Tough Mudder!

tower913

I have signed up to compete in my first tough mudder at the Buffalo, NY location for this upcoming June! I was hoping to get responses about other people's experiences! If you have competed before, how was your experience? So far I have heard great reviews and I am really excited. Also, what have you done or what are you doing to to train? What are your best recommendations to get ready for an event like this? Hopefully this will spark some conversation about tough mudder! Feel free to add me also! All the additional experienced or inexperienced friends I can get will be sure to help me with my preparation for the event!!

tower913

Wrong date! I meant this upcoming July in Buffalo.

PennStateChick

Well, first, I am jealous of your July date. We did it in Nov 2011 in New Jersey. If I know the Tough Mudder people though, they will still find a way to make some obstacles almost unbearable, even with the warmer weather in NY in July.

For training, it really depends on what your strengths/weaknesses are at this point since you only have aout 7 months to train. Personally, I did training for a half marathon distance (although most will tell you that it's not necessary train in running because a combination of stops/obstacles make it so you don't run that far all at once.) However, I was quite happy with my running training when they took us running in circles in the woods just to make the course longer. The event requires A LOT of upperbody strength. I'm not saying to neglect your lower body with lifting/training, but make sure you go all in with upperbody. This really is an event that you need all over fitness. The beer at the end is the best tasting beer you will ever have, but most couldn't stop shaking long enough to drink it all!

That being said, it was a fantastic event. It was just super crazy. You find yourself doing things that you never thought you would do and a year later you are still thinking "I can't believe I did that." It was a lot of fun. Be open to meeting new people on your route. The only other suggestion I would make is try to go with a team at the same level as you. The majority of my team were faster than me and I spent a lot of the time trying to not hold them back... although I did rock the water obstacles and finally got a change to catch my breath waiting for them.

Erica262

I was just about to post a similar topic, but decided to search for one first. I'm doing the Virginia Beach Tough Mudder in June and am looking to make some MFP friends who've either already done it or who are also training. Add me!

tower913

@PennStateChic
Thank you for all of your advice! I agree, I am extremely happy with the time of year especially when I look through all the pictures on the tough mudder site of all the frigid obstacles!

I live in the country so I have been trying to run a lot of trails and routes around here to slowly increase my distance. I am not even close to distance running ability I would like so there is defiantly room for improvement in this category. Also, I am not weight training right now but I am starting a routine in January!

I could not be more excited to participate in this! We have a huge group of people so I believe it may be tough to all stick together.

crazedcujo

Congrats! I have my first one this April! Looking forward to it

KyleB65

I have not yet done a Tough Mudder but I did a Spartan Race this past summer. This was loads of fun! And, it motivated me to keep up my running!

There is a tentative Tough Mudder scheduled for my area next summer (Montreal, Quebec). I have pre-registerd. And I have again signed up for the local Spartan Race.

Have fun!

vegas1776

Just completed the Tri State in NJ this October. PennStateChic is right, run run run....and when your done with that run more! Strength is very important but this race is all about stamina! Best bet is running off road, and lots of hills to build your leg strength, balance and agility. We trained in Valley Forge National Park on the Mt Misery trail which was a big help getting ready for the Mudder since there are very few flat smooth surfaces to run on. Oh, and run completely wet at least once a month to get used to it. We trained doing 4 to 6 mile runs and I think more would have been better.

Good luck! It's a grat time and worth the training!

tower913

I love all the support and following tough mudder has! I feel like I am becoming part of a huge tough mudder community and it is so exciting.

What is the Tri State? Is that a tough mudder race with an increased level of difficulty?

I go to college pretty close to the tough mudder location I signed up for and it is in the middle of no where. So finding trails and hills to run on shouldn't be a problem at all thankfully. Although, they will like be covered in snow next semester but that should only make me tougher! Great tip about running completely wet! I didn't even think about doing that. It will definitely be something I incorporate into my training.

Capt_Apollo

I dide my first tough mudder in october.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Captain_Apollo/view/achievement-unlocked-tough-mudder-436730

RobynLB

It's fun. It's not very though, or I should say, it's only as tough as you make it. My boyfriend and I signed up for one at the last minute last Summer, and we just showed up without doing any special training. As long as you can run 3-4 miles at a time, do pushups and pullups, and crawl / climb over things, you're pretty straight. It was a great time. There were people of all ability levels, and almost everyone was walking some of the course after the first 4 miles. It was at a ski resort, so the hills were a bit much-- and I am a hill / trail runner.

