Ah, the memories...

I have posted a few pics of Ian's graduation to Facebook and the rest have been uploaded into the pics on my profile. It was amazing that Ian and I could relate about the "good times" at boot camp. Although his boot camp was a great deal more vigorous and 100 times more physically challenging, we were able to share our little stories and bond. Ian thanked me for teaching him the trick of laying under your bed with your fingers laced in the springs to catch a quick nap on the floor. If anyone catches you napping, you were merely squaring away the sheets under the bed and they cannot really yell at you for trying to keep your bed extra sharp looking. He did not use my hint of going to church to nap, as he found it far easier to just crawl under his bed.

Ian said he enjoyed the experience and felt he was better for it. I said that I was happiest knowing I was finished and would not have to do it again. We both agreed that the best two words to describe boot camp, in any branch, are sleep deprived!

Sideways

I was having a difficult time falling asleep a few weeks back and I found myself turning sideways on the bed. I didn't think much of it the first time, but when I realized it was becoming a reoccuring thing, it gave me pause. It was like whenI was constipated and figured that taking off my clothes and being naked would somehow help matters. I chaulked it up to some sort of weird primal thing and just went with it. The other night it finally dawned on me that by turning sideways, I was moving out of the hot spot in search of a cooler spot on the bed. Because I only have a double, there is no cool side so I was turning sideways.

A Better Time

My first night of bootcamp, I ran (read walked) half a mile and then they tested us to provide us with a baseline. I ran (again, read walked) 1.0 miles, half a mile at a time, did 40 deep knee bends (allegedly), did 30 killer sit-ups (allegedly), 20 push-ups (not even going to pretend on this one), and 10 squat thrusts (kinda). My time was 23:18 minutes. I barely did any of the exercises and I pretty much walk most of the way. I was a hurting cowgirl for 2 days following that little "test". But, I survived and kept going back for more.

Last night was our "final exam". I was able to mostly run the entire 1.5 miles, do all of the exercises, albeit not as well as the young kids, and live to tell the tale. I had the most improved time. My new time was 18:30. Not bad for the fat old lady bringing up the rear huh? The young kids who were able to keep up with all the exercises barely improved their times. Some shaved as little as 10 seconds off their time. This only confirms my theory that, for the most part, the kids in the class were not all that bad off to begin with.

Next stop is yoga. I bought yet another Groupon and will try my hand at yoga. This ties into my long-term fitness goals that started by purchasing a yoga mat 2 years ago and a bag to carry my mat in last year. Baby steps, don't wanna hurt myself by going to fast. After all, who in their right mind would sign up for a fitness bootcamp that starts at the end of July in an outdoor park?

Head Down

They keep yelling at me in bootcamp to run with my head up. I find myself looking down at the path directly in front of me. I find that I prefer to see the steps in front of me then to look up and realize I am not even close to the end of my journey. It seems to be a habit I developed while doing the whole BC thing. Rather then realize that the whole process of 3 surgeries, 8 doses of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation, would take a whole year to complete, I tried to think of just one thing at a time. How much longer to the next procedure? How many doses had I completed and how many I had remaining. By keeping my eyes on only the next procedure/dose/step, I was able to stay focused and not panic. It is the same when I am working out. By keeping my eyes focused on the next few steps I can keep going at my slow but steady pace.

I am not the fastest, but I always finish, even if it is in last place. I accept this. The other thing that helps motivate me is the fact that I am almost twice as old as everyone else in the class. I could be their mother. Considering my age, condition and myriad of medical issues, I think I am doing pretty damned good. I hope to use this momentum to keep going and lose some serious weight. I sat on my fat ass long enough for 3 people, so it is time to get moving and stay moving.

Stupid Ideas

People traveling to India for medical procedures have brought back to Britain a new gene that allows any bacteria to become a superbug, and scientists are warning this type of drug resistance could soon appear worldwide.

WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD THINK ABOUT GOING TO INDIA OR PAKISTAN FOR MEDICAL PROCEDURES????? That is the BEST place you can think of to go for a tummy tuck??? REALLY?

Fitness bootcamp update

I was able to go to acupuncture last night and was hoping for a reallllly good nights sleep. No such luck. I was woken up at least twice hot as hell and sweating like a horse. Oh well, maybe it will be better tonight? One must keep up the hope part of their life.

Fitness bootcamp is tonight and it is hot and muggy out. The part that sucks the most is the bugs. I am not just talking millions of mosquitos, I am talking those damned biting flies. It is hard to think about working your muscles properly when a small creature is biting them. Oh well, this week and next and then I am going to try yoga. Yoga is indoors, does not involve running and is supposed to be better for me. We shall see.

Night Sweats

GF, I now feel your pain! I can go to bed at 9, wake up at 8:30 and still not feel rested even with a sleeping pill. With everything going on in my life, and all of the house guests, acupuncture has taken a back seat. As soon as my Michael leaves I am back on that horse.

Stupid People

I was reading the news and came across two stories that back my claim that stupidity should be the test for procreating.

A woman was pulled from the lake in the early morning hours by fishermen when the group she was partying with on a boat decided to ALL jump off the boat at 1:30 am to go for a swim. Apparently the boat floated away and it looks like 2 of the four drowned. First of all, drinking and boating REALLY don't mix any more then drinking and driving. Second of all, I thought it was basic common boating sense to either a) anchor the boat before ALL jumping off or b) leaving one idiot behind to rescue the others or at least call for help.

A man, fleeing the scene of an accident, blew a stop sign and crashed into.........wait for it..........a police car. The cop has his police lights activated at the time. The man was charged with aggravated DUI, reckless driving, etc. It doesn't say what time the accident happened, but it is my guess, it was after 10:00 pm. Which reminds me of another story.

A young high school student was killed by a drunk driver as he pedaled home from a convenience store. The student was a good kid, well liked and apparently doing well in school. He was struck and killed around 1:30 am.

Every single time I read the papers about someone getting robbed, shot, mugged, etc., the first thing I do is note the time of the crime. Almost EVERY SINGLE TIME the incident occurs after 10:00 pm (more like after midnight) and before 6:00 am. What is it with stupid people and being out after dark? Does the darkness beget stupidity or merely attract it?

All of these incidents are tragic, but tragically, they were all avoidable. Who the hell goes out boating on a lake at 11:30 pm? REALLY?

This just in: Two teens were shot over the weekend after a confrontation between two groups in downtown Evanston, police said. The teens, 16 and 17, were discovered at about 11:42 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Benson Avenue and Davis Street, said Evanston Police Commander James Pickett.

I REST MY CASE!

I live another day

So far, almost 2 weeks (3 classes a week, 5 actually attended) and I they have not manged to kill me yet. It isn't like they haven't tried, but so far, I live to tell another tale. Most of the class members are in the early to mid 20's. One of my coworkers joined the class with me and he is in his early 30's. He is barely able to keep up with the rest of the class. He was surprised to see that I was staying abreast of the class (every pun intended) and I explained to him that I was managing to keep up because I don't do the same exercises as the rest of the class and I cheat like hell. I have pulled my cancer/chemo card out of storage and taped it to my forehead. I have not done any exercise in over a year and nothing really physical either. I have no upper body strength left because just about all of the muscles in my chest were sliced and I wasn't doing any upper body work.

So, my secret is that I do a modified version of the exercises they assign and I cheat like hell. When the instructors are not looking I am walking or standing. If they are told to do 30 reps, I may do 25. No matter how I do it, I will just keep doing it for another 2 weeks. My next step is yoga. I got a groupon for 4 weeks of unlimited yoga. We shall see.