I've taken up posting my thoughts on a blog that I'm writing with a couple buddies about our efforts to reach the World's Toughest Mudder this coming year. Until I really get going with the Mudder-A-Month project in 2014, I'll be posting at Our Year In The Mud
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Monday, December 10, 2012
My Rebellious Body
It's been nearly 6 weeks since I ran the South Carolina mudder twice in one day, and my body still hasn't fully recovered. Partly, I think this is due to my own silliness, but also there are just the general aches and pains associated with getting a bit older.
The biggest issue has been a case of Turf Toe that I "caught" (if that's the right word for what happened) during the mudder itself. I must admit, I used to scoff at professional athletes who would be out for weeks at a time with a turf toe injury (yes, I'm looking at you Deion Sanders). Well, having gone through it, let me offer my heartfelt apology to Mr. Sanders. There's nothing quite like a toe injury to really put you off working out.
Eventually, I improved - although I'm still not 100% - by taping my toes together to immobilize the big toe. It's worked, and allowed me to restart the Insanity workout regiment. Of course, having taken a month off of working out, I probably should have taken a slower start to getting back into it. I ended up really crushing both my calves, and have been hobbling around for a few days. That's not even mentioning the fact that my right wrist is hurt (I'm still not sure what happened with this one).
Of course, this didn't stop me from signing up for the Miami mudder in March. The plan is to do it on both Saturday and Sunday. That's the next challenge. Perhaps eventually we'll ramp up to doing doubles on Saturday and Sunday. I'm doing the best I can to take care of my body and let all of these nagging injuries to heal, but I also know that I need to keep on it or I will start to slack and won't be able to recapture the initiative.
The biggest issue has been a case of Turf Toe that I "caught" (if that's the right word for what happened) during the mudder itself. I must admit, I used to scoff at professional athletes who would be out for weeks at a time with a turf toe injury (yes, I'm looking at you Deion Sanders). Well, having gone through it, let me offer my heartfelt apology to Mr. Sanders. There's nothing quite like a toe injury to really put you off working out.
Eventually, I improved - although I'm still not 100% - by taping my toes together to immobilize the big toe. It's worked, and allowed me to restart the Insanity workout regiment. Of course, having taken a month off of working out, I probably should have taken a slower start to getting back into it. I ended up really crushing both my calves, and have been hobbling around for a few days. That's not even mentioning the fact that my right wrist is hurt (I'm still not sure what happened with this one).
Of course, this didn't stop me from signing up for the Miami mudder in March. The plan is to do it on both Saturday and Sunday. That's the next challenge. Perhaps eventually we'll ramp up to doing doubles on Saturday and Sunday. I'm doing the best I can to take care of my body and let all of these nagging injuries to heal, but I also know that I need to keep on it or I will start to slack and won't be able to recapture the initiative.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Updates and Stuff
It's a week and a half since the World's Toughest Mudder, and a little more than a month since the Carolina Mudder, and I figured I would put together a quick update on what's going on.
First: Carolina Mudder. Started with the Bad News! team at 8:20 and immediately got hurt on the Arctic Enema. I hit a chunk of submerged ice and it cut my eyebrow open. It was bleeding pretty badly, but I kept going because I was so cold. Got through the next obstacle and was pulled aside by some medics in a golf cart/truck combo. They suggested that I get stitches, but there was no way I was leaving the course that early (unless I absolutely had to). They put some gauze and a piece of tape on it, and I kept going. Luckily, the bleeding stopped pretty quickly, but the bandage fell off about half-way around the course. I ended up not going to the emergency room at all to get stitches, although, I probably should have since it was a pretty nasty gash. Ended up buying butterfly bandages and hoping for the best. Since it's been about a month, though, I can say that I do have a pretty noticeable scar over my right eye now.
