MISSION: I DID IT.

Tough Mudder, gone to the dogs, am I right? Thanks, you've been a great audience!!!!!

Dearest Squad: after months of training, eating protein shakes that probably have bovine growth hormone, and also sometimes not training or eating anything remotely healthy, the day had

come--the day that our bosses said

Hop to it, three members of TMHQ and a nice man who volunteered to run the course too even though it was snowy. Get on the mountain and run your little hearts out.

And so the Littlest Mudder embarked on the NorCal dry run. It was a lot of fun, and even though it was pretty hard--the hills were steep, and the oxygen was sparse--I felt pretty well prepared. I was nervous about keeping up with three guys, especially since one was an experienced marathoner, and the other two are TMHQ's resident triathlon princes, but I did alright. The volunteer who came (marathon man) completely destroyed us and made us look like babies, especially given that he is almost 25 years older than I am. But Hunter, Alex, and I kept about the same pace--and if they were doing that to be nice to me, I thank them for their kindness and their discretion.

All in all, the thing that paid off the most was the hill training--which means Shape Magazine was the sneaky hero of the day, because that's where I got the treadmill hill workout. The other things that helped a lot were the encouragement of my team and also that I didn't want to shame myself by throwing up in front of my team.

Going forward, we're hoping that all of TMHQ makes a point to do the dry run together a few days before event day. Even Ashley. Training for that starts next week--until then, I'm on vacation in DC, trying to get in as much lounging, eating, and online shopping as possible. I think I am up to this challenge--after the dry run, I know I can do anything I set my mind to.

I wish there were more oxygen here

Hunter and Nolan scale the bus. Ashley and I sit in the car. Even steven.

I am huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf, except instead of being cool and a sneaky guy trying to kill some stupid pigs, I'm just a lame trying to walk three feet on the mountain.

Yesterday we set up TMHQ: Bear Valley Edition (Revenge of Bear Valley's Mom, Volume VII), and we checked out some of the obstacles. Also, we saw a bald eagle. Well, Ashley saw a bald eagle. I saw a white dot in the sky. I gotta get new contacts.

Hunter, Nolan, and I checked out the log pile.

As was to be expected, it was loggy and piley.

TMHQ Jet Setters

Oh hey, didn't see you there. Probably because I'm on an airplane!!! Technology, am I right???

The first group of Tough Mudder HQ is currently flying out to California to get things started at Bear Valley. We're flying into San Francisco and purchasing a whole bunch of supplies before we begin our week-and-a-half long Mountain Experience.

I definitely want to take runs on the mountain, and I'm excited about being able to run outside without being on cement. Hopefully there will be time for that. Ashley and I have also brought the DVD Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred and one of Ashley's yoga videos, so hopefully if I do get to run I won't have gotten too out of shape during our time on the mountain. Plus, I just saw this Workout Of The Day for people who are traveling: 3 rounds of 30 push ups, 30 sit ups, 30 squats, and 30 burpees. Good Lord, I loathe burpees almost as much as I hate box jumps and shellfish.

That being said, Things are still a little up in the air as to whether or not I'll be able to run in the actual event. It depends a lot on how busy things are--I may have to "work," since this is my "job."

Results are unclear.

The Bigger Mudder

Hey friends. I am sick. Ashley, also of TMHQ, and I took a little vacation to The Vegas, and it wore me out to say the least. Senior Event Planner? More like Senior Queen of the Strip, am I right? So big shout out to Alec, who is training for Tough Mudder, but refuses to friend me back on facebook, and thanks to him for filling in for me. I didn't really read this, because I'm trying to go back to sleep, but I'm sure it's cool.

Alec: The Bigger Mudder

Hi everybody. My name is Alec. I am a guy. I was asked to contribute to this blog. So let me give you a little introduction to give you a better idea of who I am, why I am writing for this blog, why I'm training for Tough Mudder, and why you should too.

First things first: why am I writing for this blog?

Through various applications to Tough Mudder events, Sophie came across this picture of me:

Now, I know Sophie will deny this to the bitter end, and I'd be surprised if she even posted this, but when she saw that picture of me, she basically fell head over heals in love me. I mean she had just got off the phone with the wedding planner when she emailed me back, "loved your stash, would you be interested in writing for The Littlest Mudder blog?" I knew what she was actually thinking, "loved your stash… loved your hair, your facial hair, YOUR CHEST HAIR! OMG MARRY ME I LOVE YOU," but she played it cool. Bravo.

