Long-awaited update

Hmmm, where'd I leave off? So sorry for such erratic postings.

Tues.: Power Snatch 5-3-2-1-1-1 and Max Effort Row Sprints (15 seconds of max effort, 45 seconds of rest x 6).
The power snatch is one of my weakest lifts because of form, but I worked with Mel and definitely reaped the benefits of having such a knowledgeable, encouraging fellow athlete coaching my every move. I haven't ever felt that confident on this lift until I had the chance to share a bar with Mel. I wish she would become a coach so that the ladies would have a female coach for guidance. I'm not saying that our coaches now aren't absolutely awesome and helpful, but sometimes it is more helpful to have an athlete of the same gender coaching you...anyway, I PR'd by at least 20#--last time we did power snatch, I settled (yes, settled and sold out) for 48# (felt really uncertain about my form), but this time, I got to 73#. Ran out of time or I would have tried 78#, but with the new programming, we had to have enough time for the met-con. The row sprints were actually quite fun, but I found that I did my best on the middle attempts. My best split was 1:44. There's room for improvement, but I've noticed since returning from my long break that my rowing technique has improved drastically. When I do a 500m warm-up, my time is 1:59 to 2:03. Before, my best time was between 2:12 and 2:18! Interesting, eh? Overall, it was a great workout day.

Wed.: Back Squat 3-2-1-2-3
I went in hoping to squat my old PR of 175#, but I became doubtful when we started with 135 for the first set of 3 (again, I worked with Mel). It felt so heavy!! I struggled the whole time, and we used 165# for the set of 2. I had to use two attempts to get the 175#, and even then, I definitely did not break 90 degrees as faithfully as I usually do. Mel took three attempts to break her old PR and got it--she successfully squatted 175, 10# over her old PR. It was amazing how incredibly light 135# felt after all that! We used 155 and 135 for the remaining sets. I was glad to hit my old PR but a bit disappointed at how weak and uncertain I felt. Next time I want to hit at least 180. I think I will be able to as long as Mel is sharing a bar with me.

Fri.: The WOD from hell. When I looked at the blog in the morning, I felt my stomach do a flip and debated with myself whether I was going to take another rest day. I'm very glad that I didn't, but I was really tempted to! It was funny reading the blog and seeing people's similar reactions and anticipation/dread. The warm-up sets of burpee pull-ups told me that I would certainly not be able to complete 100 within the 20-minute timeframe, so I did the 10 sets of 10 pull-ups/10 burpees using a red band. I think I did the pull-ups too strictly, though, because my tendons ended up crapping out on me by Monday, so when I went to the WOD, I couldn't do the met-con. I made all 10 sets, though, in 19:08, so I was glad about that. Next time we do this WOD, I will do the burpee pull-ups until time runs out. Just didn't have the stomach or nerves to do them this time around.

Sat.: For Halloween, we did 10-31--10 different exercises, 31 reps of each. We did box jumps, wall ball shots, ball slams, 2-count mountain climbers, burpees (of COURSE), air squats, handstand push-ups (I subbed 20# shoulder presses because my shoulders were shot from the 100 pull-ups the previous day), double-unders (I subbed tuck jumps), knees to elbows, and ring dips (I subbed parallette with feet on the box dips). It was lots of fun!!!! I finished in 17:something.

Mon.: Single-Leg Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 (each leg) and "Ryan" (5 rounds of 7 muscle-ups and 21 burpees)
I didn't like the SLDs at all, but I understand the importance of building up my weaker leg's strength and my stabilizers. Still sucked! I got up to 75# and stayed there because I was wobbling on my left leg so much. I should have tried to do 85, but I didn't feel comfortable going up because I had already begun feeling my lower back telling me I was lifting incorrectly. Then on the final set of my left leg, I twisted my hip flexors strangely on the lift up and felt a twinge. Bleh. But the met-con Mel and I subbed for our injuries (my tendonitis and her broken wrist) definitely made me forget about that. We did five rounds of 15 full GHD back extensions and 20 air squats. I kept up with her, which impressed me and her, and we finished in 7:30. It was both fun and painful. I definitely am feeling it pretty badly two days afterward, but I love it. It's funny--my upper body almost never hurts when my lower body does, and vice versa, except for a few particular weeks in the summer when my entire body hurt. I love CF. :)

Wed.: I was sorry to miss overhead squat and the mile time trial yesterday, but I definitely did not feel up to par (not enough sleep, etc.). Today was Push Press 1-1-1-1-1-1-1. I started with 65# because I shared a bar with Faith, whose 1RM is 80#. In retrospect, I would have worked with Mel and Victoria--they just motivate me so much and push me so hard that I usually PR significantly just from their awesome influence. Anyway, I did PR by 15# (105# this time) but I know that I could have pressed at least 110# if I had started with a heavier weight. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. :P

Press and stuff

Ugh, I am so not digging this weather, although I should be happy it didn't rain when I went out last weekend. Getting back into the 3-1-2-1 schedule this week, although the rain/cold makes me just want to stay home and curl up with a good book or some MNF. :P

Today's WOD was presses, 5-5-5-3-3-3; then W/G Couplet, which was 21-15-9 of body weight back squats and ring dips. We did ring work yesterday for open gym/skill day, and that was a fun time, except my shoulders feel a bit tight from all the different skills we worked on. We'll see how they hold up on the ring dips...

Results: Man, have I lost a lot of upper body strength since I've been sick! My 1RM on press is 90#, so I thought I'd be able to do at least 75-80# for the 3RM today. Nooooo, failed on the 2nd rep of 75# on the third set of 5, so I went back down to 70#. Humbling, but not surprising. Mel told me I should think of the fact that I'm back in the box and am going through the ROM and practicing--that's something. She's right, of course. I find my small defeats more bearable when Mel is there to put things in perspective for me.

The met-con went pretty well except on my first set of ring dips, my damn foot (old complaint) cramped up on me and made me have to stop for a moment on the 10th rep. I did my usual fix-up moves with Mel encouraging me (she experiences plantar fasciitis frequently) and toughed out the rest of the dips. It didn't hurt too badly when I did the squats, but I hated getting back on the red band for the dips. I used 95# for the back squats, although I should/could have done at least 100. Ah well, no use pushing myself too far the first full week back, right? Overall, it was a good met-con experience, minus the foot cramp. I need to drink more water, but it sure is difficult when there's tons of it pouring out of the sky outside and it's cold (for Texas). Time for a hot shower and MNF. :)

Back to it

After over two weeks' laziness/flu-induced rest, I returned to the box. Today's WOD was great, both the front squats and the sprints. I know I'm going to feel both for the next few days, and I LOVE that!

Front Squat: 5-3-2-1-1-1
I started with 65 for the 5 reps, then went up to 110 for the first 1-rep. We had to use the kg bumpers, so it took Anna, Laura, and me a little longer to figure out weights. I squatted 129# for the 2nd 1-rep, and then since I couldn't get 135, settled for 134, which is a 9# PR, so I was happy with that.

The sprints were yucky. I ran out of gas for the second 100m, especially because we had to run it up that little hill on Dyer. The turns got me, too. My times ran between 35 seconds to 45 seconds. My ankles, hammies, and gluteus maximus are definitely feeling it and will continue to for the next few days. Woohoo!!! Love being back! :D

Lazy

I know, I've been lazy about posting my results, but I've been enjoying my extra hours with Dexter! Hmm, where'd I leave off? Oh yeah, Monday with "Tabata Something Else." I have to say I really enjoy this WOD. Last time the box did it was my rest day, so I made it up on that Sunday, alone with my Tabata timer app on my iPhone. My first go looked like this: blue band on pull-ups for total of 40, all knee push-ups for total of 83 or so, 80-something sit-ups, and 125 squats. This time, my grand total wasn't as grand, but I did use a red band on pull-ups and managed to do 46, I did the first three rounds of push-ups rx'd and eked out 20 before crapping out and going to my knees for a total of 60-something, did 82 sit-ups, and 128 squats. My total was 305--not super great but not something I'm ashamed of since I used a thinner band and did more pull-ups. Definitely am still feeling the air squats today, though, especially on that CD we did.

Tuesday: Snatch, ugh. We went for technique and form, and I didn't go beyond 45# because I didn't feel like my form was good enough to go up any higher. We did box jump intervals--2 rounds of AMAP for 45 sec., 45 sec. rest, AMAP for 30 sec., 30 sec. rest, and AMAP for 15 sec., 15 sec. rest. I did 78 total box jumps on the medium box--not great.

Wednesday: Fran but with burpees instead of pull-ups. Learned that taping my wrists for the thrusters works WONDERS. I will do that for every front bearing O-lift from now on. I used 45# (5 more than my Fran weight), so I was happy about that. Slowly but surely! Faith counted for me, and I always find it easier to focus if we don't have to count for ourselves. Still sucked, though!!! Those burpees really get to me after so many, and of course my knees were black and banged up after all was said and done. I finished in 7 minutes flat, which is quite better than my best Fran time, but I realize that burpees are "easier" than pull-ups. Felt great to do this one, though, and I am glad I didn't skip. CD was 3 rounds of 15 GHD extensions and 15 40# sandbag standing lunges. Ack my quads hated those extensions!!! It was quite painful yet in a good way, and of course I banged my knees a few times on the lunges. I'm definitely going to enjoy my rest day tomorrow!! That, and my dang car door handle came off today (at least it waited until after payday, right?), and I need a patch in my tire. Sigh. When it rains, it pours. I'll be happy when the rainy days go away--I'm starting to feel like I'm in the Midwest again!

I'm still alive...somehow!

Well, I finally made it!!!! Finished my final project with 30 minutes to spare, and I am feeling AWESOME!!!!!! Now I have a week-long break from class. It's going to be so wonderful to sleep more and more restfully and be able to watch movies and Dexter (my new obsession!!).

Okay...I forget where I left off on this...oh yeah, after Nancy. Okay, so I went to the Saturday WOD, which was 100m sprints, 10 times. It was a bad sprinting day for me--I could only get 14:40s as my best time, nowhere near my PR. I definitely strayed from my slowest time by over three seconds, too, and we were supposed to do burpee broad jumps, 10 for each foul, but I never did my 30...maybe I'll do that this weekend when we WOD independently since the gym is closed.

Sunday, I had too much work AGAIN, so I didn't go. Oh, and go shopping and take advantage of all the Labor Day sales. ;) My legs felt the sprints like they never have before! I used my roller at home, but wow did it huuuuuurt in a good/bad way. Definitely needed that rest day.

