Functional Fitness
  • Home
  • What We Do
    • Online Services
    • Personalized Coaching
    • Group Training Programs
    • Corporate Groups
    • Assessment & Analysis
  • About Us
    • Meet Your Trainer
    • Success Stories & Testimonials
    • Referral Policy
    • Cancellation Policy
    • Short-Notice Cancellation List
  • Shopping
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Blog Archives
  • Contact Us

9 Lessons from Mud Hero

7/15/2013

3 Comments

 
Picture
Last weekend, Nova Scotia experienced its first mud run/ obstacle race.  Mud Hero toted a 6km long run across diverse terrain, 16 obstacles along the way including walls to scale, slides and fireman’s poles to descend, beams and cargo nets to traverse, all covered with lots of mud… and let’s not forget that this all took place on a ski hill. 

In the past few years, obstacle racing has experienced a rate of growth that may be unprecedented in the history of participatory sports, and registration for this event was so popular that a second day of racing was created to meet the demand.

Their website states that:

“Mud Hero is the ultimate place to scale new summits. Conquer your fear of muck, madness and mayhem and embrace your love of friends, fitness and fun. Crush your inner wimp as you crank your adrenaline to push yourself and your fellow Heroes to the finish (without spilling over laughing).”

I, of course, was somewhat of a sceptic.  The first ever mud run… at a ski hill… it’s going to be a clusterf@#$. Parking.  Too many “keeners” jacked up on too much Redbull.  Absolute chaos with all the different starting "waves”.  Backlogs at the obstacles along the way.  It’s going to be a nightmare.  BOY WAS I WRONG!

EVERYTHING that I've heard following the event has been overwhelmingly positive.  I am thoroughly impressed, and tip my hat to the event organizers at Crazy Canuck Events.

As I listened to the recaps of last Saturday, I began to think of all the subtle life lessons that could be taken from this muddy, gritty experience:


Lesson 1
Sometimes life gets a little messy.  That's okay.  Make the most of it.  Don’t let a little muck get ya down.  Pulling through the other side of a mess it what growth and learning are all about.

Lesson 2
It’s not always the obstacles that are hard – sometimes it’s the journey in between.  I’m sure climbing over those walls was a son-of-a-gun, and sliding down the fireman’s pole was nerve-wracking for some... but I bet none of them compared to running up and down a ski hill. 
Picture
Lesson 3
The obstacles in our way may not be as tough as we envisioned… or how we view them from a distance.  We create visions of daunting obstacles and devastating obstructions along our journey and when we finally get there... they're actually not that bad.  Stay positive.

Lesson 4
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat”.  We often look at a situation and see two solutions: follow the masses and plow through it or avoid it all together.  Far too often we can tackle these situations with a little creativity (or craziness) - we can go over, go under, stray a little from the pack and create our own style or “hells yeah”, take the bull by the horns and plow on through – we don’t have to get stuck in the black-and-white.  Sometimes we can conquer a fear or prove that we’re a little stronger or better prepared than we thought by overcoming that barrier…

Lesson 5
… or sometimes going around is the wise decision.  Now, as much as I’m saying “buckle down and overcome”, there are times when the wise, excuse-free choice may simply be to circumvent an obstacle.  This might change our course a bit and may make our journey a bit longer, but the important thing is that we end up back on track headed forward in our journey.  Be honest with yourself when answering the question, “why can’t I do this?”
Lesson 6
Don’t be afraid to reach out for a helping hand – you might be surprised.  You’ll be shocked at the camaraderie that some of those seemingly super-serious, GoPro-sporting, Camelbak-toting, Vibrams-wearing super-studs (and I use that term in a gender-neutral manner) display.  Don't be afraid to ask for help (and don’t be afraid to be that person who glances over their shoulder to see if you can pull someone over when you reach the top).  Karma’s a son-of-a-gun!
Picture
Lesson 7
Sometimes all the mud won’t come clean and you’re left with a little reminder.  Despite how much you scrub or what chemicals you use, that nice white t-shirt is always gonna be a little off-white and the eyelets of your sneakers will always have a bit of mud caked in them as a permanent reminder of your journey.  It’s okay to wear those badges with pride – you were brave enough to step up to the start-line and to get a little dirty.
Picture
Lesson 8
The correlation between our efforts and the results attained is a valuable one.  The preparation that we put into something is pretty much guaranteed to be reflected in the outcome that we achieve. 

Lesson 9
It’s not always about speed (and those of you who know me, can attest to how tough that is for me to write).  The fastest competitors completed this event in a little over 33 minutes.  The slowest.... well .... who cares?  Not only were they brave enough to start, they were strong enough to finish – and who am I to talk, I didn’t even put my sneakers on!
Picture
To all those people who completed this event… Congratulations.  I'll see ya next year!

3 Comments
Meegan link
7/16/2013 07:00:25 am

Does this mean that Team Functional Fitness will be complete with our coach in custom T-shirts next year? (FINALLY) huh huh?

And thank you for Lesson 9, which I reminded myself of over and over again as I was ever so slowly climbing that ski hill...I got up and out and did it - beats all the people who didn't start every time.

Reply
Althea
3/27/2015 02:26:36 am

I loved reading this, my sister & I will be competing in our first Mud Hero challenge July 4th 2015. I was nervous but after talking to others, getting pumped up about the experience,discussing team names & etc.. I'm SO PUMPED! I enjoy fitness & try to stay healthy, but I know this will kick my butt.... & I look forward to it!!!

Reply
Chris link
3/27/2015 04:20:38 am

CONGRATULATIONS Althea!! You and your sister are in for a great time, tons of fun and an amazing sense of accomplishment when you're all done. Best of luck.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Picture
    Thoughts from my rant-filled mind about our health, how nobody else really gives a crap about it, and ideas about what we can do to help ourselves.
    Picture

    Archives

    October 2016
    June 2016
    November 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    September 2013
    July 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    April 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

    Categories

    All
    Attitude
    Choice
    Christmas
    Compassion
    Diet
    Excuses
    Goals
    Humanity
    Lessons
    Life
    Lifestyle
    Nutrition
    Opinion
    Rant
    Resolutions
    Stress
    Success
    Suggestions

    RSS Feed

Connect With Us:

phone: (+1) 902.489.1427
​e-mail: info@functionalfitness.ca

1658 Bedford Hwy
Bedford, NS  B4A 2X9 
(we're located in the home of West Halifax Cheer)
Functional Fitness © 2001 - 2021 All Rights Reserved