I can't believe I forgot to mention this earlier, but I registered for the Virginia Tough Mudder over the weekend.


This race isn't until October, and while it's ridiculously rare for me to register for a race this far in advance, my running friends have been trying to convince me to sign up for weeks and since the prices were increasing on over the weekend, I finally broke down and registered last Friday.

What did I get myself in to?



Not only will this be my first mud run ever, but it's also pretty much the most insane mud run around. The race bills itself as "the toughest event on the planet."

Here's how Tough Mudder describes itself:

"Tough Mudder is not your average lame-ass mud run or spirit-crushing ‘endurance’ road race. It’s Ironman meets Burning Man, and it is coming to a location near you. Our 10-12 mile obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Forget finish times. Simply completing a Tough Mudder is a badge of honor. All Tough Mudder sponsorship proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

WARNING: Tough Mudder is 3-4 times longer and MUCH TOUGHER than a typical mud run such as Warrior Dash. On average, only 78% of participants finish a Tough Mudder event. Only those in strong physical condition should enter."

The Virginia Tough Mudder course takes place on a ski mountain, and yes, you do run up and down the ski slopes while completing a ton of obstacles.

The course itself is about 10 miles long and features all kinds of obstacles.

Here's just a sample of the ones on this course:

• Running through live electrical wires
• Scaling 12-ft high walls
• Crawling in the mud under wire 8 inches off the ground
• Running through waist deep muddy water
• Doing the monkey bars, where some of the handles are greased with butter

I'm slightly terrified and I have no idea what I got myself in to. My teammates have promised they won't let me die though, so I've got that going for me. Come October, I guess we'll find out if all my extra strength training actually paid off.


I'm excited and terrified. I have a feeling this will be a race to remember.

When I got home from PA yesterday, I had two things waiting for me.

The first were new pairs of Mizuno Wave Inspire 6's. I didn't even attempt to unpack all my bags before I had ripped the box open, pulled on the new shoes and did a couple test laps through my living room and dining room. They fit perfectly! I was so excited, I did a happy dance around my house. I can't wait to take them out for a run.

The second thing waiting for me was an email from the VP of running at Mizuno. He had read my post on how unhappy I was with the Inspire 7's and was reaching out to let me know they were taking into account my comments (and all comments) about the 7's as they worked on the new model.

As a loyal Mizuno customer, I was really impressed someone took the time to contact me and let me know that they had not only read my post, but that they actually cared that I wasn't happy with the shoes.

I can't say enough about how impressed I am with Mizuno as a company after this small interaction. Knowing that companies are listening to their customers and care about what they say makes me happy.

Mizuno makes great running shoes. I would have tried the Inspire 8's when my new 6's wore out anyway, but knowing that the company heard my complaints and plans to make changes accordingly makes me really excited to try the new model even though it won't be out for several months. I criticized several design elements of the Inspire 7's and I'm looking forward to seeing how Mizuno takes that feedback and uses it in the new model.

Mizuno is open to hearing more comments about the Inspire 7's, so if there was something you particularly loved or hated about the model, feel free to leave it in the comments and I'll pass it on.

I knew I was pushing my luck trying to squeeze one more long run in on my old Mizunos, but since my new ones hadn't arrived by the time I left for PA, I didn't have much of a choice.

Unfortunately, the shoes didn't have one more run in them.

Two miles into my 12 miler, my shins and knees were aching from the pounding.

I stopped to walk hoping a quick break would help, but when I tried running again, it was no good.

At that point, my mom who was out for her own run, caught up with me and we ended up walking the rest of the way back home together. It was nice walking and chatting with my mom, and after the rainy weather we've been having lately, being outside in the sunshine was nice.

Lucky for me, my new shoes will be waiting for me when I get back to Maryland. My roommate let me know they arrived Saturday afternoon. I can't wait to get home and get some nice runs in with my new kicks.

I'm a little bummed about my failed 12-miler, but I know I'll still be fine for my race. I still have one more week to get in a nice, confidence boosting long run.

For now, I'll be retiring my current Mizunos and slipping in to my new ones.