Last Poster #6

[AngryHobbit]

@Xue Sheng , did you know? You get fabulous complexion after slogging through mud in the rain for 3 hours.

 

[Xue Sheng]

@Xue Sheng , did you know? You get fabulous complexion after slogging through mud in the rain for 3 hours.

fabulous complexion....

I spent many an hour slogging through the woods, carrying a sledge hammer and rebar...or an axe...or a chainsaw....in the rain....on a mountain side.....in my days working a tree farm in Pennsylvania.... didn't do a thing for my complexion....did get me incredibly wet, tired and uncomfortable though

 

[Gerry Seymour]

fabulous complexion....

I spent many an hour slogging through the woods, carrying a sledge hammer and rebar...or an axe...or a chainsaw....in the rain....on a mountain side.....in my days working a tree farm in Pennsylvania.... didn't do a thing for my complexion....did get me incredibly wet, tired and uncomfortable though

You can get all those things slogging in the mud, plus the bonus mud mask. Really, a multifunctional activity.

 

[AngryHobbit]

fabulous complexion....

I spent many an hour slogging through the woods, carrying a sledge hammer and rebar...or an axe...or a chainsaw....in the rain....on a mountain side.....in my days working a tree farm in Pennsylvania.... didn't do a thing for my complexion....did get me incredibly wet, tired and uncomfortable though

I think it didn't work for you because you didn't have proper obstacles.

 

[Xue Sheng]

You can get all those things slogging in the mud, plus the bonus mud mask. Really, a multifunctional activity.

I think it didn't work for you because you didn't have proper obstacles.

Had a mud mask once....my dirt bike through me into a swamp....as I was attempting to avoid several obstacle....one of those was a rather large root system of a tree that I did not see...in the swamp.... that I failed to avoid......did nothing for my complexion thought

 

[granfire]

Had a mud mask once....my dirt bike through me into a swamp....as I was attempting to avoid several obstacle....one of those was a rather large root system of a tree that I did not see...in the swamp.... that I failed to avoid......did nothing for my complexion thought

and after two weeks it peeled off....

 

[AngryHobbit]

Had a mud mask once....my dirt bike through me into a swamp....as I was attempting to avoid several obstacle....one of those was a rather large root system of a tree that I did not see...in the swamp.... that I failed to avoid......did nothing for my complexion thought

No, no, no, that's nowhere near enough obstacles - we had 13.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Had a mud mask once....my dirt bike through me into a swamp....as I was attempting to avoid several obstacle....one of those was a rather large root system of a tree that I did not see...in the swamp.... that I failed to avoid......did nothing for my complexion thought

You weren't doing it right. It only counts if you MEAN to go into the mud.

 

[AngryHobbit]

You weren't doing it right. It only counts if you MEAN to go into the mud.

BE the mud. BE the mud.

 

[Xue Sheng]

No, no, no, that's nowhere near enough obstacles - we had 13.

There were many more obstacles in that swamp than 13....when I eventually got out, I vowed never to go in there again....and I didn't...for an entire 2 weeks..... then I went in again and an unseen tree limb hit the bottom of my frame and slid between the frame and my brake and stopped me cold....and I started to sink..... I was happy there were a bunch of roots there that day for me to stand on and pull my bike out.... I did actually stop going in there after that...what can you expect...it was the logic of a 16 year old male.

You weren't doing it right. It only counts if you MEAN to go into the mud.

Oh.....now it makes sense.....I had no intention of ending up in the mud that day, but the powers that be, and a bunch of tree roots, had other ideas...... also got me to stop riding with open faced helmets, with just goggles.

 

[_Simon_]

So, this is Happy Ending. This is the one I fell off of. Most Tough Mudder obstacles cannot be done solo, unless you are a total fitness mutant. For happy ending, multiple people make up the ladders up the slope, help pull up other people, and then the people who make it to the top help pull up the people who make up the ladders. Well, the unwritten rule - as with everything else Tough Mudder - if you are helping out, you don't leave an obstacle until someone comes to take your place.

What happened to me was - I was between two "ladders" and they did an admirable job hauling my heavy *** up, I almost made it to the top, but people who were there before, left without waiting for anyone to step in for them. So, I was like two feet from the top and STUCK. I was on my knees on that slippery-*** slope, my legs shaking, a "ladder" person holding my arms on each side, and unable to move either here or there. And then someone down below buckled, and we had an avalanche. I went down that slippery, wet, completely smooth slope at Mach 1.0 (I think I heard the sonic boom), scraped my shins, knees, hips, and ribs on that plank the "ladders" stand on, and went into the pool below at full submersion. Ow.