The obstacles were sooooo fun! The freezing water is way worse than it looks, but everything else is pretty benign. I didn't get the shocks too bad, but my boyfriend got a big one that threw him to the ground. Lol. The whole atmosphere it a blast. We're doing one in February, and I'm thinking it's going to be a little colder this time.

yoovie

so many races that day... I didnt realize there was a TM in NY that day too :-/

brassballa

i'm so excited I am doing the race in April any words of advise for getting through the course?

jayche

On the monkey bars, the highest monkey bar is like a few inches further away than the others.
Everest is harder than it looks...

JSheehy1965

I'm doing the Mt Snow, Vt in August. My first one! Have downloaded the bootcamp training info on the website but also have started doing pull ups and more strength training and trying to run for longer, incorporating hills.

cleotherio

I did one in Vermont in 2011. It was at Mount Snow, so the course was completely up and down the ski hills. When we got to a flattish surface, we could run, other than that it was walking briskly uphill, which is what 95% of the participants did. It was also in early May, so there was still snow in some places, which they made into a great climbing obstacle. The water was freezing. That was the hardest part for me. Jumping off a 20 foot platform into 37 degree water. I had to ask my friends if my shorts had come off since I couldn't feel my legs for a few minutes afterward. Overall, there was a great sense of camaraderie. Our team had about 8 people on it, but at some point through the race, you sort of make friends with all the other people going at the same pace as you.

Since the course was so hilly, it took us way longer than the average 2.5 hour time that a lot of their events are. It took us about 4 hours, which was average for that day. We didn't have enough food, and there were very few water stations. Bring a zip lock bag or waterproof bag that you can keep on yourself with some snacks. You'll be in and out of water, sometimes crossing from one end to another, so you can't just bring a normal backpack. It was a lot of fun. I was totally sore the next day. I had trained mostly by doing Insanity and running, but my legs weren't prepared for the hills.

OwenEvan

Just did one a few weeks ago here in FL and it was awesome. I would say focus on the running and pull ups as that makes up the majority of the day. I wore a running arm pouch to carry some gels and it worked out great. If you have any specific questions feel free to send me a message.

brassballa

I figured my upper body was going to need an over Hal but running is no problem ...specific question? When I was in the military the incline monkey bars rotated ....do these move while you are trying to go across?

RobynLB

A few of them rotate. If you take is slow and just use momentum from swinging rather than trying to muscle your was across, they are not difficult.

brassballa

Sweet!!

RobynLB

Sweet!!

Of course, my last time was in the summer, this next time is in February, I am thinking frozen hands might make the difference between easy and impossible on monkey bars. Lol. Into the water I go.

brassballa

On the monkey bars, the highest monkey bar is like a few inches further away than the others.
Everest is harder than it looks...

Everest freaks me out but i think if we put our strongest team member up first we might be alright

brassballa

Sweet!!

Of course, my last time was in the summer, this next time is in February, I am thinking frozen hands might make the difference between easy and impossible on monkey bars. Lol. Into the water I go.

If you cannot complete a station are you eliminated?

RobynLB

No. You can actually entirely skip any of the obstacles except for shock therapy.

Capt_Apollo

you can skip any and all obstacles, even the electrical ones. they tell ppl with heart conditions and history of seizures to skip those.

you aren't eliminated or anything. there is no timing chip for tough mudder. this is about finishing with your team and with a smile on your face.

jayche

On the monkey bars, the highest monkey bar is like a few inches further away than the others.
Everest is harder than it looks...

Everest freaks me out but i think if we put our strongest team member up first we might be alright

Haha chances are there will be people at the top already helping others up, real friendly and helpful people are in attendance.

stanluoser

Did my first Tough Mudder in October at the Tristate New Jersey. It was amazing! Did every obstacle and came out of it with scraped knees and bruises!

