Mason Mill Park Boot Camp: Making a Runner out of me

Hey Sonja –

I wanted to let you know how awesome Cyndi was today on our long run. I can run. It has always been something that I can do….but, I am a lazy runner. I have mental issues which you have had to endure over the past 5 months which include but are not limited to:

I have to run with a walkman
You can’t run in front of me ( I will get all tense and drop back…literally, I stop breathing and panic)
I hate to run by myself (but god forbid if I run with someone who runs in front of me!)
I don’t like to run by the same thing twice

Today, my knee hurt and at every step, it hurt more. So, that gave me another great excuse to plod along and mentally ‘gripe’.

So, here comes Cyndi. Yes, I wanted her to go away, but she didn’t. I tried to complain about my knee and she said ‘so what’, you are out here, give it your best. I told her I didn’t have music and she told me a could pick a song and she would sing it (she didn’t like my choice though). So, through all my griping…she pushed me harder. She gave me running tips I never knew but always wanted to know! She encouraged me, got my mind off of the mental issues I deal with on a daily basis and overall, I think I had my best run in 5 months of the ‘long run’. My theory in the past was always to start slow and go slower. At boot camp, that just doesn’t fly. I am a ‘vet’ but I still have so much further to go. You think that at a point, it just becomes a plateau, but it doesn’t. The instructors will always find a spot to help you improve, to help you be your best. And that is why I come back to Boot Camp, day after day, month after month.

A big thank you to Cyndi this morning! Not only did I have a great run, but I learned some great things along the way about running and myself!

A.L.



(p.s. I am breaking a 9 minute mile on Friday J)

The instructors really make boot camp special at Mason Mill

I wanted to take a moment to tell someone how wonderful it is to have ‘The American Boot Camp Company’ at Mason Mill Park. The Boot Camp brings great energy to the area. It is a wonderful way for people to interact with one another of all ages, races and backgrounds. It is perfect for a county that believes a park is not only important to quality of life, but it promotes a healthier lifestyle for residents and it does make ‘Dekalb a great place to live, work and play’! It is refreshing to live in a county that allows this activity to take place and lives by the words they promote.

The park is adjacent to my neighborhood, where I can walk to ‘Boot Camp’ in the morning (so keeping the air clean by no car on the road…a double win!). I never knew the Boot Camp existed before I saw one of their signs, but once I enrolled, I found the instructors to be so wonderful and motivating it makes it hard to miss a work out. I am also impressed how respectful they are to others who are visiting the park understanding this is a place for everyone to enjoy. I think some of the on-lookers are very intrigued with what we are doing in the morning. Maybe the next ‘Boot Camp will be for seniors! They seem to want to get involved too. I hope they do!!

Thank you for bringing this great concept to Mason Mill Park. I wanted to make sure the good things you all do for our county don’t go unnoticed.

Kind regards,

Amy L.

It's All About the Numbers

What makes me leave a warm bed at the unholy hour of 5:00 a.m. to roll around in dew soaked grass, do weird things called “butt kickers”, “hell raisers” or “super stars”. I do it because of my numbers; 9, 147, 267, and 3.

9- Every night before going to bed I dump 9 different prescription medications in my hand and chase them with water. Out of these 6 are to help control my diabetes, and three are for high cholesterol. I hate pills, they are easy for the Dr. to prescribe but harder to get off of than crack cocaine. This number has been on a steady increase over the last 5 years, I am closing in on my 70 year old mothers daily intake of 16 pills. It is time to change.

147- My pre boot camp fasting blood glucose readings. The Dr. keeps telling me he wants me below 110 but I have NEVER averaged that low, and I have never seen a single reading below 100. There are 2 things that scare the hell out of me. First is I feel like I am following in my Mother’s footsteps, I was diagnosed about the same age that she was, and I have patterned the same worsening glucose levels, but the rest of the story is that she suffered a crippling stroke in her early 50’s and soon after became insulin dependent. The second thing is how my doctor keeps telling me I am at the same risk for a heart attack as someone in their early 40’s that has already had one. It is time to change..

267- My weight. Recently reviewing my weight the doctor’s office pointed out I have gained a pound a month over the last three years. It is time to change…

3- My wife and 2 children. The obvious reason is to be around to see them mature and grow. The less obvious but equally important is to show them they do not have to go down the same path I have with my health.

In 5 weeks my numbers have changed. 9 is now 8 not a big difference, but less is an accomplishment.
147 is now 115 I have seen several readings under 110 and even one under 100. That’s just 5 weeks!
267 is now 255 not bad considering how much muscle I have gained!
3 is now multiplied to include a group of people who get out of bed at 5:00 a.m. and stumble down to boot camp with The American Boot Camp Company at Mason Mill park to be healthier. It has also multiplied to include Sonja, Cyndi, Natalie, Joe, Dale, Beth, Jen, and Regina the friends (i.e. instructors) who never miss a chance to encourage, struggle, and laugh with me.
I have paid the gym memberships and never gone. I have bought the exercise equipment that rusted away. Know I have found friends who will work with me to reach my numbers.

If I can so can you! HooAhh!
Scott