I've not been a runner by experience, as I've always trained for short, intense bursts of power, so when a couple buddies from college started twisting my arm to join a Tough Mudder obstacle race, my first thought was that it wasn't for me. But I I needed a goal to keep my training going, and my son is a big fan of American Ninja Warrior, so I figured this would be the closest I was going to get to showing him that the old man is a ninja in his own right!

They published the elevation course info a couple weeks ahead of time, so I learned that we were dealing with a 10.3 mile course, and that there were two climbs of about 1.5 miles each (one at 1.5 miles in, the other at 6.5 miles in) with slopes maxing out at 40 degrees. We managed 2170 feet of vertical gain, and the only blessing was that we weren't at altitude. That second climb was a bear. Mixed in along the 10+ miles were 20+ obstacles ranging from wades through mud puddles to wall climbs to icy baths to a field of electrified wires. We got plenty muddy. The rolling green hills of Diablo Grande State Park were beautiful at every turn. It was a total kick.

Water stations with electrolyte fuel were appropriately placed, the Mudder Village was set up to cover all our needs, with two areas for improvement that stood out. First, there wasn't enough seating around the food/entertainment area for fans and supporters. Second, there wasn't enough water pressure or shower heads to rinse all the mud off after the event. Those were minor issues, all in all. SWAG was ok I guess, with one beer, a short sleeve T (would have preferred a more premium long sleeve option), and the Mudder headband. For as much as they promote the "Mudder Legion" of repeat runners, you'd think they would go in for a little bit higher end gear to reinforce the membership feeling.

We had a great time, and I will definitely run another event later in 2014 or early in 2015.