obstacle run training etc. questions

enyagoboom

Since July I've been working on reshaping my habits. In the process I have (so far) lost nearly 30 lbs and am under 200 for the first time in a decade. My exercise of choice is swimming which has been awesome for my confidence as I'm seeing improvements in my endurance and obviously changes in my body. wa-hoo, yay me, etc. Previously I have tried the C25K a few times, but always quit/got bored/insert excuse du jour here around week 3.

The problem is I am just under 29 weeks from my first tough mudder (one of my fit goals) - it's a "lot" of time, but it's also no time at all. The reason I want to do a tough mudder is my husband - this will be his fourth or fifth and he's super inspiring and body positive. I'm feeling better about my endurance generally, despite my C25K fails, but my upper body is absolute bunk.

So I have to break out of my comfort zone again. Swimming is awesome but it's not going to help me with the obstacles. I know I need to do planks, pushups, really should be able to do pullups, and lifting heavy objects (one of the obstacles is a partner carry and while I can fireman carry my 200lb husband a short distance, it's not where I will need to be)

I get that the TM is mostly fun and a team sport, we have a good small team going, but I'd really like to be able to climb the walls, so I guess grip strength is also on the list.

My questions: (particularly for females, or men who have had female friends/partners go through this)

1. What did you do to get ready for your first TM?
2. How much time did you give yourself to prep?
3. What would you have done differently to prep after you saw how the course went?
4. How often/how long did you train in the lead up to your event?
5. What questions should I be asking that I'm not?

I also have to do some strength training with my ankles as I am particularly suseptible to sprains and plantar fascitis.

And do all this while in a slight deficit because I am still severely overweight at 196lbs.

I'm all ears, MFP gurus Lay your knowledge on me.

gearhead426hemi

Good for you for signing up the Tough Mudder they are a awesome way to really push yourself. I have done a few of them and some other 5k obstacle runs as well. I would say the best thing is really get out and jog or run more. Depending on which race you are doing the distances will vary. Really try to change up your training routine to not only keep it fun but also get your body ready for it. Try doing short sprints and jogging and running all mixed in. While you are running stop and do some pushups. If you are running near a park stop and do some jumping pullups or do the money bars or rings then back to running. There are monkey bars at just about every race so be prepared for them. My favorite training was go trail running and grab random rocks or small trees whatever you can find and carry them. Go train with your husband too. If he has done the races already use him to motivate you. I am sure he would love to have you go with him. Its a win win for you both. He gets his wife to train with and use him to push your limits. Best of luck and have fun at the race!!

spartan_d

Good on you for resolving to do well at the Tough Mudder. I've encountered my share of people who, due to inadequate training, barely run the course at all and half-*kitten* a lot of obstacles. This is technically allowed, but it goes against the spirit of the event.

29 weeks is certainly enough time to get your running game up. It won't be enough time to develop great upper body strength, but you can certainly make major gains during that time. Focus on grip strength, pull-ups, and general cardio conditioning, and that'll help tremendously.

I've done an obscene number of Spartan Races, Savage Races, Tough Mudders, and lesser known events (BoneFrog Challenge, etc). Pull-ups, chin-ups, and heavy rows are among the most beneficial exercises you can do.

As for how often I trained... I had already been exercising regularly beforehand, and a pretty high intensity. Nowadays, I train more specifically for obstacle course races, and I do so almost everyday. If you're really determined, I'd say that some running three times a week would be helpful, with pulling exercises (the aforementioned pull-ups, chin-ups, and rows) twice a week. Supplement that with general cardio conditioning three times a week or so -- preferably with some interval training rather than just steady state cardio.

enyagoboom

Yeah I am really trying to work with the spirit of the event and my husband is maddeningly encouraging to the point that i might want to (lovingly) punch him sometimes. He's not here for training (his job has had him away from home since August) so it's just me right now trying to work this all out... and honestly, I don't really want to train with him. We're completely different in how we approach our bodies.

