What should I wear to Tough Mudder??

I'll start out by saying this post is going to contain some foul language.  I had a couple miles yesterday at the start of Tough Mudder Vermont to do some thinking and keeping this one clean is going to be impossible. No muddy pun intended.

Am I an expert in this? No.  I have run seven of these things from Vermont to Florida though, so if you've never run one this may be helpful to you.

So your buddies convinced to to sign up for your first Tough Mudder.  It's been six months and you've trained hard.  You did some running, maybe some shakeweighting, possibly some Crossfit or Zumba classes.  It's getting close and you're wondering what to wear.  Now if you didn't prepare, and plan on wearing some ridiculous costume, this post probably isn't for you.  But if you plan on taking the day slightly serious, while still having fun of course, I'll help you with some gear choices.

Starting at the top. "Should I wear a hat?" -  This is totally up to you.  Do you usually wear a hat? You do understand you'll be jumping into dumpsters full of ice, off twenty foot high ledges into water, and under mucky brown ponds right?  If you still think it would be an advantage for you to wear a hat, by all means wear it.  you can always leave it in "Arctic Enema" a mile into the course.

"Do I need swimming goggles?" - Really? Stop it, now.  You'll be under the water for all of 2 minutes during the three plus hours the event's going to take.  If you look cool in your swimming goggles, wear them.  It'll give the rest of us something else to point and laugh at.

"Do I need Cold-Gear?" - Is it going to be cold?? I live by the philosophy that less is more. I'd rather be dry and cold than wear a bunch of heavy wet clothes.  I've run every one in a tank-top and shorts.  Most of the time the tank-top gets soaked with mud and I end up taking that off.  So am I cold? Absolutely.  If the sun is out I'm loving life. Will I dry off? Yes.  Meanwhile you'll be soaking wet in your three layers, hey whatever works for you.  If you're afraid of scrapes the long sleeves and leggings will help prevent them on your knees and elbows.  I like to finish with some battle scars though.  Gives me a week or so to remember what I did over the weekend.

"Do I need a Camel-bak?" - Do you? If you can't run 3 miles without needing water you'll need a Camel-bak.  It's that simple.  If you can go 3 miles without water, don't bother.  It's just more to carry.  I hydrate well before-hand and train without water so I can go 3 miles no problem.

"Should I bring energy gels?" - Yeah, why not? I usually throw a 'Gu' in each pocket just in case I need a boost.  I don't recommend you use them when you train though.  You're better off training without them so you don't rely on it.

"Should I wear gloves?" - That's totally up to you again.  They might help on a few obstacles if you think your hands can't handle climbing walls without them.  If you need some I left a pair on the side of Mt Snow about halfway through the course from 2011.  If you can find them they're all yours.  I haven't worn gloves since.

"What kind of shoes should I wear?" - This is where I'm going to get heated, so buckle up.  This notion that "Tough Mudder will ruin your shoes so wear old ones" is total horseshit.  You've spent the last six months watching what you eat, doing your pushups, and running, and now you're going to skimp on the one thing that separates your body from the rest of the course?  Don't be a dumbass.  Tough Mudder DOES NOT ruin your sneakers and I'll explain how I clean my stuff at the end of this post.  If you choose to wear an old pair of running sneakers, prepare to be slipping all over the course.  Don't even get me started on these "Vibram five-finger" nutjobs.  The next fucking person that's wearing footgloves that slips and falls and almost takes me out in the process is going to have a muddy imprint of my Salomon Speedcross 3's across their back.  That's great that you like to run in them, and you like having a conversation starter.  When they offer you no advantage on the course and you're slipping and they fill with mud, I'm happy for your stupid fucking choice in footwear.  The best choice in footwear for Tough Mudder is by far the Speedcross 3's.  Check them out, they make a Men's and a Women's version.  They have drawstring laces so when you can't feel your fingers you can still tighten them.  I've never had one come off in the mud either so that duct tape nonsense won't be a thought.  Anyone that's ever worn them will swear by them.

Men's - http://www.salomon.com/us/product/speedcross-3.html
Women's - http://www.salomon.com/us/product/speedcross-3-w.html

These are a fresh pair of Speedcross 3's scaling a Berlin Wall.

That's my head to toe Tough Mudder gear suggestions.  I'm open to your criticism, but if you're only offering up what your buddy said, don't bother.