Team Bad News! finished the mudder around11:45. It was a pretty good lap, and I think we could easily have finished under three hours if I hadn't had to spend 20 minutes with the medics. The good news was that we finished in time to make the turn and get off for a second lap at the last start time of the day. The noon start was fun, but it was very slow going. Only three of the five members of Bad News! made the turn, and one of them probably shouldn't have. He ended up being pretty banged up, and I think that he probably should have stopped after the first lap. The thing is that, it meant that we didn't actually do much running on the second lap, which we finished at around 4:30. We only skipped one obstacle the entire day, and it's gnawing at me a little bit that we didn't at least attempt it. I guess that's not too bad, though, considering we were pretty crushed by the end.
The best part of the whole day was running with a pack of people in our second lap who knew that we were doing a second lap. We got a lot of props from people during that lap, and it felt pretty bad-ass to know that people were thinking of us as crazy.
It's left us thinking that we need to up our game though. Now we're trying to find a fourth person to make a team that would qualify for the World's Toughest Mudder next winter in NJ. Our objective would be to do 4 circuits of the course in the 24 hours, and then see what happens. That's a whole new level of madness though, and a pretty sizeable investment in materials. First thing first, our next mudder is scheduled for early March in Miami. The plan is to do another two laps...
First: Carolina Mudder. Started with the Bad News! team at 8:20 and immediately got hurt on the Arctic Enema. I hit a chunk of submerged ice and it cut my eyebrow open. It was bleeding pretty badly, but I kept going because I was so cold. Got through the next obstacle and was pulled aside by some medics in a golf cart/truck combo. They suggested that I get stitches, but there was no way I was leaving the course that early (unless I absolutely had to). They put some gauze and a piece of tape on it, and I kept going. Luckily, the bleeding stopped pretty quickly, but the bandage fell off about half-way around the course. I ended up not going to the emergency room at all to get stitches, although, I probably should have since it was a pretty nasty gash. Ended up buying butterfly bandages and hoping for the best. Since it's been about a month, though, I can say that I do have a pretty noticeable scar over my right eye now.
Team Bad News! finished the mudder around11:45. It was a pretty good lap, and I think we could easily have finished under three hours if I hadn't had to spend 20 minutes with the medics. The good news was that we finished in time to make the turn and get off for a second lap at the last start time of the day. The noon start was fun, but it was very slow going. Only three of the five members of Bad News! made the turn, and one of them probably shouldn't have. He ended up being pretty banged up, and I think that he probably should have stopped after the first lap. The thing is that, it meant that we didn't actually do much running on the second lap, which we finished at around 4:30. We only skipped one obstacle the entire day, and it's gnawing at me a little bit that we didn't at least attempt it. I guess that's not too bad, though, considering we were pretty crushed by the end.
The best part of the whole day was running with a pack of people in our second lap who knew that we were doing a second lap. We got a lot of props from people during that lap, and it felt pretty bad-ass to know that people were thinking of us as crazy.
It's left us thinking that we need to up our game though. Now we're trying to find a fourth person to make a team that would qualify for the World's Toughest Mudder next winter in NJ. Our objective would be to do 4 circuits of the course in the 24 hours, and then see what happens. That's a whole new level of madness though, and a pretty sizeable investment in materials. First thing first, our next mudder is scheduled for early March in Miami. The plan is to do another two laps...
Monday, October 29, 2012
Two Lapper
Just woke up. It's two days since I ran the Carolina Mudder twice. First lap started at 8:20 and finished at 11:45. Second lap started at noon and ended at 4:30. I must admit, much of the second lap was spent walking - although, I could have arranged a slow trot if my teammates had been up to it. Only ended up skipping one obstacle (the second Berlin Walls on our second lap). At least attempted everything else.
Additionally, this was also the first time I was injured during a mudder. I got a gash on my eye in the very first obstacle, Arctic Enema. I jumped in and hit a submerged chunk of ice. Opened up a cut on my right eyebrow about an inch long. Right after the second obstacle, I was stopped by some guys in a truck and asked if I wanted to continue. Of course, I wasn't going to quit 15 minutes in - unless I was in serious trouble. They cleaned out the cut and put a piece of tape on it (which fell off a few miles later). I realized I had been cut, but didn't really understand how deep it was until I got back to the hotel afterwards.
