Why oh Why and Getting Creative

Why does life around the holidays always sneak up on you?  I was bound and determined not to let that happen this year, but it did.  This week has been rough trying to get settled in the house, getting drivers license, waiting for movers, waiting for more movers, trips to the Targets of Schweinfurt.  Then Chip decided to almost pass out several times on Tuesday morning--he was dizzy, feelings of vertigo, body not cooperating.  He had been complaining of a headache the night before, but didn't really think anything of it.

Off to the E.R. we go.  Not the one on the Army base....oh no.  We don't have one of those here.  Bis die Krankenhaus.  The German hospital.  He had fallen several times skiing and links this injury to a fall last Thursday while skiing on the glacier and what he thought was a bruise on his neck from his helmet. After an MRI, ultrasounds of his neck, etc he was admitted and will be there a total of two days. Poor guy.  He's probably the healthiest guy in the place, but socialized medicine is a different ball game and I won't even go into that discussion. Regardless, he is getting excellent care, and they are making sure all the blood that is supposed to go to his brain is getting there properly.


Needless to say, getting to the gym has not been a priority.  But, since I still read all the CFOT blogs, I felt lazy and fat after reading about all the hard work being done.  Christine's blog talked about a Christmas day WOD.  I did it in the hotel room. 

5 RFT
30 Abmats (yes, the abmat is with us)
20 squats
10 pushups
Time: 7:30

Had a few wardrobe malfunctions that slowed me down. I don't suggest doing WOD's in flannel pj pants and a long sleeve tshirt....  The abs were tough since I seem to have a new appendage around my waist--3 weeks of beer, schnitzel, wurst, bread, cheese, bread, more bread.  Sigh.  

Then, I wanted to do something else....I looked around the room and spied the bathroom.   The toilet and the shower were spaced perfectly to so some L-sit holds.   I did 5 rounds of 15 sec, with a 15 sec rest in between.

Next week it will HOPEFULLY stop raining so I can hit the new trails by the house, and will definitely hit some killer  CF workouts.  I will have a kitchen too so I will get back on track with the eating.

I am not going to get down on myself, I'm going to accept the fact I've done the best I can under the circumstances and all is not lost.  It is just time to move forward and challenge myself to see how mentally Crossfit I am, which takes way more effort than the physical part.

Schi Fahren in Garmisch

The Christmas holiday was a time for Chip and I to relax and finally "get away".  But, as most of you know, our vacations are never without an adventure.  This adventure took us to Germany's most popular skiing destination Garmisch-Partenkirchen, home of the 1936 Winter Olympics and the 2011 World Cup Skiing Championships.

We got up bright and early on the 24th and drove 3.5 hours to the slopes.  We decided to ski the Zugspitze glacier that day, Germany's highest mountain.  It took an hour to get up the mountain--hauled our gear on this train and up we went.  I always forget how heavy ski gear is, only this year it WAS NOT HEAVY! Yea for crossfit. Don't get me wrong 10lb of boots another 15 or so of skis and poles, plus all the extra layers, ski pants etc...its at least the equivalent of a 20lb weight vest.  Plus, you inevitably have to farmers walk this stuff somewhere. I'm always sweating before I even clip my boots to the bindings.

Chip is a beginner skier so we started on the bunny hills.  I like to say I'm advanced, but after all my knee surgeries I have to settle for intermediate. No more crazy out of bounds madness for me!  We had a great day skiing for about 5 hours and took naps on the ride back down the mountain.

Christmas day brought rain, so we opted for breakfast, a beautiful pastoral mass at St. Martin's (for Christine and Tamara and other catholics...do you know what a pastoral mass is? I didn't, but do now...amazing!) naps, and a big german dinner with my godmother and her husband who joined us for the 24th/25th.

We had a full day - 6 hours - of skiing the Garmisch "classic" on the 26th.  I love skiing and all, but this is the craziest resort.  All these "wegs" that you basically had to crosscountry ski for what seemed like miles to get to other parts of the resorts.  Also, lots of t-bars, instead of chair lifts since the place is so old.  My arms were fried at the end of the day, not to mention my legs. But, the next day I wasn't even sore.  We did a half day more on the 27th because we just couldn't get enough.

The snow wasn't fabulous, but it was still a fantastic trip.   On those icy patches and sleep slopes I had to dig in hard, find my core, my balance, etc and every time I was thanking all of CFOT for making me totally CROSSFIT.  Any doctor would say I'm absolutely nuts for continuing to ski after 3 knee surgeries and minimal cartilage left, but you know what? It doesn't hurt. My knees did not hurt once, during or after.  Granted, I go to extreme efforts not to fall, but that too requires extreme fitness (and some skill probably).

Thank you again Crossfit for allowing me to do all the things I love to do.

SNATCH Intervals

WOD:
a.) Snatch Intervals
Heavy Snatch 1-3 reps, every minute on the minute for 10 minutes

b.) 250 Row, 18 pushup, 10 dips
3 rounds, rest 90sec after each round

Worked out with Chip, Dominic, and Logan last night.  We weren't sure what we wanted to work---I had Jerry's WOD in my back pocket and it is what we ended up doing.  Chip and I took them through the Burgner warmup, then I gave some coaching tips on a proper snatch.  I am so not qualified to do so, but I was the only one of the group who had ever had real coaching on it.  We worked on snatch grips, jump to land form, snatch vs. squat snatch, and the concept of moving the bar in a straight line.  By the end of the WOD the four of us had some pretty snatchy snatches going on.  We all needed to be quicker under the bar, but I know that is what I need to work on. And for the rookies, well, I told them it will come and we will just have to watch some more video.  Both Logan and Dom rocked this for a first real snatch workout.

We ended up doing hang snatches because the weights here are so small (height wise) its almost like pulling an empty bar from the floor which just totally screws with the form.

I used only 55lbs.  I was disappointed in this weight since my max snatch in 75, but using a 45lb bar as the base and not being able to drop ANYTHING just makes everything seem so much heavier.  I just don't get it. Well, it is what it is and I'm getting the WOD's in and the body will adjust to the new stuff.  I did feel pretty strong and my form was solid all the way through if I do say so myself.  There are, of course, mirrors there--I now get walk around, flex and admire my CF muscles! :)   Haha, yea right.   I had some weird tracking on my right knee today that boldly reminded me that I don't have any cartilage left.  Getting old is rough.

Interval work-
The boys did Jerry's WOD as RX'd.  Logan and I didn't have anywhere to really work kips (the boys did strict pullups) so we subbed bodyweight dips and chose the short option to work speed on the row and form on the pushups.  I don't have an unassisted dip on the rings but on a dip bar I do! yea! Unfortunately I quickly figured out those are super hard after a row and pushups so Chip held my feet for a little assistance.  It wasn't pretty but I got it done.

Two days of rest now for skiing--I CANNOT be tired on the slopes or I will risk more knee injuries.
Next post will be after Christmas with a report on skiing and snow fun in Garmsich-Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze!

Filthy 50

"Filthy 50" Classic Version
50 Box Jumps
50 jumping pullups
50 kettelbell swings (used 35lb dumbbell)
50 walking lunges
50 knees to elbows
50 back extensions
50 push press (35lbs)
50 wall balls (used 15lb dumbbell, simulated WB motion)
50 burpees
50 double unders (subbed 150 singleunders)
Time: 34:36

Chip originally had some handstand pushup/pullup workout planned that I was not too excited about.  Luckily, within minutes of arriving Dave and Tim (two of Chip's colleagues) showed up to do their own WOD. Tim had chosen this one...I said screw handstands, lets do this!

While no Filthy 50 is fun, this one wasn't horrible. Some solid "funishment" and we got creative with the substitutions for wallballs, kb swings, etc.  The worst move was the knees to elbows---my abs will feel that tomorrow!  The bar we used was one with wide grip handles--really, really worked the lats. 

Also heard some rumors that Operation Phoenix might be coming here for a project with some equipment/Cert training....  I sure hope so!! There is clearly a presence here and would love to be a part of making something great happen here in Schweinfurt.

I have another CF date with Logan tomorrow! Yea!

Deadlifts, Lunges, Run

Yesterday we did the CFOT workout from earlier this week:

15 Deadlifts
45 Jumping lunges
400m run

12 DL
36 JL
400m run

9 DL
27 JL
400m run
Time: 17ish minutes

I so wanted to hit the elite weight of 175# for women, but had to settle for 155#.  In Jerry's prescribed WOD he wanted touch and go, no dropping.  Well, here there is no dropping whatso ever and I haven't really practiced the lowering part of the DL.  I need to find a video on proper form again. I know it should follow the same track down as it did on the pull, but it still felt weird. Without my beloved CFOT coaches, and moto from team 0515 I opted for lower weight to remain injury free.  For the run, I had to run to the other part of the gym (30-40m) and jump on a treadmill and try to get it to sprinting speed as fast as I could, hence the slow overall time.  Oh well, the workout was still killer and I love the strange looks we get! :)

Chip and I also worked out with some new CF friends--Dominic and Logan.  I met Logan at the Bank getting my German/American bank account...somehow CF got mentioned and viola, emails were exchanged and now we have some new workout buddies.  She is just starting out, but is so excited to have another woman to workout with.  Last night I worked with her on her DL form since she had only done it once or twice before.  I gave Dominic a few pointers too since his back was rounding out quite a bit. We have plans to get together next week too to hit it again.


I hope I can someday do a barbell cert---I really do love this stuff and coach it and watching the body "get it" it really fun.
They are also into mountain biking so there will be plan for that in the spring and Dominic told us about a road bike club that meets on Sundays---and it is German! Can't wait for some warmer weather to get hooked up with that group too.  (It is currently 13 degrees)

New Power Clean PR

Strength/Skill WOD:
Hang/Power Cleans
45lb- 3 hang cleans/3 power cleans
65lb- 3 hang cleans/3 power cleans
75lb- 3 hang cleans/3 power cleans
85lb- 3 power cleans
95lb- 3 power cleans
100lb- 1 power clean (NEW PR!)

