I was anxious to get started again. Getting back to Adventure was like "coming home" again. It also contained all the tools I needed to flourish. Here, I would have a leader to coach and advise me, a structured group workout with the positive energy of many "like" souls wanting to accomplish the same goals as me, and my favorite teammates who were my friends and real inspiration.
The first comrade I came up upon was "Star". My what a welcome sight. She told me she held title for one of the 3 most improved campers last month. Way to go "Star"! You go girl!! :)
I asked her how her off-week had gone, and it seems she has been kicking it up a notch! She said she was including more out of camp running....as much as an extra half hour, 5 days a week, to maximize her time and accelerate her weight loss. This is one tough lady, and she is focused. She has made up her mind that she is working this BootCamp to win the Transformation Contest. With "Star", there is this quiet, competitive resolve within her that almost seems unflappable. And she said that she made up her mind to change her eating habits, and she is doing it. Yes. As simple as making the decision to make every bite count.
Wow! So much for excuses. I knew the first day I met her she was a "star" and had star quality. I think its time to upgrade that to "the Gold Star". :)
So listen up fellow competitors of the Transformation Contest! We got a semi-new member who is biting at our heels. She reminds me of a pit bull who "ain't " gonna let go of this one! :) hee-hee! I will bet my money that "the Gold Star" will be one of the top 3 finalists, and may very well take the gold medal home. A whole year of free Adventure BootCamp? That's like Olympic Gold, baby! :) I think I would be on a nonstop euphoric "high" if I could ever claim such a prize!
What does this do for me? Well, high time to amp up my own strategy. Time to get it on for Moi! If she can do it, so can I, dang it! :)I am thus reading all of Brian's emails again on goal setting, and writing my own down. It may even be time to share them with someone I trust and respect, and even admire; someone who's opinion of my credibility matters.
"The Gold Star" made a comment that I have professed the entire time, but hearing it from her only solidified it. She said, "I have made up my mind to give it my all, because I don't want to be coming to BootCamp 5 months from now, still working on the same pounds I did when I first arrived". That makes sense!
Now is the time to take action when everything is in place for success to happen. All the stars are lined up. I know "the Gold Star" doesn't want to squander her opportunity, and neither do I. Do you??
As we started our BootCamp, the opening itinerary included a jog around the parking lot . Brian gave us a chance to implement a technique that would increase your speed if you worked it. It requires you to amp up your speed and recover, with 1:3 proportions. Its the same as interval training, but you're amping up your speed on the jog or run more than your standard pace. To get fast, you have to train fast. Duh! Otherwise, you just keep getting more of what you've been getting.
For me, I don't typically train fast. My internal clock is simply a moderate pace, so attempting to move at lightening speed doesn't come natural or easy. But that is exactly what I want Brian to do for me.....to push me as hard as I can take and to help me create a new rhythm and inner clock for myself. This is why a dedicated trainer such as Brian is so valuable to me in my quest to win. He has me doing things I'm not quite ready to do on my own.
I went around the parking lot, and tried to implement this technique as long as I could without gasping. This was tough, because I feel I'm going good by just jogging. Now I need to speed up my jogging as well! My breathing was heavy, but I was able to go around the full circle without stopping. I would estimate that I lost about half of my little gains in my off week without cardio work. It doesn't discourage me.
The next thing at task was a routine for the day that would include chest, back and arms. I didn't do too badly with the upper body, maybe because I had been using the exercise bands even if only a few minutes most of the days. Still, I felt like rubber. I couldn't feel my triceps. They had momentarily disappeared. But I know Brian will be feeding my triceps plenty of treats for my Michelle Obama arms before the week is over! ;)
How about the diamond pushups? I love them because they can really kick my #!$%! :) Heh-heh! Needless to say.... I was having a time handling them this go round. I will need to work hard this week to get myself up to speed. Thank goodness our bodies have a memory, eh?! The following day my chest was really, really sore.
This is the beginning of a new camp and a new slate. I am determined to put all the components together for my best effort yet. I want to taste the sweetness of success.
I was further encouraged because as camp ended, "the Gold Star" and I talked about meeting out of camp once a week for a run. I know running with this determined and focused lady would incite me to accelerate my own game. This new member is on her way to becoming one of the Big DoGs. And I want to join the ranks with her! :)
Brian had mentioned to me that working out with someone better or more advanced than you pays great dividends. It is the best thing we can do to improve ourselves. How very true. We, as humans, tend to gravitate to the bars we set, and yet they can be unconsciously determined by the level of goals and aspirations of those who surround us.
