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No Quit In Here!

TOUGH MUDDER OATH
As a Tough Mudder, I pledge that:

I understand that tough mudder is not a race but a challenge.
I challenge all of you to strongly consider running with the Definition team. We will be hosting workouts to help get everyone ready so don’t think you will be doing this on your own. Even if you do not feel like you are ready to run with us I challenge you to try some of the workouts to see what the obstacles are like.

I put team work and camaraderie before my course time.
This challenge is not for time. Yes, as a competitive person myself this may be the hardest part of the oath but having done a TM before I understand this may be the truest part of the oath. Without your team there are some obstacles that you cannot complete, Berlin walls are hard to scale and you will have no one to carry for the wounded warrior carry. Also, running 10-12 miles alone isn’t exactly the most fun activity out there. The best part of this challenge may be the camaraderie you feel with the other runners – you realize very quickly you are all on the same team (and they are wondering what the heck they are running this for as well hehe).

I do not whine- kids whine.
Whining is one thing that will get you nowhere in life – and that holds true in the TM. It is hard, you will be exhausted, and seeing those electrical wires or ice water ahead makes you want to quit. Let me tell you though, you DO NOT want to waste energy whining! Go back to the first part of the oath

I help my fellow mudders complete the course.
Never leave your fellow mudders behind because you want to go faster than they are or because one of them got hurt. This not only goes for your personal teammates but everyone else running as well!

I overcome all fears.
It is not fun to run through fire, electrical wires, jump from a 2 story ledge into ice cold water, or scale 10-12 foot walls. Whatever your fear is trust me you will encounter and conquer it in this run and you will feel absolutely incredible after you do!

I am more than excited to start putting 100% into my training so come May 18th I will be ready to kick some Tough Mudder butt! Within the next 6 weeks I will be incorporating different types of training into my usual strength routine so that I have the strength to power through the 25 obstacles throughout the race. Also I will be upping my cardiovascular training so that the 10-12 miles will feel like nothing. After not putting my all into training for my last Tough Mudder I can assure you that I will not be caught off guard this year!

Ask your trainer about new workouts or come speak with me if you have any questions about the Tough Mudder! Let us know if you want to sign up and well get you on our team =) I hope you all get interested in challenging yourself!

This video gave me chills- check it out and get pumped!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=azQbiz2vm_Q

Posted by Megan

TOUGH MUDDER!

I completed this 12 mile, 24 obstacle race on December 1st and am now over the trauma and able to talk about it. Just kidding (kind of)- it was an unbelievable experience and an amazing accomplishment. When a few friends from college asked me to join their team I thought it was going to be great! I had never run 12 miles but figured that the obstacles would be spread out enough that I wouldn’t have to run more than half a mile at a time. Boy was I mistaken.

Walking to the starting line I felt butterflies in my stomach and was suddenly more nervous than I had ever been. To get to the actual starting line I had to climb an 8-foot wall, to prove that you are in for a tough ride even from the very beginning. Before the race we were stuck in a corral like situation like cattle waiting to be let free listening to some of the stories of people who had completed this race against all odds. A man in a wheelchair that completed EVERY obstacle thanks to his team mates, a cancer survivor whose husband was supposed to run in her honor had died a few months earlier in a car crash, and all of the wounded warriors who had run with prosthetic limbs and in honor of those that had fallen. In my wave I met a 74-year-old man and someone who was on his third run of the course THAT DAY.

The gun went off and the floodgates opened- I was not prepared for we were in for. I’ll just name some of the obstacles for you. Arctic enema (a tub of ice water you must submerge yourself in), electroshock therapy (electric wires hanging for the last 20 feet of the race), funky monkey (monkey bars over ice water), Everest (greased half pipe you must run up), and the list can go on and on. Having a team there for you is truly what helps you get through it, but honestly it felt like everyone running was on my team. Without the constant motivation from those around me I do not think I would have finished.

I cannot fully explain the feeling of crossing the finish line after almost 3 hours of 12 miles and 24 obstacles. As soon as I was done I saw my mom and broke down crying, I was physically tired and emotionally drained; but getting that orange headband and free beer was totally worth it!

Now I am extending out a challenge to you all – May 18, 2013 the Tough Mudder will be held here in Jacksonville – Melissa, John, and myself are putting a team together. I want everyone to seriously consider joining us- all levels welcome, trust me when I say that this is something you do not want to miss out on!

Check out the event at toughmudder.com and let us know! If you have any questions about the actual event and obstacles that I have not covered I will be happy to talk with all of you!