Life of the Lintee Bean

Previously, on “Life of the Lintee Bean”:

When we left our heroine.. okay, me… we were on day 15 of our 20 day push-up duel against the big dude from Texas… and the score was 945 to 831.  Whatever shall happen? Will our heroine’s arms fall off?

January 27: Day 16 of the duel.  Lintee manages five sets of 12 (60) push-ups.  I’ve now done 1,005  push-ups.  Can you believe I’ve done over a THOUSAND push-ups?  I cannot!

January 28: Duel day 17.  SEVEN sets of 12, for a total of 84 push-ups.  The score is now 1,089 to 1,093.

January 29:  Duel day 18.  TWELVE sets of 12, for a total of 144 push-ups!!! BOOYAH!  You may wonder how I managed this.  The answer… stupidity.  I usually do a single set of 12 between another exercise when I do them at the gym.  This time it was reverse crunches, but for some reason, I was doing THREE sets of 12 push-ups between sets of reverse crunches.  By the third “round” I was struggling and thinking “why the heck is this so HARD today?”  Um… it’s so hard because you’re doing a lot more, dummy!  But… stupidity for the WIN!  The score is now 1,233 to 1,194.  I am in the lead!  Oh my gosh, I am in the lead!  It is a pitiful lead, but it is a lead!

January 30:  It’d day 19 of the duel… must give it EVERYTHING I’VE GOT!  I manage twelve sets of 10, three sets at a time over the course of the very long movie of Dark Knight Rising, for a total of 120 push-ups.  I have 1,353 push-ups.

January 31:  This is it!  The 20th and FINAL day – I MUST DO THIS.  Unfortunately, it is crazy busy at work… and, to top it off, I have to go to the grocery store after work and get treats to take in the next day.  I do 12 push-ups before I leave work.  I get home and hit the floor.  I’m sore… and tired… and I know the duel can end any minute.  (It officially ends at midnight… but I forget WHAT TIME ZONE.)  So, I’m entering my sets as I do them.  I manage five more sets of 12…. my score so far is 1,425.

I sit down and check the duel score… my nemesis has not logged his yet.  I wait.  He comes online, logs… and I see his score stands at 1,502.  I’m behind by 77.  Wait, I think I’ve got 77 in me… maybe I can do this, though time IS of the essence.  I hit the floor again.

I squeeze out another three sets of 12.  I’m still behind by 41 push-ups, but I have to stop for a breather.

He logs another 25.

I hit the floor.  I’m going to go down fighting… or pushing… or upping.  I manage another 12.  The score is 1,473 to 1,527. My arms hurt.  I’m tired.  It’s apparently not ending at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

He does another 24.

Okay, I can’t do this.  I officially concede.  I have noodles for arms.  However, I am going to go for a total of 1,500 push-ups.  Because.  I am.  So I manage another set of 12 and a set of 15.  I’m done… in more ways than one.

So… finally tally for my final day… 147 push-ups.  My total push-ups over 20 days (January 12 through 31) – 1,500 push-ups.  Final score of the duel:  1,500 to 1,551.

I lose.

But… I win!  I did 1,500 push-ups!  I would NEVER have believed I could do 1,500 push-ups!  Go me!  Yay me!

and now… answers to frequently asked questions:

1) No – these were not kneeling or “girly” push-ups.  Those do not count in Fitocracy duels.  These were on-the-toes hands-and-toes-on-the-floor push-ups.

2) No, I didn’t do 1,500 push-ups at once, in one set.  I did them over the course of 20 days.  (Oh my gosh, are you INSANE!  Look at me, does it look like I could do 1,500 push-ups in one set?)

3) No, I’m not making this up.  There was really an “official” duel on Fitocracy.

Official Fitocracy Duel

Oh yeah… and also… remember I made a “yarn and stuffing” version of my personal trainer? Well, then I had to make a “yarn and stuffing” version of me. Because. I did. I also figured out how to add hair to my trainer.

My personal trainer (left) and me (right)