Events Update

Tough Mudder
For Tough Mudder number six, and my final yellow headband, I wanted to run in a different location.  So, the same weekend that the Tough Mudder was being run in WV (I've already run at that venue twice), I opted to run the Seattle event.  This was the first time I'd run a Tough Mudder out of the VA area.

Overall, I have to say that while I enjoyed running the event, I wasn't too impressed with the course.  The course was 10.8 miles in length, and largely flat.  Early on in the course, there were a lot of backups at obstacles, particularly at the Carry Your Wood obstacle.  I was running solo, so I grabbed a log and went around the backup, being careful to not bump anyone with the log.  The reason for the backup was that the underbrush was pushed over more than it was bushhogged, so folks were going slow and being careful.

In other instances, such as running around the pond and through the woods, the path was so narrow that you couldn't pass anyone...so if someone opted to walk, everyone behind them was pretty much relegated to walking, until we could get to someplace that allowed others to go around them.

In that regard, there are still issues with course layout...but I guess that's simply going to be an issue at any event.  While there weren't as many backups and delays at obstacles this time around (as there were in VA Tough Mudder in Doswell, VA, in June...), it still took about 15 or more minutes of waiting to get through the Balls to the Wall obstacle.  There was one obstacle near the end of the course where we had to go to the top of a peak (the only peak in the area...), turn around and come back down, and then get back down to the course level by climbing down a mud cliff on a rope.  We were so backed up that the course managers came to told us that we could return to the bottom of the hill and proceed on the course, which most of us did promptly.

I continue to see pictures of other Tough Mudder events at other locations, and see the new obstacles that they're bringing to some locations, and wonder why we're not seeing them at more locations.  Looking at pictures of other events, such as the Tri-State Tough Mudder, I see the rings that were an obstacle on the Legionnaire's Loop at the VA Tough Mudder...but why weren't they, or something like them, also on the Legionnaire's Loop at the Seattle Tough Mudder?  I think it's great that there are many of the traditional Tough Mudder obstacles...I love it...but if TMHQ is going to come up with new obstacles in 2015 (I've already started seeing the emails) then lets see of the new obstacles (as of 2014) in the courses.

Overall, I really enjoyed the event.  The venue was easy to get to, easy to park and get to the main area, very easy to get through registration.  The course had plenty of great obstacles, and the course layout meant that spectators got to see lots of the competitors.
                                                  
What I have noticed is that more events have started including a mini course for the kids.  I saw this at the DC Spartan Sprint, the Seattle Tough Mudder, and at the next event, the Savage Race in MD.  I think that this is a great way to get kids involved, keep them entertained, and I think that this is really going to make physical fitness the new "normal" for a large percentage of Americans.

Savage Race

I ran the Savage Race this past weekend, held in Kennedyville, MD, again.  Due to the weather, this one was different from the one run at the same location in July 2013...the cooler temperatures meant that the course didn't need to be shortened.

Another change to this event was the removal of the shock obstacle.  Last year, toward the end of the event, there was a low crawl obstacle where you alternated crawling under barbed wire, and then under charged wires hanging down.  Last year, I caught one in the back of the head, and it felt like someone had taken a croquet mallet to the back of my head.

The Savage Race feels like an event in search of an identity.  I say that because while the Savage Race has it's own signature obstacles like the Colossus, it's a variation on the Tough Mudder Everest.  In fact, several of the obstacles this time around were variations on obstacles seen at other events, such as the Spartan Races or the Tough Mudder.  Don't get me wrong...there were a number of obstacles unique to the Savage Race, and I fully understand that there are limitations on the obstacles based on things like terrain, available materials, etc.  I do think that the first step in the right direction for the Savage Race was to get rid of the shock obstacles.  Seriously...when I saw that email come out, I was relieved.  When I started running events in Oct, 2011, I didn't get shocked at all...and when I got my first shock, I was like, "Okay."  But by the second or third time I took a shock to the back of the head and woke up on the ground, I'd had enough.  I was very happy when the Tough Mudder established the Legionnaire's Loop in 2014, and allowed Legionnaires to bypass the ElectroShock Therapy obstacle.

I really think that are some great opportunities for OCR events to continue developing their own "flavor".  One event that I really felt was a departure from the "norm" was The Big Hooyah.  While I didn't run this even this year, I plan to try to get it in in the future, along with other events like the BattleFrog.

Overall, I really liked the Savage Race...the venue was easy to get to, parking was easy to get into and out of (even with the rain).  The main area was pretty populated, and the course was well planned and laid out.  There really weren't any concerns with backups at obstacles.  There were plenty of places were folks tried an obstacle, and if they didn't make it, moved on.  All obstacles allowed folks who really felt that they couldn't do it to bypass and go around, which really worked to keep things moving.  I would definitely do this event again next year.

One final note is something I really liked about the course layout this year.  Last year, in the warm of the summer, the final obstacle of the course included crawling through the mud, and when you got done, the shower facilities were...well...pretty lackluster.  This year, the course finished up with the Colossus (which is perhaps the signature Savage Race obstacle), and then jumping over fire.  What this meant was that after all the mud, you finished up with a pretty good (and forcible) rinse off.  I really think that made all the difference this time around.

