Spartan Race/ Obstacle Mud Runs..

The BEAST is serious ...hmmm . Have you guys done goruck ?

GORUCK | Gear Built in the USA. Events that Build Better Americans.

 

I'll probably be there as well. I need to find a beast to run to complete the trifecta this year and I have family in Socal so that's the logical one for me.


Mark

 

This is way harder than most obstacle/mud run. It's a team thing and you had better start wearing a 30# backpack weeks before you do the real race. I work out with some very fit people who did the Goruck. They said it was the hardest thing they ever did.

 

Hard is the reason I want to do it . All others will be easy . Finding a team will be hard

 

I completed a Tough Mudder last year with a team of 35 from my Crossfit gym. It was so much fun and was a culmination of my "get back in shape" journey. Now let me back up.

After being fit and in great shape my whole life, I got married, work full time, had a couple of kids, etc. It became WAY to easy to sit on the couch and relax with the family. I didn't really mind the extra weight because I didn't feel too bad. I knew I wasn't in peak form, but I didn't really care.

When my wife was 37, we found out she had cancer. It still sounds surreal to say. After seeing what she went through to beat it, I decided life was too short to sit on my A$$ any longer. I had no excuse. No injuries holding me back, no cancer, just laziness. I couldn't keep up with my kids, my wife was cancer free, and I was ready for a change.

The kicker for me came about the same time, on a Saturday, when some of us dads had a scrimmage against my daughter's club soccer team. They were 9 years old at the time. After about 5-10 minutes, I thought I was going to die. I had no wind at all. My wife shot some video to commemorate the day and I didn't recognize the guy out there (me). When did I turn into this guy?

Shortly after that, I joined a Crossfit gym near my office. For me, walking in the first time was the toughest part. I had an image of myself in my head - being young and fit - but that dude was gone. I had to start from the bottom.

I had been going to CF for about a year when they convinced me to sign up for the tough mudder. I was scared to death about the distance. I have never run more than a 5k in my life. "We will get you through it" they said.

For me, it was enough of a challenge to motivate me to work harder for the next few months to make sure I was not the guy in the back of the pack holding up my teammates.

I think this is why people do these runs. It is something completely different and challenging in a whole new way. It challenges you to conquer many different kinds of fear. Fear that you'll be last, fear that you'll hurt yourself, fear that you'll be too tired to finish, fear that you'll look like an idiot, fear that you'll let your teammates down when they need you. At least that's what it was for me.

I'm 42 now and in the best shape of my life. I can run circles around my kids and now they have to keep up with me!

My advice is to give one of these runs a try if you never have. You never know what you can accomplish if you set a goal and work toward it.

 

Obviously I am in the minority based on the posts, but my limited experience with Tough Mudder last year totally turned me off to the entire genre of activities. You don't have to be in shape, or tough to complete it. Just a reasonable threshhold for pain and a modicum of perseverance will get you through.

What I saw was really two sets of people. One was the fitness-minded who, for whatever reason (boredom?), chose to participate. These people would have been doing something active that day regardless.

The other, the majority in fact, were not in shape and participated as a social exercise with I assume their office or Church group. There would usually be one or two "leaders" (boss?) pushing them, who knows the dynamics of this group but I suspect in many cases with these events the office bullies feel free to push everyone in the drill sargeant manner they would like to use in an office setting.

It was greatly off-putting. Once this fad passes we will look back in a few years and all see them for the silly wastes of time they are.

 

Some events aren't meant to be hard . They meant to be fun, get people out and build comradarie . Marathon participates aren't all professional runner nor do they complete it.

If you want true test then do spartan or goruck . Even the 2k row competition is taxing ... Last night , I did 8:01 after completing a WOD, by summer I'll be under 7:30. You can't imagine my soreness this morning .

 

Social Media made these races popular.

Posting pictures of yourself and your friends covered in mud is what drives these races.

I did one. It was fun but the fad is quickly fading.

 

So, how'd everyone who raced do????

 

+1

 

I'll go first.

I finished in 2:01 having completed all obstacles with no penalty burpees. I was a little disappointed in my time, though. I've never done any sort of race, much less an obstacle course race, that was near this long, so I focused heavily on pacing myself. I paced myself too much though. I wasn't tired or worn out at the end and definitely could have gone a fair bit faster.

I'd estimate I could have done 1:45 comfortably. Next time....



Mark