I Came. I Climbed. I Conquered.

Today, Larry took my indoor rock climbing! And I met some of his friends--Ben, Simon and Andy. And I met Simon's new rock climbing friend, Keith. It was a party. As many of you know, I hate meeting new people. But these peoples were pretty decent. And two of them are British, so they can do no wrong in my eyes. None at all. Not even when one of them called my forearms "big". I immediately asked him if he just called me fat... He denied... But I know better.

I did a 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 and 5.7 on the smaller wall side (Larry says they are about 35 feet) and a 5.6 on the taller wall side (no idea how high). I am really proud of me! Even when I really, really wanted to give up on the 5.7, I finished it! Larry is a great coach telling me where to put my feet where and when. Also, the further along I went the less he coached--which I didn't like while I was doing it, but loved it when I was done. I'd look down with a confused face and a bit of terror and he'd flashed me a thumbs up, i.e. "I already told you I wasn't talking you through this one, Erin..." We high-fived after every climb! Also, the ride down is not nearly as scary as I thought it would be--given I don't look down. :) I tried bouldering at the end, but refused to go higher than I felt comfortable falling from since there is no harness or belay involved. Larry and the boys judged me and called me a "pansy". It's true...

Larry and his friends are...what's the word?...SICK. I am new to this, but very impressed with what I saw. They made 5.11bs look like they weren't no thang. Impressive... Also, their bouldering skills rock. At the end Larry did some one-armed pull-ups to show off. (Yes, this *actually* happened.) That was also impressive. I showed him how pitiful I look *attempting* to do a two-armed pull-up. I think he was amused.

I am told I will be sore tomorrow. We'll see... :)

Tomorrow is a rest day! I think Saturday may be too due to my busy schedule, but Sunday will definitely be lifting and perhaps some cardio too...

Taking It Easy...

Today I went to the gym and stuck to my diet plan. I decided NOT to quit (shocker) or even take a week to do whatever I want (which was tempting, believe me). I just did that in Daytona. I am going to Pittsburgh next week and NH the week after. I have decided that although I *clearly* cannot eat well away from home, I can while here. So I will dominate when I can dominate and Devon and I will work on helping me do better on vacation.

So, today I asked Devon what I should do for cardio, since I was clearly not doing the 8 miles I had planned for marathon training. He suggested the elliptical which is what I had been planning on doing. I told him I wanted to do 30 minutes, easy. He asked if I wanted to do it to take some time to 'clear my head'. I said YES. He said okay. I then told him that I stuck to my diet today as I ws exiting his office. He got very animated and exclaimed (with two thumbs in the air): GREAT JOB, CORMAN!!!! I rolled my eyes and told him to bite me (BUT I SECRETLY LOVED IT!!!!!). ::grin::

So I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and went 3.59 miles.

Done and done.

Tomorrow my friend is teaching me how to indoor rock climb (no, not my friend Myke who promised he'd take me LAST DECEMBER--a different friend, a better friend--take that, MYKE.). Devon says that counts as my strength for the day!!!

I've Made a Decision.

After a lot of thinking, I have decided to stop marathon training. I don't think I am done FOREVER, just for now. A few factors made this decision:

1) I am not comfortable with the amount of time I took off with the heel pain;
2) I get overwhelmed thinking about every plan I have to make up the time;
3) I no longer enjoy running;
4) I dread the mid-week runs;
5) I fear the long weekend runs;
6) My food is not up to par, which makes the runs quite uncomfortable; and
7) I think I need a break in general.

Devon and I talked a lot about this at my session. I am not taking a break from eating right and exercising--just from pushing it as hard as I have been. Because of this, I do not think that the Richmond marathon is a good idea either, since I would have to be on like week 2 or 3 of the training plan already. So...maybe March 2011? Maybe fall 2011? I will see how I feel then.

Sorry to anyone I let down or disappointed. This decision was made by me and for me. And I think it is the right one to make.

I'm Devon's Favorite.

Today I had a session with ABD. I was so excited because I missed him so much! I hadn't seen him for awhile because I was away last week! My world was Devon-less. We were laughing and joking--in Devon's words, I was "jovial". Then I stepped on the scale. I gained four pounds. Yes, it was over two weeks, but I was so focused and on point for the first week, so I probably LOST 2 pounds, then GAINED 6 in ONE week?!!?!? Suck. So I got all sad and moody. Not quite crazyville, but moody.

Devon handled it very well. We were laughing a lot of the session. When sad and moody, I develop a slight bend toward...how shall I put it...hyperbole. I told him that I fail and I should quit. That I have no discipline. That I am fat. That I will be alone forever. Oh yes, I went there.

He told me that if you can get past my negative attitude and mood swings, I have a semi-decent personality. Awww, Devon...I ::heart:: you too. Later on he told me that although I am not 'awesome', I am 'awesome-ish'. Coming from someone as emotionally constipated as Devon, I think that's very special. :)

My workout:

Triple Stop - Squat Press: 230 lbs, 10 reps; 250 lbs, 10 reps; 270 lbs, 10 reps; 290 lbs, 10 reps
AL Lying Leg Curls: 40 lbs, 10 reps each leg, 4 sets
Stair Running: BW, up/down 10 times, 4 sets
SB BB Bench Press: 85 lbs, 10 reps, 4 sets
Standing T-Bar Row: 50 lbs, 10 reps, 4 sets
Standing DB Punches: 10 lb DBs, 10 reps, 4 sets
Decline Bench Crunches: 15 reps, 2 sets

Some notes: "Triple Stop" means that you press, lower it one third of the way and stop, another third and stop, then down and back up. It does stink, thanks for asking. Stair running...Devon *claims* he was planning on this regardless, but I think it was because I gained 4 pounds.

