Tough Mudder
 

Has anyone here done Tough Mudder before?

I am signed up with a small team and I have also watched one of the gopro videos, but I'm still not exactly sure how I'm going to do or what to bring. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would say my strength is above average, but my cardio and endurance is horrible. I've been working on some running and swimming. My lungs give out before my body. I like to train with people who set a good pace or else I tend too just push to hard and burn all my energy.

Good luck

I'd go, except:

My cousins have done it a couple years now. My sisters will be joining them this year (while I take pictures mwahahah)

You really have the final say in terms of what obstacles you want to do, but if you really want to challenge yourself then I suggest training for it. There's a ton of wet and cold, so I'm told that you should have grippy gloves (think batter gloves or the like) because there's a lot of gripping.

Between obstacles you're walking/jogging pretty long distances (iirc, sometimes as far as 1km), so that's where your endurance would come in handy.

Remember this is all second-hand info. The mudder website has a pretty good info section on what you need on the day of.

I did it last year and unfortunately I did not train because I was asked to go along with a buddy at the last minute. It was kind of a "sure, why not" moment. I work out with weight training several times a week but that is almost useless for this type of event.

Gloves may not be a good idea because the number one thing that you should worry about is being too cold and having gloves that will get soaked is one way to encourage continuous cold, not warmth. Early on in the event you will get very muddy and very wet. Water is the theme with a belly crawl through wet mud, under barbed wire no less, with water being sprayed on you with hoses. After that, you run up a hill and then to the next obstacle known as the "Artic Enema" where you jump into a giant tub full of water and a constantly refreshed supply of ice. You then have to submerge yourself completely in the ice water and go under an obstacle then come out on the other side. You are soaked head to shoe covered toe. From there you have about another 17.5 kilometers of more mud, water, harsh rocks and potential hypothermia. There is one obstacle known as "Mud Mile" which is a full kilometer of nearly waste deep mud. Be on the look out here for hidden sticks that can jab you in the leg. Good times.

The biggest regret I have is having useless shoes. I went and bought Merril trail runners the day before the event because I thought that since I'd be running through the mountains that shoes specifically designed for running on trails would be best. They are the lightest shoes I've ever had with thick padding for the front half of the ball of your foot but they are paper thin from the middle arch of the foot back to the heel. Well, guess what. About half of the course is on ski trails (you're in the Olympic park) and these ski trails, when not covered with snow, are covered with large sharp gravels that will beat the shit out of your shoes thus turning your feet into mince meat. My feet were in agony until they finally went numb from the cold. This happened at about the 8km mark.

The obstacles themselves are not difficult on their own. Any one of them would be fairly easy if tackled alone but the aggregate of all the obstacles, the cold, the water and the elevation combine to drain you, to exhaust you and to make you question yourself beyond belief. About half way through the race my right knee started to lock up from the constant pounding it was taking. The ligaments behind my knee were in excruciating pain but I carried on, sometimes limp running, sometimes limp walking. About 3/4 of the way through I started to get hypothermic. Both legs started to convulse uncontrollably. I literally could not stand without my legs buckling underneath me. I sat for about ten minutes wondering how the fuck I was going to get out of this alive. No shit, I was worried. My partner had brought along some protein packs that bikers usually carry with them for extra energy. This helped to keep me going and at the time they were more valuable than their weight in gold.

The event is very well organized and they have several first aid stations along the way and they have volunteers working the course to look out for people that get into trouble. I was brought a hypothermia blanket (looks like aluminum foil) and it worked amazingly well at warming me up. I had this wrapped around me while I was sitting for ten minutes on the side of the course. Once I started to feel my extremities again I took off, blue lips and all. Overall, there was only one obstacle that I could not even attempt due to the eye watering pain in my right hip. It involved running up what looked like a half-pipe but you had to do so by running through ankle deep mud first. I could only walk at this point so I could not even attempt it. Good times.