GoRuck
I recently ordered and received a GoRuck GR1 pack (right).  At the moment, I'm not looking to do a GoRuck event...what I'm going to use this for is for training, particularly over the winter, by adding weight to some runs.  This will be part of my winter training, which will also include a lot of other things to bump up my ability to do the longer events next year, and beyond.

VA Super Spartan

I took part in the VA Super Spartan event yesterday...and all I have to say at this point is...wow.  You guys really redeemed yourself from last year.

I've run this one before.  This was my third Super, the second one at the Wintergreen ski resort venue.  In fact, including the very first event that I ran, the VA Tough Mudder in Oct, 2011, this was the third time I'd been at this resort for a non-ski-related event.

This year's course was reportedly 7.5 miles, and there was a great deal of terrain that we covered that was the same ground that we covered last year.  However, there were some pretty significant differences in the course that truly made this event a signature Spartan event.

The day started out like any late summer day with cooler temps rolling in on Afton Mountain...shrouded in fog.  The fog was so dense that when I got through registration and the bag check to enter the venue, no could see the bag check tent...it was white, and only about 30 yards away, but no one could see it.  The men's elite wave was supposed to head out at 7:15am, followed 15 min later by the women's elite wave.  However, the fog delayed the start times, and the men didn't head out until 8am.

The fog, the rain that we got, and the cooler temperatures over last year's event made a difference.  On the one hand, there wasn't as much of a risk of sun stroke, but the wet did make many of the obstacles more challenging.  For example, the monkey bars this year were not just a set up from some school play ground...this year, the bars had a bit larger diameter, and were staggered with respect to height and distance between them.  Add in the water on the bars, and there were a number of big tough guys doing burpees.

This time around, the organizers did a much better job with the obstacles.  When you enter the venue, the first thing you see is a sign post with a map of the course and the obstacles...many of which were marked "Classified".  This got the first-time participants that I talked to a little excited.  I was more concerned with, "where is the Death March on the course" and "how many water stops do they have?"  There were a number of obstacles that took advantage of the hills, requiring everyone to not only traverse those hills, but to do so under load.  The sandbag carry included walls that you had to go over.  There was also the log carry (in the same place on the course as last year), the tractor pull, and the bucket carry.  This is where you fill a bucket with small rocks, carry it up a hill and back down again.  It sounds easy, I know...but it's anything but.  I looked for pictures of this event on the web this morning, and one thing I noticed was that in some of them, the buckets have handles.  We didn't.  A number of folks would put their buckets down for a rest, and the bucket would spill the little rocks.

There were a number of climbs and traverse-type obstacles, there was the Spartan-signature spear throw.  They included an Atlas-stone carry this year...pick up a big, round stone, carry it across a line about 8 - 10 yards away, put it down, do 5 burpees (which is harder than you think), pick up the stone and carry it back.  The tire drag was uphill this time...on the DC Spartan Sprint, it was over level ground.  To make this one a bit more fun, the obstacle location was just a bush-hogged space on the slope, so while you did get to give your legs a bit of a rest, the tire might get stuck on some of the stumps.

There was also a difference in this event from the DC Spartan Sprint...at each obstacle, there was more of a tendency for the participants to actually do their burpees if they missed an obstacle.  I don't know if it was because there were fewer competitors at each obstacle (no place to hide)...the terrain has a natural tendency to spread the field, as it were.  I was in an early wave, so that may have made a difference, I don't know.  All I can say is that when I got to obstacles and found that folks had missed it (spear throw, etc.), it seemed as though they were more likely to head over to the burpee pit and knock them out.  All of them.

The venue this year was just as well-laid out as last year.  Everything was well organized, down to the wash racks.  The only issue was the weather...by the time I finished up around 12:30pm, there was still fog on the mountain, and it was kind of hard to see things.

My final comment has to do with the drink tag on the race numbers.  We pulled the drink tags off of our bibs, and I put mine in my bag.  One of the tags had the word "alcohol" on it, and when I asked one of the volunteers where the beer tent/garden was, I was told that they couldn't serve alcohol, "...in the state of VA".  However, there was a booth where you could purchase a beer.  At the 2011 Tough Mudder, they had beer at the end of the event.  Regardless, it was an awesome event, and I greatly appreciate all of the work that went into putting it together, from getting permits to the resort folks coming in to support the event, to the volunteers who worked it.  Thanks also to my fellow participants!

DC Spartan Sprint

We ran the DC Spartan Sprint on Saturday, and my wife said afterward that without a doubt, it was tougher than the two Tough Mudders she's run.

