The Tough Mudder: Report and Analysis
Nov. 13th, 2011 09:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabrinamariPhotos and analysis under the cut.
First impressions:
Sign up
Walking in under part of the course
Many subsequently wondrous things:
1. Awesomely cute girls, many of them in teams, dressed in wonderfully cute outfits and perkily preparing to kick ass:
Awesomely cute girls dressed in purple
The Dirty Girls
Super Girl
Ninja Turtle
I thought to myself, "I want to be one of those girls, and I wish I were here with my own team, ready to go out there and do my very best. Why aren't I one of these girls right now?"
2. This one may be too amazing to believe. Men and women alike, take a deep breath.
The line for the women's bathroom was shorter than the line for the men's room, and it moved faster.
I have no video to prove this, and I realize that this is a very hard thing to believe, but I swear to you, it was true---all the way through the race.
3. There were also many odd and capable guys there, including Michael's team, the Dixie Wrecked (I didn't understand this team name until just now, when Michael had me say it quickly. I thought it must be some odd country music song reference. Sigh. Why are boys so very strange?):
Dixie Wrecked
Random Superheroes
There will be more photos of the course and the Dixie Wrecked later, when Stephanie posts her remarkable photographs. She is, among other things, a gifted photographer, and she was part of the support crew.
4. There were quite a few tight, impressive and unbelievable beautiful teams there. My personal favorite: the 10-person mixed gender team that did the whole race carrying a cinder block, which they passed around to each other all along the course. They wore backpacks and full gear---which clearly kept them warm---and crossed the finish line gloriously celebrating as a unit.
Wow.
5. Spectators were allowed to roam the whole course and even hold things for the racers (wedding rings, discarded clothing layers, etc.). That was very, very cool. We followed Michael's team through the first quarter of the course before we lost him, interacting at various points along the way. This was GREAT for research---you could see what was happening and what was required to succeed as a spectator.
6. By far, the worst thing about this race was the wet cold. Some people walked through the whole course. You didn't have to run it---it wasn't like a half-marathon, which almost requires that racers must be able to run for long periods. This was an endurance race. You had to be able to endure terrible conditions and pull yourself through the course while helping and being helped by your teammates and the other racers around you. This race is not about winning or about maximizing your time. It's about digging deep and getting the whole impromptu community of people around you through a very difficult course, together.
The Tough Mudder website describes it very well:
http://toughmudder.com/history-of-tough-mudder/
"Tough Mudder is also about experiencing a true sense of camaraderie...To get over some of our obstacles you will need the help of others – they are simply too much for one man to tackle alone. Tough Mudders, unlike some other types of endurance runners, are team players; they help out other Tough Mudders. We want everyone to compete, but being a Tough Mudder is also about making sure no man is left behind, not worrying about your finish time."
This thing was made for me. If there's anything my life has prepared me to do, it's pull my ass through ridiculously bad conditions and bring the people I love with me. That describes my entire frickin' childhood, archaeological field camp, social science graduate school AND my first marriage. Dragging myself through the pain of 32 obstacles in no way compares to the pain of either the dissertation process or my first marriage.
However, to meet this challenge, you do need the following things:
1. Some reasonable amount of body fat and/or multiple layers of high quality technical clothing. It's unbelievably wet and COLD. You do most of the early part of the race soaking wet and moving in and out of (muddy/tinted) water, some of which is being continually filled with bags of ice. This requirement is what kept Michael from finishing the race this time.
2. A very strong team, even if it's only a team of two. It's important that you all be able to move at a similar pace. You will be hauling each other up, over, through and under a whole variety of obstacles. You MUST BE ABLE to help yourself and each other all the way through unless you are in unbelievably great shape, with an extra layer of insulating body fat. It's important, too, that you be at a comparable level of fitness. Michael was the strongest and fastest guy on his team, but he has no body fat to speak of. In order to stay warm, he needed to run, and he needed to move fast. By staying behind and trying to work with the team, he kept his body temperature too low. Finally, his teammates pulled him off the course and hauled him to the medical tent. He was too close to hypothermia, and had to stay in the tent wrapped in plastic to get his temperature up. Thank god that one of his teammates had the great good sense to urge him not to get back on the course! Thank you, racer number 14371.
