A Run with The Garth Show

I told The Garth Show about my running excursion the other day and suggested that we take a field trip with some people to check out the trail sometime. Garth is very enthusiastic about taking on - well - pretty much everything CrossFit related but he's also a strong runner. I figured he would probably be up for a challenging run and would also probably help me trick others into going as well. So when I told him about the trail, he was up for it - but he also posed his own challenge, a trail, which amounts to about a 10K, at one of the nearby state parks, 6 am, this Thursday (yesterday).

Now I was a bit hesitant simply because I have been running too much lately and realize I need to be working on other things; however, I've never really been one to step down from a challenge either. I guess in this case the id won out because there I was 6 am sharp, standing in a wooded parking lot, getting ready to run with The Show.

I was standing there, one of my earbuds when Garth asked me if I was ready. I kind of nodded, still a little distracted by my music, and he took off. Not to be left behind so early in the game, I began running and fidgeting with my music as I ran. Once I found the appropriate playlist, I focused all my attention on keeping time with him.

During the run, I felt that I did a fair job of keeping up with him, although there were times where I was worried that I was slowing him down; however, he kept me going at a good pace, especially during the many hills we tackled on the way. Overall, it was a good run and a good track. We punched out 5.6 miles or a 9K in about 45 minutes. Of course, he finished ahead of me (was there ever any doubt?) but I was able to be right there behind him. It wasn't as an eventful run as my run the other day but it was a great workout, and we both decided that we'll take on the Lake Geneva trail someday too - just to mix things up a bit.

Now: No. More. Running (at least for a little bit...)

Feeling Dirty?

When I looked at Tommy Mo's blog yesterday and saw that they did "The Filthy Fifty" at the Fort, I decided it was time for a little visit. Despite the fact that "The Filthy Fifty" is a tough workout, it is actually one of my favorites (I know... Crazy, right?). I enjoy chipper workouts though because once you finish that movement - you're done with it. There are sometimes when I'm going through however many rounds in WODs and the last thing I want to do is 21 more burpees or 30 more cleans, but I digress. Here is the outline for yesterday's WOD:

"The Filthy Fifty"

• 50 Box Jumps (24")
• 50 Jumping Pull-Ups
• 50 Kettlebell Swings (16K/12K)
• 50 Walking Lunges
• 50 Knees to Elbows
• 50 Push Presses (20K/15K)
• 50 Back Extensions
• 50 Wall Ball Shots (20LB/14LB)
• 50 Burpees
• 50 Double Unders

Well, let me just tell you how this went down. I completed the WOD as prescribed. My pacing throughout the box jumps went well and it was similar in regards to my walking lunges. I flew through my first 25 reps of my jumping pull ups and then nearly repped through the remaining 25; it was a similar situation in regards to both my push presses and back extensions. I did rep through my kettlebell swings (heck yes!). My double unders were okay, but I needed to push through them faster. Then there was the knees to elbows (K2E), wall balls and burpees.

Remember that wall I ran into before during that other WOD? Well, I bumped into it on my K2E, ran straight into the damn thing on my wall balls and then did it again on my burpees. My form on K2E's could have been a little better; they were decent but I wasn't focusing on laces to bars as much as I should have; instead I was focusing on not swinging (I'm not sure which is more important, but it's most likely the former). As for the wall balls, I don't know what happened except that I hit a wall at this point in the WOD last time. Guess, I need to focus on my wall balls, especially the pacing, because I unfortunately cannot rep through those beasts like Tommy Mo. As for the burpees... Well, I think Matty-Lo was absolutely right when he said: "Those are the worst 50 burpees you will ever do." And just like Forrest Gump said: "That's all I have to say about that."

In the end I finished in 32:19, which I felt okay with since I improved from 33:05. I had wanted to reach 30:00 mark but it may have been wishful thinking. Next time though, next time things will really get dirty.

Happy Trails to Me

I'll just say it: I know I've been running too much lately. Last week, I did sprints and a 5K, and I usually jog a mile as part of my warm up. I plan on mixing it up a little more but I had the opportunity to do a challenging run yesterday that I could not pass up, so please be kind.

