Angela: thanks for sharing all those pearls fro that conference! I didn't know you were a pharmacist. Very cool! I liked what that said about 10k steps not necessarily needing to be the goal. I always feel guilty about my low step count. And yes! Whole Foods is $$$!!

And you are right! Tough Mudder Chicago 2015 was awesome!

Wish you would do one with us! Hey, Dean Dwyer commented on my after run picture. You're the one that introduced us to him way back when, right?? Love him!

I wanted to post this earlier but I've struggled all afternoon to come with with something. I'm just giving up and posting whatever I spills from me. This is going to be a little personal and I bit embarrassing. I am posting it publicly, even with the embarrassing stuff, because I want everybody know how this community and one of its members has influenced my life recently.

I had the most wonderful time this weekend. First off, I only had plans to drive up to the Chicago area on Saturday to watch the Carol, John and the rest of the Gun Runners take on the Tough Mudder Chicago. Carol contacted me and asked if I wouldn't mind picking her up from the airport and be roomies for the weekend. I said absolutely!!! Her travel plans were altered due to her flight to Chicago being delayed. I found out about this about and hour into my drive up, so no reason to go back home but I knew I was going to have to spend some time at the airport. Well, that turned into an extra 2+ hours. She arrived in Chicago after 11:30 (instead of the original 9:30). I was SUPER EXCITED to see her. After getting her bags, we headed to the car for the hour and a half trip north to where we were staying (thank you again Carol for asking me to stay). We had some good conversation, with a couple of head nods towards the end of the drive

Saturday morning, the day of the Tough Mudder. Texts messages were flying between members of the Gun Runners. We had one member who was unable to join us due to a death in the family. Nick, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. We all missed you. Carol and I met up with the Gun Runners and got ready for the event. Some pics, some vids, some laughs. We rode the bus out other location of the event, got all checked in and ready to go. Lesson learned: spectators need to look over the course map BEFORE with the participants so they know which obstacles to meet. I got to see the Gun Runners start the race and I didn't see them again for another 4 hours! I went to the first obstacle that allowed spectator access which was just over four and a half miles into the course (total course length was 10.6 miles). I waited there for about three hours and never saw the team. I totally started freaking out (just ask Kim, I was blowing up Facebook with posts and she had to calm me down). I finally just walked back to the finishing area, where you can see a couple different obstacles and also have a good view. After another hour, I saw the Gun Runners walking up the path towards Everest. WE FOUND EACH OTHER!!!!! That made my day, getting to finally see them. Turns out, they had bypassed some obstacles and the one I was at was one of them. That lack of communication on my part at the start is what caused this mixup. Carol and Jake did the Everest (rock on both of you!!!!! We stopped and caught up on some of the obstacles they did, had some snacks (I was carrying snacks). We walked together on the course for a little bit along with another participant who had lost her group. They all decided to skip the last remaining obstacles, other than the very last one. So Carol and Jake ended up doing the Electroshock Therapy obstacle (I have footage of Carol slogging through it - hehehe). Gun Runners totally rocked Tough Mudder Chicago!!! Carol, John, Jake & Mike, you all kicked butt and I'm so proud of all of you. Cleanup, catching up and such commenced after the event and then the ride back to our cars and our respective homes/hotels/lofts. I told Carol that I really regretting NOT being a participant. A combination of various participants asking spectators why we were participating (in fun of course) and the waiting for the team really made me realize that I made a mistake by not participating. Watching is ok but for an event like this, I believe the only way to truly enjoy it is to participate! I missed the Gun Runners for those three hours and yes, I was probably behaving a little irrational but I was worried that something happened to them (somebody got hurt and they had to stop). Kim, thank you for calming me down on Facebook. I'm sure I sounded like a crazy woman. On a side note, the weather wasn't exactly optimal for a run through mud and water. Everybody was very cold, especially fair weathered Carol (SHIVER!!!!!).

