Hell in Hyde Park

I’m not a sporty girl. My favourite food is cake. The last time I did any real exercise was in PE when I was about 15. I don’t even own trainers, or jogging bottoms. I also have asthma. And yet despite this,as I mentioned before, I volunteered to attend Military Fitness in Hyde Park.

So as I stood at 9.30AM in the freezing car park of the serpentine gallery in my underwear I wondered how the day would go from there. The reason for this was that I was late and had, according to the Military Guy “THIRTY SECONDS!” to change...but with nowhere to go. So having to suffer for my craft, my modesty went out the window and my jeans were chucked into a nearby van, along, fatefully, with my forgotten asthma pump.

My group, the beginner group for the unfit, had already left so I was forced to run after them in my borrowed trainers and catch up. I finally caught up a circle around a lake and a bridge later and joined the end of the double line. We were required to jog raising our knees to our chests, and then kick our feet to our backs, along with a variety of other ways.

After what like felt like half an hour (which in reality was only 15 minutes) a voice called my name over the soaking grass and I turned my red face towards the other journalist who was supposed to be taking part (but who hadn’t until then turned up and the reason I was late), Alex, running across the park. I’m sorry to say that I shouted at her in a very unladylike manner (expletives and all) as I continued to haul myself after the instructor and other victims. I mean participants.

About a minute later I couldn’t breathe. I’m sorry to say that I then told the instructor I had to stop, to which he responded by rolling his eyes, and dragged myself off in the direction Alex had gone. After I’d found her and calmed my breathing down, we went back to the van where the Online Sports Editor was waiting, back from the advanced group, covered in mud and obviously having loved it. Maybe it wasn’t for me, but if you have the determination and the lung capacity (or at least an inhaler on your person), I can see it being a very effective means to getting fit.