Ok, so this was my first WOD in the gym here by myself. And first with a barbell.  I felt ridiculous standing in front of a mirror alone, with a few dudes benching and doing curls, and listening to prince and christmas music on a german radio station. Talk about motivation.  I found my inner drive and just went for it.  My form was actually really good (I think) much, much better than in the past.  I had a great pull from the floor, which I think is due to all of snatch work of late, and whipped those elbows.  I only muscled 1 at 95 because I got lazy.  I then just got mad and finished 95 and then hit 100 with no problems.  I wasn't sure I could do 2 more at 100lb w/o dropping the bar, so I just did one so I didn't make a scene. :)

Met-Con Finisher
1000m Row: 4:20
3 RFT
21-15-9
Glut ham (subbed decline sit up bench)
Back extension (used the 45 degree angle one)
4:00min

Dumbbell Bear and Observations of Army PT

WOD:
"Dumbbell Bear"
5 RFT with dumbbells
5 deadlifts
5 squat cleans
5 push jerk
5 front squats
Rest 2 minutes between rounds
Time: 13:02
Weight: 20lb dumbbells

I found this workout on the internet yesterday looking up how to do dumbbell cleans, deads, etc.  Chip was super excited and we hit it this morning.  In the video this woman crossfitter used 45lb dumbbells.  I wanted to shoot for 35lbs, but when I tried 30lbs with the squat cleans my form was awful. Using dumbbells instead of a barbell takes some getting used to.  Your balance is off, you have to have both arms working simultaneously, etc. No cheating for sure!  The dumbbell push jerks are a little awkward--need to watch some more video on this. It is hard to separate these from a push press.
This was a solid workout, a burner, even at 20lbs.  I focused on form and finished each round in about 1:10 or 1:07 so very consistent. I'll hit 30lbs next time.

Now for some mindless ramblings:
Army PT starts here with some random shouting outside my window at 0545.  While jogging to the gym, there were just soliders milling about all over, not doing much of anything.  In the gym, a unit was doing a PT test.  OK, I'll forgive the standing around for that.  After our workout, we did some abs and pushups in the cardio room/ab area.  The unit, by this time, was in the cardio area...the entire unit was on either an elliptical/treadmill just plodding along watching TV.  One guy was even jogging on the treadmill holding on to the front display thingy....Seriously? What a sight to see.  Back in the weight area--it is all nautalus machines and some dumbbells--some dudes were doing curls and bench press.  They were doing like 10 reps, getting up and wandering around. No one was sweating despite the fact it was 80 degrees in there.

They were watching Chip and I as if we were freaks.  I got a million stares of various sorts, but mostly, a quizzical what the "what the F is she doing?" It was great.  Plus, all said and done with a warm up and cool down we were done in 30min!

On the way back to the hotel we passed another unit in formation in a field.  I turn to Chip--"Seriously? The Army calls that exercise?"  There were like 25 dudes lined up doing some wierd squat motion, but really it looked like they were just touching their knees.  Across the field, 25 more dudes were waving their arms around.  Maybe arm circles?  Chip had no idea what the squat crap was, but vouched that several minutes of arm circles/waving sucks.  Ok, maybe so, but really, this is exercise? It looked miserable and not fun at all. I realized the army isn't supposed to be fun, but I would want to shoot myself....   Luckily, Chip said this is not his brand of PT---hardly.  I've already suggested a half "Angie" workout for his first day of command. :)

I feel bad knocking the Army, but seeing a whole slew of out of shape soliders and some seriously questionable exercises, made me feel bad for them all. Up early in the freezing cold, forced to do silly exercises that won't necessarily make you stronger or your job easier.  I know that CF is catching on with the Marines....the Army needs to take some serious notes. I'm not necessarily saying CF is for everyone, but at least make them sweat and do the exercises properly. 

Ok, I'm done with my Army ramblings. This morning I was especially thankful for Jerry, Andrea, Chris, Melissa, Keturah, Danny, Danya for their awesome coaching and the rest of the CFOT family for always inspiring each other and wanting to take it to the next level.

Hooah!

Strict Press and Row

Quick WOD this morning--
legs were fried after yesterday's track workout.

We did 3X strict press off of some machine contraption....it is so weird to be back in a globo type gym. There is word that CF is coming...I pray it comes soon!

Top Load; 75x3. worked at 45, 55, 65, 70, 75.

Then we did an ab ladder of full sit ups. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. Ugh a burner.

Then we did a 1500m row for a little cardio. This was the farthest I've ever rowed and i did it in 6:30 and some change. The burn felt good!

Chip and I are getting creative...it will be hard, but we'll make it happen! :)

Crossfitting Schweinfurt

Today our sponsor Dave invited us along for a workout with another buddy of his. Dave is a week or two into CF workouts and Tim the other has been doing his own CF workouts on his own. We were psyched to workout with them today.

WOD
For Time:
1 mile run
rest same time as it took you for the mile
800 run
rest
400 run

There was a rocky track that was about .28m long. So much for accuracy. The weather was damp and COLD, but we did it up anyways.

My times were:
1 mile: 7:00m
800m: 3:30m
400m: 1:32m

Finisher -- inside:
20 Toes to Bar
50 situps
25 Dead Animal Crunch +25lbs

Crossfit Schweinfurt Begins!!

First Post CFOT Workout and New Fruit!

So we fly out today and exercising always calms my anxiety. I would have loved some sledge hammer work or tossing around of heavy things, but settled for TABATA in the wet 30ish degree drizzle.

WOD:
400m run warmup
TABATA Squats (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds): Hit 14/15 each round
400m run
TABATA Pushups (same as squats, but lots few reps)

Despite having Chip as my partner in crime this was not very fun. But, a solid workout nonetheless. My asthma is killing me in this weather so the runs were more of a wheezing shuffle. I'm not quite sure how the running will go in Germany--I've been struggling for a few weeks now with this. Grrrr....wheeeeeze. cough.

Post WOD mediation. 5 minutes laying on the floor trying to think of absolutely nothing (try it--its one of the hardest thing in the world to do) 2 minutes downward dog to reverse the bloodflow.

Also, this week I was introduced to a new fruit. A pummelo. Kinda like an orange, but not so sweet. Kinda like a grapefruit but not so tart. They look like big green medicine balls. They are a bit of work to get to the fruit but are yummy and filling! You should try one.
Next post will be von Deutschland, und veilleicht auf Deutsch!

Last First Friday

This Friday was a sad day, but a day of celebration at the same time.
9 months ago I completed my first true CF WOD--on the first friday of March. I completed "Kelly" 400m run, 30 box jumps, 30 20lb wallballs--5 rounds for time. I completed this workout--20lb wallball and all and felt amazing. I was HOOKED.

I came to CFOT when I had eaten my way through months of depression and lonliness due to Chip being deployed for about 6 months at that time. It was not healthy. I got through many of those early workouts thinking of him an all of his commrades serving in harms way, suffering much worse than my measly 30 minute workouts. I felt lucky to be able to do something that he loved and couldn't really do overseas.

9 months later I chose to end my time at CFOT with another classic-"MURPH". And Chip and I did it together.
For Time:
1 mile run
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 squats
1 mile run
Time: 59:09 (no vest)

For me, this was kind of a way to bring Chip's deployment to a close. To honor our fallen heros, to honor my husbands service, and to honor the strength and courage I had gained these past 9 months. I walked in the box not sure what I wanted to do, but when Chip strapped on that weight vest I knew it was what I needed to do.

The first run was awesome. Nice and steady to recover from the 200 squats from the prior day. I took in my last glipse of the DC skyline in the dark--the capitol dome, the washington monument...I love that view. Back in the box, I knocked out five rounds of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, and 15 squats nice and steady. Not fast, just strong! I was able to get all 5 pullups strung together which was awesome. On to round 10...hand were burning, blisters forming, push form waning...a few more rounds found me on my knees on the pushups for all 10 reps. Squats were strong. Round 15 popped the blisters. Ouch. But, Christine came over and counted my reps, and cheered me on through the blood and sweat of those last rounds. I caught my second wind at this point, the adreniline was pumping and next I knew I was done. Damn bloodly, but done. Off for that second mile. I had 11 minutes to finish under an hour. I wanted to walk, my legs were shot, my hands were burning. I would not quit, I would not walk. Men and women in uniform sacrafice their lives so I have the freedom to Crossfit and be healthy and happy and punish myself at 0515. I sprinted the end of that mile and felt AMAZING.

I don't have any great before and after photos after 9 months of effort. I can't claim any great weigh loss. But, I am:
-happier
-healthier
-STONGER
-more toned, (hello triceps and lats! goodbye chicken fat!)
-a better person

I can:
do 8 pullups in a row (started at a hang of less than 10 seconds!)
deadlift 227lbs
run a sub 24 min 5k
OHS 105lb
Back Squat 150 something
strict press 75x3
clean 95lb (and probably more)
jerk 95
snatch 85
and generally just throw down.

In the past 9 months I've:
run 2 10 mile races and ran a PR of 1:30
run a 10k
completed a triathlon
run 2 5ks
run a Turkey Trot 4 miler and inspired the entire family to join me

FOUND THE ME IN ME AGAIN. Thank you Crossfit Old Town, especially Team 0515, for inspiring me, for pushing me, for believing in me, encouraging me, but most of all, thank you for your friendship. Team CFOT is amazing and I feel blessed to have been a part of something so special. CFOT is not just a place where you workout and leave your blood sweat and tears, it is where friendships are born, lasting memories are made, and a COMMUNITY is formed.