My mom is currently visiting from Minnesota, and so my aunt and her were heading up to Lake Geneva, WI, to take a boat tour of the lake. Yesterday, they had spent part of the day in LG too but had walked the shore path, which is 26 miles around the lake. Now, I remember this path. I walked the entire route once before back when I was younger and stupider, and it's a combination of perfectly manicured lawns, beaches, stone paths, concrete walkways, dirt trails through woods, and a whole lot of hills; there are beautiful houses to look at, boats to pine over, people to dodge, rocks and trees to jump over and stairs to run up. It's 26 miles of walking/running heaven or hell, depending on your point of view. But what got me was that the trail aspect of it. I am sick of running on asphalt/tracks/concrete - and being older and stupider, I decided I needed something different and something different was exactly what I got.

I should preface that I actually have no real record of how far I ran. The trail is not necessarily marked very well and I do not own a pedameter, but I do believe I ran at least six miles total (to and from) based on one sign I saw. My point was though was to run for a half an hour and then turn around to meet my aunt and my mom back at the docks. It was far from your typical CrossFit WOD because I do not know necessarily how far I ran or how much time it took me (I forgot to turn off my stopwatch when I finished); however, I wanted to test out the trail before trying to con other people into coming out there with me, and test it out I did. Here is a list of what happened to me while on and after my run:

1. I ran through some pleasant boggy areas; my shoes and socks are now coated in mud;


2. I nearly ran over a couple of walkers, a gardener and an elderly gentleman taking pictures;
   
3. I tripped over a loose rock on a patio and fell down. Luckily, only my pride was wounded and not my hands or the knee I landed on;


4. I got lost and ended running at least an extra 200 meters at least both up and then downhill;
   
5. A bee stung me. In all my 25 years, I had never been stung by a bee until yesterday. Seriously, that sucker came out of nowhere and it hurt. (Stupid bee.)


6. When I finished, I walked up to my mom and aunt, who promptly told me that they had found some nice summer dresses I needed to try on. I'm sure that the workers at the store were absolutely thrilled when the sweaty/dirty girl in knee highs walked through the door. Luckily (for both the store owners and for me), we bought everything I tried on (Yay for new clothes).

So there you have it. It was a fairly eventful run and morning, and I'll probably go back once I figure out the exact mileage, have a specific time to go for, and when it gets a little cooler so I don't get attacked by more bees.

The Side Show & Some Notes on "Cindy"

I've become a frequent visitor to one of the parks in my current place of residence. I haven't spent this much time at a park since I was lifeguard two summers ago, but just like when I was a kid, it's proving to be a good time. Now, I use the term "good" loosely primarily because I'm frequenting the playground to get in a WOD, which means I'm trying to kick my own ass. Aside from this - the monkey bars are great for pull ups; there are some tires set up that I can use for agility drills; there's a nice running route; some bleachers for running stairs. I'm not going to lie; it's a pretty decent setup. My only complaint is the strange looks I seem to get from those who encounter me.

Granted I don't particularly pay attention to my spectators when I'm focusing on my kip or trying to get full extension on my push ups; however, it's those moments in between when the sweat is dripping into my eyes and I'm staring up at those monkey bars that I just want to focus on cranking out more pull ups. For example, the other day, this same situation occurred; however, instead of focusing, I was distracted by the five year old who just got off the slide, looked at me and said: "Grandpa, what is that lady doing?"

"Cindy," I replied under my breath before jumping up and doing a few more pull ups and the moving on to my push ups. "I'm doing 'Cindy.'"

Now had I not been in the middle of the workout, I may have smiled at him and told him I was just working on improving my pull ups, told him they make you stronger, all that nicey nice stuff. The problem is that I'm sure I didn't particularly look all that nice while I was working out - not unless you think sweat, dirt and grass stains are the newest look for fall (hey, to each their own) - and I'm sure my smiling at him probably would have made the grandpa make a beeline for the car rather came off as a friendly gesture. Regardless, I'm assuming that I probably made their trip to the park a little more interesting, even if I was the side show.

