Lacing Up My Boots

When I began my journey in Team Weight Loss there was a class that met a couple times a week facing my Weight Loss class. The first word that came to mind about this class of people was: Intense. They didn't just run on the treadmills, they'd sprint at an incline. They didn't use the 15 pound and under dumbbells, they went and got dumbbells in upwards of 30 pounds to squat and flip over their head in one fluid motion. They were scary. I'm sure they were nice people, but they were scary.

During my time in Team Weight Loss, the Team Boot Camp as I found it out to be continued to be a bit scary. Scary is the wrong word. Intensely intimidating and yet inspiring in that "I'd never talk to them" sort of way. I was so far from their level of fitness and commitment that I couldn't even dream of being in that class. Then at the same time, I couldn't even imagine wanting to be in that class. Seriously, they flip tractor tires out back of the gym in nice weather.

After I graduated from Team Weight Loss to Team Fitness I'd pass the 6pm Boot Camp class and occasionally still see the 7pm 'Boot Campers'. I was still pretty convinced that tire flipping people weren't on the same wave length as me. Not even close. I have a lot of useless skills, like an absurd amount of useless trivia stored up in my brain, but flipping a tire seemed to rank even higher than my knowing WD-40 stands for "Water Displacement, 40th Formula/Attempt/Try". 

I'm not for certain, but I think I found myself becoming one of the stronger members of Team Fitness. Now no, I still couldn't do a pull up to save my life. I could however run at 7.0mph on the treadmill, or squat and lift the 15 pound weights up over my head in one fluid motion. 

Then it happened. I had to lace up my boots. Now, no, just because I'm in Team Boot Camp now, I'm not wearing my pink pleather combat boots. Don't get me wrong, I wear these boots on every occasion I can. Dress: I've done it. Skirt: I've done it. Jeans: Pfft, are you kidding me? To a meeting with regional bosses … yup, and they even liked them. To Team Boot Camp? Naw. 

Those nerves I had the first night of Team Weight Loss, they were the same nerves that were present on my first night of Team Fitness. Those nerves … also present my first night of Team Boot Camp. The nerves however, they went away quickly. I was suddenly one of those out back behind the gym tire flipping people. And much to my surprise … I could flip end over end the tractor tire. I wasn't fast about it, then again I'm not sure you can be fast about it. I guess you could run while doing it, but just having done it is near enough running to me.

It turns out the boot camp class that I used to feel intimidated by either wasn't that intimidating or I just didn't know what I might be capable of. And I'll admit, having talked to some of those boot campers … turns out, they aren't scary after all. As well I don't think I'm scary to anyone seeing me as a Team Boot Camper. But just in case, I've decided to leave my pink boots at home. Besides, I don't think they'd be that great to run in.