Bootcamp

Seems crazy to think that I would be expressing gratitude for something that drags me from my sleep at 4:45 AM three times a week and makes me feel like I could throw up half of the time, but I really am grateful for my bootcamp experience.

It is something I have put off trying for a long time now but I finally decided the time was right back in September. After letting my exercise routine go for WAY too long {due to babysitting for almost a year, too much creative team/design work, eating like garbage so I didn't care, too many excuses to list ...} I was tired of feeling blah. I certainly wasn't as bad off weight wise or even fitness wise as I have been in the past, but I didn't like where I was at. I had gained back weight that I had worked hard to lose and I needed to stop the cycle. So, in August, shortly after the kids went back to school I decided it was time to buckle down. I started running 5 days a week and was feeling pretty good about things. I was watching what I was eating and was starting to lose some weight - YAY! Trouble is, running every day on a treadmill was getting boring and it was still too hot to run outside {still is, in my opinion}. Enter, bootcamp.

My friend Michelle has been offering bootcamps for over a year now. I would get her e-mails every month, think to myself "I should really do that," and then move onto the next thought. Toward the end of August I got another e-mail ... new participants could get 2 months for the cost of 1 month. I decided now was my time. I plunked down my cash and started dragging myself out of bed.

It's been 2 months now and I am hooked. I have never been late {which is pretty remarkable considering most nights I'm not in bed until between 11 and midnight ... sometimes later}. I've only missed one time (the day before Super Saturday - too little sleep to function). I've challenged myself and hope that I have encouraged others. We usually have about 8 people there of all different ages and fitness levels. We push each other, cheer for each other, and work our tails off - literally. I have been on the verge of throwing up more than once.

The beauty of bootcamp is this - it's different every single time. I love the variety. As much as I hate the 4:45 AM wake up call I *LOVE* being done with an intense workout by 6 AM so I can get on with my day (and actually shower and get myself presentable rather than being in my running clothes all day). I feel stronger and more confident. Most of all, I see and feel results which is ALWAYS nice.

Today we had assessments for the beginning of a new session (yup ... started another session - WOOT!). Since the beginning I have improved my half mile time by over a minute {ran my half mile in 3:39 this morning - sorry, had to write that down cuz it will likely NEVER happen again and I was super proud of myself for breaking 4 minutes}, I can do 20 more push ups in a minute than I started with {even doing 10 on my toes}, and have increased my sit ups by 7 in a minute (yes, abs still have a ways to go *wink* but I had an abdominal injury early on so I had to take it easy for a while). While I won't divulge the numbers on the scale, I will say that I was pleased with the numbers there, too ;)

Overall it's been a great experience and it feels so good to be giving this gift to myself. I am still running on my non-bootcamp days and I'm seeing improvement there, too, although I have to learn to run outside with more enjoyment ... bootcamp is helping with that because we do mix in a lot of running. I plan to run another 10K in the spring and am officially registered to be part of a Ragnar relay team with a group in my ward at the end of February. YIKES!! You're sure to be hearing more about that ....