Y’all on the Carolina scene that know me know that I really enjoy being outside. There’s really no comparison to smelling fresh air with a hint of Carolina pine in it while the sun beams down on your skin. Watching the sun rise and set while working out is an experience too. That’s one of those non-tangible things about running I enjoy.

So on this past Monday was the first day of fitness boot camp [READ: #RapOnTheRun: Fitness Boot Camp Day One: The 7 Minute Fitness Test]. We did a 7 minute fitness test during the class in addition to a regular boot camp workout.

By yesterday afternoon, I was sore pretty much all over: shoulders, thighs, legs, abs. The only part of my body that wasn’t hurting is my head.

My plan was to run 6 miles yesterday (Tuesday), but the soreness helped those plans fly right out the window. Since I didn’t run yesterday, I decided to make today (Wednesday) a two-a-day workout day. I very rarely do two-a-days. It’s important to have balance in my life. While I understand the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle, I’m not trying to spend all of my day working out.

Today’s two-a-day consisted of a gym workout at the crack of dawn this morning and then fitness boot camp this evening. The gym workout this morning brings me back to the original point of why I like being outside: smelling clean, fresh air (minus car fumes). For some reason, it seems like some people believe that a warm washcloth has no reason to be ran over their bodies before working out. I guess the logic is that they’re going to sweat anyway, right? Wrong. Wrong! A good gym workout is just going to enhance whatever body odors were already present before the session. Mix in sweat plus an enclosed area, and now you have a recipe for the olfactory senses.

As always, there is an upside. Today I got both of my workouts finished and was able to make up for yesterday’s missed run. I feel good about both sessions and worked out hard. I had my headphones while at the gym and a subscription to a streaming service. I was able to watch a movie while getting my sweat on. Other people in the gym may smell less than pleasant, but you can’t let a little funk hold you back.

Sometimes you just have to Netflix through it.

#RapOnTheRun