This does not end my Crossfit journey. It is only the beginning. I'll be taking a solid week or so off to travel (and avoid creating rancid laudry that I have to transport overseas) and get settled, but I will be back on line in due time and will keep you updated on my adventures from Schweinfurt, Germany.

Thank you CFOT--You are hands down amazing, inspiring, and the best teammates I have ever had! You will be missed.

Turkey Trot, New OHS/Strict Press PRs and Chaos

Behind on blogging....the week in Chicago reeked havoc on my workouts and the diet. I ended up taking a whole 8 days off of crossfit, but got in 3 runs in the meantime. The family Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving was great--a chilly 4 miler. I put up a really good time of 33minutes and some change. Not my fastest ever, but finished 6th in my age group out of 40 some women. Good enough for taking an entire month off of running. :) Being Crossfit rocks.

Monday

1x OHS
Top Load: 105#
My last attempt at OHS was 100x3 and I had made serious headway in my overhead moves lately so I was looking for a big PR. Nope...a baby one. 5 measly pounds over my 3 rep max AND I had to have a spot on the jerk. I guess I was a little soft after a week off and my intensity at 0515 just wasn't there after sleeping 9+ hours a night for a week straight!

Tuesday
Strict Press x 3
Top Load: 75#
Just 2 weeks ago I hit 70 for 3 reps and could barely move 75. Today I wasted no time ramping up and 70 easily. Almost too easily. Then hit the three at 75 and they were solid attempts. Tried 77lbs and could't even press it....I'll take the 5lb PR in two weeks. :) The only downside of all of this is that my jackets are getting even tighter and shopping is NO FUN because shirts are so hard to find! And I like shopping....

Chaos
My diet has been a mess since being in chicago. Carbs everywhere, veggie shortages, I'm not even sure my family eats fruit... and the quantities. Oh my. Why is it that mothers feel that they must stuff their children when they come home? Don't they realize that we eat on our own? When will they learn that less is more?!? I learned that less in more. More make me sick. REALLY SICK. Mostly, just painful. My stomach hasn't felt so awful in years. Not fun. And now we're in the throws of the move and I have at least 2 weeks more weeks of eating out every single meal....this will be the true test of how crossfit I am. Do I have the mental stamina to make this work?

Max Efforts at CF Will County

TEAM WOD:

Max OHS

Max Pullups

Max Height Box Jump

Max Ring Dips

Max Handstand (for time)

Row 500m for time



I'm home this week visiting friends and family before taking off for Germany in mere days now. I already miss my CFOT family, but hitting an affilitate is not a terrible substitute. CFWC has a great coach and super cool athletes. Today's WOD was a little weird, creative, I would say, but fun nonetheless. We were in teams of three and each of these exercises had a point value, etc, but really I could care less about this. I was a big day in their new box for me.....



OHS-We had 10 minutes for 3 of us to do a max effort. My goal was 100 since I though my last OHS was about 80...wrong it was 100x3. Oh well. I threw 100# up there like it was nobody's business and I thing could easily do 110-115, but we ran out of time.

Max Pullups: 8! 8 solid reps. Previous was 6. I think the secret is getting on a bar that you just can't easily jump right up to. It totally forces you to push yourself harder! We'll try this next week at CFOT. Helps with kipping work to.

Max Dips: 16 on a skinny band. I so want that ua ring dip! I'm sooooooooo close.

Handstand: Chip just taught me how to get up there in the living room last week since he did tons of HSPU in Afghanistan and I would love to do 1 someday. Today we held it for time and I hit 40 seconds. I could so do more if I could figure out to to breathe while doing it.

Box Jumps: Not a stellar effort but hit 34". Chip got 40"---amazing.

Ran 3.5 miles yesterday and would hit it again today but the weather is awful....
Planning to this the box again tomorrow and a turkey trot on Thursday!

Strict Press 5X

WOD:
strict press
5X5X5X5X

It's no secret that this is not an easy lift for us ladies and there are no big numbers here.A month ago I hit 75 for 1x so I wasn't expecting much this morning. Warmed up the bar at 35, then hit 55,65. Then I put 70 on the bar, selling myself short again...only expecting to crank out 2-3. I hit 4 solid reps, and almost got the fifth. I lost core tension and dropped the elbows. Ooops. Had to try this again. Hit it 5 perfect reps the second time around. 70lbs for 5 reps.

I love seeing the SERIOUS overhead strength gains this month!

Finisher:
AMRAP in 15min
5 pullups
10 perfect pushups
15 DUs

Hit 5 rounds. I got the DU's back! I really worked these today and made sure I got 15 perfect ones each round. Not sure why I was struggling with these this summer, but some days things just click. And you learn you can't be perfect at every move every day--but some days you can! :)

Snatch and Front Squat

Totally behind on posts. Life is seriously chaotic. I swear that having Chip home and Crossfit is the only thing keeping me sane.

Monday
WOD
Snatch 1x1x1x1
Top Load: 75 (tied PR)

No new PR. Sad. But, we had some progress on form. Jerry said I had an awesome pull from the floor, I just had a little trouble keeping stable getting it overhead and that whole dive under the bar thing still baffles me. I get it in my head, but my body won't follow direction. That's ok. The pull from the floor was where it was at. He took video and slowed it to me slow motion. Holy moly....can't wait to do a max clean! I will so get my 100#. Sad I had to miss Saturday's WOD. Dialing in on the form was great today. who cares about a snatch PR...

Tuesday
Sick with head cold. Metcon was not happening

Wednesday
Front Squat
2x2x2x2x2x
Top Load: 125 (PR)

I guess this was a new PR/benchmark. Couldn't for the life of me figure out if I'd done a 1x max front squat. I always do back squats! Anyways, felt great today. Its always fun to find a new max effort. I took 2 attempts to get this and I barely got out of the second squat, but hey, I fought it hard. Solid effort. I was having more fun watching my uber strong husband lift next to me--I was kind of distracted... Mad squat effort today for him. 215# for 2x, 225# for 1x. And he made it look effortless.

Ride, Baby, Ride

Today was absolutely gorgeous, sunny, 70, and not a cloud in the sky. How could one sit inside? Chip bought a new road bike on Friday and had to sit and watch it rain for two days before he could get the thing out on the open road. Today was the perfect day to break it in.

Chip and I woke up early and headed out for a long, long bike ride. Well, long for me and the longest ride ever for Chip! We hit the Mt. Vernon trail and headed towards Mt. Vernon itself...15 miles away. Round trip, the ride was 30.5 miles. Now, if you've never gone ALL THE WAY down the trail, it gets quite hilly, and the last 1.25 miles is all up hill. It's brutal. brutal...

Chip looked strong and let the way most of the way out--he's a natural on the bike. I was poking along behind, trying hard not to wipe out on all the wet leaves on the trail. And blowing my nose every 2 minutes. I have this sinus thing and the goo just runs like a faucet out of my nose. Eww. This makes it hard to breathe too. But, I made it up that last hill, barely. We rested for a bit, then turned around and I led the whole way home. We kept a good pace on the way back as I dug deep for all my energy reserves. Crossfit is great for its super short explosive workouts, but it has been a solid month since my last significant endurance event and I will pay for it tomorrow!

We ended the ride with coffee over at pentagon row, sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and each other. This was Chip's first ride ever on a road bike and he "f'ing loves this." "I thought about this day for almost a year...it was awesome!". Thank goodness--a Specialized carbon road bike and accessories is not cheap! :)

Thursday and HURT LOCKER

So in my last post you see that I hit HANSEN at 1715 on Wednesday. Thinking I was all that and and even more, I decided that it would be a good idea to hit 0515 on Thursday morning. Um, no. BAD idea.

Hero workout then 12 hours later,
Once through for time
450m row, 30 24" box jumps, 15 push jerks @ 65#
360m row, 24 24" box jumps, 12 push jerks @ 65#
270m row, 18 24" box jumps, 9 push jerks @ 65#

The women's rx'd weight was 85#. Considering my max push jerk is 95, I should have been able to do about 75# or 80 for this many reps. Um, after hansen with 150 burpees and the heaviest KB swings I've ever done, it just wasn't happening. I was shooting for 70#, but after 3 reps in, I stripped it to 65#. Not only that, I had no spring in my pull on the row, and I took an epic fall on round 2 of the box jumps. I don't mean "kind of" epic, I mean head first, land in a ball almost crying kind of of fall. Jerry sees me crumbled in a pile and goes, "want to go down to 20"? Heck no. I continue on, luckily no blood.

I almost DNF'd this I felt so awful. Dizzy, lightheaded, nausous. Not good. Is it the DHEA supplements? Is it lack of sleep? Stress? Dehydration? Too many COOKIES/CANDY and carbs? Likely the later.

What I did accomplish in this WOD is character-not quitting. The push jerks were ugly, the row was not fast, I crashed on the boxes...but I did not quit. Clearly I'm not ready to hit a Hero and another WOD in the matter of 12 hours routinely, but I did prove I can do it.

I badly wanted to hit Murph this a.m. Why? Basically to do 3 Hero/Girl WOD's in one week. But, when the alarm went off, I rolled over on my side and I wasn't' just sore, but in pain. It wasn't happening. Instead, I just thought "screw Murph" and decided to honor my own Hero by snuggling up to the amazing husband sleeping soundly next to me. :)

HANSEN

Veteran's Day 2009. First full day with Chip at home. I couldn't convince him to join me today. Hopefully tomorrow!

So, Jerry prescribed one of the newest Hero workouts, Hansen. Luckily, since CFOT is new to the whole glut/ham development machine, we scaled the GHD part to just 15 reps as opposed to 30 reps. Thank god.