Sunday morning and early rise and drive to the airport. Carol and I had a great talk and I learned a lot about her (and I hope she learned something about me). I wished we could have had more time to talk as the 90 minute drive seemed like it was over before it started. We did a couple quick cell phone videos in the terminal before we said our goodbyes. Now the embarrassing part. I held off on the emotions until I walked out of the terminal and then I just let loose (and I'm doing it again as I type this). Carol is a wonderful person (I know some of her have met her). She is a ball of fire and has so much energy (well, not at midnight - ). She is super motivating and she totally had the Gun Runners ready to tackle the course. I didn't get much video footage but hopefully some of that will come out in what I did get. Carol, I'm sorry if I'm embarrassing you but thank you again for your friendship and for your willingness to share some of your personal life with me. I tend to be a very closed person when it comes to my personal life (I have been hurt in the past so I tend to be a bit hesitant at times to share). I feel I did open up to you and was able to share some things on a personal level (wow, what interesting childhoods we both had). I want you to know that I consider you a very close friend and the sister I never had. I look forward to getting together again in October for Tough Mudder Las Vegas (as a PARTICIPANT, so no losing my Gun Runners!!!!). I'm also planning on attending next years' PaleoFX. I have this feeling you may get tired of me following you around the country. Hugs girlfriend and sister.

This community is about friendship and support. Having the chance to meet Kim, John and Carol, in the past week has been fantastic. There are so many others I hope to have the opportunity to meet as well (Arturo and Heron in Vegas!!!!). Make the effort to find time in your schedule to plan even a weekend trip to meet a fellow Fat2FitHQer. Don't let an opportunity slip by. Carol's plane was delayed so long that I thought it might be cancelled. What I would have missed had she not been able to make it this weekend.

Thank you everybody for your friendship and support. I remember how motivated I was back in December and January (Jen's January Jaunt). I feel I'm getting back into that mindset again and am ready to turn things around. Whole30 is progressing well, with a minor hiccup. I'll start walking and actually using my FitDeck this week to prepare for the Tough Mudder. It's time to move forward!

Hugs everybody. Thanks for reading my long-winded post (if you made it this far -hehehe).

AngelaLastname wrote: »

Squee! Loved your post Jen!!! Very heart warming and so how I would imagine a real life Carol.

Thank you Angela.

I BOMBED on my Whole30, yesterday!

I got trapped or mother's day, and had fried fish, french fries, banana pudding, lasagna, corn and a weird cake. Luckily, I had a salad, at least, but it had cheese!

Staring over today.

Jen, that was great to read. Thanks for sharing! And ESP. Glad to see you got your motivation back.

Nothing new and exciting on my end. Well, not entirely true, this week's class is in Vegas. On flight now. 2 of my team will be there. It will be great to spend time with them. One is the team member who just got promoted. This is her last class with us ( and why I'll be doing much more teaching than leading until I get her replacement hired and trained). She was one of those highly motivated, always taking on additional work, sharing best practices kinda people. The perfect complement to my somewhat strategic/visionary but not so great at implementing details nature. She will be sorely missed.

Could not figure out why I felt do bloated and miserable last week. Belly felt off. Thought I'd eaten pretty clean. At first wondered if caterer for the class meals had hidden some flour or other gluten in the food. Now wondering if it was the Buffalo Wild Wings. While I carefully choose the unbreaded wings and gluten free sauces, it seems they co fry the breaded and none breaded wings. Appears I need to ask for " hand spun" wings which don't have the final frying. Damn hidden and cross gluten sources. Bright side I had healed my gut enough to actually have been aware I'd been contaminated. Oh well onward and upward.

Dying to know if my thyroid levels are improving. Doc wanted to check by now. But her schedule only had a mid June follow up opening. Patience kim patience.

Thanks Kim. Well I did have a bit of a hiccup yesterday, so I'm going to extend my Whole30 a week. TJ, I completely understand. Looks like we're both starting over. But overall I am feeling better and more motivated.

Jen great post! And never feel embarrassed for speaking from your heart.

