Tough Mudder Poconos 2014: Before, During, and After

On Saturday April 19, 2014 I did something that I never thought I would do, complete a Tough Mudder race. I don’t mean that I never thought I could complete a Tough Mudder, I just thought I’d never participate in one. I’ve seen the Facebook sponsored posts and photos from a few people that I know that completed it and said, “Yeah they got that.” My brother sent an email early January about the race to a few people so we can join his team. I was a bit skeptical, but I let him talk me into joining his team. Only a few people obliged and the “Brooklyn Squad” was born, with three people from Brooklyn and two from Queens lol.

Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile, 25 obstacle race that will definitely challenge you physically, but it is more mental than anything. Tough Mudder Poconos was 11.6 miles (I wanted to cry at mile 11 lol I was so happy). I joined a gym in January and began “training.” All of the work that I did was nothing compared to what was required to complete the obstacles. With the help of God (I called on His name and prayed through a few obstacles, especially the Arctic Enema), my teammates, my family and friends, and my fellow tough mudders I earned my orange headband.

Electro Shock-to get to the finish line you had to run through electrical wires….so yes you had to purposely get electrocuted lol.

When I first signed up there were many people that were like, “You are going to run through mud?” lol. As a fashion blogger and an all around girly girl who loves floral prints, feminine dresses, high heels, and lipstick I understood where they were coming from, so it made me want to do this even more.

I crawled and waded through 500,000 gallons of mud, scaled walls of varying sizes, jumped in a dumpster filled with tons of ice and the coldest water that you could imagine (34 degrees), tested my balance walking across beams over water, used my upper body strength to climb up a rope, jumped across mud filled ditches, carried tires, crawled under barbed wire and logs, and much more. At the beginning of the race we had our send off speech by Sean Corvelle, the Tough Mudder motivator. I think after our last Hoorah we were all amped and ready to go. One thing that he said that stuck with me was that Tough Mudder was a challenge not a race. It’s about giving your best and fighting though obstacles for yourself and your loved ones.

Here are a few pics from the challenge that our spectators (family and friends) took

Start of the race with our wave. I was number 3432

My brother and his friend and Laurel. We were the only girls on the team. This was after our first obstacle- Kiss of Mud

Glory Blades! Yes that’s me climbing over a wall with a little boost from my teammate Ian

My brother Lloyd and sister’s boyfriend Ian hoping over the wall for glory blades. They definitely inspired me! They were just jumping over those walls like pros.

Here is the team’s before and after photo

We started off smiling… Antonio and I kept smiling lol

Here is my before and after photo

Before and After I was FREEZING if you couldn’t tell

Yes I was a hot muddy mess. I was able to get my muddy clothes off and change into something much cleaner for the 2.5 hour drive home. When I got out of the car I could barely walk. My body had never been through such an intense physical challenge at once like Tough Mudder. I managed to gain enough strength to shower because all I wanted to do was get in the bed.

Here was my “After Tough Mudder” Routine

I needed to do a deep deep cleaning because that mud was thick! I had to give my skin the ultimate treatment. I was in and out of water and mud for hours. My skin was very, very dry.

Body
1. NIVEA Touch of Renewal Exfoliating Body Wash– I used this after I rinsed off the dust and mud. It was great for exfoliating, cleansing and moisture.
2. Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash– Restored the moisture in my skin in addition to cleansing my skin.
3. H20 Plus Sea Salt Skin Smoother-infused with natural oils and sea salt, this left my skin feeling silky smooth.
4. Boiron Arnicare Arnica Gel– I don’t remember where I got this from, but I’m glad that I had it. It provided immediate relief to my sore muscles and joints.
5. NIVEA Extended Moisture Body Lotion– After I applied the gel I used NIVEA’s extended moisture body lotion. This currently my favorite body lotion because of how moisturized my skin is after I use it. I love it because it is not thick and it is long lasting (48 hours)

Face
1. Simple Foaming Cleanser– I use this cleanser at night because it is gentle and does not leave my skin feeling dry.
2. Mary Kay Satin Lips Lip Mask– This is my favorite lip scrub. After the race my lips were dry! The sun, wind, water, and mud left me looking like Tyrone Biggums, well that’s what my sister said lol. I mad sure that my lips were kissable again with this scrub.
3. Ambi Even and Clear Daily Moisturizer– My favorite moisturizer at the moment. It is light weight and very moisturizing. Great for combination skin.
4. NIVEA Lip Butter– This lip balm left my lips very soft and smooth

Hair

1. Shea Moisture Retention Shampoo
2. Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner
3. Shea Moisture Detangler
4. Eden Body Works Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner
5. Karen’s Body Beautiful Leave-in Conditioner
6. Personal mix of oils: Coconut, grape seed, avocado, extra virgin olive oil

Here are some of the products that I used:

More Nivea…

 I also soaked in Epsom salt all weekend because my body was incredibly sore. I never felt so much pain in my ankles before in my life. And my brother laughed at me when I told him the back of my knees even hurt. Yes I was in that much pain. I thought I was in decent shape, but next year will definitely be better. This experience ignited something in me that makes me want to get more active. So our next feat will be a 5k, I’m not sure if it will be timed or not time, but I’m just getting started.

I’m happy that I can call myself a Tough Mudder! This was a great experience.

Disclosure: With the exception of the NIVEA products, Arnicare Gel, H2O Plus Sea Salt, all products were purchased by me with my own money. The products mentioned above were provided in a gift bag from various pr firms.