Workout looks like this:
5 RFT
30 Kettle bell swings (45#)
30 burpees
15 GHDs

I hit this workout at 1715 instead of 0515...this always makes me uneasy. Did I eat to much? Hydrate too much/not enough? Makes me nervous. And you get to see the FB banter all day about how much this sucked. I went in anyways.

I wanted to do the 53#'s on the KBswings, but really, I'm not that strong yet. Maybe someday. Went with the 45#'s and it was HEAVY! The burpees went ok today--better than usual. I was able to keep up solid sets of 10 for quite awhile until my knee started really bugging me. Jumping into that squat position on your heels for 150 reps starts to really really hurt when there is no cartilage to pad the bone on bone action. I wish I could magically regrow cartilage. hrumph. The GHD's aren't so hard for me physically. They just make me DIZZY and lightheaded. I've got to figure out how to do more than 15 of these without feeling like blowing chunks.

Total Time: 38:30 I was really happy with this. I was just shooting for less than 40min.
This is definitely a workout I would do again! No pullups! :)

OHS PR!

WOD:
OHS 3x5
Top load: 100# PR

Snatch Balance
3x3
Top load: 40#

PR alert! I threw 100lbs overhead for the first time ever last week. I did it again today, 3 times, and squatted it! yipee! Overheads are becoming fun! :) Except when I go to put on my suit jackets...I'm starting to bust out of them in the shoulder/lat area. Oh well. :) The sacrafices we make to be strong.

The lifts felt awesome today--we worked up and it looked like this 55, 65, 85, 95, 100
Worked the snatch balance for sheer skill today.

A little extra were some mountain climbers, flutter kicks, GH situps, back extensions.

What a way to start a tuesday! :)

First Friday #7

What better way to waste time at the airport and try to get rid of stupid flying anxiety than to blog? Did you know I hate flying? Me, the world traveler. My body goes into freak out mode and I have to use every earthly power and some good drugs to get myself to a point where I can get on that plane. Sigh. So let's reflect...First Friday.

I took Thursday as a rest day--3 on, 1 off schedule. I had no idea what I was going to do. Repeat one and measure improvements or try something new. I went for something new with CINDY.

CINDY
AMRAP in 20 min
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

We all know pullups are my nemesis. Not today. Today it was the pushups. I cranked through the pullups, but the push ups were just god awful and ugly. squats were a piece of cake. I eeked out 11 rounds. I was shooting for 10, 1 round every two minutes to I was super satisfied with that! Book it!

Ugh.

WOD
5 rounds
max strict press (55#)
max strict pullups

Strict presses felt pretty strong today and my max number of reps was in round 2- 11 reps. Pullups-oh my enemy. A few weeks ago I got my first strict. I was hoping to do one each round, but I couldn't even get halfway up. WEAK! It was uber frustrating. I just did a few attempts each round and didn't really bother to record anything today. I even skipped out on the Annie extra. Double unders need more work. Today I was just not in the mood to even deal with the weaknesses today. I guess sometimes that just happens.

On the bright side, I joined Nikki for a spin class at Golds' last night. The instructor is crazy entertaining and I got in a nice solid ride. I felt strong and pushed myself and I needed a good sweat. It was nice to know that in that room I could not only outride all the other women, but that I could out deadlift, squat, clean, jerk, all of them. Ha. I love being crossfit. :p

Back Squat

WOD:
5 X 3 back squats.
Top Load: 150

Would love to see some big gains here, but progress is slow going. In looking back this is a PR, even though it doesn't necessarily feel like one. Last time I did this was in July with a top load of 145. I attempted 160, but only got 1.5. I get stuck in my deep squats and then can't get out!

I am really starting to see that I need to do a bit more cardio/running sometime during the week to keep the PR's coming and the waist trim.

More Snatch!

WOD:
5 RFT
3 snatch (65#)
6 Lou Burpees (2 pushups per burpees)
9 24" box jumps
Time: 11:59

After a weekend of sitting, moping, and organizing my life, I was so ready to hit the box this morning. The rain kept me from my run and bike ride and I was really bummed about that.
Much to my surprise we had a crowd at 0515 this morning like I've never seen! Great energy for a great little WOD which, of course, looked easier than it was.

I finally put some weight on the bar-65 pounds for the snatch. It wasn't pretty. For some reason I kept having to press it out at the top. it made me so mad, but this move is something to just keep working on. Lou burpees just suck, but I didn't have to go to my knees on the pushups. Box jumps felt awesome this morning. At first glance they are intimidating, but I tried one before the WOD and it wasn't too hard. 9 reps for 5 rounds was a perfect amount to feel it during the WOD, I will feel it tomorrow, but it won't cripple me for the rest of the week! Christine and I then finished off with a mile run. I actually sprinted -- all out -- from Montgomery St. to the box. It felt really really good to actually sprint! Love that mile cool down too...the city's skyline is exquisite when the sky is showing the first glints of a new day.

***100***

Thursday WOD:

snatch grip strict press: 1,1,1
top load: 65#
snatch grip push press: 1,1,1,1,1
top load: 100#

100 pounds. 100 pounds overhead. This morning was HUGE for me. I've been chasing 100 pounds in any lift for months now. 90lbs here, 95lbs there, failed 100 here and there....frustrating! It was something I wanted to accomplish before I left CFOT---now I will chase that 100lb clean.

Today was my day. We warmed up with strict press from behind the neck---got to 65 which felt great and attempted 70 but couldn't hit it with that grip. On to the push...

Since this was a new move, we worked up slowly. Christine, Megan, Shanyn, and I worked in a good rotation and were only within 5-10bls of each other. Great energy with a great group of women. The rounds looked something like this: 70,75,85,90,100. We may have done one more set. We worked up slooowly. To slow, but a safe slow for for first attempts. I put 100 up strong and it felt awesome. I had a perfect dip in the hips, flew up, and viola`. I seriously could have put up more but I was smoked by this point. Jerry said we'd see this again soon....I can't wait! :)

Some things explained...

A trip to the doctor today definitely shed some light as to why I feel like I got hit by a mack truck today. I saw my osteopath, Dr. Mary, at the Kaplan Clinic, who I've been seeing for over 2 years now. I originally saw her to treat my whiplash injury from a car accident 3 years ago after 9 months of physical therapy failed me. She also kept my spine straight while recovering from my ACL surgery 2 years ago. So, many many spinal adjustments and acupuncture sessions later, I see her for occasional checkups. Since she treats you holistically with both eastern and western medical practices, she is aware of a multitude of my "issues". Last time I was in, she ordered my annual blood work to check things like Vitiamin D, hormones, proteins, iron, etc. More than your general doc. Today I got the results....

(1) Significantly low DHEA levels. DHEA is a chemical produced by your adrenal glands. My body is producing the same amount as what you would expect from a 70 yr old woman. Yes, its supplements are banned by the international cycling groups, and Congress wants it to be categorized as a controlled substance (steroid!) So, now I get to take DHEA supplements (steroids!) That said, there is no scientific link between DHEA supplements and performance in athletes. But, in my case, with broken adrendals right now, this explains a ton in terms of performance in the box for met-cons and in my recent races. No adrenaline--the last two races I ran I could not even sprint the final 100m. No juice. Now I know why. Oh, and what causes this you ask? Stress, depression... My response to her was - but I'm not stressed! She said, "Well, remember that job you used to have? You're still recovering." Big sigh.

(2) Increased C-Reactive Protein levels. What is this you ask? "C-reactive protein is produced by the liver. The level of CRP rises when there is inflammation throughout the body. " Great...my levels are double what they should be. This explains some of the pain I've been having, but also the extra five pounds and difficulty losing weight. Excess levels of the protein does cause you to retain water. I'm fighting my bodies natural reactions to be 'puffy'. This explains the couple of pound weight gain and why the waist of all my pants are tight!

(3) Hormones are slightly out of whack. Not terribly significant, but not great either. But again, not surprising. Adding the DHEA supplements should help get closer to the normal range.

I'm glad we discovered these few things--we will check them again in 6 weeks to see where we are at. I'm happy to know that my poor met-con performances are not due to me being weak, but rather fighting the odds. Believe it or not, neither of these is affected by your diet! All external stessors. I hope the DEHA supplements start working fast. I would love to feel the adrenaline again and KILL a met con before I move.

Imagine the fire-breather I would be if my body worked properly.

Falling Behind

I've been slacking on the blog writing. Writers block. Not much to say and I've been frustrated since Friday, so sometimes it is better to just write nothing....

Here is a quick log of the last few days:

Friday WOD
5x max back squats
Top load: 135, failed at 150

I had been dialed in on the oly lifts for a few days now and was ready to kill this...yea right. Working up to 135 was great. I was getting good depth and felt strong. My 3x max was 150 from this summer so I was shooting for a 5x of 150. I met a mental block. I racked 150 on my back and it felt HEAVY. I got 1 rep, went down for 2 and was high---everyone was watching---i asked if my second rep was high and they said yes...then, i lost it. LOST IT. Lost my confidence, lost my focus, lost my drive, and I quit. I racked that barbell back so fast and walked away. I was so mad at myself. I so badly wanted to try again, but by this time my hip and hamstring were killing me. A 5 mile run the night before left me in pain and I was just tring to ignore it. Next time, I can't ask questions or loose focus because people are watching...

Saturday WOD
SLEEP

Sunday WOD
Goblin Gallop 5k

My slowest race ever. Nearly had an asthma attack in the middle of it. It was a great run with friends though, Nikki, Tamara, Christine, Chris, Stuart! Everyone ran a great race and we enjoyed an beautiful sunday morning doing something that we love. Next race is hopefully the Berlin Half Marathon in the Spring!