So if I am going to be writing for The Littlest Mudder, giving you tips and ideas on workouts, you are probably looking for some credentials. You are probably thinking, "who is this guy and why should I read his fitness advice?" Well, somebody much wiser than myself once said, "a picture is worth a thousand words," and if the picture you have already seen doesn't prove any worth, try out my new tag-line, "a bicep is worth a thousand words:"

BOOM. Check out that bicep. Credentials. Done.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I was once a collegiate oarsman, and if you are still looking some hint of athleticism beyond an abundance of body hair and bicep vascularity, I won a bunch of New England Rowing Championships, a couple of ECAC National Championships, and I was in the crew that set the Head of the Charles Collegiate Eight course record in 2007. Not bragging, just saying.

Serious moment:
For my team, rowing was a sport where we would train for over 500 hours, for less than 60 minutes of racing - and that is just for the Spring racing season. It was brutally intense, exhaustingly painful, back-breaking work, and I miss it every day. I relished the opportunity to compete and I wouldn't trade a single one of those 500 hours for anything. This kind of commitment to competition and sport confused so many of my college classmates: Why would I want to put myself through all that hard work when there were frat parties, and freshmen girls, and pot? I'll tell them why: because while those kids may have been to one extra frat party (that they don't even remember), I will always remember the feeling of crossing that finish line first.

It was early on a Saturday morning, long before the rest of school even woke up with their hangovers. My lungs were burning, my heart was racing, my legs so full of lactic acid I thought they would burst into flames, and I leaned forward to shake the hand of the man in front of me, my teammate who I sat next to and Winter and Spring, all 500 hours of training. His hands were wet from splashing the water in celebration and even though we were too tired to speak, we were both able to shout to the rest of the boat, "hell yeah."

That is sport. That is competition. And now I have since graduated, and my uniform remains folded at the bottom of my dresser, and I have a job where I sit at my desk for 9 hours a day, and I eat A LOT of goldfish and pretzels (the only thing our office kitchen ever seems to have in stock), and I don't work out for 2-4 hours a day anymore, and I have started to put on weight, and my biceps are shrinking. All this because I didn't have a reason to train, no more sense of purpose, no competition, my life was quickly becoming nothing more than work, beer, and ugly girls at the bar - that is, of course, until I found Sophie… I mean Tough Mudder.

This event has given me something to work for, and this blog this blog has given us a place to work for it together. So, thank you Tough Mudder, thanks for reading, stay tuned, I love you Sophie, and here is one more look at my bicep:

A really good idea

These guys have the right idea...I'm pretty sure they're singing Drip Drop Drippidy Drop

After watching this awesome youtube video from NorCal participants Cathy and Mark, I just some Marine cadences. There are about eighty jillion different albums of them on itunes, and all of you people training should download them IMMEDIATELY.

They are the BEST for running, and the reasons are threefold: 1. They make you feel pumped and motivated 2. They keep you in a constant rhythm (for me it was exactly 6mph) and 3. They teach you about literature, because who knew Tim O'Brien's book If I Die In A Combat Zone was a reference to a Marine cadence?

Those songs get you SO PUMPED AND MOTIVATED AND IN THE ZONE TO CRUSH WORKOUTS!!!! COACH SEAN JUST EMAILED ME AND HE USES SO MUCH CAPSLOCK AND EXCLAMATION POINTS AND IT GETS ME REALLY PUMPED FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The NoFun Spin Zone

Why so sad, Harry Potter? Is it because you just found out you are the last Horcrux? Or maybe because you just took the WORST SPIN CLASS ON EARTH?!???!!!

I joined a new gym last night, so this morning I went over for the first time and took a spin class. I used to go to this really awesome fancy gym, but lately I’ve had to face facts and accept that maybe my money could be better spent somewhere else, like at the supermarket or Forever 21.

It was the absolute worst. Everything about it is the tiniest bit of a downgrade, and all those downgrades add up to one giant craptacular.

