Classes, Classes, and More Classes!

This weekend was quite different for me, because it was all about classes. I didn't even run all week. It was too hot or too stormy, but I took out my dogs instead for nice, long walks. My intention was to run all weekend long to make up for that, but it didn't happen. However, I wasn't lazy, sitting on a couch eating bon bons and yelling out, "Why am I so fat?? Recently, I purchased unlimited yoga for 1 month at Happy Belly Studios and 12 sessions of Boot Camp at Elite FX Studios. I didn't want to be a person that bought these certificates and not use them like a lot of people. So, I immediately signed up for bootcamp on Friday and yoga on Saturday and Sunday.

Elite Express Bootcamp (notice the resemblance to blood)
I have never done a bootcamp before, but they are really popular right now. I see the classes in the parks that I run all huddled up secretly plotting to kill the instructor causing the pain. I arrived at the gym 30 minutes early (errands ran quickly), got dressed, read some of my book, and then started stretching (extra stretching, too). This was an old school looking gym that you would see in movies; however, it was very nice with state of the art equipment. Upon seeing the gym, I got scared that I might not survive this, because it's a small gym and easy to target scared prey. Thank God it was only 30 minutes long.

While we were waiting and stretching, the instructor, Lee Schuppenhauer's 3 year old son helped set up the torture devices...er... I mean the equipment. He was so cute and very smart.

Lee started all of us out with warmups, such as jumping jacks and some other stuff that I repressed from my memory. He then split us up in 3 groups; I chose to go to weights first. I'm not sure why I decided this was a good idea, but I went there. We did pushups on weights, held weights above head while we jumped, squated, or whatever else, and then we had to run up and down the stairs (with weights over our head). OUCH! There were other things we did, but repression is a hard one to get over. My legs were already jello and I had 2 more stations to go. After times up, I went to the medicine ball area where basically, Lee thouth it was a good idea to use the 6 lb medicine ball to squat, crunch, and anything else he could think of as pure torture. This is where I got the most critiques, because I was not holding the ball straight out; I was bending my arms, because it was PAINFUL. At this point, he's cackling at us with his pitchfork and then he says, "It's bikini season, don't you want to look good." Pffft! Finally, we were done with that session and then I moved to the ladder on the floor (what the kid was setting up). The goal was to jump and squat and then run up and down the stairs five times. This is where I found out that I'm not squatting low enough and I'm too forward. Thank God, I didn't have weights over my head when running up the stairs. The fifth time didn't come soon enough; I was beat. Since we finished earlier than everyone else, he had us finish up on the bags ala kickboxing. This, I really enjoyed...kicking, punching, things I did in my mixed martial arts classes (that I miss so much). Although, at the end, we had to jump and kick the bottom (at a high level) of the bag. That was hard. I guess he felt that we weren't done and had us all do abs...lots of abs...lots of planks...lots of things that made my stomach hurt so bad. Again, he's cackling and yelling out absurties like bikini season. There were guys in the group, too.

I was sore for days; I'm still sore. I signed up for Saturday's class, but I was sick and couldn't make it. No, I really was...I'm not being a wuss, I swear it. I can't wait to do this class again, but I'm out of town all week. I'm still debating on going to the class today during lunch.

Yoga all Weekend
I recently gotten in to yoga, especially since I am running now (sort of). When I saw this deal, I had to take it. My first class was called Beginners Vinyasa since I'm new to this whole yoga thing. I do know some poses like downward facing dog, cobra (actually, was wrong on this one), child's pose, etc. But I really didn't know what I was doing and still don't. I put my mat down (left the block in my cubby hole since I didn't know what it was used for), did some light stretching, and waited for people to show up. The class was full. The instructor put blocks by our mats. We started doing the poses sometimes getting faster and harder. Some of the stretches felt so good, but other ones felt just rough. It was hot in there and sweaty. This one guy breathed so loud that he threw me off on my breathing. I tried to block him out, but couldn't. At one point, she moved me to the front since I was on a wall and couldn't properly do the stretch. I was to link my arms with the girls on each side of me and just move my body from side to side. Oh did that feel good. When I got done with the class, I felt amazing. I was less sore than I was, but still felt like I did too much. And I got to learn why I got a block with my mat. It's to help you when you can't do the stretch all the way...it's a cheater block and boy, did I need it.

My next class on Sunday was Yoga For Athletes. The plan was to run the 1 mile around my apartment complex in the morning with Haley (prepping her to take over for Mal...okay, I'm tearing up again...stupid Mal and her dreams to become a vet in Grenada) and then head to the class. It would be perfect; I would run and then stretch it all out. Yeah, running didn't happen. We got home so late that I had enough time to wake up, take out the dogs, eat some cereal, and head to class.

Yoga for Athletes was a hard class; I think even harder than bootcamp. In fact, the evil lady said that the class last week was too easy and she was going to remind us as stupid participants that this class is supposed to be hard. Heavy breather was in this class, too, but this time, he wasn't so loud or I was just so in to me not dying in the pose. I was sweating so much. I was shaking. I felt like a human pretzel sometimes worried that if I unwound myself, I would surely pull a muscle. There were some things I couldn't even try yet, but she encouraged us to try anyway. I just couldn't bring my back leg to my cross arm behind my body, while balancing on one knee in a lunge. I couldn't lift my body up to balance on my hands, while my body was in a pretzel twist thing facing at an upwards angle. Afterwards, I was exhausted, but it was worth it. I already signed up for the next 2 Sundays.

Today, I'm supposed to go to Hatha Yoga at 4 (judging from last Wednesdays class, it should be easier and all about breathing) and then run with Mal today. Monday, I should take off, but this is the last time I get to be with Mal (sniff, sniff) before she leaves. I'm off to Grand Junction tomorrow and will get some good hotel gym time in and maybe even a run or 2 outside.

On a side note, I did 50 front crunches, 2 sets of 30 second bicycle crunches, 2 sets of 25 situps, and 2 sets of 30 second planks this morning.