Real Sugar, Real Goodness

Keeping on the drinks theme, it's real sugar or bust for me, as of 1 week ago. I have officially quit false sugars like Splenda, Nutrasweet, Stevia, etc.

In today's era of calorie consciousness, diet sodas are all the rage. In fact, of the top 10 soda brands in the US, 4 are diet. Diet Coke is #2 in the US, ahead of Pepsi.

I have always been a soda lover, and I think I always will be. It's less the sweetness and more the excitement of the carbonation that makes drinking soda an adventure for me. For the first 20 or so years of my life, I drank regular soda in moderate quantities. Then, needing to make weight for the lightweight crew team in my sophomore year of college (< 155 lbs), I experimented with diet soda. For the next 10 years, I switched to diet soda almost exclusively.

 

Recently, I have been hearing more theories about the potential harms of false sugars. In general, they are:

1) Cancer

2) Diabetes

3) Increased Hunger

Theory 1 wasn't enough to cause me to quit diet sodas. Why? Because everything, in extremes, causes cancer....in mice. With the quantity I was drinking, I didn't see this as a realistic risk.

Theory 2 suggests that the body releases insulin when false sugars are ingested, because the body confuses false sugars with real sugars. This lowers blood sugar level. With more insulin release, the body can become insulin resistant (type 2 Diabetes).

Theory 3 is related to theory 2. Greater insulin release lowers blood sugar levels, which makes you more hungry. Thus, you eat more.

Theories 2 and 3 have driven me away from sugar substitutes.

Now, I consume only real sugar. Here are some of my strategies:

1) I drink regular sodas (colas, etc.) but limit the quantity. For example, I'll drink half a can of Coke,  (70 calories).

2) I drink commercial sodas that have less sugar. There are many brands of less-sweet sodas these days, including one brand called "Dry Sodas". There is a Lavendar flavor that has Lavender extract with only 70 calories in 12 oz (same size as a Coke, half the calories).

3) I make my own soda at home. I buy mineral water or club soda and mix that with a citrus fruit juice (orange, lime, or grapefruit). I then add some sugar syrup, which I make by boiling sugar with water. For a 16 oz drink, I probably consume about 80-100 calories.

4) I order unsweetened iced tea at restaurants, and then sweeten to taste.

I'm happy with my changes, although they will take some adjustment after so many years of diet soda consumption. What are your thoughts on sugar substitutes and real sugar?

Drink Water

Hydrate. It's easy and it's important, more than you realize. 75% of America is dehydrated. Not me, not anymore.

I have seen the light, and now I hydrate as much as possible. I may overdo it sometimes, but I'd rather overdo it than underdo it.

For most of my life, I have been headache prone. I noticed this during my middle school years when I rode my bike to and from school. Every day, without fail, I got a headache after riding my bike home in the afternoon. As a result, I took 1-2 tylenol every weekday.

In my high school years when I played tennis for my school team, I got headaches in the evening and was back to Tylenol. After college, when I developed a gym routine, I got headaches after running 3 miles on the treadmill.

I always assumed that I was just more headache prone. This may be true as I do sweat a lot. But the underlying cause of my headaches was dehydration. However, I drank several cups of water a day, and didn't "feel thirsty", so I assumed that I wasn't dehydrated.

My approach to hydration changed this year when I trained for the Big Sur Marathon. I thought about how I could hydrate on long runs of 7+ miles on Saturday, and I decided to purchase a Marathoner Hydration Vest. This vest allows you to suck fluids while running (think CamelBak). I also tried to increase my water intake throughout the week. I assumed that even with these strategies I would need to take headache medicine because I was "genetically predisposed to headaches". But to my surprise, I largely avoided headaches during my training.

This experience showed me the light. Through regular hydration, even while training for a marathon, I could avoid dehydration headaches. My mistake earlier in life was thinking that if I wasn't thirsty at that moment, then I didn't need to drink water. I now realize that water needs to be consumed whether or not you're thirsty. Water is like gas for your car. You fill up your body with it, and your body spends it on essential functions (all your organs need it for survival) and sweating. When you drink water to quench thirst, you're already too late in some respects. That water is going to take 30 minutes to be absorbed, by which time your headache has already set in.

