Yes, I spent last weekend in Buxton on a Bootcamp weekend and actually, I had a really good weekend.
I arrived in Stockport to get a lift with a woman I've never met to go off to a YHA hostel just outside of Buxton to be shouted and exercised at by complete strangers. Proof indeed that I have a weird side... Thankfully, Hall Bank in Hartington is beautiful - a 17th Century manor where Bonnie Prince Charlie apparently once had his own room. I was one of a dozen women who'd come for the whole weekend - a Friday - Sunday bootcamp extravaganza! We started with fitness tests and boxercise, and by that point I'd had enough.
It's fair to say Boxercise was a proper work out - far harder than I'd thought it would be watching other people do it. Add in the ducking and diving and pasta salad for me and I had the dubious honour of being the first (OK, only!) person to throw up during bootcamp. One session in!! First session and I was going woozy, turning pale and throwing up in the toilet. If I'd been closer to home, I think that would have been the point to admit defeat, decide i couldn't do it and go home. Harder to do when you're stranded in the countryside and everyone is really supportive and lovely. Well, except my partner at the prospect of me throwing up on her, but she was definitely encouraging me to have a rest :)
Some cold water, a break and some sheer bloodymindedness and I was back on it, as well as the circuits (apparently burpies also make me feel sick!) and stretches and one hell of a work out. Circuits were definitely more fun than boxing, especially with a reprieve from Steve on those blasted burpies.
By the time we'd had a shower and some food, all most of us could muster was the sofa in the lounge (although there might have been a couple of escapees to the local pub!) and we had a lazy night getting to know one another a little better and talking about food! Not helped by the lovely smells of dinner coming from the adjacent restaurant. I made the responsible decision to have a non alcoholic drink at the bar, but may have weirded out the barman slight by telling him I was having an argument with my inner devil. The devil wanted deluxe hot chocolate, perhaps with a whiskey chaser. I ended up with soda water. I'm so good / so not worth undoing the torture of bloody boxercise so soon!
Saturday started with lots of sore bits and an interval "run" - which meant running only down hills and only when Louise was looking. As well as lots of different classes, I also unfortunately learnt how to do burpies without being sick as Louise proved she's definitely the tougher trainer (I'd managed anything like star jumps by closing my eyes, but it's impossible to do burpies like that). Apparently the answer is a fixed point of view, like when you're travel sick in the car and hurrah, I'm cured of my allergy to burpies. Oh joy!!!
The classes were all tough, but the team were great, with a few extra ladies who'd joined us for the last two days. Team games were fun - especially beating the others at tug-of-war even with Steve on their side. Even being on the end of the tug of war as the biggest on the team didn't bother me the way it usually would have - it felt much more like just a face rather than a defining aspect of me.
The day was hard, really hard, and there were several times when I felt close to my limit - close to my body not being able to carry on and do what was being asked of it but i battled on, with the encouragement of Steve and Louise who are great trainers, and the support of the wider team. Whenever one of us was struggling, we were all there to encourage each other and keep each other going, sharing a laugh or a grimace of pain and giving each other the strength to persevere.
Seven hours of training is more than I would have thought I could do, but in actual fact I never reached that limit i assumed I had - it seems my body can do a lot more than I gave it credit for.
The highlight of Saturday was definitely the rather painful sports massage, I could feel the future pain coming out and easing away. It might not have felt like that every time I got up from the sofa that evening, but I knew when I got up Sunday that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it would have been without it! I'd actually like to pack her in my suitcase and take her to Nepal with me!!
Saturday night was another sofa night with X Factor and a second early night - we definitely were not the party princesses of Buxton but at least there was hot chocolate for a hard days work!
A lovely Sunday dawned with clear skies and an early walk through the countryside followed by an interval "run" than even Louises encouragmenet couldn't turn into a run. It might have only been a half day, but they made sure we worked hard to the end and everyone put their every last effort in to the final sessions.
It was a weekend of hard sweat and at least once nearly tears (honestly, I'm not sure my thighs could have burnt more without bursting in to flames) but also laughter and friendship and for all of us the proof that we can push ourselves further and harder, achieve more than we thought we could.
For me, it showed me that even when I think I can't give any more, I can. My body can do what I need it to, and that better mean 10 days working and climbing my butt off in Nepal!
You can donate towards the 50k whg has committed to raising for Homeless International here at http://tinyurl.com/sponsorcharlfornepal or by texting HOMELESS to 70099. You will be charged £2, plus one message at your standard network rate. 100% of your donation will be received by whg and passed on to Homeless International (registered charity number 1017255.
Your own Motivate Bootcamp weekend can be booked here: https://motivatebootcamp.co.uk/
No comments:
Post a Comment