Erin's Adventures

Monday Intervals and TNG Tuesday

2012-01-25T01:19:00.000+01:00

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

2012-01-22T22:10:00.001+01:00

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

2012-01-17T01:17:00.000+01:00

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

2012-01-15T15:04:00.001+01:00

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.

test

2012-01-02T17:17:00.002+01:00

test

More HSUP

2011-07-26T02:35:00.001+02:00

WOD 1 Gymnastic Strength: 1-3 Challenging HSPU every minute x 10 min Attempt to stay at a challenging level (or make it tougher) the whole time. I’d rather you move from 3reps to 1 rep in the wod and stay at a challenging level then stay at 3 reps for all 10 rounds by making the level easier. Record level and total reps.

Here I worked with 15# plate and tried one w/ a 10# plate. Continuing to make progress. Need to push it a little harder next time.

WOD 2. Mashup Tabata: Pullups and Dips :20 max reps Pullups, :10 Rest, :20 max reps ring Dips, :10 rest x 8 intervals each = 16 total = 8 minutes. Score total reps in Pullups, score total reps in Dips
Rest 1 Minute
Total: 78 reps

WOD 3. Mashup Tabata: Squats and Situps :20 max reps Squats, :10 Rest, :20 max reps ring Situps, :10 rest x 8 intervals each = 16 total = 8 minutes. Score total reps in Squats, score total reps in Situps
Total: 219

Tabata Total: 297 reps.

I was incredibly consistent on this tabata. I consistently got 17-18 squats and 13-14 situps. On pullups/dips, I got 5 of each for all but 2 rounds! Great WOD. Finished with a mile run. Triathlon looming in 3 weeks.

Time to start tracking again. I want to make some strong progress on overall fitness the next few months.

Sumo, Front Squat and Death by Thrusters, Hero WOD

2011-07-19T02:28:00.002+02:00

Wednesday July 14th

WOD 1: 2 Sumo Deadlifts every minute x 10 min (load=70% of 1rm)

Used 175#

WOD 2: Once through for time 50 Overhead plate lunge, 400m run, 30 burpees, 20 toes-2-bar, 30 box jumps (24″), 400m run, 50 Wallball (or DB thruster 15w,20m). 17:38, subbed T2B.

Friday July 16th

WOD 1: Front Squat x 1 = 150lbs
WOD 2: Death by Thrusters. 9 rounds @ 85#.

Monday July 18th
7 Round “Bulger” or 30 Min AMRAP (Cut-off)
200m Run, 7 C-2-B Pullups, 7 Front Sq (95w, 135m), 7 Hand Stand Pushup
25: 36

Obviously the pullups were not C2B, but they were awfully close. Most sets were split 4-3, but I did get six in a row. I got 8 in a row not too long ago. They are getting stronger!Subbed the HSPU w/ 20lb dumbbell push press.

Update...

2011-06-28T02:14:00.000+02:00

Poor lonely blog...how I've missed you! I've been CFitting regularly, hitting PR's, learning new lifts, eating like a cave girl, loosing weight, and feeling great!

Since I last posted I finished my half marathon-Not a hugely awesome experience, except for the post race party which involved some amazing wine and cheese and good times with friends. I ran a 2:05, just shy of my goal, but for not training all that hard, not too shabby. Here I am pushing towards the finish. Yes, I'm in pain...running 13.1miles with no cartilage in your knees is just kinda stupid...and boy do I need a TAN!

I've embarked on another paleo challenge, really trying to make this a lifestyle, not a diet. I've lost some weight and if you're lucky i'll post some photos someday if I can stand the sight to show people the real results of what paleo can do for you.

I've recently learned how to sumo deadlift and today worked on the "heaving snatch balance". I put up 105# and felt pretty awesome about that. We've not done a 1RM snatch in forever, so I know it is way more than the 80lbs I worked with in a WOD last week. :) (2xsnatch EMOM x 10min)

Worked some HSPUs on 6/20, but couldn't eek anything out beyond a 45# plate and an abmat. Sad that I wasn't stronger here.

Took a second stab at Elizabeth on 6/16 and used 75# for the squat cleans and skinny orange band for the ring dips. Finished around 16 mins....4min slower, with 10 more lbs..
Pulled a really ugly deadlift @ 250# PR...can't wait to hit this one again.
Ran my fastest 1mile time in well over a year on 6/8/11...a 7:30 as part of the WOD "Jerry".
Hit a 125# split jerk PR on 6/6..now if only my clean was that strong.
Hit a 120# clean PR at the end of my 1st paleo challenge. Ready to get after this one too.

Looking to finish June strong and turn to an even STRONGER July!

PR Alert!

2011-06-08T02:53:00.000+02:00

WOD 1: Split Jerk x 1
PR 1-115#, Pr 2-120#, PR3-125#!!
This was a 15# PR and damn did it feel amazing! The best part was that I felt I had more in me too! Now, if I could only clean this much!

WOD 2:
3 Rounds
200m run
20 knee to elbow
This just sucked.

This was posted on the "Women of Crossfit=Strong" facebook site. It is exactly what I did today!

“Try and fail, but don't fail to try. It's kind of fun to do the impossible.”
So Go out there and do it ladies, try those pullups without the band, try and add more weight than yesterday, push out that last movement harder than you started!!! “We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.” SO TAKE ACTION!!! DO IT!!!!

"Dumbell-burpee-squat-clean-thruster"-ing Sucks.

2011-06-07T02:43:00.000+02:00

WOD 1:
15 minutes:
Back squat x 3

Then,
3 rounds:
9 DB-burpee-squat clean-thrusters (35 lb/25 lb) (video here)
12 slam-ball
15 pullups
WOD 1: 155#, WOD 2: 11:52 (20#, 35# KB sub for slamball)

So it was the first day back in the box after the vacation. No need to shoot for a PR here after running the half marathon on Saturday. More to come on that. I felt nice and fine at 155 this morning. Got in the work, but no need to kill myself. WOD 2 was a whole different story! This combo movement sucked the life out of you. i totally could have gone for 25#, but we were out of DBs with so many women in this morning. Plus, my wrist never likes db thrusters, so better to play it safe. KB's were super easy and fast, and pullups weren't so bad. Was hitting a consistent 4 reps or so. Was pacing myself with Laura this morning and secretly competing with her (trust me, she's WAY stronger than me), and it was what I needed to fight through the thrusters, then finish the pullups. Thanks Laura!

A week off

2011-06-03T14:27:00.000+02:00

I've taken a week off to travel home to Chicago to be with family and friends. I'm not sure this was the best timing for the paleo challenge and for having the half marathon tomorrow. Regardless, its been nice to rest but I'm anxious to get back in the box and moving again.

While home, I managed a 10mile training run a week ago, a short bike ride with Chip (our first one since his stroke!!), and hit one WOD at CF Tri-Cities. 3 workouts in a week? Boy do I feel lazy. That combined with awful food choices and I really need to get back on track.

The training run went much better than the last few and while I ran out of energy again at about mile 8, I think it was more hydration than anything. This whole LD training just takes a lot of pre-planning.

It was thrilling to finally get out on a trail with Chip. We got his bike outfitted at a cycling shop that specializes in adaptive cycling. It was awesome to see Chip in control, speeding along on the trail, happy. I'm looking forward to many more rides this summer!

Heading over to Crossfit Tri-Cities in St. Charles was a great decision. They have a great facility and Mark, the head coach, was really welcoming. We had an awesome warmup, then hit a strength WOD. Backsquats x 5. We hit a 3x WOD a few weeks ago and hit 170. I hit 155 today and I think I could have done 160. This is the lift I've seen the most consistent progress on over the last few months. Lots of fun! We also did the regionals WOD of: 20 cal row, 30 burpees, 40 DB ground 2 OH, 50 T2B, 100ft lunges, 150ft sprint. just shy of 20 minutes, i think.

Tomorrow is the half marathon and I'll post a full race report on Sunday. I need to post a full report on the paleo challenge too.

Regional WODish

2011-05-26T03:10:00.000+02:00

There will be a strict 30 minute time limit on this WOD:
75 Pullup, 75 KB Swing (35W, 53M), 75 Double-under, 75 Overhead Sq (65W, 95m).
Straight through.

I went into Tuesday morning doubting myself. Doubting my abilities to finish this WOD, actually finish 75 pullups. Its been a long time since I've done much volume work on my pullups. I started neysaying before the WOD and my teammates were there to give me the "you can do this", "i know you can".

I decided to hop on the high pullup bars, the ones I need a box to get to. When you hang on the high bars and work that hard to get up there you really don't want to come down! I started out hitting 8 in a row, then 5, then 5, then 5, and I just kept on going for 5's. And kept going. I hit 25, took a rest, hit a few...next thing i knew I was at 50. I hopped down to my "normal bars" and was only hitting 2's and 3's. I went back to the high bars and finished out the last 18-20. My palm ripped on the 73rd rep, but I pushed out the last two. On to KB swings, which were a piece of cake, minus an exhausted grip. I subbed 4:1 single jumps for DUs and just breezed through-fast. OHS were going to be a beast-I loaded a bar at 55lbs...I had done some volume on Friday at 65lbs--my first OHS wod in quite some time...
I got 15 on the first round and told myself that I only had to do it 4 more times. I doubted myself again, but loaded it up and got 15 more. Round 3 of 4...I got some cheering from the sidelines of people from the next class. I heard, Looking strong erin, keep it up, core tight, you got this, from Gar, Shannon, Mike, Nikki...I knew I could do it. I finished in 28 minutes. I did it. It felt absolutley amazing.

Got a massage last night and took a rest day to let the massage do its magic.

Training Countdown

2011-05-24T03:11:00.000+02:00

After a serious effort on Friday I followed it up on Saturday morning with a 10 mile run with my old running buddy Kayla. She runs a running group out of the Pacers store in Logan Circle. I got my butt out of bed, headed to the city, and joined some cool peeps for 8.25m run through beautiful Washington DC. The course headed up historic 16th Street, skirted Rock Creek Park, wound down by the National Zoo, Georgetown waterfront, by the Kennedy Center, behind the Lincoln Memorial, then up 17th Street past the White House back to the store. What a fun course. Miles 6-7 flew by. Once we got back into the city the stopping and starting really hurt my momentum. I branched off after they finished the course for another 1.5 miles. It was a bit short of 10m, not pretty, but pretty fun to run with people again on a cool course.

I bonked again around 6 miles and got the bacon nausea again. NOT COOL. Trying to eat paleo and have enough energy/fuel to run these distances has been very hard. I didn't get much support from the paleo challenge group. A lot of "why are you still running" and "running long slow distances raises cortisol levels, making it difficult to loose weight and potentially make you gain weight". I refuse to accept any of this. I nice nudge towards the CF Endurance site would have helped. Instead I had to think and research since I totally forgot about that program. I should have used their WODs to train for the half, but lesson learned for the next race! I will eat paleo, just not the super strict paleo instructed by the challenge, which does not include fruit or nuts. I've been "cheating" with bananas post run/post WOD to keep my energy levels up. Really just a few berries would probably have the same effect. I also learned doing some CFE reading, I need to eat lean protein/carbs in certain amounts pre-race and post race. Eating paleo does aid much much faster recovery. That's for sure.

I will continue to blog on this topic and let you all know my results. A coach seems to think that my training plan is counterintelligence to my goals (loose 10lbs, 120+ power clean, sub 2:10 half marathon) I'm holding steady at 157lbs, so no weight loss this week, but I've noticed a lot of body changes (slimmer thighs --pants not so tight, looser waist in my pants) I'm thinking not enough rest is likely holding me back, but we head out to Chicago for a week on Thursday so we'll see what a week of relaxing and sleeping in will do for us!

This mornings WOD:
Regional affiliate WOD
21-15-9
Deadlifts (185 was RX, scaled to 155)
box jumps (24")
Time: 10:30

Was pretty proud of the box jumps this morning, not so much on the DL's. More weaknesses to work.

Macho Man

2011-05-21T02:37:00.000+02:00

Friday WOD
"Macho Man"
15 OHS
15 lateral burpee
12 OHS
12 lateral burpee
9 OHS
9 lateral burpee
9 Thruster
9 C-2-B Pullup
12 Thruster
12 C-2-b Pullup
15 Thruster
15 C-2-b Pullup
115lb Men, 75lb Women

I really wanted to hit this WOD RX'd this morning. I knew it would be ambitious. The first few OHS's went up ok, but I couldn't even recall the last time I did OHS. I soon realized I wasn't going to be doing 36 reps at 75#. But that's ok, because I was able to do the entire WOD @ 65#!!!!

I completed the WOD in 18:40 and was the first one to finish! Granted there was only 5 of us this morning all working at different levels, but damn that felt good!! The burpees weren't fast, but I never stopped moving...I did all 3 sets of OHS unbroken. I got through all 9 thrusters and hit 5 pullups on the first round, split the 12 thrusters into 6 and 6, and the last round 8 and 7. It was awful, but it felt great to push through it. And, the pullups didn't even feel that bad.

Thursday WOD
5 mile training run.
8:30 average

Wednesday WOD
SKILL/SPEED-STRENGTH: 2 Snatches every MINUTE on the minute for 15 min.
Load should be heavy (80-85%) and technically sound (no ugly press-outs).
CONDITIONING: “Grace” 30 Clean and Jerks for time (95w, 135m)

Snatches: Started at 65, moved up to 70 for a few more rounds, hit 75, failed at 80 at round 13.
Form was solid, no shoulder pain. It felt great. Can't wait to do a 1x max!!

Grace: I've actually never done grace before. After that serious snatch WOD I didn't get to try it at 85 like I wanted to so I stayed at 75# and finished in 4:01. I just kept moving and moving and tried not to think about how tired I was. I can't wait to try this for a first friday!

HSPU

2011-05-18T03:50:00.000+02:00

After a huge PR Monday you never know what you're going to get when you show back up on Tuesday at 0515. Today was another good day!

WOD
EMOM for 10 minutes, do 2-3 HSPU at a level that are challenging to you.

Well, we last left off HSPU with JT about 2 months ago. The shoulder that was bothering me hasn't bothered me at all in about 2 weeks and that feels awesome. I started back with my "challenge" at 1 45lb plate and an ABMAT. I got through all 10 rounds and completed 3 reps each set. Towards the end I should have made it harder, but I was really scared for my shoulder. Now I know I CAN do it and can go lower than I think I can.

The conditioning WOD was:
20 pullups (C2B if you have them)
30 burpees
400 m run
30 hand release push ups
20 pullups
Time: 12:30

The metcons are getting a ton easier so as much as I hated our last serious metcon series it was worthwhile and paid off.

On the paleo diet front, I had a HUGE cheat day. I totally fell off the wagon emotionally and ate a doughnut this morning because its what I though I needed. It wasn't, but for some sick reason it helped. I went out to lunch and snagged a piece of pita bread from Chip's meal--he of course has the willpower to resist it. I was a disaster in the kitchen and had a total failure trying to make my own mayonnaise--twice. Sigh. What a disaster. Tomorrow is a new day and its time to hit the sack and just go DO BETTER TOMORROW.

Back Squat X3

2011-05-16T14:37:00.000+02:00

New PR this morning. God did that feel awesome!
Back Squat x3
85, 105, 135, 155, 165, 170 (PR)

Fun times lifting with Shanyn and Bry this morning. Everybody put out a stellar effort. I think the paleo magic must be kicking in. I slacked a little bit this weekend with some nuts, dried cranberries, and one small serving of plain froyo.