Monday WOD
For time:
15 pull ups, 9 snatch @ 45#, 400m run
12 pull ups, 12 snatch @ 45#, 400m run
9 ups, 15 snatch @ 45#, 400m run
Time: 18:00

The pullups are getting easier! I went light on the snatch, the bar felt freakin' heavy this morning. I was hoping to put 55# on the bar, but the first two didn't feel good...and I stripped down the bar. But, per ususaly, by round two they were pretty easy after I got nice and warm. Jerry did an awesome warm up of muscle snatch, snatch balance, power snatch that was great but I didn't get warm enough. At least I got to dial in on the snatch form which I am now much more confident with!

Tuesday WOD
rounds for time
250m row
20 box jumps 20"
15 ring push ups
100 feet walking lunge with 15# DB in each hand
26-27 minutes...i gave up on time after round 3!

Evil. Evil workout. Row was good, we haven't rowed in forever. Ring pushups were torture. I did the first set rx'd, but did all but about 10 more on my knees. I collapsed in round 3 in a puddle of my own sweat! eww. Lunges are fine, but I need to just accept the fact I should not do weighted lunges...lunges w/o weights are fine, with weights is too much for the bone on bone action going on in my knees....I wish cartilage grew back.

Took the day off of work and all I can think about is napping....

Snatch-New Benchmark

WOD:
1,1,1,1,1, Snatch
Load: 75# (1st true PR)

I cannot for the life of me find a 1x max snatch for myself. We did a strength-con back in July where I used a measly 35#. I'm quite sure I've never moved more than 50# because in my this is a move I "can't" do. Well, that is dumb...I CAN do it...it just took seven months to get the body to move properly. I finally felt dialed in today and the move was looking good. I wish I could've had video of this so I could critique myself, but Jerry said everything looked good. Trust the coach. The more weight I added, the tighter my lower back got and I began to loose the flexibility in my lumbar curve. I then just stopped at 75#--I just couldn't get under the bar. I go back for a check up on the back next week...we'll see what she says. I know I really just need my person (CHIP!) to hurry up and get home to stretch me out and put me back into place every
night. Yea for new PRs!

Extra was 20 quick reps on the new glut/ham developer. I'm confident my glutes and hams are more than developed...I'm hoping it will help shred the abs...

Monday Tuesday WODS

Monday, October 19th
WOD:
21, 15, 9
Overhead squats (55#)
lateral burpees

This is WOD was one Jerry brought back from the "Hopper" this weekend. The Hopper version added pushups to this but even Jerry said that was "too evil"! Evil it was. The RX version puts the squats at 65#, but I scaled because my 3x max was 70lbs and I wasn't sure what I was capable of. I was capable of 65#--I did all 3 sets and only dropped the bar once and rested the bar on my shoulders only once. I actually did all 21 squats unbroken. The lateral burpees which required you to jump over the bar were evil. After 5 or so my quads are shaking like mad and my shoulders were screaming, but I still had 2 rounds to go! I finished almost dead last of the 0515 team at 12:00 and some change, but I never dropped the bar on the OHS and I know I had perfect form on each rep. I wasn't about to hurt myself on that move.

Tuesday, October 20th
21 pullups, 9 Clean and Jerk, 400m run
15 pullups, 15 C&J, 400m run
9 pullups, 21 C&J, 400m run
Time: 18:40

Torture Tuesday. More overheads! Clearly I have not worked my overhead moves enough. 21 pullups cold was not fun, but I pounded them out. After 1 clean and jerk my shoulders and lats were tired and yelling at me-no more they said! There was no way 65# was going happen on the C&J, had to settle for 55#. The round of 15 pullups went well--I got 6 in a row!!! 9 was easy. I was still slow, but hey, whatever progress is still being made.

Thursday and Friday WODs

Thursday WOD:
1,1,1,1,1 Deadlifts
Topload: 227 (PR)

What an amazing morning. I was ready to pull some weight this morning! And i did! we worked up to about 190 quickly, set into 215, my previous 1x max was 210. Hit 225 like a piece of cake. Perfect form. 227 was a little sloppy, but my pull wasn't even and my breath got screwup up. Shooting for 250 by my one year CF anniversary.

Friday WOD:
The Chief
5 rounds
AMRAP in 3 minutes, 1 minute rest in between rounds
3 power cleans (70#)
6 pushups
9 airsquats

I think I got 16 1/3 rounds. It took me three rounds to get warmed up on the cleans. Form is still suffering. But, I'm wondering it this isn't like the jerk...you just have to put some weight on the bar to get your body to really do what it needs to do? Either way, I was 15lbs heavier on the cleans than the last time we did this in the spring. I think I got about the same amount of rounds. I know I'm stronger this time around--i think I did knee pushups last time too--not this time.

I have to say though, what a two week streak:
-PR in Army 10 miler 1:30:06
-PR on 1x max Jerk (+20#)
-PR in 10k 50:26
-Max pullups=5 in row
-PR 1x deadlift (227#, +!7#)

I have to thank Jerry, Keturah, Andrea, Chris, 0515, and the entire CFOT team for constantly inspiring me to make the impossible possible, push myself to new limits, nudging me to throw a few more pounds on the bar, kip that one last pullup, and have fun all the while. CFOT is the best!

Rest Day

SO SUPER SAD I MISSED FRAN. I must have a visit with her, helen, and murph before i leave.

Strict Press

WOD:
1 rep max Strict Press
Top Load: 75#

Nothing terribly notable or fantastic here kids. Got up to 75# with perfect form. Threw 80# on the bar for fun, but failed. Tried 78 and failed again. Worked to complete failure....

5 IN A ROW and zucchinisketti

WOD:
4 RFT
9 dips
9 pullups
9 squat cleans (60#)
400 run
Time: 30:14

Wicked, wicked workout. Saw the little birdies while collapsed on the floor afterwards. New success today--on the second round of this workout I got 5 PULLUPS IN A ROW! OMG! 5! Then I got 4 in a row! What? Only one drop from the bar for the round? NO WAY! The pullup WOD was significantly faster pulling 5 pullups in a row for rounds 2-4. I don't know where this came from, but it felt amazing. I still struggled with fluid kip, but that will come someday. 5 is just huge for me. I didn't push it on the squat cleans--the hamstring is still 'nagging' and I don't need to push it. I just tried to focus on form for each rep. Struggled with keeping elbows up at the bottom, but otherwise held it together. When you get it right, core tight, whipped elbows, smooth squat it feels good.

Veggie Report:
Cauliflower: I tried the mash last week but it did not come out very good at all-I don't own a food processor so I think it was just the wrong consistency.

Zucchinisketti: 2 zucchini, 1 jar organic marinara sauce, 1/4 package sliced mushrooms, package of ground beef.

Make some meatballs out of the beef and cook til done.
I took the zucchini and used the mandolin slicer and julienned them. I boiled a pot of water.
While all this was going on I threw the mushrooms in the micro and steamed, then added them to a bowl of pasta sauce and zapped the mix for another minute. When the water was at a rolling boil, I threw in the zucchini and cooked for about 1.5 minutes...basically until the water was boiling again. Threw in the strainer, ran cold water over it. Added the zucchini to the sauce and mushrooms and added 3 little meatballs. Sprinkled some parmesan cheese.
THIS WAS AWESOME! YUMMO! The zucchini had a slight veggie taste, but totally had the consistency of pasta. This will be a new staple as long as I can find good zucchinis! Plus, i have leftovers for dinner tomorrow--I will add a salad to it, and some leftover meatballs for little protien bombs.

Cooked for the week too---baked chicken this afternoon and made chix salad. Used the grind and chop for chix, apples, onion, and almonds. Added salt and pepper and a touch of lemon juice! Tasty. Boiled some eggs and turkey sausage for breakfast! I should be on track for the week!

10K fun and Confidence Boost

Boo! Run for Life 10k

About a month ago my dear friend Tamara asked if I was willing to run a 10k with her. She is currently 5 months pregnant and had trouble running through the summer heat, but she found her stride again and totally missed racing! I wholeheartedly supported this and found us a race in mere seconds.

After taking 3 weeks off of running and setting a PR last week in the Army I was approaching this race as a fun run--Tamara, her husband Stuart and our friend Michelle were all ready to just enjoy a beautiful fall run along West Potomac Park and Haines Point. We all set off at our own pace--Stuart was a bit quicker than me this morning, but I didn't mind running alone. It was peaceful and I got a lot of thinking done. Mile 4 and 5 where tough mentally--i could've used some tunes, but just kept my stride and pushed on. Mile 5.5-6.2 I tried to kick in the speedy rockets, but alas, the hamstring was stuck in one gear today. I finished, I thought, somewhere around 52:00 min and due to a lack of math skills thought this was a mediocre time.

Much to my surprise I looked to see if results were posted this afternoon. I set a PR (ok, i haven't run that many 10ks so not a shocker), but I ran it in 50:24. My average pace was 8:07 for six miles...I've only ever run this fast for a few 5k's. This is almost a minute faster than my average pace for the Army 10! And I thought I was just poking a long....nope. I finished 9/67 in my age group and 44/327 for women overall.

Michelle ran a PR as well. Yea! Tamara and Baby M struggled a bit, but they had quite the support group cheering them on! We circled back to finish with them and Baby M finished mere nanoseconds before Mom, and both felt good after the race! Baby M even had her own number #740! Too darn cute!

My last post I was clearly in my "girl box" (i'll save this for a later post) struggling with self esteem, confidence, and unrealistic expectations of myself. This was a confidence boost. I may not love what the scale says, or how my jeans fit, but I love surprising myself, running with amazingly supportive friends, feeling like jello afterward and knowing that you did more before 9am than most in the city! I've made a lifelong commitment to fitness, I'm working on that commitment for my relationship with food and that is something to be proud of. I have a strong and healthy body. It may not be ideal one I have in my head, but its the only one I got.
I love that it is fast, strong, and flexible and always ready for the next test. It may not be the model body for designer jeans or even athletic wear, but after years of hating it, I am learning to love it and what it is capable of.

