Paying to run?

My wife and her girlfriends are in to the destination runs now. last year they did the Zion half marathon, this year I think they are doing Tahoe. I can see the appeal to that, well other than the running part.

It's for the banana, t-shirt and the little gloaty 13.1 sticker.

I make no false claims to being fast. I'm proud of how well I am able to finish a 5k when I really push myself, but it's definitely not my forte. I can't keep up with these skinny tall dudes who run 50 miles a week. In my normal training routine, I run less than 2 miles per week (I vary my cardio, only some is running).

Both of my boys outran me for the first 3/4 of the race. I was very proud of them.

Have any of you guys done a tough mudder? Like I said, I don't mean the extreme ones with barbed wire and ridiculously high walls. Just one meant to give a fit person some obstacles.

Thanks Keith. Of course, "usual competitive way" can be translated as "obsessive behavior"

We're switching over to triathlons this year, because, well, just because. The swimming and biking have actually made my running considerably faster over the past four months.

Charities: again, good for casual or kid runner involvement. Meh for the serious.

Oh, and my wife got a $60 gift card to LuLuLemon. She got a few pairs of socks. WTF.

We were toying with the Reykjavík marathon that's held in August, but that was when our gears were turning towards trying something different.

In reply to Per Schroeder:

There's a full iron man that runs in San Juan. Saw the finish of it one year- totally brutal.

You should try it.

That is the goal.

Klayfish wrote: Have any of you guys done a tough mudder? Like I said, I don't mean the extreme ones with barbed wire and ridiculously high walls. Just one meant to give a fit person some obstacles.

I believe the generic term is "obstacle course race". I've done a Tough Mudder. 11 miles up and down a mountain in Aspen. Not much oxygen :) It's very much not a race, they don't even offer timing. A few of the obstacles I would have loved to go back and do again. Some were goofy. Some were just unpleasant.

The big wall ("Everest") was actually one of the best. Almost nobody could get up without help, so my brother in law and I ended up hanging off the top and grabbing people as they got as far as they could. It's a rush to go running at something that big and use sheer momentum to get as far as you can. A couple of the obstacles were a real push, physically. And like I said, some were just pointless and uncomfortable. Sliding into a dumpster full of ice water isn't an obstacle, it just makes you wet and cold.

But the distance between the obstacles was a waste. Because it was so steep and at such high altitude, everyone just walked. So it was an 11 mile walk with occasional fun bits. It would have been more fun as a 5k with 2/3 as many obstacles. Plus you're very much aware that the biggest charity there was Tough Mudder (tm)

I've also done a local one put on by the university track and field team. It was just fun - lots of stuff to do, no advertising, only 5k long.

alfadriver wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: for the fit girl aspect - while we were in San Francisco for the Nike Women's Marathon last year, my wife wanted to stop in at the Lululemon store just around the corner from the race expo. That was a highly expensive visit.

FYP. My wife loves their stuff, too. Too much.

I have no memories on if she spent any money. The Nike Store visit was a whole lot worse in that regard. My memories of the Lululemon store visit was of a packed store with super-fit 20something girls in yoga pants.

In reply to Klayfish:

I did one about 5 years ago. It was 8 miles of running around a ski resort and some obstacles mostly centered around being cold and uncomfortable more than being challenging. It was not athletically challenging and it was not serious enough to be taken seriously so we did it carrying flasks and goofing off the whole time.

THey are a fad that I think can be fun for a group of people who can stand around drinking and making fun of a bunch of crossfit instructors shouting orders to their team like it's the freaking olympics and still finish. Otherwise... pass.

Huckleberry wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: But don't call people who like the social aspect stupid, vain or foolish.

I didn't use any of those words. I said "retarded"

Have any of you guys done a tough mudder? Like I said, I don't mean the extreme ones with barbed wire and ridiculously high walls. Just one meant to give a fit person some obstacles.

I've done a Warrior Dash (~3.5 miles) and a Tough Mudder (~13 miles). They are fun. I wish there was a higher level of difficulty, but it certainly isn't "easy". If you can't do ~15 pullups you'll probably find some of the bar/grip obstacles toward the end hard when your hands are covered in mud. The mud crawl where you get shocked is super berkeleying annoying.

