Boot Camp: Day 4

We gathered again together, in the parking lot, though. I had my gear ready to go as usual: my backpack carrying my hand weights, my water bottle, and towel, and my large padded exercise mat. Someone said to me, I don't think we need that today. Really? But I need to drink....and I'll sweat, so I'll need my towel. So I held on to them. Well, it looked like everyone else got the memo that we didn't need anything today either, because I was the only one strapped. I asked T'ai what we're doing today, and all I could get was a snide remark, I'll tell you at the end of the session. Wah-wah-wah....nice. I asked him if we needed anything today, and he said no. Thanks for the heads up.

So back in the car the gear went. While small talk ensued in the circle, I asked Lucy what we're doing today. Heading up to Q.E. Park. Oh. Maybe everyone else there were repeat boot campers....I'll find out next Thursday if that's the routine. Ok, Q.E. isn't too far.

There were 6 of us today. A couple of them mentioned that they did want to run. Hey, that means he planned on just walking today! Do we all run?

So, we make our way up to Q.E. Flashlights were given to the lead person and the middle person; T'ai would round out the rear to make sure we were all together. Funny, though, he WAS the lead, along with the keener in the group (I think she's done something like 4 boot camps and they had a common interest in ATV-ing or something because that's all they would ever talk about), and I was in the rear! As we walked I "chatted" a bit with Lucy and, let's call her Catherine, because she looks like one but can't remember her name.

Catherine is the person in the group who will pipe up just to pipe up. Nothing interesting or revelation-like spills out. I think she likes to hear herself talk, honestly. I, personally, think it's her way of being nervous, so she talks. Anyways, I didn't want to be unfriendly, so we chatted a bit. I was trying to carry some sort of conversation, though, and throwing her juicy bait for her to ask questions (like I mentioned I work at a microscope - oh, what do you do? - or that my son is awake by the time I rush back home - oh, how old is he?), but no biters! Lucy doesn't say anything, but I was expecting Catherine to say something.

We eventually arrived at the base of the Conservatory, and T'ai asks who wants to run. The other 3 girls said they wanted to, then he told them the route, a couple of times down and up through the rose gardens and meet at the summit. Quickly, I stepped forward and said I'll run with you, guys, and followed them. Anything to get away from the two cadavers.

The run was actually fun. I've never navigated the Park in the dark before, and if you know the park, there are so many twisted paths going the same way, and some actually taking you down back to street level. Two of us had flashlights so no accidents, save for the fallen branch we almost tripped over. And because there were some steep downhill steps, we walked a little bit, which was enough of a breather for me before starting up again.

We met at the top of the Park, in front of the Conservatory. We met the others and we went up and down some steps for a while to exercise our legs even more. Then we stretched at the benches before heading back. This time, we all started to run. It was downhill, so it was much easier. Once we got back to the school, we headed around track once.

All this running is tiring but I feel awesome at the end. I'm not as fast as I would like to be, but anything is better than before boot camp. I never realized how beautiful the morning is in the dark.

Boot Camp: Day 3

It was raining today. So we headed to a local school gym. Being in there gave me the creeps for the first little while. One, it's been ages since I've been in high school, and two, I had an overwhelming feeling to find a basketball and shoot a few hoops! Also, it being a Catholic boys school, I wondered if those 4 gym walls enjoyed the female companionship...but I digress....

Since it was pouring outside, we did laps around the gym and even circuited up and down and through the halls of the school. It's Cardio Wednesday, apparently, so T'ai has a deck of cards that outline certain exercises to do. So we each take a turn going up to the front, grabbing a card, saying our name and the exercise on the card. Then the obligatory, "Yay!" follows. Ugh! We did some great exercises, with quite a few of them working our abs. The one I think I hated the most was the Tripod. Pretend you're going to do a one-handed pushup, with the other hand behind your back, your back and shoulders square to the floor. There....the Tripod. Hold for 2 minutes. Yeah, fun.

Again, we alternated the running and strength training. Whenever we were at our mats, though, I began to feel nervous. T'ai kept coming around my area and eyeing me, I just knew it. Like the time we were on our backs and "reaching for the rafters", he wanted my arms straight up, not out and over my knees. Sigh, technicality. And when he asked me while I was in position, "Can I adjust you?" (What d'ya say? I'm concentrating...) and proceeded to move my arm a particular way. Or how about when we were stretching at the end of class, "You'll isolate the muscle a bit better like this...", and twists my shoulders just so. I failed to mention he picked on me yesterday too.

Is everyone else around just that much more perfect?

Then we took our group photos afterwards. I'm sure the photo of me flexing my bicep is probably not the favourite; it was probably out of position too.

Boot Camp: Day 2

There weren't too many us today. Tuesday and Thursdays are for the 5-dayers....the crazies who wanted more frequent torture. There were a total of 7, plus T'ai. It was a nice change from the big group on Monday.

It was threatening rain, however, we met at the outside location anyways. For warmup, instead of going all the way down to the track, we ran around the soccer field (artificial turf) a couple of times. Next we did some core-stabilization exercises, standing in a circle on one leg while making a two-hand pass to each other with a medium sized medicine ball. Then another lap around the field. We'd continue doing other stabilization exercises like that, alternating with a run. We tossed that medicine ball while twisting, which worked our abs. We did something similar but with bouncing a tennis to each other but catching it with one hand while still standing on one leg. Sounds pretty easy, but with the ball going fast, and trying to balance, I found it tougher than thought. My arch, particularly my left foot, was aching while balancing.

And we weren't without casualties either. I managed to knock Lucy in the face while twisting and throwing that medicine ball. I didn't realize the strength I had when I threw it. She really should've stood a lot farther than she was; I almost took out her glasses too.

For me, the challenge today was to not come in last during each of the runs....I was always 2nd last coming back. I'm not up to my usual speed yet (still working on my breathing rhythm) though I still feel so slow....even Winnie, the self-professed non-exerciser, continued to outrun me. Thank goodness for Lucy being behind me...maybe she'll someday pass me, and I'll someday pass Winnie.