This event was held at Wicomico Motorsports Park, near Bud's Creek, MD.  It wasn't hard to get to...we went down the night before and stayed with friends.  They'd set up a huge parking area, which was easy to get in and out of, and buses took everyone on a short ride to the event area.  The buses pulled up right in front of one of the obstacles later in the course, which has a tendency to get everyone excited.  As you get off of the buses, you can hear the bass from the music at the venue, and as you round the corner to the venue, you could see the kid's event course, so the kids in our group got really excited.  To get everyone really pumped up, there were things to practice on (a traverse wall, tire flip, etc.) and you could see a steady stream of adult participants climbing over the cargo net, completely covered in mud.  All of this served to create anticipation, with parents looking at the muddy mass and thinking, "Oh, no...", and the kids saying out loud, "I want to do that!"

We started off the day by watching and cheering the kids in our group as they ran the kid's course.  This was a shorter version of what the adults would be doing later, and the proctor took the kids through warm-up exercises, go them pumped up, and then led them through the course.  Not all of the kids were of the same ability, with some running the entire way, and others walking for a good part.  What I thought was great was that even at a young age, some of the kids were all about helping a fellow Spartan who was having trouble, and there were even a couple of groups of kids that made sure that they did everything together.  It was great to see kids at that age who had seemed to have learned those lessons already.  I think it's great that Spartan Race and other events like BattleFrog are offering events for kids; it's one thing for the kids to develop a sense of fitness by watching their parents, but it's another thing entirely for them to have their own events, goals, and achievements to strive (and struggle) for.

The day started out cloudy with intermittent breezes, and we kicked off our run with the 11am wave.  Shortly after getting started, we got some light rain...not enough to clean the dirt off but just enough to cool things off slightly.  Later after we came out of the woods, the sun had come out and it was a bit warmer, but not overpoweringly so.

The course was tough.  Yes, it was billed at 4 1/2 miles, but I'm thinking it was just a bit longer than that.  I only mention that because it wasn't a 5K, and on the bus ride back to the parking area, the guy sitting in the seat in front of my told his girlfriend that if he'd known it was close to 5 miles, he would've trained for 7.  I wanted to say, "You should've trained for 7, and crushed 5."  The course had plenty of wooded trail running and there were obstacles early on that just sapped most folks.  For me, having those obstacles early in the event is great, with the exception that a lot of participants stop in the middle of the course right after the obstacle.  Whenever I wanted to watch out for someone in my group, I'd pull off to the side and get out of people's path.  You're going to have your tortoises, and you're going to have your hares...and you can bet that you'll see the hares again later!

I will say that in a lot of ways, many of the obstacles were some of the toughest I'd seen in these events.  But again, keep in mind that each event has it's own flavor, so in many ways, you're not going to have an apples-to-apples comparison. The Spartan Sprint had a number of obstacles that will sap you...crawling through mud the consistency of peanut butter, climbing, a heavy tire drag (drag the tire the length of the rope that it's connected to, then go back to the beginning, sit down and pull it back).  Most of the pushing on the course involved pushing yourself over a wall, or helping the person in front of you up a mud wall. There was also the pulling involved in turning around once you got to the top of a mud wall and helping someone up.  I did pretty well on most of the obstacles...the walls, the rope climb, etc...are all things I'd done during my college days and initial military training.  The ones I had trouble on (by "trouble", I mean burpees...) were the sandbag lift and the traverse wall.  This time around, the traverse wall was so muddy that I just couldn't get any purchase on the blocks...and a lot of the folks all around me were using the top of the obstacle, which they weren't supposed to be doing.  I did my 30 burpees and moved on.

The evening before the event, we'd spent time with some friends who were also running the event, and there was a mud run magazine that they'd picked up from another event.  One of the articles was all about how to do the spear throw.  At this point, I've done two Super Spartan events and hadn't mastered this one...this time around, it was different.  Not only did I hit the target squarely, but the spear went deep enough to be sticking straight out of the hay bale.  One less soldier for King Xerxes.

Overall Impressions
Parking - Parking was well organized.  Very much like the Tough Mudder event run out of Gerrardstown, WV, you park in a large, dry field, and take a short bus ride to the venue.  We didn't have to wait for a bus at all, going or coming.

Venue - Well-laid out, and the courses (adults and kids) were designed so that they wound back and forth in a way that allowed the spectators to see a lot of what was going on.  This is important for the participants that bring kids for the kid's events; if you're going to make a day of it like that, you want to the kids to be able to see mom and dad.

Obstacles -  Tough.  Challenging.  Well worth it.  Like they say, "if it were easy, everyone would be doing it."  If you're looking for a physical and mental challenge, this event was one that would fit the bill.

Pros - This was a tough event, and a tough course.  At the concrete block drag, they had a guy monitoring the obstacle that must have been a former drill instructor...the guy was tough, but fair.  A lot of the stuff he said was really motivating.  There was a lot of running, but almost all of just-running was in the woods.  Some of the obstacles were in the woods, which while it wasn't the greatest for the spectators, it was a bit cooler when you were really burning calories.

Cons - There really weren't a lot of cons for this event.  They could have included more shaded areas, for the spectators and the kids.