Now, I know how to stay hydrated. I buy a 24 pack of 16oz water bottles and keep some in my car. I drink water in the morning, with lunch, and at dinner. I also take a trip to the water cooler every 2 hours and have an 8oz cup of water. After the gym, I drink one of my water bottles. Drinking right away after a workout is important, not 30 minutes or 1 hour later. At that point, headaches are likely to set in. I also know that caffeine is a diuretic (it dehyrdates you). So, if I have a cup of decaf coffee or iced tea or a beer, I drink extra water to compensate. In fact, even if I order another drink at a restaraunt, I'll also order a glass of water and have it continuously refilled.

All in all, I'm averaging 10+ cups per day. My landlady is also an ex-phlebotomist (blood drawer) and she complimented me on my veins. Clearly visible arm veins are a sign of good hydration (which mine are). She acknowledges she is dehydrated and you can barely see her veins. Yesterday, she had only had one cup of water.

I still occassionally get headaches, but the frequency has gone down drastically. Also, water is helping me curb my appetite so I bring my portion sizes under control. For you, dehydration may show up in other ways - tiredness, lightheadedness, etc. But by focusing on hydrating and making it a habit, you can live a much healthier life.

Big Sur International Marathon

Feasting my eyes on the rugged coast line as I ran past Point Sur, up to Hurricane Point, and over the Bixby Bridge, every sacrifice in the last 5 months of training was instantly worth the opportunity to complete the Big Sur Marathon. Nine years ago, my experience running the Boston Marathon was quite different. Because I didn’t train, I nearly collapsed at the finish after 6+ hours of running and was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess in an ambulance to get crutches. I opted (unwisely) not to train because I was worried about injuring myself during training. I told myself then that if I ever ran another marathon, I would train properly. Also, if I ever ran another one, it would be Big Sur. While Boston is the ultimate city marathon with thousands of screaming fans, Big Sur is the opposite – called the “most scenic marathon in the US (and maybe the world)”, breathtaking views and the occasional musical band are your main company.

Fast forward to Sunday, April 28^th 2013 when I completed the Big Sur Marathon in 4:49.38, 40 minutes faster than I expected. I decided to run this marathon late in 2012 after doing a Tough Mudder. Tough Mudder reminded me how much I enjoy racing. I like wearing a bib number and I enjoy the camaraderie of the racers. Most of us aren’t trying to win – we just want to have fun. We can also relate to each other – each of us made similar sacrifices in the training process and chose that particular race on that particular day, when there were so many other options. And, when we’re done, we can be exhausted and contented together. Oh, and the medals are pretty cool too J

See here for pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152760728385371.1073741825.505250370&type=1&l=c8436dffe0

Training

I started training in January 2013 – giving myself 5 months or prep time. I ran 4x per week: Monday – short run (3 miles), Wednesday – medium run (5-10 miles), some Thursdays – short run (3 miles), Saturday – long run (10+ miles, maxing at 20 miles twice). I also included some weight training, focusing primarily on my back. The lower back muscles are heavily engaged to maintain posture while running. To keep myself on track for Big Sur, I signed up for the San Dieguito Half Marathon in February. This was a great tune up for the marathon as it was chilly and hilly, similar conditions to Big Sur.

I incorporated a lot of rest and cross-training into my training. I rarely ran on consecutive days. Also, I didn’t do long runs every Saturday. Some of my ‘long runs’ were actually hikes. I found a great 7 mile (roundtrip) trail in Santa Monica called Los Liones. Most of my long runs happened along the beach in Santa Monica because it was easy to fill up my 2L Camel Bak with so many water fountains. I also swam to get a good cardio workout to ease the impact on my joints.

