I entered a new age group last week; as I was thinking about how I wanted to celebrate my birthday, I remembered how fun the run my neighborhood pal, Laurel, organized for her 40th was. I wanted to replicate it, but since—gasp—not all my friends are runners, I tweaked it a bit. (Plus, I’ll be honest: I wanted good pics for an entry here, but I didn’t want to carry my camera on a run.) Enter birthday boot camp.
The plan: meet at a local park at 5:30 a.m. We’d do a strength/cardio combo: run small lap over two wooden bridges–it took between 2-3 minutes to run–and use various playground equipment to build our muscles. In my email, I promised a good workout, but guaranteed there would be no burpees.
I hate burpees.
Amazingly, 20 women said they were up for it, and thankfully, Sarah Johnson, a Stroller Strides instructor extraordinaire who happens to around 32 weeks pregnant, said she’d help run it and be photographer. I asked her because she owns all the requisite tools: a whistle, a stop watch, enthusiasm that is so contagious you can’t help but try hard, and the organizational skills to keep 20 women sweating and laughing. If you can’t tell, I think she’s amazing.
The routine went like this: run a lap, come back and pick one of four stations:
—Lunging and side shuffles
—Push-ups and jump ups (or squats or squat jumps…your quads do the picking)
—Pull-ups and planks
—Tricep dips and step-ups on a picnic table bench
At each station, you’d do one exercise for 60 seconds, rest 15 seconds, do the other one for 60 seconds, then run a lap, ending at a station you weren’t at last time.
We did the full routine once, and that took about 35 minutes, so we abbreviated the second round. Two stations (four exercises), one lap, two stations, one lap.
The workout took about 50 minutes total, and then we headed for the good stuff: coffee, homemade granola, and a few other treats.
As I stare down the other side of 40, things that collect dust and promote clutter become less appealing. Instead, the things I can’t seem to get enough of–time with friends, laughter, me-time–are my celebratory priorities. And trust me: all my priorities were in order on that amazing morning.
Thank you to all who came to sweat. And for anybody else celebrating a birthday this year (I know you’re out there!), I highly suggest this way of ringing in a new year over happy hour. Or maybe in addition to happy hour.
What an awesome way to kick off your birthday. Happy birthday to you!
Fantastic idea for an adult way to celebrate! Love the oprah-ish “favourite things” gift pack and hey, we have the same birth day, so happy birthday to me too! Next year, I might copy this idea!
Happy birthday! It’s nice that running gives us age-group milestones to look forward to! I swear before I started running, I could barely remember how old I was. True story. Once I told a cashier at walmart three different ages before I gave up because I still hadn’t been able to spit out the right age. Now I’m counting down the days until I can get my extra five minutes to qualify for Boston.
Happy Belated Birthday, Dimity! What a great way to celebrate! Best wishes for many more happy miles!
Happy Happy Birthday!!! Enjoy your day:-)
Hahahaha…LOVE it! What a FABULOUS way to celebrate your birthday…I am definitely doing that, It is too late to do it for my 40th and I am too impatient to wait till my 50th so will be doing it for my 45th next year!!! Can’t wait!!! :-)
I really hope you enjoyed the rest of your day and got lots of the pampering you deserve!!
Dawn x
I turn 45 in October and can’t think of a better way to celebrate! Great idea! Happy Birthday! Dimity!
What a spectacular way to celebrate your big day!!! I might have to steal this idea when I turn 40!!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!
Happy Birthday and welcome to 40! It only gets better from here.
Happy birthday, Dimity! That was a fun way to celebrate, and Sarah is fantastic.
Sounds like a great time. Happy birthday!!
Happy birthday! What an awesome gift to yourself.
That sounds like such fun!! The only thing I disagree with is the nuun – I tried that stuff this weekend, yuck. :S
Happy birthday! That sounds like a blast.
Happy Birthday! I ask you. Did you do this at 20, or is this evidence that we mom runners DO in fact get better with age? :) ENJOY!
That was worth getting up at 5 a.m.for. If all boot camps were that fun, there’d be fewer runners and more boot campers out there.
A very happy {belated} birthday wish! And what fantastic goodie bags … I may have to ring in my 40 in a similar manner. A little over one year away … eek! Happy 40th … and I always hear the 40s are a great decade. :-)
FABULOUS! Great post. I didn’t do anything so good for my (gulp) 44th bday this past week. Funny, a couple years ago i would have BLANCHED at being invited to such a party. Now, I think…oooh I want a friend who does this! Then again my bestie Calli and I are lanning on running a marathon on her 40th this August, followed by fireside chats and bubbly, so that’s pretty grand too. I love how getting back into shape has changed my attitude!
oh. And BTW, 40 is the new 30. xx
Sounds like the PERFECT way to celebrate!! Happy b’day. ;)
What a FANTASTIC way to spend your birthday! I may just have to try to replicate that next year! And how great that your girlfriends were all game! Love it!
