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So I just got back from Tough Mudder SoCal and I must say, WOW! It is by far the toughest event that I have ever done in my life. Located in beautiful Big Bear California, it was one to remember.

I raced this weekend with my brother’s Arnel and Fermin, my sister in law, Jasmine, and other awesome people from California and Washington. We had a great group and we really were a team from the beginning. Something you need to make it through Tough Mudder SoCal.

Now my brother’s helped me prepare for this race by giving me a checklist on what to wear, supplements and foods to carry with, and mentality tips. We also trained up mountains in the Las Vegas area beforehand to get used to climbing hills. We went in the race at Big Bear and were smacked in the face by how many hills back to back that were structured into the 10+ mile event.

There were 21 obstacles and about 15+ mountains and steep hills that were required to pass before becoming an official Tough Mudder in SoCal. In addition to that, they had obstacles in between the mountain climbs such as the Arctic Enema, a pool of water packed with ice till the water basically freezes. When I jumped in, all my mind was saying is, “I need to hurry!” Your body goes into a quick shock and you need to react before your body becomes hypothermic. No Joke!

Another cool obstacle was “Walk The Plank”. A 15 foot plank where you jump into cold temperature deep waters. You better know what your doing and you better know how to swim. I was at a stage where I started to cramp so I was worried about cramping when I landed in the cold waters.

Fortunately one of my strengths are swimming, and if I started to cramp up in my legs, I would have enough skill to swim with solely upper body strategies. If you don’t know how to swim, then you must have a partner on your team that can jump in first then spot you to shore when you jump in.

For a review of all tough mudder obstacles, click Tough Mudder Obstacles

Tough Mudder SoCal – What I learned

Because I had my brother’s who have already done such races as Tough Mudder, Super Spartan, Spartan Military Sprint, Warrior Dash, I had a lot of help as I said earlier on preparing my meals and amenities. So I bought all my necessary gear and trained. Come to find out that I trained a little too thin for this event.

The reason is, is that Tough Mudder’s are the same but different. Let me explain. A TM in Tampa Florida is much easier in my

brother’s opinion than the Tough Mudder SoCal in Big Bear. This is because of the difference in elevation and the mountains required to finish. Florida just doesn’t have the hills to compete with the difficulty of Big Bear California. So you may have to take more time to finish the Tough Mudder in Big Bear versus in Tampa due to the mountain climbing involved.

So when I did TM this weekend in SoCal, I realized that this was an event of strategy, not only endurance, or running, or how much weight you can lift in the gym. This is about strategy on how to help your fellow team mate over a 12 ft wall, or lifting them up from Mount Everest, another TM obstacle.

It’s about finding the best side of the mountain trail that best gives you the advantage on your footing to make it up the climb. It’s about fighting through injuries and cramping if it unfortunately happens during the race. How about helping someone down a long steep hill when you are struggling yourself. Are you a warrior, a savior, and angel for someone, or are you just an average Joe that will help no one to get ahead? When fatigue and doubt sets in, are you gonna keep going and prove your mental toughness? Or are you going to break down and blow your chance to achieve such a huge physical feat in your life by helping others achieve theirs?

When we raced this weekend, we let our whole team know that we are here for each other. No one was going to cross that finish line unless we had everyone we started with also finishing with us. It was my responsibility as a team mate to make sure my partner, Jackie  was replenished, pacing herself, giving it all she got, and leaving nothing out on the course when it’s all said and done. I’ll admit that some on our team thought about bailing out. All that means is that this was exactly what they needed to take that step in life to define what they really can do. It also shows them what their maximum capacities are capable of when their bodies tell them to quit. Just because your body shuts down, it doesn’t mean you do.

You have the ability to refresh mentally and physically and keep going. Preparation is key in helping that all happen.

Tough Mudder SoCal – Finding The Beast In Me To Finish

Even though I carbed up the night before the race, ate a plain bagel and some grapes in the morning about 2 hours before, I unfortunately started to cramp up in my legs about 3 miles in. Yes, it sucks!  All I was thinking was that I had at least 7 more miles of mud, electric shock, long high mountains, and more. Could I physically complete this with stiff legs and waving muscles on my calves. It was terrible! I knew one thing, I wasn’t going to throw in the towel. I had to learn how to manage my cramps and compete through it. It hurt physically, but mentally, I had already made the choice that I was going to complete the race and there was nothing that was going to change about that. Obviously, I ended up fighting through it, and I earned my orange Tough Mudder head band.

Cramping can really be a huge problem, especially if you let it get in the way of your mind. If it happens to you, I would recommend that you just accept that it happened, and learn how to deal with it in a way that you stay focused and strong. Keep going cause the cramps will come and go occasionally and you just have to find ways to do things with the cramps in full effect. The way I kept going was that knew I couldn’t fully straighten my legs to prevent my legs from locking up so I had to walk in squat formation with my legs wide. Kind of like I had something stuck up my butt, literally. It looks ugly, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to keep going and walk out the stiffness. Once the temporary cramps left, I was in full competitive mode until it happened again. So yeah, you can find ways to complete a Tough Mudder when cramping happens. Just choose to finish and finish.

Training For Tough Mudder
After completing Tough Mudder SoCal and talking to my brother who has done many TM’s, I really think that each tough mudder is different. If you are entering a tough mudder in Florida, you can probably train different than doing a TM involving mountains like in Big Bear. Learn how to fuel yourself. Start training 3 months in advance and try different eating plans to find what works best for your energy and endurance. Try going through programs like Insanity or Insanity Asylum. It will increase your muscle stamina and leg power which is crucial. Insanity programs were designed by pro athletes for optimal performance in sports. You get good at these programs, you will be well prepared for any endurance race today.

Tough Mudder SoCal – Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed the whole Tough Mudder SoCal event in general. From the organization to the costumes, to the display of teamwork, to the comradery. Once you race one, I think you’ll be hooked. I certainly am because I am already planning 2 more this year in Las Vegas in October and NoCal in September. Anyone wanna race with me and my team?

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