Updates

After being out of commission for about a week and a half due to strep throat (ugh), I went back to wodding and lifting last weekend. CFU's free WOD was a great break-in: 100 wall ball shots, 400m run with med ball, 150 walking lunges with med ball overhead, 400m run with med ball--all with a partner, and you couldn't drop the ball or y'all had to do 5 burpees each. Partnered with Ryan from Deep and crapped out on the wall shots (only did 45), but I did my fair share of the runs and the lunges. Then I went over to Deep and lifted heavy C&Js (worked up to 90% 3 sets of 1). Failed on my first attempt but got my last two, thankfully. Spencer's cooldown was killer: we had to hold 70% of our jerk 1RM (I used 95#) overhead while walking forward, backward, and to the side on his command. First set wasn't TOO horrible, but my elbows/wrists gave out on me on the 2nd and 3rd sets. Once we got to the side-stepping, I had to let the weight down. Funny that I forgot I'd done 75 overhead walking lunges not even an hour before...:O Then Monday was running Cindy--each round was 400m run followed by 2 full rounds of Cindy, AMRAP in 20 minutes. I got in 4 full rounds, which I was aiming for. Pull-ups still got to me after the 3rd round of Cindy. Not really looking forward to tomorrow's WOD...lots of push presses, box jumps, and KtE. Ready set go!

Oh, yeah, and I got a MINI Cooper. :D I named her Tina, short for Argentine, which means "silvery." I know, I'm a big nerd.

In Good Graces

Hehe, I'm such a nerd. Like my title there? So I did Grace rx'd for the first time today (95# for girls), and I finished in 5:42. Not sure if that's a good time, but I'm happy I didn't take as long as I thought I would. I broke up the 30 reps into 6 sets of 5. I think my Oly lifting classes have really helped me because the 95# didn't really feel bad until about rep 16 or 17. Then it started getting harder to jerk it, plus you don't split jerk on Grace (not as efficient). Before we did Grace, we found a 1RM on C&J. I always dread that because my mind takes over and usually leaves me disappointed. Well, I thought I'd be disappointed today and just get my old 1RM (120#), but after some quality coaching and determination (before he left, Spencer told me he "expected great things" so I couldn't let him down!!), I cleaned the 125#. I think I was surprised to have cleaned it because I made a face, like Whoa! which Russell noticed, too. Then jerking it wasn't too bad, but I do need to work on staying back on my heels so the weight doesn't go forward. So excited to see PRs again! :) And as afraid as I was going in to do Grace rx'd, it was a pleasant surprise to have 95# feel so "easy" for the first 15-16 reps.

Another humbling experience

So we did a new hero WOD today..."Blake."
4 rounds for time:
100ft Walking lunge (45#)
30 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
20 Wallball
10 Handstand Pushups

When I first read the blog, I thought it said 100 total walking lunges for four rounds, so I was worrying all day about how the heck I was going to manage that. I wasn't the only one, though! It still sucked doing 100ft of lunges with a 25# weight on my head. I used a small bumper plate so I could rest it on my head while I lunged. Actually, I went with the group that did their lunges outside in the street, and one of the guys discovered that we actually did about 100 more ft than was prescribed. I did everything rx'd except the HSPU, for which I used two abmats although I should have used just one abmat plus a 10lb bumper plate. Details. Well, the first box jumps after the first lunges were nearly impossible. I couldn't feel my legs, so I almost tripped on the box several times. That was a crazy feeling! Then I got a pretty bad cramp in my foot, but I kept going despite that. I wasted a good 45 seconds, though, trying to stretch it out in between movements. By the second round, it had worked itself out, thankfully. Of all the movements, I hated the lunges the most. Of course I have raspberries on my knees even though I did my best to just "kiss" my knees to the ground. When you get tired, you become less graceful and controlled. Total time was 26:23. It was very humbling to have people lap me and finish within 20 minutes. I have a baseline, though! And I've upgraded to unlimited monthly membership. Time to get back to CFing seriously.

New Leaf

Been a while, I know. TAKS planning, grading, new LPAC chair position, new mother to tutor, etc. have kept me crazy busy. I have also started practicing Bikram yoga (thank you, Howard!!!), which has presented an awesome new challenge and caused soreness in brand-new areas that CF never provided. Speaking of CF, I have finally heeded my inklings and desires and joined CF Deep. After more than two weeks of wod-less days filled with Bikram, Double Fran was NOT the ideal wod to return to!!! As soon as I walked toward the box, I saw people doing thrusters and pull-ups, and the panic set in. FRAN! Then I see Pat, and he laughs at me and says that it's DOUBLE Fran! I almost peed myself, bolted, and drove home. But I didn't. Several people already saw me (darn it!!!), plus Mel was expecting me. I couldn't bail with all that at stake. So I stayed. And suffered. A lot. Did my first go at rx'd weight but at the wise suggestion from Mel, used the thinnest band (thinner than red) for my pull-ups. Geez I'm glad I listened to her, although I'll admit my cockiness reared its ugly head a bit. Until I got totally schooled. First set of 21 thrusters and pull-ups wasn't too bad...but the set of 15 felt like torture. My grip got so bad that I could do only doubles, then singles. Switch-gripping did nothing to help me out. I finished in 9:42. Then there was five minutes of rest before I had to do it all over again! I wanted to go home and skip the second part. But Mel was still there, plus the lifting coach and other coaches I've known for a while. I couldn't not finish the wod. I swallowed my pride and let Mel take off the 10s. Took almost 15 minutes to finish the second Fran. Ugh! I used just the barbell (45#) and a red band that time. Let me tell you, doing single pull-ups 21, 15, and 9 times really sucks. My hands and shoulders are still shaky, and I can't grip properly. It was interesting trying to towel-dry my hair. But you know, I am so pumped up and looking forward to the next ass-kicking!!!

