We Love Burpees

Adult Content

2012-02-14T11:48:00.000-05:00

It's true, as you can see by my Star Wars figurine collection.

With my birthday looming over me, I have started to think about what it means to be an adult. Why, you ask? I don't feel like one. Admittedly, I am not sure what being an adult is supposed to feel like. What constitutes being an adult? Buying a house? Having kids? Waking up before 7am on Saturdays? Because if so, I am SO not an adult.

What about paying bills? Getting to work on time (mostly)? Doing the best at my job? CLEANING ALL THE THINGS?!?!?!?!

Have you ever read Hyperbole and a Half? If not, you should. Allie is amazing and hilarious.

Ok, I don't clean all the things. Just some of the things. And not all the time. I am, however, really good at laundry when I remember to do it.

In an effort to become more adult like, I made a huge decision. I decided to...wait for it...stop biting my nails. WHAT?!?!?!?!?! I know! I have been biting them pretty much since I could get my fingers consciously to my mouth. My mother has tried FOR YEARS to get me to stop. At one point we even painted my nails with some bitter tasting nail polish to get me to stop. It didn't work. I chewed through that like I was a hamster on crack. I tried gum, sitting on my hands, chewing only one nail, etc. Nothing worked. So I gave up.

Until about two weeks ago when I bought a manicure kit and decided it was time I started to have pretty nails like a gosh darn adult! I am pretty sure I am not using the nail kit correctly and I know I look like a kindergartner trying to write her name when I try to paint my right hand (and, ok, my left hand too.) I hate the way the nail polish feels on my nails but it reminds me to keep my fingers out of my mouth. My goal is to have them grown out enough to get an actual manicure. You know, if I can talk myself into letting someone else touch me. Good thing there is a salon with in walking distance. As an adult, I can have an adult beverage before I go. It's a rule. For adults.

So I guess we can all agree that being an adult means you can drink so you can get a manicure.

I wonder how fast CrossFit will ruin a manicure. Adults probably know that.

Speaking of CrossFit, I did Grace recently:

30 Clean and Jerks for time (135/95)--3:18

It was pretty rad.

I am also trying to get better at handstand pushups. I can do maybe three correctly. Better than zero!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Franemies

2012-01-30T21:56:00.000-05:00

I hear your name and my stomach drops.
Those little butterflies of insecurity flutter.
I remember you.

The last time we met, you kicked me to the ground,
Heaving and gasping for air.
I vowed to never care about you again.
But I do.

And when I waited for you today, I told myself it was alright.
I wasn't going to let your overbearing sense of superiority get me.
And it didn't.
And I killed you.

Take that, Fran.

- Alison, January 30, 2012.

So I will be the first to admit that I surely deserve some sort of poetry award for that tome of awesomeness above. I mean, seriously.

For those of you who are about to report me for killing someone named Fran, fret not. She is just the evil mother of all workouts in CrossFit. Here she is in her entirety:

"Fran"
21-15-9
Thrusters (95/65)
Pull Ups

No one likes her. She is hard. She is fast. She is purely wicked. And today I finished her in 4:46 as prescribed. Previous best you ask? 5:53. Boo to the ya. I am so excited I just had to share. I know, I need to get a life. No one knows this more than I.

I also pr-ed on my one rep max for deadlift today. 255. Last year at this time, I couldn't even pickup an EMPTY laundry basket because I had hurt my back so badly. Improvement? I think so.

Three years of CrossFit have been good to me. I leave you with this because it made me laugh hysterically:

I need a wine glass like that STAT!

FRANTASTIC!

What the What?

2012-01-22T17:16:00.001-05:00

This past week has been slightly unusual for me and I don't like the trend it set. You see, CrossFit is hard. For everyone. It doesn't matter if it is your first day at the gym or your 600th WOD, it is hard. You get better, but as you get better, you get stronger, you move more weight, faster, better. It never gets easy and that is one of the reasons why it works so well. I have come a long way from my very first WOD (Fran but with a 30# bar and ring rows---it took me well over 10 minutes) but it is still hard.

Your body gets tired. You get sore. Your old injuries sometimes rear their ugly head. You wake up wondering how you are going to manage to get through the day using only your t-rex arms. But your body repairs itself and as long as you listen to it, your body will recover. Sometimes that recovery takes longer than you think.

Sweatbands do nothing to make you less tired, unfortunately.

I guess you could say I am used to the cycle of working hard and recovering. I started doing mobility everyday in the morning to help my body recover better. I have started taking more rest days to try and let my shoulder heal. But this past week...it was tough. Several things happened that made me think those immortal words of Roger Murtaugh from those wonderful Lethal Weapon movies:

I really am.

I know, I know. Those of you that read this who are older than me are just going to tell me to suck it up. I don't care. The list of the following happened to me this week:

1) When I got out of bed on Monday morning, every single joint from my shoulders down popped.

2) DTM heard me getting out of bed Monday morning, observed my bent over body trying to straighten up, and said "Well, you are turning 30 soon." If I could have reached my cane faster, I would have beaten him with it.

3) Later that week, when trying the new method of teaching kipping pull ups, I had a hard time getting going because I was so stiff. Judd actually asked me what was wrong and if I was broken. Sadly, nothing on me hurt that day, I just couldn't move.

4) My hips crack when I getup from sitting down. Every. Single. Time.

5) This might be the clincher: I started listening to WTOP, the news channel, on the radio because I couldn't stand any of the music being played on any of the other channels. That is when I became truly concerned about my "condition."

I am not sure why all of a sudden I am having a hard time getting moving. I am blaming it on the cold weather. Yep. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

It still doesn't explain WTOP.

Anyway, I managed to drag this decrepit body through a few WODs this week.

Tuesday's was fun:

50 DUs
21 Power Cleans (135/95)
40 DUs
15 Power Cleans
30 DUs
9 Power Cleans

As prescribed, I finished in 7:23. I love Power Cleans.

Friday's was fun too. Mostly because it involved Front Squats.

Front Squats 3-3-3--all at 165. Not too shabby.

Then:

30 G2O (95/65)
30 Jumping Ring Dips
30 Burpees
30 DUs

Finished as prescribe in 5:58. That was rough.

Here's hoping to a more mobile week!

Trendsetter...or Follower

2012-01-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

As you all know, I am probably the least fashionable/least knowledgeable about fashion person you know or read about. In fact, I routinely look through my favorite magazine (no, not US Weekly...though it is a close second), Real Simple saying things like:

"Who in the WORLD would pay $70 for a PONYTAIL holder?"

Seriously. It looks like a bug exoskeleton.

Or:

"Why on EARTH would I spend $279 on an end table YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE?!?!?!?!"

I would spill my wine when trying to set it on this because I couldn't see it. We all know that is just alcohol abuse...

So it shouldn't come as any surprise when I wear relatively old gym clothes. Sure I get new ones, but I don't necessarily care what the newest and best apparel is for two reasons:

1) It takes a long time for me to be convinced that something is awesome enough for me to part with any amount of money. (Unless it is tacos. Then you have me at "tacos.")

2) If I can't order it online, that means I have to go shopping at a store, and we all know how I feel about that.

However, sometimes things need to be replaced. My very loved, very used gray Adidas shoes with pink stripes were beginning to get so worn, I looked like a hobo. My pinkie toes were peaking out the sides. No tread existed on the bottom. It was only then when I began to collect information on maybe, possibly getting a new pair of shoes.

Now, if you talk to CrossFitters, they have no limit to their opinions on pretty much everything, including footwear. The "new" (read: not really that new, I am just slow on the uptake) wave is the minimalist shoe. I already know that I could not wear Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. I have nothing against them, but I am absolutely certain my feet, toes specifically, would hate them. I can't even wear toe socks, so toe shoes were out. I did notice, however, that many people started wearing other types of minimalist shoes. Shoes with barely any sole and minimal cushioning but still had the shape of a traditional shoe. Now, I know that running shoes are just fine for CrossFit and they get the job done. I also know they can affect lifting movements because of the amount of cushion in the heel. I wanted to try the minimalist shoes just to see what the big deal was. However, they were just a little too much for me to just waltz into the nearest Dick's Sporting Goods and purchase them without some extra information.

Lucky for me, many of my friends wear them at the gym. Specifically they wear New Balance Vibram minimalist shoes. I shook pretty much all of them down for info. The conversations pretty much went like this:

Me (with absolutely no warning): "Do you like those shoes?"
Unsuspecting member: "Um, hey Alison. Sure, I like them."
Me: "Why? What makes them better than your old shoes?"
UM: "They are really comfortable-"
Me: "Really? Even when you run in them? I hear they make people's calves hurt."
UM: "Well, mine were a little stiff for the first couple but then I got used to them."
Me: "What about lifting? Have you notice a difference?"
UM: "Um, I can stay on my heels more."
Me: "What size do you wear?" (Usually I only asked the girls this, in hopes that they wore my size so I could on their shoes. Yes, I know trying on someone else's gym shoes is gross. No, I don't care.)

And on went such conversations, with me rapid firing questions at the UM's who try to answer my questions while jumping rope for warm up. Those poor people were nice enough to answer my questions, but none of them have my Hobbit-sized feet. So I faced the inevitable. We went to Dick's Sporting Goods.

And I tried some on. Pink and gray of course.

I want a pair in every color.

And they fit.

And were comfortable.

And now I can't wear anything else.

I am like the Cinderella of CrossFit. Except without the mice and magic pumpkin. And Fairy Godmother.

So I have used these shoes for almost a month and I can't say enough about how much I love them. In fact, I credit them for my new 2 max rep PR in Back Squats: 215. That's right. I have magic shoes.

They also helped me in the WOD I did yesterday that was this:

40-30-20-10
Pull Ups
Double Unders
Overhead Squats (65/45)

Because I am sick in the head, I chose to do the men's weight for the OHS, because, you know. They're OHS. I did everything else as Rx-ed and finished in 22:32. Not too shabby. I never dreamed I would ever be able to do 100 Pull Ups. Ever. How cool is that?

Year 3

2012-01-04T12:40:00.000-05:00

Today is our 3 year CrossFit-versay. 3 years ago today, DTM and I went to CFTC for our intro classes and got thoroughly destroyed. Like many before us, we got hooked and made it a part of our lives. At the time, I did not realize just how much a part of my life it would become. Totally weird.

Not only has my body changed for the better, so has my health, my stress, and my attitude (well, mostly...) Most days I feel like this:

Lieven took this picture. It is for my bio here.

Some days I feel like I got hit by a truck. Still. I tell people CrossFit never gets easier, it just sucks less, but that is kind of a lie. I tend to recover more quickly but today. Today I am sore and tired. Which I think is kind of ironic since if CrossFit sucks less over time it should be easy by now right? HA! Nope.

Anyway, I looked at my goals from last year and they seem rather pathetic. In fact, I really didn't achieve any of them. Here they are:

- Complete 6 classes in Kinesiology. I finished 5 of them. All A's too.
- Do a muscle up and complete a WOD with them. Did not happen. I am getting good at jumping muscle ups though. In all fairness, I didn't work on them.
- Deadlift 300#. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
- Earn my Level 2 Cert. It isn't an option because HQ is still "Working on it." I did take the Coaches Prep Course. It was awesome.
- Master Ring Dips. I didn't master them but I can do them unassisted now.
- Bench press my body weight. I can do this but it isn't important to me anymore.
- Maintain a Paleo diet. Done.

I decided this year I am not going to set goals based on physical performance. Not that I don't have those goals. Would I like to deadlift 300# some day. I would like to do muscle ups. But you know what? I don't care about when it happens. I would also like to do handstand pushups.

I also noticed that my goals changed throughout the past year as well. I decided I wanted to be a full time trainer and now I am one. I decided that I would give my body a chance to heal and while it isn't always easy, I am trying to do that. I don't care so much about how many classes I complete, because that really doesn't give me the knowledge I need to be a better trainer.

This year I am going to go about things a little differently. I would like to earn some more certifications. I am not just talking about CrossFit stuff too. I would like to get the USAW Olympic Lifting cert. I would like to be more knowledgeable about how to help people suffering from injuries train safely. DTM and I are trying to stick to Paleo better. We do mostly but DTM was on the fence and now he is all in. We even got a food processor.

Also, a muscle up would be super.

Happy CrossFit!!!!

A Long, Hard Year

2011-12-29T12:10:00.001-05:00

Here we are at the end of another year, staring 2012 in the face. Much has happened since January and all of it has made me grow in every aspect of my life. While not all of it has been the best time ever, I know that I am better for it. A better trainer, a better person.

In January, I hurt my back. Doing deadlifts. Because I made a tiny mistake with very heavy weight. It took me the better part of the year to get my lifts back up to where they were. It was a good practice in patience, of which I have very little. Not only did this injury affect all my lifts, but it made me take a step back on things like box jumps and KB swings. I simply could not tolerate heavy weights and pounding movements. Quite humbling. I also started classes towards earning my Bachelor's in Kinesiology.

Learning to deadlift again....

February passed in blur, where I really tried hard not to hate myself too much for not being able to do much at the gym. I did finally go to the doctor to try to fix my back, but the process was long and slow and only started here. The good news was that I couldn't lift anything heavy, like a laundry basket. So, you know, I got out of doing laundry...

March brought about the birth of my wonderful nephew. He is such a joy and I don't see him enough!

One of my most favoritist people ever.

April brought the challenge of hanging in there with school. I went into the semester not really worried about whether school would be too hard, because I knew I could do it. I already earned a History (re: mostly worthless) degree and even though I was tackling a science degree, I knew I could do it. What I didn't know is that I no longer have any sort of tolerance for stupid teenagers, unprepared people, and time wasting of any kind. Duly noted. This observation would come in handy later on in the year. It was also around this time that I was accepted into George Mason University's Kinesiology Program, thanks to the help of my friends.

May brought with it a 5k race. I had vowed never to run in a race again because I absolutely hate running, but I could not pass up this opportunity. It was to raise awareness and funds for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. I got to run it with some wonderful friends. My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes and I did just that. 29:21. DTM and I also visited his mom in Florida and we all went to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which may have been the best thing all summer.

Butterbeer: Delicious and nutritious.

At the end of May, I took the next step towards earning my CrossFit Level 2 certification. I took the Coaches Prep Course, which turned out to be fantastic. I learned so much there and had the honor of meeting Chris Spealler, Adrian Bozeman, and Miranda Oldroyd. They are some of the nicest people I have met, with a gift for training trainers and a genuine passion for helping us become better.

June brought about the Spartan Race. This was a super fun obstacle course that was infinitely harder than the Warrior Dash DTM and I did last year. Again, I got to run it with friends, which made it even better. Sadly, DTM didn't participate in this one, but I know he will do it next year.

This might be my fave picture from the whole day. Terrible.

July brought about a new opportunity. I started an internship program with CrossFit Bethesda in hopes of becoming a better teacher. I had already learned a ton by coaching for a year and a half at Tysons, but it was the only box I really had ever been at and I wanted to expand my experiences in hopes of building on my own knowledge. It was then that the idea of becoming a full time CrossFit trainer entered the periphery of my consciousness. The start of my time at Bethesda was marked by frustration, mostly because I was shown my weaknesses not to just myself but in front of everybody else. While this has made me better in the long run, it was highly uncomfortable.

August is our anniversary and this year we celebrated 6 years of marriage. While our life together has not always been easy, there is no one else in the world I would rather face it with than DTM. Even when things are crashing down around us, he is there helping me rebuild. Slightly less exciting is that I finally mastered double unders. You're jealous, I know. Also, my father had knee replacement surgery and I was able to visit him shortly afterward. The amount he has progressed since then is absolutely amazing! I am so proud of him.

September was my final month of interning at Bethesda. Also, I ran yet another 5k. I have no idea what was wrong with me. This one was for 9/11, so it was kind of a big deal. I also started school. I took two classes my first semester at Mason: Nutrition and Kinesiology 101. I thought both were going to be awesome. I was only half right. DTM and I also tried playing polo. On horses. It was fun!

Our bike helmets make the outfit.

October brought about many things for me. As with many things in life, not everything worked out the way I had envisioned. I started as the newest full time trainer at CrossFit Bethesda mid October and it has been great! I have enjoyed getting to know the members and have become more and more confident in myself as a trainer. There are still many things I need to work on, but overall my life has taken a turn for the better. DTM and I also ran with our homies in the Tough Mudder in Wintergreen, VA. That was a huge challenge! We all made it through relatively unscathed, though DTM sliced his hand open pretty well and we had to visit the ER. Here we are in our finish line glory:

I love these people. Except the guy on the right in the jeans. I have no idea who he is.

November was a whirlwind of classes, work, and holiday fun. My family came down to visit for Thanksgiving and I had a ton of fun cooking them food and taking them to the National Zoo. It was my nephew's first zoo visit. He is adorable and I am so glad they could all make it down!

Gramps/dad is taking the photo! Yes, Miles is wearing a lion hat.

And December. What a month. I finished my first semester at Mason. We had a funeral and a wedding, Christmas and work in between. It will be over in a couple of days and while I enjoyed the time with my family and friends, it will be a relief when we start the new year.

Overall, DTM and I had a good year. We got to experience many new things together, some joyous, some harsh. Much of what we had to deal with taught me patience, both with my body and its ability/inability to heal and with life planning. I spent great times with family and friends and I am lucky to be a part of their lives. This year was very hard, but good and I can't wait to see what the new one brings!

Christmas Wedding Vacation

2011-12-20T11:52:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I experienced the wild and wonderful Wyoming. Oh wait, that is the catch phrase for West Virginia. I know nothing about Wyoming except it is out west by the Rockies and Laramie, WY was a stop on the Oregon Trail. I know this because I usually either died of dysentery OR my oxen drowned while fording the river around that leg of the journey. In fact, that computer game is littered with my tombstones.

How sad. Or fortunate. Have you ever been to Wyoming in winter?

Why was I in Wyoming? That is a fantastic question. We went for DTM's brother's wedding! We flew out to Denver, CO and then drove to Laramie from there with DTM's mom, step-dad, and two aunts, both of whom I have never met. One of the aunts also brought her significant other. It made for a very full Suburban.

I hate to say this but I was not looking forward to the trip for several reasons, none of them having to do with the wedding. You see, I hate traveling. Hate it. I hate driving to the airport. I hate waiting in the security line. I hate waiting to board. I hate being shoved in the middle seat, as I almost always am, and having to passive aggressively arm wrestle the fat guy next to me for some arm rest space. I hate waiting to deplane. I hate waiting for luggage. I absolutely hate riding in the car for longer than an hour. Lucky for me, it was a 3 and a half to 4 hour flight and a 2 hour drive. I was just a ball of joy when we finally got to the hotel.

When we reached the hotel, I felt sure we were being filmed for some campy Christmas Wedding movie. As we were unloading the giant vehicle we rented to get all of us to Laramie, a campy Christmas wedding song was playing in the lobby. It was surreal and I was channeling Chevy Chase.

We went about our various wedding duties to prepare for the big day, which only added to my stress because I had to meet new people. I get very anxious about meeting new people. I know, I am a hott mess. The only thing that kept me from not completely losing it was the fact that this was for a wedding. DTM's brother was marrying one of the nicest, most wonderful people I have ever met and I was NOT going to cause a scene.

The big day went off without a hitch. Here we all are in our wedding finery. Other than my sister's wedding dress, Beth (the bride) wore the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen.

We are a good looking bunch!

This trip also made me learn a few things about myself:

Apparently, somewhere along the lines I became Captain CrossFit. My bag needed to be searched because the TSA agents thought my taped lacrosse balls I brought for my back were highly unusual.
If under great enough stress I will, in fact, drink red wine. And like it.
Tremendous amounts of turbulence makes me sicker than a dog.
I still don't know when to keep my mouth shut. The following actually happened during the cake cutting:

Me to DTM: "He better not shove that cake on her face and if he does, she should tell him he isn't getting any. Ever."

Her mother was right in front of me when I said this. And she heard it. Fantastic
I should always, ALWAYS pack gym clothes. I didn't and actually had a little time to workout. Working out in jammies is not that awesome. Especially when the workout is 100 burpees for time.
No matter how wonderful I think burpees are, doing them at 7200 feet is NOT the same as doing them in a low lying swamp. I think I am still catching my breath from that escapade.
I still hate traveling.

Best wishes to Beth and Patrick for their new life together!

