Tough Mudder - What you should take.

As with any running event there are always questions that first timers will ask one of which is, what should I take with me. Some of this advice will be similar to what I've written already, sorry about that blog fans.

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Do not forget your photo identification, this cannot be stressed enough, you won't be able to pick up your event number if you don't have this, I'm not sure if they accept anything other than passport or driving license, you might want to investigate that, if you don't have either of those.

Clothing (during the event)

 Running Shoes
A pair of running shoes that you don't mind getting soaked, covered in mud and full of tiny little bits of grit, I wear a pair of trail shoes that have a wear just for events addidas kanadia trail shoes, which have a tough but flexible bit of plastic to protect toes from knocks. They are nice and light to run in until the grip gets clogged with long grass and mud but they are easy to clear the soles if needs be.

Compression top
This is a relatively tight fitting lycra top that acts like a wetsuit heating up a layer of water around you and will help you to stay warm after you've been dunked in freezing water. You will be cold in the water but you won't stay cold for too long after you've left the water so this is a real help on the days when its raining or hail is coming (yes it did hail at London West in 2014) you should be able to get one for around £20 and is worth investing in.


Wicking running top,
Being as dry as possible is a must when you aren't in the water obstacles, this bit of kit will likely be made of polyester which won't hold the water and will dry out which will help keep your body temperature up during the times when the air temperature drops.

Shorts
These should be something which won't hold the water and allow freedom of movement as running in shorts weighed down with water is tiring, which combined with the course will wear you out in no time.

Leggings (optional)

My dad wore a pair of these as he didn't want his legs scratched to hell, you'll need some that are reasonably thick given that the course will have sections that will wear away and thin material and leave you a little exposed.

Gloves
I wear a pair of fingerless weight lifting gloves which are perfect, they protect my palms when helping people over obstacles, they can be an issue when it comes to holding onto bars or rings but try and find some that will dry as you're running.

Socks
Whatever feels most comfortable, I have some short running socks that have padding in the heels and arches.

Camelbak (optional)
There are a number of water stations dotted around the course, to provide entrants with a much needed drink but I like to take water with me, although it is a bit heavier when you start having water with you is helpful, especially on the hotter days. These are about £35 for the 2 litre classic that I have, which has a zip pocket for storing things in. Camelbak

 Clothing (post event)

Towel
This is a must unless its a really warm day when you finish, since you'll need to get dried after the lovely cold shower they provide to entrants.

Spare clothing
Unless you like wearing wet muddy clothes, you'll need something to change into, these will probably be the clothes you wore to get to the event, so make sure your bag is big enough to carry them.

Food

Energy gels (optional)
Like the camelbak these are totally optional but I like to have them to hand to give me a little energy boost, they do offer you protein bars/bananas at some of the water stations but if slightly dry protein bars aren't your thing then pick up a couple of these might be useful, there are plenty of choices available and they normally cost between £1-1.50 so find a brand that you like the taste of as some of them aren't my choice. I did find the vooma energy gel from USN were quite nice but they seem to be unavilable individually now.

Energy bars (optional)
Similar to the gels with a range of flavours available, again find one you like the taste of and use that.

Post event
There are a number of vans selling all manner of food at the Mudder village but as usual with events like this I find they are a bit on the pricey side, so bring yourself something to eat on the journey home to replenish yourself, something with protein in it which should keep you from getting the energy spike from processeed sugars and give a longer energy release.



So that's my advice for the day of the event in a bit more detail, this is what I do whenever I take part, the food is quite important as you may be totally drained of energy when you finish.

Tough Mudder - Event day

So you've signed up for Tough Mudder and have been training, you feel ready for this, or as ready as first timers can feel, not truly knowing what to expect, as I've mentioned a couple of times, once you get onto the course and over a couple of obstacles, you start to get the feeling of being slightly unprepared for what you're taking part in.

However, this isn't about setting your mind at ease about the obstacles, this is about preparing you for the day and the things you'll need to take with you that they don't mention on the website.

Other Mudders:
If you're travelling by public transport you will likely encounter other entrants especially as you arrive at the closest station to the event site, strike up a conversation with them, if they are legionnaires they can advise you of their experiences taking part, veteran mudders are an invaluable source of information, with tips and tricks that they have for getting over obstacles and how they found their first experience and what they now do differently, if they are first timers they can share what you are most apprehensive about taking part, it will also help cut the cost of getting to the event site, since a taxi ride where you pay £5 each is better that £20-£25 for the same journey.

The event site:
The best way to describe the vibe as you arrive on site is like being at a massive festival, there is music being blasted from loudspeakers, an announcer psyching up those taking part and a huge number of people milling around the site and a huge number of portable toilets. There is food on sale but like most festivals somewhat on the steep side, so bring plenty of money.

Registration:
It cannot be emphasised enough make sure the name on your entry is the same on the photo I.D. that you use to collect your entry number, as sorting it out is possible but a major pain to do so and will delay you getting onto the site. They previously had dedicated envelopes that contained your entry number with a specific place to collect your entry, this has been done away with and you just get a number with a QR code on it that they scan.

Changing:
They have male and female changing tents which are pretty big and full of damp slightly muddy people who have finished the course, if you do use the tent to get changed you can ask what the course conditions are like and how cold the water obstacles are, also how much mud you can expect to find out there. I tend to wear my shorts on under my trousers so I don't need to use the changing tent to protect my modesty and for quickness.

Bag drop:
Self explanatory really, there's a £3 cost to leaving your bag which goes to the charity, there is no size restriction and you have to show your numbered wristband in order to take your bag out when you finish, security is very good.

The base camp:
This is where all the shops, sponsors booths and other stuff is located, its also the place to get your hair clipped into a Mohawk, if you so wish, courtesy of Bic, I've taken advantage of this many times and they'll even add a little colour to your hair, they will add a little something to keep you hair up but this doesn't last after the first water obstacle, so bring some kind of moulding gel and be one of the cool cats.

