As I’ve already established in previous posts, although I’m not very competitive I do love a good challenge. This morning’s 5:30am Boot Camp was exactly that- from my 4:40am start in to consciousness all the way through the 6:30am class finale.

We began by warming up on the treadmill but then were instructed to hit stop rather than pause as we usually do.  Next the instructor divided us in to 5 teams of 2 and explained our mission.  While 1 member of each team ran on the treadmill, the other would complete one of many abdominal or upper body circuits, tag the runner and switch places until all of the circuits were finished.  At the end, the team with the most treadmill miles logged would be the winner.

I felt a little sorry for my partner, but probably not worse than she did for being placed with me.  I started with the first circuit, calculating the most auspicious approach as I did 50 push-ups.  When I tagged my team mate, I quickly explained our strategy.  She hopped off the treadmill and looked at me like I was insane.  As I ran and caught a glimpse of my wild eyes in the mirror, I understood why.  But I really wanted this early morning victory, for both of us of course.  From that point on, I sprinted and switched and sprinted and switched, keeping my pearls of wisdom to myself.  I stayed focused, even as the instructor periodically checked and called out our mileage.  I might have broken concentration briefly to cheer or fist pump a couple of times, but still I kept my eye on the tiger.  And we won- beat even the team with the whippersnapper half my age and with legs twice as long.  Being a lunatic really driven has its advantages.