race Training Gym and learned how to climb walls, and when the course map was released I studied it like it was a lost artifact.  But nothing could have prepared me for the actual experience of doing a Tough Mudder. 

4:00am, Saturday, March 29 – Tough Mudder Day – I am awake and dressed in my carefully selected athletic attire, chosen to make me as sleek and fast as possible; no loose clothing to snag on barbed wire or wooden walls.  My hair is braided and held back by a specialized headband that is designed to dry fast and not slip off my head.  After a quick, light breakfast, the rest of team Bootcamp Warriors arrive and we head out in our rented SUV (who wants a bunch of muddy people in their car?).  We make excellent time and arrive about an hour before our start time.  A flurry of activity ensues – wrist bands secured, race numbers affixed, bags checked – before I knew it, it was time to head into the corral area by the starting line. 

The first obstacle of the day was to get over a 7-foot wall.  Yes, you need to do an obstacle before you can even start Tough Mudder.  It was time to see if my Camp Rhino time was well spent.  I grabbed the top of the wall, firmly planted both of my feet against the wall and slowly moved my right foot upward until my right calf was on top of the wall.  I then used that leg to leverage myself up, turned myself around and slowly lowered myself to the other side.  Mission accomplished!  A small victory, yes, but it pumped me up.  After some inspirational words from our MC, a salute to those in the Armed Forces, and a beautiful rendition of God Bless America, the air horn sounded and we were off.

Thanks to my course map research I knew that there were at least 3 obstacles that would cause me problems – the first of which was the Dirty Ballerina – a leap over a rectangular hole in the ground.  I assumed that the hole would be mud filled and so if I fell in I would land in squishy mud and have to claw my way out.  As I approached this first test of my gumption I noticed that there was no mud in those holes.  I immediately imagined a scene where I jump, come up short and land in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the hole and my Tough Mudder ends before it even began.  But as I watched my teammates sail gracefully over the holes I thought, I can do that.  So I backed up and jumped the first hole, landing safely on the other side.  And that is where I made a crucial error – I didn’t keep jumping and I lost my momentum.  So I did what any person who is paranoid about broken bones would do, went around the next hole, then jumped one more, and ran around the next two.  Cheating?  Perhaps – but since there was a trail of people behind me doing the same thing I gave myself a pass.

So my first official obstacle was not a great success but I shook it off and continued onward toward an innocuous sounding obstacle called the Human Pyramid – the first true test of team Bootcamp Warriors.  The scene in front of this obstacle was pure chaos.  People were taking running starts, launching themselves at a wall that was set at a 45 degree angle – some making up to the top, others sliding back down to the bottom.  The first of our team made it up the wall on their first try and promptly turned himself into a human rope – hanging down the wall, with others holding his legs, while he hauled up one fellow Tough Mudder after another.  When it was my turn, I backed up, ran as fast as I could up that wall and flung my arms up like my life depended on it.  Happily I felt hands clasp around my wrists and I was hauled up the wall much like a fisherman brings up an oversized fish.  Two obstacles down, 8 miles, and 18 obstacles to go.

The next 2 obstacles were Tough Mudder signatures – the Arctic Enema and Walk the Plank.  I had   Arctic Enema wasn’t as cold as I thought it was going to be (despite my creative language while exiting, it really wasn’t that bad) but swimming under that wall made of 2x4s freaked me out a bit (visions of being trapped underneath cluttered my head – despite the fact that the wall was only 2 feet wide).  Walk the Plank was definitely nerve wracking – standing up there, 15 feet in the air, waiting to jump off a giant Wheatees box – but when it was my turn to take the leap I did it without hesitation (which I am sure the people behind me in line appreciated).

spent a lot of time contemplating both of these obstacles and they were both better and worse than I had imagined.

For me the toughest obstacles on Tough Mudder weren’t manmade – the mountains that we needed to “run” up and down and back up again roughly 10 times through out the course.  Crawling under barbed wire was nothing compared to those never ending mountains; but I made it up each and every one – running, jogging, walking, and crawling – slowly but surely I reached the top.  And the reward – along with the pride of having made it up there – was the view, which was amazing. 

Over the course of the next 2.5 hours walls were climbed, fences were swum under, monkey bars were conquered and more walls were repelled down.  There were injuries and frustrations but through it all our team stuck together – helping each all along the way.  That is really the wonderful thing about Tough Mudder – it isn’t timed.  The entire point is to do it as a team – making sure that everyone finishes together.   Along the way our friends and family cheered us on, armed with signs and cameras.  Just when it seemed like I didn’t have anything left we would come around the corner and someone would be shouting encouragement – giving me the energy to continue.

The penultimate obstacle of Tough Mudder, Mount Everest, was the one I was dreading the most – more than the 15 foot jump, ice bath and barbed wire crawl combined.  I had tried it unsuccessfully at Camp Rhino and now it was all that stood between me and a few electric shocks that would be followed by my beer and coveted orange headband.  Two of my teammates took the wall before me – making to the top successfully.  When it was my turn the only thing in my mind was “just keep running”, so that is what I did – once again flinging my arms up for dear life.  It may not have been the most graceful or athletic ascension to the top but with the help of several of my fellow mudders I made it.  After that a few electric shocks seemed like a walk in the park.