As with most gyms, there are towels for spin class. At my old gym they were already on the bikes when you got there, but at the new one you actually had to pick it up yourself off of a shelf. This was really annoying for me to do myself, since Intern Brian has left to go “start” his “fall semester” at “school." As for the towel itself, it was the roughest of towels. It felt like rubbing my face with shark teeth.

You know how they say “it’s like riding a bike,” because you can never forget how to ride a bike? That doesn’t apply to my spin teacher, who either has amnesia or has never been on a bicycle. I know that I could have just made the resistance extra hard to make up for the fact that our teacher wasn’t really pushing us, but that is not really the focus of this post. I also could have ridden a real bike outside or not have eaten all those cookies last night while lying in my bed and weeping softly, but life is too short for all of these hypothetical situations.

Then I went to shower, and I discovered another idiotic thing about their shark towels—they are awkwardly small. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

At my old gym, there was so much I took for granted. The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept on. Wait, sorry, that’s Titanic. But on the real, at my old gym the locker rooms had everything from razors to q-tips (note: do NOT mix those up.) The new gym has only two hair driers, and I’m pretty sure the same stuff comes out of the shampoo and mouth wash dispensers.

My roommates were not that sympathetic. “I am not that sympathetic,” Lindsey said. “Also,” Jodie added, “Stop being a baby.” Those are all fair statements. And really, the point is to train hard—you can do that anywhere, which I know from movies about prison. And in prison, they don’t even have towels, so I think we can all learn something from them (mainly that if you get arrested, try to bring your own towel.)

Update

I tried to make Intern Brian go to spinning for me, but he refused. Who does he think he is?

This is....boring

Just got back from the Spartan Race. The hardest thing about it was figuring out how my feet got dirty, because I was wearing shoes and socks. The most fun thing was all the free muscle milk.

That's about all the energy I want to spend on this topic. Chat you guys when I have something interesting to say.

Spin Cycle

Listen here, baby Barack Obama, you may be adorable and about to grow up to be pretty awesome, but in spinning class you need to PUSH YOURSELF!!!!!!!

Wake up and alert the news flash. Coach Sean is back in town, so you know what that means: PAIN. If we are going to work out soon, I'm going to need to make him think I've been training a LOT harder than I really have been. (Also, if I'm going to run seven miles up a mountain at like 9 jillion feet above sea level, I'm going to have to ACTUALLY be working out a lot harder than I have been.) Sean's gonna be all like "Why are you so slow? Why are you complaining? And are you....crying?" And I'm gonna be all "What? No...I just have protein powder in my eye!!!!" And I don't need any of that.

Today I had a really good run, because I'm trying to focus on pushing myself and using my time more efficiently. I ran 4.5 miles on the track. The non-cement surface didn't cause shooting pains in my legs, which is always a plus, and by running faster than usual, I didn't get bored and then have to distract myself by plotting the demise of all the people who have wronged me in life. That's what my boss would call a win-win, I think.

Tomorrow I'm going to go to spin class before work. Speaking of spinning, here's a great link my dad, who is awesome and loves riding his bike, emailed me: photos of celebrities riding bikes! Spinning is a great way to train for Tough Mudder, because it works your legs and helps build your endurance.

Brad Pitt increases resistance by pulling a child around.

Obama again, cruising around, probably training for Tough Mudder Mid-Atlantic. See how history comes full circle?

Two quick training ideas

Hey everyone--I'm running out the door to the Wesleyan-Williams-Amherst happy hour (I mean... going straight home to answer more customer service emails?) but I just wanted to share two great training ideas I've used this week.

A. Hill workout on a treadmill--I compiled this together from a few different running websites for those days when you can't make it to a real hill. For me that day was today, and this was challenging but also a lot of fun. I like interval training, especially on a treadmill, because it keeps me from getting bored. And we all know plain running can be really boring. FACT.

2 minutes: run at incline 1

2 minutes: run at incline 2

2 minutes: run at incline 1

2 minutes: run at incline 3

And so on, going up as high as you can.

Another thing you can do is intervals based on distance, not time. For example, intervals at increasing incline for 200 meters (about .12 miles), taking a break in between.

1. Incline 5 (for example) for 200 meters

2. Incline 1 for 200 meters

3. Incline 6 for 200 meters

4. Incline 1 for 200 meters

And so on, going up as high as you can.

