10 Days left...time for another update

I don't have much to update at this point.  I got a little off track recently with working out, which is kind of stupid since I'm so close to the event.  However yesterday I did my neighborhood run and finished by cutting 10 minutes off my previous time.  I am posting my runs here.  I really want to try my other route which is twice as long so I'll probably do it in the next 3-4 days.  Tough Mudder is all about endurance so these runs are good for me.


I lost one of my Injinji socks so I have to go buy another pair.  That's what happens when you only buy one pair of socks I guess.  Other than that, I am counting down the last 10 days until my event and my excitement is reaching a fever pitch.  The only two obstacles that I am concerned about at this point are Arctic Enema and Everest.  Everest for fear of not being able to scale the wall in front of everyone and Arctic Enema for fear of freezing my nuts off...literally have them crack off.


I will probably post the day before the event so that I can give you my final thoughts and then I will post a full report on the event itself.  Later.

Final Gear Purchases, Training, and Mudder Essentials

With almost one month to the date until my event, it's pretty hard to express just how excited I am.  Every single day I am watching Tough Mudder videos, going on their website, going to the Mudder Nation website, and overall just becoming completely absorbed by this whole experience.  This has been a long road full of great successes (I am down 10 pounds since January!) and predictable failures (my long absence during the holidays).  When it comes down to it, I am glad I signed up for this event and now that it is finally coming up I am mentally ready for the challenge it presents.  Physically?  I am almost there.


The good news is that I am up to week 3 of the second phase of P90X.  Only 1 more week and then I move onto the last phase.  I have supplemented a couple days of my weeks to include more cardio and this past Sunday Jason and I went to a local High School and ran for a couple miles.  Keep in mind that I haven't "gone for a run" since Junior High and it's quite important that I become conditioned to do so by the event.  I thought two miles was a good start and our plan is to go 2-3 times a week and increase our distance each time.  If we can get to running 5 miles without stopping than I believe we will be ready.


I have updated the blog with my final gear purchases on the left column so you can see what I will be using for the event.  The gloves were my final purchase as I took some Mudders advice and looked at the Mad Grips gloves.  Unfortunately, Amazon was out of stock so I went with a similar brand and they will be arriving on Thursday.  The Under Armour shirt and leggings are great and I know that I will be warm enough for the event.  My advice to anyone looking to buy some gear for event:

• You don't have to buy special clothing/gear for this event.  I did because I am taking this WAY too seriously.  There are many people who dress up in Speedos, Tutu's, etc.  
• Comfortable shoes are key.  My personal recommendation are Vibram Five Fingers because they have worked so well for me and many others.  With the Injinji Toe Socks they are very comfortable and strengthen your foot as you use them.
• Purchase gear that is weather-appropriate i.e. Don't buy Under Armour ColdGear leggings if you are running Tough Mudder during summer.  
• I feel that gloves will be important for protecting my hands on the various wooden obstacles like Berlin Walls and Log Jammin.  By no means are they necessary.

Once I have completed the event I will list my opinions of all my gear choices and how they worked out along with a full review of pretty much every aspect of my experience.  

Also, a lot of people always wonder what they need to bring to the event.  Here is what I am packing (Keep in mind I am spending Friday night at a local Motel 6.  I hope they leave the light on for me...)

• Basic Toiletries
• Gear for the event
• Directions to the event
• Photo ID for event registration
• Copy of registration confirmation email
• Change of clothes for post-event activities (Hoodie, jeans, skull cap...stay warm)
• Towel
• Trash bag to store muddy clothes and shoes
• Gatorade/Energy Bars (My friend Paige will be spectating so he will bring these on the course for us)

This is all I have for now.  Tough Mudder stresses that you bring a photo ID and your confirmation email to the event so that you can sign in.  I'm bringing all of my important documentation (ID, directions, hotel confirmation, etc.) in a folder to keep it organized.  Once again, I will post about the whole race-day procedures after I actually do the course so you can get a clear idea for how the event works.

That's it for now.  I am in my final training phase for the event which will mainly be focused on increasing my cardio endurance.  I will still have 2 days out of the week to focus on resistance training but at this point I don't think it's as important as being able to run for long distances.  I will post again soon as we get closer to the event but at this point it will be to update my training.  Later.

Locking in the final details...40 days left

Today's post is not really exciting in any way, other than the fact that I am less than 40 days out from Tough Mudder.  My friend Jason FINALLY registered for the event and my friend Paige will be joining us as a spectator.  This will be helpful because he will be able to bring a change a clothes for us without us having to check bags at the event, which I heard is very time-consuming due to the amount of people.