The happy newlyweds!

CrossFitting through the Holidays

2011-12-14T10:44:00.001-05:00

3, 2, 1...SNOW!

It has come to my attention quite recently than DTM might be a little bit afraid of me. You see, around the holidays I become somewhat of a crazy person. This year I am a little more crazy because slightly more things are going on before the holidays. I also like to make Christmas treats. And they aren't Paleo treats either. I offer no apologies for this. I like baking and I like making sweets that my family likes and I am not Paleo-ing them up just so I feel less guilty about see how many of them I can shove in my face. I am not saying doing such things is bad, I just don't do it for the holidays.

Anyway, this past weekend I made some of the most exquisite treats known to man: the Buckeye. The Buckeye, also known as a peanut butter ball to those not in the know, is a creamy ball of peanut butter dipped in chocolate. Part of the peanut butter shows through at the very top of the confection, making it look like an actual buckeye. See, here is what I mean:

Poisonous tree nut.

Delicious candy confection.

Anyway, when making these delicacies, you roll the peanut butter mixture first, stick toothpicks in each ball, and then freeze them. I made a double batch because honestly, 3 dozen just aren't enough. I took one batch to my friend's house to make and left the other batch in the freezer on a cookie sheet. I MEANT to put the extras in the freezer in a tupperware container. But, as per usual, I forgot.

Enter DTM Monday night. I get home from the gym at around 9:30 and he meets me at the door. "Alison, I am so sorry," he says with a very dramatic look on his face. I had no idea what he was talking about, but immediately panicked as I thought something truly dreadful had happened. "What?!?!?! What happened?!?!?!" I shrieked.

"Come with me."

I followed him into the kitchen. There on our washer (yes, sometimes it doubles as a counter. And yes, it is in the kitchen) was the cookie sheet of Buckeye innards. "I opened the freezer and...and...they just exploded. EVERYWHERE!" I started laughing. I couldn't help it. He looked so anguished about dropping the peanut butter balls on the floor that all I could do was giggle, throw them away, and hug him. The Paleo god always has his revenge!

Upon recounting this story a couple days later, a friend remarked "Wow, he really is scared of you, isn't he?" I prefer to think he is just thoughtful. Or remorseful. He likes Buckeyes even more than I do.

In other news that has nothing to do with candy and everything to do with CrossFit, I PR-ed yesterday on Power Cleans. 135# I consider it a PR because I have no idea how much I could Power Clean.

I know this is going to make me sound like a typical CrossFitter that cares way too much about times and things, but I completely crushed this past Saturday's WOD. I have no idea where it came from.

Power Cleans (115/65) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Front Squats (115/65) 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

Then

Ground to Overhead (45/25) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Overhead Lunges (45/25) 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

As prescribed, I finished in 9:54. I took the approach of finishing 11 reps, putting down the bar and resting until I knew I could do the next 11 without stopping. Also, 65# Power Cleans and Front Squats are no longer heavy enough for me. Not bragging, just saying I need to up the weight. Noted.

Thirdly, I PR-ed on Annie again. You know, this one:

50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit Ups

8:15. Previous best was 10:09. I told you I would beat you when I finally found you double unders. Mwhahahaha!

Insane in the Membrane

2011-11-15T23:04:00.001-05:00

If you know me at all, you know that I am a crazy person. Not the "oh my goodness, I think she is unstable" crazy, but the "oh my gosh I made one mistake and my entire life is over" crazy. Some may call it neurotic, I just call it my standard MO.

Oddly enough, I feel like this cat looks quite often.

Sidenote: I just looked up that actual definition of neurotic and there is a whole host of issues that it could be, including perfectionism. Gee, great.

I like to do things right. The first time. And if I can't do them right the first time, well then I just fail at life and I deserve to just suffer endlessly for all eternity.

Trust me, living in my brain is no fairy tale. It isn't exactly a nightmare either. It is just...crowded.

What do I mean by that? I have lots of different people talking to me all the time. No I don't "hear" voices. They just talk to me in my brain. Let me explain. One voice that I hear frequently is my mother. She usually gives me sound advice during my decision making processes. She also commiserates with me when I am feeling particularly anxious. Another voice I hear is my dad, telling me to chill out. He also gives sound decision making advice. DTM's voice is in there too much of the time, reminding me to do things because I forget a lot of stuff, like library books and my lunch. The most prevalent voice? Mine. Except it is the mean version of me. The one that says the nastiest things to myself. Things like I am going to be laughed at or reprimanded or fired for the way I do things. She tells I am not good enough at my job or school or life in general. She finds every tiny, negative thing I do and brings it to the forefront and highlights it. Endlessly. She also tells me that I look terrible a lot, but she is totally lying. I look fabulous in my new Athleta capris and I know it.

Lots of times I tell her to shut the hell up. But there she is. In my head. Picking. Picking. Picking. Until I want to rip her out and beat her with a sledge hammer. Unfortunately, if I do that, I will have to bash my own brains out and as mean as she can be, I like my life.

Seriously.

So what do I do? I make DTM and my two other wonderful friends listen to me and talk me down. And I write. Much of what I write doesn't end up on here because, let's face it. No one wants to read about emo CrossFit. PS, I just Googled that phrase and nothing interesting came up. How sad.

I also ignore mean Alison a lot. And when I can't get her to shut up through ignoring her, I lift heavy things.

Like today. Today we front squatted. 5 sets of 5 reps for work sets. I PR-ed for 5 reps at 175#. That shut her up a bit.

And then we did an 8 minute AMRAP of:

1 Hang Power Snatch (75/55)
1 Overhead Squat

I did 66 rounds as prescribed.

That felt good. She is still picking at me, but she is out of breath and her voice is much less shrill. Hopefully she will be completely hoarse by tomorrow. Serves her right. Jerk.

Oh....I hope we do jerks tomorrow!

I'm Bringin' Sexy Back

2011-11-10T11:48:00.001-05:00

One of the major risks in doing CrossFit is thinking your hands are absolutely invincible. In most of the movements you have to use your hands, which means that you totally build up some rockin' calluses. You may not notice these calluses but you do realize your hands are getting tougher. However, you DO notice these calluses in two situations:

1) You find yourself shaking the hand of a very nice sales associate at Macy's because he provided some of the very best customer service you have ever experienced and realize that your hands are as rough as a lumberjack's. And you're a girl.

2) You rip one off doing pull ups.

Oddly enough, both things happened to me in the past 2 days.

The Macy's sales associate handshake was no big deal. I just realized how very rough my hands have gotten over the last few years and was proud that my hands are so used to working out that the calluses haven't ripped off in at least a year.

That is when I should have knocked on wood.

As always, pride cometh before fall. Between Tuesday's and Wednesday's workouts, I did approximately 120 Pull Ups. One callus on each hand ripped when I had only 5 Pull Ups left of Wednesday's WOD. They look something like this now:

Yes, I grip the bar too tight.

Doesn't hurt at all, why do you ask?

Because I had to teach after this happened, I stuck a band aid and some tape on each hand and went about my business. One the way home after work, I texted DTM (at about 9:30pm) and asked him to please brew me up two black tea bags so I could place them on my wounds and let the tannins work their magic.

He was nice enough to make me the tea bags. He also made me soak my hands in peroxide before the tea party happened. That jerk. He said my name calling was better than MRSA. He is probably right. That doesn't mean I liked it though.

Afterwards, he helped me wrap my hands with antibiotic, band aids, and wrap. I looked basically like this:

I couldn't move my fingers. Taking out my contacts (which I should have done earlier but didn't) was a challenge. So was brushing my teeth. No, I didn't plan very well. When I wailed "I LOOK LIKE A BURN VICTIM!!!" all DTM could say was:

"I don't know, babe. You're bringing sexy back."

It's true. I was.

No, I don't have the receipt!

In other news, I have been crushing workouts lately. Here was Wednesday's:

21-15-9-15

Power Cleans (95/65)

Pull Ups

THEN

50 Burpees

I was shocked to find out the Power Cleans felt amazing, the Pull Ups weren't bad (up until the last 5), and the Burpees were phenomenal. That's right, folks. You heard it here first. Burpees and phenomenal in the same sentence. I finished in 12:51.

Things I Don't Understand: Running Skirt Edition

2011-11-06T10:45:00.001-05:00

The list of things I don't understand is endless. This is no surprise to anyone. For example: Why can I only keep my kitchen floor clean for approximately 3.2 seconds after I mop it? Why, as a fairly responsible person, do I ALWAYS fail to return library books on time? And why, WHY, do teenage girls think it is ok to wear Uggs and shorty shorts? You are neither in the Arctic nor in the tropics. Did you wake up and decide your feet were freezing but your knees were hot? Do you have a pair of jeggings and some flip flops to change into in case your feet get too toasty and your knees turn blue from the cold? Anything that Britney Spears wears (or does, for that matter) is not a good life choice. Today it is Uggs and shorts. Tomorrow you could be shaving your head and beating cars with an umbrella. In your Uggs and shorts. Nothing good can come of this.

Oh....pink AND shiny!

This brings me to another thing I don't understand that has only recently been brought to light. Being that I am at the gym pretty much all the time (since I work there and all), I have had the benefit of doing "clothes shopping" while working. Some of our members have the CUTEST outfits ever. One of them gets many of her items from the Athleta company. Every time I ask her where she got her shirt/pants/capris/etc. she always says Athleta. Yesterday, she brought me her Athleta Winter 2011 catalog and I must say, I could pretty much purchase and wear anything in it. This is the first catalog I have ever seen that has put together such cute outfits that I would actually wear. Really. There are some anomalies however.

The catalog was open on our dining room table this morning while I was making a Christmas Wish List that included the entirety of its contents when DTM sat down opposite from me and looked at one of the pictures. I, too, had been examining the picture. It was of a woman doing kettlebell swings and it wasn't a baby kettlebell either. Here were my thoughts:

1. Wow! A girl doing kettlebell swings with a real weight! In a yoga apparel magazine! Cool!
2. Wait...is she wearing a skirt?

DTM verbalized this:

1. Is she swinging a kettlebell?
2. IS SHE WEARING A SKIRT!?!?!?!

This is why we belong together.

Indeed there was a fit looking model, doing kettlebell swings, wearing this:

What? Why? How? I just don't understand...

It was then that DTM started asking me questions that I couldn't answer. Such as: Why would you even need a skirt over the pants? Are they sold together or as separates? Why in the world would you wear a skirt to workout? What happens if an errant swing gets caught in the skirt? I had no answers. I can't even run in shorts without having my thunder thighs create so much friction I could start a forest fire. I can't even imagine the friction possibilities available when running in a skirt. Sure the capris would help the friction issue, but they make the skirt just an extra piece of useless fabric flapping around my waist and slowing down my already glacial pace. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?

That being said, they are super cute and I could totally see myself wearing it around to run errands. And when I say "run" errands, I mean casually stroll around where ever it is I have to go.

One thing is for sure, though. I would NOT pair them with Uggs.

Regularly Learn and Play New Sports

2011-10-11T17:11:00.001-04:00

Oh CrossFit, you are a cruel mistress with your mantra of "work your butt off then go do something new." Well, I have been working my butt off and I decided that it was time we try something new. This whole excitement of trying something new swept over me when I saw a Living Social deal for Polo Lessons. You know, the horseback riding sport? Yeah. So what did I do? Bought them for not only myself, but DTM as well. You should know that he has never, ever been on a horse. But he let himself be talked into polo lessons.

So one nice September afternoon, we drove out to Where the Hell Am I?, VA and took our polo lesson.

There were 6 of us in the class and only one other guy for poor DTM to hang with. He totally got talked into it by his wife as well, I am sure of it. Before we got to the actual horse part, we spent some time on the ground practicing hitting the polo balls.

Gabi (in white) teaching us how to play.

We practiced that for a while and then we were introduced to our noble steeds.

They were unamused.

DTM was given the slowest horse since he had absolutely no horseback riding experience. Her name was Julietta. She liked to do 2 things: bite other horses' butts and crop dust everyone. My horse was named Pato. He was pretty cool, but he was also slow. In fact, because this was a beginner class all of the horses looked and acted like they were about to be "put out to pasture." We were told to be aggressive with them because they were just lazy. I think I would be lazy too if my sole job in life was to be accidentally and repeatedly hit with polo sticks by poor schmucks attempting to play polo.

We all mounted our rides and rode around the ring for a bit to get a feel for what we needed to do. Then we were given the polo sticks and hit some polo balls around. They looked like little baby soccer balls. And they were hard to hit. It wasn't exactly like the horses went galloping by them or anything. It was just you had to lean over to aim at and hit them and, even though I had my trusty bike helmet on, I just wasn't confident that I wasn't going to fall off and get trampled.

After some practice we scrimmaged. It looked a lot like this:

He was excellent. I was absolutely not.

The hardest thing, other than getting used to leaning over the side of a horse to hit a ball, was that you could only use your right hand to hold the polo stick. No switching. At all. My arm was TIRED!!!! We had so much fun though. It was really a great experience! I have no idea how people can play at full speed for any amount of time. It is truly an impressive sport!

Out team "won" the scrimmage. Here we are in all our victorious glory:

Ah, the things I talk him into.

What can I get us into next?

Some Reasons I am not Going to Finish School

2011-09-13T15:41:00.001-04:00

So here I am, barely 3 weeks into the new semester and I am already questioning if I can make it for the long haul. There have been a few minor irritants. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

1. My Kinesiology instructor says that people do not need to squat past a quarter squat and if they do, then they should kiss their knees goodbye. My eye started twitching. Don't worry, when he asked how many of us squat past that depth on a regular basis, I raised my hand and replied "Every time I go to the bathroom." Clearly I am making friends.

2. Some girls in my Nutrition class noticed my CrossFit Tysons Corner t-shirt and had the following conversation between themselves:

Girl 1: "OMG, do you see her shirt? Have you ever heard of CrossFit?"
Girl 2: "Yeah. Those people are crazy."
Girl 1: "I have seen some of their videos online. They do weird stuff."
Girl 2: "All of the women look like men."
Girl 1: "They really are too intense."
Girl 2: "Yeah, it really isn't healthy at all."
Girl 1: "No, and it isn't safe."

Now, I was already having a bad day and these two girls were not making it any better. I was not involved in the conversation other than hearing their take on CrossFit and I still am not sure if I acted appropriately. I didn't say anything and it took an enormous amount of restraint. If I would have said something, it would not have come out nice and that doesn't benefit anyone. However, I would like to say this: If you have never actually TRIED CrossFit or talked to a competent instructor, then you should do so before you decide it is unhealthy. Also, I don't look like a man. Thanks.

This is an example of how some idiots make CrossFit unsafe.
I can guarantee you this would not happen on my watch.

3. I had to take a mandatory online course about the dangers of alcohol. I just finished it, actually. And it told me of how a big change like going to college can really be stressful and that drinking alcohol is NOT the way to deal with stress. Also, I should never drive drunk or accept alcoholic beverages from people I don't know. Finally, "no means NO." I realize that these can be real and present dangers for real life college kids, but a married 29 year old who lives in her own apartment and works a few jobs does not need coaching on this subject. Besides, I only drink at home. It's cheaper and you don't have to drive anywhere. Duh.

Me!

These are all irritations and not reasons to not finish school. I am, however, wondering if this is going to make me a better teacher. I know time will tell, but being a better coach is all I am worried about. A little more knowledge never hurt anyone, but I don't want to waste time in classes that aren't going to benefit me directly and immediately. PS, all I have learned in Nutrition class is to not believe the fad diets ads we see on tv. And even then, I already knew that.

You too can lose 65 lbs with just a few clicks in Photoshop!

Hopefully this will not be a waste of time and I will get something out of it. If not, I can always change direction. I have before and I most likely will again. The only difference this time is that I know what I want for shizzle and I am going to get it one way or another.

Now, as for my unhealthy CrossFit related pursuits, I have done a few things recently:

1. I finished Helen at 12:12 as Rx-ed. 3 Rounds of 400m Run, 21 KB Swings (16kg), 12 Pull Ups. Not bad and definitely better than my last attempt.

2. I PR-ed on Filthy 50, finishing at 30:08. Unfortunately, Caleb, a studly trainer at Bethesda, did the WOD after me and finished in 15:53. I cried a little. Watching him was fascinating.

3. I am still holding strong at the 125# Overhead Squats.

Also, my shoulder has been killing me softly and I love my morning classes. They continue to be awesome!

Shut Your Face

2011-08-30T21:14:00.000-04:00

Here is my dad:

My dad, the superhero.

He wears a lot of hats, my dad. He is a husband to my equally wonderful mother (who I won't post a picture of because she might kill me), a super dad to me and my sister, and a fantastic GRANDPA to my adorable nephew:

See? Adorable.

He is a friend, a son, a brother,a golfer, a fisherman, a former principal, and, most recently, a knee replacement surgery patient. I mention this most recent hat because I went home to see him after he got it replaced, not knowing what I would find. As a kid, it is always hard to see your parents hurt, even when it is because of a surgery that will make things better in the long run. Also, I have seen pictures in my anatomy book of joint replacements and my skin crawls when I think about them! They saw your bones off. THEY SAW YOUR BONES OFF. Ugh. Now I have the heebie jeebies.

Anyway, my dad was doing well and trying to complete all of the exercises the doctor and physical therapists gave to him. There were a couple he needed help doing, so he enlisted my help.

There he was, laying in his bed in the ridiculous white compression stockings he has to wear to help prevent blood clots, when he started the excruciating movements. His knee was just replaced. He had to move it. Let me rephrase that. HIS KNEE WAS JUST REPLACED and HE HAD TO MOVE IT. Oh. My. Gosh. I can't even imagine how painful that is, even when on painkillers. So I helped him. And cheered. And when I told him to keep his hip anchored so he wouldn't cheat on a movement (I am all about form, you know) he said to me "SHUT YOUR FACE!!!!!!!"

Now, a year or two ago, that might have bothered me. You see, my dad is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He isn't cruel or mean. In fact, I can't remember a single time I have seen him truly angry or heard him yell. (Side note: I have seen him disappointed, which is way worse than angry.) So him telling me to shut my face may have hurt my feelings in the past. But that day it didn't. I have become used to people hating me, but not really hating me. It is part of the job I chose to do. I get told, on a fairly regular basis, that I am disliked. I get growls and grunts and swears. It is how I know I am doing my job. And it was how I knew my dad was trying his hardest to regain his mobility. I am so proud of him for doing those exercises! You have no idea. It would have been easy for him to not do them based on the fact that they were hard and excruciating. But he decided to do them anyway because he knows that they are how he is going to get better.

I had to leave and come back to Virginia, but on the day I left he was able to do all of those exercises correctly by himself. And on Monday, he graduated from using a walker to crutches. AND he can now go down the stairs to his Man Cave. How cool is that? And he will be back to this in no time:

Love you , pops!

In other, non-fascinating news, I did reach a new PR on Back Squat. 205. At least one of my New Year's Resolutions is met. So now I can deadlift as much as I back squat. I am crying a little bit on the inside.

Vortex of Insanity

2011-08-24T12:10:00.000-04:00

I never have enough quarters.

I don't know how I get myself into these things, but I do. I manage to continuously try to do too much and though I hate being busy and I have no idea what to do with myself when I get a little free time. Also, within the last year or so, I have been actively trying to reduce the unnecessary in my life to focus more on what makes me content. I don't want to waste my life here on Earth doing things that make me miserable. What? Yeah, CrossFit makes me miserable, but I like it anyway. So, I have been working to eliminate miserable things in order to restore some balance to life. I have spent enough time settling for the mediocre in the past. If I want things to change, no matter what they are, then I have to do it myself, gosh darn it. And I am getting there. Slowly, that is for sure, but I am there and it is awesome!

Before you start thinking to yourself "Geez, Al, your life must be one giant game of Candy Land where you skip through the Lollypop Woods before sledding down Ice Cream Slopes and then frolicking to the Candy Castle where all your minions elect you Grand Jujube! It must be like one big cotton candy dream!" stop it. Although, now I think about it, I could eat some cotton candy right now. I am pretty sure it isn't a good choice for a recovery meal though.

I need to make myself a lollypop crown.

