Yet, as sluggish as I was feeling, it never entered my mind to miss bootcamp. In fact, now more than any other day, I needed to workout the cobwebs in my tired body and sagging spirits.
And so it was. I hit the coffee pot and a few spoonfuls of thin cream of wheat, and I was on my way.
I pulled out my mat and did a little preliminary jogging/walking and realized that indeed I was carrying a ball and chain on each leg. My breathing was short and labored as well. I wondered why my energy level was so sapped. It frustrated me that it could decide to be so arbitrary from one day to another...like it had a mind of its own.
Well, the Universe must have been smiling down at me and knew what I needed, because I was going to get rewarded for my efforts.
Most of you who have tuned in to my blog know that music is a powerful motivator for me. And at the top of the list is Michael. Michael Jackson, that is! His music infuses me with a desire to dance, move, and get my game face on! :) It doesn't matter how bad I feel, Michael gets my juices goin'.
So when Brian opened up the camp with a Michael Jackson song, I was ready to orbit! I was thrilled and getting pumped! I said, "Alright!.....gimme' a litttle Michael"!
"Star" was stretching with me and laughed. She told me about an event she had attended at a restaurant or private party last week, and they played a Michael Jackson tune. She said someone got up and started to dance. This in turn inspired a waiter to hand them a white glove! We know the rest of the story! :)
WoW! I should wear a white glove and pass a few out to all the campers who like to get down with Michael! That would be too, too fun! Training with one white glove! (hee-hee!) :)
(sequined, of course!)
So Brian really made me the happiest camper there with his selected playlist today whether he knew it or not. It was a "Michael Day" including some great Prince tunes added for a kick. It was exactly what I needed considering Brian upped the ante with a hard core cardio blitz! It was phenomenal. So phenomenal that I thought I was "Dead Man Walking" on death row! All that juicy, tasty music? I thought it was gonna be my final meal! :) lol!
Brian's program comprised of intense circuits of interval training that required us to use speed, power, endurance and strength. We used agility ladders, rubber tubing and a mix of power lunges, power and pulsating squats, shoulder work, and my all time favorite, tricep dips. I can always guarantee that Brian will go after those triceps with a vengeance! Lol! I think he loves to hear us moan and groan, because we were doing a lot of that! :) Yup, he even had me talkin' to myself again! (lol)
This was the kind of workout that didn't leave much time for additional rest. We needed to hustle to the next station between sets. There were about 6-8 stations, and we went from one to another without any further explanation or demonstration. Its the kind of workout that can really shake "yo" body up if you've gotten complacent with your routine.
I must say, it was amazing how I worked to full capacity just using my own body weight integrated with cardio sprints. Brian had me pushing my fitness level to the edge. Oh, how I appreciated this! I know my body was very, very confused with all this mixed up acitivity. I was working.....working hard. and though the air was still quite chilly, beads of sweat profusely collected around my forehead and all up under my clothes. My heart rate was up!
All I can say is, thank goodness for Michael! And thank goodness that Brian chose the music that inspired me to keep going. Even though I was struggling, this music that permeated in my heart was telling me to "giddy up" and I was working as hard as I could. My legs may have felt like rubber, but my inner desire was flaming.
Ys, as difficult as it was for me to access my power and endurance, some of the other campers were going strong in their stride, and seemed to be up to the task. Some were maximizing their abilities, yet others looked like they were hardly breathing hard.
Did it make me feel bad that I seemed to be lagging behind most of the team? Of course not! It made me realize that I was in the exact place I needed to be, and working out with a varied mix of fitness levels that inspired me to keep going! It made me realize why this Adventure training camp is called the Fitness Edge. The programs are truly designed to give you an "edge" in your athletics or fitness, depending on how sophisticated your goals may be. In this case, the campers who had been training with Brian for awhile certainly had an edge over me! LoL! ;)
So when I looked around and saw this, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be able to implement the same "fitness edge" for myself. Whoo-hoo! Yepir! Brian got that name right!! :)
So how did this pink tiger end her workout for the day? Not slumping back to the car complaining how tired and weak she was. I decided to get tough with myself and kick it up a notch. I decided I was going to go for a nice easy jog and practice for my 1 minute mile. I knew I needed further conditioning, and not another day later.
Of course I got a little nudge along the way from the "Little Rocket" when I had told her I was struggling through today's cardio program. She came over to say goodbye and smiled, and only said one thing: " Are you going to practice your running today?"
Uh.....yeah! Even though I felt like "dead man walking" and Michael was my last meal on death row, (hee-hee!) I wasn't going to stop now. I was going to walk away today victorious within myself, and I was going to go the extra mile to get what I wanted. Michael had my heart primed for the challenge. I just needed to make use of all that great motivation and squeeze a little more juice out of this fruit! :)
And that's exactly what the pink tiger did. Between some great music and a little encouragement from a comrade, I was able to empower myself, keep my eye on the ball, and take it a little closer to my fitness edge. I was........
.......Off and runnin'.......
this is the pinK tiger.....see you at the "edge"!
p.s. "giddy on-up"! ;)
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