Tough Mudder Michigan 2013: Team Red White & Blue

The smiley faced guy in the white Team RWB shirt
is my buddy.  The guy in the red Team RWB shirt
with the pained look on his face is me.  We just crossed the
finish line.

June 29, 2013 - Brooklyn, MI.  My first Tough Mudder was, for me at least, just what I expected.  It was tough, and it was muddy.  It was a 12 mile course with 20 obstacles interspersed throughout.  It is, to date, the hardest event I've tried, and I loved it.  I'll definitely do another one next year.

I was definitely not prepared for this run.  It's not that I didn't train right.  I just didn't train enough.  And I came in too heavy.  I gained about 15 pounds over the winter and I didn't shed the weight before the Tough Mudder.  That hurt me too.

I ran with a small team of 3 (myself included).  Our group, Team RWB, had a total of about 50 who ran in smaller groups such as ours.  My team was great.  They could've completed this course faster but they hung back so I could keep up.  That sucked.

Tough Mudder is something to be tackled with friends.  It's a great bonding experience.  I'm looking forward to running it again next year.

Tough Mudder, Chicago Marathon

I'm doing the Tough Mudder on June 29, 2013 in Michigan with a few friends.  I'm not as ready as I should be, but I will be okay.  I anticipate being very sore the next day.  After this race, I'm going to be singularly focused on training for the Chicago Marathon.

That's right!  I got into the marathon!  Team "Leave No Veteran Behind" was able to secure a few more spots on its team.  I tried to sign up with them initially, but because of the messed up registration and subsequent lottery, I did not get in.  Now I'm in.

Yes, it's going to be hard, but to hell with second guessing.  I'm going to do it.  I ran the Soldier Field 10 Mile run over Memorial Day weekend and have run up to 5 miles at a time since then, so I have some base from which to work from henceforth.

I bought a beginners marathon training plan from Runners World and will try to follow it to the letter.  The period from July 10 through August 10 will be tough because that will be Ramadan and I fully intend to observe the fast and train.  My initial thought is that I will do my runs in the evening after I break my fast.  That way I can hydrate, fuel up, run, and then re-hydrate and re-fuel before going to bed.

The training calls for a 4 mile run today and tomorrow (each), and then a 10 mile long run on Sunday.  The 10 mile run is going to be hard.  I'm going to need to get up early and just knock it out.

Here we go!

Run Ranger Run

I'm not sure why I just don't sign up for stuff every month.  It keeps me moving.  I'd say the that investing $300 to $400 in race fees is money well spent if it keeps me running hard.

Take today for example.  I came home from work, then met up with the wife and kids and another family for dinner at an Indian-Chinese restaurant.  The food was great.  And heavy.  And then we took the kids out for ice cream.  I passed on the treats, but the damage was already done.

We returned home around 9pm.  Was I going to run now?  Normally I'd say "hell no!" but I joined a charity effort for February 2013 called "Run Ranger Run" sponsored by GallantFew.  A team of 10 runs, walks or bikes 565 miles total in February to raise money for veterans needs/issues.  I went to the Facebook event page and one guy logged 10 miles today.  Doh!  Another did 6 miles.  And so on it went.

That was enough motivation to get me to the basement for 2.4 miles in a cold, dark space on a nice 2% incline.  And I feel wimpy about it.

I'm going to try to go out and log my first outdoor miles tomorrow.  It's amazing what you can do with goals and a little mental toughness.

Next Big Challenge: Tough Mudder

The new year is starting off slow.

I've been struggling because I'm running for park commissioner in my home town and all of my mental energy is directed towards the campaign.

I've signed up for the Tough Mudder on June 29, 2013.  It's in Michigan.  I need to get serious with my training or I'm going to make a fool of myself.

Ugh.

Today was a crappy workout.  I did sit ups, bench press (3 sets), dumbell shoulder presses (3 super sets), a 1/4 mile sprint at 1.5% incline on the treadmill and then 40 push ups.  It's better than nothing, but not by much.

The diet's been okay throughout the day, but the evenings have been a challenge.

I'm healthy and ready to go.  No injuries at all.  It's all mental.  I haven't flipped the switch in my head to make taking my fitness to a crazy new level a priority.

Damn.

Okay.  Here we go.  Switch.  Flipped.  Done.