Warm up area:
 This is where the announcer will chat to the assembled crowd, they got legionnaires on the stage for London West 2014, to show off the new coloured headbands and ask how many events that they'd taken part in. Its a great feeling having a crowd of people thinking you rock. They'll then have the warm up team come on stage and get the crowd jumping to the music and getting ready to run, by shouting in each others faces before sending you off to the starting area.

Starting area:
You climb a 4-5 foot wall to get into the starting area, to get you in the spirit of the course, the announcer will then chat to the crowd, they will get first time Mudders to take a knee before getting first timers to give a round of applause to the assembled legionnaires, they'll then get 2nd time Mudders to take a knee and so forth until there are only one or two people left standing, they will get the biggest round of applause and cheers. Then everyone takes a knee to recite the Mudder pledge and an explanation of safety procedures and you then set off.

Water stations:
There are usually four water stations dotted around the course, they have just water at the first and third but at the second and forth, they have something for energy, these have been bananas, haribo jellies, met-rx protein bars and this year, they are supposed to have met-rx energy jelly beans, they provide a nice energy boost, though I found the met-rx bars tasted really nice but quite dry so water was a must.

Showers:
If you've paid to camp, they have hot showers for finishers, which must be quite nice and I'll find out about them this year, otherwise they have a large number of showers if they haven't ran our of water for them, if its a warm day when you finish then its quite nice getting clean before the journey home, if its cold then enjoy another cold bathing.

What to bring with you:

A game: First and formost you bring your A game with you, if you aren't ready to give it your all and attempt every obstacle then you might as well go home now, if you have an issue with being in enclosed spaces or aren't a strong swimmer then those are sensible reasons to bypass certain obstacles, though if you do have issues like those and still give them all a go then my hat is firmly off to you, you have my utmost respect for trying to overcome your fears, however if you skip any because you don't feel like doing them or they look a bit hard, then you might want to give road running a go.

Clothing: you will need your running kit, very important, I listed the running kit in my first timers post here, you should ensure you have warm dry clothing to change into as the weather can be quite changable, you'll also likely be exhausted from taking part and this will help you recover your warmth.

A towel: This is something you don't want to forget, I forgot my towel twice, which given the number of events I've done is a bit embarrasing, I manged to buy one in the town near the event site and the other time it was a lovely warm day so it didn't matter so much but a towel is pretty important.

Baby wipes: This may seem like a strange one but if you've ever been to a festival or a large event that uses portable toilets they tend to run out of paper really quickly, so bring baby wipes with you, to avoid being stuck sans toilet paper, also they provide it but handwash gel is also quite useful should you need the babywipes.

Sun cream: I know the UK has a reputation for being a bit on the cold wet and gloomy side, well it seems the Tough Mudder people make a pact with a sun god or something because you can be sure that one of the events will be a scorcher and if you're running in the bleaching hot sun for several hours, you will burn, sunburn is not something you want to be remembering of your event, you may not need it but better safe than sorry.

So there you have it, my guide to what you will likely find at Tough Mudder events.

Summer is here and the weather is...cool.

Anyone who carries any kind of weight will know the hell that is summer, this is the time of year when people sweat due to the air temperature being higher than normal but for a person that carries any kind of additional weight, you turn into a massive ball of sweat, soaking through clothes which can also make walking about difficult. Even when the air pressure is quite high, normally before a thunderstorm, people can sweat a lot, due to the 'closeness' of the air, this goes up ten fold if you're overweight I always found.

So now due to the hard work I've put in over the last few months, I found myself out in the sunshine recently and I didn't sweat in the way I would have done in previous years, aside from the aesthetic appeal, another really good reason to lose weight is body temperature regulation, I'm sweating like nobody's business when ever I'm doing an exercise class but even wearing my black hooded top walking home, in the beaming hot sun and I didn't soak through my clothing in a way I previously would have on cooler days.

I guess it also means I can start walking around topless and feeling a lot less self conscious now and relish the fact, that I going to stay cool regardless of the clothing that I'm wearing. I'm also going to have to get myself some new jeans as the ones I was wearing today, are starting to fall down when I carry anything in my pockets, which is wonderful in one respect but so damned annoying to have to keep pulling them up to avoid looking like a hipster or some hip hop video extra.

Still, I'm almost at my goal weight, so that's another thing to look forward to.

Thanks but no thanks.

Another common issue that those losing weight and getting fitter seem to encounter, is those who comment "I think you've lost enough weight" which to those who are working hard through exercising and/or eating healthily is akin to someone spitting in your food. This is one of those things that tends to take you back slightly, I had it recently with my Mother in law, she thought I probably shouldn't lose anymore weight, as I look fine, which was over a stone ago, I merely commented that I wasn't at my ideal weight and that I would continue till I was happy with my weight.

I realise that people can be concerned when they see you losing more and more weight and they think you start to look unhealthy, especially in the face where you look as they put it gaunt but I think they are voicing unnecessary concerns, unless you are bingeing and purging in an attempt to be incredibly thin even believing that you are overweight even when you are seriously underweight, then, yes that would be a good time to suggest that your weight loss may be obsessive.

Unless you tend to wear skin tight clothing, which is something, I've never worn due to the additional lumps and bumps I had, how can someone look at you and think you've lost enough weight, your clothes hang more loosely on you but that doesn't mean, you don't still have a podgy midriff, or some loose wobbly bits on your arms and legs, that you want to deal with.

So although the comments come from a place of concern, or in some cases jealousy at your hard work being rewarded with a thinner you, only you can be truly happy with the way you look and feel and for me, I still have a small way to get to my ideal me.