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STRENGTH, ADVENTURE AND CHASING KIDS w/ CP Strength Coach, Kim Vargo
What do you get when you take a strength based athlete and throw her into a whirlwind trip with 17 other ultra runners? An absolutely unforgettable experience and more than enough quality banter!
I have to be honest and say there were several times I was really nervous and questioned myself and capabilities….I’m a freight train…slow and steady, then all the sudden I’m out in the wilderness with all the whippet/mountain goat-crosses!
I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep up, but I knew I was willing to embrace the challenge of giving it a go. It was even more of a confidence boost when the boys expected I’d go on the adventures instead of expecting me to sit out. That in of itself was enough to inspire me to keep moving…and of course all the delicious snacks I had packed! I was all in for everything and I have nothing but epic memories.
I have been an athlete all my life, playing competitive sports and I’ve always been that person who was pretty good at whatever she tried. Fast forward to pregnancies and those capabilities not only got put on the back burner, They got pushed so far back I couldn’t even find them. I suffered debilitating hip and pelvis injuries whilst pregnant and literally couldn’t walk 10m. Getting dressed was excruciating, getting out of a car was almost impossible and the idea of ever being able to run or even move quickly was thrown out the window. There were tears of pain and frustration, lots of why’s as I knew many of my friends had mild versions of my affliction but completely recovered. Why couldn’t I?
I did over 18 months of physio off and on and whilst I found some relief, nothing was getting me to the point of being competitive or being able to walk longer than 100m pain free! It was during this time I decided to hit the weights again. I started working at my local CrossFit gym and slowly building up my strength in every area. The day I did a pain free lunge I almost cried. The day I did a heavy front squat I walked around the gym like a boss!!!!!
My coach understood my journey and while he pushed me, he also challenged me to keep the vision of long term success…to find the ways of dialing it back , I had to in order to be successful in the long run!
So, how does this relate to my epic adventure of fastpacking and epic vertical meter gains? Because I could actually do it! Knowing where I’ve come from to where I was on the weekend has made me incredibly proud of myself. The hard work spent in the gym to make my body strong enough to tackle something like this was and is worth it! This adventure inspires me to do more, but it also emphasizes the fact that strength work is foundational to success in the hills and enjoying more activities that carry more challenges along with them. I would love to run an adventure one day pain free and while that may or may not happen, I do know I can tackle anything I set my mind to because I am strong….be it traversing an Island, climbing mountains or chasing kids!
𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗣 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 @𝗞𝗶𝗺 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗼 would love to be a part of the team helping you to reach your goals, whatever they are – 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
Visit https://www.teamcp.co.nz/…/strength…/getting-started/ to get started!