Today's breakfast consisted of chix salad with a little mayo, mustard, red onion, and a few dried cranberries (next week I can add some grapes back in there) and a banana. If I eat the nanners, I don't feel so miserable around 10-11am and can make it all the way until lunch w/o getting cranky.

I've seen the scale move all over the place in this first week. Last Saturday after the challenge WODs I weighed in at a heafty 164. By Monday am, I was at 160#. By Saturday morning, 157#. Post 8mile run, 154# (had to weigh in to see how much h20 i lost), Monday am, back up to 157#. So, that's 10# of swinging in one week. If you take the Monday to Monday readings, I've lost 3#'s this week. I'd love to see another solid 2# this week.

On the running/training front--the 8 miles on Saturday went really well and I held a solid 9:20 pace for the first six miles and the hills on the way back slowed me down to an average 9:35 pace for the whole run. Will put in 5 mid-week and 10 next weekend, about the same the following, then taper...at this point an olympic distance triathlon is looking so much easier. I've also signed up for the Army 10 miler this fall. My brother Andy and his wife Sarah will be joining me along with Nikki and our buddy Nate! Will be an awesome crew for sure. Hoping to hit a nice 5K in October too with Christine, Chip and Tamara--all coming off of injuries this year. Toying with the idea of doing the olympic distance triathlon at Luray in August...hmmm.

Oh and last Friday we did a barbell complex WOD called the Eliminator.
Looked like this:
55, 70, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125...
5DL, 3 Hang Clean, 1 Jerk
Nailed the round at 95#, and got one clean at 105...
It was a super fun WOD, just wish I could have hit that 105...That would have been a huge Jerk for me in that round since i've laid off the overhead work for almost 3 months now. Luckily that shoulder is feeling better and this WOD went off pain free! :)

Monday Run and Tuesday Squats

2011-05-11T02:39:00.000+02:00

Monday was Day 2 of Paleo challenge. I had done a late bikram yoga class on Sunday afternoon that left me totally wipes. I slept in to start the week of right and skipped crossfit. I needed to get in a long run after work and i knew the diet would weigh on that run. I got home from work, had a quick snack and hit the trail. I wasn't sure I was going to make six miles since i was feeling so sluggish and my stomach was growling, not to mention I was a bit dehydrated.

I felt like crap and my legs were hating me, but I finished the 6 miles in 57 min. A decent training pace even though it felt more like a race pace. 8 miles or so is on deck for this coming weekend.

This morning I hit CFOT's morning WOD for "Quadzilla".

5 burpees on the minute for as long as it takes to complete
50 front squats (95# was RX, I used 85#)
Time: 8:53

This was killer. Worked a ton of mobility afterwords.

Friday and Saturday

2011-05-08T15:10:00.000+02:00

Friday was CFOT's "First Friday", as in the first Friday of the month. You get to pick your hero/girl WOD and get after it. Nikki and I chose to do "Elizabeth". 21-15-9 Squat Cleans, Ring Dips.

Obviously I had to scale as the RX weight was 135# for men, about 105# for women. I started with 75#, but had to drop to 65# after 10 reps. I was going to injure my back if I had kept that up. Ring dips were done on the skinny orange floss. Going to try this again in a few months and see where I'm at.

I made it to the gym on Thursday for an evil WOD called Fight Gone Really Bad. I won't go there.

More exciting was Saturday. Chip and I have joined Potomac/Patriot Crossfit Spring Paleo Challenge. Oh baby. Money on the line, photos taken for before and afters, benchmark WODs.
For this particular challenge, we are no sugar, no fruit and nuts for 2 weeks, and starchy veggies only if you do not need to loose weight. What does that mean for me? Meat and veggies only. Water, coffee, and tea. I might get really cranky of the next few weeks. I've put on a few pounds and fallen off the wagon that was cruising so well back in Jan/Feb. I now have the "pooch" again and I don't like it.

I was quite proud of my efforts on the benchmark WODs of the day though. The first was 1min pullups, 1 min pushups, 1 min situps, 1 min squats. On the pullup bars I got 8 in a row. 8!!! That is PR improvement of 3 (i think). My goal is 10 in a row in the retest in 5 weeks. I also pulled a 115# clean which wasn't bad considering all the cleans I did yesterday. Goal is 125# in the retest. There was also a 6 minute AMRAP which I smoked. It felt amazing.

I hope to keep up the blogging to share my experience over the next 5 weeks.

Dinner last night:
Huge turkey burger (green onions, mustard, and S&P for seasoning)
roasted asparagus

Breakfast:
2 eggs over easy
1.5 whole foods breakfast sausage links (AMAZING)
about 15 blueberries (I refuse to throw away good berries--once they are gone, they are gone)
coffee

Back to Blogging

2011-05-04T03:37:00.000+02:00

Saturday

6.2 mile run. 1 hour. Training run for a half marathon in 5 weeks....i know, I should have started sooner, right?

Monday

WoD 1:

Back Squat 5 Rep Max

Use 5 Sets to establish your 5RM

145#. Not a pr kind of day, about 10lbs off, but that's ok. Hit this weight 2x, then dropped to 125# for a set of 10.

WoD 2:

50 Burpees for time

3:58. Actually felt pretty good! Could I go faster? Always, but there was very little slacking here today.

Tuesday

Jack

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Push press 85/115(65#)
10 KB Swings 35/53
10 Box jumps 24″ (23")
8 rounds+16 reps

As I've written, I have injured my shoulder a while ago, but we are on the mend! This was the second WOD I've done lately going overhead with moderate weight. This time though, 80 reps of PP w/o pain is serious improvement. Huge. KB swings and box jumps felt awesome. I was pretty impressed that I was able to keep my cycle rate pretty consistent for the whole 20 minutes. I had a few stumbles on the box jumps, but collected myself and got back up there. They are certainly coming along!

More fun tomorrow!

Strict Press

2011-04-20T02:31:00.000+02:00

It has been a LONG time since I've hit a strict press WOD. I went into today feeling pretty worried about how my shoulder would hold up. I was worried about pain, but mostly the pain to my ego if I could barely lifts anything.

That wasn't the case. I hit a huge PR!
The ramp up looked like this:
55, 65, 75, 80, 85 (90 failed)

From December this was a 7lb PR...I hit 80 sometime when I was in Germany, but can't find record of it. Soooo....woot! PR!

WOD 2:
12minute AMRAP
5 push press (65#)
25 airsquats
Total: 8 rounds 27 reps just 2 squats shy of a full 9 rounds. Intensity felt good and so did the shoulder!

The Harold

2011-04-19T02:42:00.000+02:00

Ok, I am a bit behind on blogging. Mother in law was in town last week and just didn't have a lot of extra time to blog. We'll start fresh again. I've decided its time to really start to HTFU (harden the fuck up) and get strong. I had great results with the paleo, died off dealing with the shoulder injury, and now its time to get focused. I've got a half marathon in 6 weeks and I really want to do 2 triathlons this year.

Today's WOD:
7 rounds for time:
7 deadlifts (155w/225m)
9 C2B pullups
200m sprint
Time: 25:15

I HTFU'd and did the 155# deadlifts and did pretty well. Kept a solid pace of 4 touch and go, then three. Pullups were my disdain, but I was focused on getting 2 solid kips in a row each round. I was just happy to do that volume with nothing hurting in my shoulder! yea!

Tomorrow is strict press--we'll see how the shoulder does. I also have to go back and record last week. The highlight was a 5x back squat at 150 that seemed easy! :)d

2011-04-08T02:57:00.000+02:00

Thursday
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2.1 reps with a 200 meter run between each
Burpees, KB Swing (Heavy), Box Jumps (High)
45# Swings, 23"box for me...24:40

Finally made it back to the box! I thought I'd get through this much faster than I did, but worked up a nice good sweat.

Exploring the Trails

2011-04-07T03:43:00.000+02:00

Today was a beautiful day outside and I had to take advantage of it. I accidentally slept right through my alarm this am and missed crossfit. I was pissed, so I had to end the day with a long run.

I am running the Virginia Wine Half Marathon on June 4th and have been slacking on my training. Time to get to business. I decided that I would just go run for an hour at whatever pace the body allowed. I kept a 10 minute mile pace, for the full hour, and I'm pretty happy with that for a 1st training run of the season. Room for improvement, but I didn't die and I only stopped for traffic and to stretch a few times to work out the kinks. I covered a full 6 ish miles--just have to do that twice and I'll be in good shape.

I enjoyed hitting the trails by my house and it was the first time out there--the trails are nice and crowded with bikers, but I've got clear space to run for miles and miles which is pretty cool. The bikers just make me want to get back on my bike though---its much much less painful than running.

Back to CFOT tomorrow morning!

Back at it

2011-04-06T03:44:00.000+02:00

Monday

Wod1). Tabata Row, track calories and record lowest interval over all 8.
Rest 2 minutes then…

3min AMRAP Overhead Squat (95w, 135m). Record total reps in OHS. (Sub Front Squats)
Final score of wod1.) is lowest interval rowed (in calories) times (x) total reps in the Overhead Squat.

Rest 3-5 Minutes

Wod2.) 21, 15, 9 Wallball and Pullups. If you struggle with hitting the target in WB or if there simply isn’t enough Medicine balls sub DB thrusters (15lbW, 20lbM)

This was a nutty WOD. The rower wasn't cooperating with the tabata timing and threw me from the beginning. Lowest was 4 calories, highest was 6. I had to sub the OHS for FS and did 85#...i just wasn't feeling all that strong on the cleans. The body just wasn't moving smoothly. But it did manage 30 squats in those 3 short minutes. WOD 2 was a total wash. I got through round 1 and on the last few pullups i had shooting nerve pain again down the back of my triceps. I don't know what's causing it, but I'm officially on pullup rehab...back to ring rows, strict, and band pullups because my poor ass kipping form is killing me...and is bound to hurt me in the long run.

Today I awoke to a major thunderstorm and what sounded like hail and no power. I rolled right over until the sun came up.

Time to hit it HARD tomorrow.

Rest Week

2011-04-04T01:25:00.000+02:00

Rest week is over. I took a whole week off to rest the shoulder and the body. I was mentally and physically exhausted. I had grand plans to get a few long runs in and a few bikram yoga sessions, but I only succeeded in the latter. The two yoga sessions I hit felt amazing and were really rejuvenating.

This week I will make a more concerted effort to hit the trail after work for a run--I have to! That half marathon is not going to run itself! :)

I did a few sets of pushups tonight and the shoulder felt great. I'm going to start back light, but as long as I can do pushups, burpees, and some light presses we should be back in business!

MOD WOD's

2011-03-25T01:32:00.000+01:00

So the shoulder is still nagging me and its starting to get annoying. Regardless I've still been hitting the box.

TUESDAY: 20 minute AMRAP
5 HSPU, 10 Pullups, 15 Box Jump

When I saw this I just laughed. What else could I do? I was totally going to have to sub. My WOD looked like this.

10 Ring rows, 10 GHD, 15 box jump. I got somewhere around 6 rounds, which just felt pretty darn slow. Box jumps are coming along and feeling stronger, ring rows still aggravated the shoulder a bit. I was worried about how much the GHDs were going to kill me, but I was hardly sore at all! :) That's HUGE progress since a mere 20-30 usually hurts for days!

Wednesday:
WOD 1: EMOM for TEN minutes: 1 Clean and Jerk. Load should be heavy, form should be perfect.

I of course was not even going to try for the jerk so I did 2 cleans EMOM. Used 95# to play it safe. If I was healthy, I think I could have done 100 or 105.

WOD2.) 12 minute amrap 5 Cleans X Dips (7W, 9M).

Needless to say WOD 2 was a DNS...did not start...I tried to work some double unders, got super frustrasted. Thursday is a rest day...we'll see what Friday brings.

Taking a break from CF next week. I need to get my neck adjusted and let this shoulder heal! Going to spend some time running and maybe hit a new bikram studio

Back Squats with Chains

2011-03-22T02:30:00.000+01:00

I've been a horrible blogger....I think its because I've been subbing so many of the WODs because of my shoulder I've just gotten lazy. Time to get the habits back on track. Even if no one reads this, I need this for me to stay on track and on target. I was reading some old posts from November about my near term goals. I accomplished many, but did not exactly hit my weight goal. I definitely dropped inches with the strict paleo and felt great. I've slide back into some old habits and boy am I feeling it. The belly is bloated and angry. I'm tired all of the time. Paleo is hard, but I've decided the sacrafice is worth it. I want to continue to be as strict as possible because once you plunge down the road of bad food, bad habits start to follow. I need to make a long committed effort to create a lifestyle of new habits. Ok, enough on that. New goals to be posted soon.

This mornings WOD
5X Back Squats with Chains
Top load was 125#--plus add 30 to 40lbs of chains.

I continue to struggle with the squats. My right knee just wants to cave in badly and I spend all this energy fighting it. Sometimes it just feels like a wet noodle shaking--not good. Working the glute development to correct that.

Second WOD was:
5RFT
20 burpees
200m run
Time: 12ish. I totally lost track of my time, counting the damn burpees. Heck I could have done six rounds and hardly noticed. Anyways, always room for improvement on the metcons.b

Clean and Jerk

2011-03-15T00:54:00.000+01:00

Wow, its been two weeks since I last blogged. Holy cow! Lots going on. I had a pretty good two weeks, but some struggles as well. I injured myself doing heavy push jerks and am still dealing with the after effects. A few things of note:

-Completed a J.T with HSPU's. Modified of course, but did it. Used 45# plate and abmat. (I have long arms so I am actually moving more than an inch or so. I swear) 21ish minutes
-Hit a 2X Max Back Squat @ 170#. That was a 15# PR

Today:

WOD #1:
1 Clean and Jerk on the minute for 10 minutes.
95#

WOD #2:
Grace @85#: DNF. I started and got 8 reps before I hurt my shoulder again. I quit...just not worth it. Did a quick 30 GHD situps and 1mile run.

Tomorrow is going to be rough too--pullups and pushups. I might go lower volume on the pullups and just go strict....we'll see how we feel.

Thank goodness for daylight savings. Cannot wait to get out in the new neighborhood for a run after work!

Deadlift

2011-02-26T22:17:00.002+01:00

Took Wednesday and Thursday off. Tweaked back, laziness, sleepiness. Lack of solid nutrition had me down.

Friday WOD
1RM Deadlift

Was gunning for 245/250, but alas, pulled 230. 10lbs shy of my max effort. Was hoping for big numbers but the week got the best of me.

Saturday:
Hit up Crossfit Potomac with Chip this afternoon for their free class. Its always fun to see how other guys operate. Plus, my bosses husband was going to come check it out so its always good to know someone on your first day. We did a nice beginner metcon:

wallballs, boxjumps, KBswing. 1 minute of each exercise, 1 minute rest. Repeat 3x. Was exhausting. My metcons are awful...plus my stomach has been screwed up for about 2 days now. Not cool.

Back on track with the nutrition and sleep next week.

Big Back Squat Morning

2011-02-23T02:04:00.000+01:00

WOD 1:
Back Squats x 5
Top Load: 150

So all those breathing squats of late have paid off! We last did back squats a few weeks ago and today I crushed those numbers. I hit 150# for all 5 reps! Up until 2 weeks ago my 1RM was 150#. The good news is that I felt like I could do more.

WOD 2:
9,8,7,6.....1 Pullups
27, 24, 21, 18...jumping lunges
This was a 3:1 work ratio and the point was to get in some conditioning. The WOD was a countdown of 10....1, but I started at 9 since my arms/hands were fried from yesterday.

Loving all the awesome gains of the last few weeks---rockin' on with the paleo diet. It's totally worth it.