Next workout...TBD. I am writing a completely separate post to address this...

Back in the Saddle...

...Ran 10 today. It was not fun. I haven't been eating right. I am chalking it up to that. I have been eating right today, but the timing is all off due to my many hours of sleeping. :)

I ran 10 miles in 2 hours. I kept the pace at 5 mph to take it easy.

Next workout: Tuesday, lift with Devon then run 3. I am taking tomorrow to rest up! :)

Random Pre-Vacation Musing #5

This is my final pre-vacation musing (to be posted during vacation). Sad. I've had fun with these. If there is one thing I love, it's talking about me. :)

I've decided to list for you the contents of my "Workout" playlist. This is what I load on my shuffle and play when I workout with my iPhone. Here it is:

Womanizer, Britney Spears
Ain't No Other Man, Christina Aguilera
Toxic, Britney Spears
Don't Cha, The Pussycat Dolls
Canned Heat, Jamiroquai
Boom Boom Pow, Black Eyed Peas
Hey Ya!, OutKast
I Wanna Be Sedated, The Ramones
Don't Phunk With My Heart, Black Eyed Peas
Here It Goes Again, Ok Go
B.O.B., OutKast
Single Ladies, Beyoncé
Free Your Mind, En Vogue
Groove Is In the Heart, Deee-Lite
Untouched, The Veronicas
Are You Gonna Be My Girl, JET
4 Minutes, Justin Timberlake and Madonna
Give It to Me, Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado
I See You Baby, Groove Armada
Wonderful Night, Fatboy Slim
Good Girls Go Bad (feat. Leighton Meester), Cobra Starship
Leavin', Jesse McCartney
American Boy (feat. Kanye West), Estelle
Love Drunk, Boys Like Girls
Wait a Minute, The Pussycat Dolls
Girlfriend, Avril Lavigne
Dirrty (feat. Redman), Christina Aguilera
Pump It, Blackeyed Peas
Lovefool, The Cardigans
Mercy, Duffy
Meet Me Halfway, Black Eyed Peas
TiK ToK, Ke$ha
Don't Let Me Get Me, P!nk
Sexy Chick (feat. Akon), David Guetta
She Wolf, Shakira
See You Again, Miley Cyrus
Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys), Jay-Z
Stronger, Kanye West
Evacuate the Dancefloor, Cascada
Get Over It, OK Go
Bad Girlfriend, Theory of a Deadman
Disturbia, Rihanna
Bad Romance, Lady GaGa
Grip Like a Vice, 4:03 The Go! Team
Ladyflash, The Go! Team
Can't Be Stopped, 3:44 Redcar
19-2000, Gorillaz
Pull Shapes, The Pipettes
Kelly, Van She
Glory Days, Just Jack
Ready to Go, Republica
One Day, Matisyahu
Chelsea Dagger, The Fratellis
Flathead, The Fratellis
Lose Yourself, Eminem
Break My Stride, Matthew Wilder
Your Love Is My Drug, Ke$ha
Break Your Heart (feat. Ludacris), Taio Cruz
Jump Around, House Of Pain
Different Sound, Teddybears
One Girl Revolution, Superchick
Me Against The World, Superchick
One And Lonely, Superchick
Walking On Sunshine, Katrina & The Waves
Maneater, Hall & Oates
I've Done Everything For You, Rick Springfield
Love Is A Battlefield, Pat Benatar
Safety Dance, Men Without Hats
Tainted Love, Soft Cell
Centerfold, J. Geils
Jessie's Girl, Rick Springfield
Oxford Comma, Vampire Weekend
Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna), T.I.
Rock and Roll, Led Zeppelin
Superwoman, Alicia Keys
Copacabana, Barry Manilow
Say Hey (I Love You), Michael Franti & Spearhead
On Board, Friendly Fires
That's Not My Name, The Ting Tings
How You Like Me Now (Single Edit), The Heavy
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry 1
The New Workout Plan, Kanye West
Big Pimpin', Jay-Z & UGK
I Remember, Deadmau5 & Kaskade
9 to 5, Still Time
Carry Out (feat. Justin Timberlake), Timbaland
Freak (feat. Kardinal Offishall), Estelle
Shut Up and Let Me Go, The Ting Tings
Bulletproof, La Roux

Some of it I picked. Others were suggested for me. I put out a call before my half in April for recommendations, so a lot of it came from that. I like *most* of it but there are some songs I tend to skip over..not many though. Some of it also depends on my mood.

In case you want to rock out Erin-style... :)

Back home tomorrow!!!! Miss you all like crazy!!!! ::many, many hearts::

Random Pre-Vacation Musing #4

Some of you may know that Devon and I have had extensive conversations about the size of my booty. Even when I weighed nearly one hundred more pounds, I had no butt. Guess I just didn't get those genes. Devon informed me that I do not have a 'ba-donk-a-donk' as that word is reserved for medium- and large-sized tookuses (tooki?). He told me that *I* have a 'smedium' derriere (which he referred to as an 'Erin-a-donk-a-donk')--only thanks to him. He proudly informed me that whatever junk-in-my-trunk I *do* have, *HE* has built from the ground up using lunges, step-ups and squats. (Yes, this conversation *actually* happened. If you didn't think our professional relationship was creepy before, you do now...)

I saw this youtube clip on someone's facebook (I forget whose) and emailed it to Devon with a comment about me not needing him anymore. He thought I was serious. This pleases me greatly.



*Bonus:For those counting at home, I managed to use SEVEN different terms/slang words to refer to a rump--make that EIGHT!