Tough Mudder Focker!

Hey guys...here is a piece on Tough Mudder...our resident Big Mike finally recovered enough to jot some notes down. Enjoy. And good job Mike.


Tough Mudder 2011.

As I sit to write this, I am still recovering from the soreness that I brought upon myself this past Sunday Nov 13th. That was when 8 co-workers and I took off after a monster truck and so commenced 4 hours of grueling pain, exhaustion and ultimately sheer satisfaction. It was the start of the Tri-State Tough Mudder challenge perhaps the hardest physical challenge any of us had ever participated in.
For those who don’t know The Tough Mudder is a 12mile course complete with 33 military style obstacles. Created by British Special Forces, it is billed as the toughest event on the planet. What I can say for sure is that the Tough Mudder people take perverse pleasure in making you as cold, dirty, and overall as uncomfortable as humanly possible. All the while pushing you to the brink of physical exhaustion, and challenging you to find strength from places you didn’t know you had it in order to get past the next challenge. Then of course just when you think your home free and the finish line is insight the last challenge is running through electrical wires, which take it from me are very much charged and yes they hurt.
The Mudder as a challenge is something that was hard to train for as it places physical demand and strain on your body on a variety of different levels. Personally I needed to spend more time working on my endurance. Throughout most of my training I never put in more than 2-3miles of running at a time, and that stopped a couple weeks before the challenge. Instead I spent more time working on strength training exercises, which I felt I would need more to overcome such events as Climbing up a rope ladder 15’ from a freezing lake, climbing over 8’ and 12’ walls, running up a half pipe, carrying a tire around a track, and crossing a small pond using monkey bars just to name a few. I also worked on crawling around my apartment on my stomach in an attempt to recreate crawling under barbed wire, crawling through underground trenches, and navigating through an industrial strength plastic tube ( not easy when your 6’3” and 250lbs. ). Then there is the stuff that there was just no way to prepare for like jumping into a garbage dumpster filled ¾ way with ice water, trekking through 100 yards on mud the goes from being ankle deep to chest deep, or running through a trench with bushels of burning hay on either side.
However the most essentially aspect of the Mudder, and were I felt most equipped is team work. The Tough Mudder is extremely difficult to attempt solo, and people who found themselves alone quickly attached themselves to other groups. Our group of 9 would from time to time grow as people needed a hand to get past an obstacle. The Moto of Tough Mudder is that it is not a race. It’s a challenge and so the goal is not how fast you can do it, but that you can do it all. Some participants will not finish the course and more than a few required medical attention by the time all was said and done. My team I can’t say enough about how we helped each other through it. When your body just wants to drop it’s your group cheering you on that keeps your legs moving. When you hit a 12’ wall they’re the ones that boost you or pull you up. Or they simply wait for you to catch up when you’re out of breath and are falling behind. We all thankfully made it through in one piece. We all came out with an assortment of scratches, black and blues, and pulled muscles but still in one piece. Now as we pass each other at work we all feel just a bit closer to each other than we did before. That’s because among the hundreds at work…we alone, we 9 are TOUGH MUDDERS!
For all of this effort the prize for completing the challenge is a cup of beer (best drink I ever had), a Tough Mudder t-shirt, and the Orange Tough Mudder headband (this is thetrue prize). The headband is not for sale anywhere. The only way to get one is to complete the course. I wore mine proudly the entire day at work my first day back. It’s your testament that when needed to you can push yourself to your very limits and complete something special and extremely challenging. It was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to do it again next year Oct 27th 2012. For even more insight go to the Toughmudder.com website and learn more of this event plus feel free to shoot me any question to the rungordorun site.

Big Mike TOUGH MUDDER!
NOV2011

Postcard from the edge

Hey guys,

Just wanted to send a quick post. Have been off grid for a while. Realized that I've stetched myself a bit thin. Weight loss...if it's about anything, it is about balance. I guess life in general is the same. I think I became so shorted sighted on my weight loss goals that I lost sight on other important things...to the detriment of the most important people in my life. So here I sit typing. A bit more aware of my surroundings, a bit heavier, and recommitted. To my journey and to all the important aspects of my life.

Here's to striking the right balance. I'll Update with a bit more substance soon.

Vaya!

Gordo.

Updates

Hey guys!

New content up. Check out Big Mike's Corner, EatGordoEat, and Friends of Gordo pages. A lot more stuff to come.  Very much under construction.

Vaya!

Gordo

Short Circuit!