Stress or Hibernation?

WOD:
400m run
40 air squat
Time: 16:15

Nice WOD today. I was so happy that my hamstring did not bother me a bit. Clearly, the rest has been good. Can't wait for jello legs in the am.

Stress and Hibernation
The last month has not been easy and I can feel it physically. It is month 14 without Chip, new job, prepping for Germany, lawsuit crap hanging out there, plus nagging injuries. Oh, and it is fall.

Fall has always meant weight gain for me. It is like putting on puffy winter coat. It starts in October, peaks in February, then when my clothes don't fit I get really mad, workout like crazy and eat 1200 calories a day until summer clothes fit. Sigh. It is repeating itself. Why is is happening again? Stress or Hibernation?

I know that stress can causing bloating and increased weight gain around your middle due to increased cortisol levels. Stress and depression can screw with your hormones. Stress makes me eat more. I swear thought I haven't eaten myself 5-7lbs heavier in 6 weeks. My stress levels are really lower than they have been in years...it just different kinds of stress now. Do I feel like crap because of stress? Or am I a bear?

Bears eat a ton then hibernate through the winter. Being from the midwest and growing up with bitter cold winters until I moved here in 2001, I swear I might have hibernation tendencies. My body just wants to put on that puffy layer.

I know if you've read this far, you're thinking. "she's crazy". Yea, but you don't suck in your stomach all day so your clothes fit, that size 6 dress is still hanging in the closet, worn once, since it doesn't fit anymore, my jeans that I thought would be falling off me this winter are all kinds of tight in the waist...

Enough wining here now--this does not get easier. I'm moving to Germany and will be faced with yummy pasteries and bread, beer, and more beer. CARBS. No CFOT. No running buddies. Self-motivation and wise food choices are not strenghts of mine. So what's a girl to do?
Here is the plan:
Food diary
No dairy for 2 weeks (after I eat most of the perishable diary in the fridge)
Limit carbs to 100-120 grams per day
veggies
veggies
sleep
hit as many metcons as possible

Any other suggestions??

Jerk!

WOD:
1 rep max Jerks
Top load; 95, failed at 110 twice
This was a 20#PR!!! See first attempt here:
http://erinsadventures21.blogspot.com/2009/08/jerky-jerks.html

I wanted to attack tonight's WOD with energy and really nail the form. Liz and Christy were stacking on the weights fast and in round one, I failed miserably. I went to a different bar to work the 45 bar for form. Added 20 lbs and Andrea saw I was really struggling with the whole get under the bar, hip action, etc. It was UGLY. I said, 'help me'. She asked if I want to know the secret about doing the Jerk. I said YES!

I won't give it away, but lets just say it involved a frenzy of strict press and push press, then viola`. There came the jerk! Super moto from Andrea and Chris. All it took was someone screaming at me! :) Once I got that I did it at 85#, then hit a super solid 95#. And I split it totally naturally without thinking about it. Elbows locked out, core tight. I made the bar weightless. What a feeling. Now to just figure out how to do it again.

I wanted to be ambitous so I threw on 15 more pounds...failed at 110# twice. Stripped to #95 and did one more good one. Oh well, I got my form down and went for it! I will put 100# overhead next time!

Wicked WOD

WOD:
10 rounds
3 cleans (70)
5 L-sit pullups (negatives)
7 ring dips (floss)
Time: 28:30

This was the marathon of all crossfit WOD's. 10 rounds?!? 10! What was Jerry thinking?
I was feeling pretty good after the 10 miler and a short metcon WOD yesterday so I was ready to attack this, until I saw 10 rounds.

I warmed up the clean, thought about doing the Pack weight for women of 85#, did 2 reps in warmup and knew that there was no way I could do 30 of these. By round 5, all warm, I probably could have done 85#. But given that my true 1 rep max was 95#... I guess it is good to just work on form which felt decent today. Form improvements=progress too.

The l-sit negative pull ups were brutal. bottom line. Nothing else to say but I don't like these.
I did every set of dips broken into 5, then 2 with the floss. Hopefully still on track for an unassisted by Christmas.

Looking forward to the Jerk workout tomorrow, but will have to do this tomorrow night...the day got away from me.

Army 10 Miler

Today was the Army 10 miler. The last big race of the season. Due to all my pulled muscles and lack of focused training beyond crossfit, I was not expecting greatness today. In January, one of the fitness goals I set was to run a 10miler sub 1:30. I ran the 2008 Annapolis 10 Miler in 1:30:36 just 9 months after my ACL reconstruction surgery so I knew this goal was attainable.

Today I finished officially 1:30:06 (my watch said 1:30:00). Either way, I beat my previous PR by 30 seconds or so. In terms of PR's in road racing, this isn't too shabby. Considering I've barely run in about three weeks, and my pulled hamstring/gluts, this was a HUGE success in my book.

My strategy today was to run a negative split...slower on the first half, faster on the back half. I totally succeeded in that. The first 5 miles blew by at a nice easy pace--the weather was absolutely gorgeous and I had Chris as a running buddy! At the turnaround on constitution aboutt mile 5.5 I decided to pick it up. . I haven't felt this strong in a race since last fall. It felt really good! Mile 8.5 is killer up the HOV lane of the 14th Street bridge, but I powered through. I trampled a few runners in the last 200m because they were taking their sweet time, but really, I didn't even care! You're supposed to sprint to the finish people!!

It was a great race and I have to give a shout out to Nikki, Michelle, and Brad who completed their first 10 milers!

3x Deadlifts

WOD:
Deadlifts 3,3,3,3,3

My rounds looked like this:
85, 125, 175, 185, 195, 200

My previous 3x max was 185 so this was a 15# PR. Woot! There is clearly a big 1x max in there as my 1x max is 210. Form felt solid, back was a little tight, hamstring/hip is tight tonight, but nothing a little stretching shouldn't cure.

Time for steak and sweet potato...craving carbs (all due to stress-LUV U CHIP) and the potato is the best I can do for veggies tonight. Ice cream substitute will be some frozen berries.

FGB Recovery, a strict pullup, and vegetables

WOD:
(1) 5 rounds
15 Weighted situps - 15#
15 pushups
30 double unders

(2) weighted chins 5x1

So it was FGB recovery day--time to flush the lactic acid build up. We were supposed to do the five rounds for time. I just plain did them. situps were a cinch, pushups are getting easier, and double unders....well, there was so snap so I mostly did singles. no need to kill the calves just days before the Army 10 miler.

The second WOD is always an 'impossible', sleep in kind of day. But, today, I tried the chin up. SUCCESS. SUCCESS! I did an strict chin up! I did not add weight, but I did it, chin totally over the bar. I will admit I started my pulls without locked out elbows, but I'm certain that I can work on that. Grace and Ellen said there is a trick to flexing your lats, pulling up straight to bar vs. away from the bar, etc... Amazing what two weeks off will do for you.

Speaking of two weeks off...
I completely fell off the zone/paleo wagon. Ok, not completely, but certainly far, from 70/30 or 80/20 I would like it be. And, I've noticed that certain clothes aren't fitting like they once did and the stomach certainly is not as svelte. I don't even want to step on the scale. Snacks at work--two skinny 20 yrs old, size 4 coworkers munching away on all the carbs and candy they want and me sitting there with my stomach growling. NOT a good combo. I'm stressed, bored, anxious...all of the above. I'm SO TIRED of thinking about food that nothing even tastes good anymore. But, I loaded up the fridge with veggies again and this week I will try cauliflower mash and zucchini spaghetti. I'll let you know how it goes. Can't give up yet...i have to look HOT for Chip in six weeks. :)

Fight Gone Bad IV

What more is there to say? One insane workout, one awesome day, one killer effort by the CFOT team.

I haven't had a workout like this probably since high school and boy did it feel good! Out of breath, legs shaking and burning, getting the pukie feelings, noodle arms. The fog...oh the fog...working so hard you can't even remember what you did!

I started the first round on box jumps, a strength of mine. A minute is an absolute eternity when at 30 seconds you already feel like you're done. I smoked the first round of this and felt good going into the second round--that is until about the second minute or so when the fog hit and then the stomach cramped. It was downhill from there, way downhill. All I remember is Christine, Sean, and Dan yelling one more...10 seconds...come on...you can do it...when you have two marines and a met-con ninja yelling at you it is hard not to get your ass in gear. Thank you all for your super motivation!

I was shooting, of course, for 300, but only hit 247 reps. Frankly, not too shabby considering:
(1) I've barely done anything the last two weeks
(2) I have a messed up arse and hip
(3) I've only been crossfitting for 6 months
(4) not too many women broke the 250 mark and those that did have been at this for a year or more.

The rounds looked like this:
Box Jump Push Press(55lbs) Row Wall Ball (14lb) High Pull (54lb)
27 24 14 22 16 =103
16 17 9 18 16 =76
14 16 12 14 12 =68 Total=247

I totally tanked that last round. I know it likely has to do with the sore right leg (especially on teh wall balls), not working out for 2 weeks, and nutrition. I just don't know what to eat before events like this. Eat? Not eat? Carbs? Protein? Either way, it is important to eat afterward or else you crash--you need sugar and carbs after an event like this. I learned that the hard way.

I loved this event and would love to do it again. Hopefully we will be able to organize something in Germany! :)

Ready to get back in the box and really get at it again...

Back at it? Not quite yet...

