Tough Mudder Advice

[erin212f]

I'm signed up for a Tough Mudder for September 27th, and was wondering if there are any milestones I should hit to make sure I'm prepared?  For example: 10 pullups, 40 pushups, and be able to run 6 miles without stopping?

 

Thanks!

[mightstone2k]

Muscle-ups are a great skill to have for Mudders (and I still don't have that).  If you can do 10/40/6, you should be fine.

 

Although if you really want to be prepared, take baby wipes.  They're like a shower, but portable.  And you will want them after.

[Dirt Diver]

I'm signed up for a Tough Mudder for September 27th, and was wondering if there are any milestones I should hit to make sure I'm prepared?  For example: 10 pullups, 40 pushups, and be able to run 6 miles without stopping?

 

Thanks!

Those are certainly good conditioning milestones to aim for, and the first reply to your post suggesting muscle-ups and wet-wipes has some great ideas. I just completed a Tough Mudder 2 weeks ago (it was awesome!) and thought I'd share some of the lessons-learned at my event.

Wall obstacles

I can do a lot of strict form pull-ups, so I thought obstacles like walls would be incredibly easy: just pull-up onto the wall, right?! Wrong. The pull-up got me a great view of what was on the other side of the wall, and then I was stuck. Fortunately, this led to a really effective strategy for me and my teammates: one of us would do a pull-up onto the wall and then another teammate would push upwards on that guy's feet, allowing him to get at least one leg up on top of the wall. If you're running solo, or just want to get over the wall by yourself (and can't do a muscle-up), I'd recommend a more athletic version of a pull-up. Try pulling hard with your upper body while you twist and kick at least one leg up onto the wall.

Electrified obstacles

These were...interesting. My profile picture is a shot my girlfriend took of me sliding through the Electric Eel. As I moved smoothly forward, trying not to disturb the surface and splash muddy water into the faces of my fellow Mudders, I felt these weird impacts underwater. I guess it was from other people getting zapped, and then the charge getting dissipated through the water, but these felt like physical impacts to me. I kind of enjoyed the novelty of it. Until the last few yards when I got lit up so hard that my lower back arched and I yelled things that definitely should not have been yelled in front of children.

The final one, Electroshock Therapy, was definitely worse. I got hit three times, with the worst shock hitting (again) in the final few yards of the obstacle.

Other runners on the course reported different experiences than these. I talked to one guy who slid face-first into a live wire on the Electric Eel (why? why would you do that?) and claims to have been momentarily blinded. Another guy showering off next to me apparently lost consciousness after getting zapped in Electroshock Therapy. I watched yet another guy dance his way between every single wire on Electroshock and not get hit once.

My take-away for the electrified obstacles is pretty simple: don't hit wires with your face, move deliberately and smoothly (so you'll have a better chance of continuing forward if you get zapped hard vs. just eating it and remaining in the obstacle longer than necessary), and wear gloves so that you can make your hands into a wedge, parting wires as you go on Electroshock.

Cardio conditioning

My teammates and I were in pretty good shape, but we were honestly surprised at how much difficult running there was on our course (it was 10.9 miles total). We'd heard from others who had done much shorter obstacle course races that their day involved jogging a little and then waiting in line for 10 minutes until it was their turn on an obstacle. This was not our experience with Tough Mudder at all (we ran around 1.5 miles before hitting the first obstacle). If you're comfortable running 6 miles non-stop, I'd recommend running 2 miles at a fast pace, then immediately doing something you find challenging (maybe a max set of pull-ups or 20 burpees?). Try repeating this run/challenge cycle until you're running 6-8 miles total. Also, don't forget to make sure that you're comfortable running up lots of hills. There was a massive hillside on my course where the designers just snaked the path up and down the same hill over-and-over. It was brutal.

A note about gloves

While I'm glad I had them on for many, many obstacles, there was one particular obstacle where having gloves caused me to fail. On Pole Dancer, I actually got stuck because my gloves had such a strong grip on the bars. I simply couldn't move myself forward, and despite being very comfortable doing dips, I fell right off the bars after several failed attempts at moving.

