Greetings all!
I’ve been holding this post for awhile, but I think it’s time to run it! Mud races are so popular this time of year and Aaron (my husband) keeps urging me to sign up for a Spartan Obstacle race with him… I have to admit, I’m a bit apprehensive! I had no idea what to expect at my first mud run (last year) and I remember going into shock within the first few minutes. From the the dirt roads to the dangerously slippery obstacles, I was like, Holy Crap! This is HARD!
Almost immediately, I also realized I needed to be careful. The hills were steep and the trenches were MUDDY, which makes sense, cause it is a mud run, but there’s no doubt courses like this breed injuries. Now that I’ve done it, I think I would do it again, but with these tips in mind!
The Mudfactor Run in Maryland, 2012
1. Mentally prepare: a mud run is more than just running– I thought the obstacles would be before or after the running part. Wrong. The obstacles are throughout. At an event like this, you’re going to do a lot more than just run! You’ll be jumping, climbing, and crawling!
2. It’s unpaved. It’s hilly- If you’ve never run on an unpaved road, you might want to test the waters before you run a race like this. All of the running is either in the woods, on dirt and through trees (and stumps coming out of the ground) or through muddy hills.
3. One for All, All for One- One of the best parts of the race was helping people over the rope climb and slanted walls. Lending a hand for your fellow runner!
4. Dirty doesn’t describe it- Wear sneakers you’re prepared to throw out afterward.
5. Easy does it- This is actually not a race at all. Take the approach, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The point is to finish. TAKE YOUR TIME. If you don’t, there’s a good chance you’ll get injured. This is especially true for obstacles. When you get to the peak of the walls and ropes, be careful climbing to the other side.
Have you ever done a mud run or been interested in doing one?
What do you wear?! Just something you can throw out after?
[…] has talked about Spartan races for awhile and having done a Tough Mudder, I thought I knew just what they were; wrong! The Spartan races are a lot more difficult and the […]