Just The Tip: 3 LESSONS TO LEARN FROM A TOUGH MUDDER RACE
May 28, 2023
YOU CAN NOT FAIL IF YOU DON'T GIVE UP
Life lesson from TOUGH MUDDER 2013
In 1992 the Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain, created a picturesque backdrop for the 400-meter sprint. Derek Redmond, favored to win the race, positioned himself tightly into his blocks, head down slowly lifting until eyes met black top. Another snap, a torn hamstring, quickly followed the sound of the gun.?
In excruciating pain, years of sacrifice and hard work, slipping away, Derek refused to quit. For the next 250 meters, with the help of his father's shoulder, he limped across the finish line. His goal was to finish what he had started years earlier.??
In 2013, I became Derek Redmond in a cornfield-turned-muddy obstacle race.
Twenty minutes after the pop of the gun, the universe would send me a clear and poignant message: "Quit, like you always do."
Broken, battered, and crying - looking to a stranger questioning if I could even go on. I found myself in the darkness of hell, for I had fallen from the strength of the unbroken.?
My new friend, a young marathon guy I met twenty minutes before the pop of the gun, became my strength when I needed someone most. As we stood with 199 moms and dads, the young to the old, the athletic to the not-so-athletic, we had one singular goal: To make it 13.2 miles through mud and obstacles. A wildly energetic man with a microphone rose above all 199 of us from the center of the huddle. A hush fell on the crowd. The man began his speech, "You have no idea what you are about to do unless you have been here before, and in that case, I applaud you for wanting to give it another go."?
As the roar of the crowd escalated, chills rose over my body. "I wish you luck for those that this is your first attempt. Everything you thought you knew is wrong. You will f******** be tested, pushed, and brought to your limits. Look to your left."?
As we turned to the left, "Oh yes…you see that healthy, athletic, handsome person…look all you want because that person is weak. He will lie on the ground, asking for the shit to end. Now look to your right. I have a feeling I know what you are thinking. You see a weak, skinny, scared person asking you what the f*** this person thinks." A roar from the huddle erupts as heads bobble up and down and high-fives.?
"Let me tell you, my weak friends, those weak mother********. They are the ones you wish you were! They will be kicking your ass."
More hooting and hollering. "What lies ahead, my friends, on the other side of the wall, is nothing short of a champion--a tough Mudder! You must avoid going into this challenge thinking you understand or know. You have no f********* clue!!! Can I get a 'hooray!'"?
The sound of the gun snapped me out of my daze as the adrenaline seeped through my veins. My new friend grabbed my arm and pulled me through the masses. After jumping over fire and through mud that acted as quicksand and took hostage my partner's shoes, we hit our running stride. The pace was relatively fast; I needed to train more in the running department.?
Just the Tip
We approached our first major obstacle at mile two, Just the Tip. With your hands, you need to climb along a small wooden beam while hanging down, facing a wooden wall. Every few feet, there's a small beam beneath where you place your feet, a higher beam for your hands, strategically placed outside an average person's reach.?
Waiting in line allowed us to catch our breath and strategize how to overcome the obstacle without ultimately getting wet. I went before my partner.?
The Next Step, Falling Fast
How often are you afraid to take the next step -- a career change, writing a book, or starting a new business? The next step is terrifying.?
The splashing and plops surrounded me as I turned to look back at my partner for guidance and support.?
In the second it took me to turn for guidance, I lost focus and fell onto the wooden plank I had taken my first step from moments ago. SNAP!?
I fell into the muck in writhing pain, the wind knocked out, and excruciating pain centralized. Neck-deep, trudging through the mud and water, semi-conscious, shivering in shock. At the bottom of the ladder, unable to discern how to climb.?
Men around pulled and pushed me up and out of the pool. An EMT rushed over, "Are you okay?"?
"Yes. No. I don't know, I hurt."?
"Where does it hurt?"
"My left shoulder. I think... it's broken," I said e trying to move it as the EMT inspected it.?
My partner looked at me, "Susan, we all heard the snap. There is a nasty bruise. Do you want to continue?"?
Dazed and confused, I shook my head and agreed to continue because deep within, I was stubborn, and quitting when I had just begun was not an option. I did not want to feel like a failure or a quitter. After all, I quit so many other times because it was too hard, I was too scared, or hell, I just quit to quit. I gave up.?
NOT THIS TIME! I would not allow pain or a broken shoulder to stop me.??
"Yes. I can move it. The snap was my head hitting the platform. I will be okay," as I thanked the EMT and headed toward the next obstacle roughly a quarter mile away.?
The tube crawl: a cylinder metal tube that goes down and then up a slight incline. Once you go in, you must come out. My partner went first in case I needed to be pulled or had difficulty with my shoulder. A guy who had seen me fall on the last obstacle said he would go behind to push if I needed.?
These two guys became my strength when in the middle, I lay paralyzed, without any power to go forward or backward. My partner grabbed my good arm as the guy behind pushed my feet up the tubing to the entrance and freedom.?
Emerging, I looked at my partner with tears, "Susan, you can do this. We can do this together. I will help you until you cannot go any further...I got your back. Are you in?"?