As everything always is, eliminating the miserable is hard. It has caused me to occasionally slip into the Vortex of Insanity, which, incidentally, is NOT part of Candy Land. Life may slow down here pretty soon, or at least change a bit so I can avoid most of the Vortex. Exciting things are happening. School is officially starting (I am done with the prerequisites), shadowing at Bethesda is good, I can now do double unders, and DTM is still the best thing since sliced bread.

All in all, I am looking forward to a new chapter! Now, if only I could do something about the miserable traffic around here, it WOULD be like living in Candy Land! Or not.

Most importantly, I can do double unders now. Legitimately. Consistently. And because of this my new Annie time is 10:09. Annie is 50-40-30-20-10 Double Unders and Sit Ups. My previous PR time was 13:10.

Walkin' on, walkin' on broken glass....

I Must Protect this House

2011-08-06T13:59:00.002-04:00

I hate shopping. Let me rephrase that: I hate shopping for myself. If you ask me to go with you to shop for you, I will do so happily, mostly because I like the illusion that I have friends. I hate shopping for myself for a variety of reasons, but mostly it involves the selection and trying on of clothing. It irritates the hell out of me. This is absolutely NOT how I look when I shop:

I wonder how much wine she has had.

But I came to the realization this week as I was washing my 683rd load of laundry that was exclusively made up of workout clothes that I need more workout clothes. The ones I have are starting to get ratty because I wash them 683 times a week. But here is the problem. I can't just wear any sort of workout clothes. It isn't because of ego or because I like to look super fly in certain brands. It is because I have tried on all sorts of clothes from Wal-Mart, Target, Nike, New Balance, Adidas, etc. They don't fit properly because apparently my Hobbit frame is just too much for them to handle. I mean, the shirts are too bulky up top and the bottoms cannot handle all this jelly (bet you just LOVED that visual). The only brand of gym clothes seems to fit properly without riding up in certain areas and making me even more cranky than I already am is Under Armor. Of course.

I must protect this house. With quality, non-riding spandex.

So very begrudgingly and because DTM made me, I went shopping today. On a SATURDAY. When other people might be in the store. I was thinking about heading to the mall (which might have killed me) but then I remembered that hidden amongst all the construction on Route 7 here in Tysons, there was a Sports Authority. Thank goodness. Anytime I DON'T have to go the the mall on a Saturday can be listed as the best day ever. I went to Sports Authority. One of the most awesomest things about this Sports Authority is that it IS hidden by all the construction so no one wants to go there. Which means it is empty. Which means I won't have a panic attack looking for things while trying to dodge aggressive shoppers with screaming children who should be at home taking naps.

I headed straight for the Under Armor section and immediately found the tank tops a couple of girls at the gym have that I have been coveting. I also found some running shorts, sports bras, and spandex shorts that I needed. I grabbed my size of each, headed to a hidden dressing room that was always available, tried stuff on, made my selection (which included everything but those darn running shorts), checked out, and left. During this time, the following text message exchange occurred between DTM and myself:

Me: I may have just hit the mother lode.

DTM: Awesome!

Me: I may spend a little bit over what we budgeted.

Me (5 minutes later): If it is ok with you I am going to buy it all anyway because I am here and it fits.

Me (5 more minutes later): Don't even bother answering because I just checked out!

DTM (15 minutes later): Awesome!

Gosh, I love him. It literally took me longer to GET to Sports Authority than it did for me to find what I needed, try it on, and buy it. I call that winning. Also, I may be solely responsible for keeping Sports Authority in business. Here are the goods:

Total winning.

In other news, I bought myself a jump rope so I can work on double unders and the most I have strung together is 20. It is ok to applaud wildly.

Finally, I know I have mentioned this before, but my back squat is up to 195. That is super! I can't wait to get to 205!

PROTECT THIS HOUSE!

The Bane of My Existence

2011-08-02T20:56:00.000-04:00

No, not him.

I do hope Christian Bale comes to save me.

In a new turn of events in my life, I have been shadowing trainers and participating in classes at CrossFit Bethesda in an effort to be a better trainer. I have come as far as I can on my own and in order to take it to the next level, I need to be around other trainers and push myself out of my comfort zone in order to be better. The guys at CrossFit Bethesda are amazing. Not only do they know their stuff, but they are willing to put up with me so I can learn to be better. I know, right? I am not quite sure they know what they got themselves into.

However, it seems whenever I am there, the workout has at least one component that I have a really, really, REALLY hard time with. For instance, one night it was handstand push ups. I am not going to lie, before that night I could not remember the last time I even attempted a handstand push up, and with my shoulder being on the fritz, I was sweating bullets. I modified the movement and got through the WOD, but I was cursing to myself that I lacked the skill. The most recent WOD included double unders. Oh good. Lieven, one of the owners, talked me through some jumps before the workout and I strung together TWO in a row. This has never happened before and I was so excited I virtually assaulted him with a hug. This is surprising on a couple of levels: 1) Yes, I am just now able to string double unders together. I know I have been doing CrossFit for 2.5 years. Go ahead and judge. 2) I don't hug people. Ever. Poor Lieven.

Now, put a ton of double unders in a WOD and the only thing I can string together is curse words. Which is exactly what happened in the workout. I was so angry and somewhat embarrassed by my lack of double under ability that I could have used a sledge hammer afterwards. I finished the WOD as prescribed, but it was ugly.

Listen, I know everyone has some skill to work on in CrossFit. I just prefer to not show all of my weaknesses at once, thanks. I just know the next time I go there are going to be some ring dips. Yay.

In fact, I just made up a WOD and decided to call it The Bane of My Existence:

21-15-9

Handstand Push Ups
Ring Dips
50 Double Unders after each "round"

If this workout or anything similar to it ever shows up on the white board, I will be crying/swearing in the corner. It might look similar to this oldie but goodie:

ARE YOU CRYING? THERE'S NO CRYING IN CROSSFIT!!!!!!

In other happier news, I finished Jackie as prescribed in 10:39

Jackie
1000m Row
50 Thrusters (45)
30 Pull Ups

I also have vowed to work on my hspu, double unders, ring dips, and shoulder mobility. I have so much work to do. There's no crying in CrossFit. THERE'S NO CRYING!

How Many CrossFitters Does it Take to...

2011-07-20T14:55:00.002-04:00

To scrounge up some AA batteries and get a rower's screen back up and...running? Rowing?

We're not friends. We never have been.

I don't know what has gotten into me, but for some reason I decided to program two types of workouts that I absolutely hate this week. The first one was a kettlebell workout. I hate them. There, I said it. Kettlebells, I dislike you. You hurt me. And you're mean. And I would rather not deal with you at all, ever. But, alas, we're always going to see each other in the gym, so I might as well be the bigger person and incorporate you into my workouts. We used them for the "Arrnie" workout on Monday, which consisted of a ridonkulous amount of Turkish Getups, one armed Overhead Squats, and Swings. What is a Turkish Getup? Let me show you:

Ah, TGUs. More fun than rowing.

Then, today, I decided to use the workout "Jerry." Running and rowing. 1 mile run, 2k row, 1 mile run.That's it. The sight of it alone is enough to make me want to stab my eyeballs out, but we all need a workout like this every once in awhile. And everything was going peachy keen until two of our four rowers decided they were just not having it and went on strike midway through the morning workout. Awesome. It's only a 2k row, no biggie (that is sarcasm, in case you can't tell.) I am so lucky that my morning classes have a good sense of humor and are willing to work together to get the job done. While I was feverishly searching the gym high and low for AA batteries to replace the seemingly dead ones in the rower computers, my wonderful 6am class took it upon themselves to finish the workout even though they had to do the WOD components out of order. Carl took a big hit when he ran 2 miles straight and THEN rowed. Such a good sport. Then Kori and Michelle went to get us some batteries after their workout! Awesome!

Needless to say I was overly cranky by the time 7am rolled around. Two rowers and five athletes does not a happy trainer make. I had already changed the workout to make it a ten minute row instead of a 2k row, so at least we could do SOME rowing. Jane, however, remembered that her computer mouse, which was in her car, used a AA battery. With bated breath, Doug paired it with one of the dying batteries and resuscitated one of the broken rowers! Three rowers! Huzzah! And all was well. Well, that is until I got to the rowing portion of the workout and it hurt my back so bad I reverted to "Cranky Alison" and swore to myself I was going to smash the rower with the brand new 16lb sledge hammer.

Hulk HATE rowing. ::HULK SMASH::

Don't worry. I didn't ACTUALLY smash it. Just mentally. Also, I finished in 31:04. Did I mention I hate rowing?

In other fantastic news, I have a new PR on back squats. 3 sets of 3 at #195. Boo to the yah.

NamasDIE!

2011-07-03T12:32:00.000-04:00

I tweaked my back again earlier this week. The good news is that it wasn't so bad that I couldn't move. The bad news is it is persistent and nagging and doesn't go away with exercise (as it usually does). A heating pad and massive quantities of Advil didn't stave it off. REST didn't help. So after waking up this morning and still feeling like someone was punching me in the right kidney, DTM suggested I take drastic action.

"Go ahead and try Yoga X. It'll help!" And he trotted off to the gym to do some Olympic lifts.

So I did. I got dressed, rolled out our yoga mat, filled up my water bottle, and put on the P90X Yoga dvd.

I hated it. Every. Single. Second. And it wasn't the Tony Horton kind of hate either. You know the one: "I hate it but I love it!" No. There was no love. None. In fact, it did the exact opposite yoga is meant to do. I was angrier after I finished than when I started. It pretty much went like this:

This is 100% accurate.

I had to stop after about 40 minutes into it. It wasn't my lack of flexibility that was the problem. I know I am as flexible as a 2x4. It was that almost every single pose exacerbated my back pain. (My hamstrings and calves feel much better though, thanks.) I am not a regular practioner of yoga, but I am pretty sure swearing through the whole workout does not help the meditation process.

I know that as a general rule of CrossFit, if you hate something, you need to do it more. I also know that yoga is a beneficial strength and conditioning tool. However, I am not sure if I will whole-heartedly find the time to practice yoga more often. In fact, I know I won't. I would go so far as to say that if I knew there was a "Yoga Day" at the gym, I would probably skip it on purpose. Terrible, I know.

This being said, I will make a conscious effort to stretch more before and after workouts. And maybe, just maybe, try Yoga X again and make it past the 40 minute mark.

How DTM and I will NOT be spending our next vacation.

Here is what has been going on in my CrossFit experiences lately:

Friday, July 1

Filthy Fifty
50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping Pull Ups
50 KB Swings (16kg)
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press (45)
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Balls (20/12)
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders

I love this WOD even though it is really tough. I was very sore this day, but thought I would try it just to workout some of the soreness. I used the 20'' box for the jumps, as I find that they are easier on my back. I did everything else as prescribed, except Wall Balls. I used the brand new 14# Rage Ball Matt got for me! It was exciting. Finished in 30:24. As far as I can tell this is my best time to date.

Tuesday, June 28

I PR-ed on my Front Squats--155# Super!

Monday, June 27

Fight Gone Bad

3 Rounds, 1 minute at each station, 1 minute rest between rounds

Wall Balls (20/12)
Push Press (75/45)
Box Jumps
SDLHP (75/45)
Row (for Calories)

I used the 14# ball for Wall Balls, 45# for Push Press, the 20" box, and 45# for SDLHP. I also rowed more than 10 calories each round, with was pretty cool. The SDLHPs are the culprits that hurt my back. Thanks. I did get my highest FGB score ever though, at 278. Kristyn was my partner and she got more reps out of me than I would have doing it by myself. Her FGB score improved DRAMATICALLY! I am so proud! Our next goal: 300. Watch out, we're going to make it happen!

Have a happy 4th of July!

Namaste:-)

THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

2011-06-23T13:37:00.002-04:00

The people at CrossFit Tysons Corner never cease to amaze me. About a month ago, a few of us signed up for the Tough Mudder. We were all a little scared. I mean, it is a 10 mile obstacle course with obstacles like greased monkey bars over ice cold water and dangling live wires you have to sprint through. Sounds super fun, right? Right. Well, in order to conquer our obstacle fears, we decided to run the Spartan Race. We also decided to be volunteers for it so we could race for free! It was a Saturday full of fun, sun, and mud!

Here we are at the beginning. All shiny and clean.

For some reason I assumed my super hero stance.

We had some other team members that didn't quite make this photo. We started off strong, running and jumping and climbing. As volunteers, we raced in the last heat of the day, so the trail was fairly muddy. We climbed over cargo nets and hopped over logs and walls. It was like a Crossfitters dream come true.

Then came the barbed wire.

He has definitely done this before...

Here come the rest of us!

So....close....

Nothing is better than slogging through some mud under legit barbed wire on a hot Saturday afternoon. I am lucky I am so low to the ground! Belly crawling is my specialty. Oh, this, by the way, is after we had to traverse some monkey bars. I made it across, but just barely.

Then we made our way to the bucket brigade where we lugged buckets full of rocks around. It was just about as awesome as it sounds.

They look SO happy:-)

My mom is so proud.

After that, we made it to what may have been the worst balance beam ever. Many of the CFTC peeps made it across the balance beam! It was quite a feat. Two inches wide, wobbly, and muddy from all the other athletes. They pretty much rock! As for my performance, I am blaming all the extra mud weight. Ha!

No, I didn't make it. Why do you ask?

I fell off, which meant I had to do 30 burpees as a punishment. As much as I love burpees, they darn near did me in this day. The nice thing was that we were a team, so if one person had to do burpees, everyone else joined in.

From there we ran and leaped and hopped and shuffled and were shot at by a paint ball gunner (for real). We were crawling through a net cave (don't ask) while the gunner aimed at us, since we were pretty much sitting ducks, and fired at will. Halfway through our cave exploration, he had to reload, so we used that time to get the heck outta Dodge! We climbed over a HUGE cargo net and made it over some really tall walls and one really slippery wall. And then we rushed the "Spartans" at the end.

They were no match.

This might be my most favorite picture of the day!

Filthy, bruised, scratched, bleeding, but SMILING!

We all made it through together! It was such a fun day and a fun time, I would do it again in a second, which is good considering the Tough Mudder is coming up in October! We'll have a chance to do it all over again!

There is something to be said about the CFTC camaraderie. That is one of my favorite benefits from the gym. It isn't everyday you can say you ran a race this tough and made it through with the help of your friends!

Here we are in our finish line glory.

I can't wait to do it again!

Nervous Nelly

2011-06-01T13:03:00.001-04:00

I KNEW I was a superhero!

In case I haven't made it abundantly clear, I have a problem with anxiety. I used to take "chill pills" for it but I stopped those when my life took a change for the better and even though I seem to be MORE busy than I used to be, it is all good since I am headed in the right direction in my life. Knowing this let me relax a little. In full disclosure, I still have the chill pills just in case there is a situation where I need to appear cool, calm, and collected and I can't have a glass of wine or 2 to help me out.

I kid. It is more like 4 glasses of wine.

No really, I have an anxiety problem that rears its ugly head in one of the most embarrassing ways ever because I can't cover it up. I sweat. And I mean it isn't the dainty, glistening sweat of a proper lady. It is a full fledged POUR. I sweat so much I can feel it dripping down my back. And front. And sides. Oddly enough, I sweat a lot from my knees. When I am anxious, sweat pours downs my shins. It is all quite appealing and comely. Now, this anxiety issue always presents itself when I have to be the center of attention. Like when I am doing a software training for my job, for instance. There is a reason I wear black to these things. It is the only color that hides the sweat!

So a couple weekends ago, in order to be a better CrossFit trainer, I attended the Coach's Prep Course at Trident CrossFit in Alexandria, VA. This was a wonderful seminar and I highly recommend that any trainer take it. I learned a ton and would go back again. Really! That being said, it was horrible for me and my anxiety. Part of the course involves us teaching people we don't know while we're being evaluated. I realize that is the whole point. To be evaluated. To get better. TO BE BETTER. Whatever part of the brain that controls anxiety (what? I haven't learned that in A&P yet!) did not get that message and went into overdrive. (EDIT: It's the hypothalamus. You just learned something, didn't you?) I was sweating profusely though we did NOTHING to warrant it. It wasn't that hot, the movements were nothing that should elicit sweat. I was drenched. Streaming. And it didn't stop ALL DAY. I thought I was going to just melt right there at the seminar. Nothing says confidence like a drenched, stuttering trainer! Go me!

The CrossFit HQ trainers were the BEST. Chris Spealler was the lead trainer and he is kind of a big CrossFit deal. Also, the nicest guy EVER. Adrian Bozeman and Miranda Oldroyd were there as well and they gave such helpful advice and tips that there was no way I was going to leave there without being better. Like I said, I highly recommend it and encourage anyone to go. Fantastic!

Chris Spealler and his son Roark. Reinforcing the Nicest Guy EVER image.

So here are the most recent highlights in my CrossFit athletic endeavors:

Saturday, May 28

6 Rounds for Time:

Short Lap*
40m Frog Hops
40m Lunge
20 4-Count Mountain Climbers

* 2 laps must be run with a Sand Bag

Why yes, this WAS a Jason workout. How did you know? I finished this one in 40:09. All 6 rounds. That was my goal. I used a 40# Sand Bag for both of the Sand Bag laps. As always, the Frog Hops were brutal. The Lunges weren't too bad and the Mountain Climbers were ok. Would I like to do this one again in the near future? No thanks!

Wednesday, May 25

Helen

3 Rounds for Time:

400m Run
12 Pull Ups
21 KB Swings

So, this was disappointing. I was almost 2 minutes slower than my previous time. I did Kipping Pull Ups and used a 16kg KB. I believe my time was 12:24. Previous best 11:00. Barf.

Tuesday, May 24

Deadlifts and Hang Cleans

In a daring feat, I managed to Deadlift 135#!!! Wooohooo! I know this isn't a ton of weight (both literally and figuratively) BUT it is the most I have been able to lift in MONTHS. So excited. I also Hang Cleaned 95#. First time in a long time for that lift too. Super!

Wednesday, May 18

Cindy

AMRAP in 20 Minutes of:

5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats

My goal was 15 rounds doing Kipping Pull Ups and true Push Ups. I did 16 + 2 Pull Ups. Why yes, I am pleased with myself:-)

Now excuse me while I go towel off!

Death by Brussel Sprout

2011-05-17T20:18:00.001-04:00

jIH pe' SoH
(translation: I'll cut you!)

This is a story about how DTM almost got gutted by yours truly. And brussel sprouts.

First off, let me just say it was a normal day in our household. We came home from work, DTM was going to do a workout with his BFF, the 45 pound KettleBell (which needs a name, ps. Post suggestions to comments, please!), and I was going to start making dinner. We decided to have fish and brussel sprouts. Since this meal is eaten almost 50% of the time by us, I am really proficient at cutting them up and preparing them. We use a recipe in the Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson with Jennifer Meier. It involves roasting the sprouts with some butter. Totally yum.

DTM had picked up some of these delicious delicacies at our local Wegman's, his absolute favorite place on earth (he may tell you differently, but it's all lies!). They were HUGE. I have never seen bigger brussel sprouts in my life (I was going to shorten them to BS but then thought better of it). Here, let me show you:

So at what point are they just called "cabbage?"

I KNOW! I decided to gut these Hulk Sprouts right quick before they started getting all angry and I knew I wouldn't like them when they were angry. I was doing my thing, listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the 187th time, when all of a sudden I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn around, startled, to see what it was and DTM is SILENTLY standing there all stalker like, just watching me, grinning like a fool. I had a giant knife in my hand and he is SO lucky I ONLY screamed a little and didn't slash and stab! Never, ever, EVER sneak up on a girl wielding a knife. It could end poorly for you! I may or may not have said "If you do that again, I'll CUT YOU!" He laughed like a maniac and scampered away. ::Rolls eyes:: Boys!

Other than that, the brussel sprouts and fish were pretty good. We have been coating our fish (tilapia) in taco seasoning just because it is pretty tasty. I like it, anyway. That's good since we eat a whole school of tilapia every week!

On the whole I have taken a couple rest days. I am sore and pretty beat up from the last few workouts and I sat yesterday out. When I had trouble getting out of bed this morning, not because I was tired but just because I was sore, I decided to take today off too. Me doing this willingly is a sign I needed some rest. I will be back at it tomorrow, though!

And seriously, do yourself a favor and go get the Primal Blueprint Cookbook. Everything we have made from it is easy and delicious! Even brussel sprouts.

Oh, did I scare you with that Klingon picture? Let me make it up to you.

