Guest Blogger: "My First Week of Boot Camp"

Emily Jones will be a Guest Blogger during our 8 Week Go Commando Race Training Program that prepares individuals to run a 5K, 10K or Half-Marathon. The program will consist of 2x a week of the Nationally Recognized Boot Camp Challenge workouts in addition to group runs on Saturday mornings. 
 
Emily will be participating in the 10K on October 18th and sharing her workout and training experience here.

 

Tuesday, August 26

It's my husband's birthday. Instead of eating & drinking with him, I'm headed to my first boot camp class. This is not right. 

I arrive early to assess the situation from my vehicle. I can't tell who the trainer is because more than half the class is trainer fit. 

I cuss my (now former) friend Jessica Goldberg, Go Commando race director, under my breath for getting me into this predicament. 

Class begins & they vote unanimously to workout instead of doing a fitness assessment. What in the world?

60 minutes of running laps & circuit training later, I'm shocked when Courtney yells "on your belly"! We're done and it actually went by quickly?

Class ends with everyone sharing their effort level on a scale from 1 - 10, their high from the class, and their low. I can truthfully say I gave it a 10, and I'm proud that my first class is in the books.

I tell Jessica that I love her for making me do this. 

Wednesday, August 27

I wake up with some soreness, which increases as the day goes on. I'm strangely proud of the muscle aches & strangely sad there's no boot camp on my schedule today. 

I spend my lunch break shopping for new workout clothes & accessories & spend time at home getting organized for my new found "activity". 

I sleep like a rock. Did Not Move. 

Thursday, August 28

I am excited all day long for my 2nd boot camp class. 

I spend time reading Courtney's blog, website, & Facebook page. I am determined to be her next success story. 

I arrive early for class again & Courtney takes my measurements & body fat percentage. I'm anxious to receive the calculated numbers & see how much I can improve in this 8 week period & beyond. 

Tonight's class is a 2 lap warm-up & then 55 minutes of combo strength training moves. The only thing I can do with the proper form is the laps. I give it a 10 again for my attempt, but man, those are some hard moves to master.

My 7.5 hours of sleep feels like 2. I am exhausted & sore.

Friday, August 29

My office closes at noon today in preparation for the holiday weekend. I am all about the rewards & book a massage for the afternoon. I make a list of mini goals (& rewards) to keep my motivation high. 

I prep for a 7:00am group run at Liberty Park on Saturday, my only day to "sleep in", if you can call it that with 2 little ones. A 6:00am wake up is better than my usual 5:00am though, so I'll take it. 

Saturday, August 30

I wake up before my alarm for the group run.

My husband take the kids for doughnuts (of course he does), while I meet the Go Commando training group bright & early. 

There are 3 groups, one training for the 5k, 10k, and half marathon. I'm running the 10k, but get talked into training with the half group since I'm registered for a race in September as well. 

The half group is running the 5k course this morning & the leader wants me to run a 10 min pace. She has lost her mind, but I agree to try. 

The 10 min pace doesn't last very long, but I complete the course with only 2 brief walk breaks & enough energy to sprint the last 30 seconds or so. 

I'm completely wiped, but after some stretching & cooling down, my friend & I jog another 1.5 miles before heading home. Who am I?

My endorphins last the rest of the day and I feel extra productive starting the weekend with a run. 

Week 1 of Boot Camp Challenge Go Commando training is complete & I'm already hooked! Bring it Week 2.