Tough Mudder 2.0 – In My Eyes

You'll see me in the bottom left hand corner then moving towards the right you'll see Justin Zeuiderweg., Kim Yoxall, Ron Kennedy-Klein, and Carlo Piscitello. The man in the center was sending us off to destroy that course!

I’ve been here for a bit now deciding on how to approach talking about this Tough Mudder Temecula experience. It was AMAZING for starters, and there sure was a lot that happened sandwiched in between a 48 hour period. With all of these new memories still getting digested, it’s hard not to do a little cross comparison between Temecula and Tahoe. What makes it especially hard is that’s the biggest question I get when asked about Temecula by those who went to Tahoe but didn’t go to Temecula.

Let me tell you… it was its own separate beast…

The Tough Mudder Pledge has been recited and we are good for take off!

For starters, the last time around in Tahoe we made the drive in good time, got there VERY early, set up shop at The Larsen’s cabin, and rocked some family style dinner before TRYING to get some sleep a midst the nerves and excitement.

THIS time around however, was a different story on MY end. Most everybody got to Temecula on Friday and spent the day on Saturday either participating in the first day of Tough Mudder, spectating, or preparing for their day on Sunday. ME? Well, I had some Hulking out to do… 2 boot camps on Saturday to be exact! Short story shorter, I rocked the 2 boot camps, got a 1pm start time for hitting the road with the Unicorn, and made it in to Temecula around 9:30pm. Just enough time to get a bite to eat and sleep on the floor of Megan Gill’s hotel room (thanks for the floor space guys!) and wake up at 5am to prepare for the massacre about to take place…

PS if you guys want some good stories about what happened on SATURDAY, talk to Cory, Megan, Shaleena, or T-Bones about that one ;).

Some of the toughest women I know! Oh, and Adam... 😉

So 5am rolls around and everyone has that “I’m tired but anxious and excited all at the same time” kind of energy. Rightfully so, considering this thing is no joke! Some breakfast (or attempts from some) and wardrobe preparation later, we are on the road and on our way to Maggie Schuck and Justin Zuiderweg’s campsite where they have a back door entrance straight to VIP parking for the event. It’s all about who you know…

Don't let my smile fool you... those wires felt like Satan peeing on you. Jamie's face is a more realistic impression.

So after some checking in and Hulk hugs we make way towards ground Zero…

Let me tell you, the setup and sign-in process was INFINITELY less stressful than Tahoe. Lines were shorts, the process was efficient, everything was wide out in the open, nobody had any issues with their registration, and it was agonizingly easy to find everybody. Think the exact opposite and that was the sign-in process at Squaw Valley (which many of us agreed is probably a big reason why it’s not returning to that specific location).

Had to stop and take a picture with 2 of the Toughest mudderfuc... Aw, you get it 😉

Once everybody has been grabbed and tagged, we get wind that they are calling for the 8am start timers. That’s us! We make sure we have everybody and make our way to the start line… Where the NEXT difference between Norcal and Socal rears it’s beautiful face. BEFORE you start, you had to climb an 8ft wall to just simply get into the START PIT. Right away I’m thinkin’ “Awesome, a challenge before the challenge… I LOVE THIS!”

In Hulk fashion, we hurdle it like it was a speedbump and resonate in the energy bouncing off the metaphorical walls as the realization sets in that we’re really going to do this thing… Being the first group to go for the day, the energy is EXTRA special. The seal was yet to be broken, and that was where we came in… As the master of ceremonies starts to gather the Mudders and get everyone so geared up their faces hurt, that’s when us Hulksters found it PRIME to show everyone the chant…

I can proudly say that even though we had quite a few less people in Squaw, the chant was JUST as loud as in September. Hulksters really know how to make that “AhhhOOOOO!!!!!” reverberate!

They stayed like that for 5 full minutes until the marines got creeped out and kicked them off...

I do want to mention that the master of ceremonies was hilarious. He was also spot on with his motivation. He made it a very precise point to emphasize that the team work and camaraderie were THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of doing Tough Mudder. Shoot, we are HULK! That’s what we came for! He also made a very precise point to name a lot of the injuries he’s seen over the years that didn’t sit well seeing as how we’re tryin’ to get geared up, not tear up because we feared up! Regardless, the message was loud and clear… You WILL get hurt if you don’t respect the course and play it smart. Message: received.

