Post Race - AZ Mudder

Post Race - Arizona Tough Mudder 2013

Well, I'm still considered a "go amateur". No, I did not lose it this time, but somehow this ultra simple, two button device, has the capability of malfunctioning; I blame the user. I captured roughly 70% of what I wanted to showcase. In the beginning I struggled keeping it on, powered on that is. Who knew it could be so difficult. I ended up accidentally turning it off for the first three or so obstacles. Also, the battery died before the last three obstacles- Cage Crawl, Everest, and Electroshock Therapy - all fantastic filming opportunities. Oh, there were also multiple signs and employees yelling before specific events that warned you to hold onto your GoPro. I'll take an ounce of credit for that. I wonder how many GoPros emerge on Sunday when all the water obstacles are drained.
Here is a mini breakdown of the day...

Go'Amateur' user still 

We arrived a little behind schedule, I'll blame the Hawes exit. We ended up racing at 10:00 instead of 9:40. What a gorgeous day it turned out to be! No clouds, just sun. This picture is early in the morning..the clouds went away ;)

View from the side of Everest - beautiful day. 

Temperatures in the upper 60's, just warm enough to enjoy the water obstacles, except Arctic Enema of course. I'm not sure it is possible to be warm enough outside to enjoy a submerged ice bath. Trust me, it is colder than you imagine.

First things first...enter the starting area by scaling an 8ft wall - no problem :) Next up, get motivated by TM's great announcer, Sean, and feel the camaraderie building as the wounded warriors are being honored. Pretty amazing what some people can overcome. Just in our heat alone we had missing limbs and even one man running with oxygen attached. Impressive.

Next, finish the TM pledge and the countdown begins...

First obstacle - jumping through some mud trenches, a little introduction to our new future. The rest of the obstacles described will most likely not be in order... I also skipped describing a few, the post was getting a little lengthy.

Kiss of Mud- army crawl under barbed wire in the mud. Being short has some advantages.

Arctic Enema- jump in a dumpster filled with with bright colored water and ice. When you first jump in, it isn't so bad. People typically think, 'yeah this is what I expected'. Then you dive under a board with barbed wire over the top. When you emerge on the opposite side you have completely changed your mind about it being what you expected or were told about. It is cold. Unimaginable really. You can't breathe and you are disoriented. Your muscles start to freeze up while you're expected to swim then climb out. You start to climb down the other side and realize you are getting light headed and a pounding headache. Trust me, it is bone chillingly cold. The photographers that set up camp at this obstacle end up with some terrified looking expressions...see photos!

Walk the Plank- This obstacle happened earlier in the race than past races. This obstacle is quite enjoyable. It is just a mini cliff jumping experience. I'd say a 15 foot jump into water. Typically cold water, but it was pleasantly warm this time. In fact, I kind of wanted to swim around for awhile.

Boa Constrictor- Two sections of giant PVC pipe filled partially with cold water that you belly crawl though. Great one for us shorter people. Simple. :)

Funky Monkey. Monkey bars built in an A frame. I made it across the inclined bars then I slipped. Splash landed in the cold water below. Chris made it across though! Nice job! 

Hangin' Tough- These are the rings I complained about in my last post. There were significantly fewer this time, but I was still unable to master it. In fact, I did worse. Guess I know where to focus some training. 

Cage Crawl- This was a new event for me and pretty simple. If you are claustrophobic you may not have loved this one. Multiple colored, cold water pools with a chain link fence over the top. You were required to lay on your back, hands holding onto the fence, then pull your body along. This event managed to fill my ears with water, cover my body with green slime, and magically turn Chris' hand orange even though we went through a green pool. :) 

Everest - 1/4 pipe greased. In my pre race post I mentioned I may have jinxed myself. I didn't, thankfully I still made it up on round one! 

Electric Eel - Lay on your belly, army crawl as fast as you can over a giant tarp of water and ice while getting shocked. I have been shocked on this one in the past, but this time was much worse. It was a constant stream of electricity flowing through my body...zap after zap after zap. Still loved it though! 

Mud Mile - multiple mud trenches about waist deep. Climb up, over, and into the mud - repeat. Second pit in a mud war between Chris and myself developed . Lots of splashing, thankfully no dunking. This later turned into myself getting white washed with mud - hard, clumpy, thick mud. Brilliant facial really, plus I got multiple comments on it! Here is a shot of me cleaning my face off... taken from the GoPro footage that will be in the next post! 

Buddy Carry - Not sure the official name of this one, but you carry another person for about 50 yards, then stop, and switch to be carried for another 50. Someone's ankles may have been dragging on the ground near the last 10ft. of this one...sorry! 

Screen captured these shots from the GoPro footage! 

Hold Your Wood- grab a log/stump and take a lap with it. I feel a little pathetic with this one, some may consider it smart, but I just felt like i was cheating...I carried a small log. It couldn't have weighed more than 15 pounds. Consider me a weakling :)

Fire Walker - leap over fire into a trench of mud water. This was my first fire experience at a mudder. I liked it! 