Hydration

When my friends and I ran the course, it was nearly 80 degrees with almost no cloud cover. We had each chugged water and chowed down some electrolyte gels before the event, and even carried one or two onto the course. Despite this, and our use of the 5 water stations, each of us ended up getting severe leg cramps at one time or another. One of my teammates actually had visible fasiculation of his calf muscle (cool! - well, not for him), and was incapacitated for quite some time. The only way I can think to avoid a similar fate would be to make sure that you're super hydrated ahead of time, and to make sure you take advantage of any water/electrolyte gummies offered at the aid stations.

Overall, just get out there and have fun. Despite our minor difficulties, my teammates and I had an absolute blast and we're all looking forward to signing up for another one :-)

 

[Oramac]

Those are certainly good conditioning milestones to aim for, and the first reply to your post suggesting muscle-ups and wet-wipes has some great ideas. I just completed a Tough Mudder 2 weeks ago (it was awesome!) and thought I'd share some of the lessons-learned at my event.

 

Wow!  Thank you for such a great write-up!  I'm doing the Mudder in Missouri in October, and looking forward to it a lot.  It'll be my first, but the team I'm on has a couple that it'll be their second.  

[Dirt Diver]

Wow!  Thank you for such a great write-up!  I'm doing the Mudder in Missouri in October, and looking forward to it a lot.  It'll be my first, but the team I'm on has a couple that it'll be their second.  

You're very welcome.

Missouri, eh? That's right next door (we're in Kansas)! I'm actually assembling the same team to run that one, we just haven't signed up yet. As wet as we were through a lot of the Kansas event, I'm thinking Missouri in October could get really cold. I'm a big fan of technical base layers, so I'm thinking long-sleeve UnderArmour-type thing.

Maybe we'll see you there!

[Oramac]

You're very welcome.

Missouri, eh? That's right next door (we're in Kansas)! I'm actually assembling the same team to run that one, we just haven't signed up yet. As wet as we were through a lot of the Kansas event, I'm thinking Missouri in October could get really cold. I'm a big fan of technical base layers, so I'm thinking long-sleeve UnderArmour-type thing.

Maybe we'll see you there!

 

Very possibly!  I'll take your word for it on the Kansas event.  The Mudder website said average temps in October were like 40-60 degrees.  So yea, pretty cold.  Especially for that Arctic Enema thing.  

[mightstone2k]

Heh heh… I'm running Missouri too.  I'm shooting for an early-morning Saturday wave, I think between 09:00 and 10:00.  I'm planning on thermal underwear, shirt and pants.  I wore that plus a compression shirt and sweatpants for London West in April, and I'm glad I did.

[Oramac]

Sounds like a good contingent of Nerds running in Missouri! 

[TheFourth]

From my experience of mudder, the most important things are upper body strength, mental toughness and wearing the right clothes for it.

Upper body strength is self explanatory. I wouldn't place a high priority on distance running unless you intend to run it all, which to me seems insane unless you're already a distance runner. Its almost a half marathon over horrible terrain. Don't risk rolling an ankle or similar injury, take it slow and steady. It isnt a race after all.

Mental toughness is required. Obstacles like electroshock and Arctic enema, there's nothing for that except gritting your teeth and going through it. They will also strategically place the obstacles at the worst places in the course. For example, if there's a big hill on the course, you can bet that's where they will put Everest.

Gear wise, the less you wear the better. Less clothes = less weight carried in mud and water. I recommend full length skins, top and bottom and something small over the top for modesty. The skins will dry you out fast, wont carry water or mud and help with cramps. Put a lot of thought into the shoes, as they will carry you on the day. I didn't and wound up with all my toes bruised blue from sliding forward on the descents. Still finished, but it was damn painful.

Hope this helps.

[Oramac]

From my experience of mudder, the most important things are upper body strength, mental toughness and wearing the right clothes for it.