Brussel sprouts? Make it so!

Captain Picard! ::swoon::

I Just Felt Like Running...

2011-05-16T16:36:00.001-04:00

Momma always said stupid is as stupid does.

I ran a 5k on Saturday. Not just ANY 5k. It was the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition 5k in Reston, VA. I was also part of a team of amazing girls from Crossfit Tyson's Corner. Kari, gym owner and red head extraordinaire, suggested we create a team to help raise some funds for this coalition. She has been a part of this race for the last few years with her friend Lisa, who lost her mother to this terrible disease. One of the worst things about ovarian cancer is that it is a sneaky, sneaky cancer. Many times it isn't caught until it is too late. All the money raised for this event goes straight to ovarian cancer research. That is something I can get behind!

So we made a team and ran a race that was painful, but not as painful as what those families touched by this cancer have to go through. And not to be all melodramatic or anything, but that thought is probably what kept me going. I hate running. Hate it. Not one ounce of my body likes to run. I have run in other races, but stopped after awhile because I figured out that paying money to participate in something I hate really didn't make very much sense. This was a little different, however. Not only were we supporting a great cause, but we were part of a team, and that was what is super cool. Here we are in all of our finish line glory:

Glorious!

A pretty good turnout! If you haven't noticed, there are no men present. ::ahem, way to go guys:: I feel like our resident chef and food superstar Robin summed it up nicely (as we met up with her afterward at her market):

"If they aren't runnin' for our ovaries, we aren't runnin' for their prostates."

I laughed!

Anyway, my goal was to finished in under 30 minutes without stopping. I was a little nervous because my back had given me problems the entire week. We were visiting DTM's mom and I thought maybe it was because I wasn't sleeping in my own bed (though her guest bed is SUPER comfortable). I could hardly run 800m the whole week. Thankfully, I finished the 5k it in 29:21, though my back did not fare well. I woke up Sunday and it took me a good 30 minutes to get out of bed because of it. Neat. It is feeling better today!

Also, I did a workout yesterday at Open Gym that was awesome.

Sunday, May 15

For Time:
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Push Press (75/45)
3-6-9-12-15-18-21 Push Ups

You alternate between Push Press and Push Ups, so the first "round" is 21 Push Press, 3 Push Ups and the last "round" is 3 Push Press and 21 Push Ups.

I use 55# for the Push Press and attempted to do all true Push Ups. The last few Push Ups were UGLY. But, I finished in 10:20. I would LOVE to do this one again, even though I have t-rex arms today because of it. ::rawr::

Robin Sue, We Love You!

2011-05-06T16:29:00.002-04:00

via Big Red Kitchen's Facebook Page

OMG, you guys. Big things are happening for a pretty awesome lady at our gym. Crossfit Tyson's Corner's very own ROBIN SUE from Big Red Kitchen is in a TV commercial. A NATIONWIDE TV commercial. Actually, it is even better than nationwide. It is ALL OF NORTH AMERICA-wide! How cool is that?!?!?!?!

Robin wears many hats. She is a (super awesome) food blogger, science teacher, nurse, crossfitter, mom, friend, AND North America-wide superstar! If that wasn't enough, she is now a salonniere and her cooking salon is opening THIS WEEKEND at the Lake Anne's Open Air Market in Reston, VA! She is having an open house where she will demonstrate recipes and discuss entertaining ideas. This is a huge week and we could not be more happy for her!

You see, Robin has an amazing spirit. Her husband, whom she calls Himself on her blog, started at CFTC before she did and it took him a little while to talk her into coming. But once she started, she took off like a rocket! Over the past year she has come so far at the gym, so it is no surprise that she is rocking it in the food world as well.

Go check out her blog, sign up for her cooking salon, and prepare to make and experience some of the tastiest treats you may ever encounter. I can vouch for that. My family used some of her recipes for various functions and they NEVER disappoint. Never. I cannot say how lucky I am to have met her. She is inspiring!

Congratulations Robin! We are so proud of you!

The Skinny

2011-04-29T13:13:00.002-04:00

So I am no food expert, but DTM and I have been pretty closely following a Zone/Paleo Diet for the last year or so. We have been doing Zone for longer than that, but when the first Paleo Challenge occurred at Crossfit Tyson's Corner, I tried to stick more to that, though I do eat some (not a lot) cheese. And occasionally beans. ::Paleo god sad:: If you don't know much about the Paleo Diet, here is a handy Paleo Food Pyramid for reference:

No dairy! And no more happiness...

However, I like junk food. A lot. And just like everyone else, I regularly struggle with what I eat. Actually, let me rephrase that: I struggle daily with what I WANT to eat.

For instance, Wednesdays are super busy days for me. I teach the 6 and 7 am classes and go straight to school, with no shower or nuthin' in between (my classmates LOVE me). Sometimes I even remember a change of clothes. I DO, however, remember my super delicious strawberry chocolate protein smoothie since I am about to die of starvation after the gym. Sometimes after class I have to run errands, so before the errand running AND before I pass out (again, from starvation. What? It is a long class!), I stop at Chipotle for a burrito bowl. This is where I run into trouble.

Here is what I want to order EVERY. SINGLE. TIME: A burrito bowl with a lot of rice, black beans, and some pork. A little more pork. 2 scoops of tomato salsa. A scoop of tomatillo. Some cheese. A little more cheese. Sour cream. A little more sour cream. Just a little more sour cream. Finally, some more sour cream. Guacamole. And CHIPS! Don't forget the chips. And heck, throw in some extra sour cream. And a side of guacamole.

::SIGH::

This is what I actually order while I am inwardly fighting with the Paleo Angel (who, coincidentally, looks like DTM in a caveman outfit) and the Fatty McFatster Devil (who looks like a burrito now that I think about it): A burrito bowl, no rice, black beans (yes, I know, not Paleo), meat (usually chicken but sometimes steak), 2 scoops of tomato salsa, a scoop of tomatillo salsa, and guacamole.

I know deep down in my stomach, the way I usually order things is better for me and I feel better eating like that. But that doesn't stop me from WANTING copious amounts of sour cream and chips.

I would wear this t-shirt every day.

So anyway, ridonkulous sour cream cravings aside, life at the gym as been a little better for me. Thanks to scaling and rest, my back is feeling better and better all the time! The last few weeks have been very challenging. Here are some high points.

Wednesday, April 27

The Dumbbell Bear Complex

5x on the minute for 12 minutes:
Dead Lift
Hang Clean
Thruster

I used 30# dumbbells for these and it was challenging. I have a love/hate relationship with the Bear. I like that it is short enough that I can really push myself, but boy, do those minutes stink! I felt pretty good after this one, though.

Tuesday, April 26

Back Squats

Push Press

400m Human Carry

I am happy to say that I squatted 175# for my 3 work sets of 3 reps. This is my old max. I did hear/feel a Snap! Crackle! Pop! during one of them and was worried that I messed up my back real good. It is fine, shockingly enough! And before you yell at me, there was no warning. There was no feeling of pain beforehand. It just happened! I then Push Pressed 125# for the 3 work sets of 3 reps. A new max. Afterwards, I got talked into a 400m human carry where teams of 3 worked together to move 400m only having two people touching the ground at a time, meaning that the third was carried. Super fun!

Yeah, that is me being carried. Awesome. Also, I was the only girl. Shocking.

Friday, April 22

Fran

21-15-9

Thrusters (95/65)
Pulls-Ups

I did this as prescribed in 6:58 or 6:59. My PR is 5:53, so I am not too worried about the exact time. I was sort of bummed that I didn't do better BUT it was a Friday and I am always whipped then. That is not an excuse, just a fact.

In other news, I am going to what hopefully is my last A&P I class ever tonight. I have a test to take then I FINALLY get to go to a cook out at CFTC! Yay!

Pain and Suffering

2011-04-18T14:29:00.000-04:00

Nobody grows without a little pain and suffering. I mean, you have to suffer at least a little throughout your lifetime to grow as a human. No one is just born who they become in time. It is the lessons learned that makes you who you are. That being said, I have been learning a great many things this semester, both in the classroom and out.

Seriously. Get a haircut.

First off, being an adult student sucks (sorry, mom). It does. You are stuck in classes with whiny babies that think their life is SO hard because they have to get up for a 9:30am class. If that is the hardest thing that happens to you in life, then you have a pretty great life and a pretty lame work ethic. Also, your professors treat you like you are one of the whiny babies and lectures you on why you shouldn't talk in their class. Their main reason? "This isn't high school!" Awesome. BUT, I have to sit through these things to get to do what I want, so I just go to my happy place where I do burpees until my back feels better. Sick? Yes. However, mental burpees are better than regular burpees!

Secondly, having people to help you carry your burden is fantastic. This should have been a no-brainer. However, you see, I am a hands on person. I like to be in charge not only because I am bossy, but also because I know things will get done if I have a hand in it. Trust me, this was a huge issue all through my school career. This type of mentality meant that in groups projects, I got to do all the work. All of it. In fact, people wanted me in their group because they knew they wouldn't have to do anything since I would do it all for the A. Now, as an adult, I need help. I can't do everything. If I do try to do everything, I become one cranky girl. Help came at just the right time and although I am adjusting to it as best as my crazy brain can, it really is a Godsend.

Thirdly, grades don't matter. I know, right? If you know me at all, you know that if I don't get an A, I failed. Except in Math class where I really am just happy to pass. But the rest of my classes? It is an A or failure. Now, after some life experience, I can truly say that, yes, I will still work my buttocks off for an A BUT if I fail (read: get a B or less), I know it isn't from the lack of preparation.

If I get an A then a B, I'll have my initials!

So, yeah. Going back to school has been tough in more ways than one, but I know that it will get better. I know it will! And I have to suffer through it to get where I want to be.

That being said, I suffered a lot last week. It was a good kind of suffering though!

Friday, April 15

Partner WOD

3 Rounds:

CF1: Short Lap Run with Sandbag/CF2: Wall Sit
CF1: Bumper Run 6 Plates/CF2: V-Ups
CF1: 250m Row/CF2: KB Rack Holds
CF1: 20 Landmines/CF2: Plank on Rollers

1 800m 95# Sled Pull. Consecutive 800m. Switch as needed.

I did this 1.5 times. It took forever and I have no idea what my times were. I did the first part with Angela and she rocked it. She has come so far! I had to nix the sandbag on the runs though. After the first one, my back yelled at me. When I asked Angela if she minded said "Um, no! That means less Wall Sit for me!" Good attitude:-) On a different note, as much as I absolutely love sled pull, a mile of it is just a bit too much!

Thursday, 14 April

Back Squats/L Sits
Bench Press
Abs

So...I hurt my back showing how to do L-Sits. It wasn't too bad. It made me choose between L-Sits or Back Squats and of course I chose Squats. I made it up to 1 work set of 155. That is an improvement. I didn't get to bench because we were running out of time and I wanted other people to be able to do it. I also got to do Gladiator Abs for the first time and it was awesome! 3 Rounds of 20. Killa!

Wednesday, 13 April

10 Rounds:
10 Burpees
10 Pull Ups

I tried to do all Dead Hang Pull Ups, meaning I had to use Lil' Red. I used her for 9 of the 10 rounds and finished in 16:40. When Burpees are the easiest part of the WOD, you know you're in trouble.

Tuesday, 12 April

Dead Lifts
Push Press

Skill Session: Snatch Balance

I recorded my weights in my notebook but don't really remember what happened during this one!!

Monday, 11 April

5 Rounds:

400m Run
15 MBC
25 Ball Slams

This was tough. My legs were SO tired afterward. I tried to finish in less than 30 minutes, but I can't remember my exact time. Good thing I wrote it down in my notebook. I am suffering from memory loss. It comes with old age, I hear. I used a 16# Wall Ball for the MBCs (Medicine Ball Cleans) and the 20# for the Ball Slams. The running really and truly hurt my back.

I am looking forward to feeling better and performing better this week!

Beat Downs

2011-04-11T12:10:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had such a bad day that it turns into a bad week? Like, the kind of week where all you want is for it to be Saturday so you can just stay in bed and ignore people? That was my week last week. Here is probably what I looked like just about all week:

Go ahead and try whatever it is you're thinking. I dare you.

The biggest beat down of the week, which also happened on Friday night in my ill-chosen A&P class, was a lab test that really didn't adequately reflect what we were given to study. The funny part that night was after the test we had to take each others' blood pressure. Of course I was fuming out of control during the procedure and the following conversation ensued:

Shairna (who happens to be the best thing to come out of this dumb class): "120/85."

Me: "WHAT?!?!?!?! THAT IS SO HIGH!!!!! AUGGGGGH!!!!!"

Shairna: "Well...you're angry!"

Fair enough. I was. In fact, I was so angry I seriously though about going straight to the gym and pounding on the tire with a sledge hammer for a bit, but opted instead to go home and drink some wine. Topping off an overall frustrating week with a failed test (one that I did study for, mind you) was just a bit more failure than I could handle. I mean, I can handle a lot of failure. If there is one thing I am good at, it is failing!

I kid, I kid. You have to fail sometimes to learn. I just prefer to spread my failures out, not have them occur all at once.

Anyway, some good things did happen this week. First of all, I got the news from my dear Chiropractor that I am as healed as he can get me, though I still need to take it easy for a bit and modify the things that kill me the most. The bad part of that was that I have arthritis that isn't going to go away. However, I think I will be able to manage it better now. Who has arthritis at 29? Lame.

Also, I was able to do 65# Cleans and 24 inch Box Jumps without issues. I am pretty happy about that. I did add Deadlifts back in to my repertoire. I did a whopping 45#. Only 255# more to go to meet my goal....

Last week's WODs were fantastic. There were a few that I cannot wait to do again.

Friday, April 8:

The Chicken Coop:

No, that would be a chicken COUP.

Run Short Lap

50 Burpees

Short Lap

50 OHS (65/95)

Short Lap

50 Ring Rows

Short Lap

50 Front Squats (135/95)

Short Lap

50 Push Pres (95/65)

Short Lap

Rules:

- Each partner will do 25 reps of each movement

- Only one partner works at a time

- Only one bar per pair

- All runs are done together as partners

For this one, I was in a group of 3 with Jane and Jenny. I did all the lifts prescribed and did the Ring Rows with my feet on the medium black box (12 inches, I think?). We finished in 29:45. This one was super fun! (PS, it is called The Chicken Coop because the site we got it from had the runs as "Run to the chicken coop." I have no idea how long that run was, but any place with a chicken coop sounds pretty rad!)

Wednesday, April 6:

For Time:

400m Run

25 Pull-Ups (with Strap)

25 Burpees

400m Run

25 Sit Ups

25 Chest to Deck Push ups

400m Run

25 Jumping Squats

25 4 count Mountain Climbers

400m Run

25 Pull Ups (Strap)

25 Burpees

I used the blue band to help me with the strap Pull Ups. Geez louise, were those things tough. It was the Mountain Climbers that almost killed me though. I now heart Chest-to-Deck Push Ups and am going to try to do them all the time. I finished in 25:20.

That is all for now! I am hoping this week has much less failure!

Gimme a Break!

2011-04-03T14:24:00.000-04:00

I could probably crush 2 or 3 or 20 of these right now.

Sometimes all I want out of life is a nice, giant chocolate treat and a nap. Not necessarily in that order. You see, I hate being busy and running from place to place and thing to thing. Unfortunately, modern life seems to demand this. I fight it as much as possible, meaning I try not to leave my house for any reason except the gym on Saturdays and Sundays. Thank goodness DTM is the same way or he might really hate me. We like routine, we like things the same way each weekend, and a treat for us is buying steak at Costco and cooking it for Saturday night dinner. For whatever reason, that is how we reestablish our calm and recharge our batteries. I am thankful for this because I feel like I have been running on empty for some time now.

I spent the first part of last week in Ohio, with my sister and her beautiful baby boy, Miles. We did spend a lot of time relaxing on the couch and napping. Well, actually it was Miles that napped. Growing is hard work! I had a really great time at home and wish I could have stayed there for the rest of the week, knowing what was waiting for me when I got home.

The rest of the week was a rush of school work and work work. I got more tired and frustrated as the week went on and by the time I was done with school on Friday night, I was ready to throw in the towel on school for good. It did not help that I had a headache from the weather for the better part of the week.

Last night, however, made everything right with the world. I spent it was DTM, cooking steak and cauliflower, watching Animal House, and enjoying some white zinfadel (no judging!). It was just what I needed!

I managed to keep up working out when I was away. I opted for shorter, more intense workouts because I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Miles and my family. Also, my back decided it didn't like the change in routine and decided to spasm and working out really does make it feel better. Specifically, burpees. Lucky me!

Here were some of the workouts I did at home:

For Time:

400m Run
100 Squats
400m Run
75 Squats
400m Run
50 Squats
400m Run
25 Squats

I used a treadmill for the run, so it took some time for it to warm up for each run. Also, I had done squats in previous workouts because they are easy to do one the road. I finished in about 17 minutes and I was pleased about that.

5 Rounds for Time:

20 V-Ups
30 Push Ups
40 Squats

I had to modify the V-Ups to Knees to Chest for my back. I also did modified Push Ups. The Squats went slow too. I Don't remember my time for this, but it was under 20 minutes.

The last 2 gym WODs have been doozies!

Saturday, April 2

Lunge Extravaganza

For Time:

100ft Twisting Lunge
10 DB Shoulder Press
100ft Twisting Lunge
10 DB Push Press
100ft Twisting Lunge
10 DB Push Jerk
100ft Twisting Lunge
10 DB Hang Cleans
100ft Twisting Lunge
10 DB Snatches (10L/10R)
100ft Twisting Lunge
10 DB Press Wipers

I used a 25# DB for the Lunges and Shoulder Press and 30# for everything else. I finished in 18:10. I don't think the lunges were exactly 100ft, but that is ok. My badonkadonk is sore today.

Friday, April 1

Almost Alison

400m Run
100-75-50-25 KB
50 Tire Chops

This WOD is four rounds with the KB Swing reps decreasing by 25 each round. I used a 16kg KB for all of the Swings, but it was hard. I needed to stop often an rest my back, but I did finish. I also used a 10# Sledge hammer for the Chops. I finished in 32:46. Not the best, but ok nonetheless.

Alright, time for my nap!

This is my napping position!

I'm a New Aunt!

2011-03-18T15:20:00.000-04:00

DTM described this week perfectly. This was a "tired week." Both of us have been exhausted for no apparent reason. We are really looking forward to just chilling out this weekend. The only thing I regret about this is that I am not in Ohio to be with my sister, brother-in-law, and brand spankin' new nephew Miles Isaiah. he was born at 5:07pm on Wednesday, March 16th!. 7lbs and 5oz, 20 inches long. I am hoping to go see him soon, after things get settled down at their house. I can't wait!

In honor of his birth, I am supplying him (like any good aunt should) his very first CrossFit shirts:

Who's winning the Best Aunt Ever Award? Me!

And of course, I couldn't resist:

Yes, I know it is lavender. No, I don't care.

I can't wait to give them to him! I am pretty confident he'll be doing muscles up before me! I am already in love and I haven't even seen him in real life! I AM SO EXCITED!!!

That being said, life went on as usual for us, but my mind has been on him and my sister and bil. I have been very distracted this week, even moreso than usual. Oh well. Here is this week's recap:

Friday, 18 March

For Time:

1 Mile Run
100 Sit ups
100 Back Extensions
1 Mile Run

This was a great one. None of them gave me problems and I finished in 25:05. My goal was to finish in under 25. Almost!

Thursday, 17 March

OHS

5 Rounds:
Max Rep DB Floor Presses
20 Ball Tosses
Max Rep Pull Ups

I did OHS instead of Deadlifts and to my surprise, they did not hurt my back, thank goodness. My working sets of 3 reps went as follows: 95#, 105#, and 115#. This was encouraging. I finished the rest of the WOD with 40# DB, a 20# ball for tosses, and the blue band for pulls ups.

Wednesday, 16 March

AMRAP in 15 minutes of:

30 second L Sits
10 Lateral Box Jumps

I had a hard time doing the L-Sits and could not do them at all because my back would not let me bend my legs. I ended up just holding myself on the rings and attempted to do it for 15 seconds. I also was able to jump the smallest hurdle and the smallest box without my back hurting. Yay! I finished about 5 rounds, I think.

