Tough Stuff

When I signed up for the Tough Mudder I knew there was only one thing about it that appealed to me--the team--my actual team and the entire Team running along side of us. The camaraderie culture of the Tough Mudder is an amazing, inspiring part of this event; you'll see it over and over as teammates and complete strangers literally lift each other up throughout the day.  Crucially though, this is probably where my affection for the Mudder ends, and the actual challenge just begins.  Which means I basically detest and suck at most of what I signed up for: dirt, pain, fear, extremes, etc.  Making the day of the Tough Mudder, well, not surprisingly, miserable.  A chosen misery, that took all of my agility, strength, allies, and grit to keep advancing on the path... not unlike the challenge of obesity itself.  And although I barely have what it takes to earn an orange headband at the Tough Mudder, on the Obesity Course, I am working on the black one, already anchored at the top of that Everest and reaching as far and as long as I can to anyone who needs a boost over that slippery slope.