An interesting note about CF Deep: Members are expected to learn everyone's name by the end of the warm-up (for that class). That's just awesome.

Random

Hope everyone's 2011 is going well so far! Back to the grind for me...well, I had to create a narrative using this week's new vocabulary words. Here it is (although I'm not sure where I was going with it, but remember it's written for 20+-year-old students):

Close your eyes. Imagine the most spectacular light-show your eyes have ever beheld. Emerald greens, richly dark purples, garish reds, nearly neon yellows: all exploding and sparkling before your dazed corneas. Where are you standing? Or are you sitting? Lying down? No matter. Does it seem plausible that you have stumbled into a Disney World Electric Parade? Oh wait, you're an adult! You can't admit to that unless you want your cool friends to disavow their relationship with you, that and your outrageous fantasy might induce fantastic panic among these exceptionally awesome individuals. Never mind their implicit trust in the social networking system called Facebook, where they have a 100 gazillion trillion "friends" and are therefore superawesomecoolrad.

Oh yeah, and I PR'd on the Chief today--used 88# which is 13# more than last time we did it. My PR wasn't too big but it was still more reps than I did last time! Got 17 rounds plus 3 cleans and 6 pushups. Now that I can do pushups rx'd in WODs (never thought that'd ever happen!), I feel so much better/worse. I love not having to do knee pushups, but my chestal muscles and triceps hate me for days afterward. Oh, BTW, I did the 150 pushups for time WOD where you have to run a 400 each time you pause/have to shake it out/etc. I finished all 150 rx'd in 26:41 and ran over 2 miles (LOL)--9 400s. But last time we did this one, I stopped at 100 and could barely get them all out rx'd. Love progress!!!

Hello World

Well, I finally did it. I finished graduate school!!!! How does it feel? As the days progress, and I realize that I don't have a discussion board or a project waiting for me, my heart feels lighter and lighter. I completed my final assignment last night at 9:20 p.m., but the finality didn't really sink in until later today. Instead of thinking right after work, man, I have to get home so I can finish my schoolwork, I found myself thinking, what am I going to do tonight to celebrate being finished?? What an awesome feeling!

I decided to mark the occasion with a Big Night Out four-course meal at The Melting Pot. I hadn't been there since my birthday last January, and what better way to celebrate freedom than to stuff yourself with cheese fondue, salad, beef, duck, chicken, shrimp, and veggies, AND chocolate creme brulee fondue? Oh, and of course a glass of lovely Pinot Noir to complement it all. And Kason had a nice frosty glass of Old Rasputin waiting for me when I got home from work. Love him and love being finished!! I really can't believe I'm all done--it feels like just yesterday I was figuring out which courses I needed to take and when, charting my plan of action, and mentally preparing myself for the long haul. Was it all worth the sleepless nights, week of the flu, junk food cravings, sporadic workout schedule, and overload of cortisol? YES! I can't wait to meet all of the colleagues I learned and interacted with this past year and a half. December will be here before I know it! That is going to be an awesome, exciting month. More to come later...

Plan

I need a plan to get me going on these lesson plans and FINAL graduate course assignments. I do have two more days left of "break" before I return to work full-time (no kiddos, just on-campus training and teacher prep days) and start my class, but I feel like I need to be getting my tush in gear for the crazy next two months. But I can't get myself going! I think I'm making myself wait to see if Kason returns this weekend. Either he comes back or finishes his OCS training all the way to October. I feel like I "can't" decide my next move until I know exactly when he'll be back with me. :/

Well, I finally got my Implanon inserted yesterday morning. Truth be told, I did feel a bit anxious lying there with my arm in position. But my doctor is an expert at using needles and scalpels without causing pain or discomfort--didn't feel a thing!! The only pain I felt was the nervous energy in my stomach before the actual procedure, the not knowing. But even the prick of the needle that delivered the lidocaine was nothing. Getting my blood drawn imparts much more discernible sensations. Then my doc made a small incision to facilitate the insertion, and she was finished with everything before I knew it. There was an intern who came in to observe the procedure, and I guess it was too much for her, poor thing. She had to leave the room! I'll admit--when I watched a YouTube vid of the process, I did feel a bit squeamish. I kept my eyes glued to the ceiling when I actually had it done--that definitely helped. The doc made a compression wrap for my arm, which looked pretty bad-ass! :) But it started itching by night time, so I was happy to be able to remove it this morning. I get to take the bandaid off tomorrow morning--kinda curious to see what it'll look like under there! I have an interesting bruise at the site where the front end of the rod was inserted. Amy, what's the reason behind it? :) Anyway, I'm totally happy that I don't have to take a pill everyday anymore, and I just have to get this little guy replaced every three years. I don't like to think about the removal procedure though...lots of possible complications, including scar tissue and the like. But I'll worry about that in 2013. :) I have to wait until Monday to workout (no dirt or sweat allowed--Staph is no fun!), and then I have to wait a week before I can do anything involving arms. I foresee lots of running, air squatting, and situp-ing in my future! Not too bummed about that, though--I got a 10# PR on clean and 5# PR on jerk on Wednesday: 125# clean; 135# jerk. :D I could do only 35 pullups (5 unbroken at a time) in 2 minutes, though, but that's my usual Tabata number, so I guess that makes sense.

Going to be a fun day tomorrow--going to the Dallas Convention Center to witness some CF greatness at a friendly competition, as well as live MMA fights (woohoo!!!). Okay, I'm motivated to go clean now, especially if Kason returns this weekend.