I am getting married next July.

The “Cage Crawl” obstacle

One month earlier, on June 8, my bride-to-be and I will crawl through mud, climb over walls, and apparently undergo some new, muddier form of waterboarding.

The Tough Mudder.  The famous test of strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie that only 78% of participants even finish.  And we are doing it in the midst of all the last-minute panic of planning a wedding ceremony, decorations, and – most importantly – food.

Needless to say, I need some reasons to convince myself this is a good idea.  Maybe it will convince you too.  If I have to do this, someone else should have to, as well.

1.  Life gets boring.

Whether you’re a student, a sandwich maker or a CIA agent, everyone could use a little shake-up to the mundanity of daily life.  Even when life is not boring, every day can easily start looking like every other day.  One thing can be sure, though, you’re probably not crawling through mud under barbed wire every day.  So why not try it out?

2.  It’s an excuse to play in the mud again.

When is the last time you got soaked to the bone in water and dirt, and it was ok?  It seems like every year brings more pressure to look “presentable.”  T-shirts become polos; polos become button-ups; button-ups become three-piece suits.  For one day out of the year, don’t dress for success.  Dress for getting blasted by a ridiculous amount of filth.

3.  Conquer your will.

Life very rarely challenges us to finish something we started.  We now have countless ways to spend our time – and even more ways to distract us from those.  At last count, I have 11 half-read Kindle books that I forgot about because of an email or text message that came halfway through.  With only a 78% completion rate, it will take some serious willpower to finish the Tough Mudder.

4.  Teamwork.

But it’s not all about your willpower.  Fact #3 of the Tough Mudder reads, “You cannot complete a Tough Mudder course alone.”  The other side-effect of the 21st century lifestyle is radical individualism.  We almost can go through an entire life without ever needing to rely on another person.  Next June, I am going to have to learn how to swallow that pride and let someone else pick me up when I fall.  That might be the hardest part of all…

5.  Why not?

Seriously, it is a valid philosophical question.  What do you have to lose?  Chances are, twenty, ten, one year from now, you will not remember the day you woke up and did not run a Tough Mudder.  The more I talk to people in the second half of their lives, the more I am convinced that experiences lead to a life well-lived.  So let’s take advantage of this opportunity to live life well.

Or don’t.  But remember me while I’m trapped in a barbed cage of filth and horror.