Kentucky Tough Mudder Here I Come!

Tomorrow I’m heading to Kentucky!

I’ve never been and I have NO idea what to expect except horses, and horse racing and, umm horses. Oh! and Jim Bean! Isn’t whiskey big in Kentucky?

Anyway, I digress.

I’m going to run in my 7th –oh crap I’ve run SIX TOUGH MUDDERS — Tough Mudder.

Remember when I ran my first one last year? Look how young and naive I was …

That’s Carrie, Jimmy and I in our post-Mudder glow.

I really thought I’d never, ever, do it again.

But just 7 months later we were back at it and this time we brought Bobby.

Then Carrie decided she needed a THIRD baby so she temporarily left the team but that didn’t stop Jimmy, Bobby and me. We decided to see how Mudders were done on the West Coast.

Then Jimmy had the great idea to try 2 mudders back-to-back and I insanely agreed to give it a shot.

That, I can HONESTLY say, I  will never, EVER do again.

Then I jetted off to St. Louis to run with Kim and her team.

 At each and every one of these events I’ve learned something about myself. I’ve met amazing people, overcame challenges, and had fun — like LOADS of fun.

I know lots of people don’t get it. Why would you sign up and PAY to run 12 miles, crawl in the mud and torture yourself? What do you have to prove?

Nothing.

Sure, the first time I did it I wanted to prove to myself I could, but now?

Now I do it because I can.

Plus I just LOVE being around supportive, active people. It’s energizing.

This time I’ll be wearing the goPro on my chest –I got the new Hero3 and it’s much thinner so I think I can manage it there — to capture what I can.

Jimmy is joining me again along with Tiger, Megan, Ann and Alan. It’s going to be awesome! I can’t wait to see everyone!

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Tough Mudder Madness Team Kentucky: Meet Ann

Ann is the second winner of the Tough Mudder Maddness giveway and has also agreed to share her story here on the blog and it’s eerily similar to mine.

Hi, my name is Ann!  I’m 31 years old and have been married to my wonderful husband, Derrick, for 4 ½ years.  I work as a Pharmacy Technician but I’m in school to become an Ultrasound Technician.  My husband is from Missouri and we lived there for a while before and after getting married but we currently live in Cincinnati, OH where my parents and brother are. We currently live with my mom while I’m going to school.

I’ve struggled with my weight since I was a teenager.  I was never popular in school and I linked that to my appearance, though looking back I was not actually overweight at that time.  I just was not as skinny as the girls who were getting all the attention.   As I explained in my entry in to the Tough Mudder Madness contest, I have yo-yo dieted my entire adult life.  Each time I gain the weight back, it comes with a little more than the time before.  Derrick has also struggled with his weight his whole life.  This past summer we both decided that we really needed and wanted to do something about it, once and for all.  We had so many things we wanted to do together – kayaking, rock climbing, day hiking, etc – and we just couldn’t do those things at our weights and fitness levels. We were missing out on so much!

We found a doctor supervised weight management program in our area and went to an information session in late summer.  We finally joined the program on September 3rd, 2012 and have never looked back.  It has taken a lot of work but we have had a great support system including a behaviorist lead support group, nutritionists and an exercise specialist to help us along the way.  Oh, and we’ve had each other too!  Sometimes I ask myself “What’s different this time? Why is this time the end of the yo-yo dieting?”  The short answer is that everything is different.  I have a support system.  I finally understand what a healthy relationship with food is, and I’m working every day to make and keep that relationship healthy.  I found exercise (and a gym) that I really love!  The list could go on and on.  In the past 6 months I have lost 75 lbs and Derrick has lost 120 lbs.  I’m still working on losing a bit more though I’m not exactly sure how much because my focus has really shifted from the scale to working on my fitness level at this point.  This is even more true now that I have this amazing opportunity to run a Tough Mudder with Roni in October!  I’m so excited to be training for such an amazing event and under such cool circumstances!  That said, I am nervous and even somewhat terrified of what the actual event will hold so I have put together some questions for Roni since she has three Tough Mudders under her belt!

What did you do to train for your first Tough Mudder?  Did you use the training guides provided on their website at all? (Some of that stuff looks pretty intimidating.)

I looked at them a little but mostly did my own thing. For the first Mudder, my training consisted of BodyPump 2 days/week, 2-3 runs a week and 1 day training with a friend where we did a few things from the training. You can see some of that in my training videos on YouTube by clicking here.

After you ran your first Mudder, did you change how you prepared for the second and third ones?

I did but it wasn’t because of any particular reason besides a change in my schedule. It was around that time I was transitioning from my traditional gym to CrossFit and working out with my friend became impossible because of our schedules. So instead of training specifically for the second 2 mudders I decided to just consistently workout any way I could with no particular “Mudder training.” I felt as prepared if not more so for those as well.

Going in to your first Mudder, was there a certain obstacle that you were most nervous about?  Did that one turn out to be the hardest/most scary after you actually did it?

Ohh, that’s a good question. I remember looking at the obstacle list and thinking there was no way I’d be able to do a few of them. So I guess it was more a fear of failure than anything else. And some of them I did fail — I’ve yet to cross the monkey bars without falling in the water or get up the half pipe without a few tries and A LOT of help, but after you do one you’ll realize it’s your attempt at the obstacle that defines your success. You do the best you can and keep trying!

I feel like I should mention that I don’t even look at the obstacle list anymore. I’d rather be surprised while the running the course. It leaves less time for me to stew and worry about them.