Upper body strength is self explanatory. I wouldn't place a high priority on distance running unless you intend to run it all, which to me seems insane unless you're already a distance runner. Its almost a half marathon over horrible terrain. Don't risk rolling an ankle or similar injury, take it slow and steady. It isnt a race after all.

Mental toughness is required. Obstacles like electroshock and Arctic enema, there's nothing for that except gritting your teeth and going through it. They will also strategically place the obstacles at the worst places in the course. For example, if there's a big hill on the course, you can bet that's where they will put Everest.

Gear wise, the less you wear the better. Less clothes = less weight carried in mud and water. I recommend full length skins, top and bottom and something small over the top for modesty. The skins will dry you out fast, wont carry water or mud and help with cramps. Put a lot of thought into the shoes, as they will carry you on the day. I didn't and wound up with all my toes bruised blue from sliding forward on the descents. Still finished, but it was damn painful.

Hope this helps.

 

Absolutely!  The "what to wear" part is the one that I'm most concerned with.  I'm planning on buying some Under Armor type pants/shorts and shirt, and wearing running shorts and a wicking tshirt over them.  

 

For shoes myself and one other guy on our team were planning to wear Vibrams.  

 

Thoughts?

[TheFourth]

I don't know anything about vibrams unfortunately. Personally I'd be looking at trail runners or lightweight hiking shoes for it. Not the best for running but slow & steady means less chance of injury.

[TheFourth]

Also I know under armour compression gear as skins. Go full length though, the extra length will keep you from getting cut to pieces as much as others

[Dirt Diver]

Yikes, be careful with the Vibrams! I trained for over 2 years trying to earn a SEAL contract. During that time, I developed the ability to run (and swim) both far and fast (we're talking 14-mile long runs at an 8min/mile pace and running 1.5 miles in around 9 minutes flat). My point here is not to brag, but to let you know that what I'm about to share happened to someone who was in pretty respectable shape.

One day, I picked up a pair of Vibrams (not even the toe-shoes, just the minimalist running shoes) and fell in love with how lightweight they were. There was a warning label LACED into each shoe that said something like "warning, these shoes cause you to use support muscles in a different manner than normal padded running shoes, only wear them for 10% of your weekly mileage, and increase by 5% weekly if you want to run exclusively in these shoes."  10% of my weekly mileage would have been about 4-4.5 miles. So I set off on one of my normal routes and felt so good in my new lightweight shoes...that I ran seven miles.

When I got home, I had pain, soreness, and stiffness in things that I didn't even know were parts of my lower body. I was honestly worried that my Achilles tendons might rupture. For the next two days, I could barely walk. No joke. Now, I LOVE my Vibrams for wearing around the gym, and even for some short sprint/interval work. But there's no way I'd wear them to a Tough Mudder without working up my mileage according to the manufacturer's recommendations. My support/stabilizing muscles were on fire about halfway through this year's Kansas Tough Mudder, and I was wearing high-end cushioned running shoes.

If you wear Vibrams to the event, mad respect to you. But I'd definitely condition myself properly way ahead of time! Best of luck!

[Barmacral]

I used Vibram's for my Tough Mudder - the KSO ones with almost no tread on the bottom and they were great for that. I found that having separate toes really helped me dig into the mud when climbing up muddy inclines.

 

That said, when I got mine I walked for 15 minutes a day in them for weeks before I ever started jogging. Then I did the c25k program with them taking a week off a few times. It took me about 4 months to get to 5k in them and I didn't run the Tough Mudder until I'd been running minimalist for about a year.

 

So yes, if you've been running minimalist a long time then go for it, use minimalist shoes. Otherwise be careful lest you end up with a bad experience like Dirt Diver had.

 

P.S. - I mostly use my toed Vibram's in the gym these days and run outdoors in Merrel's (also minimalist).

[Oramac]

Yikes, be careful with the Vibrams! I trained for over 2 years trying to earn a SEAL contract. During that time, I developed the ability to run (and swim) both far and fast (we're talking 14-mile long runs at an 8min/mile pace and running 1.5 miles in around 9 minutes flat). My point here is not to brag, but to let you know that what I'm about to share happened to someone who was in pretty respectable shape.