I'm sore right now. I'm starting to feel a big toe injury and my left calf really hurts, but all in all, I think this was a good effort. I think that I actually feel better overall now than I did at a similar point after my first Mudder.
Additionally, this was also the first time I was injured during a mudder. I got a gash on my eye in the very first obstacle, Arctic Enema. I jumped in and hit a submerged chunk of ice. Opened up a cut on my right eyebrow about an inch long. Right after the second obstacle, I was stopped by some guys in a truck and asked if I wanted to continue. Of course, I wasn't going to quit 15 minutes in - unless I was in serious trouble. They cleaned out the cut and put a piece of tape on it (which fell off a few miles later). I realized I had been cut, but didn't really understand how deep it was until I got back to the hotel afterwards.
I'm sore right now. I'm starting to feel a big toe injury and my left calf really hurts, but all in all, I think this was a good effort. I think that I actually feel better overall now than I did at a similar point after my first Mudder.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Results!
I played basketball, football and ran track when I was in High School. Additionally, I spent a good amount of time outside riding my bike, running around, playing with friends, etc. I wasn't necessarily the most athletic kid (even in my own family), but I wasn't purely an uncoordinated wall-flower either. Having said that, though, I can say - unequivocally - I'm in the best shape of my life right now. I'm consistently running 11+ miles (with a high of 13 this past week) and I'm a week away from being done with the Insanity workout regime.
I've tried to document the fact that I was motivated to start my whole weight-loss/training regime after hitting a high point of 235 lbs, but I never really thought I would go so far into it that I would get into the kind of shape I'm in right now. I remember being able to run for hours when I was in High School, but I feel stronger, sharper and more in-shape than I can ever remember feeling before. I'm almost sad to see Insanity's end in sight. I finish two days before the mudder on the 27th of this month, and I'm already starting to think about restarting the whole thing. It's been intense (as the name implies), but I can honestly say it's been amazing at the same time.
I've tried to document the fact that I was motivated to start my whole weight-loss/training regime after hitting a high point of 235 lbs, but I never really thought I would go so far into it that I would get into the kind of shape I'm in right now. I remember being able to run for hours when I was in High School, but I feel stronger, sharper and more in-shape than I can ever remember feeling before. I'm almost sad to see Insanity's end in sight. I finish two days before the mudder on the 27th of this month, and I'm already starting to think about restarting the whole thing. It's been intense (as the name implies), but I can honestly say it's been amazing at the same time.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Mid-Life?
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day - a friend who has known me for a very long time - and she implied that my transformation is the result of a mid-life crisis. This made me think, because I hadn't really thought of that before. Obviously, I would guess that most people who are going through these kinds of crises don't actually do so knowingly, so it's relatively easy to imagine that I wouldn't realize that I was going through one.
Nevertheless, this was the first time that I even considered it. And if I'm honest, I can't reject the idea out of hand. Having said that, though, I have reflected on it and I'd like to believe that if any sort of "mid-life crisis" is involved it is only part of a much larger, much more complex process. The timing is right - if you buy into the idea that mid-life happens sometime around 40 - but I'd also like to believe that I have been on a lifelong mission to improve myself. I've tried to tackle every problem that I've ever had, and overcome it. And I have some pretty big accomplishments in my life - things big and small that make me proud of who I am and what I've created with my life. Also, I've always like to make people question their perceptions about who and what I am. For example, I remember working at a hotel front desk when I was much younger - while I was working on my master's degree. At the time, I was very young-looking, and I tended to grow my hair long (more out of laziness than style). I remember telling my boss that I was working on a particularly difficult paper in one of my classes, and him being surprised that I was working on a master's degree. When I asked why, he said that he knew I was smart, but didn't think I was SMART. I still recall that anecdote like it was yesterday because I remember being very happy that I was able to shock him out of his preconceived notions.