On another note: About Cindy. Cindy is another workout that helps you measure progress. I met Cindy at my very first day of CrossFit, and let me tell you, I've come a long way. When I began CrossFit, I was using the green band for pull ups and didn't get much depth on my push ups. When I did Cindy the other day, however many glorious months later, I did the workout prescribed and completed ten full rounds plus five pull ups and eight push ups. It was nothing spectacular but compared to where I was when I began and my ongoing battle with pull ups, I was okay with this; at least I broke double digits. I only wish that I had at least reached twelve rounds. Guess, I'll just have to push myself a little harder next time.

July 21st = Good Day

What's that? Yesterday was fabulous? How right you are.

I'll keep this brief. Yesterday was terrific for three reasons and only one was non-CrossFit related:

1. I got another teaching gig at one of the local colleges (Huge for me and for obvious reasons).
2. I ran a 5K in 23:12, a time that was almost three and a half minutes faster than than the previous leading female time on the record board.
3. I made the record board for doing seven pull ups in a row, which I know is nothing compared to a lot of people - but it's a big deal for me, so lay off, okay? Just let me enjoy my moment.

Now I'm done patting myself on the back, and I'll get back to practicing things I'm bad at (i.e. more pull ups, cleans, push ups, presses, etc.). It's not as fun, but what can ya do?

Progress Report #1

So you're probably wondering how my no grain/no sugar challenge is going. Let me tell you...

It's not.

When I began the challenge, I was rockin' it. I made it through the first week relatively crabby-free. It was when the weekend rolled around and my friend in the City beckoned me to come down for the margaritas and Mexican food that began my eventual sugared/carbohydrated demise.

I am exaggerating a bit when I say "demise." It's not like I've gone sugar/carb crazy and began stuffing my face with Cheetos and chocolate chip cookies. On the contrary, cutting grains out my diet has been the easiest part of the challenge; however, summertime and Summer Shandy go well together, especially on weekends. It's not that I drink a lot or even very often anymore but it's still enough that I can tell a difference in how I feel and how I look.

The same is true in regards to the sugar. Although I did indulge a bit this past weekend, my sugar related problems have otherwise been limited to the meat, marinades and spice rubs that I've been cooking with. I know this seems otherwise inconsequential, but I can tell a difference between the first week of my challenge versus this past week and realize that I need to get back on track.

I realize that I may be trying to do too much, especially since I am trying to count calories too, and this may be part of my problem. I also realize that my home is not entirely Paleo friendly either, which also adds to the difficulty of the situation; however, in the end, unless you're Super Dave (who cut everything cold turkey), changing your diet is hard. Moreover, it takes time to phase things out, and in that respect, I feel that I'm doing okay. I've phased out grains (bread, pasta, cereal, etc.) and almost all dairy (I do eat cheese on occasion) and other processed foods. So in that respect, all is not lost. Now all I have to do is focus on fine-tuning, which I think can be the most difficult part since it's often easy to overlook minor details.

Now, I am in no way done with the challenge because I am trying to think long-term here; however, I am going to try and do better at taking this challenge more day by day and to not beat myself up if I screw up. Instead, I'll focus more on getting back on the wagon and getting back to where I felt fantastic.

The CrossFit Continuation of Awesome

Three things:

1. I went to the Fort this past Saturday for "Team Saturday."
   
2. We did the Stadium WOD from the CF Games.
   
3. It was awesome.

We started out with a short 800 meter run, mobility drills and some burpees because The Garth Show failed to introduce himself to Darryl, a visiting CrossFitter from Buffalo, New York. We then we all waited anxiously as Bill determined the teams.

I turned out to be pretty lucky that The Show failed to introduce himself to Darryl because I ended up being on a team with him, and I wouldn't have remembered his name otherwise. Jeff and Stephanie rounded out the rest of our team, and I was feeling pretty confident about our chances. All the teams seemed pretty evenly matched.

