Running Through Fire at Tough Mudder
I had the pleasure of watching my son Craig run a Tough Mudder event a couple of years ago in Englishtown NJ. He amazed me and inspired I thought to myself “I want to do a Tough Mudder with him”. I’m an avid yoga nut, practicing for just over a year. So I spoke to my teacher, Deb Wertz of Om Shanti Yoga and training began.
As the 29th of April approached I was asking myself “what are you doing”? At 55 years of age, should I really be doing this course designed by UK Special Forces? Two reasons kept me going. One was the Wounded Warrior Project, of which this event raises money for. The other, that father-son together moment. So onward bound.
Getting to the starting line involved climbing over an 8 foot wall. Fell on my rear and we haven’t even started! The course was a bit over 12 miles of uneasy terrain, up and down mountains. That first water obstacle, wow. Up a plank and into a pool full of water and ice cubes. Then underwater in the ice to get to the other side of a wall. Down in mud crawling under barbed wire, climbing 8 and 12 foot walls, as well as jumping up to helping hands on a 15-20 foot half-pike. Crazy. Crawl through water filled tunnels, hand-in-hand over monkey bars and rings, of which I fell from both into more cold water. Mud, mud and more mud, broken up by a run through fire.
In everything, there is a moment. Mine was in the log carrying obstacle. I came upon a team of wounded warriors. Logs on their broken bodies, they were doing it. No way could you think about your own pain at that moment. As president of CJ Component Products, which designs, manufactures and distributes military headsets and handsets, my travels take me to meet and hear soldiers needs in communication. They are the ones who are taking the fight for our security and freedom.
The funniest part of the day was at the finish line. Once I crossed the finish line with my team, the staff hands you a Tough Mudder headband, a tee shirt and a beer. All day I just ran and just never gave being cold much thought. With a beer in my hand, I started to shiver like crazy, beer spilling all over! All I could do is laugh.
It’s been a week and today I went back to my yoga class at Om Shanti Yoga. My body reminded me of what this ol’ man had just put it through.