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How to Clean your muddy gear -

1. When you get home the fist thing you want to do is rinse all your stuff off with the hose.  Just get the caked mud out of the soles of your shoes and off your clothes.
2.  Get some "Super Clean".  It's in a purple gallon container and can be found in hardware stores or auto parts stores.  Put your now rinsed clothes in a bin or bucket with a generous amount of Super Clean and fill to the top with water.  Let everything soak for a day.
3.  Now that your stuff has soaked give it another good rinse with the hose.
4.  Put everything in the washing machine.  You want it to be a full load, so if you need to add towels to fill it up, do that.  It's probably not the best thing for your washing machine so if you want to do it at the laundromat, by all means do that.  I run mine sneakers and all with the normal amount of detergent, and another big dose of Super Clean.  If your washer has the ability to run an extra rinse cycle, do that.  If not, run it again a second time without detergent.
5.  When the wash cycle is done I let the sneakers air dry and the clothes go in the dryer like normal.
6.  Go get them muddy again.

My Speedcross 3's after multiple Tough Mudder's and washes.  They look brand new.

Tough Mudder New England #1

My reward dinner of Sushi and Sapporo has just started digesting and I decided I'd try to hammer these thoughts out while they're fresh in my mind. 

Heading back to Mount Snow, Vermont for a Tough Mudder was very exciting for me because my first ever event was Tough Mudder here last year.  I can only speak for Mudders I've done, but doing a Tough Mudder at Mount Snow, Vermont is very different than any other event I've ever done.  Heading into town Friday night I was quickly reminded why it's so special.  Mount Snow is in a very small ski town in Vermont.  There are no chain restaurants and no big-name hotels.  "Welcome Tough Mudders" banners adorn nearly every business in town, and you can feel the local people truly appreciate you being there.  I had dinner at a local pub Friday night and every customer there was an obvious mudder.  Orange headbands were everywhere along with Tough Mudder T-shirts.  They even had a "Tough Mudder Menu" containing high-carb meals.  These businesses basically go flat during the off-season when the ski lifts aren't running, so this boost in the economy is greatly appreciated by the locals.

I also couldn't miss the Spartan Race signs scattered about like political candidate signs.  Spartan Race also rented a light-up road sign and the hired an airplane to tow a Spartan banner like it seems they do every week now.  I understand that marketing to Tough Mudders is their core audience, however it seems to be in poor taste.  It just feels like Spartan is a jealous bridesmaid never getting the attention she feels she deserves.

After a good night's rest at the Mount Snow Lake Lodge, I got up an headed over to the event.  I had planned on running alone so I was excited to see James from my Goruck Boston class there with some of his friends.  After some quick intros I decided that I would run with them for the day.  We jumped the wall to the start line and we were off.  We were in the very first heat of the day, so any problems that were on the course, we'd find first.  We were about halfway in the first pack of around 400 people and about a quarter mile in when we were all informed we went the wrong way.  Apparently one of the ropes fell and everyone just followed the leaders, going the wrong way.  We all got turned around and shortly after I lost James and the guys.  It was about this time I saw a customer of mine, Colin and a friend of his Dan,  and we decided I'd try and stick with them.  We ended up sticking together until the finish.  The biggest obstacle of the day would prove to be the mountain itself.  I could tell a lot of mudders were having a really hard time dealing with the miles of climbing.  I've never had a problem with hills and feel like my long legs might have put me at an advantage because I handled the mountain fine. 

I realized that even though I've done a handful of these, that every event presents it's own unique personal challenges.  With challenge comes both success and failure and this weekend proved that.  Last week I realized I'm able to scale the "Berlin Walls" without help, today solidified that.  I also made it across "Twinkle Toes" (a balance beam over water) for my first time ever.  I finished Saturday's Tough Mudder and was feeling pretty good about myself.  I had a nutrition plan laid out for me by a teammate from the week before, Tracy.  I stuck with that plan and was confident that Sunday would go just as well as Saturday.

Sunday morning we arrive to see that the mud is much more plentiful than it was on Saturday.  Even the start area is full of ankle-deep mud and the MC gets us fired up by getting a handful of mud and slapping on the person's back next to us.  Not far after the start we hit areas that were dirt the day before but Sunday was mud almost a foot deep.  Climbing a mud-soaked mountain is a very daunting task.  I just stuck with it and before I knew it I was 3 miles in.  There were two girls in tu-tus right in front of me when a spectator said to them "You are the first girls!".  I had hung with the fastest girls on the course and I was feeling pretty good about that, so I decided if they maintained their pace I'd try to stick with them.  After we ran next to each other a couple miles the introductions went around.  Beth and Hilary were both from CT, Beth lived in the same town as our NAPA store!  Pretty amazing how I can drive a hundred miles to an event like this and meet someone that probably passes by the store every day.  I ended up losing them around mile 8 near the "Underwater Tunnels". 