Lastly, try running at an incline for 30 seconds, then back to the flat for 2 minutes. Next, do an incline push for 60 seconds, and then take a 2 minute flat run. Then a 90 second push with a 2 minute flat run. When the intervals are shorter, it's a good opportunity to make the inclines really challenging.

You can mix and match depending on what you have time for and what is more fun for you. I think it matters less which one you do and more that you do something you enjoy and will work your hardest at. I did the first one for 16 minutes, then I spent about 10 minutes doing the second, then I went back to the first for another 10 but only alternating between incline 5 and 6.

B. "21s"

21s are great, because you can use them for nearly any exercise. Instead of doing the complete movement, you do 7 reps of the first "half" of it, then seven reps of the second "half," and lastly seven reps of the whole thing. So for example, if you were doing regular bicep curls, you would do seven reps where you only go from the bottom to the midpoint. Then seven times from the midpoint to the top of the movement. Finally you would do seven complete curls. Fun for everyone!

A few updates

1. I'm back in the city and back on the training grind. I did my five mile loop on Saturday when I got home from the airport. I especially like the part of this run that's on the path by the West Side Highway, because it's by the water. On 34th street there is a hill--it's not as tough as the hill loop in Central Park, but it's still good practice.

The other day Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake were spotted riding their bikes there! I wasn't the one who spotted them. I was in Texas. But they were spotted, and that is the important thing.

Loop of fun

2. We have an intern in the office. So far I have asked him to take out the trash, and then I threw my coat on his desk. I know it's summer, but he's got to learn how to hang things. Which reminds me to tell him to build us a closet so we can hang things.

Combo Number Gross: Running & Texas Feasts

Nolan and I have spent the week in Austin working on the Texas event. It has been delicious. But I’m feeling the burn—not the good kind in your biceps from pumping iron with Sean. The bad kind in your stomach and heart from pumping your body full of breakfast tacos and pit BBQ.

When I arrived, I was full of dreams and illusions. I thought I could work and work out. I was so sure I wouldn't let being on the road stop me from working out. I even bragged to friend of TMHQ Jason GoRuck (I’m pretty sure he has a real last name, but results are unclear.) I was all Jason, I can have it all! I can run on the hotel treadmill while transferring Tri-State registrations from Saturday to Sunday and while eating a burrito!!!!

I did not run while holding a burrito. But it's gotten pretty close, since there are few moments here when I am not consuming food.

Can it be only a week ago that I was exposed to the joys of eating all you can eat in Texas?

I was so young back then. So naive.

I started out strong. I ran on the treadmill on Monday, and I lifted on Tuesday. Then Wednesday rolled along, and I woke up feeling not so great. Did you know you can be hungover from too many fajitas?

But Thursday night, I didn't want to let myself continue down this road. I wasn't ready to find out what rock-bottom was. I could just see myself waking up in some hotel room surrounded by old, half eaten bacon egg and cheese taquitos. So I put down the new bacon egg and cheese taquito and decided to go for a run.

Also, it was about 80 kajillion degrees out. It was the absolute worst. I felt so hot and full of cheese that all I could think was I really wish that alligator would eat me and put me out of my misery.

Then all I could think was OMG AN ALLIGATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was very close to this alligator.

That three minute panicked, frenzied run away from the alligator was probably the real physical challenge of that entire workout.

I think I'll focus on training once I get back to New York. Right now I'll probably burn off all this Texas food if I just sit here, watching Law and Order SVU, breathing, and not eating cheese.

Sophie in low places

I didn't work out today, because I am under the weather. Not feeling good is making me sad.

Texas is so confusing. For instance, Why is it always raining when it is sunny?

Another confusing thing about Texas was when we had lunch today, because it was the first non-Mexican food of the trip. All I could think was Why is this meat not in a burrito?

Between feeling sick, the rain, and the non-burrito food, we'd hit a low point. Well, I had hit a low point. And when I'm not feeling good, I make sure no one else is feeling good. Especially Nolan. That way everyone is equal.

But then we saw this cow friend, and I started feeling a little better.

And then that sunny rain turned into a rainbow!

Then I felt a lot better. But no, I still don't want to work out. There are so many heavy burritos in my stomach, just walking around is like doing lunges with 25 pound** weights.