Tuesday, 15 March

Back Squats
Push Press

I managed to do 115# for both of these lifts. Not my best, but better than last week for the Squats.

Monday, 14 March

Fighter's Challenge:

21-18-15-12-9-6
Calories (row)
Burpees
SDLHP (75/45)
KB Swings (1/4 body weight)
Wall Balls (20/12)
Thrusters (75/45)

This one stunk. I thought I was going to die. I didn't even finish in the first class because I had to start the second class, so I finished with them. I also learned that SDLHP are really not my friends. I used 30# for the swings and a 12# ball for the Wall Balls. Thrusters were done with 45#. usually after a hard WOD, I feel good after. After this one, I felt even more lousy.

Saturday, 12 March

1 Mile Run
2k Row
1 Mile Run

I liked this one but was slow as rowing hurts. I finished in about 30 minutes.

Anyway, hopefully next week will be less hectic! I plan on resting this weekend and getting my brain back in my head. If I can find it!

Ball Slams and Rage, the Perfect Pairing

2011-03-11T12:12:00.001-05:00

I have had quite a bit of rage recently. I yell at inanimate objects (which is not unusual, since I have been known to talk to them). I get mad that there are approximately 9,284 school buses in McLean at 3:30 afternoon and I get to be behind each of them, but only when I have somewhere to be at 4:00 pm. Seriously. They stop every 5 feet and let 20 kids off at each stop. I am all for kid safety and stuff but REALLY? You can see the next stop from where you are. Let those kids walk. They probably need the exercise.

All of these buses were in front of me yesterday. I am pretty sure I was close to having an aneurysm.

It came to a head last night when I exploded at the dryer for making too much sound while it was drying our jeans. I was trying to go to sleep and all I could hear was the "CLANK, CLANK, CLANK" of the jean buttons. I shut our bedroom door in a major huff and yelled something like "STUPID DRYER! AUGHHH!" You know, because my life is so hard. DTM was like "Whoa, you have a lot of rage." He didn't know about the school bus issue either. I said something like "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!! GOOD NIGHT!" And went to sleep. I probably had rage dreams.

I have this for breakfast every morning.

I woke up this morning feeling rage-ful still but was ok with it because I was excited about the morning workout. More specifically, I was excited that I could complete the workout without modified movements, just modified weights. I discovered something magical. The workout included Ball Slams and I have to use a 15lb ball right now. But I can throw that ball so hard against the ground that I get a really good bounce on it. And because it is lighter, I am more explosive on the way up, meaning I can generate way more force on the way down. Heck. Yes. So I took out my rage on the Slam Ball. Poor thing. I feel AMAZING!!!!

Friday, March 11

Hurry Up!

400m Run with Med Ball
100 Wall Balls (20/12)
100 Ball Slams
100 Overhead Med Ball Lunges (20/12)
100 KB Swings
100 Burpees
100 Squats
400m Run with Med Ball

Rules:
- Each partner must do 50 reps
- Only one partner can work at a time
- Partners must start and finish together

I like writing this one on the board and not immediately saying it is a partner WOD because people just want to die when they see the reps. It makes my day. The trick to this WOD is to break up the reps of each exercise into manageable chunks, like sets of 10, so you can rest a little. I was Susan's partner in the 6am class and used a 12lb Med Ball for all of those exercises, a 30lb KB for the swings, and the 15lb Slam Ball for Ball Slams. It is my new bff. We finished in 31:something. I was Kori's partner for the 7 am class and used the same weights for everything but the KB. I went down to the 12kg KB (26lbs). We finished in 28:34. Both girls kicked some major butt. Also, Hannah made it through the workout! This workout was one of the first she ever did when she started this past October and had a rough go. Today she made it! Fantastic! I would do a toe touch but I am not quite there yet.

Glass Case of Emotion

2011-03-10T13:18:00.001-05:00

I'm in a glass case of emotion!

I started to write this post a few days ago and then shelved it because I thought maybe I was just having a bad day or week. I also don't like admitting I am having a hard time. But guess what. I am having a hard time.

I have been really stressed out with everything that has been going on and my back cannot tolerate uber hard workouts, so I haven't been able to work out hard enough to relieve some of the stress. This, of course, stresses me out further. I have freaked out more than once wondering if I am on the right track with school, wondering if I can handle it, and wondering if it is what I should be doing. I am just having a hard time. In other words, I'm in a glass case of emotion!

When you work hard to become good at something and then something happens to prevent you from working as hard as you would like, you become crabby. That is me. Crabby.

So. True.

CrossFit has become such a way of life for me that when parts of it are taken away, I get a little depressed. Or a lot depressed. I guess I am struggling with not being good enough. I feel inadequate at school, at work, and at the gym. It sort of just gets to a girl after awhile, you know?

Anyway, I did have a good workout on Wednesday, so that helped my attitude a bit.

Wednesday, March 9

All the Way Up, All the Way Down

3 Rounds

15 Push Ups
15 Thrusters (95/65)
15 Push Ups
15 Ring Pull Ups
15 Push Ups
15 Traveling KB Swings
15 Push Ups
1 Rope/Net Climb

I was able to do this one with few modifications, so neato on that! My goal was to do the entire WOD doing true push ups. I managed to do all but 1 set of 15 and I am kicking myself because of it. My shoulders are screaming today, though. I did the Thrusters with the 45lb bar and used the 12 kg (about 26 lbs) for the swings. Squats and swings are getting better but are still touch and go with the back. The Ring Pull Ups and Net Climb were splendid. I can climb and descend the rope in 30 seconds. I call that winning. Finished in 22:40.

NO SITTING!

2011-03-04T12:47:00.002-05:00

Listen, when you are in my class there are a few rules you MUST abide by. I really would preferred it if you looked at the board and read it before you start asking questions, but I know that may be too much to ask before 9 am, so I won't get too mad about that. Also know that I will ALWAYS give an explanation of the WOD before we start. Really. I promise. We'll even practice some movements before hand so you know what you're doing. I am there to help you be the best darn athlete you can be and if that means I have to watch you do every single rep so you get it right, then so be it. I don't mind. I love it, actually. Keeping this in mind, here are my rules:

1. Do it right. Whatever it is you are doing at the gym, do it right. If you aren't doing it right, I will see it and do one of three things (after correcting you, of course): 1) Make you redo that rep, 2) Make you do more of them until it is right, or, in stubborn cases, 3) Threaten you with a sledge hammer (since I can't find my whoopin' stick).

2. Do your best. I don't care how fast or slow you are or how much weight you can lift. You chose to show up for the class. Make the most of it by doing the very best you can. You will be rewarded (just not with donuts, which happens to be MY favorite reward).

3. DO NOT SIT DOWN. The workouts stink. We all know this. We are all in the same boat. I don't care, get up. You can lean. You can squat. You can make angry faces and swear in my general direction. Heck, I'll even let you get some water. You MAY NOT sit down until you finish the entire WOD. (Passing out is a different story).

This picture was posted in Strong is the New Skinny Facebook page and I feel like it should be the rules at every gym. Apologies for the swears.

I especially like numbers 4, 7, and 8.

Speaking of not sitting, no one came to my 6 am class today. Now that I read my rules, I may know why...it has to be the sledge hammer threat. Anyway, I read a little and then rowed a leisurely 5k to pass the time and warm up my back. I did it in 24:14. Some people came to the 7 am class (YAY!!!), so I worked out with them.

Friday, March 4

Kari Partner WOD

x3 250m Run/KB Rack Hold
Wall Balls/Wall Sits 10, 9, 8...3
Ball Slams/Plank 10, 9, 8...3
SDLHP/Steering Wheels 10, 9, 8...3
x3 250m Run/KB Rack Hold

There were four people total, so I worked with one of the groups as a third wheel. The run felt so good. I am so glad the weather is getting nicer out. I used a 12lb Wall Ball, a 15lb Slam Ball, and a 30lb KB for the SDLHP. I felt like such a hypocrite for the SDLHP because I wanted to use at least 45lbs, but my back was just not having it. Everything else was fine. I worked with Michelle and Patrick. We did it in about 35 minutes, but I don't know the exact time. Barry and Jane rocked it today! I love my morning classes. ::sigh:: The feeling is probably not mutual. Ha!

7am Class = WINNERS

How to Translate CrossFitese, a Short Tutorial

2011-03-02T13:06:00.001-05:00

If you walk into a CrossFit gym for the first time and are completely confused about what the heck is going on, have no fear. You are not alone. Weird acronyms and unusual phrases are all around you and before you know it, you are wondering why in the world you are there and devising a plan to sneak out before anyone sees you. TOO LATE! The perky trainer spotted you and is now talking to you in CrossFitese.

This is me at my other job. Cardio Salsa just screams Alison, doesn't it?

Please review the following phrases to make you entrance into the world of CrossFit more comfortable:

1. "Today's WOD is..." means "Here is our workout of the day. Pay attention so the trainer doesn't want to beat you with her whoopin' stick."

2. "It's an AMRAP WOD today!" mean "The workout is made up of as many rounds of possible as you can do in a certain amount of time. Don't you dare stop until time is called."

3. "Let's warm up with some TGUs!" means "We're doing Turkish getups. Yes, I'll show you how to do them. Get a kettlebell and lay down!"

4. "OHSs!!!!!" means "I know everyone else at the gym hates them but overhead squats are my favorite thing in the world so shut your yammer and grab a stick to practice!"

5. "We've got some SDLHPs today." means "Sumo Deadlift High Pulls are on tap for today. They are called 'Sumo' for a reason, get those feet apart!"

Once you become comfortable with these phrases, you will soon hear everything in CrossFitese. It is inevitable. You may even buy yourself some Chuck Taylors or a WODKilla T-Shirt. Eventually, you may have to go to a chiropractor for your achin' back. Eventually that chiropractor may say "Alright! I want you to go all out on your workouts!" You may or may not hear "You're good to go! Do what you want!" You WILL go all out on the next workout and you WILL wake up in the fetal position the next morning with back spasms. When you question the chiropractor, he will say "I mean go all out within reason. Don't hurt yourself."

Stupid CrossFitese, messing up my translations.

Anyway, now that I got all of that straightened out and clarified, I am continuing to modify the WODs (QUICK! What does that mean? Check the list!) so as not to injure myself bad. Here is how it has been working out:

Tuesday, March 1

Back Squats and Shoulder Press

Row 2k

I only went up to 95lbs on the Squats. They were alright. I managed to do 2 of my working sets at 80lbs for the Shoulder Press. I did 3 reps at 80 of my last 5 but then had to Push Press the last 2. Getting better!

Monday, February 28

For Time:

10 Thrusters (40/25)

20 Ring Dips

30 Box Jumps

40 Pull Ups

50 Sit Ups

60 Burpees

50 Sit Ups

40 Pull Ups

30 Box Jumps

20 Ring Dips

10 Thrusters

I Used 25lb dumbbells for the Thrusters, did Ring Dips with Lil' Red, tried to do 24" Box Jumps but had to go back to Step Ups, and used Ol' Blue for the Pull Ups. Burpees make my back feel better. Yikes! I finished in 26:45. Not too shabby for being broken I think.

I am going to get better! I AM!!! And this trainer is totally going to help me:

She has built in leg warmers. Fantastic!

Strong is the New Skinny Body Transformation Challenge

2011-02-27T09:55:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite websites Practical Paleolithic and its movement Strong is the New Skinny is hosting a Body Transformation Blog Challenge and I am taking part. I have been thinking a lot about my fitness goals as I am being severely hindered by an injury. In order to do this challenge and to keep myself in check, I am incorporating the injury into my goals. So here they are:

1. Eat clean foods and meals (meaning that I am following general Paleo guidelines) 90% percent of the time. I am doing pretty well with this, minus weekends. This one will be the hardest I think.

2. Let myself heal. I am not going to be able to go forward if I keep reinjuring my back. I know this goal should be an unsaid thing, but if you know me at all, you know I am not good at listening to myself. Now that I think about it, this one might be the hardest.

3. I would like to be able to do my previous working weights for deadlift and back squat by the end of the summer. I am not sure how long my back is going to take to heal but I know that it can take a while, so I am shooting for the end of summer. If it takes longer, so be it.

Previous working Deadlift: 215#
Previous working Back Squat: #175

4. I still want to do a frakkin' muscle up!

5. During this challenge I would like to keep track of inches lost, though I am not overly concerned with it. I do want to take note of it just so see if it changes with my diet. It should, but I would like proof. So here are my current measurements:

Waist: 29.5 inches
Hips: 36.5 inches
Thighs/butt: 40.5 inches (and this, my friends, is why I can't find jeans that fit. But I CAN squat a large amount of weight. Booyah!)

This is my new favorite picture:

Maybe another goal should be a 95# TGU!

I got the ok from Doc yesterday saying I could go all out on the WODs and that he would adjust his treatment to my training (get it? ADJUST? Bahahahaha! I love chiropractic jokes. They CRACK me up!) So I went straight to the gym after my appointment and proceeded to go all out on yesterday's WOD:

Saturday, February 26

Helen

3 Rounds for Time:

400m Run
21 KB Swings (1.5 pood)
12 Pull Ups

This is a short and sweet WOD and I scaled it down to a 1 pood KB (16kg) mostly because there is only one 1.5 pood KB at the gym and I am not exactly sure how much that weighed off the top of my head (I just looked it up, its about 52 pounds). I also did all Kipping Pull Ups with no band help. I did the whole thing in 11:00 and collapsed at the end. Also, my back is spasming so badly today I could hardly get out of bed. Fantastic. I am typing this up while wearing my super sexy old lady heating pad.

So much for all out.

I am Alive! But Busy!!!

2011-02-24T15:48:00.001-05:00

I have been really swamped the last week and a half. I have some goodish posts going on, but for now this will have to do. It made me laugh!

My Eye is Twitching...

2011-02-18T14:29:00.001-05:00

So I have been cranky lately. You may not have noticed at the gym because I try to keep my cherub-like demeanor around other people. It may because of the lack of overhead squats in my life AND because I re-injured my back doing deadlifts. And by re-injuring it, I mean I can't even pick up a full basket of laundry. Or a half full basket of laundry. So I am cranky.

I definitely has it.

I am also a little frustrated about many things. I took out out this morning on a poor unsuspecting tire with a sledge hammer. That was rad.

Anyway, one of the things I am frustrated about includes women refusing to lift because it will make them bulky. Whenever I hear a woman worried about lifting too much weight because it might make her arms a little bigger, it makes me want to crush her with my man thighs. Now, I have man-thighs because it is the way I am built. Even if I don't lift, they are thunderous. I would rather have muscular thunder thighs than fatty thunder thighs. They are the same size either way, one just has less jiggle. You will not get bulky. You need muscle to help you lose weight. Straight cardio just won't do it. What am I talking about? Glad you asked. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go read this article by Adam Signoretta at elitefts.com. He explains it VERY well and simply. You need to eat better and train right to look hot in that dress. Also, go pick up a barbell. You won't turn into the Incredible Hulk.

Today was Chop Till You Drop Day.

Perfect birthday present for me!

Friday, February 18

Chop Till You Drop

AMRAP in 25 minutes

P1: Run 400m
P2: 20 Tire Chops (10 L/10R), 10 Tire Jumps, 10 Tire Push Ups

I did it with both classes this morning and it was awesome. It actually wasn't too bad. I was worried because of my back. The running helped a lot. I did tire step ups instead of jumps and mixed up the push ups with tire push ups and modified ground push ups. We finished 6 rounds in the 6 am class and 5 rounds in the 7. I still can't lift the laundry basket but I already feel better.

Thursday, February 17

This was a lifting day where I hurt myself doing 205# Deadlifts. I thought I was ready. I was wrong.

Wednesday, February 16

5 Rounds:
400m Run
30 Wall Balls (20/12)
40 Lunges (20L/20R)
1 Net/Rope Climb

I picked this one specifically because the net is back up and I missed it and wanted to climb it. I used a 12# ball for Wall Balls. The Lunges made my legs wobbly toward the end and the Net climbs were MAGNIFICENT! Oh, how I have missed it. It was just me and Omid for this WOD and we finished in 35:32. Wall Balls are tough!

Cheating on CrossFit

2011-02-16T16:05:00.002-05:00

DTM and I have busy schedules just like every other person on the planet. On top of the gym, work, and school I have been going to chiropractic appointments three times a week to fix my sacroiliitis. This compresses my already slightly full schedule. I think I just made a chiropractic joke. Anyway, the treatment has been great and Dr. Gary (seriously, click the link and make an appointment. I go to both Dr. Gary and Dr. Michelle. They are FANTASTIC!) has me doing ab rehab (which I will now call ab-hab) to help strengthen my psoas muscles. He uses similar movements found on Ab Ripper X from P90X. After much thinking and hemming and hawing, DTM and I bought P90X not only for the ab workouts but also to have on hand when we can't make it to the gym. It came in the mail last week and despite my best efforts, I couldn't go to the gym on Monday so I broke out the ol' P90X. I seriously felt like I was cheating on CrossFit.

Yes, he actually makes this sign several times throughout the workout.

The first day of P90X is a Chest and Back day as well as an Ab Ripper X day, so I stuck to those. It was your basic and not-so-basic push ups and pull ups, as well as some resistance band/dumbbell training. The workout was tough but I got through it. I had three immediate impressions:

1. Tony Horton talks WAY too much. Through the whole workout video he does NOT SHUT UP! This is coming from someone who is pretty chatty during training sessions. He is, however, very encouraging, upbeat, and a little funny. He also has a great mantra: "Do your best and forget the rest." This can be applied to not only any workout but also life. That is another post, though.

2. My arms and back felt like I just did Cindy when I was done, which means I felt like I had Incredible Hulk arms.

3. Personally, I would probably get bored with the workouts. I like being around people (ONLY when working out and not really at any other time) because it motivates and encourages me.

Despite those three things, I learned some new moves to incorporate into the gym WODs. Also, I thought I was going to die during Ab Ripper X. It is one tough workout. I am interested to see how this meshes with CrossFit. I am of the mind that as long as you're doing something, you're already way ahead of the game. My "something" just happens to be CrossFit. Some people prefer yoga, some Jazzercise, some boxing, some running...the list goes on. You know what? They're all good. You need to try different things. Learning and playing new sports regularly is part of the CrossFit ideal. So get out there and get some!

Oh geez, Tony Horton has already infested my brain.

The past few days were spent in a glorious pursuit of cheating the Paleo god. I ate my weight in totally non-Paleo delights such as swiss cheese fondue, excellent egg, sausage, spinach, and bread strata, and a myriad of other things this weekend while we were visiting our friends in Philly. I paid for it dearly but it was worth it.

Tuesday, February 15

Back Squats/Pull Ups and Shoulder Press

I managed to get back up to 165# for Back Squat today and use Lil' Red for all the dead hang Pull-Ups. This is kind of a miracle since I did a ton of Pull-Ups yesterday too. I managed to squeak out 80# for 4 of each of the 5 reps in my working sets for Shoulder Press. I had to Push Press the last rep on each set. I am getting there.

Friday, February 11

Ouch My Arms:

5 Rounds

400m Run

25 Squats

25 Sit Ups

25 Sholder Press/Push Press (x2)/Push Jerk (x2)

I like this WOD. It is a little tough on the shoulders but good. I used 45# for the Shoulder Press and 65# for the rest. I was working with Doug and we finished in 32:45. The run actually felt good!

An Unexpected Side Effect

2011-02-10T12:59:00.001-05:00

I was the silhouette for these graphics.

I am not a girly girl. I know, it's a shocking revelation. I prefer being involved in athletic pursuits and I don't mind getting dirty. I detest shopping (unless it is for shoes) and I hate tights. I don't mind wearing dresses but I would much rather wear jeans and my skull shoes. I wear makeup and do my hair but only because I am an adult and if I can get away with NOT doing them, then I don't bother. This is just how I am. I do, however, use purses. I don't really like them but I rarely have enough pockets to carry a cell phone, keys, and a wallet, so I use a purse. My old purse has been bothering me for awhile because it keeps slipping off my shoulder and driving me crazy. My laptop bag does this as well. It never used to happen, you know, before this whole CrossFit thing. I just realized why it is happening now. My traps. They are not huge per say, but they make my purse fall off my shoulder and it was driving me MAD. So, I went shopping yesterday for a new one. Don't worry. I got it at Target and it took me approximately 5 minutes to find and evaluate. That is just how I roll. I love it, as much as one can love a purse.