Max Clean and Jerk

2011-02-21T22:49:00.000+01:00

WOD 1:
Establish 1RM C&J
Max effort: 110#, failed at 115#

WOD 2:
12,9,7 strict pullups
12,9,7 ring dips
9,7,5 hang clean (75#)
9,7,5 push jerk (75#)
Time:21:30

This workout took forever! The strict pullups are totally holding me back, but I make sure I do each freakin' rep. Flew through the ring dips with the purple band. I started the C&J with 85#, but after attempting a few jerks it just wasn't happening and I had to drop to 75#. The rest of the c&j went really well and I finally got the rhythm for the cleans. Also, Jerry worked with me a bit on my form--the jerks in the first wod were a bit wobbly--when I split jerk I need to get my front food to the 1 o'clock position instead of straight out. Also, I realized I need a little bit wider grip on my cleans to get the elbow whip around. Ready to hit the max C&J again soon!

Cindy with Lifts

2011-02-18T03:38:00.000+01:00

Wednesday was an epic body weight met-con morning. We really haven't had too many of these of late. Here's what it looked like:

5 RFT
3 heavy deadlifts (155#)
3 rounds of Cindy (5 pullup, 10 pushup, and 15 squats)
Time: 28:30

Who cares about the time, seriously...i pray i never have to do this WOD again. The deadlifts were a complete afterthought in this workout and pretty much the easiest part. After the first round of Cindy I thought I was supposed to go do more deadlifts, totally not realizing it was THREE rounds of Cindy...boy was that a game changer.

I got to work on the first set of 3 Cindy rounds. Pullups went off fine, pushups felt ok, and squats were a little rough the first round from tabata squats the day before. Then on to round number 2. DL's were easy, pullups were fine, pushups started to get hard...I pushed through. Round 3--not even halfway done...by the 3rd set of cindy, the pushups were impossible and I'd broken the pullups into sets of 3/2. Round 4 was a complete gut check. The pullups were holding me back and I had to finish in 30 minutes. I dropped to my knees on that middle round. Round 5 was just sheer HTFU mentality. Get the work done....and I did. I was smoked afterwards and am quite sore today. Then I ended up with a head cold/sinus thing so I'll be taking a few more rest days. But not total rest...lots of painting and housework the next few days!

Monday and Tuesday

2011-02-16T02:54:00.000+01:00

Monday

WOD 1: 15 AMRAP Ladder up of 1, 3, 5 HSPU and strict pullups

I know, crazy looking right? Totally. I didn't want to go, but I got out of bed and did it anyways. My HSPU's were with a 45# plate and an abmat. I'm getting a few inches of depth on these and until the second set of 5 reps was feeling pretty good. I ended up at 3 1/2 rounds.

After Party: Shoot throughs on the rings, basically a ring pushup, pick up legs and bring them under you and do a dip. It's a crazy move and everyone fell on the first try! I did get 3 solid ones in there. Then I did played a little bit on the rings. It was fun!

Tuesday
WOD1:
Front squat x 2
Top Load: 135# PR by 5lbs! Then 140# X1

WOD2:
Tabata front squats @ 50% of 2X max
45 reps @ 75#

More Squat Cleans

2011-02-14T00:32:00.000+01:00

More squat cleans--Whew! Nice to finally work these for awhile.

WOD:
In 12minutes:
1RM Hang Squat Clean and Push Jerk
Top Load: 100#

This felt awesome and super strong! I honestly think I could have gone for 110. I had a little trouble getting full extension on the push jerks, but that's a pretty heavy push jerk. Cannot wait to go big on the next round of power cleans and split jerks. We should see some big numbers. Looking forward to that.

Met/strength con was
12 minutes, every minute on the minute:
3 squat cleans
double unders-as many as possible

Let's just say that the DU's need a TON of work, I went for 75# on the squat cleans and probably could have gone heavier....

So the 30 days of paleo are over. I am definitely going to continue only add a few things like greek yogurt (to give a little variety to breakfast) and wine. :)

High Stakes Snatch

2011-02-10T01:39:00.000+01:00

WOD:

30 Snatch for Time---with a a catch! You had to "Anti-in" with XX pullups, then do your snatch. Then every minute on the minute do XX pullups, until you finish your 30 snatches. You got to pick your level on how many pullups and how heavy your snatch.

I went 3 pullups, 65# snatch. I finished in 5:45. The snatch felt great! I hadn't worked this since I had been back (maybe once??) Either way, the form was great, it felt like riding a bike!

Another great day in the gym and one day closer to easier clean living.

More Breathing Squats

2011-02-09T02:39:00.000+01:00

HUGE morning in the gym today. Warmed up to a 2X Max back squat, yes, read warmup. Hit a new max of 155# for 2 and 160# for 1. I so have a huge 1RM PR in my legs. Last PR was 150# for 1x so big gains here.

Second part was more breathing squats. 20 resps of 75% of your max. Last time I worked at 115# and made the jump to 125#. Holy focus and concentration here. That load was heavy, but I did it and was so proud. it felt great.

Felt totally weird and wired all morning. It was so strange. Wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline or the protein shake i ate for breakfast. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Strict Monday

2011-02-08T03:21:00.000+01:00

WOD 1:
Strict Press x1
Top load: 77#

Attempted 80# twice and failed! I had 80# back in Germany, but I guess some time off from this definitely hurt the overall strength. 2011 goal is 85#.

WOD: 2
16min AMRAP
8 pushup (ring if possible)
8 push press (65#)
8 24" box jump

Survived a solid 6 rounds. Pushups were pretty tough, i just did regular ones to work on form since I'm pretty weak. Box jumps went surprisingly well. :)

Paleo update: Was not very strict last week at all. Fell off the wagon, but I still think it was small. I major cheat meal per week and a few slips here and there. I missed the sugar the most last week, that's for sure. Had a burger and fries on Saturday night and a few beers. Paid for it dearly the next day. Discovered that taking magnesium helps the stomach issues. We will have to see how the week goes.

Overall update: Have had some issues getting to the box more than 3 days a week, which is pretty terrible for me. We've had some rough weather, prohibiting me from getting out of the driveway and lots of housework/repairs. I swear we're never going to get this place to a respectable living state. Its exhausting!

More breathing squats tomorrow!

Squat Clean/Quadzilla!

2011-02-02T03:10:00.000+01:00

Squat cleans. These come up only every so often. The don't seem to be in the regular rotation of lifts so I had no clue what today would look like.

WOD 1:
10 min AMRAP
Ladder 1,2,3,4,5 Hang Squat Cleans (75#)

The "infantry" level was 75#...I had to go for it b/c I wanted to be higher than a bulldog! It was HEAVY though. I got through 2 full ladders. I had 2 attempts on each round 5. I kept dropping on rep 2-3 and if you did you had to start if over! I got through 2 on the 3rd round.

I looked up my squat clean PR--90#. I managed a solid 80% of my 1RM for 35 reps. That is awesome. I would have to guess my power clean PR is more than 100# by now.

WOD 2:
100 DU's
500m row

I did 50 DU's in 4 minutes then hit the rower for a 1:59 row.

Best Morning in a long time

2011-02-01T02:11:00.000+01:00

WOD 1:
OHS x 1 (18 min)

I hit 100# the last time we hit this WOD a little over a month ago. I wanted anything over 100#, however that's pretty tough when your max jerk is also 100#. This morning though I hit a SOLID 105#. The squat part was easy, its the jerk that gets me. I felt great!

WOD 2:
12 minute AMRAP
HSPU, toes to bar ladder. 1,1,2,2,3,3, etc.

Quandry here...no HSPU to date. NOT ANYMORE! Coach said we could just work the HSPU for the time if we wanted. Heck, why not go for practice right? I hit two solid 30 sec holds and decided to go get an abmat and a 45# plate. I had to start somewhere. I kicked up for another handstand and just held it there and just let the elbows go. Down I wentand then right back up! It was THE COOLEST feeling ever. Then I did another, and another. Then I went and did 5 toes to bar, then came back and hit 2 in a row, then 3, then 4 and worked sets of 5 T2B after each HSPU set. Got in several 4 HSPU and 5 T2B rounds. I can't wait to do more! I think if I can get to the 25# plate and ABMAT very soon!

I will say that the "fixing Kalipa's HSPU" video on the mainsite the other day was really helpful.

WOD 3:
3 rounds of L-sits off of dumbells

I wasn't sure how this would go, but luckily Jason made me do this fairly often back in good 'ole Schweinfurt. I got 3 rounds of about 10 seconds. It felt awesome to do that (even if just for a few seconds) because only 3-4 of us girls could even do it! Learned that I must do more hip mobility since its not core strength issues, but pinching in my hips that keeps me from doing more work!

Found this awesome video on a link from Angie's blog today!

2011-01-31T02:53:00.000+01:00

Tuesday
“Anti-in, Double-up”
wod1.) Every minute on the minute for 8 minutes perform 3 picture perfect postural alignment Deadlifts (touch and go preferred). In the remaining minute record as many double-unders as you can.

Used 155# and did a "few" double unders afterwards. I think my total for the 8 rounds was 50 or so.

wod2.) Run: 3 x ( 200m + 400m)
Rest the exact time it takes you to do each interval in each set. Example: 200m run in 40 sec. rest 40 sec then 400m run, rest 400m time, back to run 200m, rest 200m run time…

I was right on the money at 40sec for the 200m and 2min for the 400. This was a great little afterparty wod. your legs were fried from the DL and DUs!

Wednesday ended up being a rest day due to my stupid stomach that is not liking the paleo so much. Let's just say its slow to digest so I had to take some medicine to make things happen. I ended up quite ill that morning. Ugh. Then we had massive snow that afternoon and into the evening so classes were canceled on Thursday morning. Friday looked like this:

Breathing Back Squats

wod1.) 20 rep breathing squat. 2-3 warm up sets at 5 reps then 1 working set at 20!
Suggested load is 75% of 1RM

I should have gone to the full 75% of the 1RM which would have been 125#, but I scaled down to 115#. I wasn't feeling it on the warmups and didn't want to kill my back. 20 reps is crazy. This was a super cool WOD that is apparently a throwback to '70s powerlifting days. You start out and get your 5-8 reps out of the way. You take a few breaths and get to rep 10...then the work begins. I cranked out a few more then, you have to start your "breathing". Big deep breath, do a rep, gasp for breath, take another big breath, do a rep, then gasp for breath. It's crazy and a huge challenge.

WOD 2.) 12 Minute AMRAP
100 double-under cash-in then…
12 Wallball and XX chest to deck ring pushups
HTFU=12, Infidel=9, Bulldog=6

I think I did 4 rounds of this or so. The wallballs are super easy these days and I'm hitting somewhere above the women's X and the men's line. Shooting for hitting the higher target these days. Ring pushups are insane...I went for the 6 reps and just decided I need to seriously start working the pushups.

Totally had a cheat weekend on the diet. Both husband and I were ornery, hungry, and at each others throats. We were out with friends on Friday night, invited to lunch with family on Saturday (who totally do not understand the no carb deal) then Sunday we just cracked. We feel like absolute crap---stomachs are bloated, etc, but damn it we're happy. I hate that when life gets you down turning to food helps to soothe the pain a bit. I am realizing it doesn't solve anything, usually creates more issues, but well, feeling better temporarily certainly helps. I haven't seen huge movement on the scale as I thought I would. I was down a solid 5lbs one day, then the next it was right back up there. Pants are fitting much much better and last week wore some pants that hadn't fit in over a year. Why won't the damn scale move though?

Hoping to make this a 4-5 WOD week with some strict eating again.

Monday Fran

2011-01-25T01:19:00.000+01:00

really? on a monday at 0515? Silliness, I tell you.

I was a little nervous about Fran--I hit it last at the Milan Cert in May and had a great time of 8:20ish. Great in my book. Today as I warmed up 65# thrusters were heavy and I was STILL sore from last week. The overhead part of the thruster was going to keep me down. My goal was a sub 10. I knew that at PR was not in the books today. Nowhere close. Finished in a solid 9 minutes. I could totally smash 8min on a good day with some more practice on the pullups. Mine are more and more pathetic every day.

We will plan to meet Fran again on a first Friday in 3-4 months and see where we are at. Had Fran lung all day...hoping for a 1RM day tomorrow.

Friday

2011-01-24T02:21:00.000+01:00

After a crappy Thursday workout I came ready to hit it hard on Friday.

"Hammerfist"
AMRAP 20 Minutes:
3 Clean and Jerk, 6 Burpees, 9 Wallball

The C&J's were supposed to be heavy. about 80% of your 1RM. That would have been about 80 for me. Given I was still sore from strict press on Wednesday I started with 75#. I got 5 rounds in before I had to dial back to 65#. Granted I was cruising and lowered the weight at about minute 10. When you say that burpees were the easiest part of the WOD, you know you're in trouble. Wall balls were a cinch too.

Diet is still going pretty well. Friday night was a total cheat night--1 beer and french fries out at the bar. Then Sunday I went out for breakfast and had an omelet, which made me incredibly nauseous a few hours later, plus a headache. I splurged with some plain crackers because when you want to vomit and can't nothing helps more than a few plain crackers. Then I had another beer during the Bears/Packers game...couldn't help myself. It was the game of the year!

Fran on Monday...sigh...nervous already.

Wednesday Thursday WODs

2011-01-21T01:14:00.000+01:00

Finally made it to the gym this week!

Wednesday WOD
5 RFT
12 strict press
12 pushups (paralette or otherwise below parallel)
Time: 27ish minutes

Yes, a long WOD. It really doesn't look that bad on paper until you realize what the RX'd weights were! RX was 65# for women. 60 reps at 65lbs...is ridiculous. I went with 55lbs and frankly, it was a bit ambitious, but I did finish all reps at that weight. At times it was 1-2 reps at a time. By round 4 I was fighting all out failure of each rep. I heard Coach remind someone to take a deep breath. I did that and it helped immensely and made each rep much easier. The pushup portion was to just get below parallel--i ended up using wood planks and did a few rounds of 6 reps regular, 6 on my knees. i think i made it to round 4 on that and realized i overall need to work the pushups.

Thursday WOD
3RFT
400m run
15 pullups
15 box jumps
15 kb swings
Time: a slow 21minutes

I chose the "bulldog" route this morning of just 3 rounds. The pullups take the longest time, but I hammer them out 1-2 at a time. The arms were SMOKED from yesterday. Box jumps were painful from when I hit myself with the sledge hammer a few weeks ago, but I go through them. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Paleo is going well, but feel the need for a good darn cheat damn it. Little cheats like salad dressing I'm allowing, but only because I'd otherwise go insane.

The hardest day...#4

2011-01-19T03:08:00.000+01:00

An inch of ice on my car this morning kept me from getting to the box on time...I should have just gone upstairs and packed my bags for work and gone to the later class. I crawled back into bed instead. Good thing I did because my cat got sick shortly afterwards and I ended up taking him to the vet. Again.

Well, despite my lack of working out, my eating is on track. Day 3 looked like this:

B: hard boiled egg, 2 slices ham, pear, coffee
S: half of a lara bar
L: 3 thick slices of turkey, apple, 1 cup blackberries, blueberries.
S: a few almonds, chunk of jerky
S: half lara bar
D: Pork roast with cauliflower and zuchinni. We tried a recipe from robb Wolfs book and it was ok--not great. The pork was yummy, I just would have used a different sauce and veggies.

