Tough Mudder has been somethign of a facscination for me ever since I began work at Competitor Group. I personally admired their approach to social marketing, and it was clear that the mud run category offers somethign much diferent from the bands-along-the-course marathon celebration.
Rachel and I have been doing crossfit now for almost a year, mixing Monday-Friday workouts in with 2-3 runs per week. This worked well for preparing us for the overall enducrance challenge. The fact that we had completed the Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 1/2 Marathon a few weeks prior seemed to confirm we were up to the challenge.
Our course at Vail Lake was billed at 10+ miles, so while there was less running, I definitely felt more exhausted by the experience than running 13 miles - this event challenges everyone in different ways. TM is a brutal athletic event with lots of people and plenty that is frightening, intimidating, and yet very memorable.