Tough Mudder events: Your answer if racing has gone stale

There’s nothing like the middle of a heat wave in July to kill that running buzz. It’s the dog days of summer and sometimes those scheduled runs just aren’t happening. Or, they get cut short because taking precautions in the heat and humidity is something that every runner has to exercise.

RELATED: Tough Mudder training: Hit the trails

So with this said, it’s not uncommon for runners to feel like they just aren’t quite on target for that fall goal race. Everyone slips up sometimes. Many of us struggle in summer. It’s the way it is especially when we only get a few months of sunny warm weather to enjoy during the year.

Maybe that’s not the case. Some runners struggle with keeping diligent when the results have started to plateau. That’s a real problem for many in the running community. There’s no doubt it can be tough when track intervals, hill workouts, long runs and tons of mileage don’t lead to breaking that sub-3:30 marathon you dreamed of.

So here’s a thought: what about something totally new to plot for fall? Something like… a Tough Mudder!

It doesn’t have to replace the goal race. There’s nothing wrong with taking a stab at a distance even if the time result isn’t a PB. We don’t always achieve goals– that’s what makes it so special when we do hit the mark in the first place. What we are talking about here is spicing up fall with an off-the-wall event in addition to whatever is on the agenda.

Thinking about it, eh? Consider us the angel on your shoulder spewing a stream of encouraging reasons to do it.

It will force you not to take yourself too seriously…

Hey there Type A runner, someone has to say it and it might as well be us. You can take yourself too seriously at times. We know, we know. The sport is about discipline and being Type A means that the work gets done. That’s great but letting loose and being silly in the mud for a day will be a purely fun experience. You will be able to laugh at yourself and likely, letting go will be of benefit next time you have to dig deep in a workout.

Past race results are not applicable. Therefore, no pressure.

Think of it this way, if you have a horrible race, you won’t have a previous time to compare it to. That takes the self criticism out of the picture on this race day. It also means that you can’t Google other people’s results to compare yourself to them ahead of time.

You can embrace your inner child in a judgement-free zone.

Everyone here is testing their strength and fitness in the mud. You’re all in the same boat… errr… mud pit. No one is going to judge you for being muddy and no one is focusing on your time. Enjoy the crazy obstacles and have fun on the course!

There’s just something cathartic about completely ruining your gear in the mud.

Take that old rag of a shirt that you hate and those running shorts with the stain and go trash them in the mud. It’s cathartic to get extremely muddy and get as dirty as possible for one day. Go crazy while you can.

Rope walls.

Just rope walls. They are fun. Well, speaking honestly, all of the obstacles are pretty fun. This one in particular can be tough if you don’t climb it right. If you have a knack for climbing though, you’re sure to be able to scamper up to the top with ease.

The race photos will be with you long past the event.

If there’s ever a dull moment, whip out the photos. Likely they will actually encourage you to try for another one.

We’re doing it too!

We are going to be running a Tough Mudder too. See why we are doing it here and how training is going in our story here.

Looking for proper shoes to bring you through the mud and over the obstacles? Try Merrell’s All Out Crush option. This pair is sturdy and suitable for all OCR enthusiasts.