Super hungry today and I realize I probably need to just eat more veggies and I need more low sugar carbs. The problem is I just want to feel full. I am worried to think about what I'll fell like after a really hard WOD that will just set my metabolism running for the day. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Day 3

2011-01-18T02:34:00.000+01:00

B: 2 hardboiled eggs, chopped for salad. add salt and pepper and touch of dijon mustard. 1 tsp mayo.
Rasperries. Coffee
L: small burger topped w/ mushrooms and onions. (leftovers) baby carrots, apple.
S: jerky, almonds, macadamia nuts, a few raisins (like 10-12) Coffee
D: Zucchini spaghetti with meat sauce. Salad.
S: frozen strawberries

I had the day off from work and had every intention of getting to the box. The cats however decided to go crazy between the hours of 4-6 and I was just exhausted. I never made it. Day 3 of paleo was hard. Extreme cravings for something that will make me feel FULL. Drank lots of water, ate nuts mid-day...
Its 830pm and I'm hungry...its hours until breakfast. I still get to have my berries yet, but that won't fill me up either.

Does anybody have suggestions to make me feel more full? I probably could have done more protein at dinner, but really. I'm just darn hungry. Thoughts?? Suggestions?? Ears (and mouth) are wide open!

Day 2 Paleo

2011-01-17T00:09:00.000+01:00

A bit hungrier today, but feeling good. No headaches. Woke up with a ton of energy today to tackle a lot more unpacking and a daunting amount of stairs! That was the workout....unpack and organize for time.

B: 2 thick slices of turkey, bacon, pear, coffee
L: leftover talapia, blueberries, blackberries, .7 oz gouda (ok, not paleo, but I can't throw away expensive cheese and I figure an ounce every few days won't kill me, right?)
S: small apple w/ sunbutter
D: burger, broccoli, sauted onions and mushrooms w/butter
S: Clementine

Probably a bit too much fruit...I'll have to dial in the veggies into my lunch and snacks.

Front Squat and KB Madness

2011-01-16T01:07:00.000+01:00

WOD 1: Front Squat x2
Top load: 130

WOD 2: Every other minute, for 10 minutes, do 30 kettlebell swings. For every missed rep, 200m spring penalty.

Yes, you read that right. It was madness. I used a 35# bell, RX was 45 for women, 70 for men. I smoked through them though and finished each round just in the knick of time. By round 4 your forearms don't even know whats going on. It was one of those WODs where you had to get mean, find your happy place, and embrace the suck.

Saturday is a rest day, but hardly. A million and one trips up and down the stairs of my new 3 level townhouse. We got all of our household goods delivered on Monday so we were unpacking boxes all day and moving furniture around. Since nothing has a place or is in the right place you have to trek up and down, up and down...after a whole day its a serious workout!

My husband is a paleo GOD today. It's day 1 of our 30 day challenge. Here's how it looked today:
B-fast: Paleo pancakes (yummy!), all natural, nitrate free bacon, sliced apples on the cakes, and coffee..black. I cut it with a sprinkle of cinnimon.
L: Chicken Fajita Salad. Chicken, onions, red peppers, on a bed of lettuce w/ tomatoes and Salsa. Had to skip the avacado because it wasn't ripe! We both crashed a few hours later and realized we forgot the fat part...ooops!
S: A few almonds, small apple, chunk o' jerky. Black Tea.
D: Baked Talapia with rosemary and pecan crust, green beans. Supposed to eat a salad too, but I can only do one a day, too much lettuce makes me want to vomit. He's having baked salmon (i don't like salmon) salad and green beans.

Watching the Packers vs. Falcons and NOT drinking beer will be tough for us both.

Just stating the facts

2011-01-14T01:00:00.000+01:00

Way behind on the blog. Lots and Lots and Lots on my mind. New year, new goals, new house (hence last week's hiatus), new diet (30 days of paleo starting Saturday), and probably a new box. The house is consuming me, but I wanted to get the stats down.

Thursday
D-Day
15 wall balls
20 sledge strikes
25 GHDs
30 DU's
350m row

Had to sub 50 situps for 25 GHDs, 120 SU's for double unders. Wallballs were actually pretty easy.
4 rounds of this was just lots of work--31:07

Wednesday
Rest Day

Tuesday

wod1.)TABATA mashup

20sec deadlifts, 10sec rest, 20sec burpees, 10sec rest x 8 rounds (8 each equals 16 intervals) 185w, 275m

Used 155# for this. Epic tabata...

wod2.) EVERY 3 Minutes run 400 meters x 5 rounds.

Had to maintain pace for all 5 rounds within 5 seconds. Ran an average of 2:00min per round. fastest was 1:58, slowest was 2:04.

Monday

wod1.) 18min: OHSx1
wod2.) 12 min ladder up (amrap): OHS and Pullups 1,1 then 2,2 then 3,3… how high can you get?
HTFU: 65w-95m, Infidel: 50w,75m, bulldog: 35w, 55m

I hit a solid 100# for the OHS and was pumped about that. Ladder up was 9 rounds even. Killer WOD.

Week one of 2011 was a rest week due to remodeling the house. Worked all day, worked all night too. Exhausting. New year's eve was a 4 mile run and I posted a pretty decent time! Despite some foot pain and achillies issues, I felt really slow, but my pace was still about 8:30. I'll have to look up the offical time. :)

Railroad

2010-12-30T12:57:00.000+01:00

5 RFT
400 m run
20 situps
20 sledge strikes
20 kb swings
Time: 26:15

Great little metcon this morning. Took a week off and boy was I paying for that! I had every intention of working out over Christmas, but failed miserably. I instead ate my little heart out and paid dearly for it.
This WOD is my favorite kind of workout and in the summer, would have blitzed through this. It was a balmy 23 degrees for the run this morning and my lungs froze. Situps and KBS were strong. Sledge is always fun, but on round three the darn thing bounced off the tire onto my shin!!! I have quite the goose egg now. It's quite painful...I don't recommend hitting yourself with a hammer.

More fun tomorrow including a NYE nightime run!

McGhee

2010-12-22T13:42:00.000+01:00

Capt. McGhee--A hero WOD as a pre-christmas gift from Jerry!
30 Min AMRAP
5 deadlifts
13 pushups
9 boxjumps
Results: 10 rounds, plus 3 DL at 155#

This is just a long slog of a WOD. DL's were solid all the way through, pushups were just shy of chest to deck until the last 2 rounds when i dropped to my knees due to a really sore wrist (forgot to stretch it!)
Not judging this one as good or bad, I just did it.

Have been suffering from being extremely tired, poor eating, dehydration, and overall lack of umph in my WODs. I know its the long hours of work and work on the house, but mostly its a poor diet. When I first got back we were on track with dinners, lunch was coming around, and then after the closing on the house, chaos broke loose. Dinner out, makeshift lunches, cookies, snacks...all bad. And now I'm feeling it. I need to get off my arse and drink more water at work. No more excuses.

January will bring many changes in the Gabriel house...a new house, two crossfitters, two employed and working adults in the same house, and maybe a little bit of routine. I cannot wait!

Hubby and I are starting a 30 day Paleo challenge on Jan. 16th. 2011 Race calendare is starting to form.
Stay tuned!

Merry Christmas to all my CF blog world friends--I seriously wouldn't have made it through this year still crossfitting without you all!

Celtic Soltice 5-Miler and Back Squat PR

2010-12-20T12:57:00.000+01:00

Friday I was back in the box and the WOD was so bad for me I can't even write about it. It was a DNF where I literally walked out, sat in the car and cried for a minute and went home. Damn pullups. I chalked it up to a week of being sick and not being ready to come back yet.

Saturday I ran an annual race, the Celtic Solstice 5-miler up in Baltimore, MD. It's a beautiful race through Druid Hills Park--hilly, around a lake, always the weekend before Chrismas, so nice and chilly. They do have the coolest race schwag and post race wood--hot wine and italian shortbread cookies! Yum. Ran a great race for having been sick--46:30. Not as fast as my turkey trot, and far from my PR of this course at around 40min...yes, I once ran an entire race posting sub 8 min miles...oh to be speedy again! It was an enjoyable run and it reminded me how much I actually LIKE running and how much I miss training for races. Post new year plans will include a weekly running group for sure. Just after we get moved into that house!

Monday morning WOD was Back squats x2. 155# for 2! Woot! We had a 20 minute time limit and I'm convinced I could have probably sank 165 if I had time. It felt great to fell strong again.

WOD 2: 30 pullups, 30 dips. Not for time, I just did 'em. Done. I did try a few unassisted dips on the rings and I've got about two in me. They are feeling strong as well!

FLU!

2010-12-17T04:26:00.002+01:00

Has had me down and out all week. Going to hit some intervals tomorrow!

Jerks, Sleep, and OHS

2010-12-13T13:24:00.000+01:00

Behind on the blogging these days! I need to keep up with at least posting the results. Life is still insane, we are without all of our household goods (furniture, kitchen stuff, the majority of my clothes/shoes/jackets, etc...pluse we bought a house at the end of November and the work required is all time consuming. Luckily all the work on the house burns lots of calories. Its 3 levels to tons of stairs, work on ladders, and on and on. We get so busy we forget to eat sometimes too, which is bad, because then we eat crap, but it's keeping the pounds off! Not able to CF and run as much as I'd like, but we're getting the WODs in for sure.

Last week we hit Jerks on Wednesday.

Max Jerkx1
I hit 105, and was a little disappointed. I had hit a push press of 105 a few weeks prior so the Jerk should have been more. I'm chalking it up to lack of sleep and poor eating. That will dog you in any WOD.

I took Thursday as a rest day and my iphone alarm failed me on Friday morning. The damn phone didn't charge despite being plugged into the charger. Blurg! The weekend was packed with housework. Hours and hours of it.

Monday, December 13th
OHSx1
Top load: 100#

I was pretty happy with the 100#. I failed at an attempt at 105#. I lost it on the jerk up and just couldn't stabilitze. I nailed 100 today and it was easy so next time, watch out. OHS is one of my favorite lifts. I don't know why--especially when so many people struggle with it. I matched my previous PR on this so I'm pretty stoked. Jerry's six week strength series is just what I needed to get my arse strong again!

Second WOD was:
12 min AMRAP
7 OHS
7 ring dips
7 burpees

I completed 5 rounds using 55# on the bar. I think i could have done more, but it was nice to be able to snatch the bar and just go for it and hit all 7 reps in a row. The rings felt unusally strong with the skinny red band. I guess its a sign of progress. OH, and I don't hate burpees anymore. They are officially off of my hate list. :)

I'm fighting the sniffles so we'll see how this week works out. I may just rest so I don't end up with the ebola virus that everyone else I know and work with has had lately!

Smokin' PR's

2010-12-07T13:11:00.000+01:00

WOD 1: 20 min to establish Front Squat x1
Max Effort--145# PR!

WOD 2: 12 min AMRAP of 10 pullups, 30 air squats, 10 box jumps.
3 rounds and 8 pullups. I continue to suck at pullups and REALLY need to work on linking the kips in 2011.

Felt super strong this morning, even on the pullups at times too. And we're fitting into one more pair of pants that I could not even button 4 weeks ago. yipee for more work outfits!

First Friday December and SNATCH

2010-12-07T02:38:00.000+01:00

Friday
First Friday's at CFOT mean that you get to pick a Hero/Girl workout and crush it. Your choice. I hate FF's because Hero and Girls are chalk full of lots of pullups. UGH. My hands were still shredded, so lots of pullups were not a smart option. Nor was a long brutal metcon---the endurance isn't yet there.

I picked Jackie: 1000m row, 50 35# thursters, 30 pullups. Easy right? Ummm, no. The row was solid, just over 4minutes, thrusters were evil. I was still so sore from Tuesday. TUESDAY PEOPLE!! Jeeez. Then pullups...I'd given up on time at this point. I was past 10 minutes and the body was shutting down. I didn't quit, but some minutes later I finally finished. I shut off the clock mentally and just finished the pullups 2 at a time.

Monday
Wod 1: 12 min high hang squat snatch x 1
The point was to work the movement and mobility of the squat snatch. My squat was miserable for the first few attempts with the bar, and I ditched the bar for the training bar. Blurg...the training bar. I just had to dial in the form and soon enough I was up to 55#. I nailed 60# a few times and then the squat got sloppy. New PR on the squat snatch-60#!

Wod 2: 12, 9, 6, 3 Snatch and Push Press
Left the bar loaded at 55# and hit some snatches as a warmup and then a few push press. Jerry wanted to bump me up to 65#, but I declined....we'll get there. Trying not to throw out my back as I'm still working the core strength. Snatch felt strong and all the push presses were unbroken. I breezed through the WOD in 7:40.

Clean and Jerk PR and Wicked Kettlebells

2010-11-30T13:30:00.001+01:00

A must read for the day, from Blair Morrison, Fitness is...

Monday

10 Min-3 cleans, 1 jerk from the high hang
10 min-2 cleans, 1 jerk from just above the knees
10 min-1RM power C&J

Loved the ramp up here to REALLY work on the form. Top load was 105#, my first Clean and Jerk PR, and a PR (i think) for both lifts individually!

The best part was lifting with my BF Nikki. We were neck and neck the whole WOD. Mostly silent, letting each other just do her thing, but there for each other with that "you got this", "fast elbows", "deep breath". We were so in sync it was great. Then we both nailed the 105, each of us doubting ourselves, but believing the other had it. Nothing more rewarding that a morning in the gym with a friend, hitting a ton of badass C&J.

Tuesday

So the strength WOD was 5xback squats with chains. I realized that 3 weeks back in the box at the start of a six week strength series and mediocre diet are not going to get me 10lb lighter. I'm consistently weighing in at CFOT at 165lbs. I would like to be back to 155 by February. I had my month to work on just getting in the groove again, now its time to hit it hard. That means more met-cons, better food, less sugar, and supplemental cardio. Ugh. I JUST want my pant to fit...I know it will come but i hate sitting all day in tight pants!!

I did the "Alt" WOD this morning...which is most often 2x worse than the oly lifts. Today looked like this:

Evil Kettlebell WOD
At the "Infidel" level....one less than HTFU....
40 burpess, 80 kettlebell swings, 120 goblet squats, 80 KBHP, 40 jumping lunges.
Women 35/Men 53

Holy crap...doesn't look bad on paper right? Wrong. Hard as nails. The goal was not to drop the KB, but that didn't happen, yea right. I breezed right on through the burpees, KB swings weren't too bad...knocked those out in sets of 20, squats were the ultimate killer. started with sets of 10, then moved up to sets of 15. HP's were 10-15 at a time, and I split the lunges into 4 sets of 10. This was a mental killer. You just want to stop after about 50 KB swings! I finished in 28:07 and was proud of my effort even though I dropped the weight....a lot.

Turkey Trot

2010-11-30T12:53:00.000+01:00

So Thanksgiving day was the annual 5 mile turkey trot in Old Town Alexandria. Met up with some of the girls before hand, but decided to just run my own race. It was a cool crisp fall morning and had just finished raining. The start line was packed!! It was a small race, about 3000 people, dogs, kids, stollers and the like. I love this race because of how family friendly it is. It's a day about family, friends, and giving thanks and that's exactly what the race is about too.

So 5 miles...not a lot of running has been happening lately, but I managed to keep a solid race pace and not push to the point where I was dying on the last mile. Final time was 42: 50 something so given that my first mile was about 9 minutes, the last 4 were done at a solid 8:30 or less pace. Pretty solid for not a whole lot of training.

The rest of the day was spent eating, stretching, eating, and enjoying the company of family and friends!

New 1RM Push Press

2010-11-24T12:59:00.000+01:00

WOD 1: 15 min to establish 1RM PP.
Top load: 105# New PR
Will shoot for 115ish next time! The pounding on the arms this week have left my arms very very tired.

