Holy Hip Flexor

I'm in pain.

Muscles I didn't even know I had hurt like hell. There are two reasons for this.

First, I signed up for boot camp at my gym. I've been having some trouble motivating myself to train for this mountain ridge run I'm doing in August. So I decided I needed some structure. The woman who cuts my hair talked me into signing up for boot camp. She said it kicks your ass and gets you in shape. So I signed up. It's M/W/F at 6 in the morning. Monday was the first day. Not bad at all. In fact, I was disappointed. I didn't even feel challenged. But Wednesday morning was a different story. I wouldn't describe it as brutal. But I would say it's hard, exhausting, and challenging. Still, I like it. It's a good feeling. There's something strangely satisfying about physically punishing yourself early in the morning.

That's one reason why I'm sore. The other? I took the physical exam for firefighters in Montana. Every year, wannabe firefighters in the state converge on Bozeman for testing. The physical exam is a 10 minute course of various physical challenges (climbing a stairmaster with a 75 lb. vest strapped on, dragging a 185 lb. dummy across the floor, simulating the act of breaking down a wall with a sledgehammer, etc.) I went down to the testing center to do a story for the news. The guys down there were gracious enough to send me through the course. Brandon, our technical director, was there with camera in hand to film it. Again, I wouldn't say it was brutal. It was hard though. The good news? I actually passed....and literally without a second to spare. Applicants have to finish within 10 minutes 20 seconds. That was my exact time. Not bad for someone who didn't train for it at all.

So yeah, I'm sore. And there's still more boot camp on Friday, a golf tournament that same day, and I'm running a 3 mile race in downtown Bozeman on Saturday. Talk about baptism by fire when it comes to getting in shape.

In other news, congratulations to my wonderful colleague Beth Saboe. She just got engaged to her boyfriend of several years, Aaron. Good luck guys!