Is there an obstacle that you still fear after having completed three events?

Any of them with an electric shock. Hands down. And even though I say I‘m not afraid of heights, the darn jump into the water gets me EVERY TIME!

I have to ask, how bad is the electric shock?  It sounds horrible (but exhilarating)!

lol See above. It sucks but it’s more mental than anything because you KNOW it’s gonna suck and you do it anyway. Unlike other obstacles I think those get harder to do not easier.

What things do you wish someone had told you before you ran your first Mudder?

The only thing that comes to mind is logistics. I was so worried about how to get there, where to park, where to put my stuff, etc. I wish someone told me to CHILL and sign up for the first wave the first day. It’s less crowded, easy to park, no traffic and no lines. My preferred start time will always be Saturday morning at 8AM.

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Tough Mudder Madness Team Kentucky: Meet Megan

I’m so excited that the winners of the Tough Mudder Maddness giveway I hosted were willing to guest post and introduce themselves on the blog. Inspiring folks was a big reason I held the contest, and I have no doubt these women will do just that with their stories.

I’ve asked them to write a bit about themselves and to ask me any questions they had about the Mudder. Here’s what Megan sent me last week.

That is me in the gym at the beginning of the February!

I am 30 years old and live in Indiana in the same town where I was born and raised.  I am married (for 8 years) to my high school sweetheart, Gabe.  We have two amazing kidfaces, Cora and Emmett.  I graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Psychology but right now I am working as an Administrative Assistant.

I’ve been overweight since about the 4th grade.  So really, it just feels like the person that I have always been.  In a random moment in 2007 I stopped at the local gym to become a member.  Because I can’t tell people no, they talked me in to a personal trainer.  I dropped 60 pounds, gained muscle definition and a confidence that I can’t describe.

After having the kids and dealing with anxiety and depression I let myself get back up to about 260 pounds.  I was miserable and unhappy.  I acknowledged that I needed help to get my life back together and I put myself in therapy.  I’ve been working with a therapist for about a year and my mind is in a much better place than it was before.  So now, I’m ready to work on myself physically.

In another random moment, I entered to win this opportunity with Roni.  I never had any confidence that I would actually end up teaming up with her to run a Tough Mudder.  I’m am both excited and terrified.

This isn’t going to be an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.  I weighed in at 229.0 this morning.  That is the lowest that I have been since bringing the kids home from the hospital.  I’m building my support system of family and friends as well as some professionals at the local gym.  There are still moments every day where a little voice in the back of my head tells me that I must be insane….that there is no way that I will ever complete this task….that I might as well go back to being miserable because it is so much easier…

I refuse to listen!  Not this time.

Things I need to know from Roni!!

What do you tell yourself in those moments where something seems impossible?

When things seem impossible it’s because I’m thinking of the end goal instead of the small steps I need to take to achieve it.  Ask me 10 years ago if I thought having 2 kids, working for myself, maintaining a healthy weight, and living in this neighborhood was possible and I would said you were crazy! 6 years ago I didn’t think I could run. Now I have a marathon under my belt. Geesh, 2 years ago I would have thought a Tough Mudder was something just for military muscle men. Now I’ve completed 3 and have 6 more scheduled this year!

I’ve learned since starting this blog that it comes down to the daily choice, the little baby steps that in the moment seem insignificant but over time add up to equal BIG changes.

Now, I can tell you when a Tough Mudder obstacle seems impossible I remind myself that THIS is why I’m here –to push myself out of my comfort zone– so I take a deep breath and give it all I have (sometimes screaming and cursing as I go.) I don’t always succeed in completing it (I have fallen off quite a few obstacle) but I tried and that is the first step of making the impossible possible.

How bad is the electric shock really?

Honestly, it SUCKS! Big time! But when you get out of the obstacle you feel like you can take on the world!

What were you most afraid of for your first Tough Mudder?

I think I was most afraid of simply not being able to do it. I had no idea what to expect so there was the fear of the unknown. What if I couldn’t’ make it up the wall? What it I hurt myself? What if….?  

What were you most excited about for your first?

That I did it! I remember thinking, “Holy crap I did it. I REALLY did it!” Then I realized I didn’t care about the dirt or the mud or how I looked or how tired I was. I was so lost in the moment, actually in the whole event! My confidence was over the roof. I felt like I really could accomplish anything I set my mind to.

How do you think running the Tough Mudder with all of us will be different for you?

This is a GREAT question and one I pondered as I still feel like a rookie. I feel like I’m the one holding people back. I’m the one who needs to be helped. I have big issues being in the more experienced roll and it’s one of the reasons I wanted to do this. It’s another way for me to put myself out of my comfort zone. As cheesy or egotistical this may sound, it’s time for me to lead instead of follow. I’m looking forward to the experience, but it also scares the crap out of me at the same time.

What is the one thing that you would tell all of us as we prepare for this challenge?    

Have confidence and don’t second guess your “right” to be in this event. I felt like (and sometimes still do) I’m not worthy to participate. Things like this are reserved for the super fit. The athletes. The perfect people of the world who never struggled with eating disorders or body image issues.

The truth is, this event was made for us. The folks that have something to prove to themselves. The ones that need a little external nudge to get them to realize they are deserving and capable and worthy of living the life they want.

Bottom line: Don’t hold yourself back!

Stop back tomorrow to meet our second Kentucky Team Member, Ann!

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