We tend to work so diligently at Garden of Life that even our bosses occasionally get the mistaken impression that we are chained to our desks and have become “boring folk” who lead rather humdrum lives. In a recent meeting when someone seemed to hint that employees at other companies were mastering Tai Chi, Yoga, triathlons, and canoeing while we were baking cookies on the weekend (although a few of us were, with a brand new Kitchenaid mixer) we stared at each other in disbelief. Knowing that Garden of Lifers here are some of the most rowdy, active people that I know, I quickly concluded that we just haven’t had time to talk about our adventures. Well, no more – and especially since a quick poll of just a few co-workers revealed that we have climbed mountains, zip lined, walked amongst gators in the Everglades, caressed pythons, kayaked during a tropical storm, dieted during the holidays, and received speeding tickets going 99 m.p.h. on the Florida Turnpike. And these are just a few things we’ll ADMIT to doing!
That’s why very few of us were surprised recently to hear that our own Senior Marketing Director, Kristie Romano, competed in an extreme “Warrior Dash” race that looked like an Army boot camp nightmare! Of course, being the busy bees that we are, we had to find out about this accidentally when we saw her nursing numerous lacerations in the office one morning. As she proudly showed off about 30 cuts, abrasions and bruises, we had to ask how she got so racked up! She said it was from crawling through mud, gravel and under barbed wire obstacles. Yeah…and what did you do last weekend?
I was about to get a Band Aid for a nasty paper cut until I took one look at Kristie and decided I’d just let it bleed! As she enthusiastically detailed all of her battle scars, I asked her more about the Warrior Dash, which sounded like a cross between a “mudder run” and a prison break with all the barbed wire and water obstacles. Kristie said she trained for the dash for a few months by running, doing push-ups and sit-ups and joining a cross fit boot camp. Of course she also relied on a ton of our awesome Garden of Life supplements to get in shape for the event, including a Raw Meal Vanilla shake before the race and a Raw Protein Chocolate recovery shake after the race.
Intrigued by this “warrior” among us, I asked for pictures. What you see posted on our blog are photos of Kristie, although you’d almost need dental records to prove it’s her because everyone is covered in layers of mud. She’s the one wearing the bright bandana and smiling like crazy. Actually it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that we’re not afraid to get down and dirty here at Garden of Life, because the origins of our company are founded in dirt, or specifically homeostatic soil organisms that led to the creation of our flagship product, Primal Defense. But that’s another story! Back to us, because this is really about us and people like Kristie who aren’t afraid to try anything. In fact, she had such a great time that she’s hooked and plans to compete in a similar race in February that will be held at night. Apparently the entrants will be covered in fluorescent paint so they will resemble glowworms. I am not making this up!
Kristie added that people from all walks of life participated in the Warrior Dash and were having a blast! She said that it’s more about mental endurance and trying your hardest rather than being a super fit athlete. For more information, check it out at www.warriordash.com and see if it’s something you’d like to try. I plan to prepare for an upcoming race also by going to the PGA National Resort and Spa and getting a mud pack treatment. Then I’ll make up my mind!
