Because I went to the rodeo yesterday (Calgary Stampede is in town, folks...howdy...), I missed my usual Wednesday night boot camp. However, Trainer Josh also trains out of North Glenmore Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so off I went. Holy killer!!! We started with a quick warm-up of jogging, high-knees, butt-kicks and then it was off down the barfy trail. Now, we used to follow one in Edworthy, but we haven't run it in ages. I knew we were in trouble when I. (who goes to boot camp like 10 times a week!) said "oh no, here we go"...uh-oh! We picked up our weights and off we ran - the park is criss-crossed with bike trails, running trails, picnic sites, and big fields all surrounding our reservoir - stopping along the way to do squats, shoulder presses, dips, push-ups, jumping jacks with shoulder presses (oh, you haven't lived if you haven't done these!) all before heading to the stairs. An official, real staircase!! Since we were at the top, we ran down and up, and while the others took off up a near-by hill, Josh had me stick to the stairs. After everyone was together again, we grabbed our weights and made our way back to the mats. I was one hot, sweaty mess, and there was still 30 minutes left in class. Rounded out the class with a whole lot of working, between push-ups, more squats, pendulum lunges, flies, rows, curls, sprints, etc. I am already feeling it in my back, and I'm seriously concerned that I won't be able to pick up my coffee cup tomorrow!!
The downside of the Calgary Stampede...alcohol. Now, I partake. I enjoy my pint of Guinness once a week on Wednesdays, but for many Calgarians, Stampede equals 10 days of non-stop drinking. Then I, as a downtown dweller who lives all of 10 blocks from the grounds, get to listen to the fights, things being thrown around, the screaming matches, tires squealing, cars racing up and down the road, and then every evening around 11, the fireworks. There's a big fireworks show every night to end the evening performance, and while it usually sounds like thunder, some nights it's just loud and annoying. But not nearly as bad as the drunks...can't wait to see what most have left lying around on my lawn. Yuck...
Happy that tomorrow is Friday. Boot camp in the works (hoping for a Douglas Fir visit) and then a good hike in the mountains on Saturday, but in serious bear country. I admit to being a touch nervous, but I did go and get some bells and spray, and I'm sure we'll be just fine, as the path should be busy. The bears are smart...I think they know when it's the weekend and they high-tail it for higher ground. Or they all head to the city for a little shopping while we all rush out to the mountains. Funny, no?!
Later,
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