Tough Mudder Virginia - Final Installment

If you haven't read any of my posts about the Mudder yet, read the first one here and the second one here . To start with today's blog, I've walked/jogged a couple of miles and done some climbing over and under things. After the last of the long walking/jogging area, we came upon the second and last set of Berlin Walls. The first set was only 8 feet high. These, however, were 12 feet. Upon my first sight of them, I felt rather discouraged. The closer I got, the higher they became. I got in line and slowly inched closer and closer as the people in front of me went up and over. Standing next to me was a blond girl in a pink shirt. She was shorter than me and looked just as terrified as I felt. I struck up conversation with her and we discussed the logistics of getting over the wall and down the straight drop on the other side. It seemed pretty straightforward; just very, very high.

We reached the wall and I offered to help the other girl over, but she opted to watch me do it first. So, pushing aside my trademark indecision, I walked up to the wall and began the ascent. There's a small, useless foothold toward the bottom, but I put one foot on it and the other foot in someone's hands. Chad and another guy hoisted me up to the top where I swung one leg over and then looked down and became instantly terrified. Watching the others go down, I decided it would be simple. Just lower myself to where I could hang on with my hands and jump from there. Well, something went wrong and my hands slipped off before I could catch myself and I hit the ground hard. My feet hit first and then my butt. I got up and turned to face the other wall. I didn't want to do it. Then Chad came over the first wall and asked if I was ready, so up I went. I got down the other side without incident and then sat while I waited for him to follow.

My ankles were hurting pretty bad at this point so when Chad started off at a jog, I fell behind. I wanted to work out the injury before going at a faster pace. Finally, we reached the illusive Mystery Obstacle, which was something called a Smoke Chute. Basically, it's a very large slide. I'm not sure exactly how tall it was, but definitely taller than the Berlin Walls. We had to climb a ladder up to the top while a vicious lady with a fire hose made sure we stayed wet and cold. Everyone hated her. I climbed as fast as I could and then hid myself in the little cubby hole that started the chute. I thought it was going to be a slide. Nothing awful about that. The problem I found at the top, however, was that it started as a vertical drop before ending in a slide.

Now, if there's one thing you need to know about me right now, it's that one of my phobias is a fear of falling. This obstacle gave me no choice but to let myself fall. I dangled my feet over the edge for a few seconds and tried to figure out if there was a better way to start this thing. I realized that the only way to do it was to simply drop. So, I placed my feet on a wall in front of me, edged myself over the side and then let go. It was a terrible, terrible feeling. To me, it was worse than the Chernobyl Jacuzzi. My heart jumped into my throat and I let out a scream that would wake the dead. When I reached the bottom, I was sliding so fast there was no way I could control what I was doing. I simply had to hope that I didn't hit anything hard. I slid to a stop in the mud and everyone who had come out before me looked shaken up and somewhat injured. Chad was doubled over holding his arms, saying he thinks he broke his elbows.  (He didn't.)

On we went, down a very steep slope. A girl came down beside us in emotional turmoil. She was crying and said she didn't even do the Smoke Chute because all she could hear was people cursing and getting hurt. I knew exactly how she felt, even though I was feeling almost invincible. The hill was long and slippery and when we got to the bottom and rounded the curve, there was Everest. This is a quarter pipe which is oiled that you have to run up and grab on to someone at the top before you fall down. There was a very long line for it, as it was incredibly difficult and took most people more than one try. We waited in line for close to an hour, getting colder and stiffer every minute. I got close to the front but knew it would still be a bit of a wait for me to even try it, so I opted out of it. My muscles were so stiff there was no way I was going to get up that wall. I walked around it and waited while Chad came over it, emotionally scarred.

I have problems with my right hip flexor and it had been bothering me on and off the whole day. Now that I was so cold and my muscles were so tight, it was torturing me and I had another hill to climb. At the top of the hill was the Fire Walker. This was a path lined with fire and full of smoke. I started it at a walk but had to end it at a run because the smoke in my lungs was one of the most painful experiences of the day. Last but not least, straight ahead was Electroshock Therapy, and then the finish line. Chad had been talking about this obstacle all day, afraid to go through it. Before you get to it, you have to get hosed down one last time. We stared it down for a few seconds and then Chad took off toward it, so I took off after him. I could hear the live wires snapping on each other all around me. At first I was able to get through without touching any wires, but to get over some strategically placed hay bales I had to touch a few. I lucked out, though, because none of the wires I touched actually shocked me.

Finally, there was the finish line! Chad and I looked at each other and took off toward it at a sprint. I saw a big dip in the ground in front of me, and instead of doing the smart thing at the pace I was going and jumping over it, I stepped into it. My body was too weak to handle the jolt and down I went. I fell right on my belly, my chin hit the ground, and the crowd and announcer all yelled "OOHHHH" in unison. Chad came back for me, helped me up, and we crossed the finish line together. I felt tears in my eyes at this point. I was so happy to be done, and so frustrated that I fell, I was shaking. I grabbed my orange headband and stuck it on my head. Then I grabbed a protein shake which I had to have Chad open for me and got my shirt and my beer.

I was freezing at this point and couldn't stop myself from shaking for a long time. But I drank that beer, got my bag, and made sure to get some pictures before I changed out of my cold, wet, muddy clothes.

My chin is a little bloody and my lips are a lovely bluish-purple.

Mud from head to toe.

My favorite shot of the day. We look pretty badass.

I then changed clothes, got a burger and Gatorade, bought another shirt and then we left for our 3 hour drive home. So, if you're thinking of doing a Tough Mudder, I say go for it! Just make sure you train hard and no matter how tired you get, stay positive and finish strong!

Here is my final tally of injuries: Small cut and bruise on my chin; Right elbow was scraped and swollen; Right knee was bruised, scraped and swollen; Large bruise on the inside of my right thigh and also one on my butt; and various bruising all along my arms and legs. My ribcage was very tender and every single one of my muscles has been very sore and stiff.