Monday: It was open gym for Labor Day, and we did 5-rep max of OHS. I barely got all five reps in with 65#. Chase made me drop it on the fourth rep my second-to-last attempt because he reminded me about my active shoulders, which weren't being active enough, so I lost focus and dropped the bar. :( After that, I did 15 KTB, 10 HSPUs, 2 30-second handstand holds, and a 2-minute plank hold.

Tuesday: 5k run. I almost skipped that day because it hasn't been since college on the rugby team that I'd run that far. But I saw Amanda post about going, so I had to go then. I was shooting for sub 30 minutes, and I did it in 28:something. Much to improve on, but I'm happy I have a baseline now. I felt pretty good the first 3 miles, but that .1 mile was the killer!!! We had to run down to the train tracks and back up to Greenville, then back down to the train tracks. The slight incline to Greenville is what really got to me. It was so damn hot, there was an orange level pollution watch, and the breeze I'd savored at the beginning of the run totally disappeared. Got a bit of a tan, though, hehe. :) The run really helped my sore legs, too, and I wore my new Puma Saloh's, which I'd gotten on Sunday. They worked GREAT and didn't require any breaking in or anything. I think I've found my new favorite CF shoes.

Wednesday: Had to miss out on the clean and jerks for school work. :( Maybe I will make those up on a Sunday when the gym's open.

Thursday: One of the most fun WODs I've done!!!! 14 rounds of 3 HSPUs and 6 alternating pistols. I was determined to do the HSPUs for as long as I was able, and I ended up doing all of them. I even redid ones where I didn't fully lock out my elbows (twice)! The pistols were fun, too. I used the small box for mine. I've improved a lot on those because last time we did pistols, I used a blue band. I'm loving the improvements!!!! Dessert was absolutely awesome yet awful! We did half-tabata of alternating plank holds where the opposite arm and leg are held up in the air, then we switched, and the rest position was holding the plank. Then we did another half-tabata of v-sits, with the rest position in reverse plank. The final half-tabata was mountain climbers with resting in the push-up hold. Fun and painful! My butt still feels the pistols and the reverse planks. I love wincing in pain when I get up from my chair or bed. :D

Friday: Today's WOD was very interesting--20 rep max of front squat. I don't know my current 1RM because the last time we did it was in May. I assumed it was at least body weight, so I calculated 65% to use on the 20 reps and rounded up to 90#. In retrospect, I would have started with 95# because I crapped out on the 16th rep of my attempt with 95#. I have a lil calcium deposit thing on my collar bone, and it's sharp and gets pinched when I do front squats. And it got pinched big-time today doing all those reps. :( I should have sucked it up and eked out the final 4 reps, but my wrists were starting to ache and my collar bone felt like shit, so I let go of the bar. Ugh. Next time we do this, I will start with the higher weight. I can't believe Victoria started with 80 and worked her way to 100#. I would have been too damn tired to be able to get all 20 in on the final attempt!! Erin did 100# on her first attempt, and she got all 20 in with almost no problem (not that it wasn't tough!!!). She was fun to workout with--I miss being able to go to the nooner. Dee was there, too, and she encouraged me as well. Oh, the warmup was so cool. It was called the Bear Complex, and we did 7 sets of power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, and push press; we added more weight each round, for a total of 3 rounds. Erin and I used the 33# bb for the first round, 53# the second, and 63# the third. The third round was freaking tough, especially the push presses. I'm feeling it for sure, yay!

Okay, time for some QT with Kason and Dexter. WOOHOOOOOO!! We're planning to do Invisible Fran and some max back squat tomorrow at our "gym." Can't wait!

I was somewhat of a Nancy...

As you can see, yesterday's WOD was Nancy: 5 rounds for time of 400m run and 15 OHS. While we were warming up, Mel pointed at me and said, you're going to do 53#!!!! I was like, whaaaaaa?!?!! I was scared then! Haha, I love how Mel really pushes us and motivates us...but I just couldn't manage even 48 pounds overhead. Argh. But I did use 8 more pounds than the last time I did Nancy in June, so maybe I shouldn't be too hard on myself. Tyler saw me struggling with 48# and told me to use just the 33# BB. In retrospect, I would have used 35# as I had originally intended, but I wanted to listen to my coach. :)

Took me 16:32, which is roughly two minutes slower than my last time, but with eight more pounds this time. I felt a lot better on the runs, but I really really need to work on maintaining active shoulders for the OHS. I could feel myself wobbling and wavering on some of the sets. Not good. It was awesome watching Howard and JoDee push through on their last rounds with Tyler, Chase, and Neal (who of course blazed through, rx'd) yelling and encouraging them along with the rest of us. I love this gym! I wasn't too bummed about missing DL today since I did max a few weeks ago. I'm looking forward to working out this weekend finally. Planning to hit the rooster tomorrow, gulp!

What's up?

I know, I've been slacking but actually, I had to skip Sunday again last weekend for grad school crap. Argh! I can tell a huge difference when I miss three days in a row. I am seriously doing myself no favors by missing so many extra days. But then again, I have to have my priorities straight, but while I am earning a 100% in my class right now, my body is feeling like an 80%. :( I have been so tired this week so far, and I seriously have had to push myself to go to the box. What the hell is wrong with me?! The diet has been up and down, too. I'll feel great about my healthy choices, but then I'll find myself craving and then regretting food that is not Paleo (caved into my jonesing for Thai food last night even though I knew I would regret it). The too little sleep is wreaking havoc on my once-strict diet. Not good at all.

Yesterday's WOD looked deceptively easy (I know, no WOD is easy!!), so of course I went in feeling perhaps a bit overconfident. I was determined to use at least 65# for the lifts, which I did, but while I was warming up with the bar, I felt a bit of a twinge of doubt. Ugh! But I forced myself to stop right there, chalked my hands, and got ready to give it my best effort. Mere and Adriane used 75# and I guess that made me feel a little better.

WOD:

"Two Minute Defense"

5 rounds for time of:

1 Power clean, 135 pounds

3 Hang cleans, 135 pounds

2 Push jerks, 135 pounds

200ft. sprint

Rest 2 minutes

5 rounds for time of:

1 Power clean, 135 pounds

3 Hang cleans, 135 pounds

2 Push jerks, 135 pounds

200ft. sprint

The first time was rather rough--I could not get a good rhythm going until the third or fourth round. It took 4:42. Second time around was better but could have been faster than 4:35 (+/-). I left feeling like I didn't give it my best, and I think that is the worst feeling! The CD stretches we did were cool, though, but when the on-ramp class started doing their workout, I sooo wanted to join in with them to atone for the crappy job I did on the member WOD.

Today's WOD was "Death by Push-up": 2 push-ups on the first minute, 4 push-ups on the second minute, 6 push-ups on the third minute...until you can't do all the required push-ups within the minute. I completed the seventh round, but doing all 14 was pretty tough! Then I made it to the 14th push-up in the eighth round and had to start over at four push-ups for the next minute. I did all my push-ups rx'd, though--no knees!!!!! :D Total number I did with restarts was 124. I was pretty nervous before we started, though, and I asked Georgia what she recommended: doing all knee and trying to make it to the 10th round or doing them all rx'd and going as far as I could go. She told me she believed in me and knew I could do them rx'd, so I went for it. I am very glad that I did. Push-ups are one of my weak spots, and I have to make myself practice doing them regular, not knee, so that I can do them rx'd during a WOD. This was a fun one today!! For CD, we did L-hang for a total of 90 seconds, broken into 15-second intervals. I rested one interval to chalk my hands. It wasn't too bad, and Georgia pushed us through it. Then I did 50 GHD situps with SamZ--first two sets were 20 unbroken, then the final set was 10 reps. Then I had Howard to the other 50 with me. We did 10 reps each set until the final set, and I did 20 unbroken. He was still on his last 10 when I finished, so I did his final five with him. I feel much better now, and I want to do a 5-minute plank tomorrow after the WOD. Hoping I can get him to do it with me!

Sandy, thank you so much for your pep talk today. I seriously have been so caught up in grad school and work sucking the life out of me and have been stressing about all the time off I've had to take from CF. I appreciated your encouragement and optimism! I really have no room to complain, either, since I had all of July to workout when I wanted to! Ha! Have a safe trip this weekend, and if I don't talk to you/see you before your vacation, have a wonderful, relaxing trip to Europe!!! I'm hoping Kason and I get to go there in December.

I hate my snatch.

Tuesday rooster: Hero WOD "Erin"

5 rounds for time:

15 dumbbell split cleans

21 pull-ups

Spencer had the first heat scale their pull-ups to 15 reps so we'd be done on time and not be late for work. Even doing 15 pull-ups each round was mega-challenging for me, though. Used 20# dbs on the split cleans (my poor shoulders!) and a red band for pull-ups. I baaarely made it within the cut-off time of 15 minutes. :/ That WOD was very humbling, but I read the story about the soldier it is named after, and I was glad that I suffered through it.

Today: We worked on power snatches today--more on form than on load, thank goodness. I warmed up with a 33# bb since all the 15's were taken. Sam had me roll out my hips and hammies some more since I was having trouble on the squats. I tend to jump my feet out too widely. Shared a 33# with Faith and definitely felt really weak on this lift. My max load before Sam made us stop for the met-con was 48#. Bleh, definitely a step back I think. But I think I would have been able to lift more had we been given more time because I used 35# (more than 60% of max) on the met-con and felt like I should have used a heavier load.

Met-con: 21-15-9 of power snatches and HSPUs. I subbed 20# DB presses for the HSPUs. Finished in 7 minutes flat. Eight minutes was the cut-off time. I've discovered yet another lift I need to work on, but it's okay. I know that it will only get better with more practice and skill work. I'm going to do the death march on Sunday (Kason's making me, lol), and I'm definitely not looking forward to it... We plan to do invisible Fran or Cindy at our silly gym on Saturday since there won't be any classes for the seminar. Looking forward to the Hooverball 80s fun and then Casey's party. Bleh, I feel really tired but have too much work to do to turn in early tonight. :( Gotta recharge with some coffee. Hope to see y'all tomorrow!

I survived.

Surprise surprise, I survived the week from hell! Got my author study project finished and submitted with 14 minutes to spare! I was totally down to the wire, ack! I'm so glad I got that project over with, though, because now I can breathe a bit this week and concentrate on my special interest topic project, which isn't due until two weeks from now but I plan to submit it before Labor Day. I HATED not being able to workout yet again last weekend, but I am determined to not have to skip this weekend.