Although I am not a mom,( what moms go through I can't even nor even want to compare! hats off to all moms) Arturo surprised me by taking me out on a date he calls it "doggy moma day" LOL He knows that I've been a little stressed taking care of 3 extra dogs so its just nice that he knows

Kim, have you always reacted like this with gluten? even if its contamination? Did you tell you server you have allergy? If not, next time you should remember to tell them its an allergy.

Kevin, I had that same realization!!

Had my first real carb nite last nite and "real english muffin" and bluberry scones from sconehenge. Its a local bakery in Berkeley that makes all kinds of baked goods. My goodness! their muffins are incredible, so are the scones. Drool...

TJ, Mother's Day is tough especially when you are out with family celebrating. But no biggie, like you said starting over today.

Good morning everybody.

Happy to see you home safe and sound John. Again, was wonderful to meet you this weekend. Five months to Vegas!

Heron, that was very sweet of Arturo. I love it - Doggy Moma Day.

Jennifer: thank you for those heart felt words. I'm honored that you would even want to hang out for the weekend and you know I consider you a real friend too. Your post was a wonderful recap of the gunrunner weekend and all the fun we shared. It's EXACTLY why our group is important. Thank you for being there for me.
Huge squeeze!!!

carolssalva wrote: »

Jennifer: thank you for those heart felt words. I'm honored that you would even want to hang out for the weekend and you know I consider you a real friend too. Your post was a wonderful recap of the gunrunner weekend and all the fun we shared. It's EXACTLY why our group is important. Thank you for being there for me.
Huge squeeze!!!

Thanks. I hoped I didn't miss anything. I can only recall so much information, you know (hehehe). What a great weekend!

Counting down to Vegas!

Ok, I'll quit spamming the thread today. Last post.

I cannot emphasis enough the importance of drinking enough water. I completely failed in that over the weekend and am only feeling better this morning.

So, drink that water and if you feel yourself getting dehydrated, drink more!

Alrighty Then AAR for Chicago Tough Mudder

Meet up and Arrival all went well, at the Meetup location we got Nicks text that he would not be able to make it. We consolidated to two of four vehicles and headed for the Parking Lot in Wisconsin. So remember Micky D's in Richmond Il is a good place to meet up. No issues with cars in their lot for 6-8 hrs.

Parking was not difficult and on the way from our car location to the bus pickup point I remarked to someone (Jen Maybe) that the hardest event of the day may turn out to be the walk from the bus to our cars. It nearly was for me.

Entry to the event was not difficult, I was the only one of us that had to use the regular entry as their passes sent them through VIP. If I had known in advance I could have bought a VIP pass but no worries being a regular Joe. Entry was uneventful for me and smooth. Once inside had to wait around for the other Gun Runners to meet up. Not sure what the delay was but all came together and sorted out check bags and the on course nutrition bag Jen was going to carry for us.

Now before I go further I want to say this, When I describe some of my limitations and difficulties, I do not nor will I tolerate well, sympathy, I have had limiting Arthritis in my knees since I was 36 years old, with good weight management I get some improvements, but there are and will always be some limitations, its just the way it is, like the sky being blue. My goal this year (my 60th year) is to test the limits. To see how far I can go with what I've got left. That involves pain. For the most part I do not use drugs to manage it. So it can last longer and be worse but I generally manage it with heat and cold.

Once we entered the warm up area I gave us our pep talk and we got the Tough Mudder Warm up and motivational schtick. It was pretty good, Got hopping around and a good dynamic stretch. First Obstacle we had to cross was a 6ft wall to get to the starting line. We all helped each other and some others with it. and BOOM we were off. First plowed up sort of muddy area all was going ok then Carol had a shoe come off in the mud, no problem turning to help I had a shoe come off in the MUD, (Big Problem), as my shoes were taped, then my other one came off. So no place to sit or lean needed help to get my bloody muddy shoes back on. My knee braces did not allow me a full range of motion so Carol did the mom thing and got em back on my feet tied up nice and tight so much for taping shoes (waste of time).

