Berks Barrister Summer 2019 - 16

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Wellness Wisdom

A FRIENDSHIP FORGED
ONE BRUISE AT A TIME
By Carmen Bloom White

That first event gave Christie and her coworkers stories to talk
about and "battle wounds" to compare.

A group was formed in the Public Defender's Office and races
were run. Steph became a part of that crew around 2013. Now,
after six years, Christie and Steph remain the lone mud runners in
the office.
Steph explains the thrill of mud runs or obstacle course races
("OCRs") comes from the fact that she has "no idea what to
expect," and ends up having a lot of fun. The fun comes from the
challenge.

T

he first thing I observe is a purplish-blue bruise filling the
spaces of Christie's right inner arm and another on her left
arm. Proudly, she holds her arms out to me and laughs,
almost as if she is showing off. She then nonchalantly lifts a
pantleg, exposing her left calf, further revealing scraped, red lines
radiating down her skin.
Steph's limbs look about the same. Her colorful bruises
(shades of yellow, green, black) speckle her skin like leaves on a
tree.

When my eyes widen and my jaw drops, Christie laughs again
and says, "You should see the other guy!"
In the footprint of the old courthouse at N. 6th and Court
Streets, I am joined for lunch at Lang
Restaurant by Christie Billman and
Stephanie Nocera, both Berks County
Assistant Public Defenders. They are
fresh off a recent obstacle course race (also
known as a "mud run"). The expansive
windows in Lang let in plenty of light to
observe the palate of bumps and bruises.
About 10 years ago, Christie signed up
for a mud run. It started because another
Public Defender was working on her
fitness and tried to recruit her.
"I don't run," Christie explains. A "5K
was not my thrill," but an obstacle course
sounded like fun. "I enjoyed it!" she says,
"because I thought the obstacles were
pretty awesome, and you didn't really
notice you were going three miles!"

16 | Berks Barrister

I wanted to know what makes the experience so fun. Christie
hesitates, and after a moment, responds: "when you run up to an
obstacle and you go, 'what am I going to do to get past this one?'"

The obstacles vary, but they generally include climbing ropes,
jumping over fiery pits, swinging from hanging rings while trying
not to plunge into the water below, slogging through muddy
trenches, scaling walls, climbing inflatable towers, and more. If
you are afraid of heights or getting dirty, these races are not for
you.
Having done only one event myself (the Rugged Maniac
- with Steph!), I was curious to gather more information
from these two experienced athletes. There is a big difference
between a Warrior Dash and the Tough Mudder, I learned. The
Warrior Dash may be completed as an individual, whereas a
Tough Mudder requires help from a friend. That camaraderie
required for the course transitions into
the workplace. The accomplishment
then varies as well: there is an individual
satisfaction for finishing a Warrior Dash,
versus team satisfaction upon completion
of a Tough Mudder.

Steph and Christie have done five
Warrior Dash events and two Tough
Mudders together. (Steph has done a few
others separately, such as the Dirty Girl
Mud Run.)

The rigors of an obstacle course race
are right in line with the rigors of their
profession. It is no surprise that Christie,
a quick-witted and sometimes scrappy
attorney (in my experience on the opposite
table from her), claims proudly: "I love
a challenge." Steph, too, a perfectionist
in the courtroom, says the races allow
Berks Barrister Summer 2019

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