Despite a lot of work travel in the first half of 2013, my training wasn’t affected. I was usually back in LA on Saturday for my long run. I also woke up at 5:30am on most days and ran in the morning as much as possible. This was especially important for Saturday long runs. First, I could beat the heat. Second, there’s a psychological boost to running early in the morning. After the early morning long run, I was exhausted but I could eat, nap, and then be productive in the late afternoon.

I also quit drinking for 2.5 months. This wasn’t strictly necessary, but it allowed me to stay mentally focused and prevented any Saturday morning hangovers that would have made it difficult to do my long run. My social life suffered a bit, but the marathon was more important to me.

The Race

Pre-Race

I stayed at my parent’s house at 7^th and Lincoln in downtown Carmel. Somehow, I convinced my mom to make mild food (that may have been more difficult than the actual Marathon) which I ate the day before. I forced myself to go to bed by 8:30pm on Saturday. This allowed me to wake up reasonably refreshed on 3:30am of race day to catch the 4am bus from Carmel Plaza to the start. Driving to the start is not allowed – all roads are closed to traffic. We traversed the race route in reverse to the Start. Along the way, I sat next to a recently retired man and veteran of 39 marathons. According to him, “I did one marathon and swore I would never do another one. Then I said maybe I’ll do another one and see if I can do better. Pretty soon, I was hooked. I ran 3-4 per year. Since I retired, I have run 9.” I have to agree. Running can be addictive.

We arrived at the start, which is near Pfeiffer State Park, around 5am. The scene was electric and upbeat. It was pitch dark and thousands of runners were either:

·         Huddling for warmth

·         Snacking on bagels and coffee

·         Waiting in line for port-o-potties

Some runners had come solo (like me), while others were in larger groups. There were quite a few Boston Marathon runners, who were running Boston to Big Sur. In this competition, runners’ Boston Marathon times are added to their Big Sur marathon times. I can’t imagine running 2 marathons within 2 weeks!

Did I mention it was cold? But fortunately, I was prepared with my sweats. To handle the 40 degree temperature, I had a sweatshirt, two shirts, skull cap, gloves, and running pants. Those of you who know me know that I am wary of caffeine and almost never drink regular coffee. But this morning, I made an exception. I had a mouthful of coffee to warm up and get motivated for the task ahead.

The Start

At 6:30am, I left the waiting area for the start. I aimed for the back, Wave 3, which was marathoners with expected finish times of 4:45 and up. Wave 2 was for 3:45 to 4:45 marathoners, Wave 1 was for 3:45 and below, and Elite Runners, folks who had a chance to win the race, were stationed at the very front. The race began promptly at 6:45am, but it wasn’t until 6:55am that I crossed the start line. And then, after 5 months of training, and an obscenely early morning wake-up that is usually only experienced for international flights, the race had begun!

Miles 1-5

Miles 1-5 are slightly downhill. Having watched Tom Rolander’s course video several times, I remembered his words of caution: “Don’t go out too fast! The early downhill miles are deceiving. Save your legs for the highlands. You will thank me!” I took it relatively easy on these miles. Along the way, we passed vacationers staying at the River Inn. They came out of their cozy rooms and cheered us on while covered in blankets and sipping on coffee or hot cocoa. Still, though they were warm and I was cold, I wouldn’t trade places with them because I will choose participant over spectator whenever possible.

By mile 4, I had passed the 4:45 pace group. I was feeling pretty good about my chances to run a sub 4:30 marathon at this point. Little did I know that the pace leader was simply pacing herself. She wanted all runners to warm up in the first 5 miles before she really kicked it into high gear.

Miles 5 – 9

We reached the flat lands and calm before the storm. According to Tom’s video, runners would have their fastest miles in this stretch. This wasn’t the case for me. After leaving the confines of the forest, the wind picked up dramatically in the flat lands and blew cold air straight in our faces. There is nothing as demoralizing as a cold head wind in a marathon. Still the scenery remained stunning with cows on our right and the ocean to our left. Towards the end of this stretch, we caught a view of Point Sur enshrouded in morning fog.