So I wanted to get back into circuit training.  My initial success with losing lbs came from using the Biggest Loser Boot Camp work out DVDs.  They were great for beginners and I was able to lose about 35lbs in the first 6 months of my journey.  But then I discovered running, biking, swimming and I kind of lost the routine of the circuit training.  I figured I was burning enough calories without it.  During this latest regression I figured I would bring it back to where I started and picked up the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD.  My plan was to incorporate the dvd workouts with my running so that I can cut a few more calories while I train for my next half marathon.  A good way to jump start my fat burning and rebuild my total body conditioning.

I just finished my first session. And I am exhausted.  It is a challenging workout.  First, because she uses a 3,2,1 method.  Strength, cardio, abs.  Second, because my conditioning is non-existant at the moment.  At least for circuit training.  During a run I know what my limits are and how to conserve energy.  This ability is either a good thing or a bad thing but according to my scale I need to break my plateau.  The dvd gives you an intense 20 minute workout with a beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.  I completed the beginner and it was not the easiest.  I am sure if you are in great shape this DVD is no problem but for us Gordos out there it will be a good tool to maximize your workout time.  So I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes.


Update:  August 7th look out for new content on the website.  I wanted to get it out by the first but had some delays.  But 7 is a lucky number!

Vaya!
Gordo

Earthquakes and Hurricanes...

Two natural disasters in one week could not stop me from getting back on track.  I was able to get in 4 runs this weeks. My long run was 4 miles.  I am going to add a mile each for the next 7 weeks to get ready for my next 13.1.  

In addition to getting my running back on I also need to get my food intake back on schedule. Today I prepared all of my food and snacks for the week.  I filled up 5 ziplock bags with low calorie and single serving snacks.  I find it best when I am able to eat something small every 2-3 hours.  I am definitely a grazer.  But I am also horrible at keeping track of what I eat. Left to my own devices and I can do some major damage.  So preparing meals and eating frequently benefits me.  It doesn't work for everyone, so try what works best for you.  The main thing is to try something. 

Today I purchased the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD which I plan on starting tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it is.  Feel free to buy a copy on the link below.  I want to add some more circuit training in the next month to boast the fat burning.  Like I mentioned on my last position I did add a few lbs after the NYCTRI.  The bad news is that I gained 5 lbs...The good news is that I do not regret it.  I feel like I earned it but I also know I have to work hard to lose them again.

Updates:

Will have updates on all the tabs this week.  Have some special posts coming from Big Mike, RunGoritaRun, and from me!

I am still seeking Before and After weight loss stories.  Please if you or someone you know would like to be featured on our site please email me at santos@rungordorun.com.  If you are featured you will get a T-shirt!

Vaya!

Gordo

This is my Confession...

So it has been a couple of weeks since I've blogged.  And to say that it has been a lazy couple of weeks it would be a very big understatement.  I wanted to reward myself a few days of relaxing after the Triathlon, but a few days became a couple of weeks.  In that time I would describe my diet as non-existant...

Shake Shake, Birthday Cakes, brunches, lunches, juices, happy hours, and a assortment of desserts from The Dessert Truck.  The last straw was a visit to a heavenly place called The Meat Ball Shop. It is on 84 Stanton Street...Just in case you'd like to try it out.  And I really suggest trying this place out.  Great food and amazing service considering the amount of time you have to wait for a seat...but WORTH the wait.

Back to my diet.  I am a big proponent of treating yourself after working hard but I must confess I took that to the extreme the last couple of weeks.  I know I'll have to pay for my transgressions in working out and running.  Though it was great to not have to worry about calories and gym time I noticed the sluggishness coming on.  I know it was due to the sedentary time.  Its just been hard to get motivated which has made it easy just to push off getting started up again until "tomorrow".   Well my "tomorrow" came yesterday.  I ran 2 miles.  They were tough but not horrible.  But I know there is no way I can run the half marathon in the Bronx next weekend.  I'll just have to shoot to run my next half marathon.  Which will be on October 2, 2011.  The Wineglass Half Marathon in Corning, NY.   Shooting to finally break 2h 3m half marathon time.   We'll see.

The moral of my story is we all have set backs.  Sometimes those setbacks are unavoidable and sometimes we are the reason.  Either way, it does not mean the journey is over.  There is always "tomorrow".

PS: I haven't even checked the scale to see what damage I have caused.  I'll do that "tomorrow".

Vaya!

Gordo

Where do I begin. Well, I finished.

So the day began at 4:15am.  The sky was pouring and it was still dark outside.  My only instinct was to stay in bed. But I knew that was not an option.  I needed all the luck I could get so I had Lucky Charms for breakfast.  Then I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs for a cab.

