warrior MUDders

When we were young we loved to climb, run, jump and swing - to play. It’s part of who we are, yet the majority of us allow it to be absent from our adult lives. We have evolved to expect, and to endure, a little physical hardship every now and then, but we place limitations on what we do and rarely venture out of our comfort zone. The fact is that we feel and act much better when we push ourselves - and play a little too.

Early in the year I was excited when I discovered photos from an obstacle race, Tough Mudder, that included doing these things, as adults - without appearing to be a wally! Since then all the races I have been exposed to have excited me no end - Spartan, Stampede, Kokoda Grunt, Beach Bash, Viking Challenge... plus many others. There is an obstacle race somewhere in Australia nearly every other weekend. Their popularity has grown with thousands of people eagerly lining up to enter each one.
Physically, the running is broken up with with belly crawling, wall climbing, monkey bar traversing, huge slip n’ slides, cargo nets - hills, mud, water, ropes - but moreso, these events are designed to really push your mental toughness. They will leave you exhilarated - great camaraderie and mutual respect brought forth by friendly competition, whether you finish first or last. And an adrenalin rush that will make you soar!

Over the past couple of months I have been holding bootcamps in Cannonvale and Proserpine. The end sight in mind for many (not all) of the participants are an interest to do one or more of these obstacle events over the next 12 months or so. We’ve ran. We’ve burpie’d. We’ve squatted and lunged and done countless pushups and pullups, monkey bar madness... and have felt ready to take on a little bit of vivacity ourselves.

 

When was the last time you went through the mud instead of around it? A few of us experimented last Sunday, heading out to Kelsey Creek for a little bit of Whitsunday mud flurry of our own. What a supercharged morning we had - still filled with pushups, squats and the loveable burpees, we climbed through cow pens, slid numerous times along a soapy ‘slide’, crawled through mud - or, got STUCK in mud! Stuck in it? Seriously, stuck in mud, took on a whole new meaning! Mud fights! To speak for myself it felt amazing to be exhilarated and just so alive! What fun! Who drove home naked, delicately wrapped in a towel? They will remain anonymous - what happens at bootcamp stays at bootcamp, but fortunately they weren’t pulled over by a police officer, would love to have heard the explanation if they had been! A great workout.

Want to complete a fearsome challenge and discover a new sense of accomplishment? Goals are wonderful - any one of the obstacle challenges listed above are a great reason to step up your workout sessions. Strength and mental tenacity will get you there. Remember - we are designed to run, jump, climb, hike and get dirty! Everyone is capable of experiencing the thrill of unleashing the long dormant instincts from our childhoods.

The rewards are tremendous and the confidence gained priceless. Let loose the innate skills, stamina and abilities that you are born with but rarely exploit to your fullest potential. The ONLY obstacle and limit is the one you place on yourself. Fear is good as long as you do not allow yourself to succumb to it. Cheers, Ann.

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