But If I Sleep I Might Miss Something

5:00 a.m.....snooze. 5:10.....snooze. Repeat until 5:30.....get up. I don't know what I was talking about when I said the 6:30 class was too late. For now...today, at least...it just felt right. I'm not going to let myself blow another entire day/week/month because I can't get up to make an earlier one. It just means I'll work a little bit later...but chances are I'd be working later anyway. And now I'm so glad I didn't sleep in. Because here's what I would have missed:

500 meter row
50 jumping chin-ups
500 meter row
50 situps
500 meter row
50 air squats
500 meter row
50 pushups
500 meter row
50 slam balls

My time: 25:54 (I think)....

The 5:45 class had 18 people in it this morning. 6:30 had....two. Just two. I'm so glad Jenn was there. One, because that meant I didn't have to do this alone. And two, because (and she doesn't know this) she pushes me. She's always just a little bit faster than me. And she makes everything look easy. But for the most part this morning, I kept up. My row is improving and I stayed focused (as opposed to spacing out at some point and falling off pace...which might actually be drifting in and out of consciousness and I'm somehow unaware of it...)

AND, I finally got knees to elbows!!! Maybe not all of them, but I got at least two during the warm-up today. The others were at least knees to armpits, which is still a progression from knees to boobs and that, for me, is pretty exciting.

Know how I know I'm back? Aside from being upset and irritated that I can't go on Tuesdays and Thursdays because of school now, I've now told myself that I can watch "The Bachelor" tonight only if I do kettlebell swings during commercial breaks. This morning's WOD looked like it was going to kill me. But it didn't. And now I'm bouncing off the walls and I haven't even had coffee yet.

Today is also the first day of the gym's Whole30 paleo challenge. I have a special love for Whole30. It's one of my favorite things and just how I personally feel a paleo challenge should be done. No cheats. I'm the kind of person that, in regard to food, if given an inch I will take a mile. You want a reset? Go all in. Don't say "I can't go without ________." Really? You can't or you won't?? Because there's a serious difference between the two. You actually CAN drink your coffee black. (Here's a tip: Don't drink it hot at first....let it cool off and down it. It's easier that way and you still get your caffeine hit.) You CAN eat salad without ranch dressing. You CAN make it through a paleo challenge without paleo candy bars. And you CAN stay off the freakin' scale. (I promise....this can be done. Let me set you free....) I'm not trying to sound know-it-all-ish. But I've done this. And I'm really, really good at it.

I will admit that I baked probably the best chocolate cake I have ever made in my entire life yesterday. J's birthday is Tuesday and I couldn't let an opportunity to have cake just pass right by. I'll refrain from a full description of the deliciousness of it, but I did enjoy two full pieces last night while making my gigante pot of paleo chili.

The next 30 days are going to be phenomenal. I can feel it. And it's nice to be excited again. I won't wish you all, my fellow challengers, good luck....because luck doesn't have ANYTHING to do with it. This is yours to make or break. Do it and do it well...because you're worth the effort.

Game on!