Today's WOD has me so hyped!!!!!! I can't wait to see what my improvements prove to be on front squat. Last time we did this one was in May! I'm going to try to share a bar with the boys so I'll be more motivated. Last time, I was with older Dave (not nooner Dave) and another guy I can't remember at the moment, and they really were so cool--they had to keep moving the rack things so that it was short enough for me LOL. I wasn't sure of my form, but they really helped me, and I got 125# for my max. This time, I want to definitely get over my bodyweight, but a considerable amount, so like...at least 140 or 145. That's my hope anyway! The dessert sounds "fun" but I really need a good met-con to kick my sedentary ass in gear after sitting at my desk all weekend! Looking forward to it.

Well, I was determined to get as close to my old PR as I possibly could, and I did. I got 125# x3. It was tough, and I was sounding rather mannish at the end, but I find that sometimes, when you're exerting so much effort and energy, your body acts on its own accord! Dessert sucked big-time, just as I knew it would. Burpees and KB swings suck on their own, and they especially suck when combined in a met-con. Ugh!!! I used 35# and took 7:42. I started out as steadily as I could on the burpees so I wouldn't lose my momentum, but alas, by the time I got to 8 burpees/3 KB swings, I was beginning to lag. I sure am feeling the poooooor diet and next to no sleep from the weekend. Argh! I felt pretty good at work this morning, though, but CrossFit always proves me wrong in that area. Haha! Gonna try to hit up 6 a.m. WOD tomorrow.

Great seeing you today, Sandy! You looked so cute in your headband. :)

Ack, my arms are useless now!

So great to see you today, Amy! You hottie! :) Did you have a nice strong drink for me?!! I need it now!!

Yesterday's WOD: Clean and Press 3-3-3-3-3

Since my 1RM for press is 93#, I wanted to be as close to that weight as possible on my final round of these. I shared a 45# BB with Anna, and she's so awesome to workout with! We went up by 10# each time, and I got up to 85# for my max. :) The cleans were the easy part, but pressing that weight sure was challenging! For CD, we had to do ladder bearcrawl-burpees. I got to the 7th rung on the ladder before Sam called time. Then SamZ and I did 100 GDH situps, and we did the final 20 unbroken. Woo!! I sure feel it today, YES!!!! I LOVE feeling my workouts. :D

Today's WOD was a hero WOD: "Nate" AMRAP in 20 minutes of 2 Muscle-ups, 4 HSPUs, and 8 KB swings. I did 8 kipping pullups/8 parallette dips for MUs, 4 DB push presses with 20#, and used 35# KB for swings. I did the pullups unassisted for the first four rounds (whee!!) but had to digress to a red band for the remaining four rounds as my hands were threatening to tear, and my hips just didn't have the power left to get my chin up. But I did do a dead-hang pullup today!!!! I was standing there under the bar with Anna, getting mentally prepared for the WOD, and I had my hands in switch-grip. I pulled myself up until my chin was above the bar!!! Shocker!! It felt great to be able to do it! And on three hours of sleep. :D/:{ I know I know, sleep is very important, and my diet was not bad today but just not as full as it should have been. I had two hard-boiled eggs, a cup of celery with a Tablespoon of Sunbutter, and a cup of bing cherries (mmmmm). Then, since this was the last time we'll have an hour for lunch all year, my colleague and I went shopping on our break. :) So I had a handful of almonds for "lunch." Dinner was fajita meat with bell peppers and onions. I felt pretty hungry when I got home from the WOD, but as I was cooking, I didn't feel as hungry anymore. I really don't eat big portions anymore, which I guess is a good thing, but I wonder if I'm getting enough to maintain my physical demands. Definitely not complaining! The weight is staying consistent and not fluctuating, so that makes me happy.

Well, time to hit the books again. Tomorrow's a rest day, yippee! I'm going to give myself a break and play bingo with Amanda and her bf at the Village Country Club tomorrow night, though. For my sanity!!!

Sad

Ugh. Had to take Saturday and Sunday off because of lack of sleep due to grad school work. I stayed up until 4 a.m. on both days and got up at 6 or 7 to get back to my work. Lack of sleep = neglect of diet = sucky performance

Today's WOD was a repeat: 4 rounds for time of 800m run. Last time we did this one was in May, and I felt way better on it. Of course, the heat index wasn't over a 100 degrees then, and it was a smaller group. I did hit a PR, though, by 6 seconds. Last time my fastest time was 3:25, and this time was 3:19. But I took almost 4 minutes on the rounds after that first one. :( I suppose I used too much gas on that first one, plus we ran as a big group, so I felt more motivated...I had originally planned to go to the rooster today since I started back at work and want/need to get into a schedule where I workout first thing in the morning before work so then I will have my evenings free to make dinner/run errands/do grad school work. Michelle said she'd like to start doing the rooster, so if she's counting on me being there, then it will be a lot easier for me to get my ass outta bed. Ideally, there'd be a 5 a.m. class so I'd have time in the morning to make breakfast for Kason and myself before I leave for work, but I am happy there's a 6 a.m. class. Good seeing you, Sandy, for that brief moment. :)

Since I was mad at myself for doing so poorly on the running, I made myself do 50 pushups for time and then 50 situps for time at home. Took me 1:40 on the pushups (knee) and 1:50 (sad!!) on the situps. I miss my situp buddies.

Well, time to make dinner and get cracking on these assignments. I have at least ten assignments due this week, plus a major paper.

Update

Sorry I've been so swamped that I haven't been able to post for the past several days. The past three days have been super busy with professional development and grad school work.

Sunday: AMRAP 20 minutes of 20 reps each of box step-ups, good mornings, and presses, all with a barbell. I used 33# BB and 20" box and got in 6 rounds plus 20 each of box step-ups and good mornings. It sure was sweaty work! I was tempted to put down the 33 and get the 15# like I saw someone else do, but I didn't let myself downgrade. The part that was the most challenging for me was holding the BB on my shoulders that whole time. Ugh! Then I did 100 situps for time and for the first time, got an ass hickey!! It was super hot that day, so I was just a walking sweaty mess. I didn't get to see what my time was, though, because Kason was doing the push-up WOD from last Monday and was out running a 400m, and the timer was with him. So I got a nice big ol' ass hickey and had no idea what my time was. Oh well! It was a great workout day, although I will admit I was a bit scared to do the WOD since my shoulders/back were feeling the two-a-day/J.T. from the day before. But Spencer didn't let me wuss out or sub, so I sucked it up and did it. :)

Tuesday: Helen. We met again, although this time, it was normal Helen, not heavy. I wanted to use 35# KB since I had last time we did Heavy Helen, but Sam said to use 26#. My diet had been rather shoddy all weekend, plus Monday because I was in professional development and had all this free, unhealthy, bad-fatty foods at my fingertips. It has been a while since I've had to sit for seven hours straight listening to people lecture, and while I learned a great deal, I still felt really lethargic and consequently ate poorly. I also did not sleep well or enough all weekend or this week due to grad school and just not going to bed when I should have, so I felt like crap after doing Helen this time around. 11:38 was my time, and although I used a red band as opposed to a blue band last time for pullups, I still felt I should have done better. The 400m runs were awful, as predicted, although I did try to encourage the people I'd see walking or stopping. It felt good to get them back to a jog and talk them into sticking it out. Kason counted for me on the KB swings and pullups, and Erica helped me get my tired foot into the band each time for pullups. I felt okay afterward, but when I got home, I didn't anymore. I think it was the coffee I drank that day and the day before--I like coffee, but it doesn't like me. :/ So I abstained from coffee for the rest of the week, although its enticing aroma made it difficult to resist.

Wednesday: Diet was a bit better since I got up early and went to the rooster WOD. I was relieved that it was a mixture of few reps of lifting and few reps of pullups. Even though 14 rounds seems like quite a lot, the fewer reps for each move made it more manageable. I am so weak in the morning, though, and while I should have easily used 63# at least on the push jerks, I used 53#. I used a blue band on the L pullups, and those were rather challenging. I think I will start working on dead-hang/strict pullups to help me develop that skill. I finished in 14:14.

Today: Awesome time tonight with Mel, Erica, and Carin--we all shared a bar. Started out with 95# and went up to 135# to begin the progression of Sumo Deadlifts. I really wanted to beat my old PR of 205#, but I got a bit worried when Sam told us about someone who couldn't even get 60% of her old PR due to lack of sleep. But Mel and Erica really encouraged me, and I DL'd 220#. I think I could have done five more pounds, but it was already our seventh or eighth attempt, plus the 6 p.m. class was already warming up, so we had to stop. Mel beat her long-time PR of 200# by 15!!!!! And with a hurt hand and wrist! What an inspiration she continues to be!! She is an awesome athlete and wonderful person to workout with. I look forward to doing this lift with her again. She really pushed me to get my PR on front press a month ago. Definitely will enjoy/hate my rest day tomorrow, though. This new grad class is really demanding in a different way, and the prof is super strict about due dates, as she should be since it's a graduate course, but stiillllllll. :P Okay, time to get back to my reading. Not promising I'll be able to post as regularly as I usually have in the past, but I will try to keep it up!

Two today

Kason had to be up early today for a conference, so I got up with him and went to the 10 a.m. WOD, intending to do both that and the 11 a.m. one. Had to work off that cheese and chocolate from last night! Plus I'll be cheating tonight with some fried delights from Humperdink's while we watch the UFC Lightweight Championship bout between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian, plus Anderson Silva will fight Forrest Griffin. Should be an awesome show!!! Forrest will probably be streaming blood from his face--I swear his skin is paper-thin and his face is all sharp angles!

Newbie WOD was called "Tabata FTW": we rotated to four different stations--push-ups, mountain climbers (2-ct), 10m shuttles, and squats. We did a full set of Tabata intervals (eight) at each station; then we had one minute of rest while rotating to a new station. Sam counted us off, and I started at the mountain climber station. Knocked out 104 of those. Then it was time for the shuttles. What a mess that was!!!! There were too many people for the mat area where we had to do the runs, so I had to run pretty slowly to avoid running into anyone. Also, I noticed my legs were rather shaky from the mountain climbers, so I was extra cautious. Only got in 37 runs. :/ After those, I had to do push-ups, which I did on my knees for the whole set. I managed to do 82 push-ups. It was tough, though--my knees were slipping off the mat, and my hands were slipping around on the floor. I was a hot, sweaty mess! Finally, I did squats, and wow were my legs and tush tight afterward!!! I did 125 total. My grand total was 348. Next time I will do normal push-ups and hope that the shuttle isn't so crowded.

