Given that the event is called "Tough Mudder" and not "Tough Running Around The Stray", I figured it was time to get off road and get muddy as well as pounding pavements. Being a bit of a nerd, this meant I immediately went shopping for trail shoes and waterproof socks.
The lovely folk at Up&Running brought out a variety of shoes for me to try and I finally settled on the inov-8 X-Talon 212 because they were lightest, most comfortable and looked completely bad-ass. The socks were easier as there wasn't really any choice and I picked up a pair of ankle length Sealskinz.
For the first time in ages I was actually looking forward to going running, eager enough to get up (relatively) early on Saturday morning, strap those bad boys on and, after a few quick stretches, I was off looking for mud.
I live really close to the Yorkshire Showground and the fields there have been pretty grim for months, I often walk our dog through them, so ideal for my purposes.
My first run was only 5k or so, down the side of the Showground and into the woods at the back. Long grass and mud in the fields made for a fun start and finish. Roots, rocks, more mud and huge puddles in the woods made the middle section of the run hugely entertaining. I was so busy watching where I put my feet that I didn't realise how tired and sore I was until some minutes after I finished.
For this reason alone I highly recommend trail/fell running. Jogging on roads and pavements is really dull with nothing (except maybe the occasional cute girl jogging the other way) to distract from sore feet, sore knees, ragged breathing and a general feeling of crapness.
Verdict (1): I'm a convert. I'll run round the Stray with Adam (and Craig when he can be bothered) after work on a Tuesday as usual but, ideally, the rest of my runs will be muddy. I've been extending my runs and soon the Showground and Hookstone Woods won't be big enough to contain me so I'll soon be looking further afield for fun places to run. If you have any recommendations on that front, they would be gratefully received!
Verdict (2): The inov-8 X-Talon 212's are great. I don't really have anything to compare them to but they're really comfortable, grippy in the mud and still look good despite being caked in mud.
Verdict (3): The Sealskinz work just fine. If I go through a deep enough puddle my feet feel wet but that's only because they get cold. Once I'm home and peel them off my feet are still dry, well, other than a light sheen of sweat.
Note: Four weeks on from my first run and those fields are even worse. If you've been following the news, you might have noticed that the Great Yorkshire Show was cancelled after the first day because parking cars turned the fields into a total quagmire. Not so great for show attendees and farmers but perfect for me. Tomorrow's run is going to be epic!