So I did it – I made it through Electroshock Therapy, got my headband and my beer.  It took a few days for it to truly sink in – I had completed something that I did not think was possible just 6 months before.  To say that I was tested both physically and mentally would be an understatement.  There were definitely times when I thought – I can’t do this – I cannot make it up this mountain, I cannot climb up that wall.  But then I did and it was awesome.  The knowledge that I can push myself further than I thought possible has stuck with me – I know that I have another gear – it’s just a matter of pushing myself into it. 

Tough Mudder – Prequel

Most people try to live their lives regret free, including myself, but at times I find it difficult.  Regret sneaks up on you – there you are, going about your day, when suddenly – whack – regret comes out of no where slamming into you like a defensive linebacker from the Pittsburgh Steelers.  My most recent run-in with regret is related to a race that I absolutely did not want to do – until I didn’t do it – and realized I missed out on a really great experience that could never be recreated.

I believe many of us overestimate our physical limitations.  Thoughts like “that looks hard” and “I can’t do that” dominate our thought processes when it comes to deciding whether or not to embark on a journey through unknown waters.  We look around at the other participants and think, “that’s not me.”  Here’s a challenge, next time you are at a running or obstacle course race, take a good look around at ALL the participants.  Chances are there will be more than a few who are just like you.  The difference?  Those people thought “I can” while we thought, “I can’t”.  I was and continue to be an “I can’t-er”.  This is how regret came and got me. 

Of course there were signs of impending regret– a twinge of wistfulness here as everyone uses each workout to prepare for the upcoming race, a bit of envy there when conversations about start times and what to wear surround me.  But right up until that first group of friends crossed the start line I remained firm in my belief that I made the right decision – that this was not the race for me.  And that was when I made a fateful mistake.  I spectated the race that I was so sure I could not do.  I looked at everyone – not just the premiere athletes but everyone – young, old, fit and getting fit.  And I looked at the obstacles - not just the scary ones - all of them.  And by the time the first set of our friends crossed that finish line and got their beer and headband I came to the inevitable, regret filled conclusion that not only could I have done that race but that I would have had a good time doing it.  It was a “shoulda” moment like no other.   Sometimes you have to live with your regret and learn as much as you can from it so you don’t make the same mistake again.  Other times an opportunity presents itself for you to erase a moment of regret and replace it with a moment of triumph.

Which is how I came to be signed up for the March 29, 2014 Tough Mudder LA.  After witnessing my friends’ success at the Tough Mudder in Temecula, the camaraderie they experienced, reliving each obstacle, I knew I had to be a part of that.  So I went home, looked up when the next local Tough Mudder was and immediately hemmed and hawed for a week over whether I should registration.  Eventually someone else signed me up (with my permission) because I just couldn’t pull the trigger.  I knew I wanted to do the race but I just couldn’t jump off the cliff yet.  This was November 2013. 

Fast forward to March 2014.  I am in Las Vegas, NV at Camp Rhino, staring up at a 6 foot wall wondering how in the heck I am going to get over this thing and completely second guessing my decision to do the Tough Mudder.  But perseverance (and the knowledge that I had already told too many people that I was doing Tough Mudder to back out) spurred me on.  I followed some good advice, gripped the top of the wall, pressed my feet into the wall, and slowly walked myself up until I could swing one of my legs over the top.  From there it was just a matter of pulling myself up, turning around and slowly lowering myself down.  It was nothing short of awesome the first time I did it on my own.  I then did it five more times (just to be sure).  Other Camp Rhino victories included the monkey bars (made it across), the a-frame cargo rope, and a tire hoist (this time victory is used loosely as I managed to get it higher up in the air than I thought would be possible).  There were also some humbling moments – the traverse wall (you try clinging to an inch wide piece of wood with your fingertips while balancing on another inch wide piece with your toes and go across a six food wall) and Mt. Everest a.k.a “The Warped Wall”.  This obstacle – the penultimate one at Tough Mudder – I feel will be my greatest foe.  Picture this – I ran toward the wall, I ran up the wall, I got scared about being up a wall, I stop running, I roll down the wall (several times).  Mentally I know I can do this but it is also my head that causes me to stop half way and try to turn around to go back down (not an easy feat on a steep incline).  I never made it to the top of Mt. Everest.  That accomplishment will have to come at Tough Mudder (you have to do it to finish).  But I think with my newly purchased kneepads I will be fine.  

So we are officially a week out from Tough Mudder LA.  I just finished my most recent 5k with my best time to date (31:48 for those of you who are interested in these things) and I learned how to climb the rope (finally) at our most recent boot camp class.  It is with those successes I go into Tough Mudder week.  The plan is simple, workout Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and rest on Friday.  Fresh legs will be key for the hilly course that the Tough Mudder designers have planned for us.  I won’t be alone in my journey – our team of 5 will leave San Diego at 4am on Saturday and we will have our own group of spectators cheering us on all along the way.  Who knows how I will do – perhaps I’ll do every obstacle perfectly or maybe I will do every obstacle to the best of my availability.  But the real point is that I will be out there doing them, each one erasing a little bit of regret and adding confidence all the way to the final, electrifying finish.

To be continued….