Am I Stupid or Just Glutton For Punishment?

In a quest to get in shape and actually use my groupon/livingsocial classes that I bought, I managed to schedule 3 classes in 24 hours (2 bootcamps and 1 yoga). I felt that since I didn't really work out hardly at all last week (okay, not really at all...there was that 1 day), I needed to double up or something. I actually didn't think it was going to be all crazy, but it was for sure crazy. Now, I'm starting to wonder if that article I read in Runner's World about how it's not the adrenaline that keeps us running, but a love for pain is true. Do I love pain? I didn't think I did, but apparently, I do.

Bootcamp
I could only get in to the 12:15 p.m. class on Monday, which was during my lunch hour. The place is really close to my office and it's only 30 minutes. I got over there with enough time to stretch out really good and wait patiently. We started our warmup and he asked me about my skydiving shirt (said he wanted to do it...yeah, I haven't heard that before). Then, he started me out in weights (which I learned later that it means you are in the advanced rotation...damn skydiving shirt). Next, we moved to the medicine ball. By this time, I'm dying...literally. I can't breathe, I'm thirsty, I really just want to throw up, curl up in a ball in fetal position, and lie still forever. Afterwards, my group moved to the jump/squat/move down the ladder and then go up and down the stairs. It's here where I fell away from the pack, going slower and slower. The girls were breezing passed me like I was a weakling (stupid advanced group). I was slow and I'm pretty sure I didn't do all of my sets in the allotted amount of time before he moved us to the kickboxing bag. I do love this set, but I was so tired. I actually got corrected on my foot form when I did the side punches. ME? Can you believe it? Well, that's because in Muay Thai and BBJ, we didn't have this kindof form. So, it's not completely my fault. As added torture, he did the cool down, which involves lots of ab work...lots of AB WORK. My abs were burning at the end.


Even though it was a hard class and I was huffing and puffing my way through (largely because I hadn't worked out in a week and I didn't eat particularly good in Grand Junction), I felt the first class I did was harder in terms of the workout. But it was still HARD! Don't ever think lightly about bootcamp...ever...because, that's when it will sneak up on you and knock you down dead.

Cardio Yoga
So, I thought, well I will just add some yoga at the end of the day to stretch out what I had done in bootcamp. WRONG! Completely and utterly wrong. If it's titled Cardio Yoga, run away fast if you have done a workout before (okay, maybe not if you are beginner...I am). Holy Moly was that hard. I never sweat so much and I used to play basketball practicing 2-4 hours a day, plus games. I did bootcamp for Heaven's sake and I still never sweated so much. The teacher (Sadist as I refer to her) spoke in a foreign accent (I couldn't tell where she was from...Brazil, Russia KGB, Hell). She moved and talked fast...Breathe in fold, exhale up...move on to next pose before I even made it up. We had to jump back, extend, twist, and OMG, the abs burned. At one point, I literally thought this is the end of my life. I'm going to be twisted up in a half warrior pose looking up at the ceiling and slip and fall in my own pool of sweat. Death by Sweat...not a pretty way to go. I always pictured my death as something of a work of art...death by impaling after I've fallen backwards in a nestee plunge, but not by a lady that I could barely keep up with in a tiny room with 15 other people (not sure how we all fit in there). And then she would call out 10 more. We would get done with the 10 and she would start counting down to 10. She did this 5 times...5 FREAKING TIMES. My poor stomach was yelling at me. Then, she would yell at us for doing it too fast, so we would have to start again. Finally, everyone was so controlled and breathing loudly in synch together. Don't ask me where I was in the class...not sure. I think I yelled out "WHEWWWW," when we got to a sort of break (Downward Facing Dog is usually a break...not in this class) and everyone laughed. There was only 1 time where we went into Child's Pose, which is the universal relax and reset pose. And she actually said to us, "You will get Child's Pose after you make it through this...maybe." Then, she cackled with her pitch fork and fire filled eyes. I kept looking at the clock and I swear it was going backwards. When we got to the end and laying down breathing in/out, she did the echo callout. It was so weird. But I survived it and did feel good albeit tired, but good.

I then took the dogs on a short walk when I got home, because I guess I didn't feel enough pain. I popped in the Ibuprofin before I went to bed and rubbed Tiger Balm all over my sore thighs and arms when I got up for my 6 a.m. torture bootcamp class.

Early Morning Bootcamp
I have decided to try the 6 a.m. class, because it's always easier to get up early to exercise than try to exercise after you zombie'd your way through work. I'm already getting up that early anyways, so that's not a big change for me. I can take a shower there at the gym and get ready for my day. However, I didn't expect that my dogs would not cooperate. Well, actually, my precious GOOD dog, Remington went to the bathroom quickly, but not Lady. No, it's like she knew that I was going to make this a quick bathroom break or maybe she was punishing me for the short walk yesterday (hey, at least she got out of the complex). She just walked around, barely smelling areas, and just looked on. I took her to the lighted area that she goes to the bathroom in all the time, but she didn't want to have none of that at all. Needless to say, I showed up as the bootcamp started. In fact, they were already started. I had to rush to catch up to their run. Yes, Shirley (Lee's wife) starts her warmups with a run from stop sign to stop sign. It's not so bad, but it's rough when you are late and haven't stretch. Oh God, come to think of it, I didn't stretch after today's workout. I'm going to be hurting tomorrow.

She moved me in to weights (but this time, I just think it's because I was late). Her weight routine was not as bad as her husband's routine, but it's still hard. She sets up the routine and then you have to do it 3 or 4 times. That's where it kills you. Oh and I am forced to watch myself in the mirror at bootcamp. When did my arms get so big? I can't tell if it's muscle or fat, but it's huge...like Conan the Barbarian huge. It's not like I'm using the big weights (only use 5 lbs) or the big medicine ball (fluctuate between the 4 and 6 lb ball). Next up was the kickboxing bags. Whoa, now this one was harder. Lots of punching and kicking and situps and squats. And to further torture us, she made us run the stairs 4 times.

She then put our group on the stationary bikes that go real fast and lock your feet in, but we had to do it standing up for 1 minute. OUCH! First, I didn't like these bikes. I didn't like that stupid foot lock thing, because it took me longer than everyone else to get my feet in the buckles. Then, I didn't find out later until I almost fell off that there is a brake on these bikes. We did some exercises with the medicine ball and then repeat the whole thing 3 times. Afterwards, we went to the floor for abs work. Planks while meeting one foot to the other elbow is harder than it sounds. My abs are feeling it right now. She told us to switch, which meant that we had to jumping jack our way down the ladder and then run around. With Lee, we have to do that jumping jack down, squat, and run up and down the stairs. I liked this so much better. My back was in some pain at then end of the workout, but I still felt good. I wasn't throwing up just yet. When we finished, everyone ran outside. I went to my car to get my work clothes. Apparently, I was the only one that didn't hear her say run from stop sign to stop sign. I more than made up for it by running faster to catch up. I passed 4 people. Go me! Of course, they were all walking, but whatever. Small victories. Finally, I was done. I liked this class and added more of the 6 a.m. ones on my schedule.

My first 5K (in a really long time) is on Saturday. I'm not sure I'm prepared, but I'm going to try anyways. I went ahead and canceled my Friday bootcamp class and that torture thing they call Cardio Yoga on Saturday. Tomorrow is Zumba during lunch and my first pilates class. We shall see how this goes.