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.
No comments:
Post a Comment