We are officially Tough Mudder Legionnaires, a.k.a LEGIT. This June, all of the staff at SPARK (plus some additional friends) completed a ten-mile team event including 21 obstacles that tested our strength, speed, power, and teamwork. There was plenty of mud, water (some of it ice cold – literally), sweat, scrapes, and sunburn.
The day prior to the Tough Mudder, thanks to the recommendation of Nicole, SPARK went on one of those average work outings full of talk about productivity, patient outcomes and … SIKE! We went to King’s Dominion! We went on plenty of terrifying rides (at least for me), played carnival games, and sat to have a caricature of the SPARK team drawn for the office! It was a day full of fun and a good distraction from the nervous energy we had about the Tough Mudder.
Going into the Tough Mudder only several of our eight total team members had completed a Tough Mudder before. With little to go on, some of us expected to be dragged limply across the finish line by Carlos or to turn up to work the next week with crutches. Ultimately, we did a lot of laughing, motivating, and helping out each other and other teams competing in the Tough Mudder to complete the obstacles.
Looking back, the pull ups that we did every day at work the month leading up to the race probably wasn’t our best preparation. But ultimately, we had a blast, felt challenged, and completed that thing together! Plus I don’t think I ever felt better about having a barbeque sandwich after that race, and I’m pretty sure some of my teammates felt the same about their post-race beers!
So this is my challenge to you. Go out today and decide to do something you have never tried before. Recruit some friends or family to join you. Work toward that goal in whatever way you can. Then go out and push yourself and see what you can do. Most likely you are going to surprise yourself by feeling strong, courageous, and you should have some fun.
Dr. Kristen A Lattimore, PT, DPT, CSCS, CMTPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified
Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and a Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist. She has also had experience as an athlete and coach of the speed and jumping side of Track and Field. She is passionate about integrating her knowledge and experience with fast and powerful exercise into the practice of physical therapy. She also enjoys working with patients whose concerns and complaints have been overlooked and perpetually deferred to the next medial professional.
Kristen continues to challenge herself with varied exercise including interval running, weight lifting, yoga, and Pilates. She is passionate about making her patients their best selves and adding power and intensity back into physical therapy. She can be reached at [email protected].
