And here, they came all wrapped as one! You know who I'm talkin' about! LoL! ;) There's no dispute who reigns as king in this BootCamp when he wants to be "Bad"! ;)
After all that excitement, I needed to give my body some TLC, so I decided to do a solid 1.25 hours of stretching after the Michael Jackson music fest yesterday to limber up and relax my body. It helped alleviate the pain enormously. This would be more advantageous to my upcoming Mile Run than more jogging.
If you have pain from your workouts, take the time to engage in a full body stretch as an activity of its own. It will help immensely.
We first got tested on our push-ups. I did not improve, but I managed to hang in with 84 for my count. I was pleased with this number. Time to kick it up a notch by alternating some "boy" pushups with my present form.
Next came the real challenge for me, the Mile Run. I had brought an iPod hoping some music might relax me, but it was not functioning properly. "The Star" dextrously worked her little hands like mad to help me get my iPod together so that I could have music for my mile; something positive to focus on other than my anxiety or breathing. What a great buddy! Luv u girl!
I was thinking of "Charisma" before the whistle blew. She and I had paced each other on the last test and had come down that stretch together, neck to neck. Unfortunately she needed to do the mile test in advance and therefore was set to run the course by herself. She came up to me afterwards and said she missed not having me run with her, because it had been a great help keeping her on target.
We had really helped spur each other on for that race. This time she didn't have that advantage working for her. And neither would I.
It validates for me the significance of working out or running with a team buddy. A friendly competitive spirit between two comrades naturally evokes the best performance in both parties.
Today it was my turn and I was wishing she was here. I tried to take solace in my little iPod. I guess this was going to be my little running buddy. :)
As we lined up, Brian threw us another one of his famous curveballs. :) We were going to run this mile in the opposite direction with hopes that it would dislodge any mental obstacles we might be harboring. Good ole' Brian! :) He is too much fun! He really is!
This new revelation had many of the campers looking at each other in bewilderment and some were worried, because most people get antsy when you mess with their routine. :) They might even growl. Grrrrr.
Yup. We were going to get a chance to see what we could do "blindfolded", with our memory compass dismantled.
We took off and true to the experiment, I could not gauge or compare myself to the other runs. But I found my breathing distressed early on and it made me anxious. I did not know how I was going to even break even with my current record. I just didn't want to face my coach at the finish line with a significant deterioration in my time.
About half way I started to slow down to a speed walk, gasping because I could not get enough air in my lungs. I thought I was dying. I was wheezing and hyperventilating even as I reminded myself to breathe slow and deep.
Then out of the blue came an unexpected voice from behind me like a guardian angel on my shoulder:
"Don't you stop! You can do this! Look at you.....you're kickin' my ass! You keep going! Don't you dare slow down! You are gonna do this!"
Hee-hee.......Wow! It was "The Little Rocket" lifting me upwards and more, motivating me to create new limits for myself. I was so distressed with my respiratory challenges that all I could say was, "ok"! :)
It was amazing how she came from behind to help me like the spirit of Hope. Just knowing she was running on my heels, I was compelled to keep going. Just do it! The thought came to mind, "Trust the Rocket. She's one of the BiG Dogs. She is an experienced runner. Believe her.
Sometimes when we have trouble pulling the trigger on something for ourselves, or not sure we can trust ourselves, we can sometimes find the courage and strength to go beyond our perceived abilities for someone we care about. Our greatest supporters, mentors, or coaches can carry us until we can carry ourselves; believe in us till we can believe in ourselves. For a beginner, it can mean everything.
I was incredibly touched that my comrade thought of me, cared enough to give me a piece of her energy and inner resources during her own challenge....... just to help me! What a heart! Her sense of awareness and empathy for others took my breath away. What a beautiful person.
This "angel" gave me the courage to keep pushing my limits, and for 2 more times she cried, "You can do this! Keep going! Don't stop!"
I wanted to give her a hug and thank her; it brought a tear to my eye. But I couldn't stop.........I had to keep running!! :)
When I came to the finish line and Brian announced my time @ 10:24 minutes I was delighted with joy! I was really proud of myself. I had shaved 11 seconds off my time!
After the race, I looked for the Rocket; I couldn't wait to give her my heartfelt thanks. "You are the Best! The best! You deserve an award for the inspiration and encouragement you give to others."
And I meant it. From deep inside.........I meant it.
Yes! On this race, she was my champion. She was my angel. Thank you Little Rocket, for your selflessness and your beautiful heart. :)
And my buddy "Star?" She increased her mile by a whole minute! That's outrageous! Hee-hee! Did you get that?!
Those are the rewards you earn when you run 4 miles 3x a week over and beyond BootCamp:)
Good job, "Star", and well deserved. I am still hoping that someday I can break free from my breathing problems so I can run free and up my own game.
The remainder of our camp consisted of some awesome plyometrics and tubing circuits. We did a series of planks that included moving side planks, pulsating planks, and getting up and down from a straight plank. We also did mountain climbers, split hops, chop squats, and shoulder push-ups for a little aerobic intervention. :)
Our tubing circuit worked us over with biceps, lateral raises, my favorite all endearing tricep kick backs, and back rows. As always, those tubes will give you an extraordinary workout. I have seen some very fitness conscious people create awesome definition and tone with these bands that even surpass some dumbbell work. Just another reason to love these circuits.
What a day! This workout was going to blast and chisel our figures into femme fatales! :) We had one more day left for the month and then we needed to set our sights on our 3rd and final stretch of the Transformation Contest!
There was still time for a dark horse to come from behind and take the jackpot! We all remember the story of the turtle and the hare. And we can revisit the Kentucky Derby for proof that many times there is an unexpected winner at the end of the race.
So take one day at a time, and make a plan for Off-Week. What will you do to prepare for your success? Put in more cardio? Take an extra boot camp class? Create a food diary? Try a body cleanse? This time, make it work! :)
Hope all you fitness warriors are coming back next month for more fun and adventure! With Brian, Kim, and the rest of his stellar team of personal trainers, you know the fun has just begun!
DON'T MISS IT! :)
See ya next bootcamp!
yours truly,
the pinK tiger
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