Tough Mudder Tacking another one on the bucket list, Tough Mudder was something that haunted me. I knew I had to do it sooner than later, and after signing up, well that seemed to make it official that 2014 was going to be the year I would do it.I started training with the P90 program and after the first 3 push ups on the first day I felt like I was going to puke. Apparently I was way more out of shape then I thought I was.

But I persevered and stuck to my program, and I’m not going to lie, the one week rest break was where I really excelled (I’m a rock star at sleeping in). But p90 is perfect for me, it’s a strength based program with a balance of cardio, core and strength training, and after a couple months I was seeing results.

The reality of time passing by though was that that meant the event was getting closer. I started training harder and harder, to the point that I was over training and my body was starting to feel the effects. Anxiety of what I had signed up for started to sneak in, and one day I was completely overwhelmed and fell apart.

My friends were great supporters, reminding me that I was the type of girl who did these things. My team mates cheered me on knowing that I was physically able to do this. But what about the mental challenge? Was I going to be tough enough to do this? How hard, was “hard” going to be? What if I couldn’t keep up? What if I didn’t finish? What if I hurt myself? What if, What if? What if?

My Dad, in his old, wise self, asked me what I was nervous for. Why was I giving an event, something that I had trained so hard for, so much mental space. He asked me if I had trained… the answer was yes. Was I on a team that was physically on par with me? Absolutely. He reminded me that, as with anything, proper preparation prevents poor performance. I had done everything I could to prepare, now I just needed to go for the experience.

So I stuck through it and made it to the event. I’m not going to lie, my anxiety took over the night before which led me to be very sick. This also meant I hit the start line on no food within the prior 24 hours, which didn’t necessarily set me up for peak performance.

But it didn’t matter. I had a great team of supportive girls. And you know what… we did it! I was strong enough. Fast enough. I completed every obstacle, and enjoyed every moment. It was great. I HAD FUN!And while I don’t know if I’ll do TM again this year, I do have my eyes set on my next adventure race. Perhaps The Ski to Sea or MOMAR. They would be bigger, technical races, but what the heck. With proper preparation I can do it! Who’s with me?