The Hills

You wouldn't believe it, but she made us run the hill today. I think today in boot camp was one of those separate the wheat from the chaff days. This was our schedule:

1. Run for 10 minutes
2. Push ups
3. Barbell upright rows, lateral raises, pec flies
4. Kick boxing
   
5. Run 4/3/2 sprints up and down the floor of the gym
6. Dumbell bicep curls, chest presses
7. Kick boxing
8. AND THEN, AFTER ALL OF THIS, run the big hill after doing 4 partner sprints
9. Oh yeah, then come in and do 50 full situps, 70 push outs, 100 scissors, 60 partner abs

Needless to say, but I will anyway, this kicked my ASS. You get a t-shirt if you throw up. I spit up, all over some poor unsuspecting person's lawn, but spit up doesn't qualify you for t-shirt benefits.

I am sore. I am tired. And I am exhilerated! I LOVE Boot Camp.

Benefits and Costs of Being 5 foot 3

Today was boot camp day, so off I go with my girlfriend at 6am to be abused.

We begin with weight lifting, which generally I can do relatively easily but I pay for it the rest of the day (it's hard to type as we focused on arms and shoulders). Then we head down to the gym to do this long obstacle course. Sooo, we start with jumping up stairs, running over a bridge, down stairs, 2 fast laps around the track. I can't really do the jumping, for some reason I almost always trip, so I just run the stairs. This tall guy was jumping rather slowly in front of me and taking up half of the stair, so I ran under his elbow (BENEFIT) which made him laugh. I mean, this guy towers over me, I kind of look like a hobbit, so it wasn't too invasive in his space. Run run run.

Then we do this obstacle course which entails ski jumping, jumping on stands, going over a wall, tiger running, bear running, shuffles (which is always very entertaining to watch). Off we go and the third stand we are supposed to jump up on from a dead stand, so no room to build up momentum, reaches to my upper thigh (COST) so I kind of climb up and over it. My girlfriend, who is much taller than I am, jumps these with ease and then runs over the wall...I mean she runs over the wall. My legs aren't really long enough to reach the second step on the wall, so I have to climb over it (COST).

But it was exhilerating, even if I do look a little Samwise...smile

Intermediate Boot Camp

My friend and I were bumped up to intermediate boot camp - because we are soooo good at it. I was very worried about it, thinking, how can I, little old me, compete in the intermediate boot camp? And then today we went and as it turns out, there are some very OLD women in intermediate boot camp. Now, some of these women kick my ass, they could kick your ass too, so it's not to say that old necessarily entails blah. But some of these women couldn't kick anyone's ass. So, I am still not in the fastest group, but not in the slowest group. I am an intermediate intermediate.

Today we ran ladders in the gym (or suicides as I used to call them in high school) and some people don't realize that you don't actually turn around at every line that crosses the gym floor. Some people are doing like 15 back and forths in their suicides. It's pretty funny. You want to say, just the basketball lines count, not the volleyball lines and ummm, aren't you getting dizzy?

It's Started Again

Boot camp has started up again and I am in for another 8 weeks of hell. Today we did a series of obstacle courses, which were fun. As it turns out, even though I barely exercised over the break, I am about at the same place I ended, so I actually haven't lost any ground.

Today we had new people. It was hard not to laugh at them as I know I was new just a short 3 months ago. One young woman, in her attempt to do he football ladder (where you run through strings) fell and landed with all four of her paws (for lack of a better visual) inside the strings. I told my friend that had it been her I would have laughed and laughed. But as it was new woman, I just smiled.

I love the boot camp.

The Results Are In

Today we got re-measured for boot camp to see our results. So here they are:

• 1 pound of weight loss (boo)
• 9% of body fat lost (cheers)
• 16 pounds of body fat lost (cheers)
• 5% of body water gained (cheers)
  

Overall I am happy with this result. I mean you would think if you worked out 3X a week you would actually lose a lot more than 1 pound, but 16 pounds of body fat is huge! HUGE! And my body fat percentage is now in a healthy range so that rocks! My teacher said I would probably do much better in the second boot camp (which I am starting the second week of January) because I will start in better shape and can push myself more. I will also probably switch from my Weight Watchers diet to her boot camp diet so I can maximize the weight loss.

But I am happy. I never missed a day (which I think makes me unique in the class) and I worked very hard and I feel great.