I don't have an indoor track to hit and running outside here is dangerous in sketchy weather, so I'll have to start with a treadmill. I'll also hit up the gym people for some help with equipment. I can work on the grip strength and I have dumbbells to use at home. If I can get to early spring and make a dent on pushups/pullups and the like, I can do some outside training at that point. And there's a local mud run in late april I think that I can test out - it's much shorter than the TM, and close by, so I could use that to see where I am more than a month from the June event.

Should definitely be interesting. And well, I'm graduating (finally) in the spring, so I am going to rock my grad walk with a kick *kitten* body

swebb1103

I am doing my first obstacle run this spring. 3 days a week, I follow a workout that is different body weight exercises coupled with dumbbells, pull ups, box jumps, and burpees - so many burpees! If you Google Spartan Workouts you can probably find the workouts. They get progressively more intense from week to week.

H_Dubbs

Doing an obstacle race 2 years ago changed my life, I applaud you and am excited for you. It really kickstarted a healthy change in my life and led me to face fears and learn what I am capable of.

I started outdoor running in April for an August race. My goal was simply to increase stamina and be able to run 5k, I didn't really try to run "fast".

Grip strength was also a huge concern for me, I started squeezing stress balls and doing small weight curls with my wrists.

I started going to playgrounds and "playing" on monkey bars.

My city has an ocr training facility, I went a couple of times to familiarize myself with obstacles and learn strategies.

I would say I trained 4 times a week but aside from the running and playgrounds most workouts were just general total body training, not specific ocr training.

What would I do differently? Not take it so seriously. I cried several times in the week leading up to it. I was worried I was crazy for even attempting it. It was a challenge, but not scary, it was fun.

There are several websites with suggestions for clothing to wear and what to eat etc. I would look into those suggestions.

My big tip. Garden gloves from the dollar store. Don't wear them the entire race but keep them in your pocket and take them out for ropes and monkey bars.

Again lots of websites with daily workouts for ocr, I'd take advantage of those. Many involve outdoor running with stops to do burpees, push-ups etc.

Best of luck to you, and above all ENJOY it.

AFitJamie

<sigh> sometimes I hate technology... I just finished a very long reply... just to delete it inadvertently by hitting the wrong section of my iOS screen just before posting.... ugh.


So here's take two I hope it is a good as my fist post LOL


Ok here is take three... I’m not sure why it isn’t saving properly. I will finish this damnit.


Let me add my congratulations to the others on your success so far and for setting yourself an awesome goal!

I’d say I'm a Tough Mudder fan. I've competed 6 TMs and have scheduled for March 2018 to enter a 'Tougher Mudder’ (their competitive first wave series) and am planning to enter the 8 hour 'Toughest Mudder' event in June and a regular TM in September. (My friends want to do the Worlds Toughest Mudder 24 hour event in November..... I'm not so sure I’ll consider that.)

Let me start with saying that, in my opinion, Tough Mudder is substantially different from many other 'obstacle course races' and events... primarily because the half and full Tough Mudder events are inherently Not Competitive. They are a challenge. Your challenge. This isn’t just a gimmick and it isn’t just a line.... at least it shouldn’t be. The entire point of a TM is to challenge yourself ... but it is NOT a race. .... you should expect to give and receive support and help throughout the course to complete it. So if you walk a large portion of it and fail on an obstacle or two and need to pass on an obstacle... no shame... if you cross the finish line, you are a Tough Mudder.

To that point, make sure you are on course with people who get that, and understand that fundamental difference. I have a couple of friends who went with a team that just didn’t get it... the more fit members of the team pushed everyone to run more / faster than these friends could sustain for the 17km of the course and my friends ended up crashing partway through and simply couldn't continue. Such a shame. Had they been with people who understood the Tough Mudder Pledge and understood that TM truly is different... it isn’t about how fast you can do it, had they been with supportive people who committed to helping everyone succeed, I know they'd have had no problem finishing the course. Do a google search for the TM pledge and read it a few times. Then find people who will take that seriously and bring them with you and you will have a GREAT TIME on the course. Let the macho, I’m faster, stronger, better, big-ego types go on ahead and then we can all feel sorry that they have missed such an important life lesson.

Now to some basic suggestions:

Where other people started their training, and when, may be very different from you because of starting from a different fitness level... so I’d suggest you just start now. You do have time to build if you do start now.