I wish they caught the OTHER log I carried with that one! 100% not joking 🙂

Finally, after a series of “HOO-RAHs!” we were good to GO! The beginning, as excited and amped as you are, is hard to let loose because it’s so packed. I also forgot about the orange smoke canisters that make your lungs feel like you’re breathing in napalm (I might be exaggerating…).

All I can think of is Resevoir Dogs... WE ARE HULK!

Right away, exactly what I love about Tough Mudder got shoved right in our faces. The Berlin Walls. It’s not the walls themselves that I love about Tough Mudder, it’s what those walls represent. Fear.

I’ve always felt that a good leader in a situation like this doesn’t take up the front, but secures the rear. No man left behind. Fears, physical limitations, apprehensiveness… I’ve got you. The caboose is my home. What I LOVE about that is seeing fears get conquered. Realizations made. “I can’t!” turning into “I did…” To see timid voices transform into “WOOOOOO!!!!” when the reality hits that your worst fear has turned into one of your greatest accomplishments.

 

Shaleena manhandled that business!

I know that the Berlin walls were exactly that for a lot of people. Someone the other day asked me “What’s the big deal behind climbing those walls? I mean, they’re really not THAT bad…” to which I replied “Well that’s easy to perceive if you’ve never had an issue with your body weight or strength abilities.” For me, when I see those walls my inner fat kid starts to cry. I get a little nervous as this wave of butterflies take over that feels like a swarm the size of my car. Then, just like that… it’s gone. It’s similar to the 8k that I ran recently. Mentally it was the equivalent of a marathon for me, yet physically I did very well. There are some things you just don’t forget…

Given that tidbit of knowledge, I’m FAR from a small percentage of people who feel that way. So when you have that swarm of butterflies cascade over you, it makes the feeling of actually DOING IT literally euphoric. As a team, we conquered the walls like they disrespected us. We did it as a team, through and through. From top to bottom, everyone made it over with a smile on their face and a triumphant fist in the air that screams “What’s next?!” I LIVE for that!

 

Laree did this thing with Bronchitis!

I think once this wall was hurdled, there was a collective exhale from a lot of people. The energy was lighter. The  smiles were brighter. The eye of the tiger was more… tiger-y. It’s at this point the course became a blur of memories and moments. Some of favorites:

• We happened to pass by the parking lot TWICE during this course. Both times Lorna says “I can see my car Josh… it’s right there… You can’t stop me…” I deemed it an official obstacle for Lorna 😉
• The first time you get pissed on by Satan happened to be very early on. You had to crawl through mud with live wires hanging (ie: The badass picture of Shaleena Gibson in the white crawling along the mud). It was the first “wake up call” because you pretty much weren’t getting out of that thing without getting a little crispy.  Well I had been zapped twice by the time I made it to the end. When I had passed the last row, I rested for a moment. Turns out I didn’t pass the last row… I stopped resting VERY quickly.
• During much of the first half of the course I was running back and forth between the front of the group and the back of the group. This one guy happened to see me whenever I’d be waiting for the Team but he missed whenever I’d run passed him (because I’m just that fast apparently). After a few times in a row of this he finally yelled “What the f**k man?! What are you, a leprechaun?” I told him “Better believe it! I’ve got secret tunnels all over this bitch.” That was the last time I saw him :).
• When we had reached the plank where you jump into the water, I did the damn thing (looked way higher here than at Squaw I think due to the fact that you were jumping into a smaller body of water) and eagerly awaited the rest of the Hulksters to rock Casbah. The same thing with the wall only on a grander scale happened here. From screaming “your LIP KIM!” (she has “why not” tattooed on the inside of her lip) to Shaleena’s epic story to how she made it off that thing right on down to Lorna getting literally pushed off by the Marine (with permission mind you, I don’t think that Marine would have served her country another day had it not been permissed haha), this obstacle gave us everything it had and lost. It said “fear me” and Hulk said “no.”
• Jumping in the ice bath, I managed to get so numb that I wasn’t even sure if my extremities were working. Megan and I were trying to get out at the same time (I say “trying” not because we got in each others way, but because of the whole “extremities not working” thing) and I remember being against the dumpster wall thinking “I have no idea if my legs are evening working. I wonder if they’re making their way over the side of the dumpster yet? Hmm… We’ll find out!” In case you’re wondering, I got out.