2min rest

WOD 2: 15 AMRAP of 200m sprint, 20 push ups, 20 GHD or 30 ABMATS. A very weak attempt and finished at 3 2/3 rounds. Arms are smoked. Push ups are again my nemesis.

Epic HTFU Strength-Con

2010-11-24T03:49:00.000+01:00

So the Monday WOD post on the CFOT website was as follows:

101122 Monday “The Nudge”

2 Muscle-Up, 2 Thruster, 2 Snatch, 3MU, 3Thr, 3SN, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2.

HTFU: 85W, 135M – Infidel: 75W, 115M – Bulldog:65W, 95M

Subs: (Sub 2 Ring Dip +2 Pullup for 1 MU) (Sub 3 Wallball for 1 thruster) (Sub 4 KB High Pull for 1 Snatch)

Ok, I had to read this a few times and break it down. Must sub the MU's. Ok, that means 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 pullups and ring dips, then 2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1 Thruster and Snatch. That's a lot of work no matter what your load. I haven't snatched in months...really, so I wanted to go light and work the form. Same with thrusters since I've been having trouble staying on my heels on squats. Hip mobility issues...working that in my oh so copious free time....

Everything felt good on the warmup, snatch felt ok! Decided to go with 55lbs so I could have a chance of finishing the WOD. I barely made it. Just barely. I was cruising on the PU's at a steady 2-3 in a row, and hammering out ring dips with a skinny red band unbroken. Thrusters were strong and snatch was a piece of cake and felt amazing. The ladder up was nice and steady, no real breaks except on the pullups. The ladder down was a whole different story. On the second set of 10 pullups my hand tore in two places. I finished the 10...barely. On the second round 8, I gave up on the pullups. I had a gaping oozing hole in my palm. My chalk paste couldn't stop the bleed. My whole philosophy on this is to just not be stupid. Most normal people think it is generally stupid to do so many pullups your hands bleed-I don't think so. I think you cross the point of stupidity when your hands start to look like hamburger and there is no prize for the pain and mess at the end. So I DNF'd the pullups, but hammered out the ring dips, thrusters and snatch. Time was about 32 minutes--someone's wallball killed the the clock a minute or so prior.

So many times I wanted to quit this WOD. Totally just give up. I realized my strength is still there for 1-3 RM efforts, but the longer "strength-cons" as we call them (long heavy strength/met con mix) are just not in my bag. That takes serious endurance, overall strength, and some extreme mental fortitude. I know it will come back, but this WOD reminded of how far I have yet to go.

This was a WOD where you truly had to HTFU--Harden the F$%^ up--or be left in the dust. I was not going to be left in the dust.

Tuesday WOD

From the Mid-Atlantic Hopper a few weeks ago.

WOD 1: 3 minute AMRAP Back Squats

My effort: 32 reps @ 95#. I again went light since I have no idea of my true 1RM for BSQ's.

WOD 2: For time- 500m row, 44DU's. Row was blazing at a 1:50 pace until the last 200m, then the legs gave out. Finished row in 1:56. Subbed 3-1 single unders for DU's. Time: 3:40.

I practiced DU's before WOD 2 and I was getting no where. I watched everyone else and decided I had to whip that rope FASTER. I knocked out 10 in a row, then 8 in a row...was hoping to go for the 44, but after the row, that wasn't happening!

Next up tomorrow is push presses and a turkey trot on Thursday!

Front Squats, more squats, then Run

2010-11-22T01:45:00.001+01:00

20 minute time limit
3 RM front squat
Top Load: 3x120
2x125 (I wussed out on the third, but I totally had it)

Then

Bottom to Bottom Tabata
:20 work :10 rest in the BOTTOM SQUAT position
Record lowest # of reps=9

After last bottom hold...
Run 1 mile: 8:37 boy were the legs wobbly.

I could have pushed the mile run much much harder, but it was dark--pitch black along the river and I ran with someone who hadn't run the loop before. Front squats felt awesome even after BSQ's on Tuesday. Tabata with a hold at the bottom was an evil evil twist! I should have done better on these, but the leg endurance is still coming back. Wednesday and Thursday life totally got away from me and I didn't make it to the box....one was a planned rest day, but the other, well, let's just say apartment living keeps me up some nights...

Ready for another awesome week in the box!

PS--just looked up my PR for front squats. Recorded 125x2 on November 19th of last year. Boy does that feel good.

It feels good to be home

2010-11-16T12:54:00.000+01:00

I've been home exactly a month now and things are starting to click. I started back at work and the box last week and got of to a great start. Routines feel so good. Waking up a 0440 is not so hard when you have somewhere to be with people you like!

I have a lot of thoughts, reflections, and feelings that I would love to write about but I'm terribly short on time. I'm going to just be posting my stats here for a bit--we started a six week strength cycle last week and it has been great to get some baselines on my oly lifts and other skills. Here is the log of my last week which includes, Crossfit, yoga, and a Trail Race! Now to get the eating back on track and my size 10 pants should fit again in no time. I had to go buy new pants for work since all of my pants are too uncomfortable right now. I won't say they don't fit, but they certainly don't feel right or look very good. That's a whole other depressing story, but I'm going to be weighing my diet options--strict paleo for 30 days? Strict Zone? Weight watchers? God only knows that left to my own devices I will not be successful. Either way, a food journal starts today to start counting calories, protein, and carb intake.

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Tuesday, November 16th
3RM Back Squat with Chains

My effort: 105#. The chains are a whole new animal. The chains themselves weigh about 80 extra pounds, but on the downward motion they are weightless then coming out of the bottom of the squat you have to explode to get the pile of metal off the floor. The real key though is your breath and keeping your abs tighter than you ever thought. I felt this was a pretty solid effort.

Then, WOD 2.) once through: 30 GHD Situp, 60 Jumping Lunge , 90 Double under, 60 Air Sq, 30 Swings . Subbed abmats, single jumps at 180 reps, and 45# KBS.

Monday, November 15th
WOD 1). 20min: 3 position Clean&Jerk. This is basically a 3RM Clean&Jerk but each clean is from a different position. You can dump and reset each rep. High hang Clean&Jerk, above knee Clean&Jerk, Floor Clean&Jerk.
My effort: 95#. Failed at the above the knee, but from the floor was solid. 90# for the full 3 For some reason this is the only record of a clean AND jerk WOD i have...i guess I avoidd C&J days.

*Rest 3 min*

WOD2). 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Dips, and (24) Box Jump

My time: 9:57 Used a red band and 24' box jumps
Sunday, November 14th
Backyard Burn 5 mile Trail Run
My foray back into racing. Was with my girls again, Tamara, Kayla, Michelle, Nikki, and new addition Jill, plus Chip and Stuart cheering us on! I'll do a separate post on this later
Time: 52:43 for 5.5miles 19/76 for age group of 30-40

Saturday, November 13
Stretch and Conditioning Yoga with Chip and Nikki. 75 minutes of nice long stretches and yoga poses. Was theraputic for us all!

Friday, November 12th

WOD 1). Overhead SQ x 3 (18minutes)

*rest 3 min*

WOD 2). “Big Bad Wolf”

12 MIN CUT-OFF 3 rounds: 10 OHS(75w-115m), 10 Burpee, 10 Pullup

Time: 9:57

I used just 45# on the bar for the 3 rounds, but did each set unbroken. The point was speed. Did all 30 pullups without much belly aching. It felt amazing...and I tore a callous and bled. I felt tough again!

Wednesday, November 9th
Push Pressx3=85
WOD 2). 3min max Ring Dips, 3min max Double-under, 3min max GHD Situp, 3min max Calories row. 1 min rest between each. I forget my total, but a week later my abs still ache from the 50 GHD's I did...so sad.

Home Sweet Home

2010-10-27T15:50:00.000+02:00

Its been a long couple of weeks, but it feels so good be "home". Last night I stayed with my BFF Nikki so I could hit the 0515 class at CrossFit Old Town. Yes that 5:15am. Requires an early bedtime and an out the door time of at least 0500. This used to be my m.o. at least four days a week. I was worried about how the old body would react to such intensity again at such an early hour. I walked through that door though and all those worries went away. No nerves, just sense of calm and normalcy. I was at my home box. Lots of new faces, lots of old friends and coaches too. Little time for chatting...just hit the warmup and fell into the groove--back extensions, walking sampson stretch, bootstrappers....

the WOD was:
3 RFT
10 deadlifts
50 double unders
not a named WOD but a classic on the competition circuit for sure.

RX'd weight for women is 185#--heavy! I settled on 125#, but I think I could have easily done 135 to make it harder. I did the first round with DU's...hit sets of 3-4 right off the bat, then my rope got all freaky on me and started twisting and crap and I just finished the first 50, then did 30 box jumps for rounds 2-3. Total time was 11min. DL's felt solid and did the first set unbroken, second set with one small break and third set 2 small breaks to regrip. The box jumps sucked, but just like burpees you must have the mentality of just one at a time, one at a time. No records, no stellar performances, but solid hard work, a great sweat, and adrenaline to power the day. Got to love the crossfit energy---oh how i missed you.

It will be a few weeks before I'm back in there regularly, but I can't wait to shed the bavarian bulge and get me some muscles back and just generally feel GOOD.

Nikki made these AMAZING munchy bars last night from a new blog we're following, Oh She Glows. Totally primal and if you lay off the sugary toppings its not so bad. Nik literally whipped these up in no time flat and I could have eaten the whole pan. yummo. She whipped up some blueberry topping and viola` dessert! Props to DH Chip too for grilling some yummy turkey breasts and veggies.

Stay tuned for more CF fun.

Oh, and for those wondering about the Army Ten-Miler. It was a DNS as in did not start. Mental breakdown from exhaustion on Saturday night and needed Sunday to recover. Oh well..not the end of the world. Next up is the Backyard Burn 5 Mile trail race in about 10 days with ALL my girls. Can't wait!

When Life Gets in the Way

2010-10-15T08:30:00.000+02:00

PCS Move. Living out of a suitcase at someone else's house. Crazy Army schedules and requirements. That has been the life of late and workouts and diet have been all talk and no action. As Toby Keith says, I need a "Little Less talk and a lot more action!" Ha.

Since my last post Chip and I headed to Berchtesgarden Land/Schoenau am Konigsee, the site of my last post, for some true R&R. We did some nice "trail walks"--I won't call them hikes since they weren't very taxing, but they challenged Chip and got him out and trying new things again. He was so strong on the trail--as a soldier, strapping on a pack and climbing was second nature and he looked so strong. We spend most of the weekend outside, drinking beer, and basking in the Alpine sun.

I've managed one solid run this week--a fast 35minutes with some wicked hills and felt really strong. Hit a Tabata WOD with Chip at the Bamberg gym (NOT CF friendly) of Row, situps, pusups, squats. Nothing to write home about here--just did it. Planned runs the last two mornings but just cannot get motivated.

When your diet goes to shit, you're stressed, and off even the worst of routines, I'm doomed. I'm realizing that the lax diet of rich german food and double the necessary carbs is starting to take a toll. When I slip up on carbs I don't feel that immediate sickness some get--mine takes awhile to sink in. The sluggishness, lack of energy overall, constantly sleepy for no good reason is back. My belly aches all the time, I'm bloated beyond belief (hoping a sauna visit tomorrow will help that) and I know it is all diet and stress. I'm trying my best not to get down about it, but its hard not to. I want to be the girl who can handle all this crap and still feel great and look great. Wonderwoman I am clearly not. I know I can get back in shape quickly, just dying to get to the point where I can start living my life instead of the one the Army forces me to live.

Only 3 more days here and we'll be back in the land of crap food and bad beer and no bakeries (thank heavens!) My goal is to hit the box at Crossfit Old Town 1-2 times next week, then the Army Ten Miler is a week from Sunday. After that, we hope to have some clue about what the heck is going on with life, which WILL include a CF box--my hope it to be back training full time at CF Old Town in a mere week and a half. My new favorite photo:

Auf Wiederschauen Deutschland! (from the balcony at our hotel)

Oktoberfest and Schonau am Konigsee

2010-10-07T10:47:00.000+02:00

Love me some hiking where the "Hills Are Alive!"

Travel post for you all who live vicariously through our travels!!

On 27 September we traveled to Munich for the annual Oktoberfest. This year was the 200th anniversary of "die Wiesen", as the German's call it. Lots of fun and beer had by all. And yes, we all dressed up and drank well, lets say more than 3 MaB's each. That's more than 3 liters each kids...that's a lot of beer in one day and let me tell you, I was drying out for days!

Next up was a trip with Nikki to Schonau am Konigsee. It's about an hour or so south of Munich, near Salzburg Austria. It's the southeastern most tip of Germany and it is beautiful!! We spent two glorious days outside hiking. Here are some of the shots we captured!

Banks of the Konigsee near St. Bartholomew

Sunrise on our first morning. This makes you want to get up and GO!

Another view of Obersee

Obersee

Thank you CFOT for all the squat work!

Beautiful Reflection on Lake Obersee--only reachable by boat, then a 45min hike!

These hiking locations are not far from the famed "Eagle's Nest"--one of Hitler's old hidouts. Scrap that tourist option and go for the true lure of the area. Das Gibergen ruft! (The mountains call!) The next day we hiked the Almbach gorge. Absolutely beautiful despite some overcast cloudy weather!

They call this the "Painter's Easel". Um yea...sadly we lost the sun in the afternoon.

WODs what?!

2010-10-07T10:14:00.000+02:00

This week is an absolute blur!!! Moving week here at the Gabriel house....movers are here now packing up our life and we'll see it again in about 3 months...joys of Army life.

I've gotten in a little work this week including a 40min training run and a Tuesday WOD at the gym.

Tuesday WOD
5RFT
5 pullups
10 walking lunges with 25# overhead
15 airsquats
Time 12min

Slow. Slow. Slow...but those damn pullups are hampering my times. I can't get more than 2 at a time...mostly singles. Then I tore a callous and started bleeding...good times. Trying not to do too much overhead since my old lat/shoulder injury has me in pain almost 24/7. Warmup included pushups and burpees and cool down included some GHD's and back extensions. Scheduled a doctor's appointment for the end of the month so that should get me back on track after the spine is back in place.

Hoping to hit a WOD tonight and get in a training run in the am before heading back to the Alps for the weekend.

Counting the days until I can get back in the box and start dialing in the diet....as the days go by fewer and fewer pants are fitting....we're almost at freakout stage, but know that about 30% of it is stress and anxiety about the move.

Still Alive

2010-10-02T17:39:00.000+02:00

So my last post was over a week ago--I promise I've not been a total slacker. A total eater, I will admit to being!

On the day of my last post, I actually helped my friend Jason coach a fundamentals class at the Schweinfurt gym. He had a group of 4 women, most of them with little prior athletic experience, and we worked on deadlift and push presses. We had to work with a few pretty hard on the form, but we got everyone to an acceptable level before pressing on to the WOD. 10-9-8-7....med ball DL, push presses. It was fun to help push them through those middle rounds when everything hurt and form was miserable. Pressed hard on slowing down and doing each move properly. Then I did the WOD myself....

100# DL
15lb DB push press
Time was about 6 minutes. DL's felt strong.

The next several days were spent with my best friend Nikki and Chip. We went to Oktoberfest then spent the last few days hiking in the Alps. Photos to come!
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A week after my last WOD, countless liters of beer later, bread, spatzel, bread, schnitzel, etc I hit the WOD "Jack" at CF Ramstein.