After everyone was sorted into their respective teams, set up began. It took longer than I think anyone anticipated; for some reason there were mix ups with where teams were competing and so on. Regardless, we got it all sorted out and were soon in our places to begin the workout. Just as a reminder, the Stadium WOD consisted of:

Stadium WOD

30 Wallballs (20lbs/14lbs)

THEN

• Row 300m
  
• 30 Box jumps (24")
  
• 30 KB swings (24kg/16kg)
  
• 30 Push press / Push jerk (40lbs/25lb)

THEN

30 Deadlifts (225lbs/135lbs)

Since there were a limited number of 20 lb wall balls, we did a stagger start with the teams. My team was one that started later; however, when we got the 3-2-1-Go!, Stephanie was off, repping through those wall balls like a mad woman. I was the next to go, then Jeff, and then Darryl. We were all there cheering each other on throughout, driving each other to do better. It was your typical CrossFit continuation of awesome.

After finishing the wall ball portion of the WOD, we moved onto our respective stations. I went from rowing, to box jumps, to push presses, to kettlebell swings. Out of all the exercises I was most pleased with my kettlebell swings and push presses. I almost repped through both exercises. I was less pleased with my box jumps and rowing. I was able to get a good string of about 12 box jumps in and then ended up having to stop every so many reps rather than pushing right through. As for the row, I'm not sure what I was doing there, but I know I could have rowed faster. Then came the deadlifts.

I love deadlifts. They are by far my favorite lift, and I felt pretty good about my pacing throughout, especially since I hadn't done them in awhile. I only had to stop twice and it was due more to my grip rather than feeling overly tired. Stephanie, on the other hand, was like "Psh. Who stops on their deadlifts?" and then repped right through all 30 of those beasts.

When we called "time," I was proud of my own and especially my team's performance. Stephanie had been a deadlift machine; at one point, I saw Jeff popping that kettlebell up like it was nobody's business, and I remember looking over at Darryl while I was rowing and thinking, "Daaaaaaaaaammmmnnnn." Let me tell you, Darryl took out those push presses faster than a mugger in Central Park. It was awesome. What made it even better though was that these were the only things I witnessed from my own team. The other teams were equally intense and focused.

On other teams, I saw Zach, Jennie, Beth and Stacy all crushing the deadlifts; I witnessed Tommy Mo and Super Dave flying through the wall balls, and got to watch Jessica and Garth cranking it out on the rower. All around, everyone did a phenomenal job. It was great to see such intesity and hard work from everyone.

After all was said and done though, it wasn't until I was writing down the WOD on a stolen piece of paper (my book is at home), that I noticed that my team had won with the time of 18: 12. I do believe that my response was: "Wow... We won." All nonchalant and such. It felt good though, and I must admit, we look pretty good holding that belt too.

Jeff, Stephanie, Me, & Darryl

Brit's Paleo Kitchen

Rather than going into the Fort, I decided to take a rest day yesterday and to spend some time in the kitchen.

I decided to look up some paleo recipes and stumbled upon the following:

Spicy Pecans

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons cinnamon


• 1-1/2 teaspoon ginger


• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne


• 2 egg whites


• 1/4 cup raw honey


• 5 cups pecan halves (or walnuts)

Directions:

In small bowl, combine cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cayenne. In large bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy; add honey, whisk again just until egg whites and honey are combined. Add nuts a cup at a time in the egg and honey mixture. Remove and toss in the spices. Repeat again until all the nuts have been coated. Spread on 2 lightly greased baking sheets; bake at 250-degrees for one hour, rotating sheets halfway through baking, or until coating is crisp and nuts are fragrant. Let cool.

Needless to say, I was excited. I heart pecans and spicy food. So I took myself to the kitchen and got working.

I didn't make the full batch yesterday because I was worried whether I would like them or not. Nuts are expensive, and I didn't want to ruin my delicious pecans without knowing how they were going to taste. As a result, I only did three cups instead of five. I also subsituted this ground three pepper seasoning for the cayenne pepper just because I couldn't find any.