3. You must be very resilient and too dumb quit unless you are actually at risk of serious injury or may be suffering from a potentially severe health problem. In the latter case, you need to be wise enough to stop. You must be comfortable being uncomfortable, or, as I like to say, you need to be willing to endure discomfort in order to grow. This needs to be balanced by good, strong common sense and an ability to evaluate your physical health realistically as the race progresses.
If you can meet these three requirements, you can probably finish the race, as long as you don't succumb to the cold or break anything.
I think I will try it next year.
First impressions:
Sign up
Walking in under part of the course
Many subsequently wondrous things:
1. Awesomely cute girls, many of them in teams, dressed in wonderfully cute outfits and perkily preparing to kick ass:
Awesomely cute girls dressed in purple
The Dirty Girls
Super Girl
Ninja Turtle
I thought to myself, "I want to be one of those girls, and I wish I were here with my own team, ready to go out there and do my very best. Why aren't I one of these girls right now?"
2. This one may be too amazing to believe. Men and women alike, take a deep breath.
The line for the women's bathroom was shorter than the line for the men's room, and it moved faster.
I have no video to prove this, and I realize that this is a very hard thing to believe, but I swear to you, it was true---all the way through the race.
3. There were also many odd and capable guys there, including Michael's team, the Dixie Wrecked (I didn't understand this team name until just now, when Michael had me say it quickly. I thought it must be some odd country music song reference. Sigh. Why are boys so very strange?):
Dixie Wrecked
Random Superheroes
There will be more photos of the course and the Dixie Wrecked later, when Stephanie posts her remarkable photographs. She is, among other things, a gifted photographer, and she was part of the support crew.
4. There were quite a few tight, impressive and unbelievable beautiful teams there. My personal favorite: the 10-person mixed gender team that did the whole race carrying a cinder block, which they passed around to each other all along the course. They wore backpacks and full gear---which clearly kept them warm---and crossed the finish line gloriously celebrating as a unit.
Wow.
5. Spectators were allowed to roam the whole course and even hold things for the racers (wedding rings, discarded clothing layers, etc.). That was very, very cool. We followed Michael's team through the first quarter of the course before we lost him, interacting at various points along the way. This was GREAT for research---you could see what was happening and what was required to succeed as a spectator.
6. By far, the worst thing about this race was the wet cold. Some people walked through the whole course. You didn't have to run it---it wasn't like a half-marathon, which almost requires that racers must be able to run for long periods. This was an endurance race. You had to be able to endure terrible conditions and pull yourself through the course while helping and being helped by your teammates and the other racers around you. This race is not about winning or about maximizing your time. It's about digging deep and getting the whole impromptu community of people around you through a very difficult course, together.
The Tough Mudder website describes it very well:
http://toughmudder.com/history-of-tough-mudder/
"Tough Mudder is also about experiencing a true sense of camaraderie...To get over some of our obstacles you will need the help of others – they are simply too much for one man to tackle alone. Tough Mudders, unlike some other types of endurance runners, are team players; they help out other Tough Mudders. We want everyone to compete, but being a Tough Mudder is also about making sure no man is left behind, not worrying about your finish time."
This thing was made for me. If there's anything my life has prepared me to do, it's pull my ass through ridiculously bad conditions and bring the people I love with me. That describes my entire frickin' childhood, archaeological field camp, social science graduate school AND my first marriage. Dragging myself through the pain of 32 obstacles in no way compares to the pain of either the dissertation process or my first marriage.
