MOVE IT MONDAY- MUDDER EDITION

This month's week of posts are all going to be "MUD" inspired. That's right. I said MUD. Why? Because this past Saturday I participated in my first Tough Mudder. And I'm happy to say I survived. I managed to complete every obstacle and finish without injury. I definitely have some interesting bruises popping up all over my body and I pretty much feel like I was beaten with a baseball bat, but other than that, I'm fine.

Never heard of a Tough Mudder and wondering what it is? Well check out this video from Tough Mudder's You Tube channel and see for yourself what this craziness is all about. (every Mudder is different, but many of the obstacles are the same )

So, now you know a bit, right? Well think again, nothing can prepare you for the real deal.
First off, no matter what anybody tells you, Tough Mudder is NOT A RACE. It's a 10-12 mile extreme obstacle course which you can enter as an individual or as part of a team. I strongly recommend the latter for safety reasons, and plus it's way more fun. But in the event none of your friends or colleagues are crazy enough to join you, fear not, you will find yourself with comrades, teammates and new buddies should you choose to do this solo.

I was on a team of 12 people who were as crazy as me to give the first ever Tough Mudder Boston course a whirl. Actually, some of my teammates had actually done a Tough Mudder before, including my older sister and brother-in-law, so in my opinion they might be crazier than me because they already knew what they were signing up for and signed up to do it again!!

We were The Dirty Dozen. Most of us were first timers and I was even able to convince one of my bootcamp clients, Vicky, to join the team with me. (Truth be told it didn't take too much convincing, I sent Vicky the video link so she could see what she was getting into before she said yes and she decided to sign up and pay her fee ($165, not cheap) first and THEN watch the video. And you bet your butt I got a call soon thereafter saying "What the hell did you sign me up for?") Heed my warnings people, if someone asks you to do something and says "Watch this video before you say yes", listen to them. In the end Vicky was thrilled she did it. At least I think she was :)

Anyway, what's this all have to do with MOVE IT MONDAY, the day I give you a cool new workout to do? Well, everything. By far Tough Mudder is the toughest workout I've ever done. They don't call it TOUGH MUDDER for nothing. If you visit their site, they tout it as -

"Probably the toughest event on the planet".

And after doing it myself, I kinda have to agree. It's a world-wide workout with events taking place all over the globe since 2010. Best of all, Tough Mudder has smartly aligned themselves with the Wounded Warrior Project and has raised MILLIONS of dollars for this amazing charity. So, if you can handle it, you can not only test your strength, but do it for the greater good of so many soldiers out there who selflessly sacrifice themselves for us each and every day. The Tough Mudder course is actually designed by the British Special Forces, so some of the obstacles mimic military drills and are just plain, well tough. Pun intended.

Just how tough? Well, in my opinion the toughest part of this challenge is the location it's held at. Tough Mudder Boston was held at Gunstock Ski Resort Mountain in NH. You have to physically get yourself up and down, the actual mountain- multiple times! We did 4.5 trips to the top and back down again. All the while participating in 26 obstacles along the way. Let's see, I was shocked, submerged in subfreezing water (thought I might drown on that one), crawled under barbed wire and scaled 13 foot walls and those were just the highlights.

Oh and did I mention I trudged through deep smelly mud? The obstacles almost seemed like a break compared to the steep climb(some people were actually on their hands and knees crawling) up the mountain in the brutal 94 degree heat and humidity we were "blessed with". ( can you sense the sarcasm there? )

I am glad I am a runner. I consider myself an above average athletic person and a tough competitor in everything I do. And I found this to be physically and mentally the hardest thing I have done to date.
So, if you're looking for a tough workout, look no further than a Tough Mudder. BUT be warned. And please read my disclaimer at the end of this. If you're interested at all in doing something like this, my advice is to start with some hiking. Go out and just climb a freakin' mountain. And then do it 3 and a half more times and see how you feel. If you can still move after that, then maybe you have what it takes. If you're a beginner or you've never worked out a day in your life THIS IS NOT THE EVENT FOR YOU. Start with walking some small hills in your neighborhood. Or maybe try out a less intense "mud run" that another group maybe having that is way less challenging.

But, if you're still reading this and the video and pics haven't scared you or made you puke and if you're looking for a challenging workout that will kick your behind literally and then some, then hey, maybe this is what you're looking for.

All in all, I'm glad I did it. My team was a fantastic mix of men and women, who in my book are all rockstar badasses and there isn't a better group of people I would have rather gone through the mud with. They are all welcome at any of my bootcamps anytime they want.

Now the million dollar question(s) . . . Would I do it again? Yeah, I probably would, given the right circumstances. Will, I do it again? I don't know. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. For right now, I'm just proud and happy to be able to "check the box" on that one. Another thing off my "DO IT LIST".

(Oh and P.S. if anyone tells you the Arctic Enemma isn't that bad they're lying -it totally sucked and was the obstacle I feared the most and I actually got stuck and needed to be pulled out from underneath the icy water. I would have rather been shocked on every other obstacle (which actually felt like people were punching me all over my body) than have to do the Arctic Enemma again. )

And now I will leave you with "Scenes From a Mudder"- and don't forget to read my DISCLAIMER BELOW. It's here for a reason :) In fact, I'm putting the pictures below the DISCLAIMER, so you have to read it if you want to see the good stuff. HOO-RAH!

***Disclaimer- by no means am I telling anyone out there to go and do a Tough Mudder or any other obstacle course. This blog post is an expression of my experience only. You should ALWAYS consult with your physician before attempting a new workout routine or ANY new physical activity. Don't be irresponsible or a dummy with yourself or your friends. Be smart, think for yourself and only do what is safe and right for you! :) Disclaimer over.