Final Thoughts
In the words of one of my SPCs from TBS, "...just two things, gents."  First, if you're out to do one of these events as an elite runner, go in the first, or one of the first waves.  These events attract all sorts of athletes, at different levels.  Some folks are fit, but not specifically for these events.  Others have struggled to loose a lot of weight to get to the point where they could do...nor "run", just _do_...one of these events.  One the sandbag carry, there were only two routes back up the hill, and both were muddy and slick.  You can get upset about the person in front of you going slower than you'd like, or you could keep your mouth shut and be patient.  Or you could help them.  I think that one of the biggest challenges of these events isn't so much the physicality, as it is the mental part.  When dragging the concrete block on a chain, or crawling through mud, are you going to only be concerned about yourself, narrowing your vision and shutting yourself off to everyone else, or are you going to be cognizant of what's going on around you?   You're going to have the people who cheat on obstacles, don't do the burpees, etc.  But you know what?  You're there for one reason, and you have to decide what that reason is, and don't let what anyone else does or doesn't do deter you from that path.

Second, magazines...the OCR events are getting to the point where there are magazines available for the sport.  They all have pictures of ripped, elite athletes on their covers, and they have "how-to" articles that cover a gamut of topics...how to throw the spear, how to prepare, etc.  Watch out folks, these magazines are going to be just like the muscle magazines, where one month you'll have an article about the "ultimate" exercise, and the next month that same exercise will be a "never do".  Events are different, goals are different, people are different.  My hope is that there's more inspirational stuff in future editions of these magazines...sure, show me an elite athlete and their training program, something that I could never attain...but for each one of those, tell me about three truly inspirational people, like Amanda Sullivan or Todd Love.  Tell me the story of a mother who survived cancer, or the guy who lost 200 lbs just to get to the point of doing (again, not "running") one of these events.   Don't tell me about the person who has the time and lifestyle that lets them train to an elite level...tell me about the person who overcame such adversity that would have knocked most of us out of the fight, just to get the point of joining me at the starting line to begin yet another struggle.

Next up...VA Super Spartan.

Charities, Events, and Conditioning

Charities
One of the questions I hear time and again when it comes to running the Tough Mudder is, "how much of my registration fee goes to the Wounded Warrior Project?"  I wanted to take a look at this question in order to clear up what might be some of my own misconceptions.

To find an answer to that question, I went to Google, and in fairly short order found this discussion at the Mudder Nation web site (a link to this discussion is used as a citation on the Tough Mudder Wikipedia page).  Now, this is just a representative response, but many of the other responses I found (via Facebook and other sites) all indicate the same thing...none of your registration fee goes to directly to the WWP.

So, I think that the end result of my "investigation" is that while the Tough Mudder organization supports the Wounded Warrior Project, they appear to do so by donating to the charity as a company.  Also, when you register for an event, you're provided a link to a donation page that you can share via social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or whatever else you use) and that money goes to the Wounded Warrior Project.  I've done this for each of the Tough Mudder's I've run (5, as of this past June), and in two instances was able to raise over $600.  In fact, in one case, the first person to donate was one of my college roommates (we hadn't seen each other since 1991...we'd graduated in 1989) who was deployed in Iraq.

This Charity Investigator article regarding the Wounded Warrior Project should give you an idea of the charity itself, and how much of the money that they raise goes toward supporting our wounded heroes.  To be fair, I also found this Dec, 2013 Veteran's Today article that refers to the WWP as a "legal scam".  You'll notice that the two referenced articles are only about 5 months apart.

Spartan Race doesn't support a specific charity that I've been able to find, but (apparently as of this year) has added the ability for participants to set up their own fundraiser.  While I've seen the Operation Enduring Warrior team at the Spartan Race several times now, I haven't yet found anything that states definitively that the Spartan Race supports a particular charity.  The Spartan Race Wikipedia page states that in 2011, Spartan Race Inc "partnered with" Homes for Our Troops; however, I do not take such entries as "definitive" or completely credible, particularly when they're rife with misspellings.

Event Comparison
I've blogged about my view of how different OCR events differ, and I recently ran across Dylan's views of the differences between the Spartan Race and the Tough Mudder event that he ran.

Conditioning
I've blogged before about different conditioning routines I've used.  One of my favorites, particularly during the winter, is Pyramid workouts.  Last week, I did a Pyramid workout using burpees (x3), sprinter sit-ups (2 ct), and pullups (x1).  I repeated the top set, for a total of 330 burpees and 110 pullups.  Also, on the downside, I started doing sets of 10 sit-ups, rather than doing x1 at each level.  Yesterday's workout was another Pyramid, this one with pullups (x1), pushups (x3), lunges (x3), and sprinter situps, again just doing a set of 10 at each level.  I repeated the top set, which means I did a total of 20 sets, with 110 pullups, etc.

I came up with a variation I'm going to try...instead of starting at 1 rep, and working up to 10 reps and then coming back down, I'm going to start at 3 reps, and work up to 11 reps.  Begin something of a nerd, I wrote a small computer program to quickly show me what the variations in starting reps looks like.  For example, if I start at 1 rep and work up to 10, and come back down without repeating the top (10) set, I get a total of 100 repetitions of each exercise.  However, if I start at 3 reps and work up to 11 reps, I do fewer sets, but my reps go up to 115.  If I repeat the top set, then that puts me at 126 reps...yes, it's an odd number, but you know what...it's more than before and that's all that really matters.