The result? They were pretty darn good, although they were more sweet than spicy. There was a hint of spicy that went well with the honey, cinnamon and nutmeg, but I feel like the the recipe's title was a bit misleading. I don't know. I keep contemplating... I can't pinpoint the flavor. I will, however, throw myself under the bus and eat some more just so I can give you a better review. I'd do that for you.

"Excuse me, wall. I didn't see you there..."

The metaphorical wall I ran into yesterday.

I had a hard time motivating myself to workout yesterday. I had planned on making my way to the Fort or a playground (I'll explain later) when I realized that time had slipped away from me that afternoon. So instead, I hit my long list of vacation WOD's, began perusing, and then decided on the following WOD:

100 Jumping Jacks

75 Squats

50 Push ups

25 Burpees

I figured it would be a nice, quick metcon since I was pressed for time, and I was right. I was done in a little over ten minutes, 10:19.3 if you want specifics. I did the jumping jacks unbroken, nearly did three sets of 25 unbroken squats (I was a little better at working through the suck on this yesterday), and then bumped into a wall when I got to the push ups.

It was not that my push ups were bad. They were chest to floor; however, I initially wanted to try and do all of my push ups in sets of ten. I was feeling overly ambitious, what can I say? That, of course, did not happen and I ended up breaking down my reps to sets of five and then sometimes even three. My sets of three appeared when I felt my form breaking down. I was coming out of my push up, up dog style (I'm being serious here - this is a legit yoga pose). Not good, and not wanting to get struck down by the CrossFit gods, I did a few extra push ups to make up for those that were less than spectacular. Then came the burpees.

So if I bumped into a wall when I got to the push ups, I freaking ran into the wall headfirst when I reached the burpees. My arms and my legs were not feeling overly friendly at that point, and I was unable to do them unbroken like I wanted to, even with pacing. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed in my burpee ability yesterday.

All in all, it was a good, quick metcon, (and wow... I NEVER thought I would say this...) but I really want to get some lifting in soon. Seriously, never thought I would say that...

Track & Field Day... By Myself.

I decided to go to my local high school yesterday to use the track. I decided to do a workout that I have been hesitant to do on my own ever since I quit attending the gym regularly:

4 Rounds for Time:

400 meter run
50 air squats

I'm not sure why I have been so hesitant to do this WOD. I'd done it before. In fact, I had even made an attempt to do this on my own prior to yesterday and ended up only making it halfway through the first round and deciding I wanted to do something else. Regardless, I decided to give it another try.

To warm up, I began with a simple 400 meter run. I then moved on and did 2 sets of 15, 1 set of 20: sit ups, supermans, push ups and air squats (no, I'm not sure why I did more squats). I then got a quick sip of water, shook out my legs, got my stopwatch ready and convinced myself that I really wanted to do this workout.

I quickly switched the song on my iPod to make sure it was good enough to start out on, pressed the button on my stopwatch and gave myself the 3-2-1 Go! Instantly, I was off, trying to imagine I was chasing after someone to keep me motivated both on the runs and on the squats, especially the squats. For some reason or other, I find/found it rather difficult to keep myself moving through those squats without someone next to me. I kept trying to force myself to do two sets of 25 each time, but found myself resting more than I would have liked (I really need to work on pushing through the suck). I also tried to imagine Bill yellling at me, telling me that I wasn't going to beat Kris's time (this is what happened the previous time I did this WOD), but it was still difficult. Imaginary yells and people just aren't the same.

Although my time did improve slightly (13 seconds), I do believe that had I had someone else there that I would have completed the WOD faster. Like I said before, but for some reason, I had a hard time with doing this workout by myself. Even though I haven't been particularly fond of working out alone lately, completing other WOD's alone has not been a trial like this one. Luckily though, I forced myself through this and did show some improvement. The whole experience did reinforce one thing for me though: I need to get back to the gym. Kicking my own ass is just not very fun.

