CHALLENGE: Tough Guy Complete....Success?

                               ME, AN HOUR AFTER THE TOUGH GUY CHALLENGE

DAY 34.   Today is the wrap up for the 1st attempt in my year long quest to finding my greatness....or what i can consider myself Master. Let's summarize this first challenge. 

This 1st Challenge was could I become a Master at being a Tough Guy. I searched the whole world over (via Google) and found the one thing that could possibly label me a "Tough Guy."  I signed up for a 8 mile obstacle course half way across the globe actually named The Tough Guy Challenge. This obstacle course was made up of mud hills, icy lakes and fire fields. They went so far as to construct several mid-evil obstacles fabricated from logs, rope, cargo nets, and electrical prods. They strategically blueprinted this course to break you down mentally and physically. They did not want you to finish and if you did finish, they wanted you to regret doing so. As I signed up for this challenge, that is taking place in England, I was going to need at least 6 weeks to prepare. I had been running prior to this, but it was 3 miles here and 3 miles there - nothing serious, just to even out my pizza habit. I knew I needed to get serious. 

There was going to be a considerable amount of hills, climbing, crawling, icy water and it was going to be cold. I started at the right time too because we did have the perfect start to winter by the end of December.  I took to my local park and started running in the snow. I would run 3 to 5 miles a day in the snow around the perimeter of the park and through the corn fields and horse pastures. I would progress each week adding more exercises to prepare. I did circuit training, hills...the works - I trained hard, but not as hard as I should have, as I found out during the The Tough Guy Challenge on January 31st.

The day of the race I felt like I had my plan down: Stay at a good pace during the first part of the race (because it is mostly running) to save my energy for the obstacles, because the bulk of them are in the last 2-3 miles of the race. I never would have thought that I wanted to quit after around mile 4 during the Slalom, which were zig-zag hill sprints. I was dying. Cardio, i was fine, it was the frozen legs and feet and the breaking down of my legs.  I remembered all the people that I was honoring with my run. I had my Grandfathers who fought in WWII in the very country I was running that day. Knowing they had to do this day in and day out reminded me that I needed to quit being a ninny and just focus on the race. I started to pull all my mind tricks throughout the race: "It is just running",  "nothing is broken keep going", "Ang had Cancer and never gave up, I shouldn't either."  It is funny the types of things you can use to distract or motivate yourself while performing some of the worst events. As i was jumping in and climbing out of the ice water pits, I found myself dissecting the Lords Prayer or as some of my football players call it, the "Our Father" prayer. Resiting and dissecting this prayer was a trick that a sweet lady, Karen, from my church explained to me that she would do as she ran the track during her time at the Seminary.  It helped so much because I finally finished in 3 hours and 52 minutes. Does fooling my mind make me tough though? I do know this, I rewarded myself to fried fish and a beer that night:) 

After all the training, all the blood sweat and hypothermia am I a Tough Guy? Sure I can endure cold temperatures and run and climb, but does that make me tough? Well I think completing the TTGC was a great accomplishment, but it doesn't stop me from tearing up when I talk to audiences as to why I fight Cancer. Completing the TTGC doesn't stop me from kneeling by my bed at night looking at my wife while she sleeps, thanking the great lord for giving me one more day with this precious woman. Completing the TTGC doesn't stop me from melting every time I see my niece sing or hear my nephew laugh. It doesn't stop me from holding a door for a lady at the hospital today or from screaming like a girl after hitting my funny bone on the shelf while I was brushing my teeth.
 So what is the answer?  I'd say yes I am "Tough" just on a different level than my wife fighting Cancer or my grandfathers in a war or my boss playing college football (who's wife is a Cancer survivor as well.)  I can not say that I am the Master of this Challenge and hope that I never do become the Master of this Challenge. I do not want to be hit full tackle by a 300lbs lineman from Ohio State. I never want to endure 7 months straight of Chemotherapy and I do not want to be a POW and have to fight for my life in the Dutch Underground. Until I do all of those things I will be just have to accept that there is always someone out there tougher that myself. So I guess I will just have to be happy with a medal that says I completed a 8 mile obstacle course and relish in the fact that I can stand outside in the snow and ice longer than my wife:)

Bring on the next Challenge!


FYI:
Here is a 2 minute clip of the 2010 TGC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMbmlmaN3XA

Here is a 9 minute clip which has us shown around 1:35 - 1:40 jumping in the water pits and going under a steeple...we are the ones dressed as US Soldiers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IWT2qeNVTQ