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!