Tough Mudder - Toughest Philly 2022

Race: Toughest Philly 2022

Date: 5/21/22 - 5/22/22

Time:  20k

Place:  244 overall

Pre-Race Conditions:

Almost to the Airbnb after a pretty easy drive. It was warm today and only promises to be warmer tomorrow. 86 degrees predicted for race start and it may get down to the low 70s through the night. It’s going to be warm. 

I think this has to be the least miles I’ve put in the week before a race. I’ve been fighting something with my hip for just over a week. It hasn’t stopped me but in the abundance of caution. I can’t catch a break coming into these. Overall I’m feeling ready. I’ve seen the map and think it should be a fun course. This is the first race of the new 10k loop formal. All the others have been 5 mile loops. I think the extra 2k of running per loop is going to play to my strengths and let me get some more mileage. The trade off is that fueling is going to be more critical. 


And then I got distracted and never finished writing. 


Race Recap:


Well that was a shitshow and a half. I only managed 2 loops for 20k. It was hot at the start but comfortable. The sun started to go down right at the start so we didn’t have to deal much with that. After a great start speech by Sean we were off. The lead pack went out hot. After about half a mile I backed off knowing this was going to be a race of attrition. Was power hiking the hills and running the downhills and flats. 

The course was absolutely beautiful and perfect. It flowed real well and had a good obstacle layout. I finished the first lap in about 55 minutes. Right on what I expected but knew that the sprint pace was unsustainable. I was feeling the effort but not destroyed by it. I was basing my pace a lot off of Evan. He finished his sprint lap 2-3 minutes ahead of me. Perfect for right where I wanted to be. 

I hit the tent to retie my shoes. Some of the swamp made me feel like I was going to lose them and grab my vest. I started the second lap easy and made sure to drink and keep my heart rate in check. I did the first couple crawls and mud pits and felt ok. Then the wheels completely fell off. It was 74 degrees and I was freezing. For downing who can’t run in a shirt above 50 it was really strange. I kept moving and Brooks caught up with me. We ran about a kilometer together and he pulled ahead. I was in a world of hurt. I kept moving forward but was feeling worse and worse. I was struggling to put any runs in. I got to the cage crawl right after the 8k mark and stood there for a few minutes. For one of my favorite obstacles I didn’t even want to do it. 

Jack and TJ caught up to me here. We got through the obstacle and I did the last 2k with them. They were having some issues too. We finished the last couple sections and were coming down the hill to the turn before the finish. The crews were standing there waiting for instructions from the runners before they finished the last 200 meters. Jack and TJ called out their needs and I told Tamara to call Coach Bruce. 

I was not in a good place. My body didn’t want to go. I was miserable. I wasn’t having fun. We talked about me taking a 10 minute break and heading back out. I sat down and just decided to call my race done. I debated going back out to Everest or Mudderhorn for a few hours but I’d have to hike out there and hike back in. Cali and I talked about just going to volunteer but decided to just help everyone in the pit. We had a good pit with Adam, Sherilyn, Juls, Brooks, Me, TJ, Jack, Dad, Beth, Cali, Dave, Mom and some others. 

Sherilyn, Juls and Beth all did great. They were fun to crew for. It was a new perspective to hang out in the pit for most of the night. 


“Sometimes you feel like you’re fucked, but when you say you’re actually fucked, you are only like about 45% fucked” - Nims PurjaI


I was living that quote the last week dealing with this hip issue. I knew that I could suffer through some pain and discomfort for 12 hours. I wasn't expecting the exhaustion of the week to catch up to me and play so much of a factor.



The Bad:

The prep the week before and the disaster of the race. For what should have been an easy top 10 finish, this was disappointing. I spent so much time the last 2 months training for this and didn’t get anywhere close to my A goal. It always feels like wasted time but in reality it makes me stronger and smarter. 


The Good:

The best pet of this was a road trip to a cool Airbnb right on a goat farm. Couldn’t beat the trip. 


