Celtic Solstice 2012

A  little race recap from the Celtic Solstic:  Bottom line: Kelley Fox is awesome and will make you fast, FAST! I've been trying to follow her program for about six weeks--shooting for 2 e.WODs a week.

Just finished a 5 mile race and while I finished strong with a time of 40:41--just over 8 min. miles. I've been sick all week, slept like crap last night, ate like crap yesterday and ran just shy of a PR time. This was my 4th time racing this course. I ran 1:30 faster than last year and had to go back FIVE YEARS to 2008 to find my PR time of 39:40 for this course. That was pre-CrossFit when I ran 3x a week. Not bad results for 4-6 weeks of training where i put in about a 70% effort! Pretty confident I could have PR'd if it wasn't for this hacking cough and sore throat! This program works!!

I followed Kelly's protocol of a mile warm up, stretch, rest (a little more than 5min due to race delay) before we started. Mile 1 felt great, but I knew what was in store. These hills had killed me before. Tried to not look at my watch and just kept a comfortable pace--i knew my pain points on the course, and I wanted to stay strong for those.  Ended up running faster each mile even though I kept telling myself to "back off", which my body apparently interprets as "run faster"! Sprinted the last 800 (because its just one 800!!) and left nothing on the line.

Super excited for Half Marathon Training--e.WODs and more backsquats, front squats, and chains=fast running!

Still Working at It

Well, per usual I can't stay committed to anything! And I have all the stupid excuses in the book. i'm mad at myself, but you know what? I'm doing better and I'm ok with that. I continue to learn where the pitfalls are with my diet, mood, sleep, etc.

Today was a decent day, oh wait, nope...cheats...damn. I'd really like to avoid dairy, but....

2 hard boiled eggs, smidge of mayo to make egg salad
banana
1/2 pbj (there was bread i the house--gasp!! and i was craving a pbj)
slice of meatloaf
2 cups frozen green beans/peas
handful of cashews
1oz of cheese
salad
kabab sirloin style
5 olives
bottle of iced tea

Wod: SLEEP

Day 2

Day 2 went pretty well. No real cheats as long as you don't count the 2 tsp of peanut butter this afternoon to polish off the jar in my desk.  Hey, it's better than diving into the chocolate bin, right?

Here's the run down:
2 HB eggs
Pear
Coffee
Water
3oz steak
Carrots
1cup blackberries/raspberries
A few dry roasted almonds--yech, I just can't eat these anymore...
7 Klamata olives--w/pits
4oz pork tenderloin
Kale chips
1/2 sweet potato
Tomato cucumber salad w oil/vinegar
Water
10 grapes--sugar detox will take a day or two

Wod of the day was a bear--we had w choices and I didn't want tondoneither one, but I sucked it up and went anyways and, as always, I am glad I did.

10 min
9 snatch @90% 1rm -75#
12 snatch -65#
15 snatch-55#

My 1rm from about a month ago was 80# so I was happy to do 9 heavy without much trouble. Not quite touch and go, but I got it done. Next two rounds were broken into sets of 4, then 5. Time was 5:23.

Wod2: 10 min cap, 5 rounds of 10 t2b and 6 hspu.
I got 4 rounds and did hspu w 15# plate and a mat. Need to work on these more... I had given up but this is something that i really want to work on over the winter strength wise.

Back to Blogging

I've taken a break from blogging this year, but find myself in a place where I fell I need to write things down to hold myself accountable.  I last left off start the CF Open and a paleo challenge.  The challenge went well and I spent all summer eating well and feeling great. As for the open, I tore my ACL right before it started.  I decided not to have surgery, and have worked my way back to the box 4-5 times a week, completed 3 triathlons this summer, and generally was just feeling good.  The focus to get strong and beat my PRs was gone due to the knee--it was just do what you can and have fun doing it.  Well, of late, I have set a new back squat PR and am sure I have a new clean PR in me too. Unbroken pull ups are coming along too!

Why am I blogging again? Well, I'm way off the paleo bandwagon and old habits are back. I can eat with reckless abandon and I feel no remorse--just tired and sluggish, and bloated. The scale keeps telling me I've gained at least 5lbs and going into the holidays I'd like to save that 5 for pumpkin pie and other goodies! Really, it's the "erin gains 5-8lbs over the winter" and I'd like for that not to happen this winter because that means that I'd be up10--right back where I started and I am NOT GOING THERE!!
I will use this page as my accountability to myself for the next month.  Obviously, thanksgiving will be a slight break from strict clean eating--I mean I'll be at my brothers and his wife makes homemade bread and cinnamon rolls, and pie from scratch! While it won't quite be a whole 30 with the holiday in there, I would like to make the next 30 days as whole as possible.

