Tough Mudder August 2015

I completed my second Tough Mudder on Sunday the 2nd of the August 2015 and this time I brought my friend Irene along for the ride! Although I pestered other friends and family all year long to commit to to getting involved Irene was the only one who put her money where her mouth is and she gets out of breath just thinking about running for a bus then has to have a cigarette to get over the stress of it all!

And so we began training! We did a mixture of cardio, body weight training and resistance work, gradually building up the distances we ran and intensity as Irene became fitter, seen as Tough Mudder is all about team work I had to make our workout outs work for her fitness when it came to the cardio but could really focus increasing both of our strength levels.

On the day of the event I had had a terrible nights sleep and was coming down with a bug that have been so kindly gifted to me by my house mate's girlfriend! Not a great way to start the day you have to run 17km all while getting soaked in water, electrocuted, frozen and of course being caked in mud!
But hey ho! A couple of litres of coconut water, some porridge, some caffeine and the adrenaline from what we were about to under take was all that I needed to be ready to rock this mother!

After having a little wonder around the mudder village we heading to the warm up area, so off came my tee shirt! I had learnt from the year before that the less your wear the better as needless clothing just absorbs, holds and refuses to dry the cold and muddy water you collect during the course.

The obstacles of note were of course Arctic Enema which you now have to go down a slide to enter the frozen water and promptly go into shock like me and Irene both did then had some man trying to force to swim under the tire barrier that had been created well before we had recover.

King of the swingers is a game of wills between you and your basic instinct not to throw yourself into the air onto a swing in an attempt to hit a bell then plummet into the cold water below, with myself having an aversion to heights and Irene having issues with water I am really proud that we both took this on, even if Irene had to be rescued!

Funky Monkey is a set of monkey bars on steroids! First you have traditional bars then have to transition on to a trapeze swing and then on to a single tube, I thankfully completed them without a dip in the drink below, Irene worried about the added height above the water chose to jump in and enjoy the swim!

Finish lines 2014 - 2015

After waiting since last year to do the more high profile obstacles on the Legionnaires Loop I have to say I was bitterly disappointed that all that was added was a another set of monkey bars with a slight twist which by passed the electroshock therapy, not great when Tough Mudder advertise fire and water slides.


All in though I would fully recommend anyone of any shape or size to give Tough Mudder a go, if you are not feeling confident find out if anyone you know is doing one and go as a spectator to get a feel for it, if it's the cash you are worried about you can always volunteer for a huge discount!

My progess August 2015

I completed my second Tough Mudder at Skipton in Yorkshire on the 2nd of August 2015 and used this event as my dead line to lower my body so I could improve on my performance on last year and of course to look good in the photos!

For the purpose of my blog I attempted this in the laziest way possible to show my readers that to make a change in your body you don't need to let food and exercise rule your life, although if I had prescribed to a more disciplined attitude in the kitchen I would of have much reduced my body fat much further.

 No endless meal prep and no strict diet, I just made a conscious decision to eat better and coupled it with a training plan of my own design to get ready for the 12 mile mud run I had signed up for! 

My meals were all quite simple recipes and would like to say I stayed away from every cake and take away that came my way but I didn't!

Modern life you are bombards us with temptation and to deny yourself every treat and vice for the rest of your life would be a boring existence in my indeed.

 You may be walking around with the physique of Greek god but your face would be doling out the stink eye to anyone who dared eat a jaffa cake in your presence!

 I would say on the whole I ate "healthy" 6 nights most weeks but fell off the waggon a few times when Birthdays cropped up or when I was generally stressed I managed to transform cheat meals into cheat weeks! 

I quit the gym I was working in and bought some kettlebells and got myself outside more, taking advantage of Yorkshires hills, scenery and temperamental weather.

Luckily for me I was also training my team mate Irene for her first mud run which also helped me stay motivated.

 If you feel self conscious about hitting the gym or going for a run then get a friend roped in or hire a personal trainer if your pals are fitnessphobes.

Although I am not completely happy with my results, I don't know many people who ever are, I am glad I gave it a go and hopefully showed that by calorie counting, making better choices when it comes to what you eat (the majority of the time) and exercising regularly you can have a marked improvement in your body and  your  confidence.