Moral of the Story:

Do my thing the week of the race. It was fun having TJ and Tamara at the Airbnband seeing Jack but I think part of the issues I had was staying up late Friday and trying to work with everyone’s schedule. Next time it’s going to be focused on what I need to do. 


Best Moment:

The best part of the race was walking the course with Tamara and showing her the obstacles. We got to Funky Monkey just as TJ and Jack were getting there and got to see them do it. She got a new respect and appreciation for the athletes and may be signing up for a Tough Mudder in the near future. 


Worst Moment:

Just the feeling of not having fun. In Chicago last year I had so much fun the whole race and screwed around to my 4th place finish. There were moments that second lap where I was questioning why I was pushing myself into this. I need to get back to fun and not work. 


Funniest Moment:


JahLisa bit me! Just so she could hug Jack first 


Map:




Results: 

499 total started 

https://my.raceresult.com/202947/





Gear:

  • Altra Superior 4s 

  • 2XU ¾ compression tights 

  • Feetures max cushion ankle socks 

  • Buff

  • Garmin Fenix 6x

  • Goodr sunglasses 

  • Salomon Adv Skin 5 vest

  • Dirty Girl Gaiters

  • Trail toes

  • Gurney Goo



Nutrition:

  • Water

  • Tailwind 

  • FitAid

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Last Annual Vol State 500k - 2024

Image
  Race: Last Annual Vol State 2024 Date: 7/11/2024 - 7/21/2024 Time: 5:13:21:31 Place: 10th Pre-Race Conditions: "The goal of life should be to die with your memories, not your dreams" - Buddhist proverb On the bus. 314 miles until we get to the hotels by the start line. We actually are driving the course backwards right now. I’m trying to pay attention a little bit as we as going through the towns and see what each will have for us. The last one had a restaurant with climbing gear. Definitely hope I get there while they are open. The first 20 miles has some limited shoulders. It’s going to be interesting. Even in middle of the night.  I think this bus is mostly virgins. There’s only a few people talking that have some experience. The general consensus is to take it easy and slow. Don’t go out too fast. Take breaks.  Someone on the bus just said to go into the beer coolers at the gas stations to cool off not a bad idea when it’s 96 degrees out in middle of the day.  ...
Read more

Coast to Coaster 2025

Image
Race: Coast to Coaster 2025 Date: 4/24/2025 Time: DNF Place: DNF Pre-Race Conditions: If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit. -Banksy Ready for a shit show. My biggest fear for this race has come true. It looks like rain will start Friday and be with us on and off for the next couple days. I have some rain gear with me as back up but was hoping not to use it. I’m going to carry an extra poncho and be ready to be wet for a while. Hopefully I can get some good miles in early before it all starts.  Part of the concern is being cold and wet. The only path is forward. We’ll see how it goes.  The last few weeks have been kind of crazy. One of the amazing things that happened is I was finally able to get the title and pick up Paul’s Mustang. It seems only fitting that I did that last week. I remember years ago when he brought his girlfriend, me and Mitch to cedar point and then after we decided to go to Kings Island the next day. I’ll be thinking of him during this run. That wa...
Read more

Barkley Fall Classic - 50k (aka marathon for me)

Image
  Race: Barkley Fall Classic 50k Date: 9/21/2024 Time: 9:09:36 Place: DNF (marathon finish) Pre-Race Conditions: “If you’re going to face a real challenge it has to be a real challenge. You can’t accomplish anything without the possibility of failure.” - Lazarus Lake  Well, packet is picked up, dinner has been eaten, prep is done, map has been studied. Time to wind down before bed. 3:45 AM wake up to get prepped and be at the race by 5:30 to avoid too much of a rush.  I’ve looked at the course and it seems a little shorter that 50k. Not complaining. I also saw the Rat Jaw descent too. That is going to be brutal. I’ve climbed this much in a 50k with obstacles with some of these steep climbs. Compared to Killington Ultra this is probably comparable. This is going to involve some crawling and sliding for sure. The obstacle race training and experience is going to be key for me.  It’s been about 8 weeks since Vol State. I’m still probably only about 80% recovered. Still ...
Read more