Today, this is what I ate-this was not a totally strict day...wasn't sure if I would start today/tomorrow.
3 paleo banana pancakes
4 slices of bacon
Handful of blackberries
1tsp apple butter (homemade by a friend)
Pear
2 starburst (oops)
4 olives
4oz flank steak
Asparagus
Few kale chips (homemade for hubby)
1/2 grilled plantain (before it rotted!)
Lots of water

Went on a long run--my first of the year!
4.45miles-39:09

Paleo Challenge and the Crossfit Open

It's an exciting month here in the Gabriel household.
I've been training hard and seeing some good gains. Could I train harder? Yes. Do I want to? Yes. What's my deal? Time and coaching. I need someone to actually show me/help me/tell me what to do. Most importantly, I've taken on spearheading CFOT's paleo challenge. 

My nutrition had really fallen by the wayside over the holidays.  I know, I know, everyone's does right? Well, mine really did and I couldn't stop with the little cheats.  I offered to help plan a six week paleo challenge at the gym.  We had 58 people sign up. Amazing participation. We had a great kick-off, great events planned, sponsors, prizes, etc...its going to be fun! I'll post more in the next few weeks.

Next week starts the Crossfit Open.  I signed myself up as I've been hanging out with the competition club on Saturdays and trying to better myself.  I've got no hope of anything, but hope to gain experience competing and meeting games standards in all the movements.  To compete for real I need to do the following:
Improve my clean and jerk ( I can do both fine, just not together)
Pullups (i just suck at them)
Heavy snatches
HSPU (get one)
MU (get one)
improve double unders
rowing more than 250m
These are my goats that I need to work on and are goals for the end of the year.

Not sure what this post is supposed to really be about. I just needed to put this out there and start recording progress. Day 3 of this challenge is MUCH easier than those of the past. That's progress!!

Catch up. Lots of PRs!

Lots of great Wods this past week.  And, I had a streak of 3 lifts, 3 days, and 3 PRs! Also, I am helping out with CFOT's paleo challenge. I built a blog, help set up the rules...sheesh. I year ago I was still 2 pant sizes bigger, stuffing my face with just about everything I could eat. My how I changed in 2011.  2012 is going to be fun. Its off to a great start and February only brings more excitement. The paleo challenge and the CF Open!  Fun times ahead. Here's a log of what I've been up to.


Wednesday 2.01.2012
WOD 1: 5 min AMRAP Snatch @ 85%
I got 26 reps (no misses, not TNG) at 75#.  I think I could have gone heavier, but we were the guinea pings at 0515.  This was just for competition club peeps since we hit 1RM on Saturday.
Felt pretty confident on this move.

WOD 2: 7min AMRAP: 10 Thrusters, 5 burpees.
I got 7 rounds....goal was 1 round a minute and I DID IT!! I didn't wuss out!! Thrusters were light--only 55lbs, but I suck badly at thrusters so this was truly a test for me.


Tuesday 1.31.2012
I had a sucky day. The wod included HSPUs which are just my nemisis and I just get really disappointed in myself when we do them. I just can't seem to make progress on this movement. Not worth recording the intervals. I just sucked and I had a bad attitude.  I showed up and that is half the battle.

Monday 1.30.2012

Wod 1: 1RM Max Squat Clean
New PR at #125

Wod 2:7 min AMRAP, 5 unbroken hang squat clean, 20 DUs  
I got 4 rounds in...1st round was with 75#...failed to load the bar properly. Double unders were touch and go. I have to learn to take my time.

Saturday 1.28.2012
WOD 1: 1RM Snatch.
Hit 90# solidly...I attempted 100, but totally missed. This was fun!!! It's been a LONG time since I did a 1RM snatch.

WOD 2: 9 min AMRAP, 5 squat snatch, 10 T2B.  I was 5 T2Bs short of 5 rounds. I did the squat snatch at 75#. This was brutal, but it was fun!!!