Spinning

This week is Thanksgiving (in case you didn't notice this big holiday coming up) so boot camp is canceled on Thursday and Friday. In an effort to be a good exerciser, I went to boot camp this morning. We ran the hill (half of the figure eight) twice with an 8lb medicine ball. Then we went in to spin. Spinning is riding an exercise bike in the dark with loud music and your boot camp instructor yelling at you. At one point she came around and made sure all of our resistance knobs were turned all the way up, so I subtly turned my up before she got there. I always thought spinning would be fun...and it was, but it kicked my ass. I was so sweaty that I couldn't open my eyes.

God I love boot camp.

4.2 Miles

I bought a little pedometer last week. I am trying to get to 10,000 steps a day, which doesn't seem like that big a deal until you realize just how goddamn many steps that is. Needless to say, I have thus far failed to meet my goal. Today was my boot camp day which involved a series of obstacles...I guess, an obstacle course. We did jacks with medicine balls, jumped up stairs, skated, long jumped across the gym, climbed the wall (this is my particular favorite as my very good friend is my partner and she can run over the wall while I heave and shove myself up it and down it), we did abs and abs and abs, ski jumps, lat pull downs, bicep curls, etc etc etc, with each set of torture offset by a 2 lap sprint (I was happy today because I actually passed people...woo hoo!). I decided to wear my little pedometer to get a feel for how far and how many steps we go when we aren't on a cardio day (oh yes, this was NOT a cardio day). We stepped 4.2 miles...4.2 miles! On a non-cardio day. I can't wait to wear the pedometer for the figure 8.

I imagine I may get to my 10,000 steps today.

Run Forrest Run

When I watched Forrest Gump, the thing I was most impressed by was his running. My lord, the man ran from Maine to California. I can barely run down the street.

Today in boot camp we ran backwards up the major hill, down and then around the "little hill" (the little hill is the one I have to downshift to get up) and then backwards up the major hill, down and then around the little hill, and then straight up the big hill and into some neighborhood. I almost died. I almost got lost. I was very pathetic.

And to top it all off it was RAINING...RAINING. I was soaking wet at the end of the whole ordeal. It was unclear how much of the soak was coming up from my sweaty body or coming in from the rain.

I keep hoping that like Forrest Gump the running will become something I love to do, but as yet, that state of zen has alluded me.

the Figure 8

Or...the hills of death.

My boot camp is situated in a valley, kind of, and to get out I have to downshift in my little Mazda. So today we are told, go run the figure 8. We head out to a run that begins straight up, runs straight down, turn right, straight up, run straight down. Remember the Duchess has shin splints. So I sigh and I start to run (well maybe plod along at a trotting pace). By the top of the first hill I am wheezing. By the bottom of the first hill my calves and shins start to explode. I begin up the second hill and I start limping. I make it to the top, turn around and limp back. At which time I am supposed to sprint 3 times across the parking lot. Well, I could barely walk, much less sprint. But I did the figure 8, the whole damn thing, limping for 50% of it

That's called powering through...I think...um, where's my cake?

Moral Indignation Averted

One thing I cannot stand about myself is how I get hurt feelings, tremendously, highly sensitive, hard to rationally pull myself back together, hurt feelings. This is why I will never run for office, I do not have a thick skin. Case in point, but I was proud of the outcome.

Today I get shin splints again...well I guess I'll have them forever but they HURT...so I ask the boot camp trainer about it. She replies, look you can quit or you can power through it. And I sheepishly walk away and say, no no, I don't want to quit, I just want to make sure I am not doing more damage. By the time I get in my car, I am completely pissed that she was so dismissive. I mean, damnit, they HURT. And, damnit, I don't want to be told to just quit, I want to be told some neat stretches to do, or something. By the time I was halfway home, I am completely in realization that I am not pissed at her but at myself for asking the damn question. I know the two options with shin splints are quit or power through it and I wonder at why I asked...is it because I want her to know how painful this is and how fantastic I am that I am powering through it? And I think (despair despair) the answer is yes...ARGH! How silly to want her to know that! By the time I am home, I am dancing into the house (like I have after every boot camp because I feel great) thinking I will power through this and it will hurt but it will be fabulous.

My feelings were hurt (as they usually are) but I was able to rationally pull out of it within 15 minutes...that may be a new record.