At that moment, the strength and determination of one man, willing to go the distance with me, a stranger. "Hell, yes! Let's do this!"
We devised a plan to move slower with my arm at a ninety-degree angle. We also agreed that I would have the EMTs look at it at the next medical station, approximately two miles away. Strength, adrenaline, the universe, uncertainty, I ran, we ran. I learned about Mr. X and him about me. We forged a bond from a simple unified goal: To make it to the finish line together.
Your Mind Quits Before Your Body
Two more miles facing hills, hay bales, tilled corn fields, and long, hot stretches of harsh terrain. The sides of the course were littered with muscular, athletic men gasping for air. Running by, their wearied faces looking up, begging and pleading to end their misery. I yell, "Hey, buttercup, suck it up! I have a broken shoulder. You do not see me quitting!"?
领英推荐
Mr. X laughing at the buff on the side of the road as we continue our journey to the finish line. We finally reach the medical station located at the stoic Arctic Enema Challenge. The Arctic Enema is the right of passage for Tough Mudder's; acceptance into the club, if you will. And no, I do not mean the challenge of a freezing 'cleansing.'?
Approaching the EMT, taking one look, gravely stating, "You have a broken shoulder. You must go to the hospital."
Looking at Mr. X looking back at me disappointedly, I felt the tears rapidly escaping my mud-stained face. "Susan, what do you want to do?"
"I can't quit. I want to run."
The EMT looked at me, "I cannot allow you to continue the race."
Dropping my shoulders momentarily, counting to ten before standing up as tall as possible and looking the guy in the eyes. "No. I will not quit, and you will not tell me I must. Fix this. Wrap it. Do whatever, but I will continue." Time stopped.
Until now, I thought I was a weak person with a low pain tolerance.?No, I will not quit!?After debating, we came to a compromise. I could continue if I remained bandaged and off all obstacles that could require another participant to pull on my arm - no hanging, swinging or jumping. Mr. EMT forcefully reminded me to check in at every medical station to tighten the bandage, reapply ice and assess the shoulder. If unwilling to accept or follow, race officials would pull me off the course. Nodding my head, I say, "If you attempt to remove me from the course, I will rip my number off my shirt and remove the bandage. You will not be able to distinguish me from any other dirty girl running the course."?
The disappointment of having to stop was more significant than any pain I felt. Images of my children raced through my mind. I used my moment of pain as a source of strength and determination to push through at all costs. I knew if I could dig deep into greater power, I would ultimately win, succeed and finish the race: broken shoulder and all.?
Looking at Mr. X; through the strong facade of inspiration, I saw sacrifice. He was willing to sacrifice finishing to stand by me quitting. Quitting on myself is one thing; quitting on someone else not an option.
Run Susan, Run
The next eight miles took every ounce of strength, continually putting one foot in front of the other and wanting to quit more times than not. The physical pain was silenced somewhere around mile six.
I learned a lot about myself and others that day. I learned strangers are angels in disguise. I learned my body gives out before my mind and that I can overcome any obstacle in my life if I focus and put my mind to it.?
Racing through the last obstacle, dangling rays of electricity, and over a mud pit, crossing the line, the announcer yells into his microphone, "Holy shit, it's the girl with the broken shoulder!" Five seconds of fame. Upon completing the race, Mr. X thanked me for inspiring and running the race with him.
PART II - Let's Get Naked
Mud.
Broken Shoulder.
Nasty clothes.
Reality hit as more runners crossed, rinsed, and gathered their belongings: How the hell would I get out of the muddy, wet clothes into clean, dry clothes to make the trek back to Omaha?
The four of us, three men and I, awkwardly stare at one another in the micro-hotel room. The plan was simple: cover with towels and strip me naked. Then, after showering, wrap with towels and dress me in a room made for one.
Gentle men full of compassion and consideration.
Looking back, I learned much about myself in that 3-hour 12.5-mile run.?Attempting the Tough Mudder is daring. Quitting, admiral. I chose to listen to the voice within—forever grateful for placing foot over foot, mile after mile, crossing the finish line with a broken shoulder, not a broken soul.?
I went into the Tough Mudder, thinking I would run 13 miles and get extremely dirty; what I didn't expect was to do the unexpected.?
Not only finishing but finishing with a muddy smile. I had moments of giving up, not because I was tired or in pain - because giving up or quitting is much easier.?
Months later, my shoulder healed, and I realized I was right. Not only could I do it, but I also loved doing it. I loved pushing myself entirely beyond what I thought was possible.?
My belief is simple:?Our mind will give out before our body.
Many times in my life, I have felt like a failure.
I've quit because quitting is easier.
In 2013, with the help of Mr. X, I found the strength to keep going, to cross the finish line, as did Derek Redmond in 1992 with the help of his father.
3 Life Lessons from a Tough Mudder Race
Ask any of my children about the Tough Mudder experience, they will roll their eyes and say, "We know, we've heard it a million times - don't give up." Ten years ago, I made a choice to continue when life threw me lemons. Dragons will always show up on the way to anything worthwhile. You can beat the dragons!
Remember, your dragon is unique and different than someone else's.
You will not fail if you do not:??
Moral of the story: keep going, you can finish what you started.
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