Friday 1.27,2012
1RM Power clean
My long time goal the past 6 months has been to hit a 130# clean.  I've been stuck at 120# forever. I did it!! It was damn ugly, but I did it. I really need to work the getting under the bar, and landing on my heels. Something to keep working on, i want this one bad!!  This completed my 6 week goal trifecta of hitting a +250DL (I hit 255), 2 strict pullups in a row and a #130clean! Go me.  I love mini goals.  I think I need to set another set of 6 week goals.

Monday Intervals and TNG Tuesday

Monday intervals...pullups were going to be my goat on this one and that they were. Rowing was not so bad. i think 1 minute sprints are my max output...anything more and I just suck. I did get 10 pullups in a row on the first round. That's a rare thing.

WOD
5 sets-
15 UNBROKEN pullups, (order of preference is C2B, COVP, then Regular. If you don’t yet have 15 unbroken scale to 10 reps anyhow)
15 feet elevated, thighs off ground, hand release pushups
15 wallball
15 calorie row
2-3 min rest between each Set
Add all 5 sets together and record TOTAL.

Total time was 17:XX.  Intervals were between 3-4 minutes...got slower each round.

Tuesday

WOD
6 Sets
Every 90 seconds
5 Touch and Go
Hang Clean & Jerk 

Loved this fast wod. Worked at 85# which was lighter than I wanted to go, but I worked to eliminated the pause between my clean and jerk.  I was able to do all 6 sets unbroken and didn't pause between clean and the jerk. Had to work hard to get under the bar and get the elbows up! 

Recap of the week

Last week ended up not so great.  I did Fran and was in a world of hurt. Took Tuesday as a rest day. Hit the benchmark on Wednesday of 100 burpees for time. Time was 8:20.  I went at about 85% effort and made sure there were no floppies.  I would love to hit this again for a sub 8:00 time.

Thursday was Jackie. I was feeling a little better and just wanted to get in a move so I warmed up the back, hit a few hundred meters on the rower and a few pullups for a warmup.  
"Jackie"

1000m Row

45 pound Thruster  50 reps

30 pull-ups

Time: 12:43

Thursday night I felt awful and was in bed by 8:30 and I decided to sleep in Friday morning. I slept in Saturday morning too--lazy lazy rest days. I feel bad about not doing anything, but I'm listening to my body which is screaming--REST, SLEEP. So I am.

Ready to hit it hard (and smart) in the box this week.

Fran

What a horrible day. What can I say.
I was mentally ready to attack this. Physically I was not. I knew that halfway through the warm up that it was not a good idea to even attempt this.  I pulled some back muscles last week and have aggravated them ever since, in every WOD since then.  Today I found myself in tears halfway through the round of 15, back spasming, thinking DNF, but no, I wasn't smart enough to quit. I should have.

10 awful minutes later it was all over. I spent about 5 minutes actually doing the work, the other 5 staring and hovering over the bar, flailing on the pullups. total time was 10:04.  I don't have a Fran cough, my quads are not on fire tonight, clearly not even close to an full effort, but my back still aches.

This week is benchmark week at CFOT and I'm going to end up sitting most of it out, and I'm pissed. I should just suck it up, but no, I'm mad.  Mad at myself for taking rest and getting to the chiropractor when I knew I needed to go, not going lighter on a WOD when I just wanted to be a badass and prove myself I could do it. Oh yea, I can, but I can't do anything else for like a week....

Back is technically sound, just stronger than my abs apparently, which is what is causing all this pain. Time to work on the core and train smarter.

2012 Goals

I've taken a hiatus from blogging and generally recording my workouts in 2011.  I'm back to write, record, and reflect on my CrossFit adventures in 2012. I'm in a good place with my fitness and nutrition after lots of hard work in 2011. It was a good year--I picked up new skills, hit PRs, completed a half marathon and a triathlon, and even competed in a CrossFit competition.

Here are my 2012 goals:
1 HSPU
1 Muscle Up
300# Deadlift
130#+ C&J
Perfect Double Unders
Compete in a CrossFit Competition

Saturday WOD:
Power Clean Intervals
work at 85, 80, 75, and 75% of 1RM
1min @100#-10 reps
rest 2 min
1min @ 95# - 12 reps
rest 2min
1min @90# -12 reps
rest 2 min
1min @ 85#- 14 reps

Worked HSPU negatives afterwards and Laura and Jessica showed me the trick to get C2B pullups!
It's gonna be a good year, I can feel it.

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