a kip

20 pull-ups certainly doesn’t become easier…not yet, anyway.  The first 5 is practically not felt, the next five is tough, but 10-15 is a real slog.  I wish there was a way to simply punch a time clock and take myself to the second 10.  Fifteen and above are all an accomplishment.  For 25 years, I could never imagine doing 20 pull-ups.
In the past, I’ve tried to do 11 with the hands grasping the bar from the front, and then turning around to so more.  Now, I am doing all grasping the bar from the front with the hands facing away from the body.  This is the manner we were directed to do for the Navy.  For the last couple weeks, when I make an all-out attempt, I try to do 15 without stopping.  As it stands, I have been able to do at least 10 without even boosting myself.  A ‘boost’ is when I give myself a little wiggle to create momentum for the first few inches.  I’m just thinking now that I might give myself this little wiggle (that I need to do near the end at any rate) right from the beginning.  At college, there was a young man in our group who had been an enlisted Navy person.  Although the official rules stated that people were not supposed to use any momentum to ‘boost’ themselves, this dude said that everyone used a ‘kip’ as a helping hand.
I was a bit surprised by the length of the final sprint. I felt good…flitting over the pavement at the beginning and NOT feeling much of a letdown.
This is the day I will send off my passport.  After 12 days or so, I should have it back in hand with a Russian visa.  Woo-Hoo!