I know what you’re thinking: a 10.3-mile obstacle course, an ice water plunge, a mild form of tear gas and a mad dash through 10,000-volt dangling wires? Not for me. On race day, I was thinking the exact same thing.
Those obstacle s sounded well and good 10 months ago when I signed up, but staring down Electroshock Therapy, the last event before the finish line, I was petrified. Three hours later, I was elated.
The man in charge of leading pre-race warmups took the liberty of pointing me out in the crowd. “This girl here, she’s nervous,” he said. “I can see her shaking.” He was right.
On the eve of my Tough Mudder I watched videos to prepare myself — big mistake.
Tough Mudder’s promos are designed to make the obstacles look tougher than ?they are.
To me, they looked impossible. I’m approximately 120 pounds. I go to the gym once a week. So yeah, I was ?nervous.
I turned to my boyfriend, who was running his second Tough Mudder and responsible for wrangling me into my first. “I can’t do this,” I said.
Two miles in, the idea for this column had already formed: everyone should ?do this.
Everyone should push themselves to try the impossible. You’ll find “impossible” is only an excuse to not face your fear. And that fear is not only possible to face, ?it’s conquerable.
So being dirty isn’t your thing. Go sky diving, get your nose pierced, take the job for which you’re underqualified. Find your Tough Mudder — whatever it is.
For those ready to challenge the impossibilities in life, it just so happens that Tough Mudder is a great place to start. By completing a Tough Mudder, you’ll learn you’re stronger than you ever imagined — both mentally ?and physically
By the way, take as long as you like to free yourself of those fears. The race isn’t timed, so not only is walking OK, it’s the mode, and every obstacle is skippable if it makes you too uncomfortable. But they’re all worth ?trying.
If testing all the obstacles is your endeavor, you’ll need help — even the strongest Mudder cannot complete every obstacle on his own. You have to rely on your fellow Mudders, which means you have a support system the whole way through. Tough Mudder’s motto is “No Mudder left behind” — except for maybe her shoe.
At the starting line, the emcee told everyone in the crowd take a knee. “No one can do better than your best,” he said. “But your best will make ?you better.”
During my Tough Mudder, I got dirtier than I’ve been in my entire life. I tried every obstacle, including the ones I thought were “impossible.” I even carried my 180-pound boyfriend on my back.
My body was also fatigued, bruised and scraped — but it was worth it. Because I gave my best through 10.3 miles of mud and obstacles, and I came out better on the ?other side.
vziege@indiana.edu
