June 26th...We survived Tough Mudder!

I say TOUGH, you say MUDDER!  We did it, our first Tough Mudder done! It was amazing, crazy and I laughed my ass off...

...cause what else do you do when you are staring at a frozen lake full of slushy ice, knowing you have to swim across it! 

I have never done a race, where the positivity was so powerful.  At the beginning of the race the MC pumps you up for 10mins. he was amazing..I say Tough, you say Mudder! The focus of this race is to raise money in your country for the "Wounded Warrior" Foundation, our war Vets.  So the point of the race is to work together, always helping your fellow team mate no matter who they are, because in this race, we are one.  No one gets left behind.  If you raced through the course trying to get a "best time" then you didn't stop and help those who helped you climb over the "Berlin Wall"...

 or get up "Mt. Everest"...

Then you missed out, on the whole experience.  It was amazing to have total strangers, not even think twice, to stop and help pull you out of the mud...cause at one point, I was up to my Orange tutu, in mud or if some one twisted and ankle, people stopped and stayed with them, while others RAN BACK through the course to get help.  The Tough Mudder race was held up at Whistler Mt. and the course was 11.5 miles, mostly hills and mud!  Below is a little story about a Personal Trainer named Mel and her fellow Boot Camper, named Alison, who signed up for the race, with out really even knowing what Tough Mudder was!  But because I was soooo excited to do it, I think she thought, "sign me up, it can't be that bad!"...

 Right before the start I mentioned we might get a bit dirty!

 It took 1 wash down in a public bathroom, 1 bath at home and a shower the next day to actually get all the mud off...there was mud everywhere, even in places it shouldn't be!

OK so I go all excited and decieded in the Tough Mudder spirit to dress up!
I told Alison we would be wearing Orange tutu's and orange shirts with our own kick some Mudder butt quotes on them...

 I'm sure at this point Alison is thinking what did I get myself into, and what is with this outfit!...Oh it gets better!

The road trip begins!

 Up and at-er, by 5am, breakfast down the hatch...

 Not enough sleep, forgot where my tutu goes!

 Alison's idea of a warm up, while we wait for the bus to take us to the top.

 Can't wait to wear my orange headband to work on Monday, my Crossfit crew will love it!

Notice who is warming up and who is standing there...chest to floor baby!

Here is what the mountain looked like in the morning, wild!  Thankfully the sun came out!

 Ok we are PUMPED, bring it on!!!...Tough Mudder, show us what ya got!

Oh look at us here, so nice and clean...we have no idea what is in front of us, if we did we would not be smiling!

 Arctic Enima!  A giant pool of frozen green water...those are Alison's little blue gloved hands you see...the rest of her is stuck on the other side...I'd help but I'm in a state of shock!

 You have to jump in, try not to drown in the ice water, swim 3 feet, duck your head under a barrel, think while your brain is frozen, swim across to the other side and then pull youself up and out...

 At this point, were both wondering WTF, did we get ourselves into!

 Many trails of the 11.5 miles looked like this, surprised I didn't see more face plants!

 I think we get it by now, enough with the mud already!

 Berlin Wall, at one point we had 3 in a row to climb over, note to self, work on flexibility for next race. I had a hard time getting my leg over, without kicking the guy in the ass in front of me!

 Here is a local bear watching the race...I can't imagine what he is thinking...stupid humans!

Just when you think your OK, nope down on your ass you go!

 Yes we had to run to the very top...those are my "mud gloves" up to my elbows in mud.

This is Mt.Everest, I think the event feared by most.  You have to get a running start and at the half way point line, you have to jump up as hard as you can and hope someone grabs your arm at the top and pulls you up and over.  I got my crazy face on, went nuts and screamed to whole way up! 

HOO RAH!

Monkey bars are at the end, of course when you have no energy left, thanks Tough Mudder, we appreciated that!  I have to say that Alison and I ROCKED ALL the events...3:50minutes later we crossed the finish line! 

Alison above, me below, looking good and a strong finish!

At this point, a shower is all that is on our minds!  Oh ya maybe a little, I say TOUGH, you say MUDDER, I say TOUGH, you say MUDDER!

OK I did say at the beginning that my only goal was for my Orange tutu to survive, and it did!  Job well done, I'd be a Mudder with you any day Alison!

Special thanks to Rachel, Alison's daughter and one of my Crossfitters, she was our supposed "driver", what's up with the sleeping...light weight!  Thanks Rach, you kept us out of trouble, organized and we drove you nuts with our "morning routine talk" lol lol  Thanks to you both for such a wicked time!!