We Are The Tough Mudder Fluckers

So my crazy Tough Mudder race is tomorrow (Saturday). Our start time is 10:20 AM…please pray for me. I have mentioned this race before, and it seems like every time I turn around they make it worse (is that possible?!). What started out as some obstacles over a 7 mile (ski mountain) course is now 10 miles and twenty-eight obstacles. We have to go to registration first thing in the morning and sign a “death waiver.” Well, that’s what the race information packet says. I’m sure it’s just a waiver, but a lot of people are peeing their pants right now. As I think I have mentioned, I am racing as part of a team. Everyone does the entire course, but we plan to stick together and make sure each of us gets through each of the obstacles. Our ONLY goal is to beat my teammates’ daughter’s 20-something team…I think we are all at least 40-something. And we might be at a bit of a disadvantage. In a highly enthusiastic show of teammanship, some of the team members did a final “tough mudder” workout last Sunday. It involved running, wading through waist deep water in some really dark tunnel and…poison ivy…except at the time they didn’t know they were running through poison ivy. I AM SO GLAD I WASN’T THERE . What happened to “leaves of three, leave it be?!” I’m just worried that my team is going to be so distracted by scratching and/or applying ointment that the 10 mile race might stretch out into an all day affair.

So in the spirit of “leaves of three” here are my 3 least favorite sounding Tough Mudder Challenges:

1. Fire Walker: running through kerosene soaked straw with flames 4 feet high.

2. Funky Monkey: monkey bars where some are greased with butter…and if you fall, it’s into ice-cold water.

3. Electroshock therapy: This is the last challenge (probably so you are close to medics)…sprinting through a field of live wires with some carrying a 10,000 volt shock. What would that feel like? Is the fact that you are wet and muddy going to make it better or worse?

I was telling myself there is no way there is a 10,000 volt shock until I saw this on the website, with the caption, “it really is 10,000 volts”…that’s gotta hurt.

While I am sure some of the obstacles are going to freak me out, I am more worried about being wet & muddy ~ weather for Saturday up there calls for low 50’s at start time and a 40% chance of showers….beautiful! I hope I don’t get hypothermia. Despite all this, I am sure that somehow, in some perverse way, this will end up being a blast. Stepping outside your comfort zone, doing something different (maybe crazy, but definitely different) with a bunch of friends who are equally crazy. What better way to spend a Saturday?

Hope you all have a great weekend. If I don’t post on Monday you know I’m sipping something from a straw in the hospital. 🙂

About Lisa Van Dore

I have lived in Sherborn, Dover and most recently North Walpole, for a total of 15 years (and counting). Having recently been through the process of selling a home and buying (and renovating) a new one, I understand the conflicting emotions of excitement and anxiety inherent in the process, whether you are a seller or buyer, whether this is your first home purchase or your tenth. I have a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Indiana University. My early career found me working as a CPA, and later as the controller of Crate & Barrel. More recently I spent seven years running my own personal training business. I understand the hard work and dedication necessary to build a business and a reputation...most of my personal training clients came to me by referral and my first client was still with me when I decided to leave personal training. This speaks to the level of effort I put forth for my clients, week after week. On a more personal note, I raced triathlon for seven years and more recently completed my first half marathon. In my free time I enjoy cooking, reading, Maine, hiking and, in the fall, following college football...my teams are the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and Texas Christian University (Go Frogs!).

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9 Responses to We Are The Tough Mudder Fluckers

Donovan says:

August 26, 2011 at 9:06 PM

so what did the 10k volts feel like? I’m thinking of joining a team for the VT race in May, and that is the one obstacle that I am honestly worried about.

- Lisa Van Dore says:
  
  August 27, 2011 at 8:23 AM
  
  The 10,000 volts is nothing ~ I too was worried about it, but it was over-hyped. In VT the biggest challenge is going up and down the mountain more times than I could count. In May it is also still really cold ~ the cold water was truly the hardest challenge ~ took your breath away. But I think for 2012 they have scheduled the VT race for July, which should make it much easier.
  
Bruce Fraser says:

February 7, 2012 at 2:16 PM

I’m signed up for the TM in Scotland (I live in Northumberland, England) in July 2012. Thanks for the info on the electric wires! Cheers, Bruce Fraser

- Lisa Van Dore says:
  
  February 7, 2012 at 5:19 PM
  
  You can’t believe how many hits I get from people doing a google search on “10,000 volt shock.” Have fun with it!
  
  - josh says:
    
    March 3, 2012 at 5:10 PM
    
    Hah, I just signed up for the Norcal Tough Mudder in September and found this post via … you guessed it … a Google search for 10,000 volt shock!
  - JC says:
    
    March 6, 2012 at 11:33 AM
    
    Haha! That’s how I came across your site. I’ve preregistered for Tough Mudder next year & the Shock Therapy makes me apprehensive.
  - Lisa Van Dore says:
    
    March 6, 2012 at 5:29 PM
    
    Shock therapy is really the least of your worries.
Lui Lu says:

April 20, 2012 at 2:07 PM

here I come …..zoooooooooom (ZAP) (ZAP) —- OUCH ..PLOP!!!
doing the TM Next Sunday 29th PA.

Brad says:

October 24, 2012 at 9:54 AM

Im doing the TM in Boston this May, and yes, I wound up here searching “what does 10,000V shock feel like” HA!!!