Masochism, but in a pretty place

So I feel that I just have to share my most recent physical exercise triumph. One of the Dad's at Emma's school is a personal trainer and he does his training on school grounds. In Em's first week one of the Moms was standing in the school yard, "naming and shaming" as she called it for people who should be doing "bootcamp".

Now yes - this is an army town, we have a British Army base here as well as a Kenyan one but still - bootcamp? Pulease!

At least that was my thought. But here is the thing. I am NO good at peer pressure. Standing at a new Mom's meet old Mom's coffee and eating large amounts of sticky iced chocolate cake while self-congratulating other Mom's told me how hard they had just worked and how they deserved the cake, I found myself crumbling, much like the cake in my mouth, and nodding my head vigorously at their comments. (Maybe if I nod hard enough I will work off the chocolate calories and not have to actually, ugh, exercise.)

On top of this my closest friend here keeps sending me damn texts about how she went for a run this evening. YES - you KNOW who you are. THEN, you know the pair of jeans you can always fit into, even when you are in the throes of PMS? Well the button was a challenge. I blame Nutella.

So anyway, I strong-armed Keir into accompanying me. Misery loves company. And we went to a bootcamp session called "get tyred" because you use tractor and car tyres for this particular kind of torture. We literally had to squat and lift and flip TRACTOR TYRES! They are heavy! And they smell! This was a Thursday. On Saturday we went to D's and she lives on the fourth floor with no lift. It took Emma and I 40 minutes to climb, thankfully Emma believes in taking breaks when tackling D's steps. I couldn't pee cos I couldn't sit, and then when I did I had to stay there and take advantage of being down because I couldn't get up again. Squats, with tyres! Oh and did I mention lunges? All kinds. Wanna make me cry? Say to me: "split lunges for 30."

I walked like a geriatric cowboy 'til Tuesday. Then I felt pretty good for two days and went back. Then I went on Tuesday. Today I thought - hey, maybe if I go again only two days after, the punishment will work out Tuesday's kinks? Wrong again chum. New kinks and I have decided water and wine and juice are all overrated. As is peeing.

Oh and the pretty place? We face Mt. Kenya while doing bootcamp. It is a beautiful mountain, often with rain and mist swirling around it. Sometimes cursing and spitting at it is the only thing that gets me through the jump lunges.