Oh but I'm a sucka for punishment.. Bring it on AZ!!

Boot Camp. What a concept. You pay a guy $350 and fill out a few forms. You feel fantastic for taking control of your personal fitness. You wait with anticipation for your first day. Lo and behold, the morning of your debut arrives and you jump out of bed at 5:10 am. That's right. Not even the early birds have begun their morning rituals, but you are groping around in the dark trying to find your sports bra. Sporting said bra, you set out on your grand adventure.

I'm embarassed to say that I thought it would be a cinch. I consider myself an athlete. There is no has been here folks. I guess I thought the 50 odd pounds I carry as dead weight wouldn't have an impact on my performance. After all, it's not new poundage. I've been this size for 7 years. Whatever I thought, I made a mistake. When I'm wrong I say I'm wrong. I WAS SO, SO WRONG!!!

My come uppance came within the initial 5 minute warmup. AZ apparently has a broken stopwatch. Musta lasted 1/2 hour, that jog. Then came the lunge walk. I finished about 6th in my group. Felt great about that. Then AZ sneered and said, "Good, do it again". I beg your pardon? I'm pretty sure this activity is much harder for me on account of my height. Makes sense right? Long legs, more muscles to pull, longer way for the knee to contact the ground. Those other women have a clear advantage over me.

Next came work with the medicine ball... Contrary to the traditional use of the term medicine, this ball....this, this ball...words of description fail me. Its sole purpose is to take an already difficult workout and make it hurt. It comes with an unwritten guarantee. Whatever muscle group the black and blue ball targeted will scream at you for at least two days. If hamstrings are involved, give yourself four days.

Doesn't help that my partner of choice is a real keener. After boot camp each day, Keener goes to the local pool and swims 30 lengths. And she walks 5 kms each lunch hour. And she golfs on a regular basis. And did I mention, she is MY partner?

We do a lot of skipping, hurdles, sprints and other fun anaerobic activities. This is the one thing hockey has prepared me for. These I attack with a vengeance. I can sometimes beat Keener in these areas. My competitive nature really shines here.

Each day I find that a new ache replaces the old one on a rotational basis. My coworkers are a little tired of my bitching. Todays pain de jour is my groin. Yes girls can pull their groin too!

As is true in most areas of life, if you look closely at pain and suffering, you can usually find a man lurking nearby. This scenario is no different. He is the instructor. I will call him AZ. The smile he wears is the same smile that all sadists have when they accomplish their goal of torture. Just look at him grinning...That is one sick individual!!!

In all truthfullness, AZ is awesome. I would never get up at that unGodly hour if I wan't having a great time. And Keener keeps me pushing myself beyond what I think I can do.

The best part is, I can see results. That is what makes it sustainable. If I can notice the difference in myself after two weeks, then it is worth all the anguish.

And I feel good about myself. I am doing it, 5 days a week. I am working hard and learning things that I can continue long after boot camp is over.

HIGH FIVES ALL AROUND!!!!!!