Weekend Update: Tough Mudder in the 'Lou.
The "Death Waiver": that's what they call it anyway. I like to refer to it as the "no urination or defecation" waiver. Both are items I initialed on the Tough Mudder waiver. No, I would not sue Tough Mudder in the event of death (pretty self-explanatory considering I'd be unable to anyway...) and no, I would not urinate or defecate on the course. I returned to St. Louis this past weekend to run the Tough Mudder with a good friend. The 11 and some change mile course in the middle of nowhere Missouri (about 95 miles outside St. Louis) came with 25 obstacles to challenge you physically and mentally. Afraid of heights? Take a deep breath, there's a few challenges above the ground. Claustrophobic? Don't worry. There's a couple tunnels to crawl through and a water pit with a cage above it you have to go through leaving you only a couple inches of air between water and cage. No upper body strength? Good luck with the log carry, the many walls to climb over, and the monkey bars. Hate mud? Quit. There's PLENTY OF IT. I don't know how long the link will be active for but to check out the 25 obstacles I dominated, here's the run down. My least favorite was a toss up among Arctic Enema (extremely cold and disorienting), Berlin Walls (the walls kicked my arse!) or Electroshock Therapy (the zap of voltage was about as unpleasant as it gets!). As for my favorite, I really enjoyed the Mud Miles and Funky Monkey because everyone was dropping like flies into the water on Funky Monkey and I managed to make it all the way across. I can't wait to see the photos!
Overall, it took D and I roughly 4 hours to complete and when we crossed the finish line, I was stoked to receive my Tough Mudder t-shirt, sweatband, and free beer. My only real complaint? The terrain. Very unsteady in places and I kept rolling my ankle. I heard by the end that someone even broke their ankle just running along the route. Thankful that didn't happen to me! Don't know that I have a burning passion to ever complete another one (seriously, being shocked like that is THE WORST) but I'm thankful for the experience and the opportunity to visit St. Louis. It was also my first experience with running a course that had no time clocks or mile markers. I never had a good grasp on how far along we were or how long we had been going. Tough Mudder's reason for the absence of both? It's not a race or a competition they claim. It's about teamwork. I see.
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Outside of the race, it was a wonderful weekend in the 'Lou. Catching up with several friends, a day visiting SLU and running into a few great students, and some delicious meals at Three Kings,Pi, and Square One. And of course, a reunion with the #OQ. Grilling out and spending quality time with Luke, Shruti, and Evie fed my soul. I don't know when life will next bring me back to St. Louis but I left with a full heart and only a few scrapes and bruises...
Cheers.
Overall, it took D and I roughly 4 hours to complete and when we crossed the finish line, I was stoked to receive my Tough Mudder t-shirt, sweatband, and free beer. My only real complaint? The terrain. Very unsteady in places and I kept rolling my ankle. I heard by the end that someone even broke their ankle just running along the route. Thankful that didn't happen to me! Don't know that I have a burning passion to ever complete another one (seriously, being shocked like that is THE WORST) but I'm thankful for the experience and the opportunity to visit St. Louis. It was also my first experience with running a course that had no time clocks or mile markers. I never had a good grasp on how far along we were or how long we had been going. Tough Mudder's reason for the absence of both? It's not a race or a competition they claim. It's about teamwork. I see.
Outside of the race, it was a wonderful weekend in the 'Lou. Catching up with several friends, a day visiting SLU and running into a few great students, and some delicious meals at Three Kings,Pi, and Square One. And of course, a reunion with the #OQ. Grilling out and spending quality time with Luke, Shruti, and Evie fed my soul. I don't know when life will next bring me back to St. Louis but I left with a full heart and only a few scrapes and bruises...
Cheers.
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