Here are some tips that I would suggest:
-Upper body strength
this will help alot when doing most of the obstacles (monkey bars, rings, going over high walls, mt everest)
-Do not wear gloves
Some websites suggest that wearing gloves helps, but it doesn't! Some obstacles you can slip off because you're wearing them
-Wear clothes that do not absorb water and DO NOT WEAR SOCKS
You're going to be wet most of the time because you're jumping into water and mud pits. You don't want to end up running more weight than you need. I'd suggest wearing underarmor gear and getting Toe shoes. (People were asking me about them half the time about how they were)
-Stretch out or you're going to be cramping.
-Run with a group do not run by yourself
My group of three, my brother, a friend, and I decide to just run at our own pace so we pretty much ran by ourselves the entire time. Run together, even if one person lags behind wait for them. This isn't a race, it is a challenge. Part of the challenge is to help others.

There are probably more but I just wanted to name a few. And be prepared to freeze your butt off in the ice water. When people say it's freezing..IT IS FREEZING! I got out of it and was jumping around trying to feel my body again for like a minute lol. What made it worse was the temperature was like 50 degrees that day and it was cold out!

Jpinpoint

My brother-in-law does the Tuff Mudder in Phoenix and in Los Angles/San Diego.
He is the most out of shape, obese, lazy person I personally know. He doesn't train.
He does the Tuff Mudder then spends the next 3 days complaining how sore he is.

I've seen the youtube videos of Tuff Mudder, I have no interest in doing that to myself. However, I think those who are passionate about doing things like this are great. I think it's even more great if you train for it.

My brother-in-law has passion then he has 3 days of my sister waiting on him hand and foot because he can't climb off the couch.

brassballa

My brother-in-law does the Tuff Mudder in Phoenix and in Los Angles/San Diego.
He is the most out of shape, obese, lazy person I personally know. He doesn't train.
He does the Tuff Mudder then spends the next 3 days complaining how sore he is.

I've seen the youtube videos of Tuff Mudder, I have no interest in doing that to myself. However, I think those who are passionate about doing things like this are great. I think it's even more great if you train for it.

My brother-in-law has passion then he has 3 days of my sister waiting on him hand and foot because he can't climb off the couch.

hahaha!!! that is funny!

brassballa

Did my first Tough Mudder in October at the Tristate New Jersey. It was amazing! Did every obstacle and came out of it with scraped knees and bruises!

Here are some tips that I would suggest:
-Upper body strength
this will help alot when doing most of the obstacles (monkey bars, rings, going over high walls, mt everest)
-Do not wear gloves
Some websites suggest that wearing gloves helps, but it doesn't! Some obstacles you can slip off because you're wearing them
-Wear clothes that do not absorb water and DO NOT WEAR SOCKS
You're going to be wet most of the time because you're jumping into water and mud pits. You don't want to end up running more weight than you need. I'd suggest wearing underarmor gear and getting Toe shoes. (People were asking me about them half the time about how they were)
-Stretch out or you're going to be cramping.
-Run with a group do not run by yourself
My group of three, my brother, a friend, and I decide to just run at our own pace so we pretty much ran by ourselves the entire time. Run together, even if one person lags behind wait for them. This isn't a race, it is a challenge. Part of the challenge is to help others.

There are probably more but I just wanted to name a few. And be prepared to freeze your butt off in the ice water. When people say it's freezing..IT IS FREEZING! I got out of it and was jumping around trying to feel my body again for like a minute lol. What made it worse was the temperature was like 50 degrees that day and it was cold out!

OK I have Vibrams I was wondering if I should start training in them.... I kept imagining losing my shoes in the Mud......Well This is so exciting. Thanks for the feed back

Mrs_Duh

I've done two Tough Mudders, and here is my best advice:

-When it comes to the ice water, just get in and get out as fast as you can. The cold water is disorienting, and the longer you are in the water... the worse it is. Wait for the person ahead of you to get out, so you don't have to wait in the ice water for them.

-Practice trail running, not just treadmill or street running. The uneven/rocky terrain is a lot harder on the feet and hips, and trail running will help you adjust a little better.

-Wear as little cotton as possible. It will stay wet forever. I highly recommend Under Armour's Heat Gear (if you are doing the Mudder in warmer temps).

-Your knees, legs and elbows may get pretty scratched/cut up. I wore capris that covered my knees, which offered some protection. I brought wrist sweat bands to pull around my elbows when I had to crawl on the rocky ground.

-If you can get your hands on a waterproof camera, bring it! You can get some great pics of your group doing the obstacles that will be golden!!

-Wear sunscreen. Bring chapstick.

-Have fun!