Adventure Boot Camp: Week 1 Wrap Up

Well, that was a fast week. And easier than I expected, but not in a bad way.

As I've mentioned before, Day 1 of Adventure Boot Camp (ABC) was really difficult for me. Read all about it here. The rest of the week went really well, though. This could have been the result of a few things:

• The weather improved. The temperature and humidity difference between Monday and the rest of the week was HUGE. It was like comparing the depths of Hell (hot and 150% humidity) to a nice Fall morning. Humidity = can't breathe.
• I was early to ABC for the rest of the week instead of 10 minutes late like I was on my first day. This kept my panic level in check.
  
• I realized I needed to slow the heck down. On Day 1 I went at it like a fabulously fit person would--faster, stronger, rawr! Yeah, don't do that. Not a good idea. On Tuesday morning I switched into "Start slow and increase if it's not challenging enough" mode. Classic "Good Idea, Bad Idea" moments, right there.

I'm going to continue with the listing theme here and just outline some summary points. (Ew, I sound so corporate ... patooey!)

• Getting up early for ABC is NOT the hardest part for me. That part is surprisingly easy, actually. I mean, "early" is relative; if you're used to getting up at noon, then 10 a.m. is early (cough Jeff cough cough), and if you're used to 5:30 a.m. ... no, 4:40 a.m. is early to everyone.
• For me, the hardest part of ABC is the muscle soreness. I definitely understand that it's a good thing and is completely normal, but that doesn't make scaling the stairs at work or my apartment any easier. (PS, this is probably the only occasion in my life where going up the stairs is easier than going down the stairs.) The good thing is that I know I'm working my muscles and the soreness eases up when you walk around a bit. And, muscles soreness is way way better than injury soreness.
• I can do this stuff! In fact, every exercise we do, apart from one category, which I'll talk about next, is completely doable for me. You can work at your own pace and you chose how much or how little to challenge yourself. I think that probably the only requirement for participating in ABC is to not be the kind of person who always takes the easy way out, just because it's easy. You have to want to improve and want to battle yourself. Notice I said battle yourself, not others; it's not a competitive environment at all. It's not for dudes. =)
• I struggle HUGELY with any exercise that involves supporting or lifting my own body weight with my arms--planks, push ups, those dip thingys from the front of a bench. I just can't do it. Yes, I said can't. My friend, Anne the engineer, was nice enough to figure out the math behind women and push ups. Females are lifting roughly 2/3 of their body weight when they do a push up. Without giving you a hard number, because then you could figure out my weight and I'm just not ready for that yet, let's say that I'd have to be able to bench press a whole overweight person in order to do a proper push up. Folks, I may have thrown metal balls around for fun in high school and college (shot put), but I'm not that strong. This is quite a conundrum, because there are quite a few exercises at ABC that are built on this idea of lifting your own weight. And the alternatives aren't that much better. To do a push up from an elevated hand position requires using a slippery metal bench or a sharp cement bench/low wall. Ouch! I'm at an impasse with these exercises. And that's frustrating.
• Moving on to a positive note, I have excellent posture! I really understand how to stand and position myself for lifting exercises. I don't know if that's because I'm observant and pay attention to the little details (oh, my chin should be up a little bit instead of down in my chest), or if I just understand the phisiology behind it. Whatever, I'm good at it. I see my reflection in a nearby window and I'm proud to say that my butt-out, straight back squats look similar to ABC Linda's (just grossly enlarged).
• Another positive: My core is strong. Windshield wipers, leg throws, scissor kicks, flutter kicks ... I stomped them all this week. This probably influences the posture thing too. I would imagine that my core muscles have to do as much work as my legs do on a daily basis to support my girth. My arms? Not so much.
• Issue #1: Post-workout digestive disagreements. I'm going to leave it at that. If anyone has tips, go for it.
• Issue #2: No, actually, I can't pull my elbows in any more. All of the tricep exercises require that you pull your elbows together, whether it be over your head, in front of you, or behind you, and I've been called out on it. Well, I can't pull them in any more! I'm guessing it's a combination of my mannish, wide shoulders, my arm fat, my side boobs, and my spare tires (I carry at least 2 at all times, just in case) but these arms won't squish in any further.
  
• Issue #3: Dude, the waistband on my workout shorts hurts to lie down on. I have a few pair, but they all have the same problem. Fail.

Wrapping up, I promise.

Yesterday we did a push up challenge (how many in a minute) and ran a timed mile. I did "girly" push ups and definitely did them with bad form (flopped to the ground on the way down and arched my back to push up). But, I did 5 of them in a minute. Shame, shame, shame. Blech.

I was probably the only person there excited to do a timed mile. I haven't timed my mile yet, except use a 2-mile run that included a warm up walk and cool down walk. Anyway, yes, I was excited. It was familiar ground. I know my running pace and I know how I can do it. Yay familiar grounds!

What was my time? 13:07

Not amazing, but good. At that pace my 5K might have been at 40 minutes instead of 44 minutes; that number speaks to me. When ABC Linda called my time out as I crossed the finish line, I actually told her to shut up. I don't think she got it. =)

Here were my goal numbers going in: 12 minutes = no way. 14 minutes = meh. 15 minutes = too slow. So, I was between "meh" and "no way." Good place to be, I'd say.

OH, I forgot to mention that I did go for a run on Thursday evening. I stepped back to Week 2 of C25K and did okay. It wasn't a huge challenge, but my tired legs and sore muscles made it harder than it usually would have been. I kept a moderate pace (for me) the whole time, too, instead of just doing small strides for the sake of longevity. But I did get shin splints for the first time in a long time. What's that all about?

I might do one or two runs next week, but definitely none this weekend. What? ABC Brian (hi Brian!) told us not to in his newsletter. I'm just following directions, folks ...

Have a great holiday weekend!