So it just dawned on my I have yet to post about my Tough Mudder experience. so here we go:
About this time last yeat a buddy of mine gets this crazy notion to participate in a Tough Mudder Event. I figure it's about 9 months away so what the hell, let's give it a shot. He built a bit of an obstacle course for training and we'd meet once a week or so to train, along with doing some work on our own. My wife wasn't a big fan of this choice, since it still hadn't been that long since recovering from a spinal injury from a car accident, but once I paid the registration there was no turning back. It was worth the registration fee just to get in shape. I hadn't been able to do a pull up in years! I didn't lose much weight, but I got MUCH stronger. I will say this, having the motivation of team mates and money invested is very helpful in getting over any notion of procrastination, which is a HUGE obstacle for many or most of us with ADD or ADHD!
The event itself was a little more commercial than I had expected, but pretty well organized. I was one of the first heats, so the obstacles and course weren't too badly torn up. Believe me when I tell you the event is a FULL BODY WORKOUT!
I made it through, though I pulled something at about mile 9 that had me walking the rest of the way. The electric shock wasn't too bad, and the course hazards gave a nice distraction too. I cramped up pretty bad in the quads after the arctic enima, but that went away after walking/jogging it off.
The days following the event were hell. I have never been more sore in my life, including after the accident. It hurt to do anything, which made any running impossible for the following few weeks, (even now, in June of 2014, I'm still not fully back into running). Of course a friend wants to to a TM in Chicago in May, but I told her I probably won't be ready (fast forward to now, I definitely wasn't ready LOL). We'll see... if I can just get running again and get in better shape, this could be doable. And I would definitely do it again if I could.
Having something to work for, an ultimate goal or challenge, was exactly what I needed to get back into an excercise/diet routine. So I think I'm going to start registerring for smaller events (5k's and 10k's etc) earlier and more often to keep in a "training" mindframe. Sometimes you have to put yourself in a situation where you have to train/work/study because you've already paid or invested in it. This weekend the kids wanted to go for a run, so I think I will start there and see how I feel. Then work up to it in 1mi increments. If I can get to 10k status by the end of Nov, I think I will see about registering for another TM.
So yeah, Tough Mudder? Do it. DO IT NOW!!!
https://toughmudder.com/
6-10-14
I am hoping to do another tough mudder in 2015. I have been sick, hurt, depressed, and all manner of incapable lately. I have written already about my health issues, and I am maintaining a fairly rigid diet and really need to get back on the exercise wagon. It used to be that I was a runner. There was no time off. it was year round. I have become what I despise: a part time runner. More on this later.
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