Handstand warning

So after the handstand workout on Friday night I was taking out my contacts and noticed some weird red bumps around my eyes. " What the H?!", I thought.  Hmm...new freckles? No...they are red.  Rash from my meds for my infected toe? (don't ask) Nope...doesn't itch. Skin cancer? Hope not.

Would you believe broken blood vessels?!? Too many handstands and stress=broken blood vessels around your eyes.  Beware.

I'm seriously one hot mess these days!

2 in a row

That makes almost 4 workouts this week. 

Thursday WOD:
1 RM Front Squats
45, 65, 85, 95, 110, 115
Max Effort: 115lbs

Extra: pullups, kb swings, handstands. Fun screwing around in the gym!

I was not exactly happy about my efforts but I have to realized I am doing this on very little sleep, extreme stress, etc.  Also, I haven't front squatted very much at all.  Got my first 1RM in late Nov/December.  I hit 125lbs then.

I'm not sure what is going on my the oly lifts....is it really loss of strength? intensity? coaching? enviornment? trusting my body? spotters? not being able to drop the weight? I really don't know.  I had to hit 110 and 115 each twice because I didn't get down far enough.  My posterior chain was really tight from sitting in crappy hospital chairs all day for a week straight and I wasn't trusting myself.  I want to hit front squats again soon.  I know I can do more.  I felt like I could but I was so tired and we don't need 2 of us in the hospital!

I lifted with Logan and she hit a super solid 105lbs.  She stuggled with 95lb and 100lbs but I got her to take a REALLY DEEP BREATH and she just sank them.  I imitated Jerry....wwwwssssssshhhhhhh.  Tight core....hold it. sink it. wwwwwssshhhhh.  She's been crossfitting hard this month and is feeling really strong and she got her first kipping pullup recently!Woot!

Friday WOD:
CF mainsite WOD
10 min HSPU
5 min squats
2 min pullups
1 min pushups

Ok, I can't do a HSPU yet.  Neither can Logan.  What to do...attempt this with a mod or do something else.  Hell, we went for it.  We just did handstands for 10 min straight holding as long as possible.  My handstand is definitely improving! I did 180 squats, about 10 pullups and a bunch of negatives since still no pullup bars...GRR!  26 pushups.  Plus 25 more to make 50 for the day. :)

Solid workout. Met another crossfitter and the rumors about something more formal continue to swirl. I'm hoping.  I really want to go to the Cert at RAF Mildenhall England, but with everything with Chip I feel like I can't commit.  sigh....

My goal for next week is to get the eating back on track...this is MUST!

Making it Happen again

Tuesday WOD:
50 perfect pushups

Wednesday WOD:
5 Rounds for Time
500 m row
7 Thrusters (50lbs...)
time: 18:40

This was the CF mainpage WOD for Monday. Easy to hit it at my gym.  It called for heavy thrusters, but I honestly don't remember doing any since FGB in September.  My wrist is still bothering me, I'm all out of sorts, so I went light.  Thank god I did.  On the second round, second rep I completely thrusted the bar into my jaw. I forgot to move my head out of the way! OUCH. OUCH. It hurt my teeth more than anything. One might now be a little more crooked than before. I wanted to drop the bar and cry---I'm so exhausted mentally. But I didn't.  There is no crying in Crossfit.  I powered through the rest and every pull of the rower and every thruster I thought of Chip's situation--I just used my anger as motivation.

Finisher:
50 full situps
50 pushups

Making it Happen

As many of my readers know, Chip has been in the hospital since Wednesday evening. Again.  He has had two strokes since then, but has been stable since Friday.  He has lost mobility in his right arm and leg. Nothing, nada. No wiggling of the toes, no tap of the fingertip.  He has mobility in the shoulder and hip joints but that is about it. Doctors expect full recovery, but it will long and frustrating.

Needless to say, working out has not been a high priority, nor eating properly, hydrating with water instead of wine, nor a plethora of other things.  Oh, and the movers came Thursday...I now have a house of boxes. And my mother in law is here to help...thank goodness...I was able to have some me time for a a quick WOD.

Keeping sane and stable during these very very challenging times is hard. CFOT got me through a 15 month deployment and I hope that CF will continue to nourish and heal me mentally and physically.

Todays WOD:
5 RFT
20 dips
20 pushups
20 abmats
20 squats
Time:14min

My strength is clearly going downhill as a  record my times and exercises here.  My pushups were all on my knees. bleh. Funishment is 50 everyday for a week, no if ands or buts. I worked up a nice sweat in my foyer...photo of my makshift box to come. :)

My goal is to just get in little WODs like this every day.  I hope to unearth the jump rope and kettlebell tomorrow to add DU's, KB swings, high pulls, etc in soon.

