Boot Camp Workout: 1/23/08

Met the boot camp folks this morning for a workout at Centennial Park. It was interesting working out in the middle of downtown Atlanta with all of the buildings surrounding us. I know it's hard to believe, but that place is really quiet early in the morning. The workout went great considering it was cold and wet. I think the change in venue had everything to do with that. It was nice to be preoccupied with my surroundings instead of realizing how miserable I was rolling around on the wet grass.

Some of the exercises this morning felt great, others were painful. I can definitely tell an overall improvement in my body, but there is still much to be desired. I believe my abs and legs have probably gone through the biggest transition. Doing flutter kicks and ab bridges this morning felt much easier than before. I guess my running has improved my core and strengthened my abs. I used to struggle and exert all of my energy to do an ab bridge for 30 seconds. Doing one today seemed like a breeze. It felt great!

This was the first time I have worked out in over a week. Been real busy with work and haven't been able to find time to squeeze in any exercise time. Plus the snow over the weekend and frigid temperatures haven't exactly motivated me to get out there. This morning's workout was tough due to my inactivity, but I felt great afterwards. I can't wait for the next session of boot camp to begin on February 4th. I'm ready to get back in the swing of things.

Around Peachtree Battle 5K: 01/12/08

Ran the Around Peachtree Battle 5K this morning. Finished it in 29:02! That's 2:18 faster than my last 5K in December. I am so excited! I've called all of my friends and family today to brag on my latest accomplishment. They are all very impressed. I can't believe that I beat 30:00!

Personally, I was really shocked with my result. While running the very hilly course (and I mean very hilly), I thought that there was no way I would break my previous time. Thanks to my boot camp instructors Mari and Denny for hanging with me the whole time and helping me keep up a steady pace. I don't know if I could have done it without them. There were several times that I wanted to stop and walk for a little while, but they encouraged me to keep running and kept me going the whole time.

Let me add that my boot camp instructors make me finish the race strong. By "strong", I mean sprint the last stretch of the race. We turned it on for the last two tenths of the race this morning. It was tough, but sprinting up that hill and seeing the timer at the finish line was an incredible experience. I can't tell you how excited and shocked I was. Very tired and cold (it was really cold this morning when the race started) and seeing that timer just gave me even more motivation to finish strong. One friend of mine who finished the race a few minutes before me (he's a marathon runner by the way) noticed it and commented to me on it. That was a very nice compliment coming from such an avid runner and really made me feel good about my race time.

Not being in boot camp this month and having to work out on my own really had me worried about this race. I've been trying to run on my own most days of the week, but I haven't run this week since Tuesday morning. I can only imagine what kind of improvement I can make throughout this year once boot camp starts back up. I also can't wait for boot camp to start back up in February. With my progress so far, I'm excited to get back in the swing of things and start it back up. I've lost 25 lbs. since I started boot camp in October and I want to keep dropping weight.

Pictures

First Organized Run: 01/08/2008

Went on my first organized run of 2008 this morning with some folks from The American Boot Camp Company. Met some boot camp folks at IKEA and ran 3.5 miles around Atlantic Station in about 34 minutes. It felt great! Running with a group really helps me keep a faster pace compared to when I’m running on my own. Plus, the company is nice.

Most of the group was very impressed with my pace and stamina. Guess I can contribute that to jogging 3 miles almost everyday this month. I’ve been trying to, at the very least, jog each day. I really need to be doing more, but I’m really focused on this upcoming 5K this weekend. I wish boot camp was going on this month because I could really use the additional workouts and motivation to get up early in the morning. Plus, the instructors push us past our comfort zones and the workouts seem so much more intense.

I’ve got the Around Peachtree Battle 5K coming up this Saturday morning. Hope I can keep up my pace and run the race in around 30 minutes. I know some of the boot camp folks are going to be running in it as well. I’m sure they will be encouraging me during our run. I hope it’s not too cold. The forecast is calling for lows in the mid-30's.

Background Information

Let me give you a little bit of background information on me. My name is Hunter. I am a 30-year-old male living in Atlanta, Georgia. I am 6’0” tall and weigh 265 lbs. I am overweight. I have always been a little on the heavy side, but it has gotten worse over the past few years. I needed to make a change. I started trying to exercise in the evenings after work, but with my work schedule and other activities, I found it hard to get into a routine. I needed to try something else. One day, I got an email about The American Boot Camp Company and decided to give it a try. They were operating a boot camp not too far from my house and I signed up for it. I figured that working out in the morning was about the only way that I could get into any routine.

I showed up on that first day to boot camp and they tested us. They wanted to see how many push-ups and sit-ups we could do in a minute. Plus, we had to run a mile. Run a mile! I can’t tell you the last time that I had even attempted that distance! Well, I ran/walked a mile and it took me 14:42 to do it. Five weeks later I was down to a 9:39 mile time. After 9 nine weeks of boot camp, my lowest mile time has been 8:29. Can you believe that! Six minutes taken off my mile time in nine weeks! I was very impressed with my results.

My mile time has not been the only thing that I have seen results in. To this point, I have lost 25 pounds. I look much slimmer than I did previously. Everyone I know can see a difference and has commented on it. All of my pants are too big in the waist and my belts need a couple more holes punched in them in order for me to continue to wear them. This is a direct result from the combination of working out during boot camp and following a healthy eating plan which the boot camp instructors monitor daily.

As tough as it is to get up early in the morning and go and workout, I have really enjoyed it. The group dynamic of boot camp along with the constant guidance and encouragement of the boot camp instructors have really had a positive impact on my performance. I find myself constantly pushing to the edge of and beyond my comfort zone when working out. The boot camp workouts are so much more intense than any workout I have ever done on my own. I know it sounds crazy, but I enjoy doing the boot camp workouts more than working out on my own.

Welcome

Welcome to Boot Camp Hunter’s blog. I am an average guy living here in Atlanta and am about to start an incredible adventure. With the help of The American Boot Camp Company, I am going to run at least one race a month. Starting out small with a couple of 5K’s, I’m going to work myself up to 10K’s and possibly onto a sprint triathlon or ½ marathon. With the guidance of my boot camp instructors, I am going to make the transition from a regular guy into a runner. Using only morning boot camp workouts and a healthy eating plan to train, you can watch how I improve my overall fitness level, my race times and see how I become a life-long athlete in only a year.

Several weeks ago, one of the boot camp instructors called me and proposed to me this idea of being a blogger for The American Boot Camp Company. They want me to participate in at least one race a month and then write about it on a blog. Not too hard of a commitment, plus it gives me a goal to work towards each month. I told them I would do it, and here I am. I hope you will join me on this adventure over the rest of this year. I will be posting my thoughts and experiences during this adventure as well as my results from each race I participate in. Remember, we have something in common. I'm just like you. I am the guy that always comes up with excuses not to exercise; the guy that eats too much; the guy that has too much fun out at the bars; the guy whose weekends in the fall consist of nothing but football; the guy who's idea of exercise is walking 18 holes of golf. I am a regular guy who has decided to make a change. If I can do it, so can you.