Tough Mudder. Who has done it?

I just did my first Tough Mudder this past weekend in South Carolina. It was a blast.

To train I used the half marathon training program from the Hanson Brothers (should be able to be found with google). I also did a body weight circuit called the MARSOC short card (you should be able to find it through google and there is a video of the exercises involved on youtube). I did all my running outside and did my best to do my Saturday and Sunday runs on trails. I know a lot of people say that you don't need to be able to run 10+ miles in order to do the Mudder but I found that it really helped. Passing people who looked like they spent 24 hours a day in the gym helped keep me going long after I started to feel worn out. And in an event like this once you give in to the urge to walk it is hard to get yourself running again. I would also recommend doing some swimming. There isn't too much swimming on the course and most of it is just doggy paddle style but I saw a few people panic at the sight of the water.

As far as clothing really the only advice I can offer is avoid cotton like the plague. Especially undies. I did a Warrior Dash in regular cotton boxer briefs and lets just say that was a really, really painful/bad idea. For shoes I wore Vibrams Spyridons. I've been wearing toe shoes for a long time and the Spyridons were great. If you prefer a more traditional shoe something like the Nike Waffle style shoe or the Merrel Pace Glove (my wife loves her set of these) should work well. I didn't wear gloves but in the end I probably should have. I wound up with some pretty funky bruises on my palms. I've heard good things about Mad Grip gloves and I will probably use them in the future.

I would really recommend doing a 5k obstacle run like Warrior Dash while you are training for the Mudder. It's a bit like a dress rehearsal and gives you a good chance to see what works and what doesn't. I also recommend getting a countdown app for your phone. I had one that counted down the days left before the race and it really helped keep me from cheating on the training and diet. Just a reminder that the race was coming and that I didn't want to be carrying around more weight than I absolutely had to did wonders.

The event really was a ton of fun. There were parts that were physically tough and parts that were mentally tough but the feeling of overcoming it was worth all the pain and fear. I wound up qualifying for the World's Toughest Mudder in a couple of weeks. I don't think I'll be able to make it this year, just not enough time to prepare for that level of event. But to think when I first started getting ready for the Tough Mudder in February of this year I was 40 lbs heavier and could barely run one mile. I'm already signed up for the Georgia Mudder next April and hope to do 2-3 events in total next year.

Have fun.

ive done it and i'll never do it again.

Im a runner and a crossfitter and i didnt find it to be a "fun" event. The electrocution obstical in particular was the most painful thing i've ever experienced in my entire life. I'm seeking therapy from it.

lots of people have fun, maybe the wire I touched was just overelly electrified.

anyways to train I ran and do crossfit. The event was easy but just unnecessarily painful. You should be able to run 12 miles, lift yourself up (or have a good team to help you scale walls), swim, not be afraid of water, and to crawl on your belly with your *kitten* down.

I do NOT recommend vibrams...my teammate wore them and got lots of stuff that punctured THROUGH the rubber bottom. Traditional running shoes with good tread (trail running shoes) are good if you can tie them super tight or duct tape them to you.