That's right, ladies. Do CrossFit, go purse shopping. Win win.

The last few days at the gym have been spectacular. I have been going for regular chiropractic treatments and besides the minor modifications of no box jumps or high impact lifting, I can pretty much do what I want.

Thursday, February 10

Deadlift/Bench Press

I did 2 reps at 205 today for Deadlifts. This is fantastic, seeing as I haven't been able to keep up my lifting since the pain started. I did have to drop the weight drastically for the working sets, but knowing that I can still lift 205 makes me happy. I did all 3 working sets of Bench at 115#. Next time it will be 117.5. Mwhahahaha!

Wednesday, February 9

Lumberjack 20

20 KB Swings

400m Run

20 Ball Slams

400m Run

20 OHS (95/65)

400m Run

20 Burpees

400m Run

20 Pull Ups

400m Run

20 Box Jumps

400m Run

20 DB Cleans (45)

400m Run

I love this one. Love it. I used a 16kg KB for Swings, 25# ball for Slams, 65# for OHS, the 24 inch box for step ups, and 30# DB for Thrusters (instead of Cleans). I also did all kipping Pull-Ups. I finished in 26:34. The first time I did this WOD, I finished in 40:20. Wow.

Tuesday, February 8

Back Squats/Shoulder Press

Pull Ups

I made it up to 155 for my Back Squats this week with no pain. That is exciting. I also managed to use Lil' Red for the ME Pull Ups with out kipping. I did the last 2 of my 3 worksets of Shoulder Press at 78.5. Thank goodness for 1.25# weights.

Diagnosis: Big Ol' Booty

2011-02-07T18:51:00.002-05:00

I went back to the chiropractor today to see what is going on but unfortunately for me, the x-rays didn't download to the CD the hospital gave me so I have to go shake someone down over that. Dr. Davis DID say that most women are bottom heavy and that I am one of those women. He actually said I was overly bottom heavy, using the term "steatopygia" which basically translates to a big ol' booty. After I told him he didn't need to sugar-coat things since I have been trying to squeeze this badonakadonk into jeans for almost 29 years he came out and told me I was built like a black woman. All I could think of was "I like big butts and I cannot lie!" I started giggling uncontrollably. I am so professional. Anyway, Sir Mix A Lot said that women with my "condition" tend to hurt their backs in extension, which means that if they bend back it is more likely to hurt. I have exactly the opposite of this problem. He wasn't phased by this and said that I need to work on my ab strength and the best way to do that is....wait for it.... PLANK!!!!!! Oh, you lucky gym dogs you....

My hero.

So today we kicked of the Zone/Paleo Throwdown at the gym. I'm Team Paleo myself, which will cause me only to make a few tweaks since I eat mostly Paleo anyway. What I do eat is cheese, but not a lot and not often, so cutting that out won't be a problem. I am not going to lie, I do use cream in my morning coffee, of which I will restrict myself to one cup a day. Also, I am going to visit some friends and I am going home for my sister's baby shower in the next 2 weeks and I WILL be cheating. Who thought after the Super Bowl would be a great time to start? Not one celebration in January and I didn't have to try to do anything. Thanks, kids.

We kicked off the Throwdown with Fight Gone Bad. We'll finish it with FGB as well to see how much we've improved.

Monday, Feburary 7

Fight Gone Bad

3 Rounds
Ball Slams
SDLHP (75/45)
Box Jumps
Push Press (75/45)
Row (calories)

We did Ball Slams instead of Wall Balls because we don't quite have the room to do Wall Balls yet. I started with a 20# ball but had to switch to 15# quickly because my back started yelling at me immediately. I used 45# for SDLHP and did step ups on the 20 inch box. I used 45# for Push Press and rowed between 6 and 7 calories per round. This isn't bad considering we have to go to the top level to get to a rower which wastes about 30 seconds. My overall score was 246. It is not as good as my previous core but SDLHP were killing me. The most important thing to remember, I have found, is that you need to have a wide stance in Sumo Deadlift High Pull. They are called SUMO Deadlifts for a reason. Also, people tend to forget he shoulder shrug at the end, especially when they get tired. You can do them wrong and get by OR you can do them right and get better. Choose to do them right. If you need help, check out this video:

Tramp Stamp

2011-02-06T11:18:00.001-05:00

I took a few days off from the gym this week because I had some other things going on that I needed to attend to rather than working out. It was kind of nice because I got to rest my back a little. Resting it is really sort of irrelevant because it hurts when I dry my hair or put my shoes on, so there you go. DTM bought me a really sexy (read: old lady-ish) heating pad that is made of blue elastic. I can wear it like a belt. SO hot. (HA! See what I did there?) I think he got it for me so I would stop saying I have a tramp stamp:

It's ok to be jealous of my power obliques.

Yeah, that is a Thermacare Heating Pad for your neck and shoulders. It did in a pinch. It also created endless fun for me, because the term "tramp stamp" makes DTM slightly uncomfortable. I am such a good wife.

Anyway, darling DTM bought me not only an electric one but also Thermacare Heating Pads for back and hips. They still feel like a diaper but at least they fit a little better. I did get my x-rays on Saturday and I go back to the chiropractor on Monday so he can check them out and we can fix this baloney. I am looking forward to it! Maybe we'll do Overhead Squats in celebration!

OHS make me smile!

Happy Birthday DTM!!!

2011-02-04T11:46:00.001-05:00

It is DTM's birthday and you KNOW we're going to party! And by party I mean get Chinese food and fall asleep at 10 pm instead of 9 pm. However, there are a few unfortunate things happening:

1) I have class till 10pm tonight.
2) DTM's gift from me has not yet arrived in the mail.

If I was a better wife, I would have thrown a Battlestar Galactica themed party, though I am not sure who we'd invite other than our friends Jim and Christina. I know only a few people that appreciate BSG as much as DTM and me.

Happy frakkin' birthday, skinjob.

Anyway, we are going to have a great weekend. I love you so much DTM and I am so glad to have spent the last 9 birthdays with you (WHAT?!?!?!?). Cheers!

Love, true love.

Hip to be Square

2011-02-03T17:34:00.000-05:00

Huey Lewis, you're a lyrical genius!

I went to the doctor's yesterday. She sent me to a chiropractor, who, it turns out, is AWESOME! I am always amazed at how they read the human body. Dr. Davis, the chiropractor, spent exactly 2.3 seconds looking at my lower back and hips, then said "Does it hurt here?" while poking my back in the exact location of the pain. How in the world did he do that? He then proceeded to hook me up to this fabulous machine that shocked my muscles into relaxing. It was like a little massage where NO ONE had to touch me. Fantastic.

They aren't living long and prospering...

He did some spinal manipulation and required me to get some x-rays before doing anything to my lower back just in case something else is wrong. I love x-rays (although I would not recommend doing a search for them on Google Images--creepy). I wish I had the x-ray of my broken collarbone. So. Cool. I go back on Monday. This is good because my muscles started spasming again and I can barely sit today. In fact, I am standing in the kitchen with the computer on the washer typing this. Classy.

I took yesterday off from the gym to try to rest my back a little. Today I was very careful, since it was a lifting day.

Thursday, February 3

Deadlifts

Bench Press

21-15-9
Burpees
Ring Dips

I went super light on the Deadlifts, trying 115, but moving back down to 95 for my 1 work set of 5 reps. I also did not go as heavy on Bench Press either, again doing 95 for my 3 work sets for 5 reps. Awesome. I always wanted to be able to Bench my Deadlift weight. ::rolls eyes::

The rest of the WOD wasn't too bad. The goal was for the whole class to finish in under 10 minutes and they did! That is exciting! I used the red band for assisted Ring Dips and finished in 7:45.

Yelling Dreams and Overhead Squats

2011-02-01T09:33:00.004-05:00

Do you ever remember your dreams? I don't know why, but I have unusually vivid, strange dreams. I also have several recurring dreams. One includes me losing all my teeth. Why? I have no idea. Another one includes DTM breaking up with me and then not talking to me (are we in junior high?). Most recently, my third type of recurring dream has slightly morphed, but has the same theme. In college, especially in times of particular stress, I would have these terrible dreams where I would be screaming hateful, hurtful things at people I love. I would then wake up sobbing because of the terrible things I said in my dream. The last 2 nights have had this theme, except I am not the one yelling. I am watching someone yelling at someone else. The first night it was a friend yelling at her husband for something ridiculous and completely unrealistic. Last night it was my sister yelling because she had a giant bug on her and she thought it was going to eat her baby. I like to think The Babe (as I like to call him--yes, she really is pregnant with a little boy) would react to the bug attack like this:

BRING IT BUG! I WILL DESTROY YOU!!!

Ah, my nephew. Fightin' from the womb. This is what he actually looks like:

Bring it later bug, I'm sleepin'!

I am kind of excited about him, can't you tell?

Anyway, I digress. I am a little stressed, I suppose. I have my first test of this semester on Friday and I recently learned that my A&P professor is not as excellent as I would like her to be. Hopefully that is what is contributing to the yelling dreams and not some weird health problem.

I have good news, though. I made it through Monday's WOD without much modification AND without ANY back pain! Whoopee! Today was a different story.

Tuesday, February 1

Back Squat

Shoulder Press

Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit Ups

My near disastrous back squat performance last week made me hesitant to do them this week. I got up to 155 on my first of three work sets of 5 reps. I felt my hips and back going, so for the next two work sets, I went down to 135. No point in pushing it. The Shoulder Presses weren't too great either. I topped out at 75# again. I did finish Annie in 11:15, but I did 5x the amount of Singles because I tend to land hard on Double Unders. Neat.

Monday, January 31

5 Rounds:
KB Swings: 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10
Pull Ups: 30, 25, 25, 15, 10
OHS: 15, 12, 9, 6, 3

The rounds decrease in reps, but that didn't make it easier. I used a 16kg KB for the Swings and did have to stop occasionally to rest my back/hips. I managed to do ALL Kipping Pull Ups, which made me greatly excited. I used 65# for the OHS. I finished in around 28:32. I was just happy to finish at those weights. My back did feel pretty good for the rest of the day!

FGB KB Style, Burpee Cleans, and an Extra Round for Margaritas

2011-01-29T13:11:00.001-05:00

This is going to be me soon:-(

The last couple days have been more mentally tough for me than physically tough. I mentally have to make myself NOT do things. The only good part of this is I am quite aware of when I an unable to do something. It becomes blatantly apparent immediately. In order to avoid this, I try to catch it before it even happens.

The last few WODs have been challenging.

Saturday, January 29

KettleBell Fight Gone Bad

5 Rounds:
KB Wall Ball Subs
Alt. KB High Pull
KB Clean Box Jump
KB Push Press
Row

This one wasn't too bad on my back. I did use a 30# KB for it and wondered if that was too much, but it turned out to be ok. Instead of the Box Jumps I held the KB in the Clean position and did step ups. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, so hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this. The rest of the WOD was good but tough. I felt pretty good afterwards, though my back is starting to stiffen up now.

Friday, 28 January

2 Part WOD:

Part 1: Every 30 Sec for 10 Minutes

Power Clean (95/65)
Front Squat
Push Press

Part 2:

5 Rounds:
400m Run/500m Row
15 Burpee Cleans (95/65)

This might have been the worst idea ever. I use a 45# bar for part 1. I probably could have used 65# in hindsight. I paid for the rest of the WOD dearly. I still only use a 45# bar, but the Burpee/Clean change really did a number on me, so I changed to doing 15 Burpees then 15 Hang Cleans. We had a lot of ice in the parking lot, so I rowed. I finished 4 rounds before it was time for me to teach the next class, so I guess this is marked as a DNF. I hate that. I did have the ladies in the 7 am class do Medicine Ball Cleans to practice form. They looked pretty good and I should have done them as well.

I shortened the WOD to 4 rounds since it was taking longer than I expected, but Jane refused. She said "I am leaving for Mexico tomorrow and 5 rounds means I can have an extra margarita!" Ah, motivation! Rounds for margs, a girl after my own heart!

Ole!

Scaling--The Cool Kids are Doing It

2011-01-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

After much inner whining (and maybe some outer whining to DTM) and a ton of self-loathing, I have talked myself into scaling my WODs until I can get whatever it is wrong with me fixed. So I scaled my workout on Wednesday. However, digging my car out of about a foot of very wet and heavy snow this morning did nothing for my scaling efforts. DTM felt very guilty about not digging out my car but he had to get to work and I am a mostly able-bodied human being, so I told him not to worry about it. I also made him promise that he would push me around in my wheelchair when I am unable to walk by age 30. He agreed. Ah, marriage vows.

Anyway, yesterday's WOD was great!

Wednesday, January 26

The CIA 7

7 Rounds for Time:
7 Box Jumps
7 Thrusters (95/65)
7 KTE
7 Weighted Lunges (7 each side)
7 Burpees
7 KB Swings
7 Ball Slams

I modified this one from the original WOD to accommodate previous WODs this week. Here is how I scaled:

I did Box Step Ups on the 24" box instead of Jumps. I used a 45# bar for Thrusters and managed to do 3 rounds of true KTE, but then switched to modified floor ones. I used a 20# DB for the Weighted Lunges. They felt good while I was doing them but I probably should have just done regular lunges based on how I felt later that day. I used a 16kg KB for Swings and the 20# ball for Slams. I finished in 28:27. I feel like my goal of this WOD was just to scale things. I am so not good at it, but I am trying to listen to my body. For my whole life I have ignored what it has been trying to tell me and be all like "Shut up! Eye of the Tiger, Body!" But now, if I am going to be able to do CrossFit forever, I am just going to have to rest it now. Lifelong fitness is the goal of this whole pursuit.

EYE OF THE SCALED TIGER!!!

Get Used to Disappointment

2011-01-25T19:18:00.000-05:00

I am on a movie kick this week apparently because the title of this has been my mantra the last few days. It also seems that I am turning slightly emo. Maybe if I watched The Princess Bride I would feel better. Anyway, it seems I have hurt my back/hips. They are always a little touch and go. I try to rest it the best I can and do all the appropriate TriggerPoint-ing and foam rollering but for some reason they just won't cooperate. I mean, I tweak them occasionally and they take about a week to recuperate. It has been three weeks. This morning, they were so bad, I had to STOP DOING BACK SQUATS. If you know me at all, you know I died a little on the inside. (ACK! Emo, I tell you!) It was at that point that I though I should maybe, possibly, sort of seek professional help, so I made an appointment with my doctor.

That brings me to today's post title. I am worried that this injury might not bode well for me in my future CrossFit endeavors and that I might have to get used to the disappointment that is my body. I am hoping for the best and that with some sort of chiropractic care and maybe a massage (ugh, I shutter at the thought of those), that things will be ok.

That looks about right.

Anyway, I did partake in part of today's workout.

Tuesday, 25 January

Shoulder Press

Back Squat

3 Rounds:
10 Weighted Ring Dips
30 Back Extensions

I managed to do 4 reps of 2 sets at 80# for the Shoulder Press. I had to go down to 78.5# for the last one. Last week I did all sets at 75#, so at least there was a little improvement.

For the rest of the WOD, my body failed. I don't want to talk about it.

Monday, 24 January

3 Rounds for Time:
800m Run/1000m Row
30 OHS (75/45)
21 Pull Ups

I opted to Row since it was approximately 8 degrees outside (not an exaggeration). I used 45# for the Squats and did modified Pull Ups with Ol' Blue. My back was hurting during this one. I finished in 28:35. It was alright. I did like the workout, though, but that isn't a shocker. OHS and I are BFFs.

It's the Hard that Makes it Great

2011-01-23T21:22:00.001-05:00

I am a lucky girl. From the time I was very young my parents taught me what it meant to work hard. And they expected it of me no matter what I was doing. And I did it. I still do it. I do it because it matters to me. Because I am not satisfied with not doing my best, and therein lies the key. Working hard and doing your best doesn't mean you are the best. I find this infuriating and it is part of the reason I have a major problem with anxiety. I have to be the best at everything. It is a sickness. Over the years, but especially since college, I have been trying to bring it down a notch to being the best I can be, even if it means I am not the best. And you know what? It is exhausting.

I am 2 weeks into this education thing and it is hard. My brain is already full of things that I have to remember just to survive in adult life, so the idea of learning even more things to survive class almost put me over the edge. I told DTM I was tired of working so hard and that for ONCE I would like something to just come easy for me. Something I didn't have to work at. Something where I wouldn't have to try. He looked at me and said "Then what would be the point?" Le sigh. He is right, as always. With his simple words he reminded me that anything worth doing isn't going to be easy. He also reminded me of my favorite quote from my favorite movie of all time:

"If is wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great."

- Jimmy Dugan, A League of Their Own

Oh Jimmy Dugan, you're an unlikely hero!

So sometimes when I think working hard just becomes too hard, I have to remember this. It is hard now, but it is shaping me into something great. I already know how to work hard. And when the hard work is done (if it is ever done), it will be great. It will be GREAT.

The other thing I learned from A League of Their Own is that there is no crying in baseball, but that is a philosophy for another time.

There's no crying in baseball! There's no crying!

Hard Work and No Play

2011-01-22T10:58:00.001-05:00

The "No Play" is sort of a lie. I consider going to the gym "play" because I suppose I am some sort of wacko. Anyway, the last few days have been very hectic at all angles, hence the lack of updates.

I have been working hard at all those fun things in life. You know, work, chores, school, etc. Some are easier than others. I did have the fun job of calling the leasing office every day this week to badger them about the washer they were supposed to have delivered on Tuesday. We got it yesterday. My patience was running thin by Thursday, because, for some reason, we create an inordinate amount of laundry for 2 people and I was running out of quarters to do them in the shared machines. They delivered it yesterday. I am kind of convinced that they just gave us our old machine back, but we'll see in the first load today.

Anyway, I worked out 5 days in a row this week and that is never a good idea for me. I took a rest day today, even though I like to go on Saturdays to see all the people I don't get to see during the week! I just couldn't do it this morning because I felt like this:

Except that I am a girl.

Friday, January 21

For Time:
21-18-15-12-9-6
Double Unders
Burpees
Box Jumps

This one was harder than it looked. The Double Unders were actually the easiest part. I know, right? I am thisclose to being able to do consecutive Double Unders. The Burpees weren't too bad and I used the 24" box for the jumps. I finished in 19:35.f

Thursday, January 20

Shoulder Press and Back Squats

For Time:
50-40-30-20-10
Sit Ups
Back Extensions

I managed to do my 3 working sets of 5 reps at 75# for shoulder press. It is what I did last time, but I failed during my second set. Next week I will try 80#

I went lighter on the Back Squats because my legs were tired. I did my 3 work sets of 5 reps at 165#. Last time was at 175#. I am not going to worry about that too much.

The rest of the workout was great. I was specifically looking for something to give our bodies a "rest" because I felt beat up, so I was pretty confident others felt the same way. I came across this WOD on the main site and thought it would be perfect. It was meant to be done on the GHD machine, but we only have one, so we used Ab Mats. I finished in 8 something. My abs felt GOOD!

Wednesday, January 19

Cindy

AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
5 Pulls Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats

Cindy is always a challenge. I did 14 rounds but I did modified Push Ups and halfway through I ripped a callous and switched to assisted Chin Ups so as not to rip any others. Ripping one is bad enough, I was not about to sacrifice my skin just for one more round of Cindy. Probably not a good CrossFitter's Creed, but seriously, losing all your skin hurts. Even with those modifications, I still got a great workout!

Fortress of Solitude

2011-01-18T18:45:00.000-05:00

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...

This is basically what my car looked like this morning at roughly 5:30am when I went to teach the morning classes. As I skated across the parking lot and tried to defrost my Fortress, I realized that it was all for naught. Even if I did chip my car out in time, there was no way I could safely get to the gym, so, alas, I cancelled morning classes. I hope the AM All Stars aren't too mad!

Because of yesterday's WOD, we decided to do Deadlifts and Bench Press today.

For my 3 Bench Press work sets of 5 reps, I did 120#. Some of them were ugly, but some of them were ok.

Deadlifts were MUCH better. I did my 1 work set of 5 reps at 215# and they felt great. I an pretty sure I can go up even more next week.

We did a "quick" met con afterward.

