TM: Topic of the Week

Since a couple TRYers and friends are about to do the next Tough Mudder and several of you have expressed an interest in Escalade's and my survival, the topic du jour can be nothing other than the TM.  So, even though I'm not quite ready to put my thoughts into words, I might as well start.  This update will be mostly photos and I'll owe you one.

First, I want to thank the many of you that reached out to us before and after the event.  I was either too busy or too distracted or too frozen to respond like I wished I could have in the moment.  But, your messages were received and passed along it was great to know that you were thinking of us.  Hopefully not just wondering if you were in my will or not?  I figure most of you can see the photos that we get tagged in on facebook - and thankfully a couple spectators knew someone in our group and got some nice event shots that have been getting tagged all day today there.  It does a decent job of showing a couple obstacles from a spectators view, so I'll grab some professional photos from the Tough Mudder facebook page.  For those will real interest, it's pretty entertaining just clicking through them.  They don't put a ton up, because I'm sure they are saving thousands of others hoping to get people purchase them.  And purchase them, they will

Because, I've decided that the best thing this event does for itself is: "It plays well on TV."  And by that I mean - videos and photos turn this golf course into a coliseum.  And turns the competitors into gladiators.  And it turns people in super hero costumes into ... well, super heroes.  Do this event and get your photo snapped at the right time and you have a photo for your wall for the rest of your life.  Whereas running photos seem to always catch you at a bad time, these don't.  (Well, yes, it's bad and actually a terrible timing...but it works here.)  I won't know for a few days how many shots they get of a random entrant like myself and Escalade, so for now we'll get a sampling of a bunch of strangers.

This was Sunday morning - I assume the 8 o'clock wave.  It was 'almost' warm enough by the time we started at 10.  Definitely no ice was left hanging on anything:


I mean, how cool is that shot?  And that's tame.

Who wouldn't want be this girl?:


This next one depends on the final outcome.  If she made it eventually, she has the makings of an inspirational poster.  If she gave up, well, then she has the makings of a de-inspirational poster.

 
This "Everest" quarter pipe is the only obstacle that I truly skipped for my own safety.  It was higher than I thought it was going to be.  And my upcoming story will explain why I wimped out.


I could do the 8 foot walls by myself, but the 10 footers needed some help.  I'm sure someone that still had some ups could due the 10 footers, but it also was 2/3 of the way through the course.  So, you needed some ups and to have plenty of energy left as well.



 Not as good as cow horns would have been, but this was too funny to leave out.

Some more hero shots, if you consider getting randomly shocked heroic:




And after crawling and climbing you get monkey bars:


And rings:




And balance beams:


And of course mud.  How exactly do you describe this scene to someone who can't see?  It's difficult to put into words.  Or at least it was for me:


And a glam shot of one of those pits:


There are two sets of tunnels that I can remember...the second one is late and the exhaustion shows on this team:


And you pay to get in, so you pay to get out too.  Here's just before the finish:







Am I the only person who wants to yell: "IN DA FACE!  IN DA FACE!" at those last three?  But I swear that it doesn't look this cool when you are in the midst of it.  At least it didn't for me.  Not that it isn't good...but these photos make it look GREAT.  Just classic shot after classic shot of weekend warriors in the fb albums.

I didn't even grab photos of several obstacles...and I didn't go in order.  Partly because I'm tired and partly because I wanted to save this one for last:

Got wood?


I do now!

And this one has nothing to do with anything...but c'mon, like I wasn't using this?  The participants were amazingly creative.  (Sometimes in baaaad ways.  More on that later.)  But this is cool no matter how you slice it:

Honestly, I had no idea?  I don't think I've been using the acronym right the last several years.  But now I know.

Ok,  End of the photo parade.  Text details and personal thoughts are pending and should be up later this week.