Saturday was the day - Tough Mudder, 2013. Goal was to finish in under three hours since last year's finish was three hours, 15 minutes. Final time: two hours, 53 minutes. Mission accomplished.
I have read discussions talking about the difference between Tough Mudder and Spartan Race and I have a lot of thoughts on that which I will leave to another blog post. In the meantime, lets get to this race.
My buddy and I arrived at Raceway Park in time for a 9 am start. He decided to run in costume and dressed up like Walter White from Breaking Bad.
Pre Race with Walter White
** The photos of the course are courtesy of Tough Mudder's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/toughmudder) and their Tri-State 2013 Saturday & Sunday pictures post. They do no include me and are for illustration purposes only.**
Here is the course map: http://toughmudder.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Tough-Mudder-Tristate-2013-CourseMap.pdf
Start line excitement
They used a different route from last year so that we did not have to swim across the river. Instead of going down the drag strip we veered off through the parking lot.
We ran about 3/4 of a mile and hit the Zombie Apocalypse which is a tire trail and then over three rows of large cement pipes that are about waist high. Simple.
Another 3/4 mile run until Blades of Glory. These are six plus foot high walls that are inverted that you have to scale. Unlike the Spartan version, there are no posts or support beams on the underside. We used the side support beams to get a foot hold and get over. I am getting used to scaling walls so this obstacle was more challenging than the Zombie Apocalypse but not a real problem.
After this we got out of the parking lot and into the woods for another 1/2 mile run.
Next up was the Electric Eel. Very easy. The bottom is lined with a plastic, garbage bag like material that allows you to slide easily across. I kept low and luckily was not electro shocked along the way. Got up and kept running.
Another 1/4 - 1/3 of a mile and we got to Island Hopping. Cross a river by hopping from one inflatable pad to another. This was a little difficult as you basically do the burpee jumps with little balance and hope to land properly on the next slippery inflated pad. I missed one mid stream and then another at the end but was able to make it though. Got a little wet along the way.
The big comment for this one is that we were on line waiting to get across and there was someone who was having the hardest time in the middle of the river going from one "island" to the next. He had a friend helping him. I understand The Tough Mudder philosophy of helping one another but this guy was taking forever and holding up the line and the race for a lot of other people. I strongly feel that sometimes it is just best to abort an obstacle and move along if you can't do something and end up effecting many more participants. This guy should have just realized that he could not do it, swam across or pulled himself across using the ropes and let other people go through.
More running and shortly before mile three we got to the Cage Crawl. This was something that mentally psyched me out before the race since I don't like confined spaces. The fear was all in my head. Very easy. You just lay on your back and pull yourself across using the fence. Plenty of space. Up & out, keep on running.
By the way, ever since the Electric Eel you are very wet. So its not just running but wet running. Also, a lot of the running is trail running and the trails are very muddy and slippery so running is a little more difficult than normal.
Another 3/4 mile run and we come up to the Funky Monkey. I have trouble doing pull ups only being able to do three or four at a time so this is not a strength of mine. Add to that the bars were slippery so it was two rungs and splash into the water for me. Got across soaking wet, got out and resumed running.
Ran through mile four and 1/4 of a mile from mile five came up to a Mud Pit. We jumped into a big pit of mud and climbed up a muddy wall and kept on running more muddy and wet than before.
When we hit mile five there was a water station (several of them along the way - maybe four or five in total) and a volunteer was yelling out that we had just hit mile five which is a little less than half way of an 11 mile course and that the time was 9:58. That means to me that I was almost 1/2 way done in an hour. The goal was to finish in less than three and my hopes were high that I was going to blow that time away. Reflecting, I don't think that time was right. Nevertheless I was encouraged.
1/4 mile past the five mile marker and we came across the Mystery Hazard. This was a wheel Barrel carry. So, one guy gets down in push up position the other guy holds your legs up and you wheel barrel through a dirty trail for about 20 yards and then switch. Not a problem.
Before mile six we come across the Kiss of Mud. We crawled about 20 yards through the mud under barbed wire. Easy. The Spartan version has rocks and an uneven path. This was straight and rock free. Just lay down and crawl across. No problems here. Especially with no rocks which will kill your knees.
By now my friend and I are passing people at a regular rate. He is a faster runner than I am so he is keeping to my slower pace but we are consistent and together we are not wasting time by psyching ourselves up for an obstacle or celebrating obstacle completion. We are running/jogging from obstacle to obstacle and we are passing a lot of people who started out faster and are now walking. This continues through the remainder of the event.