WOD: "Roadhouse" Tribute to Patrick Swayze
400m run
15 power cleans, 15 l-sit pullups, 15 "lou" burpees
400 run
12 power cleans, pullups, burpees
400 run
9 power cleans, pullups, burpees
Time: 32:27

Jerry explained that you were supposed to feel like you'd been in a bar fight after this workout. I sure did! I subbed the run with a 500m row and l-sit pullups with some negative pulls. (jump up, negative, pullup) I did the cleans at 70lbs "pack" weight since my 1x max is only 90. The cleans felt great and I think I finally am starting to get the jump to land and dive under the bar. The pullups felt ok, and I'm stil striving for the strict pullup. I think i'm close! And, small gains on the burpees too...the pushups are feeling stronger and stronger!

The sad news is that on the last row, my hip cramped up...I took a rest, went at it again, then just stopped. The pain in my glut and hip is now constant and I think it has something to do with the fact I sit almost 10 hours a day. Now the question is how to I get this muscle spasm to relax? I've gotten adjustments, massage, I sit on a tennis ball at night...

I'm crawling the walls and just want to have a good sprint and a solid rx'd workout...

Random Post

A week of rest on the body has me just itching for some sprints, box jumps, deadlifts, and just a good old sweat. But, this week will be much of the same. Rest.

I went to see Dr. Mary, my osteopath, on Friday to see if she could work some of her magic. She helped to heal my whiplash injury after 9 long months of physical therapy awhile back and I continue to see her for intermittent treatment on my back and neck. After my knee surgery about 18 months ago I had some spinal alignment issues that sometimes creep back up. Considering this hamstring and glut are attached to my hip, I though maybe it is my alignment. Oh was I right.

She had me lay down, face up, took one look at my feet and said..."Oh yea, you're way off." My pelvis was about an inch off of center. We did the manipulations then she flipped me on my front. Mid-back got a crack, and the neck got some work too. Flip again, cranial sacral therapy on the neck. My neck was mirroring my pelvis at C1. Literally, my head was crooked!

Then we talked about everything that is going on in life. Job change, Chip being gone for 13 months now, the MOVE, the lawsuit from my car accident, etc.... Next up was a full accupuncture session--front and back for pain and trauma. Yes, trauma. Apparently, what I'm going through with Chip is "traumatic" and reliving my car accident over these past few weeks is also "traumatic". 20 minutes later, 30+ needles or so, a nap while letting the needles to their thing, my 'chi' was baselined. I walked out feeling like a million bucks. :)

Today I went out for an hour and a half on my bike. The legs felt heavy and slow, but it was a beautiful morning so I just let my mind wander. The hamstring is a little aggravated today, but it is not painful so I think another week off is in order.

I did find a half marathon to run in Germany in the spring. Berlin at the end of March. So way cooler than a North Face trail run... I will meet that half marathon goal...just six months delayed. Hopefully Chip can run it with me! :)

PERFECT. PUSH. UP.

Hit the box this morning since it was an all upper body workout. No excuse not to go.

WOD: Perfect Push ups
Pick your poison
150 120 90 60 30

Push ups are not my favorite...and a pullup penalty for each miss is just hell. Now we're not talking about any old push up. These must be PERFECT. Chin, chest, hips to the floor, full extension at the top. My pushups are far from perfect, so I went for 60 with a penalty of 6 pullups for each miss. I totally surprised myself and my rounds looked like this: 27, 10, 13, 10. Time: 7:55.
I clearly underestimated my strength -- yea for getting stronger! I then did 30 more for good measure.

Yesterday I dropped in for a little workout to spot/coach Christine on 5x back squats. None for me. I subbed strict press for a few rounds. Worked 5 reps for 45, 45, 67, 72 (2x), 67. I've not done a max strict that I recall so this felt pretty good. I think a 1x max might be somewhere around 75-80. Sweet!

Doctor's appointment tomorrow....I'll update over the weekend.

Sometimes Your Goals Change

Another weekend, another run, right? Yep, and after a light 40 minute jaunt, I ended up with a still very sore hamstring. Damn.

At breakfast with Katie and Adam (thank for ditching Sean!) we got talking about our goals coming into Crossfit and how they have changed. When you haven't a clue with what you are getting into with crossfit and all the sudden you realize you've drank the kool-aid, your goals start to change... My goals were originally to loose 15lbs, run a PR at the GW 10 miler (last April), and run a half-marathon, do a 1 pullup, etc. Oh, and get some defined arms...

Before Crossfit I was a really into running, lots of races, a great running group. After I started crossfit, my old running buddies ditched me because they didn't understand it...or something like that. I started running less, and crossfitting more. My new goals became getting that unassisted pullup, doing a chest to deck push up, lifting 100 lbs (in any lift), figuring out that double under, getting strong enough to do a handstand pushup (still have yet to even attempt). I started worrying less about weight and more about what I put in my mouth and why. I was still running, but decided a triathlon might be more fun that a road race. It was. But, I still had these two lingering end of the season races and those goals of completing a half marathon this year and going sub 1:30 in a 10-miler.

So today I sit one week away from meeting the half marathon goal. Can I run 13 miles? Sure I can. Should I run it? No. Will I? I'm pretty sure I won't. Why? Because it would just be plain stupid to injure myself worse just to meet some stupid goal I set in January.

Katie and I were chatting with Jerry after breakfast this morning and he just happened to ask about the hammie. His look and scolding tone of "It's never going to heal unless you take those two weeks off" and then something like, "if you do, expect to have to take 3 or more off when you're done with it." told me everything. I tried to talk my way out of it, but it has stuck with me all day. Without actually saying it, I think he meant that "I think you're stupid if you do it and don't come complain to me when you can't perform in the box--i saw you half ass the FGB workout yesterday." Well, he's right. I've been using this injury as an excuse for awhile and I'm just too stubborn to do what I know I need to do. I need to listen to the coach and my body and bench myself, before the body benches me for the season.

It's time to change those goals again. My new goal is to train smart. There wil be other races to run. I will continue reaching for met-con ninja status, a 100lbs clean, to get that unassisted ring dip, and handstand pushup, and 5 pullups in a row--but maybe not this month, or next. In the short term, it is to heal in time for a few rounds of FGB and have fun running or run/walking the 10miler with all my friends.

So a break I take...see you in a few weeks.

A Long Way From Home

A short one minute video. On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, let us never forget about those who fight to protect us in this far off lands. Looks like the Marines have brought a little bit of CF to Hemland province to make it feel more like home..
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/09/10/slideshow.afghanistan/index.html

A long week of...

half ass WOD's, infections, angry stomach, and stress. Sigh. Hardly worth writing about when you have nothing good to say and you just want to pitch all this madness and return to burrowing on the couch eating pasta, pizza, and ice cream. It's not inspiring from here...just warning.

Wednesday=Tabata something with pullups and ring dips. Only positive was that I got 3 pullups in a row 3 or 4 times. Tried the unassisted ring dip, but a no go...will stick to floss.

Ended up in urgent care as my insect bite was growing, itchy, and blistering. Result was cellulitous, an infection of the skin that is apparently very, very nasty. Now am on 14 days of antibiotics.

Thursday: Hang Cleans 1 rep Max. PR'rd with 95#. For some reason this doesn't seem like much to celebrate. A 5lb improvement over last week and the form was slightly improved...still need to dial in on the jump to land, dive under the bar...the body just doesn't want to cooperate.

I was certainly not dialed in this morning. My stomach is a mess and I feel like i'm 4 months pregnant (luckily I know it is not possible! :) ) I almost didn't make it this morning b/c my pants were so tight and uncomfortable--the doctor said to not wear shorts and expose my infection. We're 90 days out from moving nach Deutschland. We don't have official orders and I have to basicaly single handedly mange this move. I've given up on my eating--bread, crackers, chips, and oatmeal have creeped back into the diet. I'm sick of eggs...I REALLY don't like vegetables. I eat too much dairy (organic yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese) and probably too much fruit (hello sugar). So do I ditch the dairy and dial back the fruit? Then substitue with what? More chicken? Oh wait...my grocery store was out of chicken!!! Any suggestions for making cooking/eating more fun?

On a slightly positive note, I'm not going to eat pizza tonight despite a serious craving. I've not indulged in ice cream and will hit my 30 day challenge.

Oh, and Chip should be home in less than 60 days...and I still want to hit the 150lb mark on the scale -- My "fat skinny" weight when he left. Will i make it? Probably not, but I'm stating here that I am going to try.

If you've read this far, I apologize for the ramblings...getting it all out makes me feel better and a few self reminders as to why I keep climbing that mountain never hurts

Exhausted, with a frozen butt

Labor Day WOD:
Fountainhead Park
8.45 mile trail run
Time: 1:45

I've spent most of the afternoon on the couch, half awake. I am wiped out. A grande coffee didn't touch my exhaustion. Walking to the grocery store took some serious effort.

Now my butt is frozen for the second time today...icing the sore hamstring and butt.

Andrea, Nikki, Justin, Alyssa and myself from CF and my friend Stuart hit the trails at Fountainhead Regional Park today. It is a beautiful retreat from the hustle and bustle of DC/Arlington/Alexandria. Far, but not too far. I haven't written too much about trail running, but it is something I really enjoy. It is really challenging, a full body workout, and is just a great opportunity to connect with yourself and nature.

Alyssa, Stuart, and I needed to hit a long run--we decided 45 minutes out and back. The others were doing a combo of running/walking. Off we went diving into the woods. It was overcast and pretty dark back in the woods. The trail offered some steep hills, rolling hills, and some tricky footwork. After 5 miles or so, my hamstring started acting up again. crap. Another mile and the hills were impossible. Then the pain wrapped around into my hip and I felt like I could barely lift my right leg. Oh and I got stung by a bee. I shuffled the last few miles, but needless to say I finished and finally realized I have a fairly serious problem with the hamstring and piriformus.