Yesterday I remembered that I still needed to book a hotel room for the night before the event. A lot of places in the area were booked up for obvious reasons, but I eventually booked a room at the luxurious Motel 6 where Tom Bodett will hopefully be running the course with us as well.    So now I have officially completed all planning aspects of the event.  The only things left to do are to continue my training and purchase the rest of my gear for the event.  I plan on buying the Injinji toe socks and gloves this weekend but I am still unsure about the Under Armor stuff. I just don't know what the weather will be like and I want to wait a little bit before committing to the cold or warm weather gear that UA provides.  The clothing is not very cheap.


I am finally getting back into a workout schedule this week after a couple weeks off.  From 2/18 thru 2/25 I was in Florida for my birthday and when I came back from the beautiful 80 degree weather to 20 degree shit in Detroit, I immediately got sick.  So I spent most of last week recovering and I started my second week phase 2 for P90X yesterday.  Scratch that, I picked up where I left off as I did the first day last Monday and then came down with a cold.  Plyo yesterday was pretty rewarding and I felt very energized to do the workout even though I didn't get much sleep the previous night.  I's really amazing to see the improvements you make as you continue through the program.  I really felt less winded through a lot of the moves and I wasn't completely wasted by the end of it.


Very soon I am going to start running outside in order to build up my endurance so I will be purchasing a heart monitor/step tracker for this so I can gauge my runs.  Hopefully P90X will provide enough strength training to get me through the upper body-based obstacles such as Funky Monkey and the Rope Climb, while the running will help with the...uhh...running..part of the course.


Today's workout is Back/Bi's which is tough as hell but is a killer arm workout.  I look forward to the coming weeks of training and preparation for the event.

Anticipation...Good workouts and CrossFit

I spent a lot of time today watching Tough Mudder videos;  both the official videos on their site and one's made by people who ran the damn thing.  My excitement is building along with the apprehension of knowing that my friend Jason has yet to sign up...bastard.  This poses a problem because Jason was the one who told me about the event in the first place, and now the Saturday date is 90% sold.  Damnit.


I also was reviewing different blogs from people who did Tough Mudder and I came across one that mentioned CrossFit as a training method.  I've never heard of it but I was intrigued by their horrific stories of sweat, vomit, and dramatic weight loss and muscle building.  Here's the link:


Crossfit

First off, let me say that I don't think this workout is for me.  I like P90X for how tough it is but I can still do the workouts from Day 1.  CrossFit is completely fucking crazy because they expect you to do 15 minutes of non-stop exercises, including olympic-style deadlifts, from Day 1.  I imagine that any CrossFit student that would hear me whine about the program, without trying it first, would call me some colorful names.  From what I've seen....well, I know my limits and CrossFit just may be beyond them.  A lot of people swear by the program and I may look into it further as I get into better shape, but for now I will stick with P90X.  Hell, I had a very hard time with Insanity so I can't push myself further into a program that looks 10 times HARDER.  Not yet.


After watching all those videos and learning about CrossFit, I was pretty amped up to do Core Synergistics today.  It's pretty fucking weird to admit that considering I hate Core Syn.  I had an awesome workout today!  I really tried to limit my breaks and push myself further than I had a couple days ago.  You know what?  I was topping my rep. goals and really crushing the workout.  I checked my weight and I am officially down 6 pounds as of today!!  


I only have one more day of my recovery week and then I start phase 2 of P90X which means I have to deal with the pure hell that is Chest, Shoulders, and Tri's.  That workout is a fucking monster!  My goal for the next phase is to do Ab Ripper after my resistance days since I skipped it during phase 1.  Also, I plan on purchasing the rest of my Mudder gear so that I can start my trail running.


I am getting close guys...only 63 days left until I am deep in the shit at Amherst Quarry.  6 pound weight loss is nice but for me it is just the beginning.  Tough Mudder awaits and I need to be in fighting shape. 


Tough mudder tough mudder tough mudder tough mudder...

65 Days and Counting...Gear Options and P90X Updates

65 fucking days and counting!!  


I am a little over 2 months left until my date with Tough Mudder and I am PUMPED!!  P90X has been going great for me...3 weeks in and I am down 5 lbs!  I am concentrating a lot on the more cardio-based workouts of the program like Plyometrics, Kenpo, and Cadrio X.  However, I am still following the classic program with the resistance days, except for Legs and Back because I hate that workout.  As of this writing I am on day 3 of my first recovery week so I get to do Kenpo again, which I absolutely love.  Yesterday I had to do Core Synergistics which I absolutely HATE, so the program tends to balance itself out that way.  Like I said in the last post, I won't be able to complete the program prior to Tough Mudder but I will be able to get far enough to see some major improvements in my physique and endurance.  


