The Winter Pineapple Classic

 

On a surprisingly pleasant Sunday morning in mid-November, three thousand one hundred and thirty five (3135!) individuals ran a 5k race for charity. But not just any race, and not just for any charity. The Winter Pineapple Classic 5k, an annual and long-anticipated event here in Seattle, is an obstacle course in Magnuson Park raced by teams of 2-4 people to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All of the money raised goes to cancer research and to assist the families of patients and survivors of blood cancers. There are costumes, there are the requisite pineapples (which teams must bring along with them for the entirety of the course), and there is a luau and beer garden at the finish line. All in all, the Winter Pineapple Classic is a damn good time.

 

We were Team Obamanos!, colourfully-clad advocates of our President-Elect. I had almost as much fun shopping for costume elements with fellow teammate JJW as I did actually running the race. I think the photos speak for themselves, so the only things I’ll point out are our Burger King crowns and our t-shirts that feature the face of Obama on the body of a hula girl. We may be political, but we can still be politically incorrect!

 

The race is run in heats, and we were fortunate enough to be assigned the sleep-in/hang-over starting time of 1:30pm. While this did mean that there was little food for us at the finish line, it did allow for a productive Sunday morning (as I neither slept-in nor was hung over). The course starts and ends at an old airplane hanger at the center of Magnuson Park (this is also where you’ll find the post-race the luau, complete with sand and volleyball net). Along the way, we encountered cement sewage pipes to crawl through, PVC pipe hurdles, tires, hay bales, a free-climb rock wall and several other walls of varying heights. Other than when conquering the obstacles, I am proud to say that we ran the entire course, leaving smurfs, fishheads and grass-skirted men in our dust.

 

I had a phenomenal time, and am so very grateful to the friends, family and co-workers that sponsored our team. You can still donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (we are fundraising through December 5th) by visiting this site. Go Team Obamanos! and I’ll see you there next year!

(Check out the Seattle PI’s slide show)

Update: My official time was 31 minutes, 46 seconds. I came in 880th out of a possible 3135 runners. Nice!

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Morning Musings…

B and I met at 5:50 this morning to do a little circuit training session of our own (bootcamp is on a 2-week hiatus). We included some serious stair running in our workout today – those Greenlake bleachers are challenging! But by far the most rewarding part of our morning was watching a perfect sunrise over the lake as we trained. We arrived at the south lake parking lot while it was still dark, and witnessed the beginning of a beautiful late-summer day. The water must have turned every shade of yellow, purple and blue. Sure makes the sweat and struggle worthwhile!

I watched Rudy Giuliani and Governor Sarah Palin’s speak at the Republican National Convention last night. I’m just so frustrated by the GOP’s continuing glorification of the “lowest common denominator.” They both subtly and explicitly encourage and support mediocre intelligence. It is as if it is actually a sign of liberalism and weakness to be intelligent. Now I know there are innumerable members of the party that are quite smart; however, the party line seems to be one that assumes voters don’t want to be smart themselves. How are we supposed to make any headway in our public schools, in our children’s aptitude for learning, or over the ever-increasing and well-earned brain drain to China and India when intelligence is mocked and vilified?

I also found the attacks on Obama tacky and irrelevant. While the Democrats spared no criticism of the Republicans during their own convention, their remarks were policy and politics-specific. They did not question the patriotism of their GOP opponents, nor did they make personal attacks on their opponents’ pasts (I realize that Palin’s family history has been aired since her nomination; however, these were not leaks advocated by the Obama campaign itself. Please don’t think I’m naïve enough to think that some Democrats aren’t playing dirty politics. But I do know that such dirty politics are not – unlike on the Republican platform – part of the official strategy).

Watching the Democratic Convention filled me with hope. Watching the Republican equivalent made me want to pack my bags and beg Vancouver to lower its cost of living…

Update: Check out these responses to McCain and the convention. I particularly appreciate the NY Times editorial:

“The Real John McCain”

“Educating the GOP: A Photo History of Community Organizers”

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Homework Assignment: Discovery Park

Every Wednesday evening, I log into my e-mail account to find the upcoming weekend’s homework. Yes, that’s correct: homework doesn’t end with graduation, my friends. In fact, I would argue that it gets more challenging as you move beyond the supervision and expectations of an academic institution.  

 

Kimae Dolan, boot camp instructor extraordinaire, sends out weekly e-mails that prescribe recommended workouts for her participants. First-timers (or “newbies,” as I’ve affectionately termed them) receive one set of instructions, while we “returnees” receive a more challenging set. And while Kimae never grades us on our homework, while she never questions whether we have followed any of her suggestions, the first few minutes of cardio and abs on Monday morning make one palpably aware of just how much (or little) of the homework one completed.