"Jack"
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch box
Total Rounds--9

I used just a 45# bar, 1 pood, and a 20" boxjump. I should have done more on the PP, but I did all 9 rounds unbroken. KB's were also done unbroken. The box jumps sucked---it has been a LONG time since i've done real box jumps. They used to be in my "wheelhouse", but that is no longer.....but I powered through! 48 hours later however, I'm still super sore in my right shoulder/neck and its on fire. Also, I felt extremely sluggish, fat, bloated during this WOD. Carbs MUST come to an end very soon.

Today I hit a 1000m swim at the pool with Chip. The shoulder was tight and sore and sticky when rotating but I otherwise felt strong. Some MWOD and stretching are in order for tonight!

Laziness Overcome

2010-09-23T09:51:00.000+02:00

This week has been a little crazy with all the moving and last minute chores, but I managed to squeeze in a WOD last night because I could not let a beautiful sunny day pass me by.

Earlier in the day I was mowing the lawn and doing other yardwork and I sat for awhile and started at that pullup bar hanging from my garage. The thing whispers little taunts at me fairly often--I've ignored them for months. I got this bar for my birthday back in April and after a few attempts at pullups decided that I hated it. It's a rogue swinging bar and I could not hold on, it gave wicked calouses after 1-2 kips. As I've written before, I've mostly given up on pullups. Yesterday, I got on that bar and tried again. I got two in a row.

I finished the yard work and started devising a little WOD for the yard. Looked like this:

5 Rounds
5 pullups
10 kbswings
15 box jumps

I wasn't going to do this for time since I had no idea how the pullups were going to go. I just wanted to get the pullups going. And I DID! I even got three in a row a few times. Now that I have switched my grip to the wrapped thumb version, its much easier. Plus, my bar is just a bit skinnier than than the rogue bars at the gym. No more taunting---now I'll be out there more often. Hopefully doing a few every day!

Pullup laziness is offically over.

-----------------
On another note, you must all read this post from Blair Morrison's Anywherefit blog.
More on my quest to "Ring the Bell" coming soon.

Front Squats and Run

2010-09-21T21:01:00.000+02:00

After 2 weeks of being under the weather, I'm back in the gym. I'm feeling really weak and everything is really hard.

Monday:
Front squat x3
75, 85, 95, 105, 105, 115(2)

This was a weak effort, but you got to start somewhere. I should have had 115 for 3 but the form fell on rep #2 and I wasn't sure how to correct it so instead of screwing with my back, I called it a day. Conditioning was row intervals:
500m-2:09
400m-1:47
300m-i forget
200m-1:17
100m-:50
Rest 2-3 minutes between intervals. Was chatting with Jason and we think the rowers are a bit off and not cleaned/maintained since both our rowing times of late have been quite slow. I was fairly happy with the effort.

Tuesday:
4.5mile trail run
Have to get back out there. I tried running on Sunday and nearly had an asthma attack. Not cool. Trying to build up to another 7miler. The legs are sluggish and my cardio since being sick is just not there. So this week is several attempts and shorter runs just to stay conditioned.

Small steps

2010-09-15T21:44:00.000+02:00

After a little over a week of being sick you have to start back with small steps to see where you body is at. Are you going to hack up a lung? Will your sinuses hold on to the goo for 30 minutes? Will your heart keep a normal beat?

I still have the remanents of my cold/sinus infection, but am "feeling" better. Yesterday, I tested myself on c_wiss's "10" workout. I popped in a dvd for distraction and did it in my living room. Not so much moto here, but got the work done.

"10"
10 pushups
10 abmat situps
10 squats
Time: 17min
After reading her pushup link I vowed to stay off my knees the entire time and I DID IT! They were not beautiful chest to deck, but I went to parallel or beyond each rep and no touching of the thighs on the ground. This cost me a few minutes for sure, but whatevs. I did all the pushups off my knees and managed not to hack a lung. No more knees for me!

Today I had a little trouble finding some moto to do ANYTHING. We got our orders to report back to Washington DC this morning so my day was consumed with briefings about proper moving procedures. Oh what fun! My mind is elsewhere if you can't tell...counting the days, making appointments, worrying about where we will live next, money, and how I'm going to make all my work clothes fit in 8 short weeks. Well, they will only fit if i get my ass moving!

WOD:
~4 mile train run-easy pace
then
3 rounds
20 kbhp (35#)
20 lunges
10 ring dips (red band)
I didn't time myself on any of this. I didn't want any pressure given how sick I've been. I'll get back to the intensity when I'm 100%. The intensity was pretty high though, sweating, heart racing, etc. It all felt good. Going to hit a strength WOD in the am, then its back to moving chaos!

K.O.

2010-09-13T14:58:00.000+02:00

So, since Paris I've gotten in two workouts, then last Thursday woke up with the cold of all colds....post nasal drip, splitting headache, the chills. W.T.F!!! This turned into almost three days of my nose running like a faucet, and now a cough that sounds like I'm a total chain smoker.

I've been completely worthless aside from a bit of house cleaning and some yard work. Complete knock out. Hoping to get in a light workout the next few days until my head totally clears.

Paris

2010-09-08T12:36:00.000+02:00

Paris, what else is there to say? We did a ton of walking and stair climbing. We had a good time and I enjoyed practicing all my new photography skills and giving my new lens a workout. Luckily, the whole eating thing was curbed by a broken front tooth--that's why my smiles are so dumb looking! Oh well. Paris is not my favorite city--its like a New York or Chicago only the people are less friendly. The museums were good, and the sparkly Eiffel Tower was nice. And, another visit with my favorite gargoyle was pretty sweet too.

Long Run

2010-09-02T21:17:00.000+02:00

Beautiful day for a run. Put in a 7 mile training run. The air was crisp and cool, the sun was shining, and nothing was getting in my way of a run today. The course was a mix of forested trail and paved trail, hills and flat parts. Total time was 1:05 with a 9:20 pace. I had to walk a few times as I let myself get out of breath on some hills, but I stopped only long enough to not hyperventilate! Pacing myself has always been tough when running alone. Staying on track for the Army 10 race.

I then proceeded to sabatoge my body with bad food all day. I forgot how hungry running 7 miles makes you and how tired you are! I had to totally take a nap this afternoon and was worthless for a few hours. Hopefully with a few more runs like this that feeling will go away. I've got a solid 7 more weeks to train so there is hope of running a PR yet.

I didn't get in my swim or a heavy lifting day this week, but with the long weekend of traveling, we'll try for it next week. Next week is a new re-committment to food...a zone/primal attempt. I need to control portions, eat more than 1 true meal a day, cut the caffine and sugar, and eliminate the bad carbs and re-learn to love salad and vegetables. September will be hard with Nikki coming for a week and all the beer that will be drunk at Oktoberfest, but if I can eat clean for 3 weeks, I can let loose a little while she's here! C wiss---keep me posted on your box's challenge. I want to join virtually.

Pullups

2010-09-01T23:14:00.000+02:00

So for those of you regular readers, you know I've been on a bit of a pullup hiatus. Pullup bars are not all that accessable here in our military gums (sad, huh?) and if there are any, you can pretty much only do a strict pull on them. The ones outside are nice, but its so rainy here. Well, we asked for and have now received a Rogue pullup bar system. Yea! Right?

Well, as can be expected the first WOD was UGLY. UGLY. I thought that some Cindy would be good for me. 5 pullups is managable, right? Um, no...sadly. I discovered today that I learned my kipping pullups on a skinny bar--i.e. the circumference of the bar was small. Rogue bars are much thicker and require significantly more grip strength since I can't quite keep my hands all the way on their when I come down from the kip...I just slide right off! I could only get two in a row at most. The rest were singles. I was quite sad. BUT--I'm not giving up. I have my red band and it will just be my friend for a little while. I'm also open to suggestions about pullup technique and building grip strength. I am strong enough to get up there--I just can't hold on!! Finished a measly 6 rounds and finished with situps and planks.

In other news--I have a new challenge. My BFF Nikki, (far left in photo) needed to set a crossfit goal. We have agreed to a pullup challenge. She must have 1 pullup by the time I return to DC. I must have 5 in a row. GIRL...IT'S ON!! This will take serious dedication from us both.

Army 10 miler training is going well. I got in a fast 3 mile trail run last night and am shooting for another 6 miler tomorrow--nice and easy 9min mile pace. I also signed up for a race in the Backyard Burn Series as a comeback race with my running buddies. A five mile trail run! We're all signed up to run!


Fairfax 4-Miler, New Years Eve 2008

Paris is on tap for the weekend I'll have a little travel blogging for you next week.

Back Squats and Diet

2010-08-30T20:19:00.000+02:00

Made it to the gym this morning to lift:
Back Squats x3
5@85
3@100
3@115
3@125
3@135
5@115
5@95
Finisher:
3 rounds
5 dips (static bars, unassisted)
15 kb swings
15GHD situps

Had planned on a spin class tonight, but tweaked my back stretching or something...more stretch and rest tonight.

On the diet front--c wiss of no crying in crossfit is proposing a blogging world paleo/primal re-invigoration. The summer has been hard on many of us, with work, jobs, husbands deployed, and a myriad of other things. The carbs are back in my life big time....pasta, bread, pizza, ice cream, crackers, cookies....all things that a year ago I would have never dreamed of touching. I want them gone. I want my belly to feel good again. I want to have energy and feel like I can conquer the world--I want all my clothes to fit when I have to start back to work. I don't like it when the little devil tells me that another bag of cookies or chips while hiding under a blanket on my couch will "make me feel better." Bull shit. (well sorta).

I'm in a place where I have no support system to help me with this. I'm living alone, not working, spending most of my time alone, and stuck traveling a lot. Part of me tells me to enjoy the foods of europe within reason and stop worrying, but really? That's how I got here in the first place...saying its "ok" to cheat here and there. I still believe it is ok to have a cheat day, but only when they are deserved. I look at myself in the gym these days and I'm often embarassed to say I'm a crossfitter...a certified one at that. Clearly, I can't take my own coaching. So, what do you say blogoland? Thoughts on a virtual challenge/accountability system? We'd love to hear your ideas/comments! We could even start a little email chat list or something....

Slacking for Real

2010-08-29T21:04:00.000+02:00

4 days off?! What the heck. I feel like a blob! Planned to do something this evening and the weather continues to crap on me and forces me further under the blankets burrowing into the couch cushions. Weather really plays a factor in my mood--I need sunshine more than once a week.

This weeks goals: 1xswim, 1x 3-4 mile run, 1x 6-7 mile run, back squats, 20+min metcon. I have 4 days to get my arse to complete this. Headed to Paris for the Labor day weekend where there will be a lot of walking, but no exercising.

I've got to get back on an eating plan. Enough of the carbs, crap, ice cream and woe is me eating. I'm nice and "fluffy" and I don't like it. If I'm headed back to work in a few months, I'd better get crackin' so all my clothes will fit nicely. Maybe I could catch a stomach bug too or something, or the I worry so much I can't eat bug...that would be nice. Being on the road so much, living without a kitchen 2-3 days a week, and eating out every weekend makes any sort of "diet" in this country near impossible. It's not like you can just drop in somewhere and get a grilled chicken salad...

Ok, oh weak one-get back on the plan. NOW.

Training Run

2010-08-25T23:04:00.000+02:00

Fantastice run today--face was the color of a raspberry and caked with salt when I was done. Six miles in about 50 minutes. The exact time is a little off because my last half mile was a an enormous hill that I had to walk a bit of. I kept an 8:35min mile pace almost the entire 50 minutes! I picked a nice flat out and back course on a long country road that skirts the forest. Was a peaceful run and a great test of how all my trail running is keeping me fairly in shape! With some serious training the next 6-7 weeks, I might be able to break the 90min goal for the 10miler.

20 MIN Metcon

2010-08-23T21:54:00.000+02:00

WOD #1:
1000 m swim
I wanted to swim 1800, but the pool got full with a bunch of old people just swimming aimlessly. Without lap lanes, it became dangerous to keep your head in the water. Felt pretty strong today--will hit the pool again later in the week!

WOD #2
20 Min AMRAP
10 DB shoulder Press, 10 Burpee, 10 Box Jump
Total: 9 rounds

So after the pool I came home and ate crap. The weekends away from home and on the road just throw me off! The fridge is empty, I'm sad and bored and what do I do? Eat...crap. Well, that means another WOD is in order. I did CFOT's alternate WOD for the day and boy was it a kicker.
I think this little couplet should have had one more element to it, but regardless, it made you work on your mental game. I used 15lb dumbbells which turned out to be perfect. I was able to do most of the sets of 10 unbroken and some with just a slight rest in the middle. Burpees---oh how i hate thee. They are one of my most improved moves of the year though. As my friend Soni says--JUST KEEP MOVING--DON'T STOP. That's what I did on the burps and the box jumps.
I had a solid sweat going on and people were totally staring at me--"what is that silly girl doing, flailing and jumping around in the corner?". I think it helped that I had my ipod shuffle on me to keep me focused. If it ever stops raining (yes, its STILL raining) I hope to get a long bike ride in one of these days.

Cleans

2010-08-20T10:31:00.001+02:00

Quick lift this AM:

5@55 (Hang)
5@65 (Hang)
3@75 (Hang)
1@85 (Power)
1@95 (Power)
~~1@100~~ (Too ugly to count!)
5@75 (Hang)

The last time I did max cleans was back in April. It's been a LONG time. I hit 105 that day--a PR. Nowhere near that today. The form was great in the lower weights and I nailed 85 and felt great. 95 was a little sloppy and 100 was too ugly to count. Then I dropped and just did a few more to nail the form. I will try to hit a clean WOD next week too. Can't let the form and strength get too far from me. I think if I had a coach and someone to push me on these I would be hanging in the 115-120. In the next year I would love to nail a 120# clean. Only with a little work, right?

Oh and the reason i go from the hang and then power is because we don't have bumper plates! Going from the power position with just 65# on the bar will kill one's back--not cool. Once I can put the bigger wheels on, I can manage from the floor much easier.

Not so much CF this week...

2010-08-20T10:31:00.000+02:00

So after the great Sunday WOD, Monday turned out to be a crap day--no WOD. Tuesday I had a bunch of dental work done and was not feeling very well, but did a short WOD anyways--nice little burner

Quick WOD: 4RFT

20 pushups
20 GHD situps
20 Walking lunges-w 25# plate overhead
Time: 12:30

Wednesday I ended up in a spinning class at the gym with a friend. I remember why I love crossfit---short, fast, varied. An hour on the bike going nowhere is so not fun anymore. I just keep in mind its good to test the slow twitch muscles sometimes too.

Today was my ATM training run. My friend Mindi joined me on this beautiful evening. Sunny, 65 degrees, slight breeze. Just perfect! We did a great 5 mile loop that took us through the forest, on a path that skirted the forest, through park, and viola--back at my house! It was 5.2 miles in 50:30. According to my Garmin we averaged a 9:45min/mile pace. A great training pace for the 10miler. Our first few miles were just over 10:00min/miles, but we were clearly cruising at the end. Just how it should be!

Run and Air Squat WOD--Progress?

2010-08-15T18:26:00.001+02:00

So, as bummed as I was about Chip leaving for Landstuhl early this afternoon I wasn't going to just mope and sit on the couch. I do too much of that already! :) I was about to change and again came the rain!!! jesus, it rains a ton here. The landlord stopped by to chat for a minute and he said we've had 80 liters of rain in August so far--which is apparently a ton. Germans use some kind of rain guage to measure volume instead of height. Despite the rain, the park was filled with families--if the rain doesn't scare the Germans, then I won't let it scare me. Off I went to start my WOD---an easy at home one!