Get some people around you that you can ask silly questions about the course/event. That may be your husband, but I get that it may not. I’m not judging, I just know some people don’t want to ask their spouses what they see as 'vulnerable questions and others are perfectly ok. I’m just saying you should surround yourself with as much support as you can find.

A few specifics:

First, 'I help my fellow Mudders complete the course'. Feel free to add me as an MFP 'friend, if you like and ask me any questions you like. I'm happy to help in any way I can along the way to your course.

Second: you don’t need to run the entire course.... in fact, most courses have some steep hills, and delays at some obstacles, etc that make it so you can’t really 'run' the whole course... but you should have yourself at a state where you are able to run/jog 10Km reasonably comfortably without stopping before your course date. If you start now, I suspect you do have time to get there.

Start slow. Running is *very* hard on the body, and particularly so for those who are overweight. I hear you on the challenge with your previous c25K. For me, the *reason* I’m running (so I can go have a blast with friends!) makes the entire difference. I'd never run a day if it wasn’t for that. So do remember why you are doing what you are doings and start slow. Finding a quality learn-to-run program is a great idea.

Third: I have loads of thoughts on what to wear on-course, but to keep it concise:

Get *great* running shoes for your training - tomorrow if you don’t have them - and get great trail shoes that fit *you* very well for your course. (and run in them a fair bit on trails in advanced your event) Suggestion: don’t worry about what other people wear unless you fit a very standard shoe.... there are many great trail/OCR shoes that my wide foot simply cannot wear. I see lots of people on TM courses that think the course will just ruin their shoes, so they wear their oldest crap runners.... that is a terrible idea! Quality shoes will last and will wash. I've put a great pair of Sauconys through a number of TMs before I retired them. Investing in decent shoes will do a LOT to avoid injury as you start to get ready. Find a decent running store, if you can. to do some browsing/shopping in so you can get great advice from people who actually know running. (They may not know trail shoes exactly,... but that is ok... you have time do to your research for those shoes)

Four: upper body strength is important for a number of obstacles.(do a google or YouTube search for 'balls to the wall', and 'funky monkey the revolution' for examples.) so if you want to take a stab at some of these and want to be successful... start working towards this early on. I know many people find pull ups to be essentially impossible... so they struggle to figure out how to get started and learn... if you have access to weight equipment like at a gym, lat pull-downs are a great way to start with a lower weight than your full body weight and build from there. (Also allows you to work on proper form) Another relatively inexpensive alternative is a TRX system you can set up in your house that allows you to progressively build your 'rowing' strength (no the TRX shouldn't be used like a ring system to do a full pull up, but YouTube or other vids will show you how you can use them to help build your strength incrementally.


Remember this is for you and for fun. Cheers to a healthier you and congratulations on setting yourself such a great challenge! Let me know how I can help.

J

enyagoboom

It was totally worth the three attempts to post, thank you!

Inspirationalwaterjug

I did a Spartan Beast as my first obstacle race; I mostly do power lifting but I added in a lot of HIIT. Beyond that I didn't do any running. Took a out 4 hours. I'd recommend good shoes for trails, and learning how to climb a rope.

Mrs181

What did you do to get ready for your first TM?
Pretty much nothing. My coworker convinced me to sign up only a month beforehand. I could only run about 3miles at the time.

How much time did you give yourself to prep?
A month.

What would you have done differently to prep after you saw how the course went?
I've actually found a love of obstacle racing after my first TM in 2015. I've done a few more TM's and a bunch of Spartans and other brands. I started working on my endurance and strength training. Pull-ups and dead hangs are huge.

The best part about TM is it is untimed, and it is more of a team challenge. There are SO many people that will be willing to give you a hand or a boost. They also tend to be flat and the obstacles help break up the running. Despite my poor training for my first, I was still able to run the entire course and complete almost all of the obstacles with help from my coworker and other racers. You have a lot of time to prepare. And most importantly - have fun!

jjpptt2

Here's the thing...

