My introduction to Scotland

Upon arriving in Edinburgh, I was exhausted, jetlagged, and generally achy from sitting so long. Over 26 hours of travel and layovers, and I was wiped out. The tram was comfortable, although I was moderately panicked (I was travelling alone) and had to walk about three miles from my tram stop to my hotel. I picked up some food and settled in with the knowledge of the Tough Mudder in the morning, although sleep was a long time coming.

Tough Mudders are a series of extreme challenge races, varying from 10-14 miles. This particular race was 11.7 miles long, with 25 obstacles designed by the British Special Forces for non-Legionnaires (people who haven’t run one before) and additional obstacles for Legionnaires. If you’ve never done one, I highly recommend taking a look at their website to really understand what they're about.

Waking up, I packed, dressed, and was out the door by 6. I caught the 6:30 bus out to Dalkeith Country Estate, arriving not long after I had originally intended. Between the 5 hours of jetlag and wanting to go in one of the heats between 8 and 9AM…it wasn’t one of my better choices, but I figured the faster I cranked myself out of the old schedule, the better. Normally the race is extremely expensive, but I worked with the volunteer program which offers an excellent discount. Long story short, volunteering is totally worth it, I ran for £15.

Starting the race was incredible, the team did a fantastic job of getting racers warmed up and excited. The above picture shows the starting line and the crowd, partially hidden by the smoke bombs. I'm in the middle, number 22020.

11.7 miles later, I was more worn down and happier than I have been in ages. The picture on the right is of the final challenge right before the finish line, Electroshock Therapy, a 30 foot long array of dangling wires that racers had to get through. They carried different charges, up to 10,000 volts, and were unavoidably close. Runners had no choice but to touch them.

Yes, it hurt.

One of the interesting things about the Edinburgh race was that with the Referendum coming up and the vote on Scottish independence an ongoing discussion, they threw in an extra challenge in the Legionnaire loop. Legionnaires got to caber toss at cardboard cutouts of David Cameron and Alex Salmond to form their own vote on Scottish independence. According to Stephen Deal in the Metro section of the local paper, with over 2,000 participants, 68% said No to independence.

The end of the race was on the grounds of Dalkeith Palace, which overlooked Everest, another challenge.

http://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/dalkeith-country-park-p252321 
Dalkeith Country Estate

The race ended on the lawn in front of the estate, which was gorgeous. The start, finish, and tents were all available on the front lawn, allowing spectators a good view of several obstacles.

From experience, here are a few pointers for anyone looking to run a Tough Mudder:

1.    Duct tape your shoes on. It sounds dumb now, but when your shoe is suctioned into calf-deep mud, you’ll thank me for it. Even the drier courses have certain spots that are particularly muddy, like the Mud Mile.

2.      It’s going to hurt the next day. And probably the next. Mudders go through so much to be called a part of the Mudder Legion, and it’s an incredibly awesome group. You’re not going to get there without a little pain.

3.      Be enthusiastic! The people running this and the volunteers are out there encouraging you, don’t you dare be a jerk to any of them. Plus, if you’re running in a group, it’s fun to be the one who’s grinning through all the garbage you go through.

4.      Don’t be afraid to ask for help! On a similar note, if you see someone who needs help, give them a hand. It’s about teamwork, not a course time.

Next week will cover local details, I'd hate to bore people with an incredibly long post!