Ireland Tough Mudder - Numbers 8 and 9

I had such an amazing weekend in Ireland completing both my 8th and 9th Tough Mudder. I only anticipated completing one this weekend however, as I used my prosthetic leg, I was able to run on the Sunday too! 

I finished work at 4pm on the Friday and went straight to the station to then travel to Southampton airport. After checking in, I waited for my flight which was unfortunately delayed for about 1.5 hours. As I was on the flight, I noticed that the sleeve for my leg (the section that holds my leg on) had a HUGE rip and I knew that I would have to sort it before the event. Eventually arriving at Dublin airport, I was then kindly picked up by some awesome other mudders and we headed towards our shared air bnb house. Once we arrived at the house, along with the help of my friend, we patched up my sleeve and got into bed for about 1am. 

On Saturday morning, I was ready to go for 7am and we headed out to the venue. Going through vast fields, I was getting excited for my first international Tough Mudder but also very nervous as to whether my prosthetic would be sufficient. I have only had a few weeks to familiarise myself with my prosthetic and my stump is not used to the pressure of continuous use so I bought my crutches to the event. As another measure, I also bought my Iwalk to be placed into the First Aid tent for emergency use. 

We wandered over to the start line and the countdown started........3.......2......1.....we were off! A few miles down the track and I had picked up my first injury - I sliced my hand open on a brick wall that wasn't even a Tough Mudder made obstacle - just my luck. 

The first 5 miles flew by as I used my crutches to ensure that I had enough 'leg energy' for the rest of the course. I was very worried about the water obstacles with my leg as I was unsure whether everything would leak and I would need to remove my leg and dry it before continuing. Fortunately, my sewing held together and I was actually able to complete all of the water obstacles and only take my leg off once, just to check how it was doing. 

Towards the end, my leg and stump was still feeling really good so I decided that I was going to try and run. Although I only ran a short distance, it felt amazing! I ran through the finish line and collected my 8th Tough Mudder headband. 

We headed back to the house, where we rewarded ourselves with a swim in the lake, a hot tub and an amazing roast dinner. I felt really good. I wasn't in pain but I was just a bit tired. I felt as though I could continue and the friends I was with convinced me to run again on the Sunday. 

Sunday morning arrived and I was still feeling really good. At this point, I had only had about 8 hours sleep in 2 days but was adamant that I wanted to run again. We decided to run together as a big group of about 10 and we stuck together throughout the course, in a big Tough Mudder family. 

The Sunday was much harder and I really struggled at the halfway mark. I decided to see how far I could go without my crutches and managed about 5 miles before I was just generally tired and decided it would be best to use them. It was fantastic being with a huge team and Mudder family that were able to support me through the event. 

Everyone has their own unique ways of approaching obstacles....

As we finished, we decided to joust with my crutches through the finish line for me to collect my 9th Tough Mudder headband. 

Once we finished the event and said goodbye to the family, we then headed home to shower before going straight to the airport. I boarded my flight and then arrived home at about 12:30 to be ready to start work at 8am on Monday morning. I apologise to the other people on the flight as my kit, crutches and prosthetic was still caked in mud.....

I'm really looking forward to THE BIG TEN headband next weekend in Germany!! Bring it on! :D