The 11 a.m. WOD was J.T. and wow was it a doozy. 21-15-9 of HSPU, ring dips, and push-ups. I subbed 20# shoulder presses for the HSPU, parallette dips for the ring dips, and did knee push-ups. I was suffering by the 15th shoulder press!!! Then when I was doing the dips, I seriously could not do more than 3 or 4 at a time. I was really ready to quit. But Erica pushed me through it, and I even repeated reps that weren't full ROM (didn't lock out elbows). I couldn't believe how difficult the dips were!!! The push-ups were the easiest part of this WOD for me. Funny, eh? The second set of dips, I could only do 1 or 2 at a time, and I would plop down on my butt after each one. It was really rough. I'm glad that Erica made me make every rep count, though, and I know I did quite a few more than I was supposed to, but if my elbows weren't locked out, she didn't count it. At the time, I hated that, but I am glad that she kept me accountable and true to the proper form. I finished in 11:11. Before we started, I was sure I'd take at least 15 minutes, so I'm not disappointed about my time. I know I could have done better, but then I remember that I'd just done over 100 mountain climbers and 82 push-ups not even 30 minutes prior to this WOD.

Now it's time to relax and finish my book before I tackle my school work. Tomorrow I plan to workout with Mel--she's doing a weighted run (how far, I'm not sure, but I'm hoping not more than a mile!), maybe some Tabata situps, and whatever else she can do without using her wrist since she injured it yesterday. Should be fun! :)

New PR!

We did my worst lift today: overhead squats. I was a bit worried going in, but once we were warmed up and Spencer gave us a few pointers, I felt a bit more relaxed. I just kept remembering the last time we did 1-rep max for OHS and how awful I felt during it. The box was stiflingly hot--I think one of the fans was in another room, so our particular work area was awfully stuffy. Also, I was unhappy about not being to see very well because I had to wear my glasses during that time (woohooooo for not having to wear glasses or contacts!!!!!!). Sharing a rack with Mel and Mere also made me feel like a weenie, although both of them kept giving me helpful tips and encouraging me when it was my turn. I was just mad at the whole world that day!!

Today was a totally different OHS experience. I shared a bar with Laura, who did a very impressive job, PRing at 70#. I started out with the 33# bar and felt a bit shaky with that weight. But I noticed that as I gave Laura and Barbie pointers and encouragement, I felt more confident and capable when it was my turn to lift. I love being a teacher! :) Barbie used her own rack, working from the 15# bar to a PR of 40#. Both ladies had excellent form throughout and will be squatting more weight in no time. We had seven attempts at getting a new PR. I started with 53# and changed out to the 45# bar because my math skillz suck, plus the clamps are almost impossible to get over that fatter 33# bar. So then I used 60 and went up by 5s. My new PR is 80, although I should have stuck it out on the 85# attempt, but my balance faltered and I felt my weight shifting to my toes, so I bailed. It's still a new PR by 15#, so I'm not complaining! :) Cooldown was 100 situps at home with Castor nomming my hair and Pollux sitting on my shins. Such "helpful" kitties!

Time to start school work for my next grad class and then it'll be time for Melting Pot for Kason and my five-year anniversary! Woohoooo! Can't believe it's been that long. I'm looking forward to many more!

Pain inc.

Darn it, I was just thinking last night how we were probably going to do something with thrusters soon, and evidently...someone has telepathic powers. Argh!

WOD: 100 Thrusters for time with 5 burpees at the start of every minute

Well, I went in and faced my fear and ended up doing more than the prescribed 100. LOL That's why I teach English, not math. I used my Fran weight of 40#, and by the tenth round, I was doing half burpees (no push-up) before the thrusters, but I am glad I went and did this WOD instead of curling up in a lil ball and refusing to go in today. I only needed to do 3 more thrusters on the final round, but I did 10 instead. Erica was helping me count the rest, and I did 6 thrusters on the 18th and 19th rounds. I guess that confused us both, because I ended up doing 7 more than I needed to. I even did the final 3 after Sam yelled time. Haha! I love how intense things get!!! It was worth the pain because tonight, Kason and I are going to King Spa and Sauna, and I'm going to soak and sweat the impending soreness out of my shoulders, back, hips, and quads. Just keep trucking when the going gets tough!!!

Great job, Jamie! It was great to see you today! I admire you for sticking with the burpees and not getting up until you were finished with them. I admittedly skipped at least two sets of burpees--I chose breathing over burpeeing. :/ Great work!!!

Back to it

Well, after a four-day break (eek, but totally worth it! Kason is back and life is so much better now.), I'm back to the gym. As a warmup, I ran to CFDC from Northbridge on Southwestern with Amanda--about 2 miles.

WOD: 100 push-ups
Every time you break from push-ups, complete a 400m run. If any part of your body touches the ground aside from your chest, or you pause for more than a second between reps, you must complete a 400m run. All push-ups must be taken from full elbow extension to chest touching the ground.

Push-ups suck, and running 400m in this heat sucks almost as much. Here's how it went: 30 - run - 30 - run - 12 (?!!!) - run - 28 all knee pushups. I think the thought of running AGAIN pushed me to finish the final set without breaking. Plus Sam and Koy were yelling at me, so that helped a lot, too. :) I think being able to pace myself and the relative coolness/circulation at the gym helped. I didn't want to run out there in the heat, so I made myself do the push-ups as unbroken as possible.

For CD, I did several kipping pullups, 2 sets of 10 KtE, and a 30-second handstand hold. Then Amanda and I ran/jogged/walked back to the Village. I got a cramp in my stomach (argh), so I had to walk for a bit, but we ran the rest of the way once we got to Southwestern. I might start running for the warmup from now on until work starts. It was a good start to the workout, plus I liked getting to know Amanda better. Kinda wish we'd known each other sooner so we would have done this more often, but I'm glad we are now.

Time to make some chicken and broccoli for dinner. Peace!

Totally worth it

Okay, so Amy is dying to learn about this experience I had today, but if you aren't into reading about body hair removal, kindly skip ahead to the WOD. :)

Getting my first Brazilian wax (as a welcome home, as well as other reasons!) was seriously not bad at all! First off, it probably helped a ton to take a Motrin IB an hour before the procedure, and second, my technician was Laura the Brow Queen (http://www.laurathebrowqueen.com/Laura_the_brow_queen.html). She began by asking me what I wanted, a full Brazilian or a half, and had me take off my shorts, leaving my underwear on. That in itself was surprisingly calming! You never are completely showing any of yourself down there because you use your panties to serve as the boundary, if that makes sense. It's an interesting strategy, and it works! Nice and even and straight. She explained to me that I would be doing "Ready Freddy" for the waxing. If you're curious, let me just say, it helps to know when your hair's about to be ripped out. I was expecting pain and a lot of discomfort. I was completely wrong! I felt a few of the pulls but only for a split second, a little sting really, and that was it. Laura was quick, efficient, and very friendly. She knows what she's doing! She powders you before she starts and before a big pull so your skin is nice and dry for the wax. The hot wax was probably the worst part (no joke!) of the whole thing, especially in the more sensitive areas. But pain? None whatsoever. It was so amazing!! I fully endorse this procedure AND Laura the Brow Queen (she's located in the Eliza Salon Spa off Central Expy and Walnut Hill in a shopping center). Do it! You will not regret it. Oh, and she did my upper lip even though I didn't schedule it. I asked her if she had time to do it for me, and she said it was not a problem. That didn't hurt at all either, and the last time I had it done somewhere else, it didn't feel too great! This lady is absolutely wonderful!!!! I was smiling and hugging her afterward. She said most people leave laughing. I was definitely feeling relieved, though, for getting it over with since I wasn't entirely sure how painful it would be. I'm even working out two hours afterward! :D


WOD:

Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:

3 Hang power cleans

3 Front squats

3 Push-press

This one looks fun, plus I need to work on my hang power cleans since I always psych myself out when the load gets to a certain weight.

Ugh. That one hurts already!!!! I used 53#, which felt like a ton by the 13th round. The push presses were the most mentally challenging for me. I wanted to rest so many times, but I kept telling myself, just keep going. It helped to hear Erica yelling at me a few times, too. :) This was a great workout! It was funny to see all the people at the 5:00 drenched in sweat and then be one of them after I did this WOD. What a boiler the box was today!!! I'll take dry heat anyday. CD was 20 GHD situps--should have done some handstands and planks, but I had to hurry to meet Erica's friend at Kozy. Yummy meal as always. That's twice this week already! I feel spoiled. :) I was a bit worried my wax job would bother me during the workout, but I was fine! Love it!!! Going to get to bed at a decent hour tonight so I can hit the 6 a.m. tomorrow. Then spend all day cleaning, organizing, and packing. Woohoo! It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that I've finished all my projects. All I need now is to respond to two Power Point presentations my colleagues posted, but so far, it's just me and this other lady. LOL We're such over-achievers. :) Assignment is due on Thursday.

Crunch Time

Well, it is almost time to go to SC to see Kason graduate from ABT!!!!!!! It's hard to believe the end of July is almost here already, but looking back, there were times when I couldn't believe how slowly time seemed to creep by. And he called me twice today (I was CF'ing :( ) and told me he gets to come home a day early! Woohoo!!! Got my 50-page case study done this morning and have been trying to submit it, but it seems it's too big of a file. I e-mailed my professor to see how I should go about it.

Today's WOD was fun and challenging! Kat kept time for me, and I averaged 1:20-something. The damn straps on clapping push-ups and C2B pullups slowed me down. -_-

Pro Shuttle Interval

5 rounds, each for time:

30m pro shuttle

3 single-arm snatch (each arm), 45 pound dumbbell

5 clapping push-ups

5 chest-to-bar pull-ups

5 box jumps, 30 inch box



I used a 20# dumbell for the snatches, blue straps for the push-ups, and a red strap for the C2B pullups. I should have used the medium box for box jumps, but I allowed myself to wuss out and use the baby box, plus Kat was too nervous about using the medium box. It was fun working out with her since I haven't seen her in so long. Was a good workout.

Well, time for my final project, then serious cleaning time!

New PR?

I am excited to do back squats today and hope I can beat my old PR of 150#. I'm quite relieved that we are doing max lifting today, too, because I don't know if I'd be very effective if it were a met-con like the past three days. I am a bit concerned about the rather numerous numbers of attempts we have, though. I'm going to follow Corey's advice on the blog and try to get my max on the fifth attempt; otherwise I will be too tired, probably. Plus my legs are still really feeling the Tabata Mashup from Wednesday! I love the pain!! :)

WOD:

Back Squat

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Woohoo that was fun! Started out with 80% of my PR weight: 120# and worked up from there. 120 - 125 - 130 - 140 - 150 - 155 - 160 - 165 - 170 - 175 (25# PR)

I got to work at my own rack because there are now six, and the other two girls didn't know what their max back squat was. The nooner wasn't as big as it has been in the past, so it was a nice, laid-back group dynamic. Then I was getting ready to do situps with Jared, but Wayne was putting on a weighted vest and I asked him what he was going to do. He said go run so that a normal 800m run would feel really easy, so I figured, why not? It might help me get a faster time on the sprints when I do that one again. So I put on the lightest vest (the wonky gray one that's way too long for my short torso), and I ran it with him. It was challenging! I would like to do it as a CD regularly, time-permitting, though. Spencer is building a new platform for rolling out/stretching, so I had plenty of time today. Then I did 50 GHD situps and did a minute plank hold with Wayne. He's a cool guy. I'm going to enjoy my rest day tomorrow! Looking forward to some skill work and maybe sprints on Sunday with Amy and Sandy if they're both there. Gotta get cranking on this case study and PP presentation for class.

