As I was driving to boot camp last night, I experienced an unspecified feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I kept flashing back to my Challenge manifesto-of-sorts and thinking “Was I on crack at the time I posted that?” (Answer, for those interested: No.) My brain started doing the frantic cat-in-a-bag clawing that I am all too familiar with at this point in my life.
There MUST be a way out.
*claw, claw*
No one will care if I come back with a post tomorrow about what a demented idea it was.
*scratch, scratch*
You are going to lose your mind if you haven’t already. Seriously. Go home to M and the Bean. Continue with the old way of doing things, and accept the likelihood of mediocre progress. It is your birthright!
*yowl*
At this point I had reached boot camp and it was really too late to turn around. Sometimes this will happen.
Throughout boot camp, I was in considerable gastrointestinal distress. I swear it was the Lean Pocket I ate for lunch. (When I mentioned this to M, he wasn’t surprised. “No one really knows what’s in those things.” It is true that the “chicken” in the pocket resembles meat plywood more than anything else.)
The upshot is that I had a bad stomach cramp and felt like puking off and on throughout the workout—especially after the sprints! Still, I did my best to keep up with the exercises and avoid Coach’s evil eye.
As I limply dragged myself back to my car afterward, I reflected that boot camp must have something in common with childbirth. They say that the only reason women have more than one child is because they are blessed with forgetting the excruciating pain of labor, remembering only the joy of holding their new infant. Driving home, I knew I’d be heading back to boot camp for my Thursday night session, despite the fact that I had spent much of the last hour on the verge of vomiting over the edge of a parking garage. It’s all very strange.
In short: I am still committed to my 12-Week Tiny Glow Fat Loss Challenge. In fact, I am getting my initial body comp analysis done tomorrow at 8 AM!
4. February 2010 at 11:33 AM
Sounds a lot like childbirth to me! When I was in early stages of pregnancy I remember thinking, there’s no turning back now, I have to go through the dreadful act of giving birth whether I like it or not. I felt like a trapped animal with no way out.
Childbirth is definitley worth all that pain. Quite similar to boot camp. All the pain will be worth the great results that you’ll get.
Keep up the good work, 1/2 the battle is just showing up!
5. February 2010 at 4:00 PM
Well, I haven’t experienced the agony and the ecstasy that is childbirth, but I’m happy to take your word for it ;). Thanks for the props and I definitely agree that showing up is often the toughest part of any challenge.
4. February 2010 at 12:16 PM
Funny analogy!
5. February 2010 at 4:07 PM
Thanks! I really have no idea what I’m talking about most of the time but that metaphor just jumped out at me.
4. February 2010 at 1:42 PM
I agree with Tina, that showing up is half the battle….only I think that it’s most of the battle. Once you’re there it’s not like you’re going to stand around and be all half assed about it, you’re going to do it to the best of your ability that day (some days are better than others). Once you’re there, it’s sort of implied that you agree to kick it. And really, once you’re doing it, it’s not that bad, sometimes the anticipation of doing it is worse than the actual activity. Just don’t let that evil Hilary in your head start giving you rationalizations that turn into excuses. Tell her to zip it!
5. February 2010 at 4:01 PM
Shanny: Yes, for me, showing up is a huge part of the battle to improve my life. I have had a long history of not showing up, which takes time to overcome. I’m happy to say that I’ve made a good start, though!
4. February 2010 at 4:12 PM
Okay your bootcamp sounds tough! Childbirth is very tough, I can tell you that as I’ve been through it three times…
Where do I sign up for bootcamp? LOL
5. February 2010 at 4:03 PM
Not all CrossFit affiliates offer boot camps (as opposed to regular Crossfit classes), but I do think CrossFit could be a great fit for you! On the lower lefthand side of the page I’m linking to below, you can view affiliates by state/location:
http://www.crossfit.com/cf-affiliates/
Rock on, AFG!
4. February 2010 at 4:14 PM
I am so proud of you! It sounds worse than childbirth to me! I cant wait to hear all about your transformation!
5. February 2010 at 4:04 PM
Thanks, Amy! I’m looking forward to sharing my little personal experiment here over the next few months :).
4. February 2010 at 4:44 PM
Kudos to you for not turning around. You’ve inspired me to start looking into local bootcamps, but I’m not quite sure if I’m ready for it.
5. February 2010 at 4:05 PM
Thanks for the props, Zan! I know that for me, I wasn’t ready to do a formal exercise program like a boot camp when I first started in September. That wasn’t the right time for me. But as you may have seen on the blog, I’ve slowly moved in the direction as I exercised on my own . . . and now it seems like I *am* ready! Best of luck to you, whatever avenue of fitness you pursue!
5. February 2010 at 8:06 AM
I’m a freak: I *loved* childbirth (completely med-free). As soon as Sonny was out, I looked over at his dad and said, “That was SOOOOO cool! When can we do it again?” So, yes. A freak. The aftermath (inspecting the uterus for the placenta)? THAT hurt like a *#($%&!!!!.
Anyway, now that I’ve way overshared: some things we just have to do, no matter how difficult. If we managed to learn to walk and talk as infants, then there’s little we can attempt as adults that would be harder than that. And when was the last time you saw an 11-month-old try to walk, fall down, and then give up?
You’re doing GREAT, Hilary. Really.
5. February 2010 at 4:06 PM
Hot Mother: Holy crap, you are a birthing MACHINE!! (I mean that in a complimentary, extremely awed kind of way, in case you are wondering.) You are tough! Boot camp would probably be a walk in the park for you ;).
6. February 2010 at 10:53 AM
Walk in the park? I don’t think so. I’ve just got the nice, wide-set birthing hips (as we call ‘em in the family). And my easy labor was a trade-off for the 30 weeks of morning, noon, and night sickness).
Boot Camp, on the other hand, I imagine I’d love in the same way I love getting dental work (which is to say, not at all).