Getting moving again...

Here I am looking for my next BIG adventure. I need a really good adventure every few months, otherwise I start to get a little stir crazy. So I have set my sights on the Tough Mudder. The Tough Mudder is the self described "premier adventure challenge series in the world," with courses designed by British Special forces to "test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie". Sounds good to me!

I am not entirely new to races. I have finished a triathlon, 2 marathons, 3 half marathons, and I have a whole drawer full of t-shirts from various local 5k races. But that was then. The last time I ran in any kind of race was almost a year ago. It was the Young Life 5k and it was fun, but I haven't seriously trained for a major event in over 2 years.  I have run a few miles here and there. I even bought myself a new bike last summer with every intention of riding. The truth is I just got lazy. And fat. That is what happens when I do not have a specific goal in place. I have great intentions, but I just can't make myself get out and run or bike or swim without a real reason to do it.I know that if I was going to get myself moving I was going to have to set a goal.

I started eye-balling races and stumbled on to the Tough Mudder web page through a banner ad on Facebook. It was immediately appealing. It has dirt, water, mud (obviously), obstacles, fire, and electricity. That's right...freaking electricity! I have never done anything quite like it before, and to be honest I am not sure that I can actually pull it off. I suppose that is where the adventure lies; in the uncertainty.

I sent out a few enthusiastic emails and got a couple of friends interested in the race. God bless those guys. They have been putting up with this from me since grade school. Sometimes I can dazzle them into following me in to adventure. The Luray Triathlon is proof of that. But not always; our motorcycle road/camping trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway hasn't happened yet. As of this moment I have one buddy who has preregistered, and two more who are interested but not committed yet. As for me, I am preregistered and excited. So tonight I got dressed and went for a run. It was a shorty, only 1.1 miles, but it felt good. It was the symbolic first step of my new adventure!

The purpose of this blog is to keep me honest and motivated.  But it is also to hear from you. What are you hoping to tackle this year? What is your adventure?