On my way to cheaha 50k trail run.  200 miles down, the rain is starting. Glad I have good gear!   Supposed to be low 30′s when we start running tomorrow!

Before the start, and after the finish… yes,  those are the same white shirts.

I’m not in any of the other pictures below,  but all were taken on Sunday at our event, a picture or two of most of the obstacles that we dealt with through the Tough Mudder.   We actually crossed through countless mudholes, ditches, creeks and swamps, basically every ditch or water hole they could run us through.   Most of them had deep holes, dropping from knee deep to waist/chest high, then back out.,

There was also a pond we had to go in, and swim under rolls of barrels, several sets of those and there was one more series of 4 walls I think it was, we had to go over but I don’t have a picture of those, but they were just like you see in the military obstacle course.

Jacuzzi = Pink ice water, that board on the right was a barrier, you had to JUMP in, go 5-6 feet to the barrier,  go under it , and another 5-6 feet to climb out.  Those guys had just resurfaced.

Unbelievably cold, complete shock to the system.   Could not breath, nor feel much of anything until we got to the next obstacle.

Steeplechase – I think 8 of these, just little waist high walls to hurdle, till you went over the first one and realized they had a big ditch cut on the other side. JUMP!  Got the heartrate up.

Underwater Tunnels

No-picture, but we crossed a pond, bobbing underneath several rows of barrels floating parallel in the water.

Kiss of Mud – crawling through the mud under  barbed wire.  Not terribly difficult, but slippery and a nice introduction to the dirt to come.

Spiders Web.  Up and over a cargo net.  Easy, fun, just like you see on TV!

Underground tunnels, zig-zagging along, complete dark, easy to run right into the wall when the tunnel made a 90 degree turn.

Lay on your back, with feet wrapped around the rope and pull yourself across a muddy pond.

Make your way through some swinging tires.  Kind of boring for a ‘Mystery Obstacle’.

Devils Beard – Crawling under a cargo net along a very long mud flat, with some holes, thrown in for good measure. Falling in the deep holes, having to hold the net up so you don’t get tangled in it.  Yea, we’re dirty now!

We went through countless mud holes, ditches, mud flats, submerged roads.  Every place they could run us through some nasty, muddy, wet area, that’s where the course went.

Then we had to climb up and over 3 or 4 sets of big round hay bales.

How’s your balance?  How’s your balance on a wet muddy 2×6?   How’s your balance on a wet muddy 2×6 that’s being shaken by other people also trying to keep their balance on the same 2×6?

Yea, thought so.  I ALMOST made is all the way across, only a FEW feet left,  before plunging to the water below.

Down the tunnel, very easy slide down, into  the muddy water at the bottom,  back up the SLICK tunnel with nothing to hold onto inside.  It was tough.

Walls, walls, walls.   Two separate sets of walls, one was 4 walls, probably 10 feet.  Could jump, grab the top, and get over these.  then later on the course, a set of two walls, taller, that most people had to get a hand from above to help get them to the top.

More water, more mud, more deep holes to fall in.

Hope you’re not afraid of heights!

Jump from hay bale to hay bale, spaced FAR apart, or climb up, jump down, climb up, jump down, about 8 of those to cross.

Then we had to run a  series of steep man-made ups and downs in the dirt.  Reminded me of running a gnarly motocross track.

Tough little exercise here, that board for the feet was very thin and muddy.  Mostly using hand strength to hand on and move along the wall.  At least no water to fall in here.

Run through fire, wouldn’t have been bad, but the breeze was blowing the smoke right along our running path, so we got to breath smoke for a while.

Up a ramp, across a cargo net, down a ramp

Grab a big log, carry it through a pond, don’t freak out when you see the floating alligator head. That was a nice touch

Climb the mountain of hay bales.

Funky Monkey – Cross the monkey bars, never done monkey bars going UP.  Up then down, don’t fall!  I trained like crazy to prepare for these, a little worried that I’d not be able hang on and do the up and down angle, but I CRUISED across them with no problem. Nice!

Sprint fast, get as high as you can, and lunge for the lip of the ramp.  Hopefully a little help from above and you’re up and over.  It’s dang hard to run up a BMX ramp!  Got it first try though.

Shock treatment – we expected lots of little zaps of electricity as we ran through these hanging wires.  No, it was like getting hit with a baseball bat in the chest, a full body blow.

I got in 6  feet or so with no shocks, and just as I thought it was going to be non-event , just at the hay bale crossing, the first jolt hit me and put me on the ground.  Next thought was ‘Oh Damn, I have a LONG way to go!’  I got one more shock like that, glad it wasn’t more.

Oh Man!  Good Times!

The End!   A fun way to spend a Sunday morning, that’s for sure!

Death Waiver has been signed and we’re ready to go!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh5HdPM_QuE

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jU4SfKcJPg

Tough Mudder Trailer

That is their advertising slogan anyway

Hey, I’m sure it sells entries, but 12 miles, 21 obstacles, average time 2 and a half hours?  I don’t care if it’s designed by British Special Forces or the Devil himself, I have a very hard time believing this is going to be anything more than a very fun diversion, playing in the mud, climbing on monkey bars,  running through fire, what a cool way to spend a couple hours!

www.toughmudder.com

Below are a few details of the upcoming fun.  A map of the course and a description of the 21 obstacles ( well, 20 of them anyway).  Click the picture for fullsize.

December 4th in Tampa!  Bring on the mud, ice, fire, ropes, logs, walls, water cannons, WHATEVER!