Picking the Next Challenge. Please Help

[allnightgrocery]

I have difficulty getting/staying motivated. I need some advice.

In January I signed up for the Tough Mudder (NorCal, Diablo Grande) as a challenge to myself. I worked pretty damn hard, put on some muscle, learned to run distance, dropped 15 pounds, and have never felt better. I suffered a few cuts and bruises and a small tweak to my ankle, but nothing too serious. I wasn't even sore the next day. (I attribute the nine months of training for making that possible.)

The problem I have now is that I can't find that great motivator. I could use the Mudder again but it wouldn't be the same. "Andrew, get out of bed. The Mudder is gonna kick your ass!"

I've considered using a marathon as my motivator but I'm interested in building some mass and I feel as if strength training and long distance running would prove counterproductive.

I allowed myself a little time to recover and heal, to reset my goals, and to get excited for something new. I need help finding that "something new".

Please help.

[Raikas]

I actually know quite a few people who work both strength and endurance - if you're not a competitive runner being a bit bigger doesn't really slow you down that much. But if a marathon is overkill, why not a half? Or one of the longer mud runs?

[msuroo]

If you want to build mass - pick a motivator that lines up with those goals - ie; sign up for a weightlifting/powerlifting competition.

Think of it like the marathon (or any other race) - you aren't racing against other people (since you aren't beating the Kenyans anyway) - you're just out there to make your best time possible. Even though you have no hope of winning, having the race on the calendar provides motivation to get out there and train.

You can do the same thing with competitive lifting - put a meet on the calendar and I bet it'll help get you into the gym. Everyone that's posted here about competing has had positive things to report.

[allnightgrocery]

I really don't do anything at half speed, I guess. I'd never run any distance, let alone an adventure race. The Tough Mudder was the challenge that kept me motivated. I felt like the Warrior Dash was something I could do, even in my (then) current shape.

Up until a couple months ago my running routine was M/W/F 5k. A half marathon seems doable, meaning it may not be enough of a motivator. (Need to think on that.)

I know the Ultra Beast is marathon distance. Are there any other longer adventure races/mud runs? The Mudder we ran in NorCal was 11 miles.

[allnightgrocery]

Sign up for a weightlifting/powerlifting competition.

Interesting. How long would you expect it to take for a 6' 180lb weakling who hasn't broken 100lbs on a bench press to attain something respectable in a competition like that (roughly speaking)? I'm not against the idea but am curious about how things work. Do they break down the category of "amateur" into something like "pathetically weak neophytes"?

[msuroo]

Interesting. How long would you expect it to take for a 6' 180lb weakling who hasn't broken 100lbs on a bench press to attain something respectable in a competition like that (roughly speaking)? I'm not against the idea but am curious about how things work. Do they break down the category of "amateur" into something like "pathetically weak neophytes"?

I've never competed (I'm working on my marathon first, targeting my first olympic weightlifting meet for next year), but the sense I've gotten from people who have talked about it is "as long as you are trying your hardest, it's respectable." It's like the races - you are only competing against yourself.

[Raikas]

I really don't do anything at half speed, I guess. I'd never run any distance, let alone an adventure race. The Tough Mudder was the challenge that kept me motivated. I felt like the Warrior Dash was something I could do, even in my (then) current shape.

Up until a couple months ago my running routine was M/W/F 5k. A half marathon seems doable, meaning it may not be enough of a motivator. (Need to think on that.)

I agree that a half is doable for anyone in semi-decent shape, but if you're aiming for something beyond completion - a specific time, or even just beating specific people - wouldn't that still be motivating?

I know the Ultra Beast is marathon distance. Are there any other longer adventure races/mud runs? The Mudder we ran in NorCal was 11 miles.

Someone local to you will probably have more specific information, but I know when I lived in Alberta it wasn't hard to find mountain trail races and mud races at a variety of distances (even the shorter distances are challenging when you're going up a mountain at night, for example) and if you're in Califorina I'd think there must be similar events.

[exjamieus]

Mud runs also vary a lot in intensity, even military based ones. Perhaps a harder and more challenging mud run?

[allnightgrocery]

Mud runs also vary a lot in intensity, even military based ones. Perhaps a harder and more challenging mud run?

Any good references on how the different mud runs compare? Aside from the Toughest Mudder or the Ultra Beast Marathon, I thought I set my sites pretty high.