Miles 9 – 12

All uphill. That’s it. These are the toughest miles on the course as runners climb to Hurricane Point. The Teiko drums provided some inspiration at mile 10, but there is nothing to do but climb. While some runners opted to walk, I preferred a slow jog to maintain momentum. It was tough, but the cold wind of the previous miles felt worse. At Hurricane Point, I looked back on Point Sur, now fading in the distance, and marveled at how far we had come. The fog had lifted and I had a great view.

Miles 12 – 17

At Hurricane Point, we were treated to GU energy gel, a life saver in marathons. GU consists of:

·         100 calories of complex carbohydrates (potentially easier to digest than simple carbs)

·         Amino acid blend – combats muscle fatigue

·         Electrolytes – Sodium and potassium given that this is lost in strenuous activity

·         20mg Caffeine – wakes you up and lowers perceived effort

After this marathon, I became a full believer in the power of GU, which tasted like pure honey to a hungry runner. I asked a nearby runner if we would get another GU. He said yes, around mile 20. Fantastic! The thought of another GU would keep me going for another 8 miles.

What goes up, must come down. We had a full mile of steep downhill to get to Bixby Bridge. Here, my right ankle started to hurt. Though I was wearing my blue Super Feet orthotics, the inward movement of my right knee caused a tendon below my right ankle to stretch and pain a little. So, I popped an Advil.

About half a mile from the Bixby Bridge, I heard the famed grand piano. I wish I could remember what he was playing, but it sounded heavenly. The combination of GU, Advil, stunning sights, heavenly music, and the realization that I was halfway done brought me to the highest runner’s high.

Until this point, I had been snapping pictures often (Tom Rolander’s number 1 . But, I realized that taking pictures was tiring me. Also, my half marathon split was about 2:31, which put me on pace for a 5 hour marathon. Now, I wanted to finish in under 5 hours. I had to sacrifice some picture taking to do this.

Miles 18 – 26.2

The home stretch! I passed the famous “wall” at mile 20 fueled by another sumptuous GU packet. It was during this stretch that I relied most on my training. The first time I ran 20 miles in training, I shuffled through the last few miles at a slightly faster pace than walking. I was broken. The second time I ran 20 miles, about a month ago, I was tired but I knew I could do more. This time, I passed mile 20 and did not hit the wall. I knew I could finish strong. There were some gentle uphills during this stretch but they were not bad. Also, it was warmer and more comfortable at this time (10-11am) which made running easier.

There were some interesting attractions in the last few miles. Around mile 22 or 23, we came upon the famous strawberry lady. I ate a nice, cold strawberry. Also, the live music continued, with music by the Carmel Middle School band and a harp band.

Running my fastest pace of the course during these last few miles, I finished in 4:49.38. There is certainly room for improvement in my time, but not bad for a difficult course.

Final Thoughts

I loved my Big Sur experience – the scenery, the feeling of accomplishment, and having my entire family there to cheer me on. Where do I go from here? If another marathon, I would do several things differently in preparation:

·         More speed workouts (shorter and faster distances).

·         Bring gloves and hat to race

·         Re-examine shoes and arch support – I wore blue Superfeets and that mitigated some over-pronation, but the downhill on Mile 13 still did a number on my ankles.

Of course, I can do other things. I can run shorter distances like half marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, etc. This might improve my speed. Also, it’s much easier to be in half marathon shape than marathon shape. In addition, I can explore trail running. Trail running races happen on hiking trails rather than the road. In addition to being scenic, they are also lighter on the knees than road running. They can be more hilly, however. Lastly, I can try another obstacle course. The Spartan Race is similar to Tough Mudder but is more of a race and doesn’t have the electricity or cold water torture obstacles. To train for the Spartan Race, which comes in 3, 8, and 11+ mile distances, I need to strengthen my upper body.

This marathon made me re-think the importance of speed. Although I’d like to be faster, I’m a fan of Born to Run which emphasizes the joy of running. I enjoy the journey of a long run and the sites along the way. Big Sur is so beautiful that the longer I can be out on the course, the more I can enjoy it (within reason, i.e. less than 6 hours). So, if running is enjoyable, then running more is better, and I should consider “ultra-marathons”. An ultra-marathon is anything greater than 26.2 miles.