I dedicate all my WODs for the next month to Chip. 

Power Clean, Pull Ups

WOD:
5 Rounds
5 Heavy Power Cleans (70lbs)
10 pullups (machine assisted)

Hit a 6am WOD with my friend Logan. Boy it felt good to get up and start the day right again!  Worked with Logan on clean techniques for awhile.  I'm  terrible at coaching cleans since I'm not so good at them myself, but we got her started! 

This was a burner after the tabata pushups last night-arms are like noodles.  I think a few more weeks on the pullup machine and I'll be able to move over to the other apparatus and start doing mini kips for the full WOD. I hope...Oh how I miss you CFOT pull up bars... (I seriously never thought I would say that!)

Tabata This Tabata That

So the day was almost over, the weather was crappy, I was crabby and I had yet to do a CF WOD....

My friend Logan was taking the day off since she was uber sore from snowboarding all weekend. I was disappointed, but could totally relate. So, instead of trekking across town again, I put some blared some music on the bose, set the iphone stop watch and got me some Tabata.

One round: 

Tabata Squats - Hit at least 16 reps each round. Max was 18 reps.

4 minute rest (the landlord stopped by)

Tabata pushups - 10, 8, 8, 6, then I dropped to my knees and aimed for 5-6 each remaining round. I really hate pushups.

2 minute rest

Tabata ABMATs - Hit 15 reps the first 4 rounds, then 11 the remaining 4

Then....

I've been itching to get in a run.  I miss being outside, the fresh air, lungs hurting, adreniline pumping...the weather has just been really bad. Too snowy (+6 inches), pouring rain/sleet, or too icy.  Tonight it was damp and foggy.  This is the worst running weather for me.  Arthritis sets into my knee and a jog down the block can sent me into a ferocious asthma attack.  Since we've already spent too much time at the hospital here, I opted for a short run on this warmish (40 degrees) foggy night.  A jog all the way down the hill on our street, down the next big hill, then turn around and run back was my plan.  I drive the hills every day and have only pondered running them.  It was only a mere .3 miles downhill completed in under two minutes.  After a pause to ponder my insanity at the bottom, I turned and ran back up.  It took me about 4 minutes to get back up, including a brief pause to not get run over by my neighbor.  Ugh, miserable. I knew it would be hard, hills are no fun, but I do have all summer to make it easier.  I wanted to do two rounds, but decided a trip to the hospital for a breathing treatment was not a fun as cooking dinner and hanging out with Chip tonight.  Next time you nasty hill, next time.

Back at it with Back Squats!

WOD
Back Squats 5x3
Looked like this 45, 75, 125, 135, 140, 150 (1)

I last back squated on November 4th, almost a solid 3 months ago.  I was trying to hit my previous PR of 150x3, but I knew that: 1) I haven't worked hard enough to maintain it, and 2) I haven't worked hard enough to DESERVE  it.

Once I got past that in my head I decided to just do the best I could today.  I was working on a smith machine and, well, I did not have my usual spotters, 0515 encouragement, nor Jerry taking photos of early morning squat face...needless to say, I'm finding it hard to find the intensity I need to really push hard.

140lbs  for 3 was actually pretty easy.  I hit 150 for 1 and it was strong.  I should have gone for two more, but without spotters, no where to dump it, and no intensity, it wasn't worth it.

Afterwards, Chip and I worked pullups.  I have nowhere to do a true kipping pullup, but I worked the strict on roman chair like thing.  I started in a strict position, did a mini kip with my hips then got up there.  I did that for 15 reps--or failure. 

Then WOD #3:
3 RFT
25 Kettlebell swings (35lbs)
20 situps (full sit ups)
15 burpees
Chip beat me, that's all that really matters.  I should've smoked him...but again...I must find the intensity.

Looking forward to hitting another WOD tomorrow!

Missing CFOT

I am truly missing CFOT right now.  For nine months, the box was my "place". My place to be me, my support system while Chip was away, friends, my encouragment and inspiration, my place to make me a better me and, of course, throw lift/throw heavy things.  While CFOT is still my inspiration for my workouts here, the motivation is slipping, the gym certainly is not my "place", my encouragement and support is there virtually (love you guys) but there is no substitue for a loud "Mornin' Erin" from Jerry or Dan, some moto from Sean and Katie to go big or go home, or my loyal lifting partners...Christine, Keturah, Megan, Shannyn, etc, etc.

