Ellie, who is hosting me, works out at these 'boot camps' on Tuesday and Thursdays before and after school, and because I need to ride with her to school, I am also attending. It is more difficult than I expected, more difficult than the teacher workouts I've seen in America. Today, I did a lot of running, which I loathe, interspersed with weights training or other repetitive exercises such as burpeees, squats, and skipping rope.
Ellie and her husband, being ex-Army, are both really fit, but while I'm in the bottom tier of fitness, I'm also not alone there. And since I'm pretty strong underneath a layer of no-cardio, I don't think it will take too long before I can keep up with the other young'uns. And everyone is really supportive and kind, even the PI who runs the afternoon sessions, who has a reputation of yelling at participants to push themselves.
I'm very happy to be doing it, even when my muscles are screaming at me to stop. After all, one of my goals for this trip is to get in really good shape, and I know it will help a great deal when I start my hike. I'm less worried that Bethany will either leave me in the dust or be forced to slow down for me (although I'm sure she would do so without complaint, being the lovely friend that she is).