**I have not gained 25 pounds. I hope.

Even the spiders...

Are bigger in Texas. It's probably because they eat so much protein.

Nolan, TMHQ's redhead, I are down here in Texas to check things out for the Austin event. We were driving along, thinking everything was fine. And then we saw THESE:

I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but it is approximately eighty gajillion inches across.

Run for the mud (hills?)

Running is fun when you take in the scenery. Except not fun if when you pause to take a picture someone tries to steal your wallet. New York always keeps you on your toes.

At Customer Service, I get a lot of questions about training for Tough Mudder, specifically about the relative importance of running versus lifting. Of course strength is important. Sean is always on my case about lifting more, and he's right. Also, some people think running is boring, especially if you're on a treadmill. More like brain-dead-mill, am I right? Hello? Is this thing on?

But hello, Tough Mudder is a lot about running. It's important, and it can be fun. Many famous people in different eras have been running enthusiasts. When Bill Clinton was president, he was known to go jogging. Yes, it counts when you're running to get McDonalds--it's about the journey, not the destination. Ed Norton did the NYC marathon, and he's awesome. President John Quincy Adams enjoyed swimming naked in the Potomac River--and maybe if he'd gone running more, people wouldn't have run away screaming every time he prepared to take a dip.

I usually run 3--4 times a week--hill training, sprints, and one or two plain distance runs. The other day I ran five miles, and I want to do 5.5 next week. One of my favorite things about summer, besides ice cream (...I mean...protein powder?) is getting to run outside. It's great to see NYC waking up, and I feel like I get let in on a little secret side of New York, and no I don't mean the gentleman's club The Secret Side by the East River. Get your mind out of the gutter, mudders.

I like to run through the West Village, because a)it's beautiful

and b)maybe I will see a famous person.

Here's the Union Square farmer's market getting set up. I wanted to stop and buy some cookies, but then I realized how sad that would look. Also, I suspect Sean would somehow find out and then I'd be in big trouble.

Every time I run past the W Hotel in Union Square, I think "Sure, you may be fancy and awesome and full of cool people...but can you run through fire? I don't even see you registered in active.com."

Then it's time for work, where sometimes the guys make smoothies! FUN! Except why does this taste like Dogfish?

Monday, July 19th: A woman, a plan, a Canal Street

Training plans are key. We all know that. But what about the rest of your life? What is the point of a plan if it means you have to miss out on the things that are important to you? When is it worth sacrificing for the sake of Tough Mudder?

All week I'd imagined that Saturday I would wake up in the morning, go to spinning class, and then go the farmer's market on the way home. I wanted my roommates to wake up to fresh flowers in a vase and some freshly baked pumpkin scones. Then we would all laugh and throw money in the air and Matt Damon would come over and read us Harry Potter. In that plan, I looked like this:

I had forgotten about how much I love fun, specifically fun in the form of staying at Piano's dancing until 4am. That fun looked like this:

Although it was 92 degrees, I tried to go running. That unfun looked like this:

So instead of following my training plan, I hung out with my roommates watching Mad Men for nine hours, complaining about how hot it was. That looked like this:

Even though at first I was worried about skipping a workout, I soon realized two things:

1. A training plan is important--but a key component of it is flexibility. You have to be able to skip a workout now and then when fun things happen. Training does take hard work and discipline, and I'm happy to say Sunday I was back on track doing hill repeats in Central Park.

2. Do NOT buy tequila shots for strangers, because while money may not feel real at night, in the light of day it is incredibly real. And now I have none. It looks like this:

Wednesday, July 14th: (Not at all) Under Pressure

Today is my day off from training, because I have an early morning doctor's appointment.

Update: I have excellent blood pressure.

Monday, July 12th: Pain. Everywhere.

If only the Uhaul came with a free protein shake...what a double whammy!

This weekend I learned that pain can come with a reward. Right now I hurt everywhere, including my eyeballs, but actually that is from falling asleep watching Seinfeld on my computer. The point is, I'm hurting, but the reward is that I learned to push myself, and I know I'm getting stronger.

Let me take you on the guided Tour De Pain...