I got the finish where you have to run through dozens of hanging wires that are electrically charged. For this, I mustered up the will to run full speed with a viking roar at the top of my lungs (for effect). When you get shocked by these wires it is similar to getting punched in the head sans boxing gloves. I took it with a smile. One thing I discovered is that beer tastes surprisingly good afterwards. Yeah, you get one for free when you finish. Yay.

Don't wear gloves, wear synthetic shorts and shirts. Absolutely do not wear cotton or anything else that will retain moisture. You want clothes that dry fast. Wear shoes that you don't plan on keeping afterward, even if you buy them new before the event. You want them to be light, with excellent padding, will air dry fast or else you're screwed. You might also want to consider slip on knee supports, both for the support but also because you will be doing some crawling including through snow tunnels. Moisture is the enemy because it invites cold which leads to hypothermia. If it is overcast then it will be cold. If there is a heat wave that day without a cloud in the sky it will still be cold in the shadows, under the trees and in the woods which is about 80% of the race.

Bring a fanny pack with protein food packs. Don't bring a back pack because it will slow you down and you don't need the added weight and bulk for 18km. Train now and train for endurance but not necessarily for running. Train crossfit style.

I hope this helps to shed some light on what you are in for. If I had it to do all over again I would change a lot of things but I'd still do it. It is very satisfying to know and to be able to say that you did something like this. Register early because the longer you wait the more you'll have to pay. Good luck.

I did it last year and it was soooo much fun :bowdown:

It will be cold up there so make sure you stay warm. I wore compression tights underneath my running shorts and a compression shirt underneath my sleeveless. I wore gloves and I found that it helped on certain parts because it'll prevent your hands from getting cut up. Make sure your sneakers are knotted up nicely because you'll be waist deep in thick mud. I saw several people lose their shoes or fall face first in the mud because their foot got stuck. You DO NOT want to lose your shoe because you're going to be fucked if you do.

Do NOT listen to the staff if they tell you that their ice tank is 'warmer' :lol

Just remember that it's all about the comradery of being able to finish the thing together with all your friends. Time doesn't matter as long as you guys have fun doing it. The warm up speech at the start was absolutely amazing. Seeing everyone chant together and strangers high fiving and hugging each other :bowdown:

The half pipe was FUNNNNNNN :D

The end is a lot of fun as well because that's where they'll shock you. Don't be a pussy and just run through that thing like a boss (and hope you don't get shocked and eat a mouthful of mud ;) )

I've been looking for a team forever. Was thinking of going solo and then grabbing a friendly stranger during the piggy back or any tough walls.
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^ I solo'd it last year and it was awesome.
The amount of camaraderie on course was awesome.
It was a lot easier than I expected.

If you want a challenge, do the Spartan beast in SunPeaks. Holy shit that was hard.

Waaa
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Whatsup
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STFU Boosted, stop trying to rack up posts.

TM Whistler almost a month away! This will be my second time going and I'm pumped (and slightly more ready for it) to do it again. Any more of you guys manage to sign your lives away?

A ton of family is doing it this year. They asked me to take photos for them so unfortunately I can't participate.


:ilied:

should be called tough runner.

Several Co-workers is going to do it. Me I think I will just sit back and relax....... not fit at all lol.

Signed up for Spartan Race today.

There was a Social Shopper 1 for $50 or 2 for $85. Sorry, I should have let you guys know here.

Has anyone else done Spartan Race before or is going to this weekend?
5km... seems like a mini tough mudder

^is it at seymour again this year?
the sprint was fun. Its short enough to go all out for a good time without burning yourself out.

After my first spartan, i got addicted and kept wanting more. lol
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^Ya, it's at Mt. Seymour.
Wow, did you go 5 different years?

^ nah that was all last year.
grouse grind was the best training for any of these

Wow! :bigthumb:

This year looking at it online, it looks like they only offer the sprint.

completed the mudder today, bruises everywhere! that very steep hill before the monkey bars killed my legs

Quoted, almost peed in my pants from laughing at your misfortune and about to shit in my pants because I'm going tomorrow :QQ: