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Tough Mudder Interview

My good friend and workout partner, Sarah Clark, recently participated in a Tough Mudder race that came to our city. While the race is fresh in her mind, I thought I’d pick her brain a little bit for an insider interview. Any of you signing up for Tough Mudders out there, listen up! This interview has some great useful tips in it.



1. So, this was your first race of any kind, which I think is really amazing. What did you think of it?

It was epic! I was so proud of my team, how we encouraged each other throughout the race and didn’t leave anyone behind. It helps to have a strong, supportive team for an event like this. People ask me, “Was it fun?” and I think I’m finally to the stage where I can admit that yes, I did have some fun.

2. Now 5ks might sound like a bit of a cakewalk to you. Do you think you’ll do any more races in the future?

It definitely got me pumped to run another race. . . Maybe a 5K next time, that’s a little easier.

3. Tell me what you did to prepare for the Tough Mudder, including gear and race-day preparations?

On race day, we taped down our laces so our shoes didn’t fall off in the mud. My team wore lightweight, moisture-wicking shirts and compression pants that would dry quickly and not weigh us down. The women wore arm bands to help protect our forearms during the obstacles that involved crawling through the mud. Of the six of us, almost everyone on the team wore gloves, which was a huge help. On my feet, I wore a pair of running shoes that had been broken in but were still in pretty good shape, and it was the best decision ever: no blisters.

4. Would you do anything differently the next time?

I definitely would work a lot more on building up my upper body strength. You need that for getting over the walls. I would also do more long-distance running. I read that to prepare for a race you should be able to run twice the distance of the race. For the Tough Mudder, that would be almost 24 miles.



5. How did you train physically for the race?

I feel like I wasn’t nearly as prepared as I should have been as far as running the distance. I did a lot of 2-3 mile runs, 2-3 days a week, which with my busy schedule, was what I could manage. The Tough Mudder also has Mudder training workouts on their web site that I printed out and powered through 3x a week with a friend (Yours Truly). Those were great workouts.


6. Tell me about some of the toughest obstacles you had to endure?

The Tough Mudder tests not only your physical strength but your mental strength as well. Physically, the climbing obstacles like Blades of Glory, Berlin Wall and Everest would have been the toughest, but the guys on my team boosted, tugged and pulled me through. Funky Monkey I knew I wouldn’t be able to do so I just jumped in the water. Mentally, the Arctic Enema and Walk the Plank were the toughest. I really didn’t think I was going to be able to make myself do them.



7. Were there any obstacles or moments that made you think that you might give up?

I never felt I wanted to give up but I was really close on taking a pass for Walk the Plank. I got up to the top, looked down into the water 30 feet below and started freaking out. I let a few people go ahead of me and looked for a way to climb back down, but the way it’s set up, they don’t make that a viable option. I concluded the only way down was to jump, so I did.



8. What obstacles or parts of the race are you most proud of accomplishing?

I’m really proud of my whole team for everything we did at the race. Before you start each obstacle, you watch the people ahead of you go through it and try to figure out a strategy. When you get through it you look back and think, “I can’t believe I just did that!” As for myself, the most sense of accomplishment was the Arctic Enema and Walk the Plank. If it wasn’t for the team urging me on, it might not have happened.

9. What was the experience of crossing the finish line like for you?

It was really emotional. The last obstacle is Electroshock Therapy and we were told to all link arms and go through it together. We marched right through, taking shocks along the way, knowing the end and a cold beer were waiting for us on the other side. As soon as we finished we screamed, “WE DID IT!” and wrapped our arms around each other. After that, I needed a nap.



10. And how did you feel afterward or several days later? Any lingering effects?

I was relived to discover only minor battle scars. There were definitely some bruises, mostly on my legs from going over the walls. My arms were the most sore, since they were the weakest. But a little bit of pain medication and rest made that dissipate in only a couple of days.

11. Was there anything about the race that was completely unexpected?

There were a lot of hay bales to jump over along the course. I knew there would be smaller obstacles, “Road hazards” I think they were called, but those were tough!

12. What kept you going? Did you repeat any mantras in your head, use any mental tricks, get encouragement from your team, or anything like that? (you mentioned the funny drill sergeants…, did they help?)

About halfway through, my legs started cramping up so I would periodically slow down and do some stretching. It almost felt better to keep running instead of walk. We definitely encouraged each other. And if the rest of the team was starting to get ahead, we’d shout words of encouragement to the stragglers. Some of us had minor injuries and had to slow down at times, but we never left a Mudder teammate behind. Because the course switched back quite a bit, we could usually hear the music playing near the start, which also helped. Some of the obstacles had drill sergeants that would bark funny comments at us to keep our spirits up.

13.  Now I know that Tough Mudders and other similar challenges can ruin your shoes and clothes (and I guess even your body). What were your damages and what did you do about them?

I was really happy about how well my gear held up. We all made sure to wear dark clothes so the mud stains would not show. Most of my team donated their shoes to the big muddy shoe pile for charity at the end of the race, but I just couldn’t let go of my favorite pair. I brought them home, hosed them off in the driveway, along with all of my muddy clothes, hauled it all to the laundromat, added some Oxyclean and detergent and my gear came out like new! The only real casualty was that my shirt got a little ripped where the race number was pinned on, but I consider that par for the course.



14. You are the graphic artist behind your fun team uniform, which I think is really neat. Could you tell me a little bit about the shirts you designed?

I went off the catchphrase “Fear the Beard”, because it sounded tough and my BIL is sporting a pretty huge beard these days. It’s the silhouette of a man with a long pointy beard that also looks like two Mudders helping each other out. My husband also grew a big beard and the ladies painted on goatees for the race. The hair was fireworks, in reference to a little incident we had on the 4th of July this year, and a headband rocked our team name The Clarktastrophe. The back of the shirt listed all of our nicknames.




15. Do you have any advice for other Tough Mudder newbies or anything that you wish you would’ve known beforehand?

Build up your endurance and your upper-body strength. Make sure if you tape your laces, secure the tape and don’t make it too tight. Most of us lost our tape midway through, and the one that I didn’t lose was wrapped so tight it injured the tendons in my foot for a few days. Remember to help out your team and fellow Mudders, and most of all have fun!



Thanks so much Sarah for sharing about your experience and offering some helpful insights. I’m so proud of you–you rocked this! I’ll see you at the gym:)



P.S. I’m so glad you explained your T-shirt design. I totally didn’t see the two Mudders helping each other out in the beard. Way cool!






Tough Mudder Interview

My good friend and workout partner, Sarah Clark, recently participated in a Tough Mudder race that came to our city. While the race is fresh in her mind, I thought I’d pick her brain a little bit for an insider interview. Any of you signing up for Tough Mudders out there, listen up! This interview has some great useful tips in it.



1. So, this was your first race of any kind, which I think is really amazing. What did you think of it?

It was epic! I was so proud of my team, how we encouraged each other throughout the race and didn’t leave anyone behind. It helps to have a strong, supportive team for an event like this. People ask me, “Was it fun?” and I think I’m finally to the stage where I can admit that yes, I did have some fun.

2. Now 5ks might sound like a bit of a cakewalk to you. Do you think you’ll do any more races in the future?

It definitely got me pumped to run another race. . . Maybe a 5K next time, that’s a little easier.

3. Tell me what you did to prepare for the Tough Mudder, including gear and race-day preparations?

On race day, we taped down our laces so our shoes didn’t fall off in the mud. My team wore lightweight, moisture-wicking shirts and compression pants that would dry quickly and not weigh us down. The women wore arm bands to help protect our forearms during the obstacles that involved crawling through the mud. Of the six of us, almost everyone on the team wore gloves, which was a huge help. On my feet, I wore a pair of running shoes that had been broken in but were still in pretty good shape, and it was the best decision ever: no blisters.

4. Would you do anything differently the next time?

I definitely would work a lot more on building up my upper body strength. You need that for getting over the walls. I would also do more long-distance running. I read that to prepare for a race you should be able to run twice the distance of the race. For the Tough Mudder, that would be almost 24 miles.



5. How did you train physically for the race?

I feel like I wasn’t nearly as prepared as I should have been as far as running the distance. I did a lot of 2-3 mile runs, 2-3 days a week, which with my busy schedule, was what I could manage. The Tough Mudder also has Mudder training workouts on their web site that I printed out and powered through 3x a week with a friend (Yours Truly). Those were great workouts.

6. Tell me about some of the toughest obstacles you had to endure?

The Tough Mudder tests not only your physical strength but your mental strength as well. Physically, the climbing obstacles like Blades of Glory, Berlin Wall and Everest would have been the toughest, but the guys on my team boosted, tugged and pulled me through. Funky Monkey I knew I wouldn’t be able to do so I just jumped in the water. Mentally, the Arctic Enema and Walk the Plank were the toughest. I really didn’t think I was going to be able to make myself do them.



7. Were there any obstacles or moments that made you think that you might give up?

I never felt I wanted to give up but I was really close on taking a pass for Walk the Plank. I got up to the top, looked down into the water 30 feet below and started freaking out. I let a few people go ahead of me and looked for a way to climb back down, but the way it’s set up, they don’t make that a viable option. I concluded the only way down was to jump, so I did.



8. What obstacles or parts of the race are you most proud of accomplishing?

I’m really proud of my whole team for everything we did at the race. Before you start each obstacle, you watch the people ahead of you go through it and try to figure out a strategy. When you get through it you look back and think, “I can’t believe I just did that!” As for myself, the most sense of accomplishment was the Arctic Enema and Walk the Plank. If it wasn’t for the team urging me on, it might not have happened.

9. What was the experience of crossing the finish line like for you?

It was really emotional. The last obstacle is Electroshock Therapy and we were told to all link arms and go through it together. We marched right through, taking shocks along the way, knowing the end and a cold beer were waiting for us on the other side. As soon as we finished we screamed, “WE DID IT!” and wrapped our arms around each other. After that, I needed a nap.



10. And how did you feel afterward or several days later? Any lingering effects?

I was relived to discover only minor battle scars. There were definitely some bruises, mostly on my legs from going over the walls. My arms were the most sore, since they were the weakest. But a little bit of pain medication and rest made that dissipate in only a couple of days.

11. Was there anything about the race that was completely unexpected?

There were a lot of hay bales to jump over along the course. I knew there would be smaller obstacles, “Road hazards” I think they were called, but those were tough!

12. What kept you going? Did you repeat any mantras in your head, use any mental tricks, get encouragement from your team, or anything like that? (you mentioned the funny drill sergeants…, did they help?)

About halfway through, my legs started cramping up so I would periodically slow down and do some stretching. It almost felt better to keep running instead of walk. We definitely encouraged each other. And if the rest of the team was starting to get ahead, we’d shout words of encouragement to the stragglers. Some of us had minor injuries and had to slow down at times, but we never left a Mudder teammate behind. Because the course switched back quite a bit, we could usually hear the music playing near the start, which also helped. Some of the obstacles had drill sergeants that would bark funny comments at us to keep our spirits up.

13.  Now I know that Tough Mudders and other similar challenges can ruin your shoes and clothes (and I guess even your body). What were your damages and what did you do about them?

I was really happy about how well my gear held up. We all made sure to wear dark clothes so the mud stains would not show. Most of my team donated their shoes to the big muddy shoe pile for charity at the end of the race, but I just couldn’t let go of my favorite pair. I brought them home, hosed them off in the driveway, along with all of my muddy clothes, hauled it all to the laundromat, added some Oxyclean and detergent and my gear came out like new! The only real casualty was that my shirt got a little ripped where the race number was pinned on, but I consider that par for the course.



14. You are the graphic artist behind your fun team uniform, which I think is really neat. Could you tell me a little bit about the shirts you designed?

I went off the catchphrase “Fear the Beard”, because it sounded tough and my BIL is sporting a pretty huge beard these days. It’s the silhouette of a man with a long pointy beard that also looks like two Mudders helping each other out. My husband also grew a big beard and the ladies painted on goatees for the race. The hair was fireworks, in reference to a little incident we had on the 4th of July this year, and a headband rocked our team name The Clarktastrophe. The back of the shirt listed all of our nicknames.




15. Do you have any advice for other Tough Mudder newbies or anything that you wish you would’ve known beforehand?

Build up your endurance and your upper-body strength. Make sure if you tape your laces, secure the tape and don’t make it too tight. Most of us lost our tape midway through, and the one that I didn’t lose was wrapped so tight it injured the tendons in my foot for a few days. Remember to help out your team and fellow Mudders, and most of all have fun!



Thanks so much Sarah for sharing about your experience and offering some helpful insights. I’m so proud of you–you rocked this! I’ll see you at the gym:)



P.S. I’m so glad you explained your T-shirt design. I totally didn’t see the two Mudders helping each other out in the beard. Way cool!





Boun-sing Back!

I had a short little hiatus here from work and blogging, but I’m so glad to be back. Just a few weeks more and I’ll be taking another one for Christmas. I have encountered a surge of ideas this Monday morning after my little “refresher,” which makes every bit of the break sooooo worth it!

This past week I have enjoyed:

1. Making a new Christmas wreath and matching garland (ideas and images coming soon).
2. Thrift shopping for longer than is considered reasonable.
3. Beginning a new exciting project involving old hard covered books, picked up at said thrift store.
4. Staying at a friend’s parent’s house while my husband hunted deer. After finding three deer, our chest freezer is now fully stocked.
5. Making new friends, adult and tot-sized.
6. Feeling genuinely thankful for our home and family, Thanksgiving or not.
7. Putting lots of thought into Christmas gifts, and checking a few names off.
8. Planning Christmas decorations and traditions (daily readings with hot cocoa, Christmas movies, cutting a tree, etc).
9. Working out extra hard and coming out on the other side of the holiday 1lb lighter.
10. Going to a neat indie craft fair and soaking up the art inspiration and holiday excitement.

How was your week?

DIY Baby Milestone Book

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Two of my dearest friends recently brought brand new additions into their homes. For their baby showers, I designed two little books for each of them. One was a baby milestone book and the other was a letter-a-year book. I think it’s much too difficult to keep up with baby milestones in a big scrapbook or other complicated way, especially with the culture shock that a new baby adds to daily life. To make it easy for them, I made one page for each month, printed with journal lines for a quick jot. Even the most harried mommies amongst us can handle that, right? That is, if we remember…

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The back of the book had a few pages to reminisce about other things, such as “Our Favorite Lullabies” and “Our Family Tree.” I also included a little envelope for the first lock of hair.

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The second book was designed with one pocket for each of the child’s birthdays through age 18. And each pocket was furnished with one sheet of writing paper. The idea is to write a quick note to your child on each birthday about what the past year meant to you and to let your heart out. Then, when they’re old enough to appreciate it, you can share the stack of letters with them. I do this every year for my son, and I thought I would share this wonderful tradition with my good friends and blog readers.

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For each, I bought a stack of baby-themed cardstock from Hobby Lobby. I punched a hole in the corner of each sheet and strung them through a binder clip. The stamped words throughout were made from a small set of letter stampers. I embellished the pages with a few baby-themed stickers and other ephemera, but I wanted to keep it fairly simple. I just can’t wait to see what the ladies do with them!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday to Me

I hosted a wine and cheese party for some of my favorite people last Saturday. I’ve mentioned this idea before, but I finally put it together and did it and enjoyed every minute. We had quite the spread of cheeses, a tub full of wine bottles, and a choice assortment of dried fruit, figs, olives, chocolates, crackers and nuts.

My grandma recently bestowed me with my great-grandmother’s china, and I couldn’t have been any giddier to showcase it and put it to good use. My great-grandma bought the set for herself while she worked outside the home for a short time. You see, my great-grandparents owned a farm and didn’t have a lot of money left over after getting the necessities for frivolity. So, it just makes me feel all tingly knowing she did this one nice thing just for herself.

We also broke out our Tiffany candle holders that have been protectively wrapped up in tissue inside the familiar blue box. These were a wedding gift from almost five years ago that I am always afraid to bring/leave out. We joke that they’re some of the only refined things we own, aside from the china now.

I put up a fun tinsel/streamer wall with a set of props and charades-like cards for picture-taking. With a little encouragement, almost everyone got their mugs captured. Even my husband tried his best Rockette’s pose. Oh boy!

We watched a comedy collection of four Independent Films and rated Best Picture, Best Performance, and Best Original Story. We chatted. We broke out the Wii. And a few of us went out to a lounge afterwards to catch a cover band, featuring a friend of one of the girls.

I am truly honored and grateful to have such wonderful friends. Sometimes, winter seems to turn us into such impersonal, stagnant beings. We only see our neighbors if we both happen to be outside shovelling at the same time. Everyone’s hibernating in their own homes, there’s not a whole lot to do, and we can start to feel quite bored and lonely. This party sure broke up some of the winter doldrums and made my heart feel all warm. I think I might start a new tradition and try this again, once every year.

The Party’s at My House

I think I was reading someone else’s blog entry about having a wine and cheese party that got me thinking about having a girls’ night sometime soon myself. Something to replenish those bonds and give us girls something to talk about. Ok, I was just looking for any excuse to get all the girlies I adore the most together. And banish awkward silences.

Then, something about indie film screening came into my inbox not two seconds later like surrendipity.

A few days later, this fantastic party favor idea (including wine party favor options) graced my inbox.

And there you have it: fate has arranged a fully-planned party for me. How does New Year’s Eve sound?

Seinfeld Syndrome

Sometimes I wish I could implement the dynamics of the Seinfeld cast to my own friendships to create a wide open-door policy. I mean, Elaine, George and Kramer can show up unannounced and talk about anything (or nothing). And even their most detrimental idiosyncrasies do not demolish their friendships. They accept each others’ ticks, make plans to hang out without any hassles, and feel completely comfortable in one another’s company. This is sort of comparable to the Friends cast. Sure there are tiffs about stolen girlfriends and lost bets, but you only need to walk into the next room or across the hall to find one of the greatest sources of love: your friends.

I know, I know. It’s just TV. But there is something to be said about that open-door policy. I feel a little ripped off when I can’t visit a friend due to the state of her living room or a conflict of naptime schedules. And I feel a little lonely when I tell friends that my door is open and they never take me up on it. No really, my door is wide open. I thrive on unexpected visits.

People in Passing

Sometimes people you meet only once have a profound effect on you. Perhaps it’s because you don’t have enough time to find out about their nuances, idiosyncrasies or other challenges. Sometimes those moments are better left that way, without complication, with one day planted in perfection in your mind.

There was a boy in college who took a friend and me on a canoe ride. It was perfect weather and my friend and I were even dressed up a little in flowy skirts. (One fisherman laughed and asked us if we were going to prom, but we weren’t THAT dressed up). The boy educated us about a few flowers and animals. He obliged to our whims, allowing us to “just float” for awhile, as we took pictures of reflections, Lily pads and other flora and fauna. We stopped to put our feet in the water in this little knee-deep inlet where we thought we spotting mink swimming and took more pictures.

I have never seen this boy since then and probably never will. But this happens to be one of the most poignant memories I have of enjoying pristine nature with some of the best company I’ve ever had.

There was also the man at the Kilgore Oil Museum. This man was the most friendly docent I have ever met. He had shimmering eyes and smiled warmly at me, a little non-descript 10-year-old visitor. After talking with us a little bit, he bent down and handed me a hand-carved (by him) reindeer with little eyes and a red pom-pom nose. To this day, I bring out the little reindeer to put alongside the nativity scene and remember that man who became the highlight of my experience in Texas.