I am now in the process of ramping up my preparations for the August 13 Tough Mudder in Louden, NH. While I am looking forward to a flatter course, I am finding once again that being in shape for one activity does not always put you in shape for another.
Yesterday, I went down to a nearby elementary school to use their monkey bars. I have been exercising a lot at home, but I do not have a set of monkey bars or even a pull up bar. What I found when I got to the bars was that I need to do a lot of pull ups, dips and monkey bar work before August 13, or I am going to get very wet in a lot of obstacles. While my hope is that I go onto TM without an injury for the first time ever (I have suffered hip, hamstring and knee injuries prior to TMs in the past), I need to get myself ready to pull up ropes, go over walls, leap to trapezes and cross long monkey bars. Sounds like a lot of time at the playground.
What I like about Tough Mudder is the social aspect of it. Yes, there are heroes who race through the course trying to "win". There are even some who try to see how many times they can go through the course in a day or weekend. These are people who are part of the Obstacle Course Race cult, and I admire how fit they stay all year. However, I prefer the regular people who run with a team or on their own and try to get through the course in such a way that everyone is able to make it. These are people who stop and work with their teams and people they do not even know to assist people over walls, or up slippery slopes, or through muddy trenches. Instead of racing, we experience the course with other people and share the pain of 10-12 miles on a hot, summer day.
My first Mudder was three years ago when I went up to Gunstock Mountain on my own (my partner had dropped out after I had paid). It was ninety degrees, the course was twelve miles, and five miles were up hill, five miles were down hill, and two were through the woods. Excellent for a bad hip. Along some of the up slopes were signs that said something cheery like, "Welcome to Hell" as the course turned a corner to a steeper slope. I actually enjoyed Arctic Enema because the ice water cooled me down enough to continue. Along the way, I joined various groups at various obstacles so we could help each other through the suffering. I finished, and I vowed to never do it again.
So, of course, the next year I was with family and friends at Mt. Snow in VT doing it again. This time a cooler day, but still the requisite injury. This time hamstring. It is way better with a team. Along the way, my youngest brother asked why the heck we were doing this. I told him it was a bucket list thing. He said, "not my Bucket List." He finished the course and has semi-retired from TMs for now. Meanwhile one of my sisters finished despite having cartilage issues in her knees which required her to go backward down each of the last several miles of slopes. Tough lady. It was at this event that my other brother there, his daughter and one of my sisters and I vowed that we would do these until we can't.
Thus, the following year in Maine on a golf course. And, this year at Louden Speedway. We are bringing in some rookies, like my wife. We will be missing one of my sisters. But, the core of us will endure another mudder, all for a headband, a tee shirt and a free beer. Plus, another year;s worth of stories, memories and tall tales.
We also have been using these mudders as a way to honor relatives who have died. The Mount Snow Mudder was in honor of my father, who loved hearing about Mudder obstacles and challenges. This year, we are honoring my brother, Randy, who passed away in June. The wording on the tees will use his initials. We will be: "Just Dewar It, Run, Persevere, Dominate" And so we shall.
Find something that challenges you and your loved ones, and do it with them. There are lots of traditions of parties and get togethers in my family, but events like this pull us together and give us something extra in common. So much pulls us away from each other. For us, we pick a Tough Mudder each year, prepare for it, and have a great time getting each other through the course.
Yesterday, I went down to a nearby elementary school to use their monkey bars. I have been exercising a lot at home, but I do not have a set of monkey bars or even a pull up bar. What I found when I got to the bars was that I need to do a lot of pull ups, dips and monkey bar work before August 13, or I am going to get very wet in a lot of obstacles. While my hope is that I go onto TM without an injury for the first time ever (I have suffered hip, hamstring and knee injuries prior to TMs in the past), I need to get myself ready to pull up ropes, go over walls, leap to trapezes and cross long monkey bars. Sounds like a lot of time at the playground.
What I like about Tough Mudder is the social aspect of it. Yes, there are heroes who race through the course trying to "win". There are even some who try to see how many times they can go through the course in a day or weekend. These are people who are part of the Obstacle Course Race cult, and I admire how fit they stay all year. However, I prefer the regular people who run with a team or on their own and try to get through the course in such a way that everyone is able to make it. These are people who stop and work with their teams and people they do not even know to assist people over walls, or up slippery slopes, or through muddy trenches. Instead of racing, we experience the course with other people and share the pain of 10-12 miles on a hot, summer day.
My first Mudder was three years ago when I went up to Gunstock Mountain on my own (my partner had dropped out after I had paid). It was ninety degrees, the course was twelve miles, and five miles were up hill, five miles were down hill, and two were through the woods. Excellent for a bad hip. Along some of the up slopes were signs that said something cheery like, "Welcome to Hell" as the course turned a corner to a steeper slope. I actually enjoyed Arctic Enema because the ice water cooled me down enough to continue. Along the way, I joined various groups at various obstacles so we could help each other through the suffering. I finished, and I vowed to never do it again.
So, of course, the next year I was with family and friends at Mt. Snow in VT doing it again. This time a cooler day, but still the requisite injury. This time hamstring. It is way better with a team. Along the way, my youngest brother asked why the heck we were doing this. I told him it was a bucket list thing. He said, "not my Bucket List." He finished the course and has semi-retired from TMs for now. Meanwhile one of my sisters finished despite having cartilage issues in her knees which required her to go backward down each of the last several miles of slopes. Tough lady. It was at this event that my other brother there, his daughter and one of my sisters and I vowed that we would do these until we can't.
Thus, the following year in Maine on a golf course. And, this year at Louden Speedway. We are bringing in some rookies, like my wife. We will be missing one of my sisters. But, the core of us will endure another mudder, all for a headband, a tee shirt and a free beer. Plus, another year;s worth of stories, memories and tall tales.
We also have been using these mudders as a way to honor relatives who have died. The Mount Snow Mudder was in honor of my father, who loved hearing about Mudder obstacles and challenges. This year, we are honoring my brother, Randy, who passed away in June. The wording on the tees will use his initials. We will be: "Just Dewar It, Run, Persevere, Dominate" And so we shall.
Find something that challenges you and your loved ones, and do it with them. There are lots of traditions of parties and get togethers in my family, but events like this pull us together and give us something extra in common. So much pulls us away from each other. For us, we pick a Tough Mudder each year, prepare for it, and have a great time getting each other through the course.
