8 Things You'll Only Understand If You've Done Tough Mudder

Whether you completed your first OCR this year or you've done 10 already, the feeling at the end of a Tough Mudder is always the same... get me in a hot shower! Here are 10 things you'll be able to relate to if you've made it to the finish line of the famed obstacle course race.

1. Being electrocuted is way more painful than you thought.

You heard about it before you started and you promised yourself you'd go for it. But it was even worse than you anticipated!

2. Running. So much running.

When your friends convinced you to sign up, your worst fear was the obstacles. No one warned you just how much running would be involved!

3. And hills. So many hills.

Scrambling up inclines so steep you have to put your hands down in front of you wasn't something you expected but you smashed it anyway. Running uphill definitely isn't a favourite, though.

4. You realise you haven't tackled monkey bars since you were 5.

You approached this obstacle and saw how many people were dropping into the water and realised you haven't so much as looked at a set of monkey bars in years. Or, maybe you knew it was coming and you trained your butt off to be able to get across!

5. Wow, it's cold in May and September.

Being caked in mud and plunged into an ice bath would be great in July or August perhaps but those British grey clouds in May and September leave something to be desired! Note to self: take a blanket for when you finish next time!

6. You're stronger than you thought.

Whether you went into the obstacle course race raring to go or whether you were coaxed into it by friends, when you get to the end you suddenly realise you can do things you never thought you could, and what a feeling that is. 

7. There's a real sense of achievement to hauling a heavy guy up a ramp.

The whole point of Tough Mudder is not to finish lightning fast, but to work as a team and help everyone out. Standing at the top of the pyramid scheme and helping people up is a really great feeling, especially when they're twice your weight!

8. You can't wait to do it all over again.

You're soaking wet. Caked in mud. You've been thrown off walls, electrocuted, and crawled under barbed wire. Your knees are cut and you're freezing cold, and yet for some reason you're already itching to sign up for next year!