I'm out of shape. Pretty bad. A friend of mine encouraged me to train for a Tough Mudder event in October. Basically it's a long course with a lot of kind of intense obstacles on it. I'm going through a divorce, and I think it might be the time for me to really focus on something physical to help me through and have a goal date in mind- also, I could really use the sense of accomplishment that would come from doing something like that.

Do you think it's feasible for me to train for this before October? This one is 12 miles. I'm not looking to finish fast, just to be able to finish. Has anyone ever done one of these before? Any advice for training? I've been trying to jog and do some strength training, but other than that, I'm at a loss.

Absolutely! October is perfect timing. I haven't done a mudder, thought I've been tempted and I think my boyfriend would really like to sign up for one. I think October will give you more than enough time.

I'm interested to see what other people will suggest for training, but I would definitely say you should try the Couch to 5K program for this, and then maybe do the 10K program, etc. That is three days a week, and maybe you could do 2 days a week cross training on weights/etc.

You CAN do this!

You can do it! After my breakup I ran my first obstacle course race. I felt strong at 191 pounds. There are people of all shapes and sizes in the race. I made a play list of empowering songs and thought about my goal.

My play list was:
Fighter - Christina Aguilera
Don't Rain on My Parade - Barbara Streisand
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
Tightrope - Janelle Monae
I Refuse to Be Lonely - Phyllis Hyman
Let's Get It Started - Black Eye Peas

Plus some others.

Since then I have run 3 more races and I love it!
The lyrics pushed me toward my goal. I trained in 4 months. I wasn't running for time. I wasn't running from my ex. I was running for ME!

As for advice... Strengthen your core. You will need lots of upper body strength for the rope obstacles. Cardio for the running especially if it is a hilly terrain. I took a look at the event website to get a feel for the obstacles and lots of people post a play-by-play on youtube. They were very helpful in figuring out what muscle groups I should work on.

I look forward to hearing about your workout and your race.

Have you ever ran a race before? If so, what kind and what was your finish time? What kind of exercise are you doing now? Can you find out what obstacles are in the race and replicate them at the gym/home to see if you can do them? I would find out when the last day for registration is, and mark 1/2 way between then and now. See how many gains you've made and then decide around then.

At 200-210 pounds (5'9"), I ran a half (13.1 miles) and it took me 2h33m. I had ran upto 12.5 miles previous, and felt pretty good about it. Until miles 6-8. They sucked. My little brother ran with me, and I am glad, cuz I might have given up and walked the rest of the way!

I have looked at a Tough Mudder race (I think a 10K/6.2miles), and even though I can do the distance, I need to work on the strength portion of it, so I can have the energy to run after each obstacle. I won't be able to do one this year, as I am having a TT&BL June 6th, and need to recover and then train.

One just came thru my town , I didn't m kw about it till the day of, but I would have loved to do it

The tough mudder's are mainly for fun--not a race. If I were you I would study the obstacles--(there's usually a video of the obstacles that you will be facing) and that's where most people have the problems. Climbing over 15 20 foot barricades using ropes may be a problem?

I don't want to discourage you from doing this-because it's important that you exercise. If you're a beginner--and haven't exercised in some time--start your running program and then maybe set a goal to do a 5K in October versus the tough mudder.

Not sure what you're running background is.... Have you run a half marathon before? A 12 mile mudder is going to most likely a lot tougher... I've done 10 mile trail races that were harder than some marathons that I've run... Personally, I would look for something shorter if its your first type of race like that...

I looked around and I found a "Gritty Goddess" obstacle run that's going to be in my town in late September. It's 5k rather than 12 miles, which I think may be more reasonable to train for in that amount of time. I kind of realized I don't want to be on my friend's team because he and the other teammates are in much better shape than I am and I don't want to drag their time down. I think I can get some other friends to join me on the Gritty Goddess one, though, because it's less intense.

I think I'll still plan on training for an actual TM sometime next year, though. I like the idea of the endurance/obstacle courses. Thanks for all the input/advice!