You've heard the old expression, "Birds of a feather flock together?" It seems that this is the case with fitness, nutrition, business, and anything else that matters in this world. We tend to position ourselves accordingly. Hang around ambitious people, and we too, will elevate ourselves to that plane. Hang around slackers and we start becoming complacent and may begin to lose our edge.
About this time "the Little Rocket" came my way. "Little Rocket" is one of the Big DoGs I really admire. She is positive, strong, decisive, and an exceptional motivator. I look at her and have to smile. Very big things do come in small packages, and she is expansive in her outlook. The Little Rocket lives life large and on her own terms. I'll take a page from her notebook any day. She provides a camaraderie and a contribution to me and other fitness warriors at Adventure that is invaluable.
So it was great to see "the Little Rocket". But then she totally dropped the bomb on my preconceived beliefs of myself. She said, "Why don't you train for the Cap City Marathon coming this May? If you start training now, you could run that race."
My eyes just got big. Huh? What......me??? You're playin' with me, right?! I have never run or competed in a race in my entire life! I'm not exactly in the Spring season of my youth and I have respiratory difficulties running one mile. My body has never even experienced such a thing. I have no frame of reference for it. Blah, blah, blah.....lol!
We continued to talk and shared with Brian on his marathon run. I wanted to know how he overcame the pain coming up in his leg with his soleus injury in his calf, that had totally taken him off the road more than once. How does someone get the mental toughness to override the fear of an injury possibly disabling you from continuing the race? What do you put in your head when you are feeling those warning pains or ready to drop, and how do you manage that fear and pain? Brian hurt himself so badly that he couldn't even run for a few weeks prior to the race. Yet he still went out there and did it. That takes guts!
So I wanted to know some of his techniques for training....especially for improving my running time. One of his answers to me was "speed training". I enjoy learning from the best, and I came away realizing that a 1st rate trainer can give you expertise and direction that is priceless. Each individual trains differently, and a 1st rate premier coach will know how to build a custom individualized program based on your composite. That means assessing the physical abilities or limitations correctly, and getting inside the person to work with their mental framework and motivations, too.
Wow! Its amazing that I would even consider such a venture as a race, but I think if I had a mentor and training partner to help me navigate the process, it might just be a very thrilling adventure to achieve. Think of the sense of self-fulfillment you would experience! This would force me to practice mental toughness and discipline, push through my comfort zone. I could totally reinvent myself and see myself in a new dimension!
And the by product? Well, with all that running.......I gotta be slimming down! :) It would be "bye, bye bootie"! Love it! :) Something to think about.
"Little Rocket" and I also talked about forming a casual nutrition support group. This would be a fabulous adjunct to the BootCamp and outside workouts. What do you all think? Comment on this blog or let us know.
As I got in my car, I had a lot to think about indeed. Breaking out of our self imposed prisons can be a mind blowing thing! And to succeed takes more than just wanting it. It takes commitment, a plan, and plenty of support. With Adventure BootCamp I have learned first hand the power of "more than one". I am so grateful for all the positive support I get from my friends at Adventure, and equally appreciative that our lead coach is willing to share his knowledge, expertise, and experience in and out of camp.
Some of you push me to think big.....live big. Sometimes it takes someone else believing in us in the early phase, before we can take the torch and believe in ourselves. "The Little Rocket" has made such an impact on me.
The strength of camaraderie and a collective spirit is a very powerful thing.
For all of you and me who have this extraordinary opportunity to be in Adventure BootCamp, let's take advantage of all the tools and rich resources it has to offer. The friendships I have formed in Adventure are precious, because we all are a very select group. We are a group of women who is willing to get up before sunset, or take our free time after a very long day of work, and get fit and transform our bodies. It makes me beam to think about it! :)
When you think of the masses of people who choose to do nothing more than walk the dog as their best exercise, you know what I'm talking about. I think Brian got a view of it at the Circleville Pumpkin Festival. :) Hee-hee!
So the pinK tiger wants to thank each of you that makes the commitment to come to BootCamp. You are GREAT! Even though I may not have had the pleasure to know you or converse with you personally, it really matters every day you come. You are part of that aura that makes the energy in Adventure so awesome! If you think you are not missed when you can't make class, you are so, so mistaken! Each of us is making a significant impact on at least one person whether we know it or not. They just might not tell you! ; )
Let's all buoy each other up and rally ourselves for what we want! We have the power to make this BootCamp any and every thing we want. Let's make it work for us. It is the "power of us"!
Let's make it the Greatest Adventure BootCamp that ever was!
Its the PinK tiger......
.....rearing to roar like a lion! :)
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