I've done a few, and while the courses can vary, they all come down to this -

1. Can you lift/pull/drag yourself through/over and obstacle? This is all body weight.
2. Can you carry a smallish load (could be a log, could be a person) some short distance, possibly uphill?
3. Can you run from one obstacle to the next?
4. Can you handle interval-type workouts? Changes are, you'll end up waiting in line at most obstacles, so it ends up being a run, run, wait, crawl/climb/whatever... run, run, wait, crawl/climb/whatever interval session.

So with that as a guide..
- I'd make sure you can manage your own body weight.
- I'd make sure you can carry a reasonable load a reasonable distance.
- I'd make sure you can run a moderate distance.
- I'd make sure you can deal with frequent and dramatic changes in HR/intensity.


The last thing worth mentioning... just make sure you can last the duration of the event. If it's going to take you 3 hours, can you be out in the sun, going at a reasonable pace/effort for 3 hours?

esjones12

I've completed well over 30 OCR's, including two TM's. TM was my first major OCR.

What did you do to get ready for your first TM?
I was working with a personal trainer once a week. Lifting weights twice a week and doing cardio 3-4 times a week.

How much time did you give yourself to prep?
I had been working on weight loss and just generally getting into shape for 11 months. I got the idea to do it and signed up 6 months prior to the event.

What would you have done differently to prep after you saw how the course went?
Weight loss and running.

How often/how long did you train in the lead up to your event?
2 lifting sessions per week (full body) and 3-4 cardio sessions.

What questions should I be asking that I'm not?
None.......overall you need to focus on making STEADY and SAFE progress. If you haven't been running, setting a goal to go out and run 5 miles per day until your even is really stupid. Follow a program like C25K and C210K, etc. Don't rush it. It is better to go in under conditioned than to hurt yourself before you even go to the race. Focus on eating healthy and play with your macros so you have energy to do your workouts. Start working on overall strength and doing body weight exercises. Do not freak out about the obstacles - don't hurt yourself trying to do pull ups when you aren't ready for them. Too many people focus on the obstacles. You will surprise yourself if you focus on gaining overall strength, endurance and dropping pounds. Do your best on course. Have fun. Take mental notes of things you really struggled with and when you go back to training for your next race (most people sign up for another lol) you will know what to work on.

Feel free to add me as a friend and message me. Best of luck! Just keep at it! Consistency is your friend.

natruallycurious

Congrats to you on all of your progress so far! You've gotten some pretty great advice, but I will go ahead and answer still to see if I have any different advice for you.

I just completed my first TM in October, and I absolutely loved it. While endurance is important, don't feel like you need to be able to go out and run a straight 10+ miles (if you're doing full). My friend and I did the full course, and while I could only run about four miles straight before the race, she could run around 10. I ended up having more energy than her and an easier time finishing the race simply because I trained more strength beforehand too. I agree with pull ups and dead hangs, both will help with getting used to holding your own body weight, as well as increase grip strength. Another thing that I think helped me was rock climbing, if you have access to a wall. I just did basic bouldering with an auto-belay, but I think it helped my grip strength, and also got me used to the feeling you get on obstacles like the Reach Around. Also things like the monkey bars at your local park might be fun and a good way to get some training in. Oh, and I had about three months to train, but didn't do much specific training for it besides the rock climbing. Otherwise I just did strength training and ran a couple miles a few times a week.

It really is a team event. I like to think that I helped others complete the course, and I know for a fact that I couldn't have completed some of the obstacles without the help of other Mudders. Good luck with your TM, and feel free to add or message me if you have any specific questions!

spartan_d

Here is an example of a badly designed OCR workout routine: http://barberbeast.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2017-06-27T07:53:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=5&by-date=false

I say "badly" because it's basically just light cardio. It's not a bad routine per se, but there's nothing in it that's OCR-specific. It's also not very demanding -- suitable for beginners, but not for someone who's preparing for a long, demanding race. For example, there's no grip training, which is crucial for conquering many obstacles. No pulling motions either.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the workout routines at http://www.yancycamp.com. These are pretty demanding, but one can scale them down and still get a real workout. They're designed to improve grip and pulling strength, as well as one's ability to recover from bursts of cardio (running up a steep hill, for example).