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Getting a Little Muddy

At the end of September, many members of the ACS staff participated in the SC Marine Corp Mud Run. See the amazing group of participants in the photo on the left!  Okay, when this was first presented to me, I totally thought it was going to be like one of those ropes courses with a little bit of running and a little bit of mud thrown in. I love to run, and although I’m a bit of a girly girl, I thought I could handle getting my shoes a little dirty for the overall team building experience. I love a challenge, and I especially love training for a challenge. I used to run Half Marathons, so it would be fun to have something new to train for. So, I agreed to do it. Then, I checked out the web site. I was in WAY over my head. Marines. Mud. Lots of it. Head to toe mud. 4 1/2 miles. Real deal obstacles.
Although this was not a formally endorsed ACS Technologies activity, we were supported by ACS. Anyone interested was able to join a team. We all trained through the summer to get ready for the big event. This was a great way for all of us participating to get in shape, or kick our fitness up a notch. And of course, there was a little friendly competition amongst the teams. When I got the e-mail a few weeks before the race about making sure you duct tape your shoes, I knew I was in over my head. The night before race day, we had a big carbo loading gathering in the Training building here with our families. We shared tips that we had read about or others knew from previous fitness events. The anticipation, energy, and definitely nervousness was building.
The team work was incredible during the race. We are constantly working together as a team to produce and support the software here. This kicked it up a notch. We all needed to support, help, and encourage everyone else on the team. Each of us on our team had at least one of the challenges that was an especially difficult item for them. The other team members helped them through – physically and mentally. I know I could not have done the entire race without the support of my team.
Since my team was all from Research and Development here at ACS, we had to do something a little bit edgy. We were the one and only team – ever – to get a full video of our race. We had a very tiny camera strapped worn by Developer Page Brooks through the entire course. The follow-up e-mail after the race to all participants linked to the video and said they still couldn’t figure out how a team got it all on video!
Each day, we are presented with different obstacles on how to improve and move the software forward. We have to rely up on the different members of the team – developers, testers, writers, IT, support, etc to keep all of our clients supported and fulfill their needs. It isn’t one person, it is truly the effort of the whole team. The mud run really brought this to life.
And always remember, here at ACS, we’re not afraid to get our hands a little dirty to get in and solve a problem!

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