Lessons from the Tough Mudder
A couple of weeks ago, I participated in the Colorado Tough Mudder with two of my friends. We chose the 5-mile option for this insane obstacle race and ran, climbed, crawled, and swam our way to the finish line. If you’ve read my past article, Running the Race, you know I’ve been training for this particular race for the last 7 months. Now that I’ve finished it, I want to share some of the things God has connected in my mind through it.
Keeping Our Sights on What’s in Front of Us
This race was about 3.5 hours away from our home, so we all drove down the night before. About halfway there, I realized I had forgotten my contacts. Of all the things to forget! I didn’t want to risk breaking or losing my glasses and my vision only shuts down for things far away, so I decided it would be ok to run the race a little blurry. This meant I had to keep my eyes on what was right in front of me. I could see there were obstacles ahead of me, but they just looked like blobs. I couldn’t figure out what they were exactly or what they required of me until I got up to them and could (mostly) see for myself. It was pointless for me to worry about them because I couldn’t even make out what they were. But when I arrived at an obstacle, I could see enough to understand what I needed to do, and then I did it!
I can’t help but see the connection between that and how we are supposed to live each day. There are so many things in life that distract us from what’s right in front of us. There are things we worry about, plans we rely too heavily on, and anxious thoughts that try to consume us, but that is not where we are meant to set our sights. We are meant to set our sights on Christ and what he has for us in that moment. It reminds me of this passage from James:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:14-15
Keep your eyes on what Christ has for you in the here and now, and trust he will give you the strength to walk through the obstacles when he brings you to them.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
One of the reasons I love the Tough Mudder so much is the emphasis it places on teamwork. There is a whole, cult-like chant they walk everyone through before their wave of the race begins that reminds everyone that we are expected to put others before our course time. That it doesn’t matter how fast you do the race if you leave everyone else in the dust. In fact, many of the obstacles are designed to be nearly impossible to do on your own. There was the mud mile, where people needed to boost you up and pull you over each hill, with the expectation that you would do the same for others. There were many walls that were too high for us short folks to even touch the top of without someone giving you a leg up. There was a pool of water with spinning block-like logs that some people had to push and turn while others held on, spinning with the log to the other side. (Doesn’t all of this sound like so much fun?!)
Of course, the connection here is that we are also not meant to do life on our own. For whatever reason, especially in our American culture, we seem to think we need to prove to everyone that we are totally self-sufficient and strong, completely able to handle everything on our own. But this is not a biblical worldview. The Bible gives us countless examples of how we are meant to do life with others. Look at the way of life Scripture paints:
“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25
We are not meant to do life alone. My teammates and I did the race together. I was, by far, the weakest link in the group, but they both stuck with me and my slower pace. They pointed out holes in the ground to avoid while we ran, knowing I couldn’t see very well. They shouted out encouragement for every obstacle.
This is exactly how we are supposed to operate in our Christian walk. We are meant to bear with one another. We are meant to look out for each other and point out potential pitfalls along the way. We are absolutely supposed to yell out encouragement to one another as we each face different obstacles in life, willingly giving a hand when needed.
By God’s grace, I’ve found this sweet companionship in my local church. There are so many amazing women, many of whom are in different life stages than I am, who are quick to encourage and help out when I need them. I have two sweet friends who I met here in Colorado but now live on opposite ends of the USA that I still keep in contact with because our sisterhood in Christ has solidified our bond. Find those people who will point you back to Jesus as you all run the races he has set before you.
The Fruit of Discipline
The last moment I want to share is, perhaps, a moment of trauma I’ll carry with me for time to come. It was the second to last obstacle. We could see the finish line and the trademark Tough Mudder electro-shock therapy obstacle right before it. All three of us were so focused on the terrifying last obstacle that we didn't give too much weight to the obstacle before it. There must have been a sign that explained what it was, but we didn’t see it. Every other obstacle had one, so I imagine we just missed it. So, without fully understanding what we were about to do, the three of us approached a pool everyone was jumping into. There were two boards that were partially above the water and partially submerged. We watched people swim under each board and then climb out.
What we failed to understand as we jumped into the water was that this was the Tough Mudder equivalent of a polar plunge. The water was 34 degrees. The second my mind made the connection, my body went into full panic mode. I started hyperventilating and was on the verge of sobbing, but then something unexpected happened. My mind kept repeating two words over and over again, “Keep going, keep going, keep going.” So I did. I grabbed the bottom of the first board and pushed myself under the water and under the board, willing my lungs to wait until I broke the surface to take a breath. Then I did it again, clearing the second board and making it to the net that allowed me to climb out of that nightmare.
And then I blacked out for a second, coming back to my senses just in time to run through live wires. (Have I sold this race to you yet?)
So what’s the lesson here? Make sure you read the signs before jumping blindly into an obstacle? Probably. But the one that I’m clinging to instead is the truth that sometimes trials come out of nowhere. Life seems to be going just fine, and then, BAM, everything is out of control. And it’s in those moments that we see what we’re ready to cling to. When we spend the quiet times of our lives deepening our relationship with God and strengthening our faith by his grace, we are much better prepared for the trials that will inevitably come.
Studying truths, as we see in Isaiah 41:10, reminds us that we don’t need to give voice to fear because God has promised he is with us. Memorizing verses like 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast our anxieties on the Lord because he cares for us. Taking time to walk through passages like Ecclesiastes 7:14 helps us remember that God rules over the good days and the bad days, so we can trust him no matter what we face. What are teaching your heart to cling to?
Overall, the Tough Mudder was amazing and I know for a fact you are running to sign up for one yourself right now ;) I’m so grateful for these little joys in life. For friends who say yes to your crazy idea and who encourage you the whole way through. For the opportunity to train and build strength and see the results of that in ridiculous obstacles. And for God who is so faithful to open my eyes to the wonders he is working around us.
Fight the good fight. Run the race God has set before you. And make sure to read the signs before you jump into a body of water.