Argh, more push-ups!

Well, I am going to do more of what I hate: push-ups. Today's WOD requires me to do 105 of the suckers.

7 rounds for time:
10 KB swings
15 push-ups

Bleh! Just got back and I HATED THOSE PUSH-UPS even though I did knee ones. -_-

8:20
26# KB
knee push-ups

Amanda was an awesome partner--she really encouraged me and made me keep moving on those awful push-ups. She did her first three sets of push-ups unbroken!!!! Inspiring as hell! I'm looking forward to getting to know her better and working out with her more often. She plays on a national level ultimate frisbee team! Anyway, I'm happy that today's WOD is over with and am treating myself to some pool time with Erin and then ginormous Jenga at Barcadia tonight. Sweet! Oh yeah, for CD she and I did 50 GHD situps. For some reason, I can't really get past 50. :/ Last time I did 100 was with SamZ three weeks ago. I'm slacking!!

Aww, pool time got cancelled--it started raining. But that's a good thing, too, because I need to get two more assignments done today since I'm going to Barcadia tonight.

Sandy, it was so nice to see you! I hope you had a good workout and wish I could have counted and cheered for you like old times. Hope you made it back in time for your conference call! Are you free this weekend for some Kozy with Amy and me?

Tabata goodness

Today's WOD was nice and different--Tabata mashup. Almost every muscle in my body feels yesterday's workout, oh how delightful! It sure is a wonderful feeling being painfully reminded of the different muscles in my back, my shoulders, my quads, hamstrings, calves, and ribs (all around)!!

Alternating Triple Tabata Mash Up

8 rounds, 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, alternating between the following:

Wall-ball shots, 20 pound ball

Knees-to-elbows

Medicine ball clean, 20 pound ball

Partnered with Amanda and I'm so glad we had a partner to count for us and keep us moving! Got 12 wall-ball shots the first round, then 11, and then I leveled out at 10. KTE is something I could stand to work on, although I stayed pretty consistent--7 and 8 until I dropped to 6 near the end of the whole thing. Med ball cleans were pretty consistent, too--7 and 8 throughout. I could have and should have done more, though. Always room for improvement! That was a great met-con, and I love the variety. I felt that we did a lot of lifting the week before I had surgery, but this week has been nice and varied. I really wish I could have done the sprints on Monday, though. :( I will probably make those up on Sunday if anyone is interested in doing them with me. :) I also plan to do skill work that day beforehand. Did 50 GHD situps for CD and missed my situp buddies.

Time for a shower and nerding it up.

Great to be back!

First day back to CFDC and I'm feeling great!!! Although, during the WOD I wasn't feeling too hot...but I MISSED that feeling! I missed pushing myself to that brink of am I going to get sick? Am I going to be able to keep going? I really hated the push presses, although I should have not been such a wuss and tried doing at least one set of the handstand pushups as prescribed.

WOD:

15-12-9-6-3 reps for total time of:

185 pound Deadlift

Handstand push-ups

Vertical leap, 1 foot above reach

5:48
95# Deadlifts
20# push press
Female wall ball target for VL

20 burpees for dessert

I know I could have used more weight on the deadlifts, but I didn't want to push it too much since I've had a week off. That sounds wussy, but I definitely hated taking seven days off and didn't want to have to take even more time off due to a silly injury that was preventable. I was really amazed watching Linda do her handstand pushups like it was nothing. Erica really kicked ass on them, as well. She would not give up, and I truly admire that about her.

It was painfully satisfying to wash my hands with hot water and feel it burning my reopened blisters! Haha! I also noticed a few burns on my arms from doing negative ring dips, and of course since we did burpees, I got a bruise on each knee. It was cool: after our WOD, Sam gave us a mini-lecture about the 10 metabolic pathways and how he and the coaches measure our fitness level. It really opened my eyes to the fact that I seriously need to swallow my pride and work my ass on improving the moves I suck at: handstand pushups, overhead squats, ring dips, muscleups (looooooong way off for those but still need to work on it), running more efficiently, and doing more kipping pullups unbroken. We did two rounds of 20-second L-sits, 10 pullups, 10 broad jumps, 10 ring dips, 10 GHD situps, and 10 GHD back extensions. I could do three pullups unbroken but just couldn't get my chin up after that, on both rounds. So I had to use the red band for the remaining pullups, grrrr. I did negative ring dips, but it did feel less difficult this time compared to the last skill practice we did. The other stuff was easy but really got my blood moving and my heart rate up. Loved it!

As tempted as I am to do 5 on 2 off this week, I talked to Sam, and he told me that doing 3 on 1 off is the best way to go and to do bodyweight moves and sprints while I'm traveling. I can easily do invisible Fran in my hotel room while I'm in SC! No excuses!! I was also considering going to my friend's bootcamp this Saturday to see how I do, but I can't--got a hair and nails appointment. I love being girly sometimes, and I want to be all prettified for when I see Kason at his graduation. I can't believe how quickly the months passed! CrossFit and the awesome girls I have met at CFDC, plus grad school, have made the time fly by. I am so happy that I met y'all and have gotten to know you--you are all beautiful, inside and out, and I am so grateful for our friendships!

Okay, time to get back to the books! Do any of you find it difficult to make yourself eat after a WOD? I seriously have to make myself eat; otherwise, I can go for two or three hours afterward without eating, which I know is not good, right? Ugh!

Update: Just had a freaking BEST Japanese cuisine in my entire life!!!! Went to Sushi Sake in Richardson with my friend, and OMG what an experience. We ate at the sushi bar, and the subtle details of everything, from the little porcelain chopstick rest bar to the warm, damp towel (oshibori) to wash off our hands, made the two hours we spent there amazing and just so special! Our sushi chef was both attentive and friendly, explaining unfamiliar ingredients and names to us so cheerfully. Next time we go, we're going to let the sushi chef make all of our choices (I can't think of the term right now). I'd like to go there once a month, but we'll see how my budget looks. So incredibly fantastic! Oh, we started out with the aji sashimi, which was exquisite--it melted in your mouth and definitely did not taste how you would think raw fish would taste. The gingery sauce that accompanied it was wonderful, too. Then the waitress took the rest of the mackerel and had it fried for us. That was amazing! It was light, crispy, and slightly sweet. I ate a bit of the fish head (I was feeling brave LOL), and it was quite yummy. After the aji, we had a beef and asparagus roll, which was exactly what it says: asparagus spears wrapped in beef cut into bite-size pieces. Then we had steamed clams in sake and shumai (with shrimp). Wow, every dish was more delicious than the previous one! One of my favorites was the Louisiana roll, which was fried crawfish wrapped in sushi rice and nori. What a treat! Finally, we had a beef and tofu soup (niku tofu), which was probably my favorite out of all we ate. We shared these dishes, by the way, so while it seems like a ton of food, it was just right for the both of us. For dessert (couldn't leave without seeing what they offered!), I had the red bean ice cream, and my friend had mochi ice cream with mango. I am hooked!! Oh yeah, and I had a boxful of their featured sake--that's right, a boxful. They served it in an interesting wooden box cup, called a masu; it's the traditional way to serve sake and a symbol of prosperity. :)

Withdrawal

It has been a tough seven days of not being able to go to the gym!! I know it is all in my head, but I feel like I have lost my tone, especially around the middle, which I've spent these past three months working so hard for! :( I also don't feel as healthy as I do after a great, ass-kicking WOD. I haven't slept as well, either. Last night, for example, I kept waking up every thirty minutes. Well, my A/C has been thawing (weird, I know), so it's been making strange clicking and scraping noises. I called maintenance about it earlier today, but I guess since it's still working, my case isn't a priority (that's fine). I just wanted to be sure it wasn't an electrical issue causing those sounds, but then I saw the bathroom ceiling--where the unit is installed--was leaking and knew that it was thawing. It is so weird how it does that, but it's not uncommon. I can count at least four or five times since I've lived here. August 15th will be our second year living in this apartment. It is nice to be able to say that! I'm so sick of moving. Anyway, I can tell a big difference in my mood, eating habits (in terms of being motivated to stay strict, not that I have totally indulged in tons of cheats this week, although I did get a double dip of Blue Bell cookies n' cream at the movie!!), and overall mental health. School work has been wearing me down, and I really miss having the mental and physical break that CF provides. I can't wait to get back into the gym tomorrow!!!! I considered going to the rooster, but I need to catch up on my sleep, although I have been waking up at 7 a.m. on my own lately...it's not going to be too hot (it's amazing how cool 90 feels after 100+ degree days!), so I'm going to wait until the 5 and give Dee the books and movie for her daughter. I really lucked out on that situation, and I am so grateful that Dee allowed me to work with her daughter for my class. I have to write up the case study later this week, and I think it will be interesting to see the finished product, as well as share it with Dee and her husband.

Well, enough rambling...I'm looking forward to a week of sore muscles and achy body parts!!!! :D I'll probably do 5 on and 2 off since next week I'll be gone for three days. Woohoo!

The old fear

Well, I finally faced one of my oldest fears: the dentist! Dun-dun-dun! I put off making an appointment for the longest time, but after Kason went a few months ago, I knew I couldn't keep making excuses for not going myself...so I made an appointment and had my first visit to the dentist in over five years.