Warmup:
1mile run (easy pace) and stretching

WOD:
4RFT
400m run
50 airsquats
Time: 10:29

As I did this WOD it seemed easier and faster than the last time I did this. Apparently it was--the last time I did this was in May. I had reversed the exercises and did the squats first though. Do you think that reall makes a difference--I mean a whole 5 minutes of difference? It's the same amount of work. Or, maybe my running has gotten that much better? I complained that in May I was running the first 200m uphill--ha, uphill, upschmill. It's not a hill compared to what's around the corner! I barely notice the slight rise now. Is my instensity better? Pushing myself through the air squats faster maybe? I know for sure I didn't walk one bit on the run this time around, which I probably did last time. Was it the mile warmup instead of doing it too cold? Not sure, but hell--I'll take a 5 minute PR. That's almost a metcon ninja time.

Trail Run, Deadlifts, Swimming

2010-08-15T16:35:00.000+02:00

I promise I've not been slacking!

Tuesday
5 mile trail run-steady rolling hills, with a small mountain at the finish
Time: 48:30

Maintained a 9:20-9:30 mile pace until the last 1/2mile which I had to walk part of since it was super steep and super long. I felt pretty good about this, but worried that it takes me so darn long to really get "warm". Also, this was supposed to be an "easy" training run and I felt like I wanted to die most of the time. I'm pretty sure there will be no PR's at the Army 10-miler this year. Last year I ran a 1:30, which was a PR and this year wanted to go sub-1:30. Considering all I want to do is stuff my face with french fries and sugar these days, and I have no training buddies, I'll be lucky to make it out alive. Going to hit some sprints and a six miler this week.

Wednesday
3x5 Deadlifts
95, 135, 155, 185, ~~205~~, 205

So DL's used to be my favorite. Since my last effort, I've not wanted to even attempt them and have to stare into the fact of how weak I've become. But, you can't avoid things forever. I took the camera and took some video to check my form each round. Wasn't great, wasn't terrible. I wasn't thrilled with 205, it felt as heavy as shit, and 205 used to be nothing for me. I realized in the horrible aftermath or soreness that it is not so much my leg strength or even my upper body strength--its my back/core strength that I've lost so much of. Back in the days of CFOT, my core was a ROCK, my back was super strong, and somehow all that is gone. I think part of it is not following a strict overall lifting program and the other part is that Jerry had all these little ways to sneak in core work when you didn't even realize it during warmups, afterparty's, etc.

After party was another mile swim. I should really start adding the mile run after lifting as well as the mile swim! Took me about 26 minutes with a nice rest at the halfway point.

Thursday and Friday
Rest Days. Friday was unplanned, but sometimes that where life takes ya.

Saturday
More swimming. Went with Chip and we just swam laps to get in some exercise. I know I did more than 1600m, but stopped counting after that! :)

Happy Monday!

2010-08-09T21:11:00.001+02:00

Ok, so I've had a few days off. The rain last week nixed my planned 5 mile run on Thursday, then disorganization ruined my Friday morning. I spent the weekend in Strasbourg, France, with my handsome husband--where the workout was walking and eating! Strasbourg is a small town on the German/French border that was fought over for many years between the Franks and Prussians. It has lots of french and german influences in language, culture, and architechure, and food! The highlight was walking along the canals enjoying the pretty scenery and basking in a perfect summer day. Since this blog is also a little about traveling, I've included some photos!

Photos: (1) Chip and I along the canal in Petite France (2) Notre Dame Cathedreal (3) La`Backoffe - traditional alsacian dish with Lamb, potatoes and veggies in a white wine sauce- baked all day (4) Quiche Lorraine-why we ARE in Alsace-Lorraine! It was translated in English as "bacon cake"...um yea..give me some BACON CAKE. It was buttery, bacon, egg goodness,

Time to get back at it today for sure. Diet was pretty clean today and while I'm hungry tonight, I'll forgo the evening ice cream snack, since it feels so good to feel good!

The CF Old Town WOD was 5x5 push press today with an "after party" of a brutal couplet: 33pushups, 27 KB swings, 21 DB thrusters--scaled down from there for rounds 2/3. The presses were off to a solid start. Round 3 at 65# felt strong and round 4 at 70# was solid. I went for 75# for 5--my 1RM is 80#....I nailed all 5 reps. Boy did that feel good! I rested a little bit and was ready to dig into the after party madness. By pushup 15 I was in rough shape...all 27 swings went unbroken...then to the thrusters. My arms quit on about rep 12...just quit. I tried a few more reps where I really tried to work the hips, but the arms gave out. Finnito. I knew I was meeting a friend at the pool for a quick swim in a hour so I didn't feel so bad.

My real after party was a 1 mile swim! yes--a mile swim. It felt amazing. The first 500m flew by and I just kept going. I felt strong after 1200m so I did a few laps of breast stroke, then finished off with a solid 200m freestlye. I love that crossfit keeps me strong so that I can just do things like pop into the pool randomly and swim a mile and feel awesome afterwards. I didn't time myself, but I'm going to start getting some rough estimates of how long this takes me.

SPRINT

2010-08-04T08:53:00.000+02:00

So my buddy Jason is back in town, recovering from nagging injuries, but willing to keep at the crossfit madness with me before he PCS's home. We hit the track for this:

10 x 100m sprint, rest 1 minute between rounds.

It's been a long time since I've done any serious sprinting and this actually felt really good. First few rounds were at about 12seconds. I managed to keep between 12-14seconds each round. Now was this a strict 100m? No, but we were pretty close. I chased Jason each and every time, it was awesome to finally have someone to push me.

After party was four rounds of 1 min planks, then 30seconds on the pullup bar doing pullups, strict hang, l-sits, a combo or whatever. I found out that I can hold myself up up over the bar for just shy of 30 seconds. That may not sound like much, but when I started crossfit I couldn't: (1) get myself over the bar or (2) hold myself above the bar (after assistance getting up there) for even 3 seconds. I call that progess! It's humbling to think back to that first day on the bar, a little over a year ago, Jerry lifting me up, saying "HOLD IT", and my weak arms crumbling in mere seconds. I've not been practicing pullups much at all, so the fact I can still string 4 or so in a row and get up on that bar makes me happy.

OHS-Oh how I forgot you

2010-08-02T23:00:00.000+02:00

Monday, Monday. OHS, OHS....why not right?

Warmup:
3 rounds
10 pushups
10 KB swings
20 lunges

Strength: 5XOHS
45, 55, 65, 75
one word: weak....my wrist was all out of whack and my core was weak, weak, weak. I would have gone for 85 but I was chicken about hurting myself. I think i'll do some more OHS next week.

Then I did this WOD from Angie's blog (Yes, I steal lots of her WODs!)

For time:
1000 Meter row
30 Overhead squats (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs)
1200 Meter run

Row was slow at about 4:20, OHS's were scaled to 65#. I did 10, then nearly dropped the bar on my head, did the last 10 at 55#. Run was on the treadmill and was dreadful.
Time: 15:31 scaled.

I did not slack last Friday either. Got outside and enjoyed the 50 degree weather and did a workout down at these stairs in my neighborhood...wicked steep. Next time I would love to take this 10 rounds.

5RFT
stair sprint
10 pushups
20 squats
time 12:13

Squattin'

2010-07-29T11:40:00.000+02:00

Easy WOD today as still not feeling 100%.

Back Squat 5X3
85, 105, 115, 125, 130

This is 20lbs off my PR, but I felt really strong today. Even 130 felt pretty easy. All that said, the last time I did a 5X3 backsquat was November...a freakin' long time ago. Plus, with no spotters, I'm not about to screw up my back. Can't wait to hit this again.

Finisher: Mile run--8:30...just takin' it easy. Lots of stretching.

Down but not out

2010-07-28T22:56:00.000+02:00

I've had a horrible week and have some kind of stomach thing...combination of lots of bad food, wicked stress, a bit of the blues, and a full moon. Training is at the bottom of my list right now, but on my mind constantly. I think I'll at least go to the gym tomorrow to get out of the house and move around a bit. I'm always convinced a good sweat will cure just about anything!

Running and a FUN WOD

2010-07-23T10:16:00.000+02:00

After Wednesday's DNF, I was pretty bummed. It was day 2 of yet another separation from my husband (out of the almost 7 years we've been together, we've only really lived together in the same State/city/country for about 3) There is always a withdrawl period that includes some moping, eating bad foods, and a bottle of wine. I moped, I ate, and I drank. That night I was chatting with my friend Nikki--my lifeline to the real world--and told her I was contemplating dropping out of the Army 10-miler. I'm not inspired to run, I loathe it. I miss my running partners. It's so much more fun with some girly chatter, and someone to push your limits...oh and coffee afterwards! As I went to bed, I said, ok...test yourself. Get up and run tomorrow and see how it goes.

9am Thursday I laced up the trail runners, pressed play on the ipod, then ducked into the forest. 5 minutes in I wanted to quit. 10 mintues in I wanted to shoot myself. I'm bored, my hamstring hurts, and I'm bored. By 15 minutes I've got my stride, I found a good song losing myself in the music and I found a new area of the forest to explore. My goal was 45 minutes. 1 hour if I was feeling good. Total time: 54 minutes....I have no clue how far it was, but I ran the whole time, hills and all. I can't say it felt good, but sometimes you just have to prove to yourself you can do it.

The other day CFOT posted this WOD and it looked FUN!

3-5 RFT (Scale to your level)
600m run
10 hang cleans (85#women)
20 KB swings
30 anchored situps

I scaled the cleans to 65# on Round 1, then scaled up to 70# on rounds 2-3. Run was on the treadmill. Time was 23:10. I think I could have done more weight on the cleans, but really wanted to make sure the form was good before I went heavy. My clean form truly sucks. I would have loved to go 5 rounds on this, but had lots to do this morning--hopping the train to Landstuhl!! I think I'm going to hit this one again in a month or so. I really enjoyed it.

WUSS!

2010-07-21T14:38:00.000+02:00

Tuesday: Press x 3, Push Press x 3, Push Jerk x 3

A. 12 minute time limit: Find your 3 Rep max in the Press

B. 12 minute time limit: Find your 3 Rep max in the Push Press

C. 12 minute time limit: Find your 3 Rep max in the Push Jerk

A. 75x3, 80x1 New 1xPR (it was solid!)
B. 95x3
C. DNF
Ok, so I jumped way to fast on the press...and did 80 when I thought it was 75. Oops. I was pissed until I recounted the weight. Then I was like "yippe". Push presses hurt my wrists so bad. I felt strong but reracking each rep was killer on my wrists. After hitting 95, I stopped and went to the jerk since I felt the form going by rep 3. I stripped the bar down to work on the movement and well...my wrists just said no. I called it a day. And I'm so pissed I quit. Do any of you have wrist issues like this? It felt like a strength issue, not mechanical. Do I just have weak wrists?!

Warmup was solid today:
3 Rounds
10KB swings
10 squats--cleaning up my form.
5 dips on the bars--first round I got all 5! Then the next two I did 4/1, 4/1. Felt strong. Will do 10 next time! :)

Monday WOD
3RFT
10 KBHP (45#)
10 DB thrusters
10 situps
100ft lunges
Time: 6:38

This was a quick little WOD at the CF Ramstein location. This just happened to be on the WB and I went with it. There were 2 other guys there doing other WODs, so I just did this one. A smoker! I finished it up with some 400m sprints with a guy I met whose name I can't remember. His WOD was 20AMRAP of 400m sprints. Eww. I joined him for his last 5 sprints. Round 1 was a 1:13 for me and I held them all under 1:30. It felt slow, but the clock doesn't lie. A nice little finisher. Hoping to hit one of their Saturday sessions soon!

Sexy Back

2010-07-17T10:50:00.000+02:00

So after two days of failed attempts at working out, I was determined to do it right today. Thursday night I got in half a bike ride---flat on the way back. Mindi taught me how to change a flat though. Yea for new skills! And its fun to look like a badass with bike grease all over ya. Too bad we drained the air before we got the tire right. Friday was just a waste...depressed.

I woke up early today and was catching on my blog reading. I just have to say a big THANK YOU to all you out there in blogland. You are such and inspiration and I would kill for one of your WODs a week. It is also good to know that others are struggling with the same things I am--motivation, working out alone, stress, the hell that military life can sometimes leave you in.

I am a huge fan of CrossFit Angie right now because her affiliates WODs are right up my alley, i.e. doable in my backyard without a lot of equipment. This morning was nice and cool so this WOD looked like a great one to hit:

WOD
5 RFT
30 Wallball (14#)
15 burpees
Time: 18:28

Finisher: 1 mile trail run (try that after 150 burpees) It was ugly.

I breezed through round 1 in 2:30, round 2 in about 3:30 and got slower from there. I just kept "chunking" each round. 10, 10, 10...5, 5, 5. catch breath between rounds. On round 4, Sexy Back came on my ipod...not a huge fan of JT, but just the right beat. Then I started thinking about how last summer I felt amazing, confident, happy with myself. I loved hanging out at the pool on the weekends, and didn't blink about having to put on my suit--even if it was a bikini. Not so much this summer...but you got to start somewhere. Hopefully by just plugging along at these WODs and not giving up, I can get my "Sexy" back.

This WOD will do that. Core must be tight on burpees. Abs and Gluts cannot sag. I also discovered that wallballs get easier if you just stick your butt really far back, while in the ass to grass position, then tighten your abs and thrust/swing with your hips, it takes a good deal of the quad work out of the movement--mine were screaming by round 2.

Hoping to maybe hit CF Ramstein on Monday. Maybe? Maybe?

Back in the saddle with Tabata and Squat Cleans

2010-07-14T18:49:00.000+02:00

Tuesday WOD
Tabata: squats/pullups/burpees/push press/row
Tabata's are rough, but luckily they go by fast. Squats were solid averaging about 15-16 each round. Pullups were actually jumping negatives...the other bars were all blocked off. I got about 3 solid each round. burpees were a solid 5 each round, push press was sad at 4-5 at 45#, row was a total of 38 calories. I didn't really count the numbers, just tried to stay consistent. Finisher was 3 rounds of 10GHD situps, 10 back extensions.

Wednesday WOD
SQUAT CLEANS--3X5

Last recorded here. I thought I totally had a PR day....I guess I did, sort of. My last 3X squat clean work I set a baseline at 80, then a few weeks later, pulled 90 for 1X. Today I did 90 for 3X-looked like this:
65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90

These were done from the hang position since I'm not using bumper plates. The plates I use are set the bar too low to the ground to pull properly from the power position. That said, my pull felt awesome and rolling the bar back on the fingertips is becoming much more natural. The squats were strong despite some still really sore quads. I kept my elbows high the whole time and just see-sawed the rise on the last squat just a bit. But, that's cuz I know my core is lacking some strength these days. I know with a consistent lifting schedule and some coaching I could easily hit #100.

So, while I thought my days of Oly lifts were numbered, this was a great little comeback session. Good form and a strong effort. That's all I ask for. It's so hot here, I think I'll be hitting the pool tomorrow!

Updates and Good News!

2010-07-13T13:10:00.000+02:00

Fallen behind...doesn't mean I'm not still trying to move. The moto levels are rock bottom, performance is poor. That said, I'm still moving, or at least trying to. Here are the updates:

Friday WOD
20 Min AMRAP
5 Turkish Get-UPs
10 Dips
15 Wallballs
Total: 5 rounds

I've never done a TGU before. Chip coached me through the moves since he learned with Jerry at CFOT back in the day. I wasn't strong enough for the 35# KB, so I used a set of 8lb dumbbells. Held both in my right hand and did them...worked on form and that was hard enough. Ring dips were on the red band and felt good. Used my 14lb homemade wallball "Killer". I actually held fairly good intensity here and felt like a solid WOD when I was done.

