TOUGH MUDDER!!!

That is awesome!

 

Nerves are starting to kick in.

 

I'm as prepared as I'm gonna be. I could always have done more running/lifting/suffering, but I think I've got a decent enough base for it.

I'm slow but stubborn, and I'm hoping that's the right combination to make it through 24 hours. I've got just about all of my gear figured out and my food list is in place. Just have a little shopping to do this weekend and I should all set for this thing.

My only goal is to not get injured. If I'm awake, hydrated, and coherent, I'll keep moving. I'm planning a 15-30 minute break between laps to catch up on fluids and calories and to change socks so I'm not adding mud to mud in my shoes.

I've got gear for weather from 25 degrees up to 70, since this time of year in NJ can swing like that. It's snowing right now but this weekend will be in the 60s.

The list of stuff I'm bringing is impossibly long (even includes dental floss in case beef jerky gets stuck in my teeth!) but I'd rather have too much and not need some of it.

If nothing else it'll be an experience!

 

Thanks guys! I'm psyched/nervous/anxious/hungry. I really should have had a bigger lunch.

 

It's a long time to be cold and wet.

The NJ weather presents the biggest challenge this time of year. Yesterday I woke up to 9" of snow on the ground, but this weekend will be sunny and in the 60s. My gear bag is packed with everything imaginable to help get me through whatever temps are thrown at us. I figure it'll be in the 50s during the day and drop to the 20s at night. If I can keep moving when others are curled up shivering in their tents I may be able to do ok.

 

Thank you!!!

 

It beat my ass! I only made it through 2 laps before the cold and fatigue took over. Dumbass me didn't take in enough calories during my pit stop after lap 1 or enough fluids around the course and ended up bonking hard around mile 17. Dehydration did me no favors either.

After lap 2 I crawled into my tent to warm up and realized that I couldn't feel my toes. Literally, no feeling at all. It took 4 hours for feeling to come back for my right toes and 6 hours for my left. I took my socks off every hour to make sure things weren't changing colors.

I ate like a madman, drank as much as I could stomach, and shivered for the next 4 hours after my feet recovered.

Lap 1 went smooth as can be. Lap 2 was done with more neoprene and went well until mile 17 or so. My strength was draining fast and for the first time ever I struggled with Everest. Not good, but I managed to get up solo on my second try. A trip through mud pits in the woods followed, along with the Electric Eel, some Berlin Walls, and Island Hopping. After the walls I had a pounding headache which subsided after a 5 minute break. It came back stronger while I was on the 4th of the 5 floating islands and crippled me. I made it through that obstacle and got some water from one of the volunteers.

Feeling a bit better, I swam across the lake and made it up the cargo net by hooking my forearms through the ropes. My grip was shot. The cold of the Underwater Tunnels brought back the headache, but some hot chicken broth from the aid station immediately following this obstacle helped tremendously. Rope climb up, over, and down the next obstacle was sketchy as my forearms were shot.

The tire drag was cake as my legs were still strong. The Mud Mile was cold but bearable. The tall Berlin Walls followed, and I somehow made it over both again. It was mostly a roll over the top rather than a lift but it worked. Electroshock Therapy was a crawled under, and the run back to the start/finish/pit area was slow.

While that was the roughest part for me, the event as a whole was far from miserable. Lots of people helping each other out, many shared experiences as people suffered my same fate (some for the second year in a row), and some of the most impressive athletes I've ever seen. The winners (both male and female) did 9 laps each!

I really had a great time out there despite the suffering and cold. I attempted to sleep off the cold and woke up at 4:30am to assess whether another lap was feasible. Unfortunately, it was not. While difficult, I excused myself from the event at 5am. Attempting another lap would have resulted in either hypothermia or flat-out injury as I fell off something tall. I hated to do it but it was the right move.

Later in the day after a shower, hot meal, and a nap I still felt that it was the right move. The obstacles combined with the hours spent shivering completely drained me. How folks out there managed 7, 8, and 9 laps is completely beyond me.

I'll work on a solution for my feet and may give it another go next year with hydration pack in tow. I didn't achieve what I was shooting for, but I gave it my best so for once I'm ok with the DNF.