First real obstacle was the low crawl under Barbed wire, in the mud. No biggie did this many times before and once or twice with bullets overhead, Come out after the 20 yard crawl but once again nothing to grab or lean on to stand up, Problematic for me. So needed help getting up out of the goo ( are you seeing the recurring theme here yet?)

We walked over hill and dale along a muddy trail for another good mile or so before it rolled in the the real Mud Mile from Hell. At times it was Ankle deep sludge mud, followed by knee deep pudding mud, then back to calf deep goop to mid thigh (might have been waist deep for Carol) that seemed to go on forever. You could feel the mud sucking the heat and life out of your body like a Mekong Delta Leech whose sucker lips had your entire lower body. and it went on and on, my knee braces and my knees in general started creating problems here. The key to traversing this mud is to be able to lift your feet in it to keep moving forward. With the limitations my knee braces created I was in big trouble here. It took a lot of help from a lot of folks to get through this part of the course. That is one of the pluses, everyone is part of the Mud Team. Everyone. Folks would come along and help a bit then move along. Always with encouragement, I can not tell you how many times I had it said to me " Way to Go Man Way to do it! Keep on movin we can make it!" Never once did any of them say the Q word.
About Half way through it we found a dry spot to stand on off to the side were I ditched the knee braces, in the woods, and our process became a system of helping Hammer Jammer through. Carol in front testing the bottom and looking for the least problematic way with Mike and Jake on each side of me giving me balance through the mire. Through out the rest of the day, I would stick to the sides of the trail with the shallowest mud or find ways to cut through the field and avoid the worst of it. Let me just say this about that mud mile. You can go in as individuals but you come out as a team. The first of the Hot Drop Hammer Forgings is done, Gun Runners now have a shape and a form. The rest of the day just added to the details. Another note on Apparel, I wore Hospital Scrub pants as my Top cover, This was not wise, I had multiple layers of Compression gear on underneath them and would have been better off leaving them (scrubs) in the stored bag. Vertical Leg movement is critical to traversing Mud. As a training tip add high steps to your walks, do them for a half mile at a time.

As obstacles came along the rest of the day, my approach to them was with an eye of how many am I going to need help from to get through this? If I thought it would put folks at risk I skipped the obstacle. I did do the Arctic Enigma though. I've done some cold plunge training when I was in the Army so I knew what to expect, though I have to say you can never actually prepare for it. There is no adaptation to cold. I did stay in it long enough to help a gal out of it at the end who was having trouble. Felt good to be the helper instead of the helpee. Though by the time I got out I had to modify the dismount a bit because I had lost feeling in my legs. Even so manged to make it by coming up backwards in the corner and hinging my legs at the hips to get one foot on the ledge once I had that foot hold rolling over to the deck was doable. So I managed to get though one of the 'Signature' Obstacles and help some one to boot. Not bad for an Old Guy.

I think this was around mile three, and that was when we started skipping parts of the course and missed Jen, what prompted us to skip was the under-bridge traverse in the river. I didn't have the knees for it and Mike saw it as a big problem as well.

For most of the rest of the course Carol and Jacob did swell on the obstacles they tried, Jacob didn't make it through the one with rope to rope swings, they both made it over the peg board, and through cry baby, the Electric shock therapy and Mike joined them in walk the plank. I can't remember if it was Mike or Jake that cramped up when they hit the water on that one that put the life guard in action when I saw that I did an automatic turn and started towards the finish area to help him, and the goop got me, I slipped and basically face planted in the sand mud there. I had been holding Carols shoes and Dry Tops that were now no longer dry and were full of sandy mud. You had one Job Sarge. The good news was that we only had about a mile left to go. I think it was right after that we found Jen.

Summary - This event is about many things, It is first a personal test, no team mate, no one on the course will push you to go beyond your personal physical or mental limit. That is for you to decide. As a Gun Runner, and I would say as a Tough Mudder, once you decide; then we are all in to help and support.

