Dedicated Crozet fitness buffs are getting up at 5:30 a.m. to make a 6 o’clock exercise class at Claudius Crozet Park’s pavilion offered by instructor Melissa Miller. In the back row (left to right) are: Woody Oakey, Rob Patterson, Jamie Reisch, Ellen Wilson, Ed Gass, Charlie Black, Brice Jackson, Pam Cochran, Molly Miracle, Susan Williams; Front row: Kathy Repich, Shannon Franklin, Anne Dagner, Barb Franko, Lela Marshall, Alisa Sposato, Katrien Vance, Nancy Addison, Justine Ix; front center: instructor Melissa Miller.

“The first day I came I would have preferred to be experiencing childbirth,” said Susan Williams. “But after the initial shock to my underused muscles, Boot Camp left me craving exercise, feeling strong and realizing the ’ole girl could do a whole lot more than she originally thought. Believe me, it is a rigorous workout.

“Melissa gets extremely creative with the [park’s] playground and the basketball court,” said Williams. “It’s a little like grown-up gym with jump ropes, relays and pull-ups on the monkey bars. It’s effective because, although I am not a competitive person by nature, when six or seven people start whooshing past you, you find a reserve tank of energy you had no idea you possessed. Everyone agrees that working out in a community is an excellent way to stay motivated.”

Miller also plans the occasional family fun boot camp where kids and spouses are welcome for games involving exercise.

Several women used the sessions to help train for the Women’s Four Miler, held in August, and a local triathlon coming up in this fall. Another trained for a race in Peru in which she finished among the top three contestants.

Boot Camp meets Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from 6 to 7 a.m. and starting October 19 will move indoors at the Crozet Park Building. The cost is $95 for 8 sessions. Contact Melissa at 962-2311 or www.m2personaltraining.com for more information.