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.

Your Mudder Goes To College

There has been a request to do hill repeats...so anyone up for that can join in with us at the hill around the 3/4 mile mark.

The topic this week:
Why are obstacle course runs becoming so popular, so quickly?  I'm about to find out.  Escalade has suckered me into doing the Poconos Tough Mudder this coming Sunday.  Would you like to find out too?  A local version is available on Saturday at Labrador Mountain.

The Warrior Run Mountain Series is at Labrador on the 28th and includes a battle of the bands competition.  It sounds fun.  I believe Jake is doing it?  It's only a 5k and is much cheaper than the longer and less local alternatives.  Here is the teaser video:


I know there are also Warrior Dash's, Spartan Run's and I'm sure some other flavors.  But the one Erin and I will be experiencing claims to be the toughest of them all.  I have no idea if that is true, but it seems to be the longest of the main stream series'.  The one in the Poconos is supposed to be around 11 miles and does indeed look like one Tough Mudder.  I'm not sure what to make of what I'm about to get into, but I like the points they make for their race:
Fact #1 - Marathon running is boring.  (...and will leave you with as much upper body strength as Kiera Knightly.)
Fact #2 - Mudders do not take themselves too seriously. (It's pretty hard to take yourself seriously when you're covered in mud and have just finished an obstacle called 'Just The Tip'.)
Fact #3 - You cannot complete a Tough Mudder course alone.  (Tough Mudders are team players who make sure no one gets left behind.)

Looking at the various events web sites, I will say this -- they all seem to have a great sense of humor surrounding them.

This years TM teaser:
I can't figure out to embed this one, but I do recommend checking it out.  Hard not to get fired up...also hard  not to wet myself thinking about having to do it.

Last years PA recap:


And a long one, but one that gives you a very good idea of what it's like from a participants point of view:


And a shorter one that shows off the shock obstacle a lot better:


If I don't survive...I trust Kelly to take over TRY for me.  Treat her well, she deserves it.  :-)

More Meat Volume 7 - Hills, Food, and Exercise

Once again, I'm searching for topics for everyone. So, here is a wide variety.

For those of you involved in Mountain Goat training: tips and techniques for running downhill. The closing: The key to running downhill is to maintain confidence, stay relaxed, and work with gravity. Don’t be afraid as you gain speed. Increasing your cadence can prevent you from falling. Remember: short, frequent, and controlled steps are essential for running downhill efficiently and safely.

Some natural alternatives to race gels and snacks. Including dates, frozen grapes, and watermelon dipped in salt. (Not sure I could eat that.)

This one is written more for bikers, but most of us could deal with a little weight loss to speed up our running. We might need a vegan to chime in on this point: A review of nearly 400 scientific studies in the Sports Nutrition Review Journal (2004) showed that athletes involved in moderate amounts of intense and high volume training need to consume 3 to 11 servings of animal protein per day since carb-only meals negatively impact protein synthesis and the ability to lose weight. Does it have to be animal protein?

Here are 6 exercises you can do at home to become a stronger runner. Including this gem: "The groin gets ignored by most road runners," Don't ignore the groin, guys! Love the groin! Love it.

And some post run yoga to restore your legs. If I attempted to do the "flipped dog"...I would be a dead dog. Seriously...special prize for anyone who can demonstrate the flipped dog tonight.

More Meat Volume 6 - Twitter Potpourri

Since I've had a bad day a half, I am not in the mood to be creative myself...so I turned to my twitter feed to see what sorts of insights I could pass along from some recent tweets. So, here we go:

Red wine may help you lose weight! (Drink up, me hardies! Or as I like to say it: drink up, me hotties!)

Stretches and exercises you can do at the office. (Since most of us have jobs that have us sitting all day.)

Tips on how to plan a perfect running week. This is short, with the key paragraph:

Your ideal week will include a longer run to build endurance, a hilly run to improve your strength, and a scenic or social run that regularly injects some fun into your routine and keeps you coming back for more. Include a speed workout only if your goal is to run faster.

I keep seeing article like this - stretching isn't what I used to be told it is. How and when should you stretch? With a mention of why we do our mile warmup: Beginning a regular run by just taking off at a slow easy pace is actually "stretching" or warming up your body and getting it ready for your harder pace later in the run.

And this one isn't relevant for most of the people who will read this, but perhaps you could pass this along to a friend who has asked you how they can get into running. 10 tips for beginners. A couple good ones in there - "Get a group" (Check!) and "Get rest" (I'm a big fan of rest right now. Check!)

That's it...hopefully everyone has something they can take away from this latest round of meat.

TRY, TRY Again

Here we go again. Another Syracuse running season is upon us. Thanks to the nice March weather, most of you have already been out and running. For those who need some extra inspiration...it's April! What are you waiting for? Come on out an join in!

Read the entry below for the story of Fleet Feet's redemption.

If you have a friend you want to bring out to join in, don't forget to share with them what TRY is all about.

And for those looking to sneak out of work this Thursday - a couple of us are going to the opening game for the Syracuse Chiefs. Read all about "phenom" Bryce Harper. Here. Here. And here. (Sorry, getting a little baseball geeky on you, but I can't help it. It's obvious I don't spend all my time running...so now you know what I'm up to when I'm not.)

A Story of Redemption

Some of you may remember my story from the end of the Syrathon race series last fall. I was surprised and disappointed by how Fleet Feet handled the shirt distribution. By the time people were supposed to arrive to pick up their shirts (noon on a Sunday) most sizes and almost all of the shirts had been given away. I saw several people get turned away without a shirt and confused that showing up "on time" had led them to lose out on a fun perk they had been working for since March.

I wanted to speak up for the little guy (actually it seemed to be mostly women) but I waited to see what Fleet Feet put in their next newsletter. When they didn't mention the problem, I decided to write an email explaining what happened on shirt hand-out day. They didn't answer. And another couple weeks went by without a response and without any mention in their newsletter. I was shocked. For a store that is so good to customers, it didn't make sense. I started sharing the story with you guys as I ran with you. Saying that for the first time, I was disappointed in my experience with Fleet Feet.

Then a couple more weeks later, I got an email. They explained their reason for what happened and also noted that they were printing more shirts and would have information in their next newsletter. Also, they wanted to specifically make good to me due to my email, and were setting aside a shirt for me for me to pick up at my convenience.

I didn't tell anyone the follow-up to the story. I wanted to have the shirt in hand before I did. And I didn't get to the store and didn't get to the store...but I finally went over there a couple weeks ago (three? months after the email), and sure enough: they made good on their promise and still had a shirt for me.

So, I wanted to share a picture of my shirt and the store of Fleet Feet's redemption. They are back in my good graces and back to being the recommended shoe store of TRY. You can beat their prices if you shop online, but does that online store support most of the local races you run? Does that store take back sneakers after you've worn them? After you've bled in them? Fleet Feet is an excellent resource to central New York runners. I recommend that everyone keeps supporting them for your running needs.