On October 5th three of my buddies (Rainbow Speak, Juicebox and BattleToad) and I are going to do the Tough Mudder!/. (I say !/. because should I be excited about this? I don’t know.)
The Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile race where you go through obstacles. Actually, I made fun of runs like it in a post back in January (in my Death Be Damned! Fun Run imaginary run advertisement). Now here I am in August and I’m beginning to train for this beastly run.
I had a lot of fun fiddling with my workout schedule, and since I spent time on that I thought I would share it. Why not?
For starters …
I used Hal Higdon’s guide for both of the half marathons I have done. It’s online, free, and pretty good I think. There are different levels, and a little information at each level so you know if you’re signing up for too easy of training, just right, or too hard. Neato mosquito.
This time I decided to go for the Intermediate Half Marathon guide. I think I can keep up with the training, and if I can get through that I’ll be a much better runner at the end of it.
Two good quotes (with bonus comic)…
Recently I read the “53 Runner’s Commandments” by Joe Kelly. Two of them I think are good things to remember. The first one is good especially for someone who is struggling with feeling like it’s worth it/confidence/just starting out woes.
22. No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
The second one I think is really true (assuming you don’t push yourself too hard on a run and end up injuring yourself …):
53. Running is always enjoyable. Sometimes, though, the joy doesn’t come until the end of the run.
Bonus comic? The Oatmeal is fantastically funny, and it turns out a crazy good runner. (And kind of a nut.)
Just Get to the Plan …
Again, this is a modified version of the Hal Higdon Intermediate Half Marathon Guide. (I hope I didn’t sign myself up for too much.)
| 5-Aug | 6-Aug | 7-Aug | 8-Aug | 9-Aug | 10-Aug | 11-Aug |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | 25 Push-ups, Run 1 Mile (Repeat 4 times with push-ups at end) (Total: 4 miles, 125 pushups) | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest | 3 m run | 7 m run |
| 12-Aug | 13-Aug | 14-Aug | 15-Aug | 16-Aug | 17-Aug | 18-Aug |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | Spartacus Workout, then 2 miles | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest | 3 m pace | 8 m run |
| 19-Aug | 20-Aug | 21-Aug | 22-Aug | 23-Aug | 24-Aug | 25-Aug |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | 7 x 400 5-K pace | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest or easy run | 10k Lake Houston | Rest + Stretch |
| 26-Aug | 27-Aug | 28-Aug | 29-Aug | 30-Aug | 31-Aug | 1-Sep |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | 2 Miles, Spartacus, 2 Miles | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest | 4 m pace | 9 m run |
| 2-Sep | 3-Sep | 4-Sep | 5-Sep | 6-Sep | 7-Sep | 8-Sep |
| Stretch & Weights | 4.5 m | 8 x 400 5-K pace | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest | 5k in Galveston | 7 m run |
| 9-Sep | 10-Sep | 11-Sep | 12-Sep | 13-Sep | 14-Sep | 15-Sep |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | Run .5, Bear Crawl across field, Run .5, 50 Push-Ups, Run .5, 50 Tri-dips, Run .5, Lunge across field (do twice) (Total 4 miles) | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest or easy run | Rest | 8 m run |
| 16-Sep | 17-Sep | 18-Sep | 19-Sep | 20-Sep | 21-Sep | 22-Sep |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | 9 x 400 5-K pace | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest | 10 Miler | Rest + Stretch |
| 23-Sep | 24-Sep | 25-Sep | 26-Sep | 27-Sep | 28-Sep | 29-Sep |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | 10 x 400 5-K pace | 3 m run + strength (?) | Rest | 3 m pace | 12 m run |
| 30-Sep | 1-Oct | 2-Oct | 3-Oct | 4-Oct | 5-Oct | 6-Oct |
| Stretch & Weights | Spinning | 30 min tempo | 2 m run | Rest | TOUGH MUDDER | Rest + Stretch |
DumbFunnery 
Comments on: "Tough Mudder Training" (2)
Hey, more power to you for doing this! It’s so good for you.
I like the quote about no matter how slow you run…
I’ve only ever done a 3.5 mile mud run, but it was so much harder than any half I’ve ever done. And that includes the Houston one this past year where it rained (you were there, you know). I think it’s because it incorporates so much more strength, so as long as you do some cross-training, you’ll kill it.
Also, I’m jealous. I’ve been trying to convince my friends to do the Tough Mudder for weeks now and they all bow out once I say 10 miles. Jerks.
Good luck!