I did a few things right and a few things very wrong when I ran Tough Mudder. Hopefully someone can learn from my experience.
Gear:
- Wear gloves. While gloves would not have fully prevented the injury on my left hand, they would have kept my right hand from getting so scratched up.
- Wear pants. My knees are scratched and bruised, but would have been twenty times worse if I had worn shorts.
- Wear clothing that will dry quickly. You're sweating and constantly hopping in and out of water and mud pits - a cotton t-shirt isn't going to cut it.
- Wear shoes and clothing you won't be sad about ruining. My shirt, shoes, and socks went straight in to a trash can.
- Duct tape your shoes. A loop or two around your foot will ensure that your shoes stay on even in the thickest, gloppiest mud.
- Duct tape your shirt where you pin your bib on. I ended up with sizable (tack-head to dime sized) holes in my shirt where my bib was safety pinned. Had I put duct tape on my shirt, it would have prevented the safety pins from pulling as my bib got weighed down with mud.
Before, During, and After:
- Get there early. Get there early. Get there early. Traffic was horrible and it took multiple hours to park. We planned on getting to the course three hours early, so we were able to start on time despite the delays.
- Run with a team. You can't tackle all of the obstacles alone.
- Don't count on being able to shower there. The showers weren't working after we finished, so we were glad we had plenty of shower wipes, clean (and dry) clothes, beach towels to sit on, and garbage bags for our dirty clothes.
Most Importantly:
- Have fun! It won't be easy, but it'll be a good time.
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