The Dirty Secrets
Paperwork: Print out your ticket, and bring it with you. The event staff may be able to 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. That way it won't slow down your group or cause you to lose sight of members.
Get your race bib. That’s the sheet of tyvek/plasticky paper 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. If you are unprepared, you may find yourself in the 22% of Tough Mudder attendees that don't finish the course. If you're doing a Spartan, you may find yourself doing a lot of Burpees....30 at a time for each obstacle that you do not successfully complete.
Distance: 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.
A note on the electric shock obstacles................ read more here.
