Once More Into the Abyss

The power that draws moth to flame drew me back to my old fitness group earlier this week. And it burns.

If you follow this website, you might recall our Get Fit New Jersey challenge last year. This week was the first anniversary of our debut, so the group sent around an email suggesting a reunion workout at LifeTime Fitness in Florham Park, scene of our former glory.

The group disbanded last June (as planned) after six months of rigorous workouts. I personally knocked off 27 pounds and worked myself into shape for a summer of ambitious bicycling. Since the fall, I have been working our regularly at another club, but hardly at the level of intensity of the group.

Only three of us showed up for the reunion; such are the demands of suburban life. After a round of hugs, we threw ourselves at the mercy of Shari Brainum, our former taskmaster.

While I’ve added back six of those lost pounds, Shari hasn’t changed one bit. She’s just as tough as ever. After pushing us through 30 minutes on the treadmill, she invited us to join her regular Wednesday night boot camp.

That’s when the real reunion began – reuniting me with that old sensation of “when will this end?” Shari put us through our usual array of torture tests: inchworms (crawling accordion-like across the gym floor), sprints, various squats and thrusts (with 10-pound weights in each hand), and jogs around the basketball court just to cool down.

I lasted 30 minutes – making sure to get out of there before anyone asked me to jump rope. Two days later, I’m still feeling it in my back, in my groin, in my thighs. Which doesn’t mean I won’t be back for the next reunion.

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