Carlton goes to bootcamp

It's 5 a.m. and I’m heading to Latta Park to meet drinking buddy Carlton Hargro. After much prodding, cajoling and teasing from friends, Carlton is getting in shape.

Today is first day in Operation Boot Camp, a 30-day outdoor fitness camp. Carlton won the workout after buying a raffle ticket at an event by Skirt magazine.

"I never win anything," said the editor of Creative Loafing. "I said, 'I think God is trying to tell me something'."

Carlton, 38, is worried about injuries. A friend recently did a bootcamp, and she’s on crutches now, he said. His goal is to lose at least 10 pounds. That’s a reasonable goal if he trains hard and changes his diet. He plans to give up alcohol for the month and eat healthy.

"I'm really determined that whatever success I have, I'm going to keep working out," he said. "I don't want to look like the Rock, but I want to be healthy."

His ultimate goal is to slim down so he can dress better. The oversized T-shirts and jeans are getting old.