Angie with a Broken Heart

When Fran's boyfriend broke up with her, this is what we were left with:

"Fractured Fran"

9 Round for Time:

5 Thrusters
5 Pull ups

Sure it's still the same Fran, just a little broken up and a little disjointed. Don't feel too sorry for her though. She's still kicking it. All she needed was to switch things up for a bit, move some things around and get through the pain a little faster until she got completely back on her feet and back to her old ass-kicking self. The same is true for most women, and our for our other good CrossFit friend, Angie.

Angie, like Fran, is another staple workout. On a good day, you are supposed to complete 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups and 100 air squats for time; however, when Angie goes through a bad breakup or is feeling a bit broken up, she looks more like this:

5 Rounds for time:

20 Pull ups
20 Push ups
20 Sit ups
20 Air Squats

I ran into Angie last week when she was feeling bit down. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her. I offered to ruin my no sugar/no grains diet and eat pizza and ice cream with her, but she was not having it. She wanted to workout instead. So me, being a good friend obliged as long as she promised that I could do jumping pull ups instead of regular pull ups because my long legs make if very difficult to kip in the doorway. She agreed since I was being so nice, and we went on our way.

About 15:30 minutes later, I was done hanging out with Angie. Can you believe she yelled at me the whole time during my jumping pull ups so that I nearly had to rep right through them? I realize that this is displaced anger, but really. Also, she didn't let up about my push ups either. Apparently after getting ten in a row after nearly every round, that sets of two and three are not acceptable. (I happen to agree with her, but don't tell her that.)

Regardless of my current ill feelings towards Angie, I do think I helped her feel a bit better. She seemed rather pleased with herself when she left, almost happy that I was laying on the floor panting. I honestly believe she'll be back to her oldself in no time actually; however, until then, get that girl some ice cream. Seriously.

Zoology Lesson #1: The Badger

Awww... Ain't he cute?

Today kids, we'll be talking about the Badger. The badger is short-legged, heavy set carnivore that is a part of the weasel family. They primarily shelter underground in intricate burrows, which are otherwise known as "setts," and may either live alone or in clans of 2 to 15 (www.wikipedia.com). While the badger may appear to be cute and cuddly, they can be fierce animals, particularly when they go up against gophers, wolverines, Chief Illiniwek, wildcats, Spartans, and so on. They will also go to any lengths to protect themselves and/or their young, in which case, they look more so like this:

"Grrrrr... Don't f*&^ with me."

Now kids, if you ever encounter a badger that looks like the one pictured above or if you encounter a badger that looks like this:

3 Rounds for Time of:

30 Cleans (40kg/30kg)

30 Pull Ups

800 M Run

Make sure that you either run away or have a really big stick with you to take that sucker down.

I had an unfortunate run in with Mr. Badger yesterday. It was not pretty. I think he knew I was from Minnesota. He was fiesty; those jaws clamped down on my legs as I was trying to clean and front squat and would not let go, and then he crawled up my arms and sat on my shoulders, growling in my ears as I tried unsuccessfully to kip him off. Luckily, I was able to escape him for a bit when running. His short legs don't carry him very fast, but whenever I finished those 800 meters there he was - waiting, baring his teeth, and growling at me to go faster.

Eventually, I was able to outrun Badger; however, the whole ordeal took much longer than I hoped. It was more of a mental battle for me; it has been awhile since I have taken on or been attacked by an animal. Next time I'll be more prepared though and be sure to carry a big stick with me just in case I need to knock him out.

To Hell and Back - For Time

The CrossFit Games are this weekend. Hundreds of athletes are travelling to Aromas, California, to duke it out in the desert in order to determine "The Fittest Man/Woman on Earth" as well as the top CrossFit Affiliate. The team from CrossFit Fire is leaving today to participate in the Affiliate Challenge, which includes three qualifying workouts on Friday of: A 500 m Run Relay, Max Sets of OH Squats and Pull Ups WOD, and The Stadium Workout, a WOD that includes wall balls, rowing, the push press, kettle bell swings, box jumps, and deadlifts.

