I always say--laughing, but not really joking--that I must have been one of the original people who got into "cross-training". Honestly, it kind of happened...accidentally-on-purpose: when I was in college, had already been a jogger for 5 years or so, and realized that if I wanted to, you know, be able to WALK for the rest of my life, I'd better figure out alternatives besides pounding the pavement every day. So, I started mixing in some biking, strength training, hiking...basically any kind of activity that met the "exercise" criteria and kept me from getting bored, without trashing my joints.
Fast forward to the present, (mumble mumble number of) years later, and this formula still works for me--plus it offers the possibility of new, fresh, and exciting experiences, such as the weekly bootcamp sessions I joined two years ago, and have come to love (and not JUST because of the coffee and breakfast at Whole Foods with the crew afterwards--ha!). More recently, I joined up with an ongoing "pub run", in which the participants meet at a local watering hole, head out for a 3 or 5 mile loop around Chapel Hill and UNC, then re-convene for stretching and a cold beverage of choice when finished. It's just another way to get some social time with lovely people...and also serves as motivation to put in an effort and get the steps in, especially on the steamy Summer evenings when you know the actual "outdoor" part is likely to...um..."suck".
So at one of these meetups in June, our fearless leader waved some business cards around and announced, "Here's an offer for 4 weeks of free workouts! Who wants one?" When queried, she admitted that she didn't have a ton of information, other than that it was a bootcamp-style deal, led by a trainer, and you could choose your location from a variety of parks in and around the area, and also select a time that fit your schedule. Well...suuuuure...sounds...I don't know...potentially interesting? Anyway, there was literally nothing to lose, so I decided to give it a try--after all, if I hated it, I was under no obligation whatsoever to continue showing up, right?
I've gotta tell ya, though, I did find the name somewhat intimidating: Camp Gladiator. I mean, I'm all for...encouraging my...inner warrior, or whatever...but I wasn't quite sure I was ready for anything that alluded to...BATTLE...so I just crossed my fingers, and hoped it wouldn't come to that. Once I selected my preferred site and hour-long slot, I dutifully filled out the (fairly detailed) form asking all about my fitness habits, goals, and challenges. I then immediately began receiving texts and emails from the instructor who'd be running our particular group, full of helpful details, cheerful chatter, and...general peppiness.
Even though I was definitely wondering by this point what the HECK I'd gotten myself into, I took this as a sign that it would be embarrassingly wimpy to back out now. Frankly, I had concerns...which mainly fell into two categories: A) that it would prove to be too difficult...or B-1) that everyone there would be decades younger than me, leading to B-2) me feeling like a fool. But hey, what's the worst that could happen? Hmm....I fake an injury and sneak away, never to show my face again? Yep, that'll do! Thus armed with my brilliant Exit Strategy, I grabbed my mat, dumbbells, and water, and went to face the music.
As it turned out, our coach was even more welcoming, enthusiastic, and friendly in person, which went a long way toward putting me at ease. (Others in our small gang already seemed to know her from previous sessions, but she quickly made everyone feel included.) She assured us that the format was meant to be completely self-guided, such that the rule for each exercise was simply "do what you can, in the time we have, with modifications as necessary or desired". Cool, I can totally roll with that. While she put us through the paces, she also kept up a pleasantly distracting light conversation--I suspect mainly to take some of the focus off the disgusting heat and humidity. (Topics included "What TV shows do you like?" and then towards the end "What's everyone making for dinner?")
The individual exercises were absolutely doable--standard stuff like squats, jumping jacks, side lunges, pushups. In fact, I encountered only one minor glitch--and I have no one to blame but myself, for getting all "Hey, this is going great! I'm handling all of it! Look at me, I'm one...badass chick!" Yeeeaahhh, about that: remember my unwanted visitor, the obnoxious and persistent affliction known as "plantar fasciitis"? Since it graced me with its presence, I've been limiting my weekly running to the Wednesday night club, plus one more short outing, at least 3 or 4 days later. But the proposed gladiator-plan for the evening called for laps around the grounds...to warm up, and in-between sets of exercises. Now, of course our trainer said we could walk...but my foot wasn't hurting at the time...and given options, I'm usually going to choose the faster one.
So I trotted...which actually was fine, during the session. (Well, except for the harsh reality that every single circuit felt longer and harder, due to the oppressive Heat Index of like, pfftt, approximately 90,000 degrees? Brutal, I tell ya...) And it was still okay later that night. Aaaannd even the next day...which prompted me to make the executive decision that I could handle the usual 5K-ish pub run route. BUT...thanks to that ill-advised bit of hubris, I abruptly discovered afterwards that certain physical skills had become impossible for me...such as touching any part of my left heel to the ground...or walking without a pronounced limp. Oops. Guess that definitively answers the question of whether it's too soon to test the foot, yeah? Noted. (Ouch...)
Therefore, I will be going back for more...skirmishing...next week, but I'll be prudent and (siiiighhh) stick to power-walking the path after each round--to ensure that I can attend and participate in the following evening's festivities as well. Because the pub run guru greeted me last week not with "Hello" but rather, "Only one more check-in until you earn your free beer!" And if that's not a super-fantastic reason to lace up the sneakers and put in 30 minutes or so of hard labor, I don't know what is, y'all. Here's to fun workouts with delightful folks...and complimentary adult bevs! Whoo hoo!
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