The left side of the blog displays the gear I am looking to use for the event.  The only gear that I have purchased so far are the Vibram shoes which are awesome!  I got them for Christmas and I use them for almost all of my workouts.  They're great for balance and doing cardio workouts like Plyo and Kenpo.  As we get closer to the event I plan on going running on trails with them to start getting used to running outside and on uneven ground.


As far as the rest of the gear goes, I have looked into Under Armour for their Cold Gear Leggings and Compression Shirts which I believe will be the best bet for me.  The only problem is that frankly I don't know what the weather will be like in April.  This has been a very unusual winter and by April it may not be 30's and 40's, but 50's and 60's.  I still think I should go with the ColdGear stuff because it will be 9 in the morning and I will be jumping into ice cold water...and actual ICE WATER.  Seriously, there is an obstacle in which you dive into a dumpster that is basically a giant 711 Slurpee.  I don't want to wear anything that is loose which is why the compression Under Armour stuff appeals to me, and apparently many other Tough Mudder veterans.  The only issue is that I don't have an athletic build so my skinny chicken legs are going to look real fucking awful in tights.  I'm thinking about buying a pair of cheap gym shorts to wear over the leggings so I don't look too silly.  


Another thing I'm deciding on is head gear.  My original plan was to wear a Skull Cap but if it gets wet than it will be heavy and very cold.  On top of that, if the weather is actually cold that day, I'm worried about sucking in cold air for three hours running in cold clothes.  Under Armour makes a hood and face mask that makes you look like a ninja, but it prevents you from breathing in cold air while exerting yourself outside.  That's a possibility for me.  Another thing is whether I should wear toe socks with my Vibrams.  My shoes fit very snugly on my feet, but a lot of people online recommend wearing toe socks with them to prevent blisters.  I'm on the fence with this one.


Finally, I will be buying the kayaking gloves that I have listed because I want the protection they will provide against splinters on the wooden obstacles, and the dexterity for gripping the monkey bars and rope climb while they are wet.  That decision seems like a no-brainer.


So final thoughts for today...the more Tough Mudder videos and preview pictures I view, the more excited (and nervous) I become.  I feel like I am getting into the groove of working out and eating right so I know that I will be ready for the physical aspects of the event.  I need to start running outside to get used to running long distances and on dirt, rocks, etc.  I need to keep pushing play on my P90X workouts and I need to keep chanting the mantra...


tough mudder tough mudder tough mudder tough mudder...

A Long Absence...but the countdown continues

So obviously there has been a pretty large gap between posts, the last one being in October.  First off, I can only blame myself for a lack of commitment to working out.  Throughout the holiday season it was tough to get in a mindset to workout and eat right.  Too many parties, too many large meals, too many drinks.  It's a pretty common tale that I'm sure most of you deal with.  So I stopped working out and blogging about working out.  I'm not too upset about the lack of posts because there is no one following this blog to begin with so there is no real reason for me to continue to write inane bullshit on here.  


Fast forward a few months and now we are 77 days until Tough Mudder.  I'm still not in shape and time is running out.  I went to the doctors for my yearly physical and found out that I have high cholesterol which may or may not be due to genetics.  So I made a deal with my doctor to give me three months to see if I can lower my cholesterol through P90X and a nutrition plan.  If not, then I will look into medication at my follow up appointment in May.


My wife has put us on a strict diet to get us both in shape and in the last week or so I have lost 3 pounds.  I am on week 2 of P90X and I plan on completing the program, although I will not get to day 90 before Tough Mudder.  I am fully committed this time to consistently workout and eat right and my weight loss so far is proof that it is working.  


So here's where I stand:  I will not be posting everyday because it's tedious and no one reads the posts anyways.  From now until the event I will post updates that relate to weight loss, P90X accomplishments, Tough Mudder gear, and Tough Mudder news.  Now that I am getting close to the event, I am starting to feel the pressure and I am truly nervous about whether I am physically capable of handling this challenge.  As long as I continue to workout and eat right I know for a fact that I will be ready for the course, but I'm not sure whether I will be ready for the elements.  April in Ohio could either be 50's and rainy or 30's and snowing.  


My next post will be an update on the gear that I have purchased/will purchase for the event.  I need to train in this gear for a while before the event so that I can break it in.  The next post should be today or tomorrow.