New Arms and New Hair

It's been another great workout week. Tuesday was my best day with a 45-min interval spinning class. It was literally 1 minute full intensity and 1 minute rest for the entire 45 min. My heart rate was up in the 170's/180's for almost the whole time. Killer!! I thought there was no way I would have it in me to do upper body after that, but not only did I manage, it was my best arm workout to date! I upped the weight on almost all of my exercises and I got down to 30lbs assistance on pullups! And it felt easy!! I guess I got a little cocky after that because I started thinking, "If I can do 30lbs, I can probably do at least one unassisted." I put that theory to the test at the end of my workout and went back to the pull up machine. My heart was pounding as I set it up without any assistance and I was really hoping this might be it. But, when I tried, I just couldn't quite do it. Very close though! I don't know if I psyched myself out at the last minute or if it was just foolish to try after my arms were exhausted from the rest of my workout (or maybe a little of both). So I think the game plan for next time will be to start with 20lbs assistance and if I can squeak out even 6 reps, I will try the next set without assistance rather than wait until the end of my workout.

I was feeling good about my arms after that workout so I decided to take some pics. I was shocked and really happy to see how much progress I have made! And just to prove it, have a look:


This is the most muscle I have EVER had in my arms! Can you tell I'm proud? I decided to reward myself yesterday for a great couple of weeks with a trip to the salon to get my hair done. I got a good few inches taken off the back and then a little feathering around the face to give my hair some texture. I've got really fine hair, so if I don't cut in some layers, it gets really flat really fast. I was happy with the change. What do you think?


The other cool thing about this week is that I got a draft of my PhD prospectus into my advisor. I have to defend by the end of May, so time is a ticking! I didn't think I would be in the writing phase this early, so that's a good sign because it gives me more time to make changes if I need to. I'm really hoping to be able to graduate in June of 2007, but there's a lot to do between now and then. Just thinking that I could be done by then gives me that excited feeling in the pit of my stomach. But, for now, I've got to focus on the present and work hard to make it happen. My friend Sue is also at the same stage as me and we've decided then when we graduate, we're going to throw ourselves the biggest and best party EVER!! That's gonna be a celebration I tell you!