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[/caption] I had an excellent week of training. I took Monday as a rest day because my triceps were pretty sore from Workout 11.6, and I went back at it on Tuesday. I feel a renewed sense of purpose in my training.  I’m excited to hit WODs hard, and I’m setting the bar high for myself every time I train. Tuesday I participated in a Functional Fitness 204 class and finished the WOD in 12:13. It was a series of 20-rep movements with about eight flights of stairs in between each. The pistols on my left leg slowed me down a bit, but each time I do them I am getting faster. I used a 70 lb. dumbbell for the front squats (I probably should have gone heavier because I didn’t need to break the set up), a 35 lb. kettle-bell, and 35 lb. dumbbells for the push presses. Wednesday I did Lynne. I cannot bench-press my body weight more than once, so I scaled the weight to 115 lb. The final result for bench press followed by pull-ups was as follows; 6:12, 6:15, 5:18, 5:20, 5:20. I didn’t have a spot so I think I would have been able to squeeze out as many as 2 extra reps if I had someone there (something about breaking my teeth held me back!) I was very happy with my pull-ups. I realized after the first set that I was holding back. I have always considered high rep pull-ups a weakness for me, but I think it’s all mental. This WOD showed me I can do sets of 20 no problem at the end of a WOD. Thursday was tabata sprints followed by 25 squats, 100 double-unders, 25 squats, and the another set of tabata sprints. This was sickening. The double-unders owned me for the first 30 reps for some reason. I had to regroup. I finished the last 70 no problem and did all squats unbroken. Friday was a version of Nancy I did in my front yard. The run is just under 400 meters with a dead-stop and turn-around at the mail box at the end of the street. I did it in 13:37. The OHS were un-broken at 65 lb., but my runs felt more like jogs; they were very slow. I love this WOD and I can’t wait to do it at a local track we have that measures exactly 400 meters.  This will be done in heat of summer. I rested Saturday, and Sunday was squat day. I worked up to a heavy single of 240 lb. which was a 10 lb. increase for me. I have been unable to break my old record for over a year, so this was pretty thrilling. The awesome thing was how easy it was! Next week I squat again, perhaps my goal of 250 lb. will be realized! I backed down with a set of 5 at 185lb., and a set of 8 at 155 lb. Afterwards I did two sets of 8 Romanian dead-lifts at 225 lb. I ended the WOD with 2 x 500 meter rows with a 4-minute rest between. My times were 1:44 and 1:46. The goal was to find a 500-meter pace I was comfortable pulling in a WOD. I ended Sunday with a massage and my new favorite show Game of Thrones! (Photo: Sandra Benz)