Getting Frooty

On the odd occasion that I head out for a run in the morning, it's not uncommon to come across a group of tired and terrified looking group of people jumping up and down whilst being yelled at for not trying hard enough.

Yes I'll admit I'm only basing this on an extremely small sample size because by 'odd occasion' I actually mean hardly ever. Well, it's so hard to be motivated first thing in the morning what with all the sleeping that's to be done. And if they wasn't enough to fill your morning then there is the coffee. Well it won't just drink itself will it? With such a hectic morning routine it's not surprising that there's actually very little time to devote to putting on running shoes and heading out the door. I'd love to but it's just not possible. Honest!

But on the odd occasion that I have managed to squeeze in a few laps around the Domain between bouts of sleep and caffeine intake, I have been quite surprised that fellow early morning fitness fanatics would chose to eschew a nice cup of coffee for being shouted at by a burly bloke with a buzz cut. Why do they do it? If that wasn't bad enough, they pay for the pleasure. I can't imagine waking up early in the morning and thinking, "What I really need now is to put on some active wear and go and stand in the cold in the park and be shouted at. That's just the ticket!" It really makes me question their state of mind not to mention the quality of their coffee. 

But, despite the verbal abuse that these sessions bring, judging by the size and number of these groups, the Boot Camp business is booming.

Anyone who knows me will appreciate that I'm not the rebellious type and much prefer to keep my head down and get on with it, or hope that whatever it is goes away, whichever comes first. But I'm pretty sure that being shouted at whilst trying to come to terms with being in the park at some ungodly hour is likely to bring out the worst in me. Or best, depending on your point of view and attitude towards chaos. And for that reason, as well as a general sense of early morning apathy, I've given these group fitness sessions a wide berth.

Until this evening that is. Admittedly it was partly in response to being told by a physio that I should run less for a while (he might have actually said 'no running' but I wasn't really paying attention at this point and was already planning my next half marathon). But also because I felt the need to improve my overall general fitness without resorting to a gym membership, the aforementioned verbal abuse or indeed getting up early. Any of those three things is likely to send shivers down the spine of any well adjusted individual.

So on the recommendation of some friends, I turned up at my first Froot Camp. No that's not a typo. Why 'Froot' I hear you ask? Well I understand that it's because it's free. So it's a Free Boot Camp, or Froot Camp for short. But I rather think, after having completed my first session, that it's because it's a Friendly Boot Camp. Absolutely no shouting involved. Which is a relief.

And you would be excused for thinking that if it's free then it can't be as good as those you pay good money for. Admittedly, having never paid for the pleasure of being ridiculed in public, I don't have a reliable point of reference. But, if the effort that was needed to lift my iPad off my lap to type this blog was anything to go by, then I'd say it hit the target. With all too precise accuracy for my liking!

And it doesn't just stop at my arms. My legs are tired, my stomach muscles are wondering what they've done to deserve such a beating and the softness of my bed looks oh so inviting at the moment. And I still haven't taken off my running shoes. Just the thought of bending down that low is making me wince.

There is a lot to be said for training with a group of like-minded people, and proof that it doesn't have to be abusive, well in a verbal sense anyway and I'll definitely be back for more. And as for that half marathon I was planning? Well compared to Froot Camp it'll be a walk in the park.