For now, I’ll enjoy my Big Sur experience. I look forward to normal life with more socializing, drinking Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (my first beer after returning to light drinking) and sleeping-in!

San Dieguito Half Marathon

On Sunday, 2/11/13, I completed the San Dieguitio Half Marathon with Neilesh Patel in Rancho Santa Fe, CA (near San Diego). The course is stunning. We ran through morning fog and saw views of fields, lakes, and the like.
I chose to run this half marathon to check my progress as I train for the Big Sur Marathon on April 28th. The San Dieguito Half Marathon is a hilly course and would therefore by good practice for Big Sur which also has significant elevation changes. My goal was to finish the race without getting injured in less than 3 hours (the course limit).

The race began at 8am. It was a cold morning, with the temperature being 45 degrees. Because of this, we decided to run especially slow for the first 3 miles to warm up. About 7.5 miles into the course, we sped up and started to overtake runners. The weather started to warm up around 9am and the conditions became ideal for running. The first half of the race was much tougher than the 2nd half (fortunately) and our 2nd half was faster than our 1st half.

The race organizers did a great job of providing water frequently on the course. Water and VitaLyte (a sports drink) were available every mile. One nice spectator had oranges 5 miles into the course - thank you! At the 7.5 mile mark, we were given powerbar gel packs. These gel packs gave us new life.

We surpassed our expectations by finishing the Half Marathon in a time of 2:15, at a pace of 10:30 per mile. Our conservative race strategy was validated - we passed over 100 runners and may have been passed by just a few runners.

Most importantly, I learned what I need to do over the next 2.5 months to successfully complete the Big Sur Marathon. I'm targeting running 4x per week and sleeping 8-9 hours per day. All junk food will be off-limits but I will be upping my carb and protein intake. In the process, I'd like to lose 5 lbs and get close to 150 lbs. My weekly runs will be 3-4 miles (easy run), 5-10 miles (medium runs), 3-4 miles (easy run), 10-20 miles (Saturday long run). On othe other days I'll be doing maintence lifts for the upper body. I will also use my Vibrams for 1-2 runs per week so I can strengthen smaller feet muscles and tendons. A lot of socializing and fun will have to be sacrificed for the next few months as I go to sleep by 9pm, but I think I will be rewarded on race day with a Big Sur medal.

Sweet Tea

These days, I enjoy a cool glass of Sweet Tea whenever I can. My new interest in sweet tea has coincided with my recent interest in the South (the Southeastern US).

Charleston Tea Plantation

No region of the US is more "English" than the South. Americans in the South emigrated from England, Scotland, and Ireland, where they were farmers. They continued their farming profession in the South, growing cotton, tobacco, tea, and the like. These immigrants were used to drinking tea, but it was too hot in the South to drink hot tea. So, they cooled the tea and drink. Hence, iced tea (or sweet tea). I'm hoping to make several trips to the South this year. I got things kicked off with an impromptu trip to Charleston, South Carolina. More about the South in another blog.


For most of my life, I have been a tea lover. Only recently did I get interested in coffee (decaf only). Now, I'm back to tea. Here in LA, we are privileged to drink coffee and tea at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I'm also very swayed by logos and names of products. So, one day, a few months ago, I stopped by my local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and noticed an iced tea called "Pacific Coast." This name reminded me of my July 4th trip to Oregon, where I drove up the Oregon Coast (the most spectacular part of the Pacific Coast is in Oregon, trust me). Coffee Bean Pacific Coast tea is similar to Earl Grey, but it's less strong and has a slight roasted flavor. I can imagine no better tea to drink when watching the waves in the Pacific on an overcast day in Oregon. I drank so much Pacific Coast tea that I decided to buy a box and make Iced Tea at home.