Shoulders: hurt from training with Sean on Saturday. It was my introduction to cross fit, which is pretty awesome. My two favorite parts were 1. I didn't quit when I was tired, and I ended up using heavier weights than usual. 2. We only had to work out for 20 minutes because it was so intense. We started with some dynamic stretching, and then we did three sets of dead lifts, box jumps, and something I don't know what to call--squats where you swing a weight like a kettlebell. After that we did biceps, which normally I pretty much ignore, except to do kind of lame curls while checking myself out in the mirror. Sean showed me the light and made me admit that it's time to get it together and do real arm exercises.

Biceps: pain from Saturday's workout.

Tendons near my elbows: really hurt, but this is from carrying boxes over the weekend when I moved into my new apartment.

Back muscles: really hurt. Either from the boxes, opening and closing the giant moving truck's door, sleeping on my new mattress, or Sean's workout. Results are unclear.

Legs: Hurt from box jumps with Sean. Also from walking into boxes in the new apartment.

In conclusion, both cross fit and moving day can give you pain, and yet both pains come with rewards--being stronger and having an awesome apartment. So really, it all evens out. Now if only I could find a way to make that reward come in either cash or ice cream form. I'll let you guys know how that works out. I probably need to study the arts of alchemy.

(In case you are wondering, Sunday I ran for 4.5 miles on the tredmill, and today I did abs and spin class.)

SPC

Friday, July 9th: Day 1. The Hills are Tired

If only these guys would pull me up the hill...

Oh. My. Mud. That hill workout made my legs feel like under-cooked Coney Island hotdogs. Speaking of which, I would love a hotdog right now. I'm trying to be healthy and follow Sean's nutrition guidelines, but it's not easy. I made one of his protein shakes last night, because I decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge instead of take the subway home. It was beautiful, but I didn't get home until late, so by that point I was not about to start cooking. The shake was delicious, but it turned out I didn't have any ice, so it was awkwardly warm. Also, I had to use water instead of milk, because the milk in the fridge was from June.

The hill workout was tough and definitely made me a little nervous for NorCal, since that is up a mountain. We did the upper loop of Central Park, which has two big hills. I usually don't run with other people, and this was a nice change. Plus, having Lindsay Marathon Queen there helped me push myself, since sometimes when I'm alone I have a tendency to go easy and stop when I could do more.

I'm off to tackle today's customer service emails. Happy Friday!

SPC

Thursday, July 8th: Prepare to Meet Your Mudder

Another time I faced a Tough Mudder challenge--I was the first member of TMHQ

to test out the fire obstacle. But I didn't get a raise. Weird!

Hello friends. I'm Sophie. You may think you know me from customer service. You may actually know me from customer service. Maybe I helped your mom get a spectator ticket. Maybe I helped you transfer your registration from Saturday Tri-State to Sunday Tri-State. Maybe I have seen a lot of awkward photos that you keep sending, hoping to be in the Tough Mudder Universe. (You know who you are.)

But for those of you not familiar with me, I'm the youngest member of Tough Mudder Head Quarters, and as such, the office guinea pig. (At the Bear Creek dry run, I was the one with a camera strapped to my head with duct-tape and a fuzzy ear warmer.) So I will be training for the next three months to run in the Norcal event. I'll be keeping this blog to update you on my training, and maybe some of my feelings. Just kidding. At Tough Mudder we don't have feelings, because those weigh you down and make you run slower.

Training starts tomorrow morning, bright and early in Central Park: hill training with Lindsay, TMHQ's resident marathoner. She even did the race where you run up the Empire State Building. She's for real. I also want to mention Baker and Sean, who helped out a lot with this plan. Baker and I went to college together, where he played lacrosse. He's a pretty serious runner these days now that he's out of school and an "adult," but he didn't exactly get it together to sign up for Bear Creek in time. (Sound familiar?) Sean is a member of E7, one of TMHQ's (my) favorite Tough Mudder teams. They were in the elite start group at Bear Creek, and Sean's pretty much a machine.

Currently, I run in Central Park and go to spinning class at the gym a few times a week. Growing up, I rode horses, and in college I played rugby. My other favorite cardio is shopping for shoes and soft white t-shirts. Needless to say, I'm a little nervous about what's going to happen on October 9th, but I'm feeling positive right now. Maybe it's the dogfish.

SPC