 

No man left behind... AhhhOOOOOO!!!!!

One highlight I need to separate from the bullet points is coming around the bend with Adam, Kim, and Lorna and Ron in tow and seeing THE WHOLE TEAM waiting for us at the top of the water slide. While the 5 of us in the back knew we were near the end, we didn’t know that everyone was going to wait for us the way they did. To put it in perspective, in Squaw we all celebrated after the finish line. We finished close together, but it was so extreme that the last quarter of the course everyone just needed to finish at their own pace. This time around however, right BEFORE the finish line, everyone waited so we could finish together. It was a true Hulk moment. One team, one dream. I couldn’t have been more proud, and that’s the buddha honest truth.It is also worth mentioning that Jodi Curry is my own personal super hero. A separated knee kept her from completing the course at mile 8 of 11.5, but it’s what she DID with that separated knee that blows me away and puts her in the stars as far as admiration goes. She separated her knee NOT on mile 8, but around mile 6! She went TWO MILES with her knee popping in and out when finally, while carrying a log around the hill, her knee waved the white flag and mutinied. I told her, and I will tell you all, I would NOT have continued had I done to my knee what she did. You can think of me what you will for saying that, but I know that deep down, if I did what she did to her knee to MINE, I would have given MAYBE a quarter mile before the realization that it’s done for me set it. Not Jodi though… her knee had to take her out FOR her. If there was ANYONE that I thought was going to pull that off it was Jodi. So I just wanted everyone to know that Jodi was one of the toughest mudders on that son of a bitch and had she not suffered an injury that has held FOOTBALL PLAYERS FROM PLAYING IN THE SUPERBOWL (aka when put in perspective it’s a little hard to be viewed as a failure don’t ya think?) that she would have been the first across that finish line. How do I know that? Because she literally led us all day. We were in her shadow. Her slim, svelte, white chocolate shadow as she kicked up dust with her getaway sticks and dared us to catch her. I even told her ON the mountain before she had to get wheeled out “This was just the mountain’s way of putting you on our level!”I still stand by that.

One Team. We are HULK.

In conclusion, this Temecula Tough Mudder might not have had as much uphill challenges or ridiculous elevation levels, but in its place were some challenging ass obstacles and voltage I will never forget. As far as the spirit and essence of Hulk that I saw on that mountain? Well I can proudly say we whooped it the same way we did Squaw… With a Hulk SMASH! We left our mark and blazed a trail to convene the two groups who did Squaw and Temecula and form one SUPER GROUP ready to take on Northstar with the type of ferocity Northern California has yet to see.

Yup, that's me falling flat on my face in mud. Those wires? Attached to 10,000 volts. It is not a drill. I repeat, it is not a drill.

Who’s ready?

CLICK HERE to get to the Tough Mudder Northstar page. Search for “Team Hulk.” Password: Bangarang. AhhhhOOOOOO!!!

I could have hugged that man forever. Justin did the whole thing with a BROKEN FOOT. He earned that headband...

For those who have NOT heard the Tough Mudder pledge:

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that…

* I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge.

* I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time.

* I do not whine – kids whine.

* I help my fellow Mudders complete the course.

* I overcome all fears.

Many thanks to such a wonderfully gorgeous human being by the name of Maggie Schuck! She did both days (had to bow out the first day when her man Justin broke his foot, needed to sleep it off, and decided to do Tough Mudder again and get that damned head band!), and on the second day took a million pictures! She was also integral in helping organize and make sure we all made it to the start point together regardless of hectic schedules all around. Maggie, you are a saint!

PS I will be posting a slideshow shortly with all the pictures we took of this round (trust me, there are TONS) but until then, here is the slideshow from LAST September in case you missed it 😉