One day, I picked up a pair of Vibrams (not even the toe-shoes, just the minimalist running shoes) and fell in love with how lightweight they were. There was a warning label LACED into each shoe that said something like "warning, these shoes cause you to use support muscles in a different manner than normal padded running shoes, only wear them for 10% of your weekly mileage, and increase by 5% weekly if you want to run exclusively in these shoes."  10% of my weekly mileage would have been about 4-4.5 miles. So I set off on one of my normal routes and felt so good in my new lightweight shoes...that I ran seven miles.

When I got home, I had pain, soreness, and stiffness in things that I didn't even know were parts of my lower body. I was honestly worried that my Achilles tendons might rupture. For the next two days, I could barely walk. No joke. Now, I LOVE my Vibrams for wearing around the gym, and even for some short sprint/interval work. But there's no way I'd wear them to a Tough Mudder without working up my mileage according to the manufacturer's recommendations. My support/stabilizing muscles were on fire about halfway through this year's Kansas Tough Mudder, and I was wearing high-end cushioned running shoes.

If you wear Vibrams to the event, mad respect to you. But I'd definitely condition myself properly way ahead of time! Best of luck!

I used Vibram's for my Tough Mudder - the KSO ones with almost no tread on the bottom and they were great for that. I found that having separate toes really helped me dig into the mud when climbing up muddy inclines.

 

That said, when I got mine I walked for 15 minutes a day in them for weeks before I ever started jogging. Then I did the c25k program with them taking a week off a few times. It took me about 4 months to get to 5k in them and I didn't run the Tough Mudder until I'd been running minimalist for about a year.

 

So yes, if you've been running minimalist a long time then go for it, use minimalist shoes. Otherwise be careful lest you end up with a bad experience like Dirt Diver had.

 

P.S. - I mostly use my toed Vibram's in the gym these days and run outdoors in Merrel's (also minimalist).

 

Well, now I have something to think about.  I've been training my legs on the Vibrams already, but nothing like that kind of distance as yet.  The other part is, my only other pair of "shoes" is a 10 year old pair of nike running shoes that are literally falling apart (hence why I bought the vibrams!).  I put shoes in quotes because these things barely count anymore.  I've all but duct taped them together at this point.  

[Barmacral]

In that case I definitely do not recommend doing just shy of a half marathon in vibrams.

 

edit: I never did more than 10k in minimalist shoes before the event, and even that rarely. I did train in minimalist regularly though. So if you just got them (as I understand it) then take your time to properly get used to it so you don't injure yourself. Don't worry about doing huge distances though.

[Oramac]

In that case I definitely do not recommend doing just shy of a half marathon in vibrams.

 

edit: I never did more than 10k in minimalist shoes before the event, and even that rarely. I did train in minimalist regularly though. So if you just got them (as I understand it) then take your time to properly get used to it so you don't injure yourself. Don't worry about doing huge distances though.

 

Totally understand.  Would shoes that are literally falling apart be preferable in that case, you think?  

[Dirt Diver]

Barmacral is giving you good advice. I definitely concur with really taking your time and slowly progressing up your mileage to avoid injury. For what it's worth though, I was super jealous of the guys running the Mudder in toe shoes, because it did look like they had some advantages with grip and agility.

[Barmacral]

Totally understand.  Would shoes that are literally falling apart be preferable in that case, you think?  

 

Those shoes are likely dead and bad for your feet anyways, but you will be getting completely muddy and any traditional running shoes will probably never get clean again. I don't know huge amounts about shoes so I'd hardly take my word as gospel, but my guess is if you think they'll hold up for that kind of activity you might be ok, otherwise may be worth your while to go to walmart and see if you can't get a fairly cheap pair of running shoes and breaking them in.

[TheFourth]

My brothers had success with brand new volleys when we ran it. They worked better for them than old runners did for me.