I think I got to the bike transition on 79th St and Riverside at about 5am.  There was a lot of buzz in the air.  No one seem phased by the rain.  So I laid my bag next to my bike and started the 1 mile walk to the swim start. This happens to be my favorite part of the Triathlon.  There is a mix of excitement, nervousness, and downright fear...Most of us are terrified of having to jump into the Hudson River for the swim.  That is typically the subject of conversation amongst the triathletes. The veterans reassuring the newbies that the wetsuit does make you buoyant.  And the newbies asking if the current really is that strong...both are very true. One of the female participants was selected to sing the national anthem.  She did a great job.  The rain stopped.  The pro males lined up and the horn went off!

Swim:
I was surprisingly not that nervous during my walk up to the swim start.  I had some experience since I did it last year.  But last year I burned out after 500 meters and needed a noodle to finish. When I actually stepped on the barge is when the rush of terror came over me.  The swim start happens so fast. For a split second I wanted to back out.  I second guessed any swimming ability I had. All I could think of was drowning.  My inner self smacked me a couple of times and said jump!  So I did.  I took the first few seconds to compose myself.  I wasn't going to drown. Next I started swimming.  250 meters in I was fine, 500 meters...unlike last year...I was still in good shape.  750 meters my shoulders started getting a little tired. Somewhere in between 750 and 1000 meters the waves started to pick up.  I had to change to a side stroke because every time I would go up for a air a wave would come in and stop my breathing.  It sucked.  Past the 1000 meter mark I was pretty confident I was going to make it.  I was exhausted. But I knew I would finish without the noodle!  Finally, I made it to the other barge. I made it...barely.

Bike:
So at transition my arms were useless. I could barely lift them which meant it took me a little more time to get my bike shorts and sneakers on.  I got my stuff on and was ready to head out to the bike course.  At that point I realized my freshly rented bike had gear shifters I was not familiar with!  I did not know how to get it to the lowest gear.  IF you have participated in the NYCTRI you know the hill going up to the course is brutal.  I was stuck on a high gear trying to go up a steep hill...I fell, bruised my elbow and my ego.  So I was forced to walk it up the hill. The first 5-10 miles were horrible.  I could not figure out the gears to save my life.  Each hill was torture. I wanted to quit because the bike course is what killed me last year. I stopped at the road for about 10 minutes trying to learn the gears...also contemplating quitting because I couldn't finish this race without my gears. I started off again and finally got to a gear that gave me enough push on flat and was still able to go up hills.  I made up a lot of time and was even passing up people who passed me while I was on the side lines.  My legs felt fresh and was glad I put in all the work on the bike leading up to the Tri.  When I made it to the 59th Street U-Turn the sun was out and I still had hydration left.  I could have gone on for another 10 miles.  I was a little upset because I lost about 20-30 minutes with gear issues.  So I made it back and was ready for a run.

Run:
My quads were burning. I underestimated the hills on the bike course yet again.  I switched to my running shorts and was ready to go.  I started a lot slower than I wanted to. It felt like I was running under water.  Heading out of the park there was an aid station.  They were handing out water and Cytomax.  Deep down inside I did not want to take the Cytomax because I know it had giving me cramps last year.  But I wanted the carbs.  While running down 79th Street towards Central Park the inevitable happened.  Cramp!  On my right side just under my rib cage. It felt like someone was stabbing me with every step I took. But I had to tough it out because 79th Street is the biggest cheering area outside of the finish line and I knew my TeamFox people would be there and I wanted to make them proud.  So I hit the park and the TeamFox cheering section in a good stride and also came across our RunGordoRun contributor Big Mike and his wife Elena and son.  They were cheering Run Gordo Run!!! It really energized me.  Thank guys.  When I got to mile 2 though I hit a wall. My legs were gone and the cramping didn't get any better.  So I sped walked most of the next 2 miles. When I pass mile 4 I was dying.  I knew it was almost over but I just wanted to sit.  But I came across two other participants.  I woman named Lisa and a member of TriLatino.  We chatted it up for the remainder of the run.  We walked, we ran, we encouraged each other to get to the finish.  A lot of props to Eli (I think that was his name) from TriLatino.  I probably would have been just fine walking the entire way to the finish but he pushed us. Check them out www.trilatino.org.

Finish:
So we ran the last quarter mile to the finish.  My Gordita was there snapping pictures like the paparazzi. Big Mike and family were there as well. It was over. And I was glad.  I felt a sense of accomplishment.  I wasn't as fast as I would have hoped.  I wanted to break 4 hours. But I did shave 45 minutes from my last years time.  As I write this my body is in shambles.  All my muscles hurt.  But inside somewhere I am already thinking about next year! NYCTRI2012.

Vaya!

Gordo