This year, I participated in my first Tough Mudder race with 11 other coworkers. I've been running races for a few years now but wanted to see what all the fuss was about the Tough Mudder.

I carpooled with a few teammates to Coatesville on a VERY CHILLY Sunday morning. The signs were easy to follow and we made our way to the parking lot. Our start time was at 10 am so we were one of the last corrals.

Checking in was easy (I forgot my ticket, oops!) and it was cool to see all of the military support as we waited to warm up for the big event. Everyone was hyped up and in a great mood. Thankfully the sunshine made the chilly weather (low 40's) not so bad at times.

The course itself was pretty tough, with some obstacles a LOT harder than others...but the great thing about Tough Mudder is that it is a team effort. Our team was huge, so we always helped each other and stayed together the whole way. But we also helped other people climb over walls, and various mud pits, and vice-versa. It was refreshing to have a team spirit, which you don't really find when running a typical road race.

Long story short, the race was 10.1 miles long. If you didn't want to do an obstacle, you could skip it with no penalty. I skipped a few that involved water towards the end since it was so cold. But I did NOT skip Arctic Enema...phew! There were also buses along the course where you could warm up, which was much appreciated.

You only had to run a mile or two, tops between obstacles...the running wasn't bad at all. There were some VERY steep hills, and some pretty awesome trail running in the forest, but I think it wasn't too challenging for people who don't run all the time - you could always walk. Some people did get muscle cramps on the course, which was pretty scary.

The Electroshock Therapy is the last obstacle before the finish...and it's TOUGH! But just keep moving quickly and before you know it, you're a tough mudder! You get a headband for finishing (when you're a repeat mudder, you get different headbands), and a finisher T-shirt. This year the shirts were cotton, NOT UnderArmor, which definitely felt like a rip-off.

Everything was organized well, I got my free Shock Top Beer, but they nickel and dime you for everything! $10 bag drop, $15 (or more) for parking, $20 to spectate...and I paid $175 for registration in July for an event in October. Crazy.

I would definitely do a Tough Mudder again in the future because it was a lot of fun to just go for it and challenge yourself, but I'm in no hurry. I think I'd like to try the Spartan...that seems to be a lot more challenging. I'm just glad I didn't get hurt along the way!