Note: This entry was written at the end of September, but for reasons that I can't quite explain, is only now being published.
Pete convinced me to sign up for August/September boot camp session at the Pro Club. He went the first week or two, then promptly dropped out, leaving me on my own. Sometimes, I wonder why I am friends with Pete, but that's for another blog entry. Ahem.
Boot camp. I thought that I was in pretty good shape - I'm a gym person, working out at least 3, usually 4 or 5 times a week. Or, if I'm not at the gym, I'll run at Green Lake or in a loop around my neighborhood. The point is - I'm not a slouch (despite appearances, and if you read this blog, you know why).
Boot camp, to put it nicely, kicked my ass. Two months of jumping jacks, the worlds' greatest stretch, versa climbers, weight training, endurance training, running and so much more. Wait, did I mention running? I mean, a lot of running. On average, I ran anywhere from 6-10 miles a week, with Tuesdays being "lighter" (i.e., shorter) runs and Thursday, the "heavier" (i.e., longer) runs. The military bent (someone told me our instructor was in the Marines, but I may be too scared to ask), meant that we were placed in groups, the alphas (the winners), the betas (the strong ones) and the charlies (the losers, which is where I went, and I should mention, I was the only charlie to make it to the end).
Did I also mention that class started at 6AM? Boot camp resulted in a major lifestyle change - no more play on Monday nights, because I had to get up at 5, no more play on Tuesday nights, because I wanted to keep the momentum going and hit the gym early Wednesday morning, no more play on Wednesday nights, because I had to get up at 5, and by the time Thursday hit, well, I was exhausted. Even Friday and Saturday nights were hard, because by the time Friday morning came, my body woke up on the
early end.
As a result of turning up the volume on exercise, I've experienced a few interesting changes:
--I had to curb my evening wine consumption - I just can't drink more than a glass and be able to function well at the gym the next morning.
--With the exception of two really bad days, my energy levels and increased. Really, I felt much better overall. My sleep also improved; I have suffered from insomnia for years, waking up at 2 in the morning about once every two weeks and tossing and turning until about 5. During boot camp, I had exactly two nights of insomnia. Huh.
--Eating habits changed too. I started to crave tons of protein and green vegetables. While I love bread and cheese, I ate those favorites a lot less, mainly because they simply just didn't t taste good. Eating overall focused much more on "whole" foods, the processed foods just didn't taste good or provide enough energy. When Pete and I took the train to Portland, I strategically packed a picnic lunch full of good food, primarily because I was concerned that there would be nothing for me to eat on the train, and then the lack of calories would lead to a bad, bad situation.
--Speaking of which, I found that when I had to eat, I had to eat. If no food, stupidity set in. This required some planning, and in hindsight, was actually quite humorous at work; Char - my office mate, also exercises a ton (of the Ironman/Triathlon/marathon) variety - and as a result, one of us was always eating.
--On the social front, I met some really cool people. Everyone was incredibly supportive and nice, and still seemed to respect me, even though I was in the loser, I mean Charlie group.
--And most importantly, my strength and endurance increased. A lot. At the end, I was able to run longer distances, I was getting better at keeping up with the class and the workout just didn't seem as daunting.
Boot camp ended for 2008. It's organized into two-month sessions, and will start again in April.
Addendum: I signed up for winter sports conditioning, which focuses on core conditioning. It's still a workout, all indoors and slightly different than boot camp, although just as challenging. Someone told me that they emerged much stronger from winter sports than from boot camp, so we'll see what happens in April when Boot Camp 2009 starts.
