TRAINING DAY #5: TCRP X SWEAT X 3rd TIME’S A CHARM

April 4, 2012

TCRP2012 Training Sesh #5!25th March 2012, 830am, Singapore Botanical Gardens.

Dragging my lazy self out of bed on an early Sunday morning was akin to asking me move the mountain with sheer qi – both impossible tasks. However, with unimaginable willpower and blast of upbeat music, I finally reached the lush green patch in front of the Symphony Stage at the Botanic Gardens.

I peered around in nervous anticipation, hoping to spot a familiar face or two. But much to my dismay, the only people that caught my attention was the bunch of aunties embracing the downward dog position on their yoga mats, smacked right in the middle of the otherwise perfect picturesque field.

I was almost wondering if everyone else from TCRP had decided to bail out today, of all days, when I suddenly saw Ting strolling in. And there after, people began checking in and off we started with our grueling SWEAT session with our coach, Wai Yee.

Holding up a professional demeanor, she shouted out commands and there we were, struggling to follow her commands closely, like a squad of army boys undergoing training, with the occasional heavy pants and frequent whines for water breaks.

The moves seemed manageable – lunges, jumping jacks, squats. I could do those, or so I thought. The prospects of burning fat with such a short workout excited me. I had almost forgotten that I’ve been mostly sedentary these past few months. Halfway through 20 seconds into the first exercise (lunges), my legs started to shake uncontrollably.

“Keep your balance guys”

I looked up excitedly in anticipation, wondering who’s the poor soul in the same awkward situation. Wai Yee was looking straight into my eyes, with a raised eyebrow in disbelief. I avoided her stares, almost too quickly. Ouch, that poor soul was yours truly. I, uh, underestimated the workout.

Next up, the Face-the-Wall Squat (without the wall) is a great way to not only begin opening up the chest, pre-stretching the glutes and warming up the legs, but it was also a great way for me to be able to see who had ankle and spine issues, hoping to spot a shaky leg or two and bring back some funny stories. As I was still coming to terms that the team was incredibly fit as compared to my (nearly zero) fitness level, I was snapped back to reality with a tap on my shoulder.

I then desperately tried to figure out how to perform the otherwise, unglamorous squats, in the most feminine and beautiful way ever. It obviously failed because Celest said I looked like an old granny trying to perform the “Balancing Act” in the loo (girls, you know what I mean). So much for being glamorous.

After the session, I’ve been sore in so many places it’s not even funny. It was indeed a SWEAT session, true to its name! I’m starting to prep myself for the ultimate challenge on this coming Saturday – the notorious, dangerously high and unattainable mountain (or so I thought)- the Bukit Timah Hill. Well… at least that’s my impression of our Singapore pride. With a mere 250 meters striking so much fear in me, I cannot help but wonder if I had signed myself up for the Death Squad in Davao. It’s definitely time to start prepping myself for the looming challenges ahead.

– Perlin, Catalyst for Change, (TCRP 2012)