Oh wow that's awesome... I actually had no idea that you had to work together at all in Tough Mudder! I thought the whole thing was a completely solo venture! That's really cool everyone helps each other out

(That last one does look like a doooozzy!)

 

[AngryHobbit]

I am still picking mud out of my ears. Now... where is that coming from?

 

[AngryHobbit]

Oh wow that's awesome... I actually had no idea that you had to work together at all in Tough Mudder! I thought the whole thing was a completely solo venture! That's really cool everyone helps each other out

(That last one does look like a doooozzy!)

I think that is the radical difference between Tough Mudder and other mud runs. I mean - based on what we've experienced so far and what I've heard from other participants, they are all fun in their own way. But the remarkable thing about the Mudder is - you do need support. And it really is fun. It's fun when you get help from people you've never met before, and it's fun when you can help pull someone up or push or encourage... something.

 

[AngryHobbit]

Oh.....now it makes sense.....I had no intention of ending up in the mud that day, but the powers that be, and a bunch of tree roots, had other ideas...... also got me to stop riding with open faced helmets, with just goggles.

Aha! Now we get to the root of the problem - the intention! Yes. You have to intend to go in. Otherwise - no complexion benefits.

 

[AngryHobbit]

A few more Mudder adventures. This is the Cliffhanger. I must admit, on the down side, I was almost a dead weight - almost. It took two strong gentlemen to hoist me up there, and then a girl at the top very firmly and unceremoniously grabbed hold of one of my legs and pulled me over. I pulled up and did a full frontal drop on top of the Cliffhanger. Note to anyone in the audience possessing a crotch - do not do a full frontal drop on top of the Cliffhanger. Because, if you possess a crotch, that's a free hysterectomy or vasectomy right there, and you don't even need to file a claim with your insurance company. Once over, it was fun. The four of us, ladies, stood on a plank on the vertical side with just enough space between us to put another person and hoisted people over, conveyor style. I think we got five or six other participants - men and women - over the wall. Then someone took my place and I was able to slide down.

 

[AngryHobbit]

This is the Mud Mile 2.0. Except it was not a beautiful sunny day. It was cold and rainy. And the prior day's rain raised the water level in the trenches - so they were about up to my chest. The way we worked these: someone gave me a knee or a hand boost up, I immediately flipped over to the other side, waited there, trying not to slip, and gripped the hands on the next person coming up. Then allowed myself to slide off the other side into the next trench, using my entire weight to pull the person I was holding to the top. And so on. This was a reasonable way to work it, since - what with the rain and all - that mud was as slippery as bat sh*t.

 

[AngryHobbit]

This is my favorite - the Block Ness Monster. Again, it was deeper than expected - over my head. I had to swim the entire time and I could not help push since, in order to push, you have to stand, and I didn't have anything to stand on. So, I let other people push, caught the next edge coming up as soon as it became available, flipped over at the top, and then dangled off the other side to help rotate it. @gpseymour says not only was it deeper than expected but those triangular floating blocks were heavier than the last time he did the Mudder.

 

[CB Jones]

I think I found the perfect hoodie for you @Xue Sheng

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Oh wow that's awesome... I actually had no idea that you had to work together at all in Tough Mudder! I thought the whole thing was a completely solo venture! That's really cool everyone helps each other out

(That last one does look like a doooozzy!)

Some of the mud runs (technically "obstacle course races") are designed around solo performance - Warrior Dash is. In the Warrior Dash, there aren't any obstacles I can't complete solo, and I'm not any kind of elite athlete. In Tough Mudder, there are many obstacles that are designed to require help. Some can be overcome by those with really good vertical leaps (though if they miss by a bit, someone up top like me will catch their arm and get them to the handhold they missed). Some I'm not sure can be overcome by any kind of athletic prowess. Some can be easily overcome by good athleticism, but are made easier by someone up top being there if you slip. And there are some (only in the Full Mudder) that are entirely solo ventures. With Tough Mudder, they've designed the course around the idea of teamwork. Most people help someone up before they start up, then help someone from the top before they climb down the other side. There's a real sense of community to it.

 

[drop bear]

So. Our next fight promotion is going to have ring boys. For when the girls fight.