Sweet tea is easy to make. However, there a few details that can drastically change your tea tasting experience. One pouch of Pacific Coast tea makes 64 oz of tea. First I boil the water in a large pot. When the pot boils, I add a pouch of tea. Now, how long you steep the tea is the key to the taste. More steeping leads to darker, stronger tea with more caffeine. The instructions say to steep for 5 minutes. I did this the first time I got a tea that was too strong for my taste. In my most recent pot of tea, I steeped for 2 minutes. This tea tastes good, but I think next time I'll try 2:30 of steeping.

The next step is to add your sugar. It's important to add your sugar when the tea is boiling so the sugar dissolves well. I used raw sugar and like the taste. Refined sugar could also be used to get a smoother taste (I won't judge you). I suppose honey could also be used, although I'm not sure I like the taste or smell of boiling honey. My first pot of sweet tea wasn't sweet enough, my latest batch is really close - maybe a tad bit more sugar.

The next question is what temperature to serve the tea at. I refrigerate the tea after it cools down. The next day, when I'm ready to have a glass, I cut 1-2 slices of lemon and put into a nice glass. I then pour my tea in and leave it out to warm a little. If the tea is too cold, then, like any cold drink, you won't get the full taste of the tea. When I'm ready to drink the tea, I add 2 ice cubes to cool it down. Whenever I see iced tea served, the glass has ice. So, I add ice. I've been doing some research into whether there is a difference between cooling a drink via the refrigerator or via ice. I'm not sure there's a difference. Ice will melt and dilute the drink, which may be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. Back to the lemon - I like the lemon for the citrus taste and to lighten the color of the tea. However, you forgo the lemon and get more of a tea flavor. If you're going to do that, then you need to be extra careful not to over steep the tea as the lemon won't be there to mask this taste.

So where do I go from here? I will experiment with mint and honey. Down the line, I may try peach, raspberry, and other fruit.


So the next time you visit me, there will be a nice, cool glass of sweet tea waiting for you.

Porterville

 A few weeks ago I travelled to Porterville to assist Neilesh with the grand opening of his new (and first) dental clinic - Sweet Smiles. This was my first true foray into California's Central Valley. Until now, the Central Valley was just something I passed through when driving between San Jose and LA. This weekend, I got a better feel for the culture in this part of California.

The Central Valley's main industry is agriculture and the area is rural. Goods are cheaper but the economy is noticeably slower than California's cosmopolitan areas (SF, SJ, LA, SD). The lower incomes in the Central Valley contribute to the area's greater health care needs.

Getting to Porterville is a bit of trek. From Bakersfield, you have to take a 2 lane highway (65) or can take Highway 99. Porterville is a bit chilly this time of year, but it gets extremely hot in the summers (I'm told).

The night before, Neilesh and I swept the clinic office. On the day of the opening, we arrived early. Johnny and Sal (two of Neil's friends) brought their mobile grill to the clinic and grilled all day. We were visited by the mayor of Porterville, Terry Phillips (an ex-journalist who recently ran for Congress), the city's Chamber of Commerce, and Neilesh's family and friends. I helped wherever I could: brining supplies to the clinic, setting up the food table, helping with scheduling in the front office, and even did some light dental assisting. We treated 17 patients pro bono that day. It was tiring - I have a lot of respect for assistants, hygienists, and dentists for working on their feet all day long. That night, we ate from Johnny's grill and explored the nightlife of Porterville (limited but fun nonetheless).

The next day, Neilesh, Dan (Neil's classmate from UCLA and a dentist in the Bay Area), and I drove to Sequoia National Forrest for a day hike. Sequoia is only 1-2 hours from Porterville - talk about heaven in your backyard! I have been to Sequoia National Park a few times, but this is one of the best national parks in the country and is always a treat. We had a great lunch at the Wuksachi Lodge (Peaks Restaurant) and then set off to explore the giant sequoias. Long before we were born and long after we are dead, the General Sherman tree will still be growing.

We left the park at sunset and I had good pizza before making the drive back to LA. It was a great weekend I look forward to seeing Sweet Smiles grow from its auspicious beginnings.

Tough Mudder

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that:

I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge.

