Song of the Day: "I will Survive," by Gloria Gaynor, 1979. ("I've got all my life to live … I will survive!")

 

Due to California rain (remember, I’m from SE Louisiana), we had our workout indoors and were "pleasantly" surprised that we were in for yet another Challenge Day right after Death by 10 Meters on Monday! We were once again going to perform the 5/10/15 (pushups/situps/squats) for as many rounds as we could do in 20 minutes. 

 

Time out  … let’s back up to Monday before I go on about Tuesday.

 

So, as I’m running to Drake Stadium trying desperately not to be late again (I hate burpees!), I thought about how much I really didn’t feel like working out. I was so hoping it was going to be an easy day. As I made it to the spot before Coach Russ, I was kind of bombed to hear that the WOD was Death by 10 Meters. Oh my -- a nightmare come true. After a long pep talk by the coach, we all scurried over to the track where orange cones were placed in what Coach refers to as 10 meters apart. He never uses a measuring tape but I’m pretty sure he’s accurate… 'cause he says so.

 

We were all lined up on one side and timed in one-minute increments: First time, one lap in one minute. Rest, then two laps in one minute. Each time we added a lap within the same minute, which meant less rest time between sets. Seems easy? Well, let me tell you, it’s not called DEATH by 10 METERS for nothin’. It’s a real tough, exhilarating workout. After the last man standing completed his round (Way to go, Paul, for completing 20 laps in a final minute!), we were told to compare our number to the first time we did this activity. By the way, my first number on May 25 was 11 and this time I'd increased to 14!  Go me! 

 

Then, Monday night: Sore. Where does it hurt? Everywhere. 

 

And Tuesday: As I mentioned earlier, it was a bit wet outdoors and we were forced to go into the stuffy gym with the noisy cute little UCLA summer campers. I love kids. They actually provided the background music for our workout. The 20-minute workout began: 5 pushups, 10 situps and 15 squats. Coach Russ and Elisa were both there to cheer us on. The first five rounds were fairly easy and I pushed through them like a freight train. By round seven I began to really feel the burn. I was determined not to lose form, motivation or focus. 

 

“Go Tonya!”  My teammates' words helped me carry on. As I huffed and puffed, I kept wondering how much time remained on the clock. Were we halfway there or just about done? I needed to know. I like to calculate things in my mind so that I can stay motivated and foresee an end to the madness. Then I heard the words, “SIX MINUTES LEFT… YOU CAN DO IT!” I wanted it to be two minutes left. I was extremely exhausted, so ready to go.

 

But then, my second wind set in and I plowed through my squats, got a bit faster on my situps and increased the speed of my pushups. I set a new goal for myself: 15 rounds. By the two-minutes-to-go mark I was at 13. I pushed harder and faster as my heart nearly jumped out of my chest from exertion. Coach counted out the last seconds out as I performed my last round of squats.

 

I finished with 14 sets! I didn’t quite meet my goal, but I set a new record. I survived these two days and I’m going to live better because of it! Read all of Tonya's posts here.