Now, do you have to go so high in reps?  No, not at all.  If you're new to this sort of thing, start easy...start at 1 rep, work up to 5 reps, and return to 1 rep...for a total of 25 reps.  Repeat the top set, and you get 30.  Vary this by doing pullups x 1, pushups x 2, etc.

Something else I run into now and again is travel, and having neither time, space, nor equipment (pullup bar) will resort to different ways to work out.  Some call this sort of conditioning "prison workouts" or "convict conditioning" and I'm sure if you search around, you'll find different philosophies and workouts, and sometimes all you really need is some different workouts to try.

For some input and variation to these types of workouts, I recently ran across David Mace's blog, Maximum Potential Calisthenics.  He's got some great insight.  I've done circuit workouts (pushups w/ feet elevated, pullups under a desk, situps + flutter kicks, lunges), working up to 6 or 7 rounds, depending upon how much time and energy I have, and that works well for me.  However, now and again, it's good to have variations.  For example, let's say that based on time and other factors, I spend two evenings doing the circuit workout I described, but by the third day, I really need to do something different, and I can't get out to run.  Having variations keeps your mind interested, and keeps you from getting stuck and physical rut, as well.

There are other great sites out there, as well...for example, check out Muddy Melissa's blog.  She even includes recipes!

Speaking of recipes...something I ran across recently that I really enjoy is a healthy way to enjoy chocolate pudding (I'm a bit lactose intolerant).  Take one cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, and sweetener to taste.  I use two packets of Equal, but you can use whatever you prefer.  Mix it all up...be careful when you get started, though, because if you're too enthusiastic, the cocoa will go everywhere!  Mix thoroughly, and enjoy.  Lots of protein, anti-oxidants, and great taste!

Virginia Tough Mudder, 14 June

This past Saturday was the Tough Mudder Virginia 2014 event.  This was my fifth Tough Mudder event...nothing compared to the folks who travel around the country running that many...or more...each year.  However, for me, that's pretty good, particularly the other hobbies my wife and I engage in and enjoy on the weekends.  What was cool about this event was that it was my...and my wife's...first as a Mudder Legionnaire!  This is my wife's second event, following the Mid-Atlantic TM last fall, which was where our daughter decided that she wanted to run one, too.  And, this was the first Tough Mudder for our daughter and several of her friends who opted to run the event.

Location
The location...the Meadow Event Park, next to Kings Dominion...was easy to get to, as well as get in and out of.  Parking was plentiful, and dry, particularly given the amount of rain the area had experienced the day (and the week) before the event.  Parking was organized, and it was an easy walk to get to the event venue.  We could feel the excitement building as we walked to check-in...not only did was pass some obstacles on our way to the venue, but we crossed paths with some participants in earlier waves.

The main venue was well-laid out, once you got through the registration area.  The line for spectators was ridiculously long, and required a good deal of coordination to keep groups of participants in touch with their spectator crew.  Once we were in and together, no one had any trouble finding restroom facilities, the bag drop, the Mudder Legion booth...everything was well-marked and visible.

After the event, there was plenty of seating, and the only shortcoming was the switch over in the water trucks at the rinse stations...hundreds of people left standing in the mud, but hey, it's a mud run event and everyone was in pretty good humor.  While we were waiting, folks were munching on goodies and chatting about the course.

Course
The course itself was well laid-out, wide, and well marked.  There was a good deal of running over flat, open ground...for some, that's pretty boring.  The course wound back and forth, so that as you were running, you'd either see folks who were ahead of you, or those who were coming behind you.

I think that overall, the course proved to be a challenge for the first-time Mudders in our group, challenges that some of them met and overcame, but in the end, everyone had fun, and had a great feeling of accomplishment.

I have pretty mixed feelings about the obstacles.  Many were really good and challenging...not everyone was completing them, so you got a great sense of accomplishment if you finished one, like the Funky Monkey.  There were plenty of opportunities to help your fellow Mudder, as on the King of the Mountain and the Blades of Glory.

However, there was one obstacle that was half of the Boa Constrictor, called "Prairie Dog".  You slide down a tube into water...and then just...get up.  What?  Sometimes I wonder...is it better to have half an obstacle versus none at all?

Of course, there were some of the Tough Mudder signature obstacles, like the Arctic Enema, Funky Monkey, Walk The Plank, and Berlin Walls.  There was some new ones that were pretty cool...Balls To The Wall, for example.  Other epic Tough Mudder signature obstacles, such as Mt Everest, were noticeably absent.  On many of the Tough Mudder events that I've run, the course terrain has had a nature thinning effect, dispersing the runners.  I'm guessing that with the expanses of flat terrain on this event, that effect did not have as significant a role, which led to backups and delays at several of the obstacles.

