Boot Camp Round 2..Yep, I'm Doing it AGAIN!!

This week was my first week starting boot camp - again.  If you've been reading for a while, you will know that a few weeks ago I completed a six week fitness boot camp at a local gym.  If you read those posts, you are probably thinking "why the heck would she put herself through that again?" 

If you haven't read those posts - you should - they were probably the hardest six weeks of my life.  I pushed myself to do things I never thought I could do.  I whined, I complained, I kept thinking that there was no way that I could actually see it through.  Most nights I was on the verge of passing out or getting sick, my body hurt in places I didn't even know existed, but I didn't quit.  I am so thankful that I didn't.  By the time the camp was over with, I was a completely different person.  That, my friends, is why I had to go back and do it again.

Monday was the first day, and the fitness tests.  After having a 2 week break, I kind of expected my results for push-ups and sit-ups to have dwindled a bit.  I spent my 2 weeks off running - pretty much every night - but had slipped a little on my weight work.  Well, obviously I didn't slip too much because I was able to push out 9 push-ups and 20 sit-ups.  That's the same amount of push-ups that I left boot camp doing, and I only lost 3 sit-ups.  Then came the part that I'd been waiting for - the 1 mile run.  I knew that I had broken my time of 14:05 from the final results of the last boot camp while running during my two weeks off.  I worried that with the heat of 102 degrees, that it would affect the run just a little.  It did, but not enough for me to worry.  I finished my run in 13:06....knocking a minute off of my last time. 

Wednesday we had our nutritional counseling and then did circuits.  I was so impressed with how well I was able to do the circuits.  I'm not going to say they were easy - because they sure weren't - but compared to the first time I ever did circuits...I have greatly improved.  The best way to say it: I wasn't dying after the first 60 seconds!! I pushed through them, and finished strong.  Then we went on to sprints.  Oh, how I've come to LOVE sprints.  It's my "thing".  Now that I've really upped the ante on my running - I enjoy sprints more than anything else.  I ran my big butt off over, and over, and over, and... well you get the picture.  I kept up with my faster team mates - and didn't ease up on how fast I ran. 

Last night, we ran the obstacle course for time.  I finished the first run strong, but forgot to ask what my time was - so I have no idea what it was.  I will find out Monday, though.  My main focus was to get through as fast as I could - and then help my team mates finish.  That's what I did.  I ran back to get everyone that needed help, and finished the final sprint with them.  Then I got to hear that we'd be running the course again - and I did that, and when I finished the second time... it was back to it.  I finished the third time.  I was tired, but still not on the verge of dying.  After the course it was time for relay races.  Just 7 weeks ago, I just couldn't do the relays.  There was no crab walking for me - there was sitting on my butt and scooting across the grass.  There was no bunny hops, there were little bounces.  There were no bear crawls, there was walking while bending over and barely scraping my fingers on the ground.  Not last night!!!  I did them all!!   We finished the night with a jog around the gym.  It was such an eye opening experience.  I went from being the slowest (by a long way) runner on my team (the slower team) to being one of the fastest.  While we did our jog, Jillian (one of the sudo-names for my boot camp instructors) kept me and some of the other team members busy with sprinting to the front of the team back to it.  Last camp, I could barely keep up with the jogging - let alone doing sprints while I was running.  Last night, I wanted more...to keep running, to keep sprinting.  The changes in me are drastic - and I have a feeling that this time, there's not going to be any feelings of wanting to quit or that I can't do something.

We have a great group of people doing boot camp this time.  I get to do it with some of my favorite people from last time, and we have several new faces as well.  The atmosphere is supportive, and a lot of people are already experiencing some of the "joys" that come with boot camp.  It's an amazing feeling to watch and help a person that thinks they have no physical abilities finish the obstacle course, do a bazillion circuits, sprint, and jog around the gym.  I know that they are all going to share the triumphs I celebrated though my first boot camp - and I'm so happy I will be there with them to witness them all. 

Tomorrow, I'm going to announce the winner of the Member of the Week contest.  You still have time to get on my Facebook Page - join, introduce yourself, and be in the running. 

Till next time.  ;)