I was feeling good as I approached Funky Monkey.  I've made it across these monkey bars every time I've tried, but every event is different.  Sunday would prove to be one of those failures.  As soon as I got my hands on the bars I noticed they must have been freshly greased by TMHQ.  I got about 4 bars in and gave up my perfect record by falling off.  After this I decided I had to redeem myself by scaling the walls solo which I was able to do.  Back to "Twinkle Toes" I really wanted to double up on my success.  I got too cocky and started talking to another mudder, lost focus, and fell off.  Then I headed up and over Everest, through the shocks and on to my 2nd headband in as many days.  I finished feeling strong and full of energy.  I'm confident it is completely due to my diet that Tracy convinced me to follow.

If you take anything from this post I hope it's two things.  First, you need to do a Tough Mudder in Vermont, if anything just for the atmosphere and sights.  After climbing a half-mile up a mountain all you need to do is turn around and you can see what I mean.  The sights are breathtaking.  It truly has to be seen through your own eyes to appreciate it.  Secondly, all these challenges are different.  I still get butterflies when I see "Everest", and I hope Tough Mudder can continue to keep me feeling like that.  I'm now two weeks in after my first Tough Mudder of the year and I've completed four.  I'll be heading back to the Poconos next weekend, but I'm only doing Saturday.  I've shown myself doing it two days in a row is achievable, plus Sunday is Mother's day.  So Sunday will be spent making Mom happy, not running around in the mud.

Tough Mudder Pennsylvania

It's Saturday morning.  3:30 in the morning to be exact.  My alarm is going off but it doesn't matter, I've been up all night anyway.  Quick shower, some coffee, strap on my Salomon Speedcross 3's and I'm out the door on the way to Pocono, PA.  I fire up the playlist on my iphone and 3 hours and 200 miles are quickly in my rearview. I pull into Pocono raceway with a few hundred other early mudders and we hop the bus to Pocono Manor.  A quick check of the weather on my phone, 31 degrees farenheit.  Yikes.  Off the bus at 8:00 AM, perfect for an 8:20 start time.  After the usual Tough Mudder routine of picking up my bib and having my bib number written on me, dropping off my bag at back check, and some quick stretches, I'm off. 

The obstacles were the usual Tough Mudder fare.  "Kiss of Mud" was the first obstacle.  In this obstacle you "Army crawl" in the mud under barb wire.  Except this time the mud was frozen.  This would be the biggest challenge for the first few miles.  After a jump into a dumpster full of ice, I shook uncontrollably for at least thirty minutes and couldn't feel my hands for about an hour.  This concerned me because I really wanted to get across the "Funky Monkey" successfully to keep my perfect record going.  There were two obstacles I had never seen before.  One was the "Electric Eel" the other was the "Rings".  Electric eel is basically another army crawl, but in a pool of water, under dangling electrified wires that shock you as you pass under.  It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I was really excited to do the rings.  The rings are just metal rings hanging above a pool of ice cold water.  I felt my upper body strength was an advantage here but misjudged the last ring and almost implanted my face into the ledge on the other side.  Shortly after I breezed through "Electroshock Therapy" in front of a crowd of cheering spectators, gathered my beer, headband, and was on my way back to the truck.

This Tough Mudder weekend was to be much different than past event weekends.  Sunday I would be attempting to run the course again.  This time with a group of friends that met online months beforehand and only a few of us had actually met in person.  So after a quick shower and nap I headed over the New Jersey state line to meet up with everyone.  First up was Jen, Rich, and Jason.  After Jason was introduced to me he was only called "Sheetz" so that's how I'm going to refer to him. We headed over with Jen's hilarious father to get some dinner.  Jen told me a few times that this was her local watering hole and they did not disappoint.  The bacon was amazing, the beer cold, the dead animals on the wall were plentiful.  After some great food was had, and some beers guzzled, Tracy, Matt, and Brian showed up.  Followed not too long after by Jeff, Tim, and Jess.  It really was something special meeting everyone in person and feeling like we were all just old friends meeting up for a night at the pub.  The time quickly passed and we soon realized we needed to get to bed soon if we were going to do this thing in the morning.  Tracy passed out some magic elixir she called "Coconut Water", we drank them and all headed back to get some rest so we could meet up again nice & early.

