If you are gearing up for your first OCR – perhaps Mud Nation?! – and relatively new to this world of mud, it’s good to have a heads up as to what to expect before hand.
Below are a few pointers and tips to ensure you are ready to face the mud!
Shoes. This can really affect how your day is going to pan out. You will likely have to contend with a lot of uneven surfaces, terrain, mud, rocks and so on… so having a shoe that can handle it all is important if you want to skip around in one piece.
Make sure the shoe has plenty of support- especially around the ankles to provide stability whilst running/climbing. Aim for a shoe with a deep tread pattern on the sole to help with grip.
Clothing. Again, very important that what you wear isn’t going to wear you down on the day. The last thing you want is loose fitted clothing and cotton-like material that won’t take well to being drenched in muddy water.
Aim for material that is tighter fitting/compression as these are a lot more durable and great on cold and hot days!
Get the miles in. Don’t neglect your running. As much as you want to build strength and cover all areas as best as you can to tackle the obstacles, don’t forget that a large part of OCR is running. Be prepared to run on various terrains, through mud and up and down hills.
Grip strength. This is another key element to OCR prep. It’s likely there will be obstacles such as monkey bars, ropes and walls to climb so having a good grip will play in your favour. Try and head to a local park and get some practice in on the monkey bars!
Fuelling. Remember this is an endurance sport, although you may be doing this with friends and a bit of a social, this isn’t something to neglect. You are putting your body through a lot of physical exertion and remaining fuelled and hydrated is important and will make for a lot more enjoyable experience on the day.
Take full advantage of any feed stations along the course and aim to take on nutrition as frequently as you can throughout.
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