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….