This morning was a disaster. I woke up and stumbled in the dark to find a t-shirt and pants, digging though the piles on the floor. we have no dressers....  I managed to put every article of clothing on backwards...I grab my stuff to run to the gym and out the door I go. Crap. I need a garage key...where is it? Run back upstairs, wake chip. Get key. Can't open garage.  Door is stuck. Almost crying now... come on muscles...you are CF strong.  I finally moved the lock.  Hit every red light on the way to gym.  Get there late and PT has already started.  Place is swarming with soliders. No room for squat cleans.  now what?

Make room! I found a corner and started warming up.  They just got kettlebells here so I started with some swings, etc.  I was already getting stares like "oh...that's what you do with those things..."  On to cleans. No barbells to be had but they just got some pre-loaded bars and I used those.  40-50-60-70-80 for warm up. \

Then I did yesterday's CFOT WOD:
2 squat cleans on the minute for 12 minutes (I did 15 rounds)
I managed 7 rounds of 80lbs and 8 rounds of 70lbs. 

I was the talk of the gym this morning apparently. I was in a back corner with the free weights and guys kept coming over to the corner, lingering, chatting. I stared them down and they left.  I had my back to the mirror and don't even want to know what was going on behind me.  And you know I don't exactly go for the fashionista title at the gym, but apparently these men don't see many women.  Now, all this was going down  in a gym, this was during Army PT time.  I was the only person sweating or moving at a speed faster than a turtle. I had to convince an female solider to use a 12lb kb vs and 8lb kb for her two handed overhead tricep move she was doing.  Needless to say, my opinions of the Army PT program are probably best kept to myself.  I told Chip his soliders should be at least required to sweat at their PT. :)

On WOD #2 due to space I had to cut the OHS PVC squats.
So, 4 rounds

20 back extensions
40 anchored situps (nice anchors here)

I blew through these and just pushed the lazy soliders away who thought that standing next to the things or leaning on them was a workout. I felt great after this.  Now, if the weather would warm up and all these guys would go outside, I might have more fun with my WODS

I did the Friday WOD too.
Strict Press 5x max
top load 70 (3 rep max is 75) so I felt good about this.

Then did 5 RFT of 12 pullups, 50ft of walking lunges with 20lb weigh. Time: 14min.

Hope to hit more WOD's more frequently but the weather and schedules are not cooperating...

Lost in the Woods after Barbara

Behind on blogging--this was my Sunday WOD:

Barbara
5 RFT (rest 3 min between rounds)
20 pullups (subbed dips)
30 pushups
40 situps
50 squats
Time: 38min

This sucked. Brutal.  Did dips instead of pullups getting creative again in the house.  I had to do all the pushups on my knees I was so weak.  Sits up and squats were good....this workout just took forever.  I had the music in the house cranked, but the movtivation was lacking with Chip in the hospital.

Post WOD I pulled on a fleece and some trail shoes and headed out in the woods.  It was beautiful. Snowy, brisk, and absolutely silent except for the crunch crunch of the snow under my feet.  I mapped out my Crossfit 400m and 800m turnaround points on the trail and then proceed on what I thought to be a 2-3 mile jaunt.  My lungs screamed at the cold and my legs cried "why!" for that first mile or so, but I settled in nicely at mile 2. So much so that I wanted to tack on another mile....or 4.  I took the "red" trail which apparently cuts off into another part of the park. 2 miles later I decided to back track and follow my footsteps back towards civilization.  Nearly got mauled by a large long haired German shepherd type dog.  In this scenario, with an 80 dog running at you full speed, just scream "NEIN!" and point at the dog.  He stopped dead in his tracks! :) Life saved. I then kept on running! Later, I asked for directions from a guy when I got to these crossroads for all three of the main trails.  Thank goodness I can ask directions auf Deutsch!

I had to walk some of the hills since my legs were really tired from 250 squats, but tt was just so pretty out I didn't mind being cold and wet.  And, the trails were better traveled than the roads!  I love the sunday German tradition of family time walking in the park--now if only Chip could've joined me.


Monday WOD
3X Max Power Cleans
45, 55, 65,75, 85 (failed at 95)

Again, motivation was lacking but form is getting better and all pulls were from the floor this time around.

Finisher--2k row (8:40) 
I've never rowed this far before.  Didn't go all out, but about 80-90% effor the entire time. Then,

3 Rounds
50 situps
50 flutter kicks