Carol- Asked me on Facebook about what my advice is on swimming through Ice water on Arctic Enigma, My answer was Welcome the pain it means you're still breathing death has still been cheated and will meet you at the next obstacle if not somewhere in the mud between them.

The shared experience is a huge benefit. As an old Sergeant that trained Soldiers and Young Officers it was a real joy to see Carol in a leadership role. It confirmed many suspicions I had had about her, She leads from the Front. She'd have made a Damn fine Paratrooper.

Mike and Jacob are great Gun Runner Team mates. Great minds think alike and had there been more time, and warmer weather a couple of steaks and beers would have been a great way to end the day.

Lessons Learned - Ditch loose clothes below the waist. Tighter is better, in the mud its all about range of motion. Loose cloths and appurtenances are not helpful. On the other hand a Sweat Top that you can use as a dry top after the water obstacles is a very good idea, Maybe a Gun Runner Sweat Top would be a good item for Vegas.

Hypothermia is a real threat even in Spring and Fall Wx, no big issues this time but the potential was very real. I went in to uncontrolled shivers about the time I got back to my hotel. Had a lid on a Micky D's Coffee Cup and was shaking so hard I spilled almost half of it out that drinking hole in the top. in the 100 yards or so from the parking lot to my room.

I wore Compression Shorts, Compression long pants, Compression Socks, Work out shorts and hospital scrub pants along with my knee braces. Too much gear that ended up limiting my range of motion. Won't beat the point here but def will do different next time.

I need to take a personal pair of Medical Tape Scissors with me. I had to cut off my socks because I could not flex my legs enough to reach them to pull them off. I don't see that changing but the benefit of those socks is too big to do with out. Just struggled with hotel kitchen scissors so need good ones on site. Would have been useful in removing my shoes as well. The trials of removing those items meant that it was nearly 11 pm before I got into the shower. Good scissors would have saved me at least an hour.

Will probably bring along and use some OTC anti inflammatory next time as well. I used some today and the effect was immediate and pronounced. Will not return to daily use but for the big events yep its another tool in the box.

Training - Working on some training stuff for Vegas will be posting more on that in the training thread. Get to where a 6 mi walk is comfortably done in 2 hrs, 20 min miles. minimal breaks. If you've got a good power to weight ration like Carol then practice with it and keep improving. For the rest of us start working on pull ups. Search on line for programs that can train you to pull ups. They are out there. Those really are the twoi essentials and will expand on it more in the weeks ahead.

Physical Capabilities, I know some of us have some orthopedic issues. I can't tell you what to do, the extended time in the deep mud with and uneven bottom can be a big problem with IT bands ACL etc, Hypo and Hyper extending your knees is gonna happen. I have a sharp pain at the top and bottom of my left quad that has never happened in all my years of exercise. Not enough for a Dr visit but very interesting; feeling much better today was at its worst yesterday.

So there it is from me folks. Got my work cut out for me for Vegas, I would love to have us all there doing the TM. Gun Runners leave no one behind. I was asked this weekend why I would do this at my age, my answer was It wasn't my call that I lived, it wasn't always my call as to where I lived. It's not my call as to the day I die. But by God it is my call now as to How I Choose To Live, I am an Old Soldier, a warrior for my country, and if I am remembered than let those that remember me say he did his duty and he lived well. Tough Mudder is a small part of the later.

TJ I think Mike Did

Good morning everybody. I hope your week has been going well. I'm already in 'vacation mode' even though I still have another week and a half until I head out to Arizona for the Memorial Day weekend.

A good day back on Whole30. Water consumption increased dramatically yesterday and finally I'm not feeling so dehydrated. I can't believe that I used to consider how I've been feeling the past couple days to be 'normal' (dry skin, dry lips, etc).

John I wanted to say again that your recap of the Tough Mudder is fantastic. I read it again this morning and caught a couple more things to keep in mind for October.

John.. inspiring account.