Yesterday I took part in the Dorset Mud Run — a 6k course packed with 16 obstacles, freezing water, slippery muddy banks, crawling nets, and enough mud to last me a lifetime.
Now, here’s the thing… I am not a runner. In fact, I genuinely hate running. So signing up for this was completely out of my comfort zone. But alongside Sam and Cathy, who both attend my Monday evening Power Circuits sessions, I somehow managed it… and actually enjoyed it.
For me, this was as much a mental challenge as it was a physical one. I would never normally choose to do something like this, and I definitely wouldn’t have gone alone. The thought of running 6k and tackling obstacles through mud and freezing water honestly didn’t sound that fun. But having people around me to encourage, laugh with, struggle with, and push through it made all the difference.
What surprised me most wasn’t just getting around the course. It was realising how much my overall fitness has improved without me even fully noticing. The upper body strength needed to drag myself up muddy banks, the endurance to keep moving when my legs were screaming, and the confidence to tackle obstacles I would normally avoid — all of that came from consistently training and building functional strength over time.
But this day wasn’t really about mud or t-shirts. It was about seeing what the human body is capable of when you refuse to give up on it.
Sam’s story is one that genuinely puts things into perspective. When Sam came to me last year, she told me she’d been told she has nerve damage in one of her legs. She couldn’t flex her knee without physically grabbing hold of her ankle and pulling it up herself. Seeing her struggle with that was difficult.
But Sam kept showing up. She worked relentlessly on rebuilding general leg strength, balance, and the mind-to-muscle connection that most people take for granted. Slowly, things started changing. Movements became easier. Strength returned. Control came back.
Now? She can do movements that once seemed impossible. I’ve watched her go from physically forcing her leg into a quad stretch to doing it naturally, like it was never an issue to begin with. And yesterday she was climbing obstacles, crawling through mud, and completing a 6k mud run.
That is resilience.
Cathy has her own challenges, too, dealing with ongoing knee issues that are likely to lead to a knee replacement. Knowing replacements only have a certain lifespan, she’s on a mission to improve her overall leg strength, then move on to smaller stabilising and knee-strengthening movements.
Yesterday, hearing both Cathy and Sam talk about how much their movement, mobility, and strength have improved honestly humbled me. They both said there were obstacles on that course they found far easier to navigate than they would have last year.
Yet there we were — running, climbing over walls, dragging ourselves through freezing water and thick mud.
That’s why I’m such a huge believer in strength and functional fitness. It’s not about looking a certain way. It’s about building a body that supports you in real life. A body that allows you to do hard things. A body that surprises you.
Yesterday also reminded me how powerful it is to have women around you cheering you on, encouraging you when you doubt yourself, and celebrating every little win along the way. There’s something really special about stepping outside your comfort zone together.
So naturally, we’re already talking about next year… and making the group even bigger. More women, more encouragement, more muddy chaos, and more proof that fitness is about so much more than aesthetics. It’s about confidence, resilience, friendship, and discovering what you’re capable of.
Yesterday reminded me that progress isn’t always obvious day to day. Sometimes you only realise how far you’ve come when you’re knee-deep in mud, hauling yourself over an obstacle you never imagined you’d conquer.
And honestly? I’m pretty proud of us for that.