Legionnaire's Loop
Those of us who were part of the Mudder Legion separated from the n00bs in our group for the Legionnaire's Loop, and the first obstacle we ran into was a low crawl under barbed wire followed by about 15 or so feet of crawling under the dangling charged wires?  Really?  Not only was this not original, but the last thing I wanted to do was catch one of those wires in the eye...pass.  Then there was a crawl up a tube...agian, really?  I've already done the Boa Constrictor at several events, so this was nothing...particularly because there was a rope laid out in the tube.  There was a bit of a back up at this obstacle, so we ended up standing around some more.  Honestly, replace both of those obstacles with Just the Tip...

Next, there was some running in the woods, which was great...it wasn't overly hot on the course, but it was nice to run in the woods nonetheless.  And then we hit the mud...one of our team members saw me sink into it up to my chest, and yelled out, "It's a trap!"  My "thank you, Admiral Akbar!" fell on deaf ears, particularly because he was now in the mud himself, letting loose with a torrent of expletives.  As I didn't fall into the water on any of the subsequent obstacles, I was still covered with mud by the time we crossed the finish line (all of us together).  When I look at the pictures after the event, it reminds me of how much time I spent at the rinse station!

The final obstacle on the Legionnaire's Loop...Hangin' Tough...was pretty awesome...there were three lanes under a frame, and each lane had three suspended rings, then a yellow nylon rope hanging down (with a knot at the end), and then some more rings.  The idea was to swing across, grabbing each suspended object in succession.  This was a challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed, and would love doing again.

Overall Impression
This Tough Mudder course was much better than some I've done (Frederick in Sept, 2012), but having to wait in long lines for multiple obstacles (Funky Monkey, Walk the Plank, Berlin Walls) really took away from the event as a whole.  Some of the long expanses of running over open ground would've been great places to put a physically challenging obstacle...following Tough Mudder on Facebook is such a tease, because you see some great obstacles on courses, and then don't see them at the event you're running.

Some of my co-workers in the EU were running Tough Mudder Scotland on Saturday, as well (here's a blogpost from someone who ran that event).  One of them sent me the link to the course map the Friday prior to the event, and I immediately noticed some differences...one of which was that the folks in Scotland still have the Electric Eel on their course!  I really see no need for the shock-type obstacles, particularly when there are other Tough Mudder signature obstacles (Mt Everest) and so many new ones.

What's Next?
I've already registered for the Tough Mudder Seattle, and between now and then I'll be doing the DC Spartan Sprint with my wife, and then the Virginia Super Spartan, which is being held in Nelly's Ford, VA, for the second consecutive year.  Training starts on Monday, 16 June!

Gettin' Back Into It...

I was recently traveling for about two weeks, and didn't have the opportunity to work out...also, I wanted to

use the time to let my body recover a bit, and this trip seemed like a good interlude.  Before I left, I wrote some notes to myself about things that I wanted to pick up with my training when I got back...things like adding burpees back into my workouts more regularly, doing more sprint work while running, such as hill repeats, fartleks, etc.  Some of this stuff I'd done 30 years ago in high school, and it worked then...so, employed judiciously, there's no reason why it shouldn't work now, right?

Once I got back, I started getting back into the swing of things.  

So, I did my first Pyramid of Pain workout since returning...the exercises for this pyramid were:

Burpees x 3

Pull ups  x 1

Sit up     x 1

The sit ups aren't just straight sit ups...they're a sprinter sit up, but with my hands up closer to my head.    I do not lace my fingers behind my head because I don't want to start pulling my head forward.  Also, after I had finished my sit ups at each level, I'd do two V-sits.  When I finish pyramid work outs, I will do rounds of push ups, pull ups, and sit ups...this time, there was only one additional round.  There will be more in upcoming work outs.  

For this pyramid work out, I repeated level 10, so the totals were:

330 burpees

110 pull ups

110 sit ups

I'm doing more burpees for a couple of reasons.  One, they're a great exercise, and you can do them anywhere.  I like (well, like may not be the right word) to not only do them before or during a gym workout, but they're great to do while I'm out running...I can stop and do 10, 15, or more burpees, and then go on.   Two, I'm signed up for the DC Spartan Sprint as well as the VA Super Spartan, and I usually end up doing burpees on the spear toss.  Also, I tend to run these events with someone, and will do burpees with them if they miss an obstacle.

I'm also adding more chin ups to my work out, because they simulate the grip used on a rope climb much

better than a pull up.  I'm still doing pull ups, weighted (40 lb work out vest, or hold a 25 lb dumbell between my feet) and unweighted, too...all of this also helps develop my grip.  In addition, doing pull ups with my hands at shoulder width simulates the grip used for the Tough Mudder's Funky Monkey, as well as the Savage Race's monkey bars...that saw-tooth in the middle adds a level of difficulty that catches a lot of people.