Welcome to a great decade—one where we are more comfortable in our own skin and live less to please EVERYONE. Cheers!!
Happy Birthday! That looks like a fun way to start your birthday! How fun to have so many friends that would come and get sore to help celebrate your birthday!
Happy Birthday! Forties are fabulous! I’m closer to 50 and can’t wait to do something like this for the big day.
Oh how wonderful…What a way to celebrate and with a fabulous group of women…Congrats Dimity – you are going to love your 40’s – soooo much knowledge and confidence you get to share…happy happy!
Happy Birthday! I am also turning 40 this year and will be celebrating it by gathering a group of girl friends to climb Old Rag mountain – I’ve always avoided it because I am intimidated by the rock scramble. That is the good thing about approaching 40 – I’ve learned to ignore (most) of the voices in my head telling me I can’t do something.
What a fantastic way to kick off your birthday and a new age bracket! I love it…must remember this…still a little ways away from 40…maybe we’ll do it for 35 :) Happy birthday!
Totally AWESOME idea that I’m SO going to steal!!! :)
Happy birthday, Dimity. I am so stealing this idea. :-)
Happy Birthday! I heard about this on your podcast this weekend, so fun to see the pictures that go with it! I’m joining to Master’s Club later this year and was trying to think of something like this to do.. you’ve given me some great ideas! Enjoy your day!
LOVE it!
and <3 shiner,its my "beer running" beer or choice :)
Happy Birthday
ahhhhh that should be “of choice” and also-no clue why my corrected “of” went as a comment on your first picture.didnt even know that was possible. please excuse all my comment craziness :)
That is so much fun! I have a 31st birthday coming up in a couple weeks and this has inspired me to do something fun/active with my girlfriends. Happy 40th birthday!!!!
Happy 40th Birthday, Dimity! What a great way to celebrate…you’ve given me a great idea for 50! And…you look amazing! You go girl!
Happy Birthday again, Dimity! My wheels are turning for my 40th in January…..
great post! hope you had a great birthday – wish i could’ve been there for this!
What a fun birthday party!
Happy Birthday! That brings back the joy of playgrounds!
What an awesome idea for a 40th Birthday! Happy Birthday!
Great way to celebrate your birthday! Happy 40th and welcome to the club :)
I ran a 5K on my birthday this year. I think it’s the best adult birthday I have every had! My family was off the hook and therefore I wasn’t disappointed. I chose to run on my birthday, enjoyed it, and would never have imagined doing this a year ago. Happy Birthday, Dimity. It was a pleasure meeting you for the run around Harriet in Minneapolis.
LOVE this idea! Happy birthday!!!! :) I have recently (over the past 3 years) discovered a love for fitness and will be turning 37 this year. It’s always inspiring to see “older” women that are active and continuing to push themselves.
that’s a great birthday party!
Happy Birthday Dimity! You guys are sooo lucky to have a pack of fit momma’s to exercise with. I would like hear more about Katie’s 50 mile. Does she have a blog?
Yep. Here it is. http://runlongkatie.com/ And we also profiled her on our site: http://anothermotherrunner.com/2011/08/18/follow-this-mother-65/
WOW, I’m 32 and SO inspired by you each time I read your blog! Happy Birthday, I HOPE this year is your BEST running year to date!
Wow! What a wonderful way to celebrate being 40! Since I get to celebrate the same number later this year, I will definitely remember this as a fun way to party! :-)
Happy Birthday! You Rock! & look amazing!!!
You are the coolest friend! I love this! This year I am marking my bday with a 10k race…a year ago, this would have seemed like the craziest damn thing and now I can’t wait to run with my “sole sister” and celebrate at the finish line with my family. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the next year (of course I am done aging and holding steady from here on out at 35, LOL).
Happy birthday! What a great way to celebrate! Love it!!
What a great, beautiful idea! Happy Birthday!!
No burpees!! That’s a great present! Happy Birthday!
What a fantastic way to usher in your birthday and a new “age group”! I wish I had more active friends so I could steal this idea from you!
Happy belated birthday!
How fun was that?!?! I wish I had a neighborhood full of fit and fun people like that. Invite me for the next milestone bootcamp, I so need that! :)
Happy Birthday, Dimity. Welcome to the 40s!!! It’s not bad at all…but I only have one more year left – whaaa!