I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time.

I do not whine, kids whine.

I help my fellow mudders complete the course.

I overcome all fears.

Two weeks ago, I completed the Tough Mudder course as part of the two-person Team "Off-Label". I have wanted to do the Tough Mudder since my 2nd year of business school, when a classmate did the course in Pennsylvania. In fact, my interest in muddy obstacle courses began when I spent 24 hours in Quantico as part of a Leadership Venture in my first year. The Tough Mudder is modeled after the training that British Special Forces soldiers go through.

I chose to do my Tough Mudder at the Palmer Coking Coal Company in the great state of Washington. Why Washington? It's simple - I love the Northwest, as evidenced by my July 4th trip to Oregon. The Northwest is famous for its cool weather and greenery - two things that I felt would make the Tough Mudder more fun.

The Tough Mudder consists of 25+ obstacles over 11 miles:

• Walls to climb
• Cargo nets
• Monkey bars over water
• Swinging ropes over water
• 20 ft. jump into water
• Mud-based obstacles

But, by far the worst obstacles are:

• Electric shocks
• Arctic water

The Tough Mudder is infamous for its electric shocks. There are two electric shock obstacles where the shocks are 10,000V and about 10 amps. The first one is called "Electric Eel" at the halfway point. Mudders crawl through water / mud all the while being shocked by little hanging ropes. What's worse, I think the water transmits the shock. The second shock obstacle occurs at the end of the race. Mudders have to run through hanging ropes and mud. The best strategy is to sprint through the ropes becaues the electricity pulses every second so the longer you are int he ropes, the more you will be shocked.

The artic water is another brutal obstacle, this time at the beginning of the course. Mudders have to wade through ice water, duck their heads under a barrier, and exit the obstacle. The whole process takes 1 minute. It is one of the most painful minutes of your life! After coming out of the obstacle, your body is completely frozen and it is impossible to move, talk, or think. After the Tough Mudder, I came down with a pretty bad case of the flu. I think the Artic Water obstacle decimated my immune system and made the flu worse than it would have normally been.

My favorite obstacle though was "Everest". The last of many walls that Mudders have to climb, Everest embodies the spirit of Tough Mudder. This obstacles is almost impossible to complete on one's own. Only the fittest people (1% of Mudders) can run the half pipe, jump, reach the top and pull themselves up. The rest rely on the help of Mudders who are already atop the obstacle. We run, jump, reach, and hope that our hands will be grabbed. From there, we are pulled over the obstacle and are on our way to the last shock obstacle.


The atmosphere at Tough Mudder is just electric as the shock obstacles. Mudders are friendly, fun, and crazy. It seemed like 20-30% of Mudders have a military background (which is good for the rest of us since they can help us get over Everest!). After the race, mudders are greeted with food and beer. Throughout the race, Mudders read signs saying "When was the last time you really earned a beer?" That's true, most of the time we drink beers for no reason at all. But when you've truly earned that beer (Dos Equis in our case), it tastes that much better. It's a raucous celebration. I participated in a pull-up contest and churned out a respectable 3 pullups - not bad considering I had just completed a 11 mile obstacle course. Oh, and you get this super awesome orange headband - not for sale!

The rest of the weekend in Seattle was fantastic. At night, we went to Hotel 1000 for drinks and to watch college football. The next day, we ate donuts at Top Pot and hung out in Pike Place Market.

I put the Tough Mudder next to the Boston Marathon as one of my proudest athletic accomplishments. 

Somehow my number remained intact through the race

Team Off-Label at the Finish

The last obstacle

Everest, my favorite obstacle

The fearsome electric eel

Monkey bars over water

Climbing over logs

Over the cargo net

On the march

Generic mud obstacle

Climbing the wall to the start

Climbing down something muddy

Through the course, we were dreaming of donuts. The next morning, we had some at Top Pot!

Top Pot is charming inside

Books galore at Top Pot

No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to Pike Place

The original Starbucks is at Pike Place

Live music abounds at Pike Place

More live music

Flowers at Pike Place