We pull into Pocono Raceway and start running into all our new "real-life" friends.  We were joined by some of Jen's amazing family along with Jeff's amazing family that were there for support and to photograph some of the madness.  After another quick bus-trip to the event-site we met up with Jim & Kristy.  Jim had also run the day before and opted for a double-dose of insanity, but today his wife Kristy was joining him.  We grabbed our bibs and had our numbers written on us.  The girl writing on my arm looked up when she saw the faded number from the day before, "Umm, were you here yesterday?? Man, you crazy".

After some group shots, and some stretching we were soon on our way.  Up over the wall to the start line and the MC starts getting us fired up.  What Jen didn't realize is we told the MC it was her birthday.  Picture about 500 people close together on their knees singing "Happy Birthday" to you right beofre you go off on your first Tough Mudder.  That's something that can never be tainted and you'll never forget.  Then the national Anthem and we're off!! The day seemed like it was going to be warmer than the day before, and it was, but the wind was crippling.  After the first mile or two we decided it may be best for the group to split up and continue at a pace we were each comfortable with.  So Jen, Rich, Sheetz, Jeff, and I headed off.  We hung together for a couple miles until Jeff decided it was beer & cigarette time.  We had also picked up a guy by the name of Pete.  Pete was a New York Firefighter that was running solo and ended up staying with us the whole event.

The four of us and Pete continued together through the obstacles, dealing with extreme cold and wind, and bad muscle cramps.  We hit Everest in the midst of them dumping canola oil down it and Sheets was pretty well oiled up. 

Then came Electric Eel.  I got shocked much worse on Sunday then Saturday and the rest of the group agreed saying they could hear the shocks.  This seemed to trigger muscle cramps in Jen's leg and in my upper traps.  We powered on as we were about three-quarters the way through the course at this point.  I got to the monkey bars and assumed it would be a breeze for me, as it had been in the past.  One grip of the bar I realized all that canola oil they dumped onto Everest had made it to the bars.  The bars were extremely slippery and I thought I was going to fall a few times, but made it across.  Next up was the mud mile and we were all pretty cold & miserable.  Well that was until Rich turned to tell Sheetz "look out for that ledge" as Sheetz stepped off and got a faceful of mud.  This made Jen laugh hysterically for awhile and we forgot how cold it was for a bit.  Next up was the rings and I was determined to make it across, which I did.  Sadly in "Twinkle Toes" I fell off the beam and got wet.  I have yet to make it across, but this was the furthest I've made it yet.

So we were shaking uncontrollably, possibly hypothermic, but we were almost to the finish so we pushed on.  Before we knew it we were passing through electroshock therapy.  It was quite exciting seeing my new friends collect their first of many Tough Mudder headbands.  We did our best to get warmed up, hopped the bus back, and said our goodbyes.  We'll be saying "Hello" again before we know it I'm sure.  Lifelong friendships were solidified on that cold April day.

Thanks to all my new friends!! I can't wait to see you all again soon!!!

2012 Event Schedule

2012 Events

March 17^th – 18^th -       Goruck Challenge – Boston

April 28^th-29^th -            Tough Mudder – Pennsylvania #1

May 5^th – 6^th -              Tough Mudder – New England #1

May 12^th    -                 Tough Mudder – Pennsylvania #2

May 20^th    -                 Ten Penny Ale 5k – Glastonbury, CT

June 9^th -                       Goruck Challenge - Hartford

June 16^th -                     Ruckus Run – Boston

June 29^th -30^th              Goruck Challenge – Charlotte

July 14^th – 15^th -           Tough Mudder –New England #2

August 11^th -                 Spartan Sprint – Amesbury, MA

September 8^th – 9th    Go-Ruck NYC

September 22^nd -         Warrior Dash – Willington, CT

September 29^th -30th Rugged Maniac – Southwick, MA

October 20^th-21^st -       Tough Mudder Tristate – New Jersey

October 27^th -               Tough Mudder Carolinas – Society Hill, SC

Not yet registered for

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

I have a problem, an addiction.  I got one taste of obstacle course races less than a year ago and I was instantly hooked right in.  There's no treatment and no cure.  I recognized the problem almost immediately but it was too late.  One Tough Mudder in Vermont on the side of a mountain was complete and my path was chosen.  Like a heroin addict constantly chasing that first high, I'm constantly striving for more intensity.  More pain, more suck, more soreness.  My shoulders are still sore from my first Goruck Challenge and I'm already trying to register for another one.  If the Goruck wasn't enough ass-kicking I'm also trying to fit in a "S.E.R.E. Performance" class that is terrifying me but I want to do it so bad.