However, to meet this challenge, you do need the following things:
1. Some reasonable amount of body fat and/or multiple layers of high quality technical clothing. It's unbelievably wet and COLD. You do most of the early part of the race soaking wet and moving in and out of (muddy/tinted) water, some of which is being continually filled with bags of ice. This requirement is what kept Michael from finishing the race this time.
2. A very strong team, even if it's only a team of two. It's important that you all be able to move at a similar pace. You will be hauling each other up, over, through and under a whole variety of obstacles. You MUST BE ABLE to help yourself and each other all the way through unless you are in unbelievably great shape, with an extra layer of insulating body fat. It's important, too, that you be at a comparable level of fitness. Michael was the strongest and fastest guy on his team, but he has no body fat to speak of. In order to stay warm, he needed to run, and he needed to move fast. By staying behind and trying to work with the team, he kept his body temperature too low. Finally, his teammates pulled him off the course and hauled him to the medical tent. He was too close to hypothermia, and had to stay in the tent wrapped in plastic to get his temperature up. Thank god that one of his teammates had the great good sense to urge him not to get back on the course! Thank you, racer number 14371.
3. You must be very resilient and too dumb quit unless you are actually at risk of serious injury or may be suffering from a potentially severe health problem. In the latter case, you need to be wise enough to stop. You must be comfortable being uncomfortable, or, as I like to say, you need to be willing to endure discomfort in order to grow. This needs to be balanced by good, strong common sense and an ability to evaluate your physical health realistically as the race progresses.
If you can meet these three requirements, you can probably finish the race, as long as you don't succumb to the cold or break anything.
I think I will try it next year.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 03:33 pm (UTC)- Tell my student Nelson about people participating in superhero costume. He'll be so there next year. (Nelson is a nationally-ranked Tae Kwan Do champion, so he's got at least some of what it takes.)
- You were surrounded by a bunch of teams of cute girls. You want to be part of one of those teams. The magic phrase is "Hey, can I be part of your team next year?" (Now I don't feel as bad about my FoV experience.)
no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 03:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 04:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 03:42 pm (UTC)You are most awesome, Michael.
I think I would like to try it also. Insulation, I have. I think I am strong like mule. And fairly bull-headed when it comes to stopping. Which TM would you like to, Sabrina?
no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 03:47 pm (UTC)I think we'll either need two teams (one faster and one slower) or Michael will need to combine some REALLY GOOD technical clothing with a warmer climate.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 04:06 pm (UTC)We have time to plot, I will look at the 2012 schedule and toss back some ideas. Being bald or stubbly will take away from any cute team theme we develop. :D
no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 04:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 06:57 pm (UTC)Poor Michael, though. I really hope he's fully recovered. If he's determined to do it again, though, he now knows that it's important for him to keep moving, so he and his team can work on their strategy.
And you want to join in this mad adventure? Good thing you're a compulsive researcher and strategist.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 08:55 pm (UTC)I think you are right about the times they schedule for these events. I'll be pondering this some more! :)
no subject
Date: 2011-11-14 12:01 am (UTC)Plus you guys could haul the whole team back afterwards and store us in one of the many generous Blue Star homes.
Jesus, I bet we could talk Aaron in running with us. He is totally built for this kind of event: strong and solid as an ox.
http://toughmudder.com/events/twincities/
I would REALLY have to manage the cold...it might kill Michael. Thinking thinking thinking....Theresa, it's local to you.
But the ice swim in Minneapolis in May...is that madness? It is, isn't it?
no subject
Date: 2011-11-14 01:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-14 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-14 12:05 am (UTC)I would go to another one of these just to check one out up close again. You could always do something like that.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-13 10:27 pm (UTC)Well I'm glad he's ok.....definitely shorts were not the thing to wear for this event. One of my coworkers has run it a few years in a row and he does it in a dry suit that he swims the Schuylkill in during the early spring. It's the only thing that has let him finish it each time.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-14 12:02 am (UTC)