TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- "That's what this is all about. Pushing yourself and helping each other."

Those are the words of first-time Tough Mudder Master Sgt. Sherri Moore, noncommissioned officer in charge of special projects for the 101st Air Communications Squadron.

So, what exactly is a Tough Mudder?

"The Tough Mudder is not a race," Moore said. "It is designed to get people out to have fun, build camaraderie, and encourage them to be physically and mentally fit."

According to www.toughmudder.com, it's an endurance event series in which participants attempt 10-12 miles of military-type obstacles. Originally designed by British Special Forces to test mental as well as physical strength, obstacles often play on common human fears such as fire, water, electricity and heights.

Moore thought about trying one of these challenges but wasn't truly convinced until she met her significant other, JD, who she affectionately calls, "Mr. Tough Mudder himself."

"When we first met he was preparing for the World's Toughest Mudder, an annual competition to complete the most miles of obstacles in 24 hours," she said. "This past November I was sitting at the edge of my seat watching the tweets, Facebook posts, and the continuously updated results on the Tough Mudder Web site. Out of 900+ competitors, JD finished 28th with 75 miles."

Preparation for her first competition, which was April 12 in Clewiston, Fla., began last year.

"I did a lot of running, pushups, and body weight exercises like pull ups and squats," Moore said. "To adjust to the cold water, JD and I swam in the Gulf in December. In January and February we took dips in the pool--JD jumped all the way in, I wussed out and only made it to my thighs."

But Moore didn't wuss out on Tough Mudder day.

"The Artic Enema was my most dreaded event. It's a large bin of water and ice which apparently is not bad enough so they added a wall to swim under. The water was deeper than I am tall," she described. When I pulled my self under the wall and back up the other side I was a little disoriented from the cold. It seriously took my breath away. It took me a few seconds before I could reply to JD and let him know I was ok. As horrible as it was, it is no longer my most dreaded obstacle. I can handle it."

She's prepared for future challenges now that she's conquered her fear and has experienced the other extreme obstacles as well.

"I now know I can handle the electrical shock," she said. But she's discovered a new challenge to tackle.

"What I disliked the most about this past course was the Everest. It is a quarter-pipe obstacle. What is that? You know those ramps they use for skateboarding? Well, for some like JD it's no big deal, for me, I had no problem running up the ramp but it was a huge challenge to pull myself up over the top. Thanks to JD and some other fellas they grabbed on to me and pulled me over," she said.

After all of that, Moore is ready to do it again.

"It felt awesome to do this. I was happy to complete every obstacle and not break anything. I'm looking forward to the next one," she said. She has several planned from now through October. She's even contemplating participating in the 24-hour challenge in the future with JD.

"I want to experience the pain, the challenge, and be able tell my grandkids that I did it," she said.