Tough Mudder Tips & Advice

So it looks like the North West Tough Mudder is back for 2013 , I did it last year, so naturally in internet land that makes me an expert?

Either way, here are my top tips for a fast time:

1) Run - I spent most of the day overtaking people who were walking. If you want a fast time, run.

2) Have a top team - The course is impossible on your own as you need leg ups on a number of the obstacles. Have a small team who all want to run. ( my team got me over the Quarter Pipe, without them I'd still be there )

3) Wear gloves - Ignore the rubbish on other forums, by all means take them off for the monkey bars bit, but for all the muddy rubbish they will make you go faster ( as you wont be worrying about protecting you delicate skin )

4) Get an early slot - If you run you will overtake most people in your wave, you will loose time when you queue for obstacles. Get an early wave and avoid the queues.

5) Ignore the American Cheer Leading crap - It's not the Toughest Event on the planet. It's a good muddy run with mates.

Oh and it helps if you can run 12 miles on the flat before the event!

BTW: I did it in around 2hrs 20 mins. Given similar conditions and a bit more training,  a time under 2 hours is very possible ( though would need to get my sorry ass over that Quarter Pipe in one go! ). I read somewhere that the average Tough Mudder time is 4hrs?? If you do it anywhere near this time, hold you head in shame.

Training Can Now Begin..

I should have got this years ago. Just check out the gut busting track listing...

1. Gonna Fly Now- Bill Conti
2. Eye Of The Tiger- Survivor
3. Going The Distance- Bill Conti
4. Living In America- James Brown
5. Redemption- Bill Conti
6. Conquest- Bill Conti
7. Burning Heart- Survivor
8. Alone In the Ring- Bill Conti
9. Overture- Bill Conti
10. Mickey- Bill Conti
11. Hearts On Fire- John Cafferty
12. Rocky's Reward- Bill Conti
13. Adrian- Bill Conti
14. No Easy Way Out- John Tepper
15. Fanfare For Rocky- Bill Conti
16. It's A Fight- Three 6 Mafia
17. Gonna Fly Now (Remix)- Bill Conti (remix by John X ) Now to get my sweat on.

The Right Trousers

Back in 1993 the mighty Aardman Animations premiered their award winning Wallace & Grommit flick called 'The Wrong Trousers'. At this point I think I was still buying my bad fitting jeans from the Madhouse shop in Harrow Town Centre. Roll forward the clock and a few years later and I found myself 'studying' in the North West and searching for a new pair of slacks after killing a nice pair loading up kayaks on to a Metro covered in black tar/filler/paint stuff ( Yes Mr Clarkson that was your car ).

It all goes a bit fuzzy,( I blame the cheap SU bar ), but I think I got these trousers in the Rock & Run store in Castlefields,or it might have been Cotswold Rock Bottom on Oxford Road? Either way they were on a deal and they were called 'Base Camp Trousers' by The North Face ( who have never been able to better their early 90's 'Mountain Jacket' ). So that makes these trousers over 10 years old ( argggghhhhhh ).

They have seen plenty of action, even some glue marks from fitting out a kayak by the 'sit in the seat whilst you glue in the padding' technique, but they are still going strong.

However, they have a feature none of my other trousers have, elasticated ankles ( keeps the dust out in deserts and all that ). I didn't think much of this until I put them back on again yesterday for some DIY duties.

With that innocuous, but tactile action, memories of putting them on in the dark, in the wet, in surf beach car parks, in the snow, in various tents I have owned over the years. Putting them on quickly by the side of the Afon Conwy in North Wales trying not to flash the locals and putting them on as solely comfort pants came flooding back. So whilst Wallace had his adventures in the Wrong pair, I think with these I got it Right.

Yes I did just right a blog post about a pair of trousers, but you read it.

Avoiding the Gym

Marathon training commences, 5 of each should be possible in the front room right?