My first Tough Mudder of 2012 is about a month away.  That Saturday in Pennsylvania starts a run of five I'll be attempting in fifteen days.  This one will be special to me because I finally get to meet, in person a handful of friends I've made online with the same passion as me.  While this is exciting, it will merely be a taste of what we have in store for us in the Fall though.  Our group, affectionately named "Animal House", will all be in action in New Jersey for "Tri-State Tough Mudder 2012".  It should prove to be the most fun I've had an event yet.  "Animal House" members will be flying in from all over the country to earn orange headbands.

I've been asked a few times what I'm signed up for so far, so I figured here is as good of a place as any to post my list of events for this year.  I'd like to add another Goruck or two, and possibly a S.E.R.E., beu this is it as of right now:

March 17^th – 18^th -       Goruck Challenge – Boston

April 28^th-29^th -            Tough Mudder – Pennsylvania #1

May 5^th – 6^th -              Tough Mudder – New England #1

May 12^th    -                 Tough Mudder – Pennsylvania #2

June 9^th -                       Warrior Dash – Thompson, CT

June 16^th -                     Ruckus Run – Boston

July 14^th – 15^th -           Tough Mudder –New England #2

August 11^th -                 Spartan Sprint – Amesbury, MA

September 8^th -            Super Spartan – Vernon, NJ

September 22^nd -         Warrior Dash – Willington, CT

September 29^th -          Rugged Maniac – Southwick, MA

October 20^th-21^st -       Tough Mudder Tristate – New Jersey

October 27^th -               Tough Mudder Carolinas – Society Hill, SC

* Not yet registered for

Goruck Tough

It's approximately a day and a half since Pam and I accomplished our very first Goruck Challenge.  While our bodies are still very sore, our spirits couldn't possibly be higher.  Shortly after I signed us up for the Goruck I attempted to read every single blog post about the challenge I could find.  I wanted to know what we were getting into.  I soon recognized a common theme among all these blog posts.  None were very clear about what exactly the challenge consisted of and instead encouraged the reader to experience this on their own.  I always assumed that this was some sort of "Goruck Alumni" conspiracy to keep the exact details of the challenge a secret.  Now that I've participated in one, I understand why the posts I read were so vague.  The last day has been a struggle to put in sequence everything we did, how long we did it for, and where we did it all.  If you've never stayed awake this long all while pushing your limits physically and mentally, you may not understand why.  I'll do my best to describe what our challenge was all about, but please forgive me if certain details are vague.  I read over and over again that "The hardest part is signing up."  I will tell you that it is my opinion that this is horseshit.  Signing up was easy compared to what we were in store for.

Pam and I started our trek to Boston on the afternoon of Saint Patrick's Day.  We had our bricks wrapped, our hydration bladders filled, and a bag of "energy foods" ready to go.  The meeting point for our challenge was the famous "Cheers" bar and we got there early enough to grab some food, and yes some beer.  Now normally we wouldn't drink beer right before a physical challenge, but we have a weakness for Samuel Adams' Brick Red and it was St Paddy's Day.  Shortly after this other Goruckers started to show up.  There were a few familiar faces, people I'd met at earlier events, and lots of new faces.  We quickly met a lot of new people and began to get to know them, possibly the best part of a Goruck Challenge. 

Every Goruck Class has a class weight and ours was no different.  At 2200 hours (10:00pm) there would be two classes, Class #131 and Class #132.  We did not yet know which class we were in, but our class weights were both large metal washers we painted gold so we added them to the ropes of the rest of the team's washers.  Both teams weights ended up weighing over 25 pounds.  As we waited patiently on the sidewalk outside 84 Beacon Street, our new friend Mark Webb ran up and told us the Cadre were across the street near the entrance of Boston Common waiting for us.  We excitedly ran over to them knowing we were minutes away from getting our new rucks (bags).  Pam got her ruck before I got mine.  Her's was Goruck's "Radio Ruck" named for the size of the ruck that was used to carry radios in the military.  When Cadre Lou took my "GR1" out of the trunk in his rental car and called my name it felt like getting a big present on Christmas morning.  The GR1 is Goruck's second largest pack, slightly larger than Pam's Radio Ruck.  We quickly started packing all of our stuff into the rucks. 

