Squeezed with lemon

This past weekend I sent my bridal dress for its first alteration appointment.

And I noticed something.

My corset was so tight that it was oddly, comfortably squeezing me to be greeted by back fat.

Either I completely do away with the corset or this back fat has to be targeted.

Of course, having ant hills for the chest region, I leaned towards losing the back fat angle rather than doing away with the corset.

So, the past two WODs this week, I had that mental image and worked towards my goal. Every time I thought about slowing down on a run, I sped up faster and concentrated on breathing. Those moments after the fourth round and you know you're tired, and all you want to do is put the bar down, shake it out and start over ... I finished my 5 reps unbroken.

This back fat has now become my friend that will soon be leaving me at the end of summer.

So this week, I was able to increase my weight in my shoulder to overheard (I'm now able to do at least 65lbs at 5 reps - 4 rounds. I was stuck at 42lbs for the longest time!!! )

And I increased my weight in my snatches (from 52 lbs last week to 55 lbs this week!)

Thank you for squeezing me with lemon, dear corset.

this isn't my wedding dress...I know Danny reads my blog :)

... Forcing overtime

As you may not know, I am a big NBA fan; the Miami Heat franchise to be exact. Basketball was always big in our household--on TV anyway since my papa and two brothers were not athletes per se.

As the youngest I was surrounded by what my brothers were into. And this came local network national sports. From the news of Magic's big announcement to Jordan's two 3-peats and more importantly, Riley's move from our rival Knicks to sunny South Florida, I became a basketball enthusiast.

With that said, this week has been a roller coaster of the Heat's third appearance to the NBA Finals playing big blowouts to big letdowns. 

The fire in these athletes' eyes is inspiring. All these players are determined til the end, which makes my workouts seem rather inferior. The adrenaline they must have during the game must be a complete high. Much like the feeling after your first 5K or shaving off some time on that dreaded Fran. 

I hate to think any of the NBA games is for pure entertainment and half actual acts of athleticism ... But I'm sure it is. 

Regardless, after last night's game 6 turnout -- of which the Heat probably should be feeling like giving up because there's no way out -- sticking with what you've got seems like the motto to power through the next one. I hope I know when that mile run seems too far, I know staying on course, without stopping is the only thing left to do. Losing was not an option for Miami Heat last night, just like stopping during a run should be.

Perhaps my analogy is far fetched, but I was left inspired by the perseverance of my heroes.

Update: I love DVR. I am such a nerd that I'm re-watching the game from last night.

Fancy Nancy

Wow, it has been a while since my last update. Last week was rather rough in my HEW workouts. In the middle of the Elizabeth benchmark, I pinched my back ... again! I still have an issue of lifting up my bottom first instead of keeping my core tight, so every time there is a Clean complex ... it gets the best out of my form. 

A couple of much needed rest days, by Monday I was back in full speed! And I am happy to report that when the Nancy aka "My WOD" came up, I was able to shave off 2:00 minutes of my time. Wahoooo!

Nancy:

 400 meters

15 Overhead Squats (65 lbs for Rx)

I think these were my previous times:

3/7/12 @ 35 lbs (only 4 rounds): 20:57

5/23/12 @ 35 lbs (only 4 rounds): 20:18

3/5/13 @ 42 lbs: 18:13

6/11/13 @ 42 lbs 16:19

Sorry to boast and to over gloat, but this workout was brutal. 

Another update that's happening in the real Nancy land is I GOT MY WEDDING DRESS over the weekend! All the plans for the wedding are creating massive amounts of stress, so I forsee a minimum 5-day a week attendance to the gym. Not to mention the fact that lately I feel rather distant from Danny -- for reasons I'd rather not share. Some people say this is the true test of a marriage, if we can work through this wedding planning, we can accomplish anything. But what the hell are sayings anyway.

Motivation

Motivation is literally the desire to do things. It's the difference between waking up before dawn to pound the pavement and lazing around the house all day. It's the crucial element in setting and attaining goals—and research shows you can influence your own levels of motivation and self-control. So figure out what you want, power through the pain period, and start being who you want to be. [source]

Weekend recap:
Saturday's WOD was a fitness test.
500m row
40 squats
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 pull ups (strict with bands, if no kipping)

I did pretty well, finishing at 5:18. The pull ups slowed me down but I did all other movements unbroken. From this workout, I noticed I need to practice push ups from my toes more.

Sunday is usually a rest day for the HEWers; but whenever we miss a day, my mood swings go for a ride on a rollercoaster. I am uncontrolably mean and unreasonable; all of my energy is stored and though I'm supposed to be at rest, I get restless. (Note to self: must elaborate on mood swings at a later time). Danny knows this about me and so we decided to do our own workout at the high school track next to our house. After arguing again that a track is 400 meters, we warmed up and completed a movement per station at every 100meters:
100m run
10 pushups
100m run
15 v ups
100m run
20 squats
100m run
30 sec plank hold
 

I was able to complete two rounds while Danny completed three. I'm so proud of that man.

Fitness test: I'm the one in blue, encouraging Danny

High school track by our house!

I'd like to know... if you were to go on a trip or for any other reason are unable to attend your box at one point, what will motivate you to complete a road WOD? Outside of the camaraderie of a class or your coaches, what do you use as a motivation?

Fear of failure and hard work wasted. That is motivation enough for me.