Tough get going in glorious mud

Some people invest in a spanking new sports car; others decide to go “find themselves” by hugging a tree in a commune. I almost signed up to trek to the far climes of Nepal but the bank manager had something to say about that. I had to delve a little deeper and a little closer to home.

Then I had an epiphany! The perfect vessel to hurtle me towards a mid-life crisis was to be Tough Mudder.

Now I pride myself on being reasonably fit, it enables me to get to the front of the bar queue quicker for a start, but even by my standards Tough Mudder was going to be a stretch. Let’s put this into context: I’d just signed up to run a 12.5-mile assault course, with the emphasis on assault!

Suddenly wearing day-glo spandex and leg warmers in the comfort of the gym wasn’t going to cut it anymore, I needed to get on the bat phone, I needed help.

That call was answered like the parting of the clouds by Ilkley-based Army-Fit.

Not only did I now have a ready-made team to share my Tough Mudder pain but I also had the professional help, expertise and motivation to achieve all of my objectives.

Army-Fit director Suzanne Elster explains why such out-door boot camps are becoming the buzz word for fitness fanatics.

“A gym membership is a good starting point but it’s easy to let that initial motivation slide. Sometimes the hardest thing can be your own mental drive but at Army-Fit you’ll be constantly pushed with the encouragement and team ethics that are lacking on the cross-trainer. Whatever the weather, whatever the challenge, we’ll keep on driving to create a personal experience but in the formation of one team striving towards one goal.”

Indeed, the roaring success of the Ilkley set-up has led to the impending expansion into the Allerton area and it’s easy to see why there is the demand.

“Our staff are fully trained and it’s about the whole package, be it nutritional advice, sports massage or personal training. It’s the one stop fitness shop,” says Suzanne.

That’s exactly why I signed up. Let’s not beat around the bush, getting electrocuted (twice), crawling through barbed wire and jumping into ice baths takes some mental grit and preparation.

“In order to prepare for Tough Mudder, we specifically designed boot camps to utilise every muscle, every scenario and become match fit. Scrambling up mud banks, submerging ourselves in Ilkley river, arduous running, we did it all”.

It is all about being pushed to the edge, laughing in the face of pain and having the right people around you to do it.

To further aid my progress I decided to go all LA and enlist the help of a personal trainer. I’d have preferred a personal shopper or personal cocktail maker but that wouldn’t really help me cut it nine miles in. Personal trainers are becoming more affordable by the year and it’s a viable option that I can’t recommend highly enough.

The lady entrusted with making me the female version of Arnie was Jenny Craven and again it’s about the all-round support. Jenny is qualified in sports massage, personal training, a fully-qualified class instructor and anything else you can care to imagine. She can even probably turn water into wine.

So at 5am one Sunday morning I faced the Yorkshire Tough Mudder. The first obstacle was a vat of ice water. The bolt of cold that hits your breathing as you submerge under a ledge cannot really be quantified. The calls from my teammates brought me back to reality. A further 24 obstacles remained in the weaving open countryside and moors of Broughton Hall.

The ones that particularly stick in my throat were the 12ft wooden walls to scale, the 20ft walk the plank into freezing water, the caged water crawl, the mud loaded water tunnels with barbed wire, and finally finishing together as a team through the electrocution wood of wires as a helpful soul douses you with water.

Suddenly everything was worth it. From the initial spark of considering entering: to the gruelling training; and finally the exhilaration of conquering something of epic proportions. This is what fitness is all about.

Digging the dirt on muddy roots

Tough Mudder was founded by Englishmen Will Dean and Guy Livingstone. Dean came up with the idea while at Harvard Business School, and it was a finalist in the Harvard Business School’s annual Business Plan Contest. He brought in Guy Livingstone to act as Chief Operating Officer.

The first event took place in 2010 and last year there were 28 Tough Mudders in different location.

Tough Mudder events are hardcore 12-mile plus military-style obstacle courses designed by the Special Forces.

For more details check out www.toughmudder.co.uk

Army-Fit runs all year round and offers your first session free with no yearly contracts. For details go to www.army-fit.co.uk

Jenny Craven offers Personal Training and all-round fitness advice. For more information www.bodytalkpersonaltraining.info