It was at this time we were told it was time to head into the park to sign our "Death Waivers" and have our bricks inspected by the Cadre.  This would be the last time our rucks touched the ground for the next 12 plus hours.  We gathered in close to Cadre Lou and Cadre Devin for final waiver checks and roll call.  Lou instructed us that there were 61 of us and we had 5 minutes to split into two equal groups on our own.  We quickly split into what looked like half and began counting out how many were in our circle.  We had six too many so six switched groups and within minutes our classes were formed.  Pam & I were in Class #131 with Lou as our Cadre. 

We were then instructed that both classes needed to line up in five ranks and space out equally.  The large group struggled with what "five ranks" meant, but we figured it out and PT began.  Pushups, inchworms, burpess, monkeyfuckers, and many more exercises all were performed in cadence with the rucks on.  Once the cadre were satisfied that we were warmed up the two classes had a quick relay race that Class #132 won.  It didn't seem to matter at this point.  The two classes split, and we were off.  Lucky for us my friend Mario joined Lou and assisted him throughout the ruck.  Mario is local to Boston and knew the area.  Don't get me wrong, this was a benefit only to Lou, not to us.  Mario was a great addition to our class and I am truly grateful he was there.  He ran the challenge the night before and was on his second straight day of zero sleep.  how he maintained his fantastic attitude and high energy is still a mystery to me.  I think he is a super hero in his off-time.

We started by "bear-crawling" a block or two away from the park where we'd learn the first rule of the class and possibly what would turn out to be what got us the most laughs.  Cadre Lou told us we constantly needed to be on the lookout for threats and that we'd better spot and call out these threats before he did or we'd pay.  We needed to call out "Threat!" and what direction the threat was coming from, then kneel down on one knee until Lou announced that the "threat was neutralized."  What could these threats possibly be?  Men in tights or skinny jeans would be our threats for the duration of the class.  Cadre Lou exclaimed he "hates that shit."  Not that funny you say? Picture 31 people with backpacks on, in formation, yelling "Threat!" at an unsuspecting skinny jeans guy, and simultaneously all taking a knee.  The looks on the faces of these threats were priceless.  Over and over, and over again.  It was on this stretch of asphalt where we'd spend probably the next hour doing crab walks and Indian sprints.  Time and distance are merely estimates since watches are frowned upon.  We also learned the "buddy carry" here.  It almost went bad when I dropped someone then was dropped pretty hard myself. 

It was at this point we spent about a half hour Army crawling about a quarter-mile.  After we made it to a large statue someone noticed that the US and Ireland flags we were carrying and we left at the bottom were being taken by some drunken kids.  Rucks were passed off and about a half-dozen of our more rugged members chased them down to retrieve the flags. 

From here we moved to the Massachusetts State House where we'd take our first class photo.  It was also about this time we were instructed how to respond when a passerby asked us what we were doing.  As loud and as clear as possible we were to exclaim "GO-RUCK!!".  As we left the state house Lou informed us that we needed to get to the Boston Garden and we had 15 minutes to do it.  If that wasn't hard enough we couldn't go the way one of our Goruckers that lived in Boston said we had to go, and we weren't allowed to talk or use the shoulder straps on our bags.  It was on the trip to where the Bruins and Celtics play where i had my first experience with the "bitch bag.".  This bag was just like mine and weighed just as much.  So for about 2 miles I carried two bags, that weighed around 40 pounds each, at arms length.  After we got there and took another class photo we were allowed to refill our hydration bladders.  By my best guess it was just after 3:00am because I caught a glimpse of a clock on the wall of a store on the way there.  I almost wished I hadn't since i realized we weren't even halfway finished.

We were told we then had a short time to get to Fenway Park.  Once there our team suffered a "casualty" and we had to carry a member of our team in a portable stretcher.  At this time Lou found a cinder-block.  This cinder block would become our first "coupon" for "Good livin".  We had to carry that as well.  Lou took us to the Emerald necklace where six logs were dug out of the woods.  These "nuclear devices" had to be carried by the team about 3 miles all before the sun came up.  Once again our team came through and we got to Jamaica Pond before the sun rose.  The next couple hours were spent getting back into the city.  All while in formation and still calling out threats.  We made it past what seemed like dozens of threats at the Boston library and back to Beacon Street. 

We weren't done yet.  For the next hour or so, we had to bear crawl across a bridge, do some exercises in the frigid Charles River, and more buddy carries.  Lou told us to meet him back at Cheers, but we had to buddy-carry each other there.  We got there and in typical fashion we weren't finished yet.  Another few hundred feet of buddy carries into the park before we were finished.   Once we were all in the park Lou told us we had finished and could take our rucks off.  I think we were all apprehensive to set our rucks down, but we realized he wasn't toying with us and we had, in fact, finished the challenge. 

