The Dirty Secrets
Paperwork: Print out your ticket. They can scan it off of your phone, but then you need to pay the event to store your phone, and they can be rough with them...that’s how my screen got cracked. Or you will need to run your phone back to your vehicle.
If you can, fill out all of the waivers ahead of time and bring them with you. Print out and pack a few extras in the car and bring a pen. Anyone that forgot can get caught up on the way to the event.
Get your race bib. That’s the sheet of tyvek/plasticky material with your race/event ID number printed on it. The event will provide safety pins...use at least 4 (one in each corner), and affix this to your chest or belly. You want to clearly display this, because you will locate your event photos by your bib #, and that only works if your number shows up in your pictures.
Hurry up and wait: Make your way to the staging area and mill around with your fellow athletes until it is time to hit the course. This is a good time for one last nervous restroom break. Check your shoes…loosen up…stretch...get psyched up!
Go time: It’s going to suck a little...it’s supposed to suck a little. The creators of the courses design them to be challenging but also to be achievable by regular people. If you are in amazing shape and do a lot of running, it will probably be easier. If you do the work, then it’s going to be far easier for you.
The longer courses like the Spartan Races and Tough Mudders are in the 10 mile range, and 10 miles is a lot of ground to cover. The courses are as hilly as local features permit, so you will be doing a lot of hill running. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you make up for the uphill run on the downhill side. Running downhill is hard work, because you will be riding the brakes the whole way down. This program contains a lot of running and stairs work. If you do the work, you will do better on the course. Better to suffer with me than suffer at the event.
Obstacles: The obstacles are a nice way to punctuate the run so that you aren’t just grinding out a trail run with wet, muddy shoes. Generally obstacles show up at least once every mile, and they tend to have a bit of traffic. That will allow your crew to regroup and you to catch your breath. You’ll be running, crawling, jumping, climbing, wading, swinging, and other fun stuff. Have fun with these. You’re going to crawl a lot--the barbed wire is real and real sharp, and it will require that you stay low. You will appreciate all of the planks, pushups, and bear crawls.
Electric Shocks: A note on the electric shock obstacles. Personally, I achieved zero satisfaction from getting shocked a lot. It hurts…that’s it. There’s truly no shame in walking around one of these. If you want to try it and go hardcore, decide to stay upright and hustle through. If you want to avoid getting shocked a lot, then watch the person in front of you, and avoid the hot wires...not all of the wires are electrified. Here’s a video of me getting shocked...a lot. I’m the guy that walks slowly through most of the obstacle. It’s not all that scary, so don’t psych yourself out. If you want to get it out of your system, do it proudly.don’t fall--don’t crawl.
Deep Water Pools: If you are not a good swimmer...do not try the obstacles that drop you into deep water. Also, if you are wearing a head mounted camera, you will want to take it off/hand it off before you submerge yourself. The camera may be waterproof, but it may come off of in the water...I speak from experience.
Pro Tip: The first sequence on your camera should be members of your crew with your bib numbers clearly displayed. If you lose the camera, and the event staff recover it, this will make it easy to get it back to you. You can also put your contact info inside the waterproof case.
Discomfort: You are going to get really, really dirty...embrace that. You will probably be extracting dirt from your ears and nose for a few days after the event.
You are going to walk away with some fresh nicks and bruises. That’s actually sort of cool..you’ll discover those things hours later and wonder how they happened. It’s pretty amazing how your brain shuts down minor pain signals when your body is on a mission.