 

At boot camp, you are your own(only) evaluator.  I suppose that is why responsibilities are so much more challenging without a thesis advisor breathing down your neck, without faculty requirements to adhere to. Here in Seattle, in the 25th year of my life I am accountable solely to myself. Any successes or failures belong entirely to my efforts (or lack thereof). There are days when I find this pressure invigorating, even overwhelming with its inherent possibility. Yet there are the inevitable other days where I seek out my scapegoats and try to pass the buck. 

 

On Sunday I rose to Kimae’s homework challenge, and embarked on a 2.8 mile run along Discovery Park’s Loop Trail. What an absolutely beautiful route that is! The Loop Trail is almost absurd in the vistas it offers: the rolling, grassy hills lope slowly towards a cliff’s edge, the Olympic peaks silhouette the sailboats scattered about the Puget Sound, and an unassuming lighthouse supervises the entire scene. The U.S. Army houses its reserves and a training base in Discovery Park, but you’d never know you were circumambulating federal soil. The barracks are subtle, the training grounds hidden from public access, and visitors are left alone to explore the park’s 12 miles of trails. A lap around Loop Trail and thirty minutes of circuit training in the South Parking Lot (there’s a great patch of grass for sprint sets) left me grateful for the adventurous potential in an e-mail homework assignment.

 

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Boot Camp!

5:20am. Alarm goes off. Snooze for two minutes. Fight with yourself about why on earth you’re getting up this early. Creep out of bed, trying to wake neither partner nor pooch.

5:50am. You and 15-25 other women gather at Greenlake Park with yoga mats, weights and sleep still crusted in the corners of your eyes. Rain or shine, thunderstorms or gusting winds, you’re all there together. You are met by an incredibly energetic woman with an encouraging smile. She somehow contains the power to motivate you through an hour of the most challenging and rewarding workout you’ve ever experienced, all before the clock strikes 7am. Welcome to Kimae Dolan’s Seattle Weight Loss Boot Camp.

Evidently boot camps have been an oft-discussed fad in recent health and fitness magazines. But I’d never heard of them until my uncle in Toronto started attending an all-male fitness boot camp this spring. He raved about his change in attitude, his increased strength and cardio-capacity. I thought I’d love to try something like that, but could not imagine ever finding a reason to get up so damn early.  But just before I moved to the Emerald City,  one of Gene’s good friends asked if I’d be interested in joining her at an all-women’s bootcamp. She’d already been through four weeks, and definitely wanted to return. I agreed, hoping that the combination of cost and an obligation to meet up with a friend would get my butt out of bed. As it turns out, boot camp itself would (almost always) prove reason itself to wake up.

Over four weeks, Kimae helps you to gain strength, tone and confidence through consistently challenging circuit training. She emphasizes form to help avoid injury, explains the benefits of each exercise, and tailors each workout to ensure a full-body workout. Before I started bootcamp, I had not had a consistent cardio regimen in almost a year. While in India, I practiced yoga regularly; however, I did not keep up with my running or cycling habits. Within four weeks, I had greatly increased my lung capacity, and was back to running 3 miles and taking long bike rides without gasping for breath. At bootcamp you can also expect to do hundreds of different types of crunches (I used to avoid ab work like the plague), push-ups galore and weighted arm work. And while I am not a “boot camper” to lose weight, many of the women out there with me do have such goals, and they all seem very encouraged by their results.

The term “boot camp” is almost misleading in regards to Kimae’s program. She doesn’t yell or scream or belittle you. Instead, she shouts out encouragement and ensures that you are working without strain or pain. She also structures the hour in such a way that women of all fitness levels can get a great workout. I’m definitely at a higher level, and I find that the longer I’m at bootcamp, the harder it gets. The program is also such that you get out of it what you put in; in other words, it will always be as challenging and effective as you allow it to be. How empowering!

Finally, the most enjoyable aspect of Kimae’s program, and the real reason why I will continue to return is my fellow boot campers. There is something deeply inspiring about dozens of women rising with the sun to take care of their bodies (and minds)! I’ve watched women grow with me in strength and confidence. There are always women out there who are faster and stronger than I am, and these ladies challenge me to push myself every morning. Having B there (friend who first introduced me to boot camp) is also incredibly motivating, as that girl kicks butt with the weights and push-ups. I’ve met a bunch of great women through boot camp, and would highly recommend it as a way to increase your fitness level and meet other dynamic, energetic women. To quote Kimae, get out there and play!

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