Keith Tanner wrote: My memories of the Lululemon store visit was of a packed store with super-fit 20something girls in yoga pants.

<--- Googling the closest Lululemon store...

I'm not a long endurance guy, which is why I do 5k. So any obstacle course event I do, I'd rather it be 5k in length with obstacles fairly often then an 11 mile course with mostly running and obstacles here and there.

When I want to do a tough mudder, I'll start racing cyclocross.

Ian F wrote: When I want to do a tough mudder, I'll start racing cyclocross.

Is that a real thing? It sounds cool enough.

Cyclecross is cycling for people who would rather carry their bikes than ride them It's a seriously nuts sport. I highly recommend some YouTube time to check it out.

Klayfish wrote: Have any of you guys done a tough mudder? Like I said, I don't mean the extreme ones with barbed wire and ridiculously high walls. Just one meant to give a fit person some obstacles.

Having never heard of a tough mudder before, I showed up at one in CA. With my friends lifted Chevy, thinking we would be playing with vehicles. Boy was I disappointed.

I work with this guy. http://m.kdhnews.com/news/blister-stops-killeen-man-from-breaking-world-record/article_f57a5106-88c8-528c-a520-f6cd2e75394f.html?mode=jqm

Talk about a running fool. This guy lives and breaths running. He's a high school track coach and even with two recent knee surgeries he still runs 50+ miles per week and runs any marathon he can. He's a goofy bastard but the berkeleyer loves to run.

Me on the other hand, you couldn't pay me to run. They had to send me to the hospital in Jr high when I had to run a mile to pass gym class. You runners are crazy.

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: Me on the other hand, you couldn't pay me to run. They had to send me to the hospital in Jr high when I had to run a mile to pass gym class. You runners are crazy.

This! On a whim I did track in high school for co-ed reasons. Once, only once, I broke a 10 minute mile. Otherwise I just threw stuff or sprinted the 100M.

Per Schroeder wrote: That is the goal.

Rock On! I have two great friends (husband and wife) who went from marathons, to tris, to a half ironman and just did the full together.

berkeleying hardcore. Good luck with your training. THAT is an epic thing to accomplish.

RevRico wrote: Because no one has ever lost money underestimating the stupidity of the American public. Sounds like the crossfit guys. Sure, they could go work on a farm and get paid to do the same thing, but it won't look as good on faceplace if they aren't paying $100 a session to lift big tires and move big ropes.

...How much do you think Crossfit is?

Drop me a PM if you know of a farm that'll let me swing by on my schedule and isn't freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer.

Gotta cultivate that farmer bod...

In reply to Huckleberry:

I ran my first 26.2 to check the box. I like doing stuff other people can't do, and I like having stories to tell. I also like showing my kids that if you want to do something big, you've got to put in the work. I also don't understand the 5K every weekend crowd.

My 15-year-old has done the Bike MS ride with me the last 3 years and really likes road riding. Cycling is something that I can do exclusively with her, and I treasure the time we spend together on the bike.

My 11-year-old has gone to DC with me for the Marine Corps Marathon each time I've run it, so that's something we will share every year for as long as my body will let me do it. She's tough and stubborn, so maybe one day she will run the MCM with me.

My regular run group is made up marathoners and ironmen (halfs and fulls), so I'm about the least in-shape of the bunch.

I hate running, but I enjoy running 5K road races. There is no motivation to run by myself, but I relish the competition.

I just signed up for a half on 4/1 (no joke). My training has been sporadic at best, so I figured plunking down some money would get my butt in gear. I'm trying to do more lifting than cardio, and am curious if gaining strength (but not weight) will help in the half.

No expectations of a Personal Best, but I figure that will be a good springboard to training in the Spring/Summer.

I usually do a 5k in the Spring and a Half in the fall, trying to step it up a bit this year and see if I can work up to a full in the fall.

I've been known to dabble in charity 5k's.
A few bucks scores me a shirt I can work out or wrench in, supports a good cause, and ensures I'll get a motivated run in?
Sounds good to me.