Sunday, I officially joined the ranks of many before me and became a Tough Mudder. If you’ve never heard of this before, Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile long obstacle course and it was first developed by British navy seals. It’s designed not to be a race, but a challenge. It’s more about team work and camaraderie than it is about trying to get the best time.
I was lucky enough to participate in the New England Tough Mudder at Mount Snow Vermont’s Ski Resort and I now know that mountain like the back of my hand. I chose to participate partly because I love working out and thought that my fitness level would lend itself well to how I did during the course, but also because I was afraid of it. The closer it got to the big day the more nervous I got.
Having completed this for the first time I have to say that I’m a super bad-ass! I’ve completed a course going through ice, water, mud, climbing, running and electric shock.
Two of my teammates wore a a Go Pro camera throughout the obstacles and already made a cool video of the event. Check out the video!
I have been trying to put much of my focus on eating healthier and exercising regularly. While I do exercise most weekday mornings, I know I am not pushing myself to the limits. With regularly training my body can handle a lot more than what I am giving it. I plan on testing my strength and my mental tenacity in August. How? Like many warriors before me, I’m going to become a Tough Mudder. If you have not heard of this before, this is a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces. It’s designed to test, “test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie.”
The only way to do this is with a team of people or you’ll never make it through. I hav to prepare myself to be covered in mud, scratched by hay bales, dunked in ice cold water (many times), and the fear of jumping from a tall wooden plank into a pool of water. The idea is that you go with a team of people so you’re never alone. It’s not about being first, but about helping each other out and finishing.
Thankfully, I have a many friends who have done this before and they all assure me I am going to love it. If you want to do something fun this summer and tough this summer, sign up for one of these and let me know how you did! A few words of encouragement will do me good, too.