Last night, after work I went for a run...and tried to work in some fartleks.  I could still feel some tightness in my calves from my burpees, but I warmed up a bit before I got started.  The air was a bit warmer than it has been in a while, and I found myself breathing a bit easier.  I had purposely intended to wait until it got warmer in the morning, but by the time I got out from under what I was working on, it was around the time kids got home from school.  I felt really good on the run, and spend most of it in the grassy areas, making sure to run on uneven surfaces.  Yes, of course it was much easier to run on the sidewalk or road, but I'm not looking for easier.  I was also sure to do hill work...running up and down and back up even some short, albeit steep, hills.  The reason for this is that a LOT of the these events include some hill work and on the last Tough Mudder, we saw a lot of people falling by the wayside due to overuse strains in their calves and the backs of their legs.

Overall, great run.  

Upcoming Events

Here are some upcoming events in or near the area where I live...I'm not planning to do all of them, I just wanted to put the list out.  I've registered (as of 23 Mar 2014) for the events with the * by them.

*Torch Run 10K/21K - 6 April, Lexington, VA (benefits the Special Olympics)

Mud Dog Run 5K - 26 April, Frederick, MD

Rugged Maniac 5K - 3 May, Petersburg, VA

*VA Tough Mudder - 14 June, Doswell, VA

*DC Spartan Sprint - 26 July, Wicomico Motorsports Park, Charlotte Hall, MD

*Spartan Race (Super) - 23 August, Nellie's Ford, VA

The Big Hooyah - 13 Sept, Richmond, VA

Spartan Race (Beast) - 25 October, South Carolina

BattleFrog - I recently read about this one, and it appears that they're holding a DC event 19 & 20 July, in Hedgesville, WV.

Winter Training

Source: Men's Fitness

Training in the winter can be tough, due to inclement weather.  In recent weeks, it's been very hard to get out and run, simply due to the accumulation of snow.  One can dress for the temperature, sure...where it gets really dangerous is simply being out.  The snow has to go somewhere, and often where the plow guys put the snow, safe running areas are covered.  Then, during the day, direct sunlight melts some of the snow, which refreezes when the sun goes down, making even cleared areas a hazard.  Add that to the number of people who do not clear accumulated snow and ice off of their vehicles before driving, and don't turn their lights on during times of low light...not to mention texting while they're driving...and I am simply not going outside for a run.

So what do you do?  There's actually quite a lot that you can do.  Here's a great workout I started doing at the beginning of the year...the Pyramid of Pain.  I started doing this workout with three exercises...pullups, pushups, and body weight squats.  I made sure that with the squats, I sat deeply into the squat, with my butt touching the backs of my calves, and I made sure to push through my heals, to the point of raising my toes during the exercise.  The exercise multipliers were: pullups x 1, pushups and squats x 3.  Based on how the pyramid works, when you've completed it, you'll have done 100 pullups, and 300 each of the pushups and squats.

The key to my training this year is variation, so I kept mixing it up.  I only do this  pyramid-type workout once a week, at most.  I usually start with a set or two of light warm up exercises, work straight through the pyramid, and then finish up with whatever I have energy and time for, which can vary.  Toward the end of January, I added sprinter situps to the mix...see the image above.  I make this a two-count exercise...one for each side.  Rather than doing a bunch of abs at the beginning and end of my workout, I added this exercise to do it throughout, with the multiplier of x 1.

Source: Women's Health Mag

This past week, I switched it up again.  Instead of body weight squats, I did lunges, which is a two-count exercise (see the image to the left). So the multipliers were pullups x 1, pushups x 3, lunges x 3, and situps x 1.  To add a just a bit to the pyramid, I repeated the "top" set, so in the end, I'd completed 110 pullups and situps, and 330 pushups and lunges.  Last year, I did sets of lunges starting at 200, and then going up to 300...and they took a lot out of me.  The same is true, even with this rotation.

One thing I did find was that doing the lunges takes a bit longer than doing b/w squats, so your muscles get a bit of a rest.  To compensate for this, I do the lunges as fast as I can while maintaining good form.  Overall, this is a very tough workout.

For those who don't have the time or fitness level, or don't want to do the entire pyramid, a great variation is to go up to level 5 and back down.  That would give you 25 of each exercise with a multiplier of 1.  If you're just getting started, try doing pushups x 1, and 1 pullup, at each level; that would give you 25 pushups and 9 pullups.  As you progress, do the pyramid again.

With a little imagination and strict adherence to form, it's not hard to get a good workout at home or in a small space, when you're not able to get outside, or when doing so simply isn't safe.

Getting Ready

I know, I haven't blogged in a while...it's the winter season and there aren't a lot of opportunities for mud or obstacle runs when it's below freezing at night.

What I have done for the new year is make a concerted effort to modify my training; rather than the same cycle I was doing over and over...run, lift, run, lift...I wanted to mix it up and try some new things.  Actually, I started early...I started in with this new stuff on 30 Dec.  ;-)

I'm tracking some...albeit not all...workouts on 4x6 note cards, not just to keep track but to also keep a record and see how much I can improve.  When I do weight-lifting (including cycles of pullups and pushups with a 40lb weight vest), I don't usually record those workouts.