I've always taken great care of my teeth, and I started using a Sonicare Elite last summer. The good oral hygiene paid off, because my dentist told me that I didn't even need a cleaning, my teeth were that well maintained and clean! He looked at the common trouble spots most people miss when they brush, and he said I was taking care of mine just fine--no tartar build-up or any of that nastiness. He's under the impression that I'm a teeth-grinder, though...I can't say I agree with him, but I will start paying closer attention to my mouth when I'm doing school work or working out. My jaws and teeth don't feel sensitive or tight in the morning, so I don't think I clench my jaws when I sleep. He does want me to keep track, though, and report back to him when I return to have an old filling replaced. I'm relieved!!!! I thought I'd have to get major work done or a root canal (yikes!!) since I hadn't visited a dentist in so long, but I am getting off pretty well with just having to get that 10+ year old filling redone. It won't be a big deal, and I will be glad to get another 10-20 years out of the new one. He talked about putting a crown on one of my other teeth that had a pretty big cavity filled a looooong time ago, but the lightest shade available was really dingy compared to my natural teeth color! Hooray! The sonicare and Jason's SeaFresh natural toothpaste are doing their job! :) I don't NEED the crown, so I don't plan on getting it for as long as I can get away with it. Such a relief that my dentist says I've been taking great care of my teeth, and I didn't have to undergo the scraping and polishing that I usually hated when I'd go regularly when I was growing up. Get this: my dentist said only 16% of people benefit from flossing and that you actually shouldn't do it because the floss damages healthy gum tissue. I'm going to keep up my routine, but I thought that was interesting to say the least...

Okay, time to crank out this assignment before meeting some friends for Nonna's and Tuna Does Vegas.

The big day!

After a rather anxious morning, I finally had my LASIK surgery a bit behind schedule. It seems Dr. Beebe was a very busy doctor today! He had several patients before me and even a few after me. I didn't mind waiting, though. Erica kept me entertained, plus the Valium made me a bit tipsy. :)

Actual procedure was very trippy. I think the worse part for me was when Dr. B put the conical thingy in my eye to hold my eyeball still. That didn't feel too good, and I could feel the edges of it digging into my eye. The technician was so awesome, though, and kept reassuring me throughout the first part (corneal flap) that the noises and sights were normal and told me how much time I had left. She told me 18 seconds, not 20 like she told Sandy! Anyway, the actual corneal flap procedure wasn't too bad--I did find it trippy to see little psychedelic swirlies and things like that while it was being done. I never saw pitch black during the whole process, which was nice. Then the tape he used to tape my eyelids open kinda stung when he took it off, but it wasn't anything unmanageable. The second part was trippy, too! But Dr. B was good about telling me how much longer he was going to shoot the laser and he kept saying I was the perfect patient. :) It was weird--the Valium made me feel loopy, but once I was in that room and in the chair, I didn't feel that way anymore. It was nerve-wracking, and I almost reached up to hold the technician's hand a few times during the corneal flap part. Haha! I held my breath during the second part so I wouldn't smell it, but I did get a few whiffs afterward. Not too bad...it reminded me a bit of how it smells when the dentist drills a cavity.

The worst part of the whole experience was being home and trying to sleep. My eyes really burned, and I thought a few times of getting up to take an Aleve, but I didn't want to open my eyes, so I lay there for at least an hour and a half with my eyes closed, trying to go to sleep. I finally did, and SOMEONE called me!!! I should have put my phone on vibrate, but yeah, my nap was interrupted by someone calling me. Grrrrrr. Anyway, I went back to sleep and slept until almost 7. I got home from the office at 3:20, probably fell asleep close to 5, but my eyes were closed the majority of that time, so I got in a good two to three and a half hours of shut-eye. Both of those drops taste AWFUL! Ick!! I hate that bitter taste, but it's only for several days, so I can manage. I suppose I should think about eating something, although I'm not hungry. Last time I ate was at 12:30--half an apple with almond butter. I have to finish and submit this assignment before I go back to bed, so I'm off to do that. Hopefully the doctor gives me a good report tomorrow when I go in for post-op. Hooray for LASIK!

Last WOD before LASIK

Well, the day is almost here! I am both looking forward to and dreading this WOD today. First of all, it's supposed to be 104 degrees, plus there is a heat advisory. So...it should be interesting to say the least. I'm hoping the nooner is big enough that there are partners for everyone.

With a partner, complete 3 rounds for time of:

400m Run
Max attempt at burpees
20 Thrusters 95/65

As a team, run the 400m together. When the team comes in, Partner A does as many burpees as possible while Partner B completes 20 thrusters. When partner B is finished with thrusters, the athletes switch exercises. The teams MUST remain together during every run.

I partnered with Jamie, who really pushed me through that last run. Wow, this was a brutal WOD, plus the heat about made me croak. When you run by those parked cars in the street, the heat emanating off of them really makes itself known. Jamie said the mail carrier told us to "be careful" when we ran by her. I was too much in a daze of pain and exhaustion that I didn't hear her. I was huffing and puffing the whole way--must have sounded like an old lady, all the noises I made trying to keep pace with Jamie. We used 40# on the thrusters and got in 85 burpees total. I did 45, and she did 40. I think we were matched very well. We made all three rounds with 30 seconds to spare of the 15-minute cut-off time. I cheated on the squat part on five reps of the last set of 20 until Sam yelled at me, and Spencer did, too. Hehe. Spencer came over and yelled motivating things--it really, really helped me get those last 10 thrusters. I don't know why, but those about killed me! I didn't feel too bad doing the burpees, although I do know I could/should have done more. My legs are already starting to feel tight, and I know they'll feel this WOD for several days. Sweet!! It will be a long week not being able to go to CFDC, but I'm eager to see what a week off does for my body. I'll be antsy as hell, but I'll have plenty of mental work to do with school. Anyway, time to shower and get an assignment done before I have to leave.

Tonight I'm going with a friend to see another friend in a play, Twelfth Night. The setting is New Orleans, and there is a Creole flavor to this version. It should be interesting! I'm going to get back rather late, though, so I'm going to go straight to bed when I get home and sleep as late as I can before I eat breakfast, put in more eyedrops, and get ready to go. I feel excited and just a tad bit anxious. I feel more relaxed from talking to Sandy about it than I would have if I didn't know someone who had just gotten it done. I am so grateful that she told me about her doctor and that I did not go to Dr. Boothe. It was funny--one of my friends asked me last week about who's doing my surgery, and I told him and told him about Sandy's unpleasant experiences with Dr. Boothe's office. He replied that he had talked to someone over there and that he definitely would not go to them to get it done LOL! My respect for this friend shot up after that!! I hope he calls the number I gave him and schedules the consultation. That was pretty much the final push to get the surgery scheduled for me. Hearing Shelly talk about all of the ins and outs and observing how truly knowledgeable and professional everyone was at this office gave me the confidence to take the plunge! I'm so excited to get my eyes fixed!!

Sunday changes

Well, I was supposed to work with Dee's daughter this afternoon, but they can't make it, so I will take advantage of this "free" time to get my next week's assignments cranked out. I was going to go in to the gym to do skill work, but I seriously need the 2nd rest day--the aftereffects of Chelsea are making themselves known today! I will go to the morning WOD tomorrow and then just chill since I'll be getting home late from seeing a friend's play tomorrow evening. I should sleep in on Tuesday before my surgery. I had originally thought about going to the morning WOD on Tuesday, but it'll be better to rest up and be relaxed when I go in for LASIK. I can't believe the day is already almost here! It seems like just yesterday I was scheduling my consultation! It's going to be such a memorable day.

Well, back to the books and getting myself further ahead in my class. It's going to be a productive day.

Close call

Wow. Chelsea is on my black list! Today was the first time I have ever felt Pukie poking me and threatening to visit. Ugh! I think the heat contributed to that feeling, as well. Gotta drink way more water before going to the nooners.

Just got back from my session with Dee's daughter--was cut short by the fact that the library closes at 6 on Fridays, boo. I'm still feeling unsettled, probably just need to take it easy and drink lots of water. I plan to watch "Fat Head" tonight--Jer says it's a must-see for Paleo/Zone eaters. Haha, it basically parodies "Supersize Me" and shows you exactly what caused the dude to gain all that weight and become super unhealthy. I plan to take at least that long of a break from the books tonight. I'm debating whether I'll sleep in tomorrow. Probably won't because I always feel anxious about getting up and starting my day on my school work. Bleh!

Oh, yeah, the WOD: 30 minutes of Cindy rounds on the minute
I used a red band on the pullups, but in retrospect, I'm somewhat wishing I'd used a blue one. I started out with regular pushups but had to drop to knees for the rest. Squats were no problem, but I always got caught up by the pushups. Grrrrrr. Sandy, I really want to start working out with you again and doing that pushup progression thing with you. That's my weak spot when it comes to Cindy and Chelsea. I think I got out 19 rounds, maybe 18. I kept count of how many rounds I sat out/missed, but the heat and exhaustion may have addled my brain on the counting. I am definitely looking forward to a full rest day tomorrow. The only thing I'm going to work is my brain! Then Sunday I'm going to see Transformer 2 at the IMAX and then going to the gym to do skill work--dips, handstand holds, maybe pushups, situps (I have neglected these since doing those 100 GHDs with SamZ on Monday; did 50 on Tuesday), and whatever else I come up with. It's going to be a sauna in there, so I'm sure my "easy" day will feel like a workout.

Okay, time to go relax for a while. I might do 5 on 2 off again to see how my body likes it. Didn't really mind it this week, but I'm not sure if I could handle it on a regular basis. It was nice to do all the WODs this week, though.

Clean

Decided to sleep in today and went to the nooner. It was a very small group, no Jamie or Dave. Finally met Tolbert, though. He's a tall guy!

WOD: Hang Clean
2-2-2-2-2

Felt pretty good when I was up to 63#, but then for some reason, I started psyching myself out when I got to 73#. After a few feeble attempts, I regrouped and got in the 2 reps. Then it was time for 83#. I should have just added 2.5 to each side to make it more gradual, but I was feeling like I could do it...until I tried a few times and failed. At this point, I was getting frustrated and annoyed. Sam was like, are you wearing contacts? And I told him I can't because I have LASIK next week. He thought I said I got it yesterday, haha. I guess being unable to see well affects my self-confidence, too. But Sam coached me and had me go back down to 73 since I'd already done it successfully. When I could only get out one rep with that, he had me go down to 63#. That helped me refocus and concentrate on the jump. I find on these lifts, when I get past a certain weight, I start overthinking the moves and end up failing. Quite annoying! Anyway, I worked back up to 73 and decided to jump to 80. Did that fine and did 83#, with a little wobble on the 2nd rep. I wanted to see if I could do 85, so I put on the 1# chains and tried it. By this time, everyone else was doing the cooldown, so I rushed myself. Didn't make it. Oh well, next time. CD was long jump, 5 attempts. My best jump was 74". Overall, I can't be disappointed in myself because I had no baseline for this lift yet. Just room for improvement, as always, and that's what keeps me going back for more.

Back to lesson plans and reading--got another session with Dee's daughter tomorrow evening. Should be fun!

And wow, am I PMSing or what, but I just got a really strong craving for toasted marshmallows!! I want a s'more or something.