After a quick speech where Cadre Lou told us how impressed he was with how fast we came together as a team, he started handing out the patches.  Every patch came with a handshake and a compliment.  Originally we had thought we'd be receiving the "New Arrowhead" patch, but that wasn't the case.  Lou handed us limited, this weekend only, clover patches.  We were exhausted and on top of the world.  A few more Class 131 photos were taken, and Pam & I were off to find "Eagles Diner" for some pancakes.

It's Go(ruck) time!

The butterflies have already begun in my stomach.  With three days until the most epic St. Patricks Day ever for me, in Boston.  Down to three days to go before my very first Goruck Challenge the email was sent out today from Goruck Headquarters.  It included our start point, our Cadre's names, and our class numbers.  Our group of 30 people are considered a 'class' and every class gets a number.  Our class will be #131 or #132 depending on which group we get placed in, with Cadre Lou and Devin.  Our start point is at the famous Boston bar, Cheers.  Today I decided it was due time to lay out all my stuff and make sure I'm fully prepared for the craziness I'm about to embark upon.

This is my pile of stuff I'll be lugging or wearing to our start point.  You'll notice the most important part of the challenge seems to be missing from the picture.  The Goruck GR1 bag.  When you register for the challenge you have the opportunity to save 20% off the cost of the bag if you pick it up the day of the challenge.  Since 20% of $295 is a pretty significant amount of money, I decided I'd wait until the challenge to get my bag.

You may recognize some of the items in this picture, others you may not have seen before.  I'll be wearing my Under Armour compression leggings and shirt, a windbreaker, running shorts & sneakers, Injinji socks, running socks, our class T-shirt, Mechanix gloves, and of course my Goruck hat.  Since the challenge starts at 10pm we're also required to wear a headlight which you'll notice in the upper right-hand of the picture.  At the top in the center are my wrapped bricks.  6 bricks wrapped in foam and duct tape, ready to be lugged around Boston for more than 12 hours.  Each class is also required to bring an additional 25lb weight and our class decided on gold coins.  Our gold coins happen to be metal washers spray painted gold, but there's going to be a couple thousand of them to carry.  We're also required to carry water, that's the blue plastic bag with the hose coming off of it.  It holds 2 liters of water and it fits right in the Goruck bag.  I'm also bringing an assortment of foods that pack a lot of energy into them.  Sport beans, Sharkies jellies, Clif bars, and I still need to pick up some M&M's which are considered a Goruck staple food item.   Goruck veterans said that carabiners are a must so I have a few of those along with some nylon straps to help secure the bricks.  I probably won't know if I forgot anything until it's too late, but hopefully having it on the screen here might help.

In my next post I hope to be certified "Goruck Tough" and I look forward to explaining what the challenge entailed.

Ramblings....

In my first blog I attempted to give you a quick introduction on who I am.  In my second I'm going to attempt to catch you up to the present.  The past week has been a little bit crazy so this may come across more like the ramblings of a child struggling with Attention Deficit Disorder than a blog post, so bear with me please.  I made the decision to switch gyms this week and that was probably more stressful for me than it should have been.  Why?  I'm a creature of habit.  Selling auto parts seems to take up almost all my time so those precious hours I have away from the business I try to keep organized and efficient.  Going to a new gym felt like a new job to me.  A new contract, different equipment, out of my "comfort zone" again.  It really will end up being no big deal.  My "new gym" is actually the gym I went to for about a year to get into shape.  It's also the most popular gym in the area, so it will be nice seeing different friends there every day.

I'm a big NASCAR fan.  They had their season opener "The Daytona 500" about a week and a half ago.  Why is this important? It's really not, but I feel a comparison to that and what's going on right now for me is appropriate.  The Daytona 500 is arguably the biggest race of the year in the United States, and unlike most sports, their finale comes at the season opener instead of the end of the year.  My wife, Pam, and I will be doing the same thing.  Well, sorta.  Last year I participated in 3 Tough Mudders, a Spartan, a Warrior Dash, and a handful of other events.  Pam joined me for a few of them.  This year I decided that my only goal was to make 2012 more 'epic' than 2011.  So far I'm signed up for 9 Tough Mudders, a Spartan, 2 Warrior Dashes and a couple others.  Pam is signed up for one of those Tough Mudders and hopefully more as the year goes on.  But the important comparison here is this: Our first event is a lesser known event known as "The Goruck Challenge".  In short it's an event that lasts for 10+ hours, over a distance of 15-20 miles, usually in scenic locations.  It's a team challenge, usually in "classes" of 30 people.  If you weigh less than 150lbs you carry a Goruck (backpack) with 4 bricks, water, food, and whatever else you think you may need.  If you're over 150lbs like me, add two more bricks to that bag.  "Good Livin'" is what it's affectionately called.  Our Good Livin' takes place in Boston, on St. Patrick's Day, and starts at 10pm.  The past couple weeks we have been tasked to get all our stuff together and get prepared mentally.  So we're starting our year with the challenge that takes the most preparation physically, mentally, and equipment-wise.  Just like in NASCAR.

