I was at my heaviest 185 lbs and Im 5ft tall. I tried the diets, joined a local gym but never attended- I just paid for it!I just could not figure out where to begin. A good friend of mine invited me to come workout with her, and after multiple invites and rejections, I finally agreed to go. It was just before my 41st birthday, in the heat of July in Georgia, I went for my visit to The Compound. What was I thinking?
We conquered the course with our team and were ready to tackle the Tough Mudder Virginia the following month. Again, we faced another big hurdle… Tropical Storm Andrea came through the night before and tore apart the course, flooding the James River (which was part of the course as well).
From being a very avid runner/cyclist/marathoner to hospitalized and bed ridden I became very depressed and to top it off I was unable to continue nursing school due to my absence.
Although running is not a passion of mine, it is great training for the obstacle course racing. The best thing about Obstacle Course Racing is that it provides a challenge for everyone from elite racers, to athletes in training (like me), to those just starting out. It fosters team work and encourages us to become better humans. I never believed in a million years that I would be able to complete a Tough Mudder or a Spartan race.
Saturday morning we arrived at the venue and were met with a light fog and brisk temperatures. It was a toss-up between being cold enough to justify a shirt or not but I decided it ultimately wouldn’t be worth the added weight once caked in the red clay. I took the starting coral and anxiously awaited our cue to set off on the course.
"People may think I’m crazy, sadistic, relentless, maniacal, suicidal, all rolled into one, but they still seek me out, sensing somehow that there is a method to this madness. And that my tactics change lives, create opportunities, and yield results."
One of my favorite features is the “H20 drain”. The water almost instantly drains out after being fully submerged. Not only does the “H20 Drain” help drain the water out but the material of the shoe seems like it wicks out moisture. The tongue of the shoe will not hold any water due to the rubber material used.
The biggest giveaway ever in the sport of OCR is going on now on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/mudrunguide. Go like the page, find the rules and enter. It's that simple, and 10 (or more!) lucky winners will have free entry to the race of their dreams.
After meeting my boyfriend, we created a specialized program to help with my weaknesses and to focus on strength building for OCRs. I had realized over the prior race season which muscles needed the most work, and I incorporated lower lifting to assist with my running capability. Long story, short--with the new training, I began racing in the Elite category, and I won my first race in 2013. I did considerably better throughout the race season, and I was on track for participating in World’s 2013.
Thinking about or signed up for your first mud run or obstacle race? Congratulations!! Committing to doing it really is the hardest part. We know that you might have some questions before (and after) the race, so we've tried to lay out a few answers here for you.