Making the time

Hehe, seems like Sandy and Amy have missed my posts these past few days. Sorry!!

Let's see, Friday I ate pretty badly since I was with my boyfriend's dad and stepmom--they grilled T-bone steaks, jalapeno poppers, corn (bad bad! but I ate a lil mini cob), onions, squash, and yuuuummy bacon-wrapped shrimps. We also had salad and baked taters (bad I know). I passed on dessert, though--strawberry quesadillas (sound yummy, no?!), chocolate eclair, and something else. I was too stuffed to even think about dessert anyway. Well, the night before, they took me to this pub, and I ordered fried (I removed the breading) pork chops. Man, those things were GINORMOUS!! They were easily five of my hands, and I have big ol' hands. The manager came out when my food was being delivered, and he was shaking his head in disbelief that someone would be able to actually eat the whole thing, and when he saw me, he was like, "There's no way, no way!" haha! He was right: I managed to eat 1/4 of one of the chops, mainly because I was following the Zone rule about protein portions. The fried okra was quite tasty but a bit too salty. And I also cheated with the yummy potato/carrot/turnip latkes. There was a short shorts contest, too, and I actually won a prize. I was sporting my new CFDC shirt, too! Wooo! Except the announcer called me "Glasses" when introducing me as a contestant LOL! He didn't know anyone's name, so he just went with it. It was some good East Texas fun. Oh, and Kason's stepmom kept calling me her daughter-in-law when introducing me to people. EEK!

Sunday, I stayed in and was a big nerd the whole day--finished four assignments. Monday I went at 6 p.m. hoping to workout with Sandy (it's okay, I'm not hating!), and I felt like I wasn't myself since neither Sandy nor Erica was there to push me. I got 16 full rounds and 11 swings in with a 35# KB. I tried to get Jacquelyn to use 35#, but she did a few practice swings and decided to stick with 26#. I think if I had 1) chalked my hands after each round, and 2) had Erica and/or Sandy yelling in my face, I would have done a whole lot better, like at least 20 rounds. But by the 11th swing on the 17th round, I just let the KB slip out of my sweaty, cramping hands. Bleh. My forearms, shoulders, and upper back are still feeling it, and today's Wednesday!! As I would tell Kason, I have John McCain arms!!! I know that's awful to say, but I feel like how he must when he tries to raise his arms. I don't remember what workout did this in the past, but there were a few days where I couldn't take my shirt off by myself--I'd have to ask Kason to help me! LOL

Yesterday I went at 6 a.m. and suffered through Fran. But it helps to look back at the first time I ever did this WOD. I used 35# and a green band for pullups. I don't remember my time, though. This time, I used 40# and a red band and finished in 7:28. My last pullup wasn't good (my chin didn't go above the bar), so I redid it and accepted 7:33 as my time. Haha! I went in the last heat with Linda, Ryan, and Chase, so of course those three blazed past me. So there I was, doing my last 9 pullups, and Spencer was like, "OKAY EVERYBODY CHEER FOR CARRIE!!!" I didn't really like that. LOL No no no don't pay any attention to me while I do my weaksauce pullups!!! Hahahaha Well, I did appreciate how Spencer told the people who'd already gone to get off their asses and cheer the final heat on, and he told them all our names. He's awesome about that. I think I like the morning better because he's so different and more intense, I think. Not too bad on the eyes either. ;) Anyway, I felt like I could have done better, at least time-wise, but there's always room for improvement!

This morning, I went at 7 because I stayed up later last night doing work, but I've decided that I don't like working out at 7. Not sure what it is, but I had no energy. I don't usually eat when I workout at 6, so I didn't really think I needed to eat before going at 7. Wrong!! So I'll stick to 6 a.m., or I'll go in at noon if I don't feel like getting up that early. It is nice to be able to choose! :)

WOD:

Jerk

Find a heavy single.

Rest

Then take 85% of that weight and perform 2 jerks every minute for 8 minutes.

I was total weaksauce this morning--I could only do 63# for my heavy single and used 58# for the 8 minutes. Then for the CD I used the 20# sandbag for Turkish getups, 10 reps each side. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, though. I will most likely go to the nooner tomorrow and see how I do. It will be my fourth day, but I want to get in as many workouts as possible before my surgery next Tuesday. Woohoo!!

My diet since I've gotten back has been spot-on--I finally cooked the grass-fed chuck roast last night, and it was pretty good. I burned the edges a bit--left it in there too long, but the flavor was superb. I'll definitely be interested if/when Casey does another order. Also have been enjoying this chickpea salad I picked up at Central Market. It's Paleo except for the soybeans, but there aren't too many in there. I like mixing it with some avocado. Yum! I'm too lazy to log my diet everyday. I am being conscientious and aware of what I'm eating, though. I'm holding steady at 133#, and I don't want to gain any of the weight back. Ideally, I would lose a few more pounds and get to 130#, but I'm not too worried about it. I do feel stronger (exception being this morning haha) and more capable of doing more of the lifts. I think the six pounds I lost is what helped me finally get kipping pullups, that and I'm a lot stronger than I was three months ago. I LOVE CROSSFIT!

Okay, back to the books! Sorry to keep y'all waiting. :)

Challenges

Today's WOD looks frightening and fun at the same time!!

"The San Francisco Crippler"

For time:

30 Bodyweight Back Squats

1000m row

So I have to do 30 back squats using 133#; then row 1000m. Sweet!!! I definitely want to do pullups afterward to see how many I can do before I crap out. And Sandy, I definitely want to do situps. Tabata?! :D I'm giddy because I'm done with the last assignment that's due tomorrow. Then I will get up at about 7:30, work on the assignment that's due on Saturday, go workout at noon, eat at Cafe Brazil with Sandy (NJAnotherEggSammich here I COME!!!), then clean, change the kitty pans, give them tons of food to last them until I get back from Tyler on Saturday evening. I'm supposed to avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight while taking these meds, but I want some LAKE TIME! And seeing fireworks while sitting on a boat on a lake is just too good to pass up. Whee!!

Wow. I was being totally unrealistic when I thought I'd be able to do THIRTY back squats at bodyweight! Jamie and I decided that 30 of anything, be it air squats or pullups, is tough. I used 95#, although I should have put on 5# plates on each side to make it 105, but I wasn't thinking straight. The first 20 weren't too bad, but once I got to 25, I was hurting. Erica really pushed me through those last five, and then my legs were totally like jello when I tried to situate myself on the rower. Ugh. I hate rowing. That's definitely something I need to work on and need coaching on. Erica pushed me through that, too! It's awesome working out with her! I heard Jamie encouraging me during the squats, too--thank you, Jamie!!! Way to rock it and shave TWO MINUTES off your old time!! :D This workout was definitely mental. Did it in 6:46 or something. Will increase weight and try for a better time next time. I wanted to get all my reps perfect, though. For CD I did 50 GHD situps, a few pullups (could only manage four in a row today), and 30 sec. handstand hold. Awesome post-WOD meal at Kozy with Erica: 1/3 of Kozy Kobb with goat cheese instead of bleu, 1/2 grass-fed buffalo burger on the rarer side of med. rare, with plenty of goat cheese on top, and 1/2 serving of Kozy hash. YUM! Oh, and of course a nice tall glass of shaken Agave iced tea. Love that stuff!! I could eat at Kozy after workouts every time, if only I could afford it. :)

Well, time to shower, clean the kitty pans, finish the last thing for my assignment, and head to Tyler! Have a safe, fun July 4th, everybody!

We are only human.

Well, it seems that enough of my peers complained about the heavy workload, because my prof just e-mailed us tonight with a new due date calendar! Everything is more spread out now, and while I am relieved and will be able to go enjoy July 4 on the lake, I am a bit...disappointed? that my classmates would have such trouble managing the load when they know perfectly well that this is an accelerated course--a whole semester's worth of material is crammed into five weeks of class. I admit, I felt defeated and overwhelmed when I first began the class, but now that I have a sort of routine and groove going, I felt that it was manageable. Then again, I don't have to work during the summer (neither do most of my peers since they're teachers, too) and I don't have children (well, I take that back--I have two baby cats who constantly want my attention). I suppose the professor wanted to give the mothers a chance. :) It was very generous and compassionate of her to do that!

Skipped out on the WOD today because I was a dummy and followed the directions on the antibiotic bottle saying to take the med on an empty stomach. Did that, cooked something to eat less than an hour afterward, tried to eat said meal, but I couldn't eat more than an third of it. I felt quite icky and nauseated, so I went back to bed for about an hour. Then I just felt crappy and unmotivated. Ugh. Update: I just read up on Doxycycline. Wouldn't ya know, you're not supposed to lie down for an hour after you take it because it can cause esophageal damage!!!!! I really wish my pharmacist gave a damn about her clients! There was nothing on the insert about this. And you aren't supposed to take it on an empty stomach (why the hell does the label say to then?!!) either. AND, it's known to cause yeast infections. Such a lovely drug, eh? I got some Acidophilus probiotics to help prevent that unpleasantness. I seriously hope that once my eyes have been fixed, I don't have to mess with any of this crap again! I bought some eye scrub pads (and the rewetting drops for when I have my surgery!) and plan to use those on a regular basis to prevent any more clogged eyelid pores.

Had a massage session with Erin (my first one!) this evening. Boy did it hurt!!!! I think the worst part was my legs, particularly my calves. She knew where to massage, eek! My back and shoulders felt better, though. Wish we'd had time for her to work my shoulders, though. I do plan to return sometime for another dose of pain! Ha! I just made myself imagine tiny little mean guys, or toxins, being pushed and kneeded out of my muscles. That didn't stop me from cursing, though. Ack! I did laugh, too! Eric was right--Erin makes you laugh and cry at the same time! The masseuses I've gone to in the past didn't know what they were doing!!

I'm debating whether I will do my friend's bootcamp tomorrow morning AND the WOD at the nooner class. I would really like to do both since the gym is closed this weekend, but I don't want to kill myself, either. I certainly want to be able to give 100% of my effort and energy to the WOD, so maybe I will do the first half of bootcamp and skip the power training part (5 rounds of 6 100m sprints followed by 5 different exercises, such as burpees and situps). I think I will look at the WOD in the morning and decide then. Koy said that it's going to be hard, not that that's not the norm for everyday! but when KOY says a WOD is going to be hard, I get nervous! We'll see...I'd much rather crossfit than do bootcamp. :) I also want to see how many pullups I can do to failure. I've never tried before, and that's something I want to find out.