Shortly after mile six we reach Just The Tip. This obstacle was impossible for me and everyone else I saw in front of us. I did not see anyone make it across. As soon as you cross the wall with the foot holds, the bar to cross to the next foot hold is small and very slippery. Combine that with my deficit in arm/shoulder strength and I was quickly into the water below. I crossed over, climbed out and resumed running, again soaking wet. This is where my buddy lost his Walter White glasses.
Mid way through mile six and we reach Walk The Plank. As we approach volunteers ask if we can swim and, if not, continue around it to the next obstacle. My buddy and I reply that we can swim but have a terrible time climbing so it would be great if someone could help us to the top of the obstacle. Just kidding. We can climb. I got to the top, looked out over the drop, reminded myself that I am a man, and jumped in. Swam across, pulled myself up with the rope at the other end and resumed running.
Funny story - I think it was about here when we were running and we passed a guy that looked like he just stepped out of Muscle & Fitness magazine. Tall, lean, muscle bound, cut and wearing skin tight clothes. And he was walking while we were running. I took a great deal of pride in doing what I was doing since I was the one that was running and he was the one that was walking. That was until him and his buddy blew past us doing wind sprints and I returned to reality.
At seven & 1/4 miles there was a Tire Flip for charity. I believe to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. The obstacle was optional but if you did it, alone or as a team, Tough Mudder would up their donation. I flipped a large tractor tire three times one way, three times back and kept moving. I am glad that Tough Mudder did this and gave me the opportunity to do a little something for charity but this is a regular Spartan obstacle that I like and would not mind seeing as a regular obstacle in Tough Mudder.
Immediately after the Tire Flip was the Artic Enima. This is a "Man Up & Do It" obstacle. Up, in, under, across, out, keep going. It is simple if you just do it. The lady in front of me was 100% drama before jumping in and then freaked out once she was in the ice water. As soon as she got in she immediately started screaming to get out. She should have just gone under the bar, across the tub and climbed out. That is the point. I had to wait as she was pulled out from the side. Unreal.
1/4 of a mile run and we reached the Warrior Carry. This was an obstacle that I could not do last year since it was more to the end of the course and I was shot. I did not think that I was going to be able to do it this year. I came up to it and decided to give it my best shot electing to carry Walter White piggy back style over fireman style. We got to the switch point and he did the same for me. We finished this with no problem and kept on moving. Thinking back I am very proud that I knocked this out with ease. Kudos to Leg Day at the gym.
Another 1/4 mile and we hit the Phoenix. Here we crawled under a chute and then had to jump over a pretty big fire and into muddy water and climb out the other side. Easy. Next. Keep moving.
A little bit past mile eight and we hit the Cliff Hanger. Up and down muddy hills. Did not have a real problem with this. Only thing to note is that while sliding down a big, muddy hill you have to watch out for exposed rocks. I think that my buddy, Walter White, hit one and has a good bruise to show for it.
A good jog later we came across the Boa Constrictor. You go down a tube and into the water which is easy but then have to pull yourself up a tube which is a bit more difficult. Last year the up tube was steeper, there was a rope and the tube was not big enough for me to get up enough so that my knees could help with crawling This year I could get a little help from the knees but there was no rope. This was challenging to get up and I used a little unsolicited help from a stranger at the top. I got out, helped three or four other people just like I was helped and got back to running.
I don't know what it is since the Boa Constrictor is an upper body obstacle but this year and also last year this is where my hamstring and calf started to twitch and tighten up. I was still jogging and did walk at a brisk pace occasionally so that I would not hurt myself but it is here where the aches were settling in. Just kept moving and gutted it out. I think that it was right around here that we noticed a lot of other people stopping and stretching too. Odd.
Midway through mile nine we hit the Mud Mile. I really like this obstacle. It is challenging and a lot of fun. There are a bunch of places where you need help to get through and you help others. The pit walls seemed to be a little more steeper than last year which seemed on more of an angle. Not sure how to describe this obstacle to someone who has not done it before but again it was challenging and fun. Got through it and kept on running.
The crowd was not as large when we went through
During the obstacles the calf/hamstring tightening does not bother me and is not even a thought. It only acts up occasionally during running.
