Many mud race participants and prospective mud race participants express concern with biting it on the monkey bar obstacle. While that’s perfectly normal, I must say that I did chuckle after receiving a question asking what happens when you can’t make it all the way across?

Whether or not mud runners wear Vibrams is probably the most asked gear question in the world. For some reason people are talking about duct tape, which is not needed unless you wear dress shoes. Check out the low down on the 5 finger shoes.

Do you want to "get through it" or do you want to dominate it? You need to be able to run to finish, but perhaps the next the most critical area of the body to train in advance of a mud race is the core.

I went into this race with very little preparation, having only recently circled back to the States from overseas. I just happened to be checking out Spartan Race when I noticed that a race was being run in two days, only a few hours away from my house.

Tough Mudder’s “electroshock therapy” seems to worry prospective race participants the most of all course obstacles. Is it really 10,000 volts? Will it hurt, burn, scar, or kill you? Here are the details you need to know.

Tired of traditional 5 and 10k road racing? Bored with half marathons? If you’re looking for a way to raise the competitive bar, why don’t you give mud racing a try? Tough Mudder and Spartan Race – two of the larger mud races in the world – have each been referenced in discussions on the hardest physical challenge on the planet by multiple media outlets

If you’re interested in getting in shape and conquering a mud race, it should come as no surprise that you will need to transform yourself into a runner. Yes, there will be difficult obstacles to overcome on race day, but the majority of your energy will be expended pumping your legs through miles of muddy terrain, dense woods, and lord only knows what else.

So now that you're signed up for your mud run you're probably researching far and wide for tips and ideas on how to train. Perhaps you have friends that are fitness experts that you can turn to, or perhaps you just happen to know a guy or gal that enjoys channeling their inner bad from time to time at the local Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash.

As a mud racer (and all around athlete), your ultimate goal is to always workout strong or finish your race. But recognize that the following day can be brutal if you overwork your muscles and forget to replenish afterwards.

How do you lose those 20 to 30 pounds you gained while your little bundle of joy was growing inside you all those months? You don’t want to do a tri or a marathon – you want to try something new – a mud run. Get started now.