Oh, and Amy, is your offer to kittysit still on the table? I don't want to put them in the kennel when I go away for a few days at the end of July. One of them couldn't handle the stress of being away from home and being kept in a cage separated from his brother (they didn't tell me that they had to separate them!! I'd requested that they be kept in the same cage so the kennel wouldn't be so scary for them. The vet told me today that they do that for the animals' safety, that they tend to attack each other when in stressful situations.), and he got a lil cold. I took him and got some decongestant that I have to put in his food. He sneezes and blows little drops of clear kitty nose dribble on my books and papers while I'm trying to read/write. :( Supposedly he'll be okay--just reacting to the stress from being in the kennel. The other kitty was hoarse when I brought them back home--I asked why, and it turns out he cried a lot while they were in there. :( So I don't want my kitties to suffer through that again. I think the Village also offers pet-sitters if you can't do it. I'm hoping to keep them as secure and comfortable as possible. No more sicky kitties!

Back to the books!

Thrusters and Skype and Styes, oh my!

As you can see from the title, it has been an interesting few days. Tuesday's WOD was Max Thrusters at Fran weight. Considering that the last time I did Fran was at least two months ago and I used 35# then, I think it's progress that I did 30 thrusters with 43#. Those first 15 were TOUGH!!! I don't really know how the heck I got out the remaining 15, but somehow, I did. My wrists were totally useless afterward, but my legs and shoulders could have kept going. Bleh. Next time I will do them with the prescribed weight and see how far I get! Oh, but I did manage to do 5 kipping pullups unbroken that day! We did one round of Cindy as part of our warmup, and I just jumped up there and cranked them out. I think I could have done more, but I was so surprised at being able to do five in a row that I stopped after that--broke up my rhythm. On to ten and beyond!

Diet has been pretty good, except this morning I cheated and got a Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuit. For some reason, I really, really wanted one!! I think I was trying to console myself about the fact that I have a sty trying to make a lil home in my right lower eyelid. :( I went to the doc, and he prescribed some weaker antibiotic to take for two weeks, plus a refill if I need it (hopefully I don't!!!). I was really worried that taking an antibiotic would push my LASIK back, but I called and Candy reassured me (they're all so awesome over there!) that it'd be fine and even gave me tips on how to keep my eyelids cleaner to prevent further breakouts. Stupid stupid eyes! I have never, ever had problems like this before! Oh well, I will wash my eyelids everyday from now on, especially after a workout. I'm still convinced that the dust and dirt flying everywhere has something to do with it! But that won't stop me from going, I mean, it was two months before I started getting styes, so maybe it's not the dust, although that crap doesn't help the situation. I'm hoping once I get my surgery done, I won't have so much trouble. We will see!

Skyping with my nephew last night went well. He's so adorable and knows his alphabet (out of order, too) perfectly. He'll be entering Kindergarten this fall, so I think he's pretty well prepared. He knows how to hold a book and which direction to read. It was fun to talk and interact with him! Skype is pretty neat, too. I hope I can find more people on it and talk to them that way. I finally got to "meet" my brother's new girlfriend on it--she's really friendly and cute. She's a 2nd grade teacher, so she's been really good with Parker. Hopefully I'll be able to meet her in person sometime in the near future.

Well, not much more time to write since I have to drive to Coppell soon to meet with Dee's daughter. I'm looking forward to working with her! Just hope the traffic isn't too bad.

Update: Dee's daughter is absolutely adorable and SO bright!! She continued to amaze me through the entire session. Her sister was just as cute as a button! Dee has done a wonderful job raising both her daughters! If only all of my students were as enthusiastic, polite, and altogether a joy to teach and interact with!

BTW, anyone want my almond butter? I tried it tonight, and I hate it! The texture, taste, and consistency just aren't right to me, plus I am so hooked on Sunbutter that there's no going back, haha!

Day 1

Morning WOD was pretty cool, and I was so thankful we didn't pullups! The rip in my hand makes everyday tasks a bit challenging, such as washing my hair, applying facial and body lotion, etc. I put a big wad of gauze wrapped with sports tape around the finger--worked just fine on our power snatches.

5-3-2-2-1-1-1

I got 73# PR, tried to do 5 more pounds, but I couldn't get it past my shoulders. Ugh. Remembered to wear bug spray this morning, and I'm happy to report that it worked.

CD was 3 rounds of 10 reps of good mornings (why are they called that?!) with a barbell (I used 15#) and ankles to bar reverse pullups. I feel myself getting stronger, despite the lousy diet last week, and it's very heartening and motivating. Was great working with Erica--she really pushes and encourages me. She got the 78# power snatch, and I need to catch her next time! Got a friendly little competition going, in my head at least. :)

Breakfast: Not Just Another Egg Sammich (bad to eat the English muffin and cheese but I wanted one!!)
sweet potato fries (not done as well as they usually are--couldn't finish
them)

Lunch: 2 oz. almond-crusted turkey (getting tired of it finally)
olive oil
1 cup cucumbers
1 cup red bell peppers
6 olives

Snack: 1 oz. brisket jerky
1/2 apple
sunbutter

Dinner: 2 eggs with spinach and purple cabbage (mmmm, love this combo)
olive oil
1 Tbsp avocado

EOD: 9/5?/13

Update on my course from hell: the lady I'd somewhat figured would be willing to work with me doesn't even have a webcam or long-distance service, so that arrangement fell through--disappointing yet a relief as it would have been quite a hassle doing the tutoring sessions via video conference. I'm hoping that Mel and Bobby's relatives will trust me to work with their little ones for the course instead. It's very stressful and frustrating right now because time is trickling away, and I need to get in two sessions this week before the July 4th weekend. I'm doubting that I will be able to go visit Kason's dad at the lake for the holiday--bummer. :/ I'm trying to remain optimistic, though!!!! Once I get two kids squared away and have my first sessions with them, things will fall into place. Just gotta get to that point! I'd rather do Nancy and Helen back-to-back, I think...haha! Okay, maybe not. Gulp!

OMG I'm scared.

So I start my next grad course this week, and I am already starting to panic. We're required to find a student to assess for the entire five weeks--the course is called Literacy Assessment--and why the university would schedule this course in the summer is beyond me. School has been out of session for at least three or four weeks now, and families go on vacation! I do have a few options, but I have to hurry and find a student by Wednesday as my first lesson plan/assessment is due on Saturday. It's going to be rough and stressful--I can already feel it. I'm hoping the professor allows me to remotely teach/assess my mother's friends' son who is going into the 3rd grade. I know the parents and the son relatively well, and I think they would be comfortable with me working with them. But I have to actually implement lesson plans each week and teach the student reading and writing skills for each lesson, as well as assess and observe him/her during each session. That will be pretty much impossible to do when the child lives in Ohio and I'm in Texas. My other option is contacting Victoria and somehow getting contact information on her students (elementary level) and hoping at least one of them has not left for vacation yet. Five weeks is a long time! I'm seriously baffled about why the class schedule was set up to have this course in session during the summer! Argh! Anyway, I think I will e-mail my peers and see what they're doing in order to fulfill this particular requirement. I feel so incompetent and lost already. :(

Going to workout today and hope the heat doesn't kill me. Haven't had breakfast yet because I'm not hungry and I feel stressed out. That's a bad thing I used to do in college--when I was stressed, I would not eat. Bleh! On a good note, my kittens aren't mad at me for leaving them for those few days at the vet. They seem happy and content being at home again. I am glad I got them!

Went in this afternoon and wow do 20 degrees make a huge difference!!!! I couldn't believe how stuffy and oppressive the heat was, but it was great to sweat out those toxins from my poor diet earlier in the week, plus all the stress I've been feeling. I got a new PR on front press: 90#, as well as a new 5-rep max (80#) and 3-rep max (85# +10 from old PR). Mel and Erica kept me going. It was good to workout with Lindsey again, too. :) I think she got a new PR, as well. Then it was time for the metcon: 21-15-9 of wall ball shots and pullups. Oh, it was awesome being able to do two unassisted kipping pullups on our bar when I got there!!!! But doing all those reps ripped my hand, and I had to use the red band. I digress, I know, but it would have taken me 20-30 minutes to finish if I hadn't used the band. I don't know what it is about 21 pullups, but I hated every one of them! Maybe the presses tired my shoulders out, who knows. I did, however, beat my old time of over 8 minutes and did it in 7:40 this time. That's progress!! Next time, I will do it mostly unassisted. Gotta wean myself off that band. But I seriously hope we're not doing pullups tomorrow...if we are, then I'm going to wear a glove on my ripped hand. Finally, I held a handstand against the wall for 30 seconds, yay!

Breakfast/lunch: 2 hardboiled eggs
1 Tbsp sunbutter
(seriously not much of an appetite)

Snack: 1 oz. brisket jerky
handful mixed nuts

Dinner: almond-crusted turkey
steamed purple cabbage and spinach
olive oil

EOD: 6/2/10?

Diet is caput!!

Ugh, I knew it would be a challenge to stick to my diet while at home, but sheesh, I'm starting to feel the repercussions of such a fact. :( The good aspect? It really motivates me to be even more rigorous with my diet when I return. I could tell a difference with my workouts, too.

Yesterday's workout was quite tough for me, but I like to think it's because it was my fourth day in a row and my awful diet. We warmed up with 10-9-8...1 of jumping squats and pushups. Then we practiced a skill--rowing 500m for time, three times. I couldn't break 2:14. :( I got some pointers from the coach, but I didn't improve at all. Then for the metcon, we did AMRAP in 15 minutes of 400m run and 5 wall climbs. I tried to do a wall climb, but I couln't move my hands at all--they just wouldn't budge! I think it's because I'm not confident in my handstands yet. I had to do donkey kicks instead--15 for each round. I managed to get in three and a half rounds, but they were painful and slow. The run was the worst part for me, surprisingly. It was rather hot and humid that day (I know, nothing like it was in Dallas but still quite icky), and I didn't feel like I could breathe properly while I ran. In retrospect, though, I'm glad I went. It will be great to return to CFDC, but I noticed that Rogue Fitness tends to do a warmup, skill practice, AND metcon for each workout. CFDC does feature great warmups and WODs, but sometimes I feel like I should have done more...if that makes sense. Oh good gracious, I'm starting to sound like my exercise-obsessed pal! :0 But sometimes I do feel like I need to do another workout in addition to what I've already done. I really like being sore and bruised the next day, not to say I haven't experienced these sensations recently from working out at CFDC. Just a tiny difference I've noticed.

Well, I return to Dallas tomorrow and will be having a huge cheat meal (ack, I know!) with a friend who is a spectacular chef. THEN I will be on a strict Paleo/Zone diet. I should start logging my daily meals like Sandy, Amy, and Jamie do. Need to be held accountable!