The first workout, on 30 Dec, was cycling through three exercises...burpees, pullups, and V-sits.  Totals, spread across 6 sets (started with 30 burpees as a warm-up on set 0):

Burpees: 235
Pullups: 70
V-sits: 215

On 3 Jan, I did another cycle workout, this one with burpees, pullups, 2-ct situps and 4-ct flutter kicks.  Totals:

Burpees: 305
Pullups: 86
Situps: 115
flutter kicks: 280

Since then, I've done what I refer to as Champe hill repeats; there's a high school in my neighborhood with a hill in front of it, and running to the top and back down to the corner is probably close to 1/2 mile.  What I'll do is start with a 2+ mile run in the neighborhood to warm up, and then do hill repeats...but I'll run some of the legs carrying an old tire that I found.  On 13 Jan, I did a 6x hill repeat run, carrying a tire on legs 1, 3, 4, and 6.  On 15 Jan, I did a 5x hill repeat run, carrying a tire on legs 1, 3, and 5.

Today, I did another cycle workout, one I called a "modified Murph".  The "Murph" is a WOD named for Navy SEAL Lt Michael Murphy, and here's an excellent rendition of the story behind the man.  The WOD consists of run 1 mile, then do 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and then run 1 mile.  I did a modified version of the WOD, as I didn't have time to get out today before it got dark...so my version was:

150 V-sits
106 pullups
310 pushups
390 body weight squats
180 flutter kicks

So...nothing to do but keep going.  Mud on!

Mid-Atlantic Fall Tough Mudder

This weekend's Mid-Atlantic Fall Tough Mudder was another great event!  The course was held at the Peacemaker National Training Center again, but the course was much different from the spring event.

The weather was due to be a bit warmer than the spring event, which was great.  It was a bit cloudy throughout the day, which was good...at one point along the route, many in our group noticed that there was a drop in the air temperature, which we found out later was a signal of the incoming rain from the west.  The course itself was great...a real challenge.  TMHQ took full advantage of the terrain to really get the participants to the point where everyone was challenged by what they might have thought was an easy obstacle.  The spring event had a lot more water to trudge through, where this time, we had actual mud.  Mucky mud.  Lots of it.

Many parts of this course followed parts of the path for the spring event, and some of the obstacles were different.  In other cases, such as some of the trail running, the followed the reverse of the spring route.  This time around, the course had a lot more hill climbs, which took a toll on your quads, and unfortunately for many who weren't as well prepared, there were a number of folks cramping up and even getting pulls.

Some of the "obstacles" were new...for example, there were a couple of "burn zones", where participants would stop and do exercises...pushups and lunges.  There was another burn zone later where participants would record the number of pushups that they did, and one penny for each pushup would go to the Wounded Warrior Project.  Another use of the terrain was a flat area where we did the wheelbarrow, which I thought was great, as was the warrior carry (carry your partner, then switch it up).

There were also some of the classic Tough Mudder obstacles...Mt. Everest, the Electric Eel, the Funky Monkey, the Boa Constrictor...as well as some "new" ones, like the Cage Crawl.  There was one named "Killa Gorilla" that ended up being nothing more than a path snaking up and down a hill, and then around again.  We saw a sign for the Cliffhanger, and thought we would be climbing up a muddy wall, maybe with a rope...and it was just a hill. There were a number of obstacles that had been shut down (the Pirate's Booty was one I was really looking forward to doing again...) or bypassed simply due to the course path.  I will say that without a doubt, the hills really tested your level of fitness and preparation.  However, some excellent opportunities were missed for including some of the obstacles that have been prominently displayed at other events.

TMHQ is getting much better about preparing folks for the upcoming event, but if I had to pick one thing that I didn't think went as well as it could have was the spectator's ability to follow and see the competitors.  The course map, which included the spectators routes, was available online a couple of days prior to the event, and when comparing it to the spring event, it was clear that the participants would be out of sight of the spectators (particularly those supporting them) for a considerable amount of time.  A couple of thoughts along those lines:

1.  The cost for spectators ($20 ahead of time, $40 the day of...) is kind of steep for what they actually have access to.  $15, cash or check, at the door would've been good enough, I think.  I do know that some of that goes to support the Wounded Warrior Project, but still...for what the spectators had access to, $20 was a little steep.

2.  Tough Mudder is missing a HUGE marketing opportunity!  We had some younger folks in our spectator's group who went from "I'll never do something like this..." to "THIS IS TOTALLY AWESOME!!"...engaging the spectators more is going to lead to a percentage of them signing up as participants.  We had four folks in our group participating, and six spectators.  One of the participants fully intends to run another event, and two of the spectators are talking about doing an event in the future.

Training
Finally, something of a side note, and I'm only sharing this because my nephew has expressed an interest in becoming a certified fitness trainer (and my sister has recently become one)...events such as the Tough Mudder, even the shorter events, offer a HUGE opportunity not only for the events, but for fitness trainers.  Develop a group class, and starting about six months out for one of the smaller events, begin getting folks in shape for the class.  Pick up others who may already be in better shape along the way...but the goal is to have everyone "graduate" by running the event as a group.  Picking a local event would be a great way to start, and could even be the initial stepping stone to a larger event like the Tough Mudder.