3 Rounds
500m Row
3 Rope Climbs
20 Reverse Grip KB Swings

The Row wasn't bad at all. I tried to keep a steady pace for all the rounds and managed to do a pretty good job. I am unable to do Reverse Grip KB Swings because they irritate my elbows in bad ways, so I did 20 1-handed Swings on each side. The Net is not up yet, so I had to use the knotted rope. I avoid the ropes like the plague because I am just plain terrified of heights. With the net I feel like I am safer because if I need to, I can wrap my arms and legs in the net and be safe. There is no such feeling with a rope for me. I did it. It wasn't pretty, but I did it. I didn't time myself. My goal was just to get through it and not die. Done and done!

via nataliedee.com

Da Bear!

2011-01-17T13:53:00.001-05:00

Pick up those dumbbells NOW!

Today was a bear of a workout. Thank goodness because that is what it is called. No surprises.

Monday, January 17

The (Dumbbell) Bear Complex

15 minutes, each minute on the minute of:

5 Reps:
Deadlifts
Hang Cleans
Thrusters

You have to do these in order, so you can't do 5 Deadlifts, then 5 Hang Cleans, then 5 Thrusters. It has to be one after the other and don't cheat on the Hang Cleans. Do the full Deadlift and then do the Hang Clean. Remember, it is a FULL squat. As you stand up, use that momentum to get the dumbbells over your head, like a Push Press. The faster you do five reps, the more time you have to rest. Talk about some motivation!

I used 25# DB for the complex and I tried very hard to keep the same pace the entire time. I managed to keep it up, but the last few rounds I did a little slower. It was good! I remember when I started CF, I could barely use a 10# DB. Then we rowed a 2k. My goal was to finish in around 8 minutes. I did.

For some sick reason, I decided to do the whole thing again with the 7 am class. This time I used a 15# DB. It was much easier. The row took me about the same time as well.

Overall today was bear-y good!

Polish Moroccan Chicken

2011-01-16T19:30:00.002-05:00

There's a Polish Moroccan Friendship Forum. Who knew?

DTM and I have been experimenting with some Paleo/Primal Blueprint recipes and we came across one in The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson with Jennifer Meier. I am not claiming to be a nutritionist, but The Primal Blueprint is slightly different from Paleo in that the recipes do call for dairy, like butter and cream, but they also encourage you to use the healthiest fats you can. For instance, ghee butter is preferred over regular butter and coconut milk is better than heavy cream. What I really like about The Primal Blueprint is that you don't need a ton of strange ingredients to make you meals tasty. I sometimes feel like Paleo can get that way, so I stick to easier recipes meaning we don't have a lot of variety in our diet.

Anyway, we tried a few recipes out of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and haven't had a bad one yet. Our newest favorite is called Moroccan Chicken. After the first batch, I tweaked the recipe to suit my tastes and here is what I came up with:

Polish Moroccan Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tsp Olive oil
1 Onion, diced
3 Garlic cloves, diced
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 1/2 tsp Paprika
2 Chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 14.5 oz can of Diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups Water
1/2 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup Mint
Juice from 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Saute onion, and garlic until soft and lightly browned,
2. Add spices and saute another minute
3. Add chicken, tomatoes, water, and cilantro and simmer with a lid for 30 minutes.
4. Take the chicken out of the mixture and set aside.
5. Using an immersion blender, blend the tomato mixture into a sauce.
6. Stir the mint and lemon juice into the sauce.
7. Serve sauce over chicken.

You can serve any veggie with this. We have had steamed cauliflower and asparagus with it. I preferred the cauliflower because the sauce tastes really good with it.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures!

Check out more information on The Primal Blueprint here. Buy the cookbook! It is great. ESPECIALLY their brussel sprout recipe. I KNOW! Brussel sprouts?!?!?!

Rage Against the Washing Machine

2011-01-16T16:25:00.001-05:00

Don't be fooled. Not all washing machines are this nice.

Our washing machine has been on the fritz since we moved into this apartment. We really don't know why, but every couple of loads, it dumps large quantities of water on the floor from the bottom. It only happens during the first spin and not after. The Maintenance Guy has come to look at it several times and has told us each time that nothing is wrong. Um, ok. Water flooding the kitchen every other load is totally normal. Thanks, MG! So we just gave up and used towels to soak up whatever it spewed, creating even MORE laundry for me. Yipee.

Enter yesterday, a normal Saturday here at the Bukowski household. I just put in the first load of the day since the Laundry Fairy refuses to visit my house (I am guessing because of the faulty washing machine) and we were buried under mountains of dirty clothes. The most important load always goes in first, so of course it was workout clothes! To wash out nasty workout clothes, I always use hot water. So I get everything started and go work on my first Stats homework assignment. Approximately 15 minutes into the load I hear a strange tinkling of water so I check to see what it going on.

There was water gushing from the machine. GUSHING! It. Was. EVERYWHERE! I had a veritable water park in my kitchen. I stopped the machine and opened the lid to see was had gone wrong only to be greeted by a barrel FULL of scalding hot water and a bunch of clothes soaked in that hot water. The water didn't drain from the first cycle and the machine just kept on going like the Little Engine that Could and tried to do the rinse cycle but there was nowhere for the water to go. The clothes needed to come out but I was not sticking my arm into a hot vat of dirty water, so naturally I fished them all out with my grilling tongs. Genius, I tell you.

We got MG to come look at it. He said it was definitely broken (REALLY? You've got to be kidding me!) and he took it away. We should have a new washer by Tuesday. I am not holding my breath.

I bet you anything that stupid Laundry Fairy is stuck in old machine's drainage tube. That would explain her absence...

The Head Bone's Connected to the Neck Bone...

2011-01-15T11:55:00.001-05:00

I started my Anatomy and Physiology class last night. I am super excited about it! I decided to pursue this new degree because I have no idea how the human body works. That isn't true, I know the basics. Like: You have to eat, breathe, expel waste, blah, blah, blah. However, I am really trying to be more knowledgeable about HOW our bodies function so when someone says "My knee is killing me" I can do better than tell them to rest it (which isn't bad advice, it just isn't specific.) Don't take that the wrong way, I am not interested in being a doctor. I just want to KNOW more. Anyway, because of class, I missed the Grill and Chill to celebrate the new gym! ::sadface::

Today was a great day! I slept in a little since it was Saturday and then started the weekend off right with some Squats.

Totally me. Not.

I love Squats because I am good at them. They are also super good for you and help you develop a tremendous amount of core strength, which you need for everything. Wimpy cores are useless. If you are squatting correctly, your knees should not hurt. If you are not sure what I am talking about, then check out this video from the CrossFit main site:

On Tuesday, my 3 work set max was 170. My goal was to do the 3 work sets at 5 reps each using 175. Mission accomplished! They didn't feel bad at all. I am SO happy!

The rest of today's WOD was rough, especially after the Squats.

5 Rounds for Time:

10 Lateral Box Jumps

45ft Traveling KB Swings

10 Russian Twists (!0 each side)

Holy Medicine Balls, Batman! It stank! I used the 22in box but a shorter hurdle for the Jumps, a 16kg KB for the Swings, and a 12# ball for the Twists. Not going to lie, my legs were screaming. My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes and I managed to in 30:05. I don't feel too terribly about it because I did spend some time waiting for equipment, as we had SO many people at the gym this morning. A great problem to have!

Yesterday's WOD is a fave:

Thursday, January 13

Kari Partner WOD

3x 250m Row/KB Rack Hold

10, 9, 8...3 Ball Slams/Plank

10, 9, 8...3 SDLHP/Steering Wheels (75/45)

10, 9, 8...3 Burpees/Tire Chops

3x 250m Row/KB Rack Holds

Hannah was my partner and we rocked it! I used 20# KBs for the Holds and tried to keep my Rowing under 2:00/500m and was fairly successful. I used the 20# ball for Slams, 65# for SDLHP, and the 10# sledge hammer for Chops. I tell you what, the Chop/Burpee combo really does a number on your shoulders! We finished in 40:24 or something close to that.

Ok, enough of this chit chat, I need to go do some homework! Have a great Saturday and check in tomorrow for a delish recipe I made this week. It's totally Paleo/Zone friendly!

What's That Under There?

2011-01-13T19:15:00.000-05:00

I just made you say under where! Underwear! Tee hee!

Speaking of underwear, I have a funny story. Contrary to popular belief, I do not live at the gym. I am there quite a bit, sure, but I do leave to go to my other job. Some days I have to go straight from the gym to my other job as a Project Manager at a local tech company. It is a pretty sweet gig. My bosses are cool and it is really flexible. Anyway, I had to be there earlier than usual today so I figured I would just pack my work clothes (which are considerably dressier than my workout clothes) and change at work. No problems there.

I get to work and start to get ready for the day only to realize that I was missing a certain important undergarment. Awesome. What else was I to do but spend the day wearing my compression lifting shorts in lieu of said missing garment? Thank goodness I decided to wear pants today! How do explain that fashion statement if an Underarmour logo peaks out from the hem of your skirt?

Compression shorts at the office? How scandalous!

Today was another lifting day. We did Bench Press and Deadlifts. I did 105 for the 3 work sets of 5 reps for the Bench Press. Earl was there and talked me into trying to Bench 135 once. He scares me a little (not in a bad way), so I tried it and did it! It wasn't pretty but I totally got it! Knowing that I can do it really gave me a boost of confidence.

We only did one work set of Deadlifts today and I did them at 205. Less than my last Deadlift, but my hips have been killing me all week and I didn't want to overdo it. It is so easy to hurt yourself with Deadlifts. I found this graphic and it shows exactly how you should do one.

You have GOT to remember to keep your chest big and your back tight. Reset after each lift ESPECIALLY after lifting heavy weights. Form is key here, so keep that in mind as you lift big. One of my goals is to get my 1RM up to 300. I have such a long way to go!

I Don't Need No Education

2011-01-12T14:42:00.001-05:00

That boy is a P-I-G pig!

Several new things happened to me today.:

1) I put makeup one while in my PARKED car after attempting to put it on at the gym, only to find there is not a mirror in our new restroom yet.

2) I started my first class in my Kinesiology adventure. Statistics. At NOVA Community College. It isn't too bad yet.

3) I truly felt old for the first time in my life.

I went to class after the gym this morning in my hoodie and....wind pants? Athletic pants? I don't know, they're Adidas. I wore them because, you know, it is a statistics class and one has to be comfortable. I had my old Jansport book bag and my sliver glittery calculator and I was all nervous like I was going back to junior high with my giant glasses and wonky teeth. I sat down and looked around and there they were. Barely out of high school in their skin tight jeans and Uggs. No notebooks. No bookbags. No books. Just giant phones and bohemian hair scarves. I overheard them talking while I got out my super cool Justice League folder and purple college-ruled notebook. One of them used the phrase "It's totally dope!" They also used the word "like" WAY too often. That is when I realized I am no longer a "kid." I know I am not old but I am definitely out of the "college" stage of my life. I wonder what my A&P class will be like. This should be interesting!

Who You Callin' a Dumbbell?

2011-01-11T19:00:00.002-05:00

We started 6 am classes this week. I was a little nervous about it because I am not a morning person. I mean, NOT a morning person. DTM won't even talk to me until I have been awake for at least an hour because I communicate in mostly grunts and snarls. So needless to say I was a bit nervous for those champs that showed up for the 6 am class. Surprisingly, I LOVE it.

Yep, that about sums it up.

We also have just started a new weightlifting regimen to help people break through some of their plateaus. This is good because I am stuck on 115 for Bench and there is no way I am ever going to weigh 115 so if I am going to be able to reach my goal of benching my body weight, two things need to happen: 1) I need to get some sort of nasty flu and 2) I need to get stronger.

Today we worked on Shoulder Press and Back Squats. The whole point of this is to go as heavy as you can for 3 works sets of 5 reps WITHOUT failing. Here is how today went for me:

Shoulder Press:

2 sets of 5 reps at 45# for warm up.
1 set of 5 reps at 55#
1 set of 3 reps at 65#
1 set of 2 reps at 65#
3 sets of 5 reps at 75#--I failed once during the second set

Back Squat:

2 sets of 5 reps at 45# for warm up.

1 set of 5 reps at 95#

1 set of 3 reps at 115#

1 set of 2 reps at 145#

3 sets of 5 reps at 170#--This was an achievement because I usually top out at 165. YES!

Monday's WOD was really good but rough!

Monday, January 10

For Time:

800m Run

40 DB Snatches (20L/20R) (45#)
40 DB Cleans (20L/20R)
100 Sit Ups
40 DB Cleans (20L/20R)
40 DB Snatches (20L/20R)
800m Run

I used a 30# DB for everything and finished in 29:35. I was hoping for a better time, but I think this was alright.

Water-balloon Double Unders?

2011-01-09T17:13:00.000-05:00

I am surprised this hasn't been done at CrossFit Tysons Corner yet.

Raviolis and a Nap!

2011-01-08T12:04:00.004-05:00

Today I decided to go to the running class Heather holds on Saturday mornings. I hate running. I used to run all the time because I didn't know what else to do and before long all of my joints starting at the hips and below hurt and I had shin splints that felt like they were going to explode my legs. Anyway, fast forward 2 years. I am still not a great runner and I know Heather's classes will help me so I sucked it up and went. It was really good! I am looking forward to practicing the POSE running technique she showed us so I can do better at CrossFit overall.

I stayed for the workout at 9. I don't know why I thought this was a good idea. I was sucking wind hardcore throughout the WOD and in the last round, I actually saw the room move, but at least I finished.

Saturday, January 8

4 Rounds for Time:

400m Run
10 Squat Cleans (95/65)
20 Burpees
30 Ball Slams

I used 65lbs for the Cleans and that was hard. I considered trying 95 before the WOD and I am glad I stuck with 65. The Burpees were actually not too bad. I used a 20lb ball for the Slams. I finished in 35:40. When I finished I collapsed into a heap and left a pretty sweet sweat angel on the ground. Once I recovered, I decided I was going to go home and have some raviolis and a nap. Gotta love John Pinette!

12 Mile Challenge and Barbara

2011-01-07T10:12:00.002-05:00

Does anyone else in the DC Metro Area listen to Elliot in the Morning? If so, have you heard the food challenge they are doing? It guess it is called the 12 Mile Challenge and the rule is that you can only eat things you grow/kill within a 12 mile radius of your house. You can't buy anything from the store and if you make something from scratch, it literally has to be from scratch. Like, you grew, harvested, and ground your own wheat for flour. Apparently they are trying to do it for a month. I find that utterly fascinating. The peeps on the show that are still in it (Elliot and Tyler) are pretty hungry, but apparently Tyler caught a squirrel last night and had a tasty dinner. I think I would just have to starve, mostly because this is not the best area ever to hunt/grow things AND I refuse to sacrifice my car in order to "bag a deer." How do you think you'd do?

Anyway, we did a great partner WOD today:

Friday, January 7:

Partner Barbara

P1: Row 500m

P2: 20 Pull Ups

30 Push Ups

40 Sit Ups

50 Squats

Round 1: Pace off the rower

Round 2: Pace off reps

This one was a little tough today because my legs were tired from the OHS yesterday. I like the partner WODs though because it forces you to work harder so you don't kill your partner. Amit came back from the dead (not really, his wife just had a darling baby girl and he has been busy) and was my partner today. We did well, but I don't know our time. I think next time, I will wear this outfit:

Squatting Overhead and the Torture Press

2011-01-06T10:49:00.002-05:00

There are two absolutes for me in CrossFit. 1) I absolutely HATE Bench Press and 2) I absolutely LOVE Overhead Squats. This morning we did both.

We started with Bench Press and I worked my way up to 125. That seems to be my max right now, and I need assistance with the last rep always. I have a mental block for this lift that I just can't shake. I don't know how to move past it. I guess the first step would be to start with a better attitude and not be this guy:

Mr. Grumble

For dessert we did OHS. They make me do this:

Not actually me.

I attempted to do my first working set at 125 twice, but failed both times. I lowered the weight to 120 and squeaked out the last one. For my other working sets, I stuck to 115. Towards the end my arms and wrists were more tired than anything else. 115 is my new max for work sets.

Also, for any of you interested in starting/getting back on the Paleo Diet, here is a great post from Practical Paleolithic that can help you get a quick start. Check out their other articles too. Here is another fave about how lifting "like a guy" doesn't make you a She-Hulk.

Activate!

2011-01-05T16:27:00.000-05:00

Today is my rest day. It was actually supposed to be a total day off for me so I could get my house back into shape and run some errands and finally get my cars washed and all those other terribly exciting things that go along with adulthood. I did, however, have to go into work just for a little bit today to work on a project. I am so happy that my day job is only 2 miles away AND right in the middle of all my errands.

Anyway, what do these 2 pictures have in common?

Yes, yes. Wonder Woman is in both and they are all super heroes, Super Friends, part of the Justice League and so forth.

Those are not the answers I am looking for.

Give up?

They are on my NEW SCHOOL FOLDERS!!!!!!!

Yep, I totally bought some Justice League folders for the two classes I'll be starting on Wednesday. I am nervous and a little scared because 1) I haven't been to school in a long time and 2) They are math and science classes. And I have a BA in History. Math and science are not my strong suit. If you have EVER lifted with me, you know I can rarely accurately add the weight on the bar. I can't even count properly sometimes. So Statistics. And A&P. This should be fun!

2 Year CrossFitiversary!

2011-01-04T10:54:00.000-05:00

Today is our 2 year CrossFitiversary. I know I have come a long way since we first started. My PRs in just about everything have gotten so much better. I have yet to test my goal of being able to Squat 200lbs by the end of 2010, but I will do that soon. I did not meet my goal of completing a Muscle-Up but I am on track to do it soon I think, I just need to work on it. Here are some goals for this year:

1) Complete at least 6 classes of my new educational adventure, my BS in Kinesiology.
2) Do that darn muscle up and then complete a WOD with muscle ups in it.
3) Get my Deadlift up to 300lbs.
4) Go for and earn my Level 2 Cert.
5) Master ring dips.
6) Bench press my body weight. The way I look at it, either I can lose some weight or get stronger. It's a win/win!
7) Try to maintain a mostly Paleo diet. I do take exception to occasional cheese and a cheat meal every once in awhile.

Alright, here is a recap of the last couple days.

Tuesday, January 4 2011

Deadlifts

3 Rounds:
50 Double Unders
50 Back Extensions

My goal was to do my 3 working sets of deadlifts at 200+ lbs and I managed to squeak out 3 sets of 5 at 210. Goal met. The rest of the WOD wasn't terrible, although back extensions after deadlifts are challenging. I could not get double unders to save my life today, so I did 500 singles each round. I finished in around 16 minutes.

Monday, January 3 2011

Today was the first day at the new gym and we decided to break it in by doing Nancy. My fave.

Nancy

5 Rounds:
400m Run
15 OHS (95/65)

Nancy gave me some heartache today. Well, more like a hip-ache. Surprisingly, the OHS at 65lbs wasn't hard. I think I will have to try 75lbs next time. The runs killed me though. Halfway through they second round run my hips started to lock up. They never did relax, so my runs were slower than usual. I finished in 17:10. My previous best was 16:01. I know I can do better. Until we meet again, Nance. Until we meet again.

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

So I suppose one of my New Year's resolutions should be to do a better job of blogging. Ok, noted. I have never been one for reflection, mostly because it takes my brain an inordinate amount of time to process events and then come up with intelligent sounding thoughts to share. By the time everything clicks, the moment and the time to share thoughts has passed. Anyway, I found this questionnaire on one of my favorite blogs Mommy Wants Vodka. Aunt Becky is a very funny lady, but just be warned that there is much adult language. I declined to answer all the questions, since some of them had to do with fashion, and let's be honest, my fashion consists of gym clothes and Converse Chucks with skulls on them. So anyway, this is my reflection of the past year.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
I found out I am going to be an aunt! That is a first for me:-)

Also, I went snorkeling with Dan, my sister, and my brother-in-law in the Caribbean! I have never done either of those and it was so much fun!

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Well, I manged to do some of them, but to be honest, I lost the piece of paper I wrote them down on, as per usual. I kept with CrossFit and actually became a trainer (which wasn't a resolution, but turned out to be fantastic.) We also paid off our student loans, which has been a longtime resolution!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin Erin and her husband Zerek had a beautiful baby boy named Ellis and my cousin Tyler and his wife Michelle had a gorgeous little girl named Meadow. Also, my dear friend from high school McKenzie and her husband Bud had a little girl named Westyn! There are babies EVERYWHERE!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Dan's grandma passed away in early 2010. We miss her very much.

5. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
This is a hard one. I think that I would like to have the flexibility to visit my family more oftern. I am not sure this is going to happen though.

6. What countries did you visit?
Let's see...we went to Puerto Rico (I know it is a US territory), St. Thomas, VI (another US territory), St. Maartin, St. Lucia, Antigua, and Barbados. It was wonderful!

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why:
The first one that comes to mind is snorkeling with sea turtles on Thanksgiving. That is not very deep, I know.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Figuring out what I really and truly want to do with my life.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Losing Brom, our sweet little puppy. I know we made the right decision since he was so sick, but that doesn't mean it didn't break my heart.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I suffered many small injuries from CrossFit, including a recurring wrist issue which set me back in some of my fitness goals. I also had the usual colds. But hey, no migraines!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A car? I mean, I needed it, but I really like my skull shoes better. Don't tell my car.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My mother, who retired from her job knowing that something else was out there for her. If you don't know my mom, this was remarkable. I am so happy for her. Also, my dad is retiring at the end of this school year!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Oh, a couple of people. But I try not to dwell on it.

14. Where did most of your money go?
To pay off our student loans!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
There were several things: my Level 1 CrossFit cert, my Olympic Lifting cert (taught by Burgener himself!), our family cruise, and starting school!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Any song played on the steel drums, since that is how all the music was played on the cruise.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Happier, I think. 2010 was a bit confusing for me as an adult which made me depressed, but I think I am figuring things out, which makes me happy.

ii. thinner or fatter? This is an interesting question. I am heavier but leaner. I could snap you in half with my horse thighs.

iii. richer or poorer? Immeasurably richer in experience!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

This sounds lame. Ring dips.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Facebook.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Well, since it it the first of January, Christmas is over. I spent it the same way have spent every Christmas in my adult life: Making a whirlwind tour of Western PA and Ohio.

21. What was your favorite TV program?
The Big Bang Theory and Battlestar Galactica, therefore cementing my place in dork-dom.

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone. I dislike some people but that is all.

23. What was the best book you read?
The Hunger Games series, hands down. If you haven't read it, do it now!

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Them Crooked Vultures.

25. What did you want and get?
I wanted to start teaching at our gym and I did!

26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I have no answer to this, really. I am really satisfied with how my life is!

27. What kept you sane?
CrossFit. Specifically the Tire Chops (Sledge Hammer Swings).

28. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I hate to admit this but I am fascinated with Lady Gaga. Please, don't hold this against me.

29. Who did you miss?
I miss my whole family, but I really miss my grandma.

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
I learned that it really, really, REALLY doesn't matter what people think about you. You need to do what you want and what makes you happy. Worrying about other people's reactions is just a waste of time and energy.

That's it. I have some resolutions for 2011, most of them revolving around school and the gym. Oh, and updating my blog of course. Here is hoping for a fabulous 2011!

Hahahahaha!

2010-12-02T16:49:00.000-05:00

I know, I have some 'splainin' to do. But I don't have time right now. I do have time, however, to share this funny graphic I found on Marsha's Strong is the New Skinny blog. This is how I feel every single day at CrossFit.

Ah well. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!!!

Helga's House of Pain WOD

2010-11-01T10:32:00.001-04:00

Oh, how I love Saturday morning CrossFit!!! We had a lovely little group of ghouls come for the Dirty, Scary Thirty:

For time:

30 KB Swings (16kg)

30 Wall Balls (20lb ball)

30 Box Jumps

30 Ground to Overheads (75lb)

30 Push Ups

30 Pull Ups

30 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (75lb)

30 Slam Balls (20lb ball)

30 Sit Ups

30 Burpees

I have never done this one before but my time was 23:43, so that was rad. I used 45lbs for the GTOs and SDLHP, a 12lb ball for Wall Balls, and the 25lb ball for Ball Slams. I did have to modify the Push Ups because I did those last and my wrist was killing me, though I did make it through everything else pretty well. Of course I tried to wear my viking helmet, but it kept falling off, so I discarded it.

The rest of last week went well. I am still resting a bit and toning stuff down to heal. We did a good Barbell Tabata that was a little rough, but went well. I used a 45lb for everything.

Looking forward to this week of CF!!! There is a fantastic partner WOD today that I am really looking forward to. Yeah, I said it. I am a sick puppy! Also, I am supposed to get a massage this week. I know it will help, but this is how I feel about it:

Nancy PR

2010-10-26T20:56:00.001-04:00

So the resting continues but I am feeling better, minus my legs because of a horrible, terrible workout on Saturday that included Frog Hops and Lateral Hops. It was terrible, though I did it faster (22 minutes) than last time (32 minutes.)

This is how I have been feeling since Saturday:

But before that horrible workout I managed to PR on Nancy (5 Rounds of 400m Run, 15 OHS 65#.) 16:01, previous best 17:25. That is pretty rockin'!

In other news, my hammy and my ankle are feeling better. My wrist is trying to decide whether to get better or not. Some days it feels great and then I try to do something unmodified and it starts yelling at me. Whatevs. It is getting there. As soon as I can feel my legs, I should be good to go!

Fran PR

2010-10-20T14:55:00.000-04:00

Because I haven't been as active at the gym as normal, I have tried to fill the gap with reading CF Journal articles and blogs about CF and Paleo and such. Not quite the same, though it helped. When I don't work out, I get pretty antsy because I have extra energy to burn off, especially since I sit at a computer all day at work. Anyway, during my various perusing, I found that many CF women have started blogging about how they would rather be strong that skinny and I have to say that I am among those ranks now. For years and years I worried about my weight and how I looked. Being a "short round," I have a hard time finding pants and such that fit. I must admit that I still worry about my weight and such now occasionally, but honestly, when I think about how much better I feel and how much more fit I am, the worry lessens. I mean, when I started CrossFit nearly 2 years ago, I was having migraines at least once every week. Since CrossFit and changing my diet, I haven't had one. I am also stronger than I have ever been in my life. My endurance is ridiculous. And I discovered my passion for true fitness. If I had never found CrossFit (thanks Dave!), I never would have been satisfied with my body. Now I am amazed at what it can do!

So, in that tone of amazement, I give you my new Fran as Rxed time: 5:53. Boo to the Yah!

Hot Mess

2010-10-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

I am not going to lie, I am in pretty bad shape. I have been ordered to take is easy until everything I hurt heals. What did I hurt? It might be better to ask what didn't I hurt. Anyway, I seemed to pull a hammy (oh goody) and a muscle in my ankle. I tried to look it up, but I can't get a good diagram of the leg. Let's just say it is on the outside and it makes every step very difficult. Of course these muscle pulls are both on my right leg. The ankle twist also affected my lower back, as per usual AND with my left wrist, I am just a hot mess. Hence, I need to take it easy for awhile.

Yesterday we did OHS, which I can never resist. I went super light. My max was 85lbs and then I went back down to 65. I tried some false grip pull ups, but stopped after a few because my wrist can't handle it yet. So frustrating.

Today we did and hero WOD:

Michael:

3 Rounds
800m Run
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit Ups

I rowed 1000m instead of running and it felt good. I didn't over do it. The back extensions and sit ups were easy. I finished in about 25 minutes. That isn't a hard and fast time because I was teaching this morning and had to stop a few times to help. I usually don't like working out when I am teaching but I have some very important cakes to bake tonight, so I can't go back!

Cakes for whom, you ask? Matt and Kari of course!!!! They are getting married on Saturday! Hurray!

Warrior Dash!

2010-10-11T09:26:00.000-04:00

So, my dream came true. Back in December when I found the Warrior Dash (remember this post?), I said to myself "Self, you need to do this." So I talked DTM into signing up with me and this past weekend, we ran the race! It was AWESOME! The location change form north of B-More to The-Middle-of-Nowhere PA (AKA, Quarryville). The race was a little more than three miles through fields and woods and creeks and other such terrain. The obstacles were challenging but not impossible. I had a GREAT time and so did Dan. It wasn't my fastest race ever and I still don't know my time, but I had a ton of fun and that is what I was going for! Here we are in all of our Warrior Dash glory.

Totally. Awesome!

Tough!

2010-10-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

This week has been tough. I have had to scale everything so my wrist can hold the weight. I feel like I just started CrossFit! I can't hold heavy KettleBells, do Pull-Ups without Thin Mint, or do more than a couple true Push-Ups!! ARGGGG! That is ok. I know I have to be patient so it can heal and it is feeling better. I just hate feeling like I am dogging things because of it.

My lifting isn't anywhere close to what it could be and that is ok for now. I am just hanging in there until the wrist gets back to normal. I hope it is soon!

In other news, using Thin Mint makes Pull-Ups super easy!

Frakkin' Wrist

2010-09-30T18:26:00.000-04:00

My wrist hurts. I am whining. I know. Because of this AND since I was in charge of the gym this morning, I decided to make everyone do Back Squats and Deadlifts.

I made it up to 3 sets of 5 reps each at 165. The work sets of the Deadlifts hurt my wrist super bad even with the reverse grip that I only did 2 reps at 205. Super. I am going ot have to be more careful but not get lazy. This will help:

Bench Press and Deadlifts, my Favorite.

2010-09-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

If you know anything about me at all, you know I absolutely HATE Bench Press. Deadlifts are getting better. They aren't Overhead Squats, but they aren't horrible. Anyway, here was the workout for today:

Tuesday, 28 September:

Bench Press

RDL 10x3

Net Climb 1-9
Rope 5x

So I managed to do 1 of my working sets at 115 but my wrist just couldn't do it for any more than that. I went back down to 95 for my last 2 working sets for my bench press. I am not beating myself up because quite frankly, I don't care about bench press.

Romanian Deadlifts weren't too bad. I had to use the alternating grip to relive some of the stress in my wrist. I managed to get up to 135. I probably could have done more, but I honestly don't want to hurt myself even more.

I ended up doing 2 net climbs and shouldn't have. I did climb the knotted rope once and got all the way to the top for the first time ever! I know that I can do it, I just hate heights and I don't feel safe up there.

Overall, it was an average WOD.

Oh, Hey Fall.

2010-09-27T10:43:00.000-04:00

So I thought I would reduce my posts to quarterly. HA! Just kidding. No really, I know I have neglected this thing quite often for months at a time. My bad. I guess it is a good thing this is my blog.

Last night I returned from the Olympic Listing cert. It was a good course but very frustrating. I learned that I have been doing Snatches incorrectly. Also, my Cleans, which I was pretty confident with, are wrong as well. I can do Jerks alright though. Overall it was disheartening but good because now I no what I really have to work on. On a brighter side, though, Coach Mike Burgener was there and he might be the best teacher I have ever had the opportunity to learn from. What a great leader and great man! I thought he didn't do the certs anymore, so when I saw him there, I was so surprised! He did compliment me on my Overhead Squats (thank goodness because if he hadn't I may have resolved to tears, I was so frustrated with everything else). I am looking forward to getting better at Olympic Lifts. I told this to my mom and she said that I should probably concentrated on more girly things. I rolled my eyes. We were on the phone so she didn't see to yell at me! Hahaha!

One downfall is that I think I really tweaked my thumb doing a Clean. It is hard for me to pick up some things with my left hand because of it. I am not sure how to go about healing it other than resting it and taping it.

In other news, I upped my PR over OHS. My new 1RM is 125, but I think I can do more.

I am also really going to try to keep these shenanigans up! Until next time!

It's Saturday, I Need a Drink

2010-07-31T16:50:00.000-04:00

Ahh, today was a great WOD. It incorporated 2 of my favorite things: Sledge Hammer Swings and Squats. I love Squats. Apparently the workout was named after me. We'll see if it sticks.

Saturday, July 31

Part 1:

Alison
50 Tire Chops
100 Squats
400m Run
50 Tire Chops
75 Squats
400m Run
50 Tire Chops
50 Squats
400m Run
50 Tire Chops
25 Squats
400m Run

Part 2:

Pull-Up Ladder:
1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1
1-2-3-3-2-1
1-2-3-3-2-1

The first part went well. I love Tire Chops and Squats, though the Run after the Squats was rough. My legs felt like jelly! I finished in 24:28.

For the Pull-Up ladder, I tried to do strict Pull-Ups. I managed to do a few and switched to Chin-Ups, which I was able to do quite easily. Eventually I moved to Lil' Red, the band.

Friday, 30 July

AMRAP in 10 minutes:

5 Cleans
5 Burpees

This one was deceptively rough. I used a medicine ball for the Cleans to work on my form. I got through almost 12 rounds. I was 2 Burpees away when time was called!

To Blog or Not to Blog...

2010-07-29T13:36:00.000-04:00

That IS the question. Ok, it really isn't. I just haven't been keeping up and I know it isn't good. My bad. Here is a funny picture to make up for it:

That's right kid in the pink tiger singlet. Own it.

Last week CrossFit was absolute murder. The Monday, the 19th WOD killed me dead. It was a KB Circuit (oh goody!) with Reverse Lunges. I used a 16kg KB. It hurt the day after. Tuesday, the 20th, we did a lifting WOD and the some RDL, which I hate. They hurt me even more. Wednesday, the 21st, we did Cindy and some cleans. I thought it would loosen me up. WRONG! Thursday was my rest day. Friday I felt better, but Jason came back to teach finally (YAY!) and did a killer ab workout before the workout so the next day I felt like someone had been punching me in the belly for 8 hours straight. Friday went alright though. Annie. I finished in 13:51 doing all Double Unders. Saturday was a fun Partner WOD that included Sled Pulls and Landmines. Some of my faves.

Alright, to this week.

Wednesday, 28 July

1200m Run
63 KB Swings
36 Jumping Pull-Ups
800m Run
42 KB Swings
24 Ring Rows
400m Run
21 KB Swings
12 Pull-Ups

I liked this one. It was super hot so my running times wasn't as fast as I could have gone, but I am not risking anything. I get wicked bad heat headaches. I used the 16kg KB for the swings and did alright. I find my grip gets tired before the rest of me does doing KB swings with that weight. The Jumping Pulls Ups were no problem, I did all the Ring Rows with my feet on the box, and I kipped for the Pull-Ups. They were supposed to be strict but I still have problems doing strict. I think it is a mental block I just need to get over. I finished in 26:02. I was hoping to be done in 25 or less but...not quite. Hopefully next time.

Tuesday, 27 July

Lifting Day! Back Squats and then 1 arm Barbell Presses

I did my working sets at 165 for the Back Squats. It had been a couple weeks and this weight was heavy enough. I hate any 1 arm anything with Barbells but did my best and got up to 35 lbs. Neat.

Monday, 26 July

5 Rounds for time:

400m Run
15 KTE
15 Burpees
1 Rope/Net Climb

I love this one. Love it, love it. I was a bit slow, but finished in 30:57.

Just Keep Swimming.

2010-07-19T13:19:00.000-04:00

Usually we reserve KB Circuits for Saturdays to keep things semi-normal at CFTC. However, I detest KB Circuits and refuse to do them when I have the choice, so I thought Saturday would be ideal for a Filthy Fifty. Also on Saturday I had a cake due for a friend and client, and I was just going to meet her at the gym, do the cake exchange, and then get ready for the morning class. Here is how my plan worked out:

1) Wake up at 7am, put the finishing touches on the cake. Copy down the WOD to post on the white board. Get ready to go.

2) Take my car key off my key ring so I can turn on the car to cool it down so the cake's icing won't melt. Take my first load of stuff down to the car.

3) Unlock car. Throw purse, which contains my cell phone and all important information in the back seat with my gym back and some other assorted goods. Turn on car. This is where my plan came to a screeching halt.

Before I shut the door to return to the house to get the cake, I locked the door. With the car running. And my purse with my cell phone in the back seat. This was approximately at 9:12 and I was supposed to be at the gym to deliver the cake at 9:20. Awesome. Also, DTM was at a class and wouldn't be home till 1:00pm. In the words of everyone in Battlestar Galactica "FRAK!"

So, I sprinted up to my computer, got my friend's cell phone number and the gym owner's number and sprinted to the nearest gas station, who's ever friendly and helpful attendant told me I would have to go to the customer service desk at the grocery store it is affiliated with. So I sprint there.

No one would help me, even though I looked panicked stricken and possessed. Finally, a nice person told me how to call out of the building after I commandeered a phone and started trying to call the people I needed. I called my friend and asked her to come by the apartment to get the cake, which I HADN'T locked in the car, thank goodness. Then I called the owner and explained what I did. He seemed unconcerned.

Then I sprinted back to my apartment to wait for my friend, only to see that a garbage truck was outside my building and I asked one of the guys if he knew how to unlock my car (I had gone up to get a coat hanger to try to open it myself). He said he didn't but another guy working did. When that guy showed up, he said he could usually do it but he didn't have his tool on him that day. REALLY?!?!?!?! ACK!!! My friend came and got the cake. She very nicely let me use her phone to call my other friend so I could ask if he could open the gym and get everyone started. He said he would. Then my friend lent me her spare cell so I could call someone for help. She is so great!

I needed AAA's number (not aware that I could call 800-AAA-HELP) but, of course, my card was locked in the car. I tried looking it up on the internetz. No dice. I tried called the Fairfax County police who were not very helpful at all since no one was locked in the car. Finally I called DTM, even though I knew he was in class, about 167 times until he picked up. He gave me the number and I called AAA and they sent a very nice young man to come help me. I made it to the gym at about 10:45.

Overall a superior morning.

I didn't get to do Saturday's WOD.

I did, however, do today's WOD:

Monday, 19 July

KB Circuit
5 Rounds: 1 minute work/30 sec active rest

Swings
Upper Cuts
Reverse Lunges

I used a 16kg KB. It was rough.

OH--IO!

2010-07-10T07:55:00.000-04:00

Hey there from the Buckeye State. I am visiting my parents and family for a bit and it has been busy!

I managed to get in a good WOD on my own on Thursday.

3 Rounds For Time:

1k Run
20 Burpees
100 Squats

I ran what my parents call the "Donut Loop" in our neighborhood. It is slightly longer than 1k, but I needed it anyway. The Burpees and Squats weren't too bad, although the 3rd round of Squats were a bit rough. I forgot to time myself because I was trying to escape my parents' very large Golden Doodle who loves everyone and wants to be them ALL THE TIME. So mom distracted her while I sprinted out of sight, and forgot to start my watch. Oh well. A good workout all the same.

Friday I didn't workout but I did help my sister spread mulch.

Today I am planning on doing a workout when I get home from breakfast with my family. Should be good.

I love being home but I miss my gym! And DTM. Ha!

Good luck for all of you doing FGB today!

Murph Love

2010-07-05T12:20:00.000-04:00

Hey there peeps. I know it has been awhile once again. I swear I am going to get my priorities straight and figure out how to keep this here durn blog up. I am going to do it, darn it! Once again, the last few weeks have been hectic and awesome. I wouldn't have it any other way.

We are in our 4th week of the Paleo Challenge and it is going well for me. I am down about 4 or 5 pounds, depending on the day. I have an ideal weight I would like to hit (even though it still means I am obese according to the BMI. Whatevs. Jerks.) but we'll see. If it is too hard to lose those last few pounds, then do I need to lose them really? I have been feeling so much better lately that I don't care too much.

I have some things that I want to record here before I forget them.

First off, I completed my first Murph ever on Saturday, July 3rd. I did the whole thing, which consisted of this:

1 Mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

I ran my first mile in about 7:30, which is super awesome for me. I partitioned the Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, and Squats into 20 Rounds of 5/10/15. I read on the main site that you can do that or do them straight through. I chose to partition because I didn't know how I was going to handle Murph. I managed to do about 60 Pull-Ups because using Ol' Blue because I didn't want my hands to look like this again:

Seriously. All my skin JUST grew back.

I managed to do ALL true Push-Ups, which I was extremely happy about. The Squats were no problem at all. My last mile was MUCH slower than my first. It took me probably somewhere between 9:30 and 10 minutes to complete it. I finished in 57:19. Under an hour! That was my goal. I am still sore though. Ouch.

The other thing I wanted to document is that my 1RM for Deadlift is now 205. I think I can go higher though. For shizzle.

Also, Tire Flip is now on my list of best things ever. Be warned.