Running - 12 Miles of running itself is definitely an obstacle. No complaints there! This course is flat and on asphalt...simple. It was a beautiful day with direct sunlight and I felt great, both my body and my lungs. I have a nice blister under my toe from a pebble that was lodged under there for 6 miles; no real injuries though. I run in Vibrams and recommend them for all trail running and especially mud related running. Love them. Not getting tired during this event helped me gauge where I'm at in relation to my endurance training for World's (much more to come on that in the new future.. I have a coach now!)

Electroshock Therapy - This time there were mini trenches so you were unable to sprint straight though. You had to be more conscious of what was below you. You also couldn't sneak under the wires by swimming. Apparently, TM staff is enjoying forcing everyone to get shocked. :) I managed to stay on my feet this time, bust still got shocked about 5 times. Chris wasn't as lucky. He may have tripped and took a face plant. I'm glad I didn't end up on the ground because his knees and hands got shredded somehow during the fall. Maybe there was hidden barbed wire...typical! 

So, overall, I felt fantastic while racing, didn't get winded at all, had a lot of energy, and a ton of fun! Much needed and quite relaxing. In comparison to the Vegas TM the AZ race is still much easier. Vegas was constant hills, longer swims, and sand...so much sand! Arizona has no swimming, no sand, and is flat. Much easier, in my opinion. Why didn't I do my qualifying here?! I recommend the Arizona location to anyone out there who is borderline with completing a Tough Mudder. Great introduction! I think my next one will be in one of the many mountain locations. If I had the capability of traveling to more of these races and not missing extended days of work due to flights I would purchase a season pass and compete every couple months!! Semi obsessed! Come join me! You'll love it!

More photos and video footage coming soon! Photos on this blog are mostly taken from the TM Facebook page from mostly the AZ race! Thanks!! 

Post Race - still need to purchase this shot since it has a copyright all over it :) 

Previews and Thank you - race day

Well, 10 hours until Tough Mudder Arizona. I thought I would do a little preview of a few of the obstacles and a few shout outs...

Shout outs first.
I am not big on accepting any type of favors- ever. However, I've been working on it...I know, I know people keep telling me that's what friends are for :)
Favor 1: my dogs - I will be out of town for 5 days and kenneling two of them was going to be spendy. Enter Debbie! Last week Deb randomly offered to take the dogs to her house! Wow, thank you SO much Deb! You're in for an adventure!

Favor 1

Favor 2: Once again, gone for 5 days - leaving my car at the airport would also be a pretty penny. Enter Max! Thank you so much Max for the ride to the airport!! Very appreciative. Max gets bonus points too because I ran out of time while getting packed this morning so he stopped by the post office and Redbox for me! Definitely owe you!

Favor 3

Favor 3: Last time I borrowed my neighbor's GoPro for the race; well, Chad is out of town, still. Boo. Enter Payden. This time I am renting one from a past player that I coached. Thank you so much!! I won't lose this one, I have experience now...I will surpass my "go amateur" status (see previous post).
Favor 4: I enjoyed racing alone in Vegas when I was working on qualifying for World's, but I'm always posting for people to come join me, come race with me, come have fun - never any takers. Enter Chris. I am racing with someone I met at the airport earlier this year. We've never hung out, until today. Should make for an awesome adventure! Oh, and also, thank you for picking me up and the airport! I'll drive tomorrow!

Favor 5

Favor 5: TSA thank you for not taking my protein powder that looks like I am traveling with a few months supply of cocaine. However, thank you for groping my butt because of my "fancy" jeans and for checking my hands for explosive residue. 
Favor 6: Thank you to my mom who is letting me use her car all day Saturday to get to the race!

Now for the race preview...
They no longer post a map prior to the race showing where each obstacle will be. I think people were getting annoyed if they were "out of order" so now they leave it a mystery. Here is a photo of the course from Arizona 2012. I'm betting tomorrow is similar, with a few new intriguing road blocks, hopefully not the rings and rock wall, I sucked at those.

Here are some obstacles that I feel were the most demanding and exciting. We will see which ones make an appearance tomorrow (most of these are their classic obstacles and they WILL be there tomorrow).

Arctic Enema - the culprit of the GoPro accident. Arctic Enema is a giant ice bath that you swim in, underwater. The pictures sum up the cold. Temporarily unable to breathe.


*** Shrinker - Wish this one had a more appropriate name considering I have students that might read this blog- hope the asterisks helped. This one is a strain on the shoulders. You pull yourself across a small rope over a freezing pond of water.

The classic Berlin Walls - These are just walls you climb over - 8ft then 10ft then 12 ft. In Vegas I powered over the 10ft wall without help, I felt pretty good about it. I had a boost from a kind stranger for the 12ft though.


Everest - now, Everest is a quarter pipe greased down. After both of my past races I watched people tackle Everest over and over. There were a lot of failures. I am yet to have any difficulty with it. I've managed to run up it on my first try both races, most likely I just jinxed myself.