All of this is prelude to saying, I have no real idea if what I've started here is the result of a mid-life crisis or not. But, I also have come to the conclusion that I don't really care either way. After all, we have this negative perception of men going through mid-life as they cheat on their wives and buy unnecessary cars, but if that energy can be harnessed into more healthy and positive behaviors, then a mid-life "crisis" doesn't have to be a crisis at all. Instead, I'd like to think, if anything, to whatever extent it does play a role, my mid-life events are more of a mid-life adventure than a crisis.
Nevertheless, this was the first time that I even considered it. And if I'm honest, I can't reject the idea out of hand. Having said that, though, I have reflected on it and I'd like to believe that if any sort of "mid-life crisis" is involved it is only part of a much larger, much more complex process. The timing is right - if you buy into the idea that mid-life happens sometime around 40 - but I'd also like to believe that I have been on a lifelong mission to improve myself. I've tried to tackle every problem that I've ever had, and overcome it. And I have some pretty big accomplishments in my life - things big and small that make me proud of who I am and what I've created with my life. Also, I've always like to make people question their perceptions about who and what I am. For example, I remember working at a hotel front desk when I was much younger - while I was working on my master's degree. At the time, I was very young-looking, and I tended to grow my hair long (more out of laziness than style). I remember telling my boss that I was working on a particularly difficult paper in one of my classes, and him being surprised that I was working on a master's degree. When I asked why, he said that he knew I was smart, but didn't think I was SMART. I still recall that anecdote like it was yesterday because I remember being very happy that I was able to shock him out of his preconceived notions.
All of this is prelude to saying, I have no real idea if what I've started here is the result of a mid-life crisis or not. But, I also have come to the conclusion that I don't really care either way. After all, we have this negative perception of men going through mid-life as they cheat on their wives and buy unnecessary cars, but if that energy can be harnessed into more healthy and positive behaviors, then a mid-life "crisis" doesn't have to be a crisis at all. Instead, I'd like to think, if anything, to whatever extent it does play a role, my mid-life events are more of a mid-life adventure than a crisis.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Update & Reflections
Ok...it's been a while, and I thought I would take some time to chart my progress. I'm almost four week's into the Insanity workout, and it's definitely insane. Having said that, though, it's up to me to make it even more insane. After all, what I've learned is that anyone can slack their way through any workout regime, if they want to. Insanity isn't any different. It's set up to really push you, but I could slack if I wanted - no one is watching me, and I have to find the internal motivation to push myself. That brings me to my second point: my general reflections.
I started thinking about what I wanted from this process and why I was doing what I plan, and it occurred to me that I need to document less of my activities (outside of Mudder's themselves). After all, who really cares how far I ran today or how many days into the workout regime I am. All of those things are simply markers that will help me gauge my progress, but anyone who cares to read this blog probably finds that stuff tremendously boring.
I've decided that I'm going to be a bit more reflective in general, and only provide holistic details about my day to day routines.
So, what kinds of reflections am I going to make? I'd like to think that they will be more interesting, but I can't really say that for sure. The one thing that I will say is that these thoughts will try to focus more on the story of the Mudder-A-Month project and less on the drudgery (but, having said that, I will say that anyone who wishes to get healthy should be prepared to put in the drudgery work to make it happen - these things don't happen by accident).
To start this new approach, I'd like to tell a story about my brother, who was supposed to run a previous Mudder with me but hadn't recovered from a knee surgery in time. I was disappointed, of course, because I think he would really dig the physical challenge, but I understood. Once he told me that he wasn't able to make it, I started mentally thinking about how we could run the next one together. Of course, life isn't neat or tidy, and I found out that my brother wasn't going to be able to run any future races (don't worry, nothing horrible has happened to him). In order to understand why, you have to know a bit about my brother. He was a High School football star (I was a player...he was a star). Once he graduated, he started looking for a replacement for football, and found an organized rugby league, which he played into his early to mid 30's. Rugby is a beautiful and brutal sport, one that leaves permanent marks on the body. I vividly remember him coming back from a game one Saturday with a cleat mark across his face. That kind of mark fades, but the cumulative effect doesn't. When you're in your 20's, you bounce back, but when you're in your 40's it's not as easy - especially when all those cumulative effects start to catch up to you. It's left him with lots of nagging pains and several surgeries. Again, none of these, individually, are overly dramatic, but stacked on top of each other they become less of a speedbump and more of an Everest. The result is that the last time I talked with my brother he had to opt out of any future Mudders...his body just won't allow it anymore. As the saying goes, "the spirit is willing, but the body's not able".