Oh, and, shin splints be damned!

Shin Splints?!?

Boot camp has delivered another punch: shin splints. I haven't had shin splints since the 9th grade when I really hurt myself running in track practice. Since then I have avoided any kind of fierce running, now I remember why. 99% of boot camp is running and 67% of that is sprinting. SPRINTING! Seriously, are 32 year old women supposed to be sprinting?

Note to self: don't wear 4 year old cross trainers to a boot camp that is 99% running, wear the brand new running shoes you bought over the summer in an attempt to kick start your exercise.

Oh, and, I am 32. Now I can actually swear...nice fat f-words and c-words...and I am exercising with a bunch of Mormons who look at me like I am the antichrist when I say "!@#$%" at the end of a particularly tough sprint up hill. Well, hell, I am going to swear anyway and if I happen to say something that seems like it is anatomically impossible, deal with it!

Pain Sets In

Yesterday was fantastic, this morning was not so hot. Smile. My body aches every where and I can feel the muscles that were used for the medicine ball throwing. I just stood in the shower letting hot water soothe aching muscles. And of course I am completely not into using medicine, so I am suffering through this in the stoic way I handle all things that bother me.

I also ended up with a harsh headache yesterday all day that I believe came from too little water. If you are going to work out the way I did, you need to hydrate. Reminder to self from when I use to work out a lot. My friend, Sharon, thinks that exercise also releases toxins so maybe the headache was from the toxins in my body. I seem to remember that from taking Ashtanga yoga years ago, so maybe that's also correct.

But, even with the headache, I felt great. I was wide awake from the moment I got home until the moment I went to sleep at 10pm last night. No afternoon slumps. No zoning outs during lectures.

Welcome back exercise!

Boot Camp Rocks!

Okay, so 6am did suck, but boot camp was fantastic. I arrived to pick up my devastatingly beautiful friend Sharon (who I think looks like the lead actress in Gray's Anatomy and she was told that today by our boot camp instructor as well so I have some evidence that I am correct) at 525am. Yes it's dark. Yes not even God is awake yet. We drive over to the club, which Sharon cannot find in the dark, so it takes us a little while.

We run for 10 minutes. We then do all sorts of strange circuit training things like the football string exercise and ski jumping around cones and hurling a medicine ball at each other. This is sporadically interrupted by running for a lap or two. Then we do a million sit ups and get our body fat weighed. UGH.

Well, I didn't need to have my body fat measured to know that I have body fat. But what I discovered was very interesting, apparently I have so much muscle mass that I will have 0 - 1% body fat at 130 pounds. This means that when I weighed 125 pounds in high school and college and thought I was fat because my friends weighed 115 pounds, I was actually super skinny. In fact, I had no fat at all. Too bad I didn't know that then, those bouts of bulemia could have been avoided, and I might have actually worked to keep it off. But, I'm on the way to a new, fitter, more fabulous Duchess. And my instructor says it's not impossible for people to lose 20 pounds, so may Christmas will be fantastic!

Go Weight Watchers! Go boot camp! Size 5's, here I come...now do I still have those really skinny jeans???

The Body

This week I finally weighed less than I did when I got pregnant a year and a half ago. So, basically, I am back to the weight I was when I had gained more weight than ever after a surgery two years ago. I have lost 23 pounds. Which doesn't sound like much, but for me, it is. I love to eat and unfortunately I have no tragic allergies to wheat or yeast or whatever all the skinny people have. So, I fight every day not to eat great food.

This week I start boot camp with a girlfriend. Time to kick it up a notch and have exercise play a larger role in my weight loss. I enjoy exercise, problem was I was so big I was worried about having a heart attack with anything too intense, but now I'm back to a place where I can actually do high powered aerobic exercise and my heart won't explode. I'll probably still turn purple, but I won't die from it. So, Sharon (gorgeous, tall, skinny friend of mine...I need to get some more fat, short, ugly friends to make myself feel better...strike that, I need to any fat, short, ugly friend) and I are going at 6am Tues, Thurs, Fri to boot camp. 8 weeks. Results guaranteed. If I can lose 15 pounds doing this I will be back to the weight of grad school (which is still way more than undergrad, but way less than post-pregnancy) and all my clothes will fit again.

But, 6 am is going to SUCK!