My Trip from Couch to Tough Mudder: Week 1

The Story: I challenged a marathon runner to do Tough Mudder next year. There is more to the story but the end result is pretty obvious. My options were: #1 not do it and let him gloat for an unknown period of time, or #2 actually sign up for it and suffer the consequences. I signed up.

What is Tough Mudder? This video says it better than I ever could, but basically it's a 10-12 mile endurance event built around obstacle courses.

Why am I doing Tough Mudder? I have been trying to get in shape for a while, but what better way to push myself than to sign up for a non-refundable, completely insane obstacle course six months from now? Why not?

The Facts (as I know them): 

• I am not a runner. This is bad, because it is recommended that to compete for this, you should be accustomed to running five or so miles twice a week. I can walk that much, but that's as far as it gets.
• I am only marginally in shape. I've been working on exercising several times a week for about two months now, but it's mostly light cardio and very little muscle building.
• I smoke and drink and eat too much. This may hinder progress.
• I am completely terrified.

The Plan: I'm going to start with the Couch to 5k program (hey, baby steps, right?!?) which you are supposed to do three times a week for nine weeks. During this I will try to exercise another two times a week, slowly adding in muscle building. Once C25K is over, I'll then attempt to increase my distances with running and adding in the Tough Mudder training program.

This Week’s progress:

• Day 1: Everything started out great. I got off work early and was able to get started while the weather was glorious. The problem started when the running began: my knees HURT. On top of this I am trying to count the number of seconds I am running/walking and for some reason I can’t do this in my head. I’m pretty sure everyone who saw me on the  thought I was crazy pants.
• Day 2: Off day
• Day 3: Major improvement! I isolated the pain problem to extra inserts in my sneakers. Once those were out there was no more agony. I couldn’t believe it, I was actually RUNNING! Granted it was only for 60 seconds at a time, but still. Me! Running! Up hills! I downloaded an iPhone app that tells you when to run/walk, so no more crazy out loud counting. After I was done I did a fifteen minute stretch I got with my Slim in 6 DVD program (a great set of home workout videos). I know stretching is extremely important, but as a bonus I felt like a bowl of Jell-o when I was done (good thing).
• Day 4: time! I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical to give my legs a break (ha!). I also had a chat with Kevin (the owner), who did Tough Mudder last year. He’s going to give me some tips (yay!).
• Day 5: Fit Club @ the . We did Hip Hop Abs EXTREME which was a ton of fun :) Nothing better than working out with friends!
• Day 6: C25k Week 1 Day 3. Bad news. Pain is back :( I finished but it was tough. I’ve made an appointment with a sports medicine doctor at OAA next week to see what is going on. I can tell that it is not a normal sore pain, and I don’t want to injure myself further. It’ll be low-impact exercises until then.
• Day 7: Off day. Went to the grocery store and loaded up on delicious and healthy foods. I always want to forget that exercise is only half the battle, but now I’m really in the mood to try and get healthier all around.

Week 1 is done, and it was easier than I thought it would be! Even with the pain I was feeling, I haven’t felt so energized and healthy in a long time. If you want a more detailed look at what I’m doing every day, please check out my blog at http://couch2toughmudder.blogspot.com. Thanks to everyone this week who has given me the support and motivation I need to get this started. You guys rock!