Hangin' Tough - My funky monkey of Arizona. In Arizona I was horrible at the inclined, greased monkey bars. I slid off after about 3 bars - pathetic. My goal at Vegas was to make it further on them. Goal accomplished, I didn't fall. Enter Hangin' Tough - after feeling confident about obtaining that goal Tough Mudder threw in another set of dangling apparatuses that you swing from- the rings. Ohhh, I was terrible at this. I made it two rings... If there are rings tomorrow I will conquer them! I hope.

Underwater Tunnels and Walk the Plank (and Arctic Enema) all involve water where holding onto the GoPro will be required. This will be a new challenge. Also, other events that involve falling into water if you do not successfully complete the task should prove interesting. If I start to fall I will need to grab the GoPro. Last time it just didn't stay on my head. Wish me luck, really don't want to purchase a new one for Payden.

Electroshock Therapy - The culminating, I signed a death waiver, event. 10,000 volts dangling everywhere. My first race I avoided all shocks, impressive, I know. I swam under them barely avoiding shocks to my scalp (water + voltage = hmmm). During my second race in Vegas I wasn't as lucky. I got shocked multiple times, I lost count as I was blasted to the ground due to the voltage running through my body. At least I know what to expect tomorrow.

There will be a few new obstacles I'm sure, and I'll do a play by play recap sometime after the race with video footage.


Final thoughts...
I am anxious and nervous.. I am not nervous that I haven't ran in a few weeks and that I haven't ran over 5 miles since October - nope. Instead, I am nervous about the temperature. In the past two races I wore cold gear leggings. This time I opted for shorts or legging capris (brought both) and a tank top. Turns out that the early morning will only be in the upper 50's. All I can say now is bring on the World's training, I guess.

Time to get some sleep. It's just about race day!

4% ~ make tomorrow your today

4% - a small, yet significant number.  A one hour workout is only 4% of your day. It isn't about HAVING time to work out, it is about MAKING time to workout. If you would have started your workout when you first thought about it, you'd be done by now.
Legitimate Excuses:

• working late
• weather
• too late
• too early
• too tired
• sore from the last workout
• making dinner
• running errands
• picking up kids
• watching kids
• taking kids to activities
• no money for a gym pass
• busy studying
• hate the gym
• my back hurts
• it's boring
• I worked out yesterday

Ohhh, wait.... these are NOT legitimate excuses. There is no excuse. Find a way and get it done - 4%. 

    Sometimes I do not get a workout in, but there isn't an excuse. I just flat out didn't make it happen and should have. I find my biggest obstacle is running. I am not a runner, I am learning to become one though. I have to keep an organized schedule (perfect for my ultra type a personality) of workouts for the week compared to when I have Zoey, photoshoots, and work meetings. If I'm not careful I will miss too many days in a row without a decent workout. Thankfully, I love making lists and organizing my agenda. 

My Workouts:

   Recently I joined a new gym that opened here in Zoo, Title Boxing Club. I'm really loving it. I leave dripping in sweat - head to toe. It's a great atmosphere with a very friendly staff. The trainers are fantastic and I have been encouraging everyone I know to give it a shot - how can you resist, your first session is free! 

My first innocent victim that I convinced to come! 

Joining me! 

      Last week, I called the gym and talked to Chris, the owner. I asked him about their policy with kids. I knew they offered family passes and young kids could participate. However, I wasn't sure about small, tiny children, such as Zoey. I quickly mentioned she could sit in a corner with the iPad and if she caused any problems, I'd leave. Great parenting skills, I know..but hey, I'm making time! His initial response started to sound like I was out of luck..followed by "ya know, we don't just allow young kids, we encourage it. In fact, I should make it a requirement." Score! Zoey can come!! How awesome is that, pending she cooperates of course. Her first session was that night. She loved it. She didn't even use the iPad. Instead she sat, watched, and mimicked my workout; as you can see from the photo montage. Fingers are crossed each session goes that smoothly, we'll see.
   Another place I spend a lot of my time is the gym at my work, the High School weight room! I love working out here for multiple reason:

1. rarely anyone else in there
2. blast my own music over the speakers
3. no hours
4. Zoey is allowed to join me

The only thing the weight room is lacking is a treadmill and the fact that it is 35 miles from my house. However, it satisfies all of my weight lifting duties.
   One Tuesday's I join a few co-workers and get worked out by personal trainer, Shannon Jones, in an adult ed class. She is great and very inspiring.
   Another median I use for working out is Hart Adventure Boot Camp. Personal trainer, Cindy Hart, runs an amazing program and I love when I am able to attend her classes. There is a link to her site on this blog! Try it out!!

View from my deck, including the trail.

Running along the Kim Williams.

   Finally, there is the outdoors. I live off one of the many trail systems in Missoula, a definite requirement for future house shopping! Trails in Missoula are plentiful which makes running easier and more enjoyable. This is the area I need the most work on.

Top of the M.

   






 

Overall, it is about making time, not having time. Make tomorrow your today!!!