Ouch. Today I realized that I need to serihously rest my legs. We'll do some upper body work this week and totally take it easy next week to rest for the half marathon.

All of that said, I was awesome to run with friends and people who won't leave you behind on the trail! (Thanks guys!)

3 WODs and a Visit to Crossfit Will County

I've been away for a few days, what can I say. I promise you though, I did not give up on the CF workouts, even though the diet totally went by the wayside. So here's the summary:

Thursday WOD:
1 rep max power cleans
Top Load: 90 (from the hang)

My clean form still plaques me. I learned today that I can clearly clean 90 and probably 100 if I actually had some decent form. I really need to get the elbow whipping around and figuring out how to get under the bar. I kept getting the bar up, but hitting my chest, not my clavicale, which means I just wasn't getting under it. Melissa described my efforts as "muscle cleans". Go figure, at it again. always doing it the hard way. But.....I got to work cleans again very soon....

Friday WOD -- CROSSFIT WILL COUNTY in Plainfield, Il
On Thursday night I flew out to Chicago to visit family and friends for the weekend. I was super excited to have found that their was a box in my small hometown! I emailed the owner John earlier in the week to let him know I was coming and he was happy to have visitors (plainfield is not exactly a hot spot tourist destination).

I hit the box friday night for the following WOD:
21-15-9
squat cleans (55#)
burpees
Time: 11:30

We started out with a pullup warmup--I was dreading this. Luckily it was a small class and not many had their kipping pullups so I was ahead of the game there. John and Craig were giving individual pointers and I told them my sticking points. I got through one of them!!! My push off the bar at the top of the pullup and just allowing my body to swing through to the next rep have been holding me back. Tonight though, I just let go and I got 4 in a row. A new pullup PR. I know it sounds puny, but huge for me. I think it might have had something to do with their skinny bar.

I really got to clean up the squat cleans on this WOD. I haven't worked this in a LONG time, but the high number of reps really got me to focus on my form. John had a great tip that really helped me get under the bar---doing a "scooping" motion with my hips to get under the bar. The squat cleans were a total burner, especially paired with the burpees! But---good news on the burpees is that my cycle rate is WAY up. A lot fewer breaks, less standing around or resting at the bottom. Good progress here. I was extremely happy with this workout as an end a long week.

I had a great time chatting with the CFWC crew afterwards---super great bunch of people. Many quite new to CF 2-3 months, yet others who had been about a year. John and his wife Shannon own the affiliate which they started in their garage just about 18 months ago and recently moved to a space they share with a MMA studio. They will have much success there I am sure! They invited me back for the Saturday WOD.

Saturday WOD:
Team workout-2people must complete the following. Each person had to complete a minimum number of reps.

40 Overhead squats
60 wallballs
80 pullups
100 box jumps
120 double unders
800m run
time: 22 something

I used 45# on the OHS--I could have done more, but my legs and arms were SMOKED from the squat cleans and cleans from the last two days. Wallballs were a cinch.
I hit the wall again with the pullups, but honestly is was just sheer fatigue. I could barely hang up there. I grabbed a band and just got it done. Box jumps were easy and since my partner didn't have his double under we did 360 singles and ended with a great sprint down the street--the same street I took piano lessons on for 10 years as a kid. That brought back memories...

Visiting another affiliate is such an great opportunity. Different coaches give different tips that sometimes just click better when you hear it from someone else. And, just being out of your normal element makes you just want to perfect the exercises that much more to make sure you represent CFOT the best you can. Overall it was a fun weekend and I'm seriously looking forward to attacking the pullup bar after I give my arms a few more days rest!

Dippity Dip

WOD:
3 rounds for time

20 ring dips
20 wall balls
600m run
Time: 20:43

This looks so darn easy on paper! It wasn't, but after Monday and a rest day this felt good and I felt strong. As I type this my triceps are begging for some rest. I felt really strong on the dips today and used the 'floss' for all 3 rounds. I was able to do the first two rounds in sets that looked kinda like this 6-6-4-4. Not unbroken, but not horrible. The last round was more like 5-5-4-2-2-2...again not horrible. The wall balls were good , I was able to make that 10ft target 99% of the time. I would've liked more spring in my legs for both wallballs and the run, but I think my ole hamstring is still recovering. The massage I got on monday night totally helped. My hamstring, IT band, and Pereformus (butt muscle, literally) were so angry it was all I could do not to kick the therapist. But, we'll go again for a massage soon and with some rest I should be ready for that half marathon in a three weeks and Fight Gone Bad the weekend after that! I see an unassisted ring dip in the near future as well!

I have to add that there is some new competition at 0515---apparently Alyssa really meant it when she said she liked early mornings! She is fast, furious and strong. And, Katie is back now that school is back in action. Time to step it up so that in 6 months (my 1 yr CF anniversary) I can be half as strong as they are!

On Why.

Today was a rest day, but hardly. Lots of thinking.

I've come up with the following reasons for why I do what I do:
-It's fun. most of the time.
-I know I can and there is no one to stop me but myself.
-I have the freedom to choose to be healthy and fit.
-I always take the road less traveled...life would be boring any other way.
-I'm a Taurus and incredibly stubborn. If someone says do something, I will try until I get it right.
-Chip is away a lot. I need to be able to move couches, flip mattresses, carry lots of groceries across the parking lot and up 3 flights of stairs, and move heavy bookshelves all by myself.
-At work it is fun to just flip that new jug of water on the cooler or fetch boxes of paper instead of asking the men to do it, like all the other women do. Oh, and do it in a skirt and heels! :)
-So my clothes will always fit and I don't have to try on 10 pairs each morning to find the pair that will fit that day.
-Friends and community.
-For stress relief.
-To honor the strength within and the one body God gavve me.
-To let my inner "queen" shine.

Thanks to all who offered their support and Molly Barker's blog from today--what a heartwarming story!
http://mollyontherun.blogspot.com/

I hate these kind of days

WOD:
5 rounds for time
10 pullups (l-sit, strict, or negatives...i did negs and bad ones at that)
15 strict press (55lb)
20 abmat situps

Time: sucked.
Oh and this was the alternate workout!

It is days like today that really make you question why you do what you do. Today was clearly a brutal mental battle for me. I wanted to give up, quit, and after round 1 just wanted to high tail it out of the gym. But I didn't. And I'm not sure why I didn't do that either. Embarrassment probably.

Why the hell do I hang from a pullup bar, ready to burst into tears at 5:30am. Why do I feel it necessary to push heavy weights over my head when my wrist feels like it is about to break and my arms are as wobbly as a newborn puppy's legs? Admittedly, today's WOD tested my weakest movements. Admittedly, I did not sleep well at all last night. Admittedly, I miss my husband so bad it hurts every second of every day. This all has a lot to do with it, but...that still doesn't answer why I do this day in and day out.

My pullup situation deteriorates by the week to the point where I am now perfectly happy saying that I can do 1 kipping pullup without feeling the need to do anymore....except when days like today roll around and everyone else is just getting up there over the bar effortlessly (yes, even Christine with her purple band gets up there!). Since I did Murph back on July 3rd (100 pullups) they just haven't been the same and I'm at a complete loss for how to get the strength to do a strict and the form to do a kip without ripping my shoulder out of place.

I thought I did this for fun and to help keep my sanity...but now I have to wonder. More later.

2 workouts and 1 cool new friend

Friday:
WOD:
7 rounds for time
3 heavy dead lifts (175#)
6 toes to bar
9 burpees
Time: 19:07

I tried something new yesterday. Working out at 5pm instead of 5 am! Totally different experiences. First I walked in with my eyes wide open, the sun was out, a new team, etc.

The crew was great and we pushed it hard. I wanted to do the "pro" version of this workout with the DL's at 185, but I tried it during warmups and I new that 21 reps was going to kill my back, so I backed off. Better to be smart and not hurt myself! The toes to bar move on the pullup bar is getting so much easier. I love this core move so much more than abmats. Oh, the burpees. It has been almost a month since we've met and really they felt great! my triceps and chest are clearly getting stronger. I kept the cycle rate up pretty high and tried to rest a little as possible. I needed the extra seconds on the DL's to recover from all the dizziness!

Afterwards, I was getting on the rower to do some extra work and this girl came over and said, "you're doing the extra?" I said, " yea, I was gonna run, but i'm doing an 8-10miler in the am..." The conversation with Alyssa went from there...where do you run? what trails? races? training? She was wearing a "Hood to Coast" shirt so I knew immediately she was hard core. (The Hood to Coast race is some 190 mile relay race from Mt. Hood to the Pacific coast in Oregon.) Then she said she is running 4 half marathons in October for charity. My jaw dropped. I immediatly invited her to join me for my run this morning and we made a date to meet at 7am. This is what I LOVE about crossfit. Incredibly friendly people who you feel like you already know because you have an instant common bond in crossfit. and they are up for any challenge, competitive, but in the coolest way possible, always encouraging. And you can meet one night, and be running buddies the next. Welcome to DC and Crossfit Old Town Alyssa!

Saturday:
WOD:
8.5 mile run
Time: 1:16

Met up with Alyssa and we took off into the grey humid mist along the GW trail going south to Mt. Vernon. We decided to run across the Woodrow Wilson bridge into Maryland...the bridge is over a mile long! We had a great conversation and fell right into stride with each other. After, she decided she was going to the crossfit WOD....100 thrusters for time, 5 pullup penatly for every drop. I thought about going light on the weight and just doing it, then realized 3 workouts in less than 24 hours will a pulled hamstring was just plain stupid. I just cheered everyone one, watched for "fouls", and gave a few pointers. The crew worked REALLY HARD this morning--it was impressive to watch! Then Alyssa and I headed to the King Street farmers market to pick up fruit and veggies for the week. YUM! What a great saturday.