I tackled Helen for the first time yesterday.

It doesn’t look so bad, right? I breezed right through the run and the kettlebell swings but the pull ups were a different story.

I decided going into the WOD that I was going to do the pull ups unassisted, no matter what. It was the first time I ever kipped all of the pull ups in a WOD. It was a humbling experience. I knew that I could have used a band or jumped the pull ups and finished this workout with a very fast time but that’s not going to make me stronger. After the first round I seriously wanted to quit kipping and start jumping but I fought through every single pull up. My hands hurt, my arms were killing me and sometimes I physically couldn’t even get the pull ups. I would have to step away and regroup. I was the very last one to finish but I got an RX next to my name! (That means you did the workout as prescribed, with no modifications.)

I was dripping with sweat and covered in chalk after the workout and my arms seriously felt like they were going to fall off my body but I was so proud of my mental and physical effort. I can’t wait to do Helen again in the future and hopefully shave some time off as I become more proficient with my pull ups.

The workout was an extra challenge because I am not feeling well. I’ve had so much sinus pressure in my head for the past two days and I feel pretty lethargic all over. I did feel better after I got moving and sweated a little but I had no appetite when I got home. I usually turn to eggs when nothing sounds good. I knew I needed to get some protein in me after the tough workout so I sauteed a sundried tomato and basil chicken sausage (22 grams of protein!) along with kale and mushrooms. I mixed in a scrambled egg and served it over a warmed tortilla with cheese, sour cream, salsa and avocado. My original idea was to eat this like a breakfast burrito/taco but my fillings were a little too plentiful!

I didn’t feel great when I woke up this morning. I had peanut butter and banana on a Van’s Blueberry Waffle before heading into the gym for a yoga private and to knock out some work. I came home around 12:30 totally wiped out. I made a bowl of spicy, brothy soup with udon noodles, Asian veggies, broccoli and tofu. I added a generous amount of soy sauce and Sriracha to the soup.

Then I passed out for 45 minutes and took a hot shower. It was glorious.

I came back to the gym armed with Sudafed and a kombucha. Although I know that I could have worked out today, I decided to take a rest day. I haven’t been sick in a really long time so I want to let my body rest and give it lots of good stuff to hopefully fight off whatever is trying to settle in.

When was the last time you were humbled by a workout?