Saturday
1 Hour Bike ride in 90 degree heat and direct sun. Mostly hills. Quads were dying from the week and just felt slow and dehydrated. Allergies were killer out there in farm country.

Sunday
Rest!

Monday
30 min trail run
then
5 rounds
10 pushups
20 Abmats
Felt miserable and out of shape! nothing like a simple workout to kick your ass and put you in your place. I know where my place is!

Got some good news this morning--my husband will be headed out to Landstuhl Army Hospital for some more intensive therapy for 8 weeks (to start). We're hoping to get him out there on Monday. I'll be spending some time out there as well, which means frequent visits to CrossFit Ramstein! Keeping our fingers crossed for a permanent PCS out there for the remainder of his Army career, which would be a blessing for us both. A fresh start, CrossFit opportunities, and a potential return to work for me!

"LUCE" and some other stuff

2010-07-08T18:19:00.000+02:00

After my evaluation for the month, and a little planning, I decided I was going to just follow some mainsite WODs and add some running, swimming, and biking as I see fit.

Tuesday
"LUCE"
Wearing a 20 pound vest, 3RFT
1K Run
10 Muscle-ups
100 Squats

What I love about Crossfit is that it is scalable. That is just what I did. (1) Ditch the vest...yea right. (2) Scale muscle ups to 3:1 pullups/dips. (3) 90PU and 90 dips unassisted was not going to happen, at least on the equipment I had. I used my red band for dips and the pullup machine for assisted PUs. Got to start somewhere. I was just doing this workout to finish it--it took me 49:50. Pathetic, I know, but my quads are still hurting today from 300 airsquats and the 3k run. Back to the basics, right? And, I love to honor our fallen heroes. When my quads are burning beyond belief and sweat is stinging my eyes, I think about how Luce suffered. When my triceps give out and I snap the band in my face, I don't quit, I get back up there and finish my dips, his family is hurting far worse than I. I say a prayer for all of our fallen soldier, marines, and airmen and all those who continue to fight for our nation.

Wednesdy
For time:
225 pound Back squat, 20 reps
40 Toes to bar
60 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood

Again, scaled! Back squats were miserable after 300 squats from the day before. Only hit 85lbs, but I haven't back squatted in what 3 months? My quads were fried. FRIED I say. Toes to bars were done in sets of 10, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5 and KB were scaled to 44lb for the first 30, then scaled back again (35#) because my back was in pain.

Thursday
Quads still hurt. Hard to sit. Hot outside.

WOD
2k swim! Just got in the pool and swam. Felt amazing.

July Evaluation

2010-07-06T15:22:00.001+02:00

I've spent the last few days doing a lot of thinking, brooding, internally kicking and screaming at myself, and generally being down on myself. About a year ago, I finally felt like I was on a true path to fitness, learning knew things (like oly lifts), pushing myself farther and faster than I had in years. My diet was cleaned up and life was looking good. I felt good about myself, I loved my new muscles, all my clothes fit, I slept well (even though my husband was deployed), and I felt like I could take on the world again. This was all due to CrossFit Old Town. I didn't think anything could bring me down. Wrong.

I've had my ups and downs since leaving the affilate in December, diving into training mostly by myself. This spring I had a motivation to stay on top of things in going to the Level I certification--I didn't want to make a fool of myself. And, I had a training partner who was training for the european regionals. His program kicked my butt back into pretty good shape. Post Level I cert, post regional training with Jason, post 1 month off for family time, traveling, and eating, I find myself nearly back at the beginning.

On Sunday, Chip and I went to the gym and I was going to work some deadlifts. One of my strongest lifts, technically not to difficult. Um yea, not anymore. Everything felt akward and heavy. I had Chip come watch a pull at 190--totally rounded my back. Dropped the weight, still rounding. sigh, just 10 weeks ago I pulled a beautiful PR of 240 and stopped there because I didn't have anyone to spot my form. On Monday morning, I set out for a nice 3 mile run around the neighborhood. I've been running the trails, but not keeping track of pace or time. It went horribly. The first mile felt great, an 8:15 pace, but the minute I hit some hills I petered out. Soon after I found myself walking because the humidity had triggered my asthma and my back was killing me from bad deadlifts the day before. What a mess. Later in the day I joined Chip in the pool. I went with the "lets not keep track of time/distance and just swim" attitude. I felt good, fairly strong, and am finding bi-lateral breathing easier. I figured out what was wrong with my form in turning to the left to breathe--its so much easier now! After several downers of late, the DL's, some OHS's, running, etc, I've literally wondered about throwing in the towel. I know that voice though, the voice of doubt and depression, and I must quash that voice before it gets too loud.

So where have my musings of the last few days left me?
(1) Not going to do the triathlon in September--It requires a wetsuit, which I don't have and haven't a clue where to purchase. A wetsuit, hotel room, gas to get there and back, are just extremely costly. I've done one and I can tri again another year. I would rather focus on being crossfit again, rather than try to do crossfit and get back into shape on the 3 sports...
(2) Training will be focused on traditional crossfit for overall strength and conditioning and then I will focus on the Army 10 miler at the end of October. I'm going to try to incorporate 2 CF endurance workouts per week and one long run to help with that. I'm going to back off on the heavy oly lifts and focus on getting good form back. No 1RM efforts, will focus on lighter 3x and 5x efforts for at least 6 weeks or until I feel stronger and more confident I won't hurt myself.
(3) Nutrition. No french fries, no ice cream, no beer for 30 days. Started yesterday. Oh and no gummi bears. I hope to start tracking caloric, carb, protein, and fat intake to see where I'm at. I haven't written down what I've eaten in a long time. Time to buckle down again and stop making excuses for being lazy and making poor choices.
(4) Now write out a plan and stick to it!
(5) Remove ass from couch, put on gym clothes, and get to work.

Struggling with Motivation, Again

2010-07-02T09:52:00.000+02:00

Tuesday
3 RFT
20 KBHP (35lbs)
20 Lunges
20 Dips
20 Pushups
20 AbMats

Something I concocted while still in my pj's this morning. Boy was putting dips and pushups back to back was so dumb. By round 2, my triceps were frozen. Crap. Round 2 I did 20 dips, 10 pushups and round 3 was the reverse. This took me forever--I had no desire to move fast. It was hot outside (unusal for Germany at 8am) and I just wanted to stop. This was not fun anymore, it was a chore. I even whined to myself about all the ants in the grass while doing my pushups and abmats. Wow, what a whiner...i put the clock out of my mind and just finished it.

Thursday
So the parents were dropped off at the airport and we had quite the adventure on the way home--stuck on the autobahn for 1.5 hours. Sigh--totally needed a nap after that. After a nap, I met Chip at the gym after a meeting he had. This was the first time we'd been to the gym together in months. I had no motivation to do anything so I said, ok, you tell me what to do. After some stretching for warmups, we hit a 2K row for time. 2K! I hate rowing, especially long distances.

2K row for time: 8:42. I tried so hard to make the rower go faster, I really tried and I don't know how to make it go faster! Grrr. My goal was to beat Chip, who is now 5+ months post stroke. He's so strong...he finished just 1:20 behind me at a solid 10min.

Then, I wanted to some OHS and GHD's. My plan was 5 Rounds--10 OHS (45#), 10GHD. I finished 3 rounds before I felt like I was going to pass out. Summer requires hydration, a mere little fact I forgot about yesterday. Totally dumb. Regardless, 45lbs felt heavy and my wrist is so out of whack---GHD's still felt strong.

Training alone again requires every ounce of me when I don't have a life, a consistent schedule, a job, or anything forcing you to even get out of bed each day. I would love to follow and affiliate program or train virtually or something, but the lack of equipment, and fellow people makes it nearly impossible. I'm going to try to get back on track here in July, but I know it will be a stretch. Especially since I'm sitting here at 10am in my jammies with no plan to move from the couch. we'll wrap this up here and stay tuned for a post on fat loss vs. muscle loss....going to do some research.

Better than Nothing...

2010-06-29T09:25:00.001+02:00

So summer is finally upon us here in Germany. For awhile I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to put my fleece and hoodies away. We've had a solid week of nice weather now. Workouts are still few and far between because of family visiting. I know, bad excuse, right? Taking an hour or more to do what I want to do is just really not an option right now, but I did the last two days!

Sunday morning was just glorious. Chip was taking care of the yard and I took the opportunity to find my bike clothes and hit the trail heading east along the river towards Bamberg. It's been months since I've been on my bike...not because I don't want to ride, its just been so cold and wet. Biking on wet trails is not a good idea and I don't have winter/cold weather bike gear. More excuses! The ride along the river was amazing. It was flat and fast, partly shaded. The sun was hot on my shoulders and the breeze warm, with the slight hint of a chill remaining, whooshing through my helmet. My thoughts drifted as I dropped to the bottom bars and found the sweet spot in the saddle. Chip, DC, work, crossfit, friends, health. I wished Chip was drafting behind me, enjoying the feeling of being so alive. Today was the day we'd dreamed of--perfect weather, and a whole day to ride along the Main to Bamberg (60k away) and beyond. I thought of my old life back in DC and accepted the fact that I'm still homesick and it might just not go away. All in all, I covered 30k (18-19 miles) in about 1:20. Not speedy, but who cares. It was a great morning.

Monday morning brought more warm weather and sunshine. Time for a trail run in the woods. Chip was at therapy with his Mom, leaving me and his Dad at home. Ray and I headed out into the woods. Ray does a run/walk program so I took him out on a looped trail and when we got to the point where he could head back and not loose his way, I let him head home and I took off deep into the woods. The run/walk for about 15 minutes was a great way to loosen up the legs from Sunday's ride. After Ray turned back, I took off into the woods for another 45 minutes. Just me and my music. My legs felt better than my last attempt at running which is a plus, but while my body just wanted to unleash stress and anger and lots of emotion, my legs couldn't keep up. They feel a bit weak--time to hit some squats and deadlifts regularly.

I'm hoping to hit the pool this week for a swim and start July off on the right foot next week with some solid crossfit programming.

The BEAR

2010-06-25T14:06:00.000+02:00

Is a bear! Did the bear complex this morning and boy was it harder than it looked. Maybe not, maybe it is just because I haven't picked up a barbell in over four weeks. 4 weeks! Can you believe it? I felt so weak as I did a few warmup up rounds with the bar. It felt heavy. Uh oh!

Since it felt heavy early and I realized I hadn't lifted in weeks I decided not to push it too hard and do something stupid and hurt myself. My attempts looked like this:

5 Rounds, One round=7 sets of clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press

Round 1: 45#
Round 2: 55#
Round 3: 60#
Round 4: 60#
Round 5: 60#

Wimpy? Yes. Hard? yep. I'll take it. I wanted to drop down in my last round, but I powered though. I had no adreniline or competition or anything pushing me so it was done with a bit of rest too. I would love to do with a partner or something and in top shape.

All the fries and beer and desserts of late are wreaking their havoc, but after the 4th of July, hopefully life will return to normal and I can get on a schedule. July and August will include lots of swimming and biking. My triathlon is 10 weeks away!!! The Army 10 miler is just 4 months away---time to get SERIOUS again!

Cindy Lou

2010-06-17T10:44:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I went to the track with my friend Mindi to hit the "good" pullup bars. It was a beautiful day out so why not. We only had 30 to workout so it looked like this.

Warmup:
quick 400m and some stretching, few pullups to get back in the groove

I was going to do Cindy for 15min instead of 20 as prescribed, but both of our legs were shot--Mindi's from a half-iron and half marathon she's done in the last two weeks and me from beating down Rome, Florence, Salzburg, and well, thrusters from the other day. We did what I will call "Cindy Lou" instead.

15 Min AMRAP
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 situps (full unachored)

I finished 7 rounds. Pullups felt awesome. First few rounds were 4 and 1, the last few 3 and 2. My kip STILL sucks, but the pullup felt strong and the chin was way over the bar. Pushups felt great and sits were easy, but not so easy on the tailbone. Mindi did great too-we scaled her pullups to 3, but she hit everythings RX'd. We just need a "kip clinic" for her....she's freakishly strong and can do 1 or 2 stricts with ease, but need the swing to link it all together! All in all, a solid fast WOD!

Traveling and Eating -- Forget working out!

2010-06-15T21:18:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow my parents will leave for home and end their 2.5 week trip here to Europe. Their trip commenced with a quick trip to Bamberg, then off for a week in Italy. We spent 3.5 days in Rome and 3 in Florence. They were hard long days---up early for things like Vatican Museum tours, mass at the Vatican, and hours and hours of walking. We had a few 10-12 hour days of walking and sighseeing that left me toasted...and it was about 85 degrees the whole trip. I kept setting my alarm to get out of bed to run or something, but my feet and legs were just too tired to do that with the thought of 10 more hours of walking. Eating zone/paleo in Italy is nearly impossible. Breakfast was tough, but I got some protein, but couldn't resist these little jelly filled croissants--coronados or something like that. Lunch was often quick pizza, gelatto, or caprese salads. Dinner---well, meat is really really expensive and the pasta is amazing and nearly impossible to resist. Homemade spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, and fresh pecorino cheese was the best. Wine was flowing and I drank more than my fare share. :) When in Rome, right?
Other treats included lots of gelatto, salami's, croissants, lots of olive oil, canolis, and lots of cappucinnos.

I was home for a day and a half and got a quick backyard workout squeezed in there and got my mom to join me! Just 20 minutes of some sprints, box jumps, kettlebell swings, and pushups.

Then it was off to Salzburg for the weekend. More walking. More good food. Beer. I actually studied in Salzburg during college and this was my family's first visit. We had to hit all the highlights including real Wiener Schnitzel, Augusteiner Brau beer, pretzels and brats from the market and "cake and coffe" at my favorite cafe.

Normally, I wouldn't eat like this. I don't on a normal day. My excuse? It's vacation and I probably won't be in Europe that much longer. That and my parents have never been here to try all this amazing food--I had to at least eat some to prove to them it is amazing, right?

So, my blog subtitle promises blogs about traveling, and here ya have it. Here are my rules:
1) Everything in moderation, including gelatto and pasta. It's vacation people. But, if it's not good, stop eating.
2) Drink Italian wine every day you are there. It is cheaper than water and you'll never taste red wine this good ever again. Be sure to order or a liter....or two.
3) Don't try to plan CF WOD's when your day's are already filled with exercise...even if it's walking. Refer to rule 1.
4) Share all your food. If you let everyone you're with have a bite, you don't feel like such a pig.
5) Do eat fresh pecorino cheese topped with organic honey if it is on the menu. It is amazing. Your stomach might hurt later, but your taste buds will love you!
6) Have fun! That includes eating AND exercising.

After you see these, you'll understand my posts about my "bavarian bulge"... I'm not worried...I have the rest of my life to eat healthy!

Vacation!

2010-06-03T13:21:00.000+02:00

Parents are in town and we're off to Rome and Florence for a week. I packed some workout clothes and hopefully I'll be able to do some body weight stuff/short run somewhere in there. So, I'll sign off for now!

Fallen but Never Forgotten

2010-05-31T08:11:00.000+02:00

Read this article. Download the whole thing.
http://journal.crossfit.com/2010/05/fallen-but-never-forgotten.tpl#featureArticleTitle

I wish I could have done a hero WOD today, but just not happening. Hopefully I can plan several this month.