I plan on posting another blog again before our challenge to show you what we have prepared, and again afterwards to tell you about our Goruck Challenge - Boston experience.

First Blog Post

For the first post in my blog I'd like to introduce myself.  I'll provide a quick background about myself and what my intentions are for this blog.  My name is Chris Nelson, I'm 32 years old and I live in Connecticut.  I'm a normal guy.  I have a house, a wife, cats, no kids.  I run my family's NAPA Auto Parts store in Tolland, CT.  Our store has been pretty successful in our 21 years of business.  I may touch on this at a later point.  Anyone that works in a family business knows the kind of hours you're required to put in, and I'm no different.  A typical week for me is 6 days working between 65-70 hours a week.  I'm up every day before 6:00 AM to get the day started.  Now some of you may say, "6:00 AM?? Come on Chris, that's not bad."  I will agree with you, it's not that bad.  But there's no such thing as a "break" or "lunch" during the day.  Plus, my day isn't over when I get out of work.  That's when the real work begins.

I'd say around the age of 10 was when I started being overweight.  I ate whatever I wanted, when I wanted.  I was athletic all through school, whether it was baseball, basketball, or soccer, but always overweight.  In my mid 20's when the dirtbike was gone, and there was no weekend paintball games any more, I started to gain even more weight.  A few months after I turned 30 I weighed 280lbs.  I should also mention that I'm 6'4" tall.  So I decided to give weight loss an honest shot.  Well not weight loss specifically, but the gym.  I knew if I could get into a routine and ate properly, that I would lose weight.  It's science, right?  I've always tried to make goals that were actually task-related, not outcome-related.  I feel this is why a lot of people fail in their quest to lose weight.  They decide "I want to lose 20lbs".  When they don't lose it fast enough, they give up.  My goal was to go to the gym 3 days a week, for 3 weeks, at least an hour per day.  I ate sensibly.  No special diets.  I ate a bowl of special K for breakfast, a mid-morning granola bar, a small lunch, protein bar mid-afternoon, then a light dinner after the gym.  My "light-dinner" was usually Turkey on wheat with Mustard.  Nothing else except a small handful of Baked lays.  I cut out ALL the soda, and drank a lot of water.  That's right, I'd go to the gym AFTER my 10-13 hour workday, then come home for dinner.  Is that the best way to lose weight?  Probably not.  Is it something I could do? Absolutely.  After 3 weeks, I'd lost 10 pounds.  This was all the motivation I needed.  So after about 6 months had gone by of this, my workouts got longer and more intense.  My weight had gone from 280 to 229 which in the back of my mind was what I had hoped for.  I was in my 220's in High School and hoped to get back to that.  My waist went from 40" to 34", I was no longer shopping for 2XL's, and now I was looking for Larges. I donated 14 bags of clothing to the Salvation Army.

If my life hadn't been changed enough, it was about to change in a big way.  A new friend of mine, Jared, posted a link on my facebook wall... something called "Tough Mudder".  After I watched it once I said "no way, not a chance."  Then I showed it to my wife Pam, and said "Look what Jared showed me."  Her excitement couldn't be contained.  She said right away that we had to do it.  By the next day we were both signed up for our very first Tough Mudder which was to be about 5 months later in Vermont.  A lot happened in that 5 months.  In that 5 months I lost another 20lbs training hard for the tough mudder, I even got my buddy Hass to sign up for the mudder.  I was so excited that I signed up for my 2nd Tough Mudder before I even did my first.  Now like I said, a lot happened in that 5 months. Pam was hired to be a police officer in a neighboring town and would enter the police academy shortly before we were to do the tough mudder. This was when she got the news that they didn't want her doing it with the fear that she could get hurt and be unable to attend the academy.  So it was decided, Hass and I would do the tough mudder together. 

My first Tough Mudder would forever change my motivation for working out.  I plan to use this blog to show how I prepare for these "Mud events", to review the events, and just to talk about the stuff going on in the world of obstacle course racing.