Greetings nerds...

[Daddio68]

I'm 44 years old and work in a papermill...have worked here for 24 years.  My mother passed away 4 years ago and it took its toll on my father.  Last year i took a long look at myself and decided i am a fatass...along with a group of overly agreeable co-workers....several of us started "talking" about getting in shape...the usual...p90x, insanity...talk talk talk.  Then someone brought up the www.thedirtydash.com .  I looked at it and BAM!  hooked....how could something that had mud and obstacles NOT be fun?  But being a fatass, and not a runner....i thought i had better start making changes.  So i went back on an old familiar "way of life" that i had tried in the past with limited success and started the atkins diet.  I dropped 20 lbs....(started this at 235), and then joined a local Golds....oh, first i went and closed out the account that i had an a local club 24 that i had been paying on for a year and not gone once...

 

So myself and 2 co-workers start our journey...oh and they are both considerably younger than me.... doesn't matter...i don't care at this point.  Started eating better, racquetball, core routines, took some classes, lifted weights randomly, started hiking a local hill here....thought i was doing pretty well, but in the back of my mind i think i knew i was just doing barely enough...i dropped another 10 lbs tho so that was good.  Then in a random event i blew my left calf out in racquetball sprinting after that little blue gem.  Well....the Dirty dash that i had signed up and paid for was in 2 months....and when i say i blew my calf out, i mean that the entire muscle dropped and my leg had no shape.  Could not put weight on it.....proud of my racquetball partner tho because he finished the point and declared himself a winner as i laid on the ground whimpering.  Such a champion!  So i had to pretty much stop doing anything physical for a while....well this was driving me nuts and so...oh wait....i am getting ahead of myself....No of course i did not go see a dr...im a guy....we don't do that unless there is bone sticking out....the fact that my entire lower leg was black and blue didnt scare me....much.  So i started lifting again, upper body and some legs....very light tho.  started hiking again and the race day came and we did it....lucky for me it is not a competition, but more of a fun event.  I loved it...completely loved it...sure i had to run/walk, but it was amazing.  Then i got too nosey and i found www.toughmudder.com .  Wow....amazing....these people are animals!!!  Im an animal too aren't i?  So i put down money, signed up, and started working harder at hiking and lifting and getting ready for the 11+ mile event in Seattle.  Oh, and by the way, my father passed away back in April....was a blow, but i turned it into fuel for continuing my quest to get in shape.  So September came and toughmudder was here....and wow.....i made it 8 miles running/walking....walking a lot...and then my calf said "hey dumbass, rememeber me?" and that was it....i could not run any further.  But like the stubborn fool of a took that i am, i limped the rest of the event to the finish line.  Finished, but not how i wanted to, and not with my team.  SOOOO.....the new year is upon us, i have plateaued at 197-205 lbs.....calf still bothers me from time to time but damnit, there are so many amazing events to do!  I want to get in the best shape of my life and destroy my team at this years toughmudder in June   Stumbled upon your website and fell in love.  My struggle is that i work rotating shift work and i cannot seem to get my co-workers to dedicate themselves to kicking ass...they have lives and small kids and i understand.  So i need to do this on my own....and i will, and i will kick some serious ass....i am trying to decide on what i want to do...lift weights or run?  I HATE HATE HATE running....but these events are all running....so i need both....your articles touched upon so many things that i want to do...i guess i am joining your site for support of some amazing people and ideas to keep striving to kick some ass!   

 

Peace!  

[Jakob Kopfeld]

Hi Daddio86!
 

It's great that you decided to take the first step to becomeing a new you. Now that you are here, and with the support of all our fellow rebels, you will definately reach your goals, just gotta stick to it. The only thing standing between you and your goals is yourself, and it looks like you just stepped out of the way.

 

Let me be the first to say: Welcome to the Rebellion my Brother! Amazing that you decided to level up your live, you're exactly at the right place for that.

 

There's a lot ouf people here plannign to attend tough mudder competitions this year, maybe you can even find someone to team up with for it, if you haven't got a team already.

PS: If you injured your calf years ago and it still hurts, you definately need to see a doctor about it. The longer you wait the worse it's gonna get.

[lifewithryan]

Glad to see I'm not the only "over 35er" here.  I'm sure there are plenty of us though...but being new, I'm kinda lost.

 

Dying to do Tough Mudder myself, technically not supposed to run anymore but ya know what?  I don't care...

[Daddio68]

Thanx guys!  Ryan....its is a LOT of running....more than i was prepared for....its what wore me down the most....i was on a team last year of 25 year olds...well one of them was 50, but he is a runner....i just couldnt keep the pace and my leg said nope...this year i am going to work harder and smarter at being prepared for it.  It was a brutal bucket of fun....lots of mental and physical challenges to overcome....i blacked out 3 times in the electric eel obstacle...not looking forward to it this year knowing how it felt.  But thats the whole thing about it is mentally pushing yourself through it.  What location are you considering?

[lifewithryan]

If they do a Wisconsin location again, that'd be the one I shoot for.  I live just outside Madison, WI.

[Daddio68]

lol, Thanx Athena!  No, not married....gf, but i dont have to listen to her......do i?  It hasnt been quite a year yet either.....um.....is that a factor?  How about this...the massage girls at madam casa's massage house say to just keep coming back to them?  Bah...kidding......the massage therapist at the clinic says i should go see a PT......so yeah....i will add that to my challenge!!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Depends if you want her to *still* be your gf in another year's time.

^This.

 

Dude, be a man, see a doctor. If not, we'll Go Stinson on you and be like:

 

 

Haaaave you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

Have you seen the doctor yet?

[Crazyhawaiian21]

How about this morning, have you scheduled your appt for today?