Before hitting mile ten we reach Rubber Necking. It is similar to the Tire Drag but the difference is that you take a regular car tire and carry it about 100 yards one way and then 100 yards back. I really did not have a problem with this at all although it looked like quite a struggle for others. It is one of the few strength or upper body obstacles in Tough Mudder as opposed to a Spartan Race.
The race map says that next up was the Climbmax. Not sure what that was. I don't remember it and there is no listing of it in the Tough Mudder obstacles to remind me. Maybe it was just a bunch of concrete road barriers that we had to clear. Whatever it was, it was insignificant.
We ran up to the Berlin Walls and I can smell the finish line. I need help getting up and over the first and last 12 foot wall. In between those two, there were three smaller walls that I think were four, five and six feet tall. The four and five foot walls were easy. I surprised myself a little bit by clearing the six foot wall with no help. It took me two tries but the second time was a breeze. I don't know how I did it after ten miles of muddy obstacles but I still got it done.
Again, line was not nearly as long for us. If you are interested, click on the picture to make it large and take a look beyond the first wall and you will see others getting up and over the three walls before the final 12 foot wall just like the first.
Got running/jogging/brisk walking (hamstring continues to occasionally twitch & tighten) and got to Mt. Everest. This was a bitch last year and something that I was afraid of not being able to do this year.
First attempt I was unsuccessful since I didn't incorporate the upward curve of the ramp into my run and I could not reach the hands of anyone trying to help. I basically ran face first into the ramp. On my second attempt I leaned back a bit and ran up the ramp which got me to some helping hands and the bar at the top of the ramp. I pulled myself up a little bit and with a little help got my foot on the top and was able to pull myself over. Mission accomplished! I have a lot of pride in getting this one done. Again, there was no waiting before the attempts and I just got there and did it. No hamstring twinges, no exhaustion, just manned up and did it.
I am also happy that I stayed at the top for a while helping others. I got pretty good at it. Catch someone's hand, get them to the top bar and then ask for their leg to get them over. I really felt like I was giving back since I needed a lot of help from strangers last year.
Step #1 - Catch the person running up the ramp
Step #2 - Hands on the bar
Step #3 - Leg up
Finally, we came up to the last obstacle, Electroshock Therapy. There was a line that I cut in front of and, in hindsight, I was very rude to do so. I just didn't understand why people were standing there and watching. I paid for my inconsiderate behavior as I got blasted at least four or five times. The first couple of times I could take it but eventually was knocked down face first in the mud and struggled to get through. I sucked it up and did it without hesitating but I paid the price. Cutting in line did me no good since my buddy did it properly waiting his turn so I was waiting for him anyway and didn't save any time.
The only thing left was a short run to the finish line which I just wanted to sprint through. Nothing left to do so no reason to leave any gas in the tank. As I started to run my hamstring really tightened up and did not want to let me run. My mind told me that there was no way that I was gong to walk across the finish line. Not after running the entire course. About 10 yards in front of us there was another guy who was making it across on one leg while his buddy served as his crutch. Everyone else was basically limping. I continued to jog to the best of my ability and crossed the finish line.
Once we crossed the finish line the first thing that I did was look for someone with a watch. We left at the 9 am start and I wanted to get an idea as to my finish time. The first person I asked told that it was 10:45. Holy shit! That would have meant we finished in an hour and 45 minutes. That is like world record time. I was floored. Then, reality set it. There was no way. We needed a second opinion.
The second person I asked told me that it was 11:50. Hmmm. If we finished the first five miles in an hour, did it really take us another hour and 50 minutes to do the next six? Time for a third check. The last guy told us that it was 11:53.
Okay, we have two people telling us that we are in the two hour, 50 minute range and I guess that makes sense. Maybe it was later than 9:58 at mile five. We settled on the two hour 53 minute time. It is under three hours and gives me more wiggle room for improvement for next year.
Mission accomplished! Beer me please.
**Now back to my photos**
War wounds. It black and blue'd nicely
Reflections are that I am very fortunate to have done this with the guy that I did it with. We kept each other motivated and moving. Also, glad that I was 30 pounds lighter and felt a lot stronger. A year of training and dieting paid off. For the foreseeable future I am going into rest mode and going way off the diet. I will get back to it in a week or two.
Diet Armageddon - Saturday post event
Diet Armageddon continued on Sunday with a Bacon Cheeseburger with all of the toppings and a side of fries
There are more notes and thoughts but I think that I will wrap this up. I blog regularly so I am sure that I will share more in the future. They have to include differences between last year and this year and my areas for my improvement.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to share.
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