The interesting thing for me, though, is that he seems legitimately worried about me and the effects that my workouts are having on my body. I think he's afraid that his 20's and 30's playing rugby are equivalent to my 30's and 40's workout and Mudders, and that I'll end up with similar physical issues in my 50's as he's seeing now. Obviously, I can't see the future, but I'm not sure that these things are equivalent. Rather, I think that the fact that I spent my 20's in front of a computer screen as opposed to on the rugby pitch would have had an entirely different set of physical effects, and my efforts now are attempting to combat those issues. I'm not sure that is a bad thing, but I can say that I'm trying to be smart about my approach to these issues. I try not to ignore my pains (as a 25-year-old me would have), and I tend to think that will be a benefit to my 50's rather than a detriment.
Only time will tell, though...
I started thinking about what I wanted from this process and why I was doing what I plan, and it occurred to me that I need to document less of my activities (outside of Mudder's themselves). After all, who really cares how far I ran today or how many days into the workout regime I am. All of those things are simply markers that will help me gauge my progress, but anyone who cares to read this blog probably finds that stuff tremendously boring.
I've decided that I'm going to be a bit more reflective in general, and only provide holistic details about my day to day routines.
So, what kinds of reflections am I going to make? I'd like to think that they will be more interesting, but I can't really say that for sure. The one thing that I will say is that these thoughts will try to focus more on the story of the Mudder-A-Month project and less on the drudgery (but, having said that, I will say that anyone who wishes to get healthy should be prepared to put in the drudgery work to make it happen - these things don't happen by accident).
To start this new approach, I'd like to tell a story about my brother, who was supposed to run a previous Mudder with me but hadn't recovered from a knee surgery in time. I was disappointed, of course, because I think he would really dig the physical challenge, but I understood. Once he told me that he wasn't able to make it, I started mentally thinking about how we could run the next one together. Of course, life isn't neat or tidy, and I found out that my brother wasn't going to be able to run any future races (don't worry, nothing horrible has happened to him). In order to understand why, you have to know a bit about my brother. He was a High School football star (I was a player...he was a star). Once he graduated, he started looking for a replacement for football, and found an organized rugby league, which he played into his early to mid 30's. Rugby is a beautiful and brutal sport, one that leaves permanent marks on the body. I vividly remember him coming back from a game one Saturday with a cleat mark across his face. That kind of mark fades, but the cumulative effect doesn't. When you're in your 20's, you bounce back, but when you're in your 40's it's not as easy - especially when all those cumulative effects start to catch up to you. It's left him with lots of nagging pains and several surgeries. Again, none of these, individually, are overly dramatic, but stacked on top of each other they become less of a speedbump and more of an Everest. The result is that the last time I talked with my brother he had to opt out of any future Mudders...his body just won't allow it anymore. As the saying goes, "the spirit is willing, but the body's not able".
The interesting thing for me, though, is that he seems legitimately worried about me and the effects that my workouts are having on my body. I think he's afraid that his 20's and 30's playing rugby are equivalent to my 30's and 40's workout and Mudders, and that I'll end up with similar physical issues in my 50's as he's seeing now. Obviously, I can't see the future, but I'm not sure that these things are equivalent. Rather, I think that the fact that I spent my 20's in front of a computer screen as opposed to on the rugby pitch would have had an entirely different set of physical effects, and my efforts now are attempting to combat those issues. I'm not sure that is a bad thing, but I can say that I'm trying to be smart about my approach to these issues. I try not to ignore my pains (as a 25-year-old me would have), and I tend to think that will be a benefit to my 50's rather than a detriment.
Only time will tell, though...
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