So I took a little mud bath this weekend...



This past Saturday, my brother Robert, three of my cousins and a friend took part in a little event called The Tough Mudder. Here is a description of the event from their website: "Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, 1,000,000 inspiring participants worldwide to date, and more than $5 million raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world."

Okay so its not such a little event - ha! This is the second time I have participated in a Tough Mudder event. I did the one at Mount Snow last summer and it was hard - really hard! It took us six hours to complete (partly because I was a lot slower last summer and the other part being they had us go up and down the mountain seven times!) This year I was determined to finish faster. The Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge. I was challenging myself to do better and I did! Our team finished in four hours! I am so proud of us!

 

Team Pride N Joy

 This is such an amazing experience! It is probably the hardest thing I have ever done physically. But also one of the most rewarding. The whole vibe of the Tough Mudder is amazing as well. Every person who participates is really your team member. There is such a sense of camaraderie. It really is amazing how perfect strangers come together to help one another even if it means slowing them down. Because that is what Tough Mudder is about, helping one another over come obstacles.

And the obstacles are no joke! The event was held at Tall Pines ATV Park in Andover, NY. If you click here it will take you to the event page where you can scroll down to click on a copy of the course map. It is a PDF and I am not sure how to add it here! Names of the obstacles include Electric Eel, Walk the Plank, Boa Constrictor and ElectroShock Therapy to name a few. ElectroShock Therapy is the last obstacle of the course. You have to run through wires hanging down with 10,000 volts of electricity coursing through them! I got hit - it REALLY hurts!!!

 

Electric Eel

Cage Crawl

trying not to get hit with tennis balls!

Walk the Plank

Electroshock Therapy
 

In addition to the obstacles, they also had "Burn Zones" set up where you had to do push ups, burpees, planks, tricep dips or short cardio bursts.

 

Planks



  The whole course was 11 1/2 miles long so in some cases you were running about 2-3 miles between obstacles. Tough Mudder really challenges you in every way - especially mentally. It really is about overcoming fears and pushing yourself to keep going all while helping your fellow Mudders along the way. It really is such an amazing experience!! I am sore and bruised and I can't wait to do it again next year!!

Done!

Thanks for stopping by!
Meghan