Hell with "Helen"

Last night we did the "Helen" workout again: three rounds of run the 400+ meters around the building; 21 kettlebell swings; and 12 pull-ups. Last time we did four rounds, and I completed the first three in 10:20. I thought next time we did Helen that I'd get sub-10 minutes, but no! I am such a terrible runner. Last night's total time was 11:44. Afterward, Nancy and I practiced a bunch of cartwheels and handstands. She's getting better at hand-walking and can go a few steps. She did her first one-hand cartwheel. I did my first (awkward) one-hand cartwheel on the right, my bad side. One-hand cartwheels on the left are painless and fun, because I give myself enough lift-off with my legs that I don't tire out my left wrist. Doing even two-hand cartwheels on the right, I don't feel as coordinated and don't get as much lift-off, probably because I'm hesitating a little, so I land harder on the left (dominant) hand and it would hurt the wrist if I did it too many times. We tried doing front limbers, coming down out of a handstand into a backbend and standing up. Neither of us can really do it. I can sometimes come down and hold the backbend, which I'm happy with. Dave watched us and said our feet and hands are both too far apart on landing, and we won't be able to stand up until the arch is tighter and the hips are over the feet a lot more. I made up my mind next time to bring my feet down as close as I could, and it worked--I flailingly stood up out of the backbend upon landing. This is not an elegant move when I do it, but I'm happy to be doing it at all. I really want to go to a real gymnastics facility or seminar sometime and try some skills on the thick mats and whatever other equipment makes it safer. It makes me feel so good to be able to do even a few tumbling moves, and so pleasantly stretched and tired afterward.