Welcome, New Mudders!

We are a week away from the 2012 Mount Snow, Vermont Tough Mudder challenge.  Yes, challenge, because it's not a race.  Races have winners and places and PRs and pace clocks and egos.  Challenges have you and your ability to overcome them, or not, depending on who you are and what you are trying to accomplish.

This is my second year running / climbing / swimming / crawling / freezing / burning the VT Tough Mudder.  I have no pre-mudder jitters because I kind of know what's in store for us Mudders.  "Kind of" because they changed the course layout, added some new obstacles, and have three mystery obstacles.  We can only prepare for what we know and I have found that what we know ain't much.

My brother, Mid-Life Crisis, and my good friend, Only Dates Crazies Too, will, of course, be joining me again this year.  They would not miss another year of Mudder Madness.  We are fortunate this year to have several others join our unofficial team!  Brief introductions for our new Mudders are in order:

• Whitey McWhiskey:  You may remember Whitey from last year's MetroDash.  Well, he is back, after a brief hiatus, and will be plowing his way through this year's Mudder.  Short of stature but not short on charm, Whitey is always a great addition to our growing team.  Welcome back, Whitey!

• Just Out of Diapers: This youngling is new to our group, brought in by Mid-Life Crisis.  I can only assume that she is with him as some sort of community service.  Maybe she volunteered to help the elderly to get her Girl Scout merit badge.  I don't know.  Either way, she has gone above and beyond in aiding our geriatric team member fulfill his given race name.

• The Bunny Balladeer: Bunny is an old friend from high school who has recently taken up running in order to find new ways to sing.  Yes, to sing.  She is always singing.  Always.  We did chorus together so, yes, she sang there; but she sings everywhere... apparently even while running.  Thankfully she has a great set of lungs (wink wink nudge nudge) to carry those tunes :)

• Snake Your Drain: New to obstacle racing but not new to physical challenges, Snake Your Drain is primed for this year's Mudder event.  He is strong and determined, which has helped him overcome past hurdles.  I do not expect that this new endeavor will have him blow a gasket or pop an O-ring and, as long as he stays focused and calm, he will not hit a stop valve which would hinder his flow rate.  Ballcock.

• Bunny Chaser: B.C. is also new to obstacle course racing but has hit the season in full stride.  She has signed up, along with Bunny Balladeer, for some of the longest and toughest obstacle courses in the region!  Impressive for a noob.  She and Balladeer try to join the same events so one can sing in new arenas and the other can chase her the entire race, hence the name.  With her successful pre-season races under her belt, this might be the time when the Chaser because the Chased.

There you have it.  Our team is officially unofficial.  There may be more people jumping into our ragtag group and they will be welcome.  If they're lucky I will give them nicknames.

Good luck to my friends and anyone else getting ready for the 2012 Vermont Tough Mudder.  Revel in the mud.  Embrace the cold.  Rejoice in the camaraderie.  Swear at the Berlin Walls (you'll see).  Above all else, enjoy the Mudder, my friends.  Enjoy it Aggressively!

Aggressively yours,

Illustrious