Personally, I'm anxious to hear about the relay (still love running) and what kind of terrain they will have to run on and can't wait to do the Stadium Workout sometime. If there was ever a workout made for me, the Stadium Workout may be it. I pretty much love every aspect of that WOD except for maybe wall balls, which I only like as a friend. As for the max OH squats and pull up WOD, I'll leave that workout to those who can crush OH squats and pull ups because I am not that girl. Regardless, I am excited for our team (who I'm sure will do phenomenal – we've got a great group of people out there now) and just a little bit sad that I am only able to be a part of it from the sidelines.

For those of you who don't know this, I tried out for the affiliate team. As evidence by this and previous posts, I obviously did not make it because I am not heading for sunny California, and I did not make the team for good reason. I got smoked in the tryouts by the two other women. It was like being Slowpoke Rodriguez in a race versus two Speedy Gonzalez's. Guess who won. Regardless of this fact, I was still amazed and pleased at what I accomplished at the tryouts, which I will explain in further detail momentarily.

We completed the following WOD's for the women's tryouts:

One round for time of:

• 10 Clean & Jerks (60/40)
• 1 Sled Drag (20/15)
• 8 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag
• 6 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag
• 4 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag
• 2 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag

One round for time of:

50 Double-unders

21-15-9 reps of:

• Overhead Squats (40/30)
• Box Jumps (24")
• Pull-ups

50 Double-unders

And we were supposed to complete a third workout, which was:

Three rounds for time of:

• 500m Row
• 21 Burpees
• 400m Run

Long story short: I had never done 40 kg cleans or 30 kg OH squats in a workout. The load was just a little too heavy for me in both instances (before I had only done about 35 kg cleans in WOD's, 45 kg cleans at a max 3 rep and 25 kg OH squats). Also, if you've ever read my blog before, then you already know that pull ups and I do not get along. (I seriously don't know what their problem is. I try to be nice and they just mess up my hands). In addition to the heavy weight and my arch nemesis, there was blood (I put a big gash in my leg when I dropped the bar while I was OH squatting and tore calluses on both my hands during pull ups), there was sweat (a given), there were no tears, almost (almost doesn't count though people), and I did hate my entire being several times throughout both WOD's (see the picture below for proof). Despite all of this: I completed both workouts. I did it.

Let me say it again just because it makes me feel good: I did it. I was apprehensive about both of these workouts even before I did them because neither played to my strengths. The row, burpee, run WOD was more my style; however, I did it (I know, I keep saying it...). I cleaned and OH squatted more than I ever had before. I was setting PR's in a workout. Can we say "awesome"? I also didn't stop doing pull ups even when I finally noticed that both of my hands were bleeding (surprisingly it took awhile). And don't even get me started on the people that helped me get through both WOD's. Their support was instrumental in my finishing. Through it all though, all the blood, sweat and almost tears, all I could think about was finishing and getting to that point where I could say I went to hell and back and did it for time.

In the end, my only complaint was that I didn't get to complete the row, burpee, run WOD, even though I understand why we didn't do it and appreciate that Bill did not want me to die. However, I will do that workout. And Bill, if you're reading this, I want that WOD on my birthday (August 28th - mark it on your calendar) and to have "The Eye of the Tiger" played on repeat throughout the duration. Okay, maybe not throughout the whole workout, but at least one time.

Oh... and one last thing: I don't plan on cheering from the sidelines at next year's Games. I don't care if I have to look like that picture below everyday to get there either.

Me hating life during my last set of double unders in the second WOD.

Burpees for Cash

If you've been following the CrossFit Games site (http://games2009.crossfit.com/), then you would have noticed the other day that Amanda Miller of CrossFit Fairfax held a little burpee fundraiser to help pay her way to this year's Games. The plan was people would donate a certain amount of cash for every burpee done (without resting) within 10 minutes. Sounds awesome, right? Heck yeah it is, and what makes it even better is that she plans to donate any leftover money to the Fisher House, which provides housing for military families while their loved ones are in the hospital. The whole concept is ingenious, and I applaud her for her efforts and hopes she kills it at the Games. Good luck Amanda!

I've provided the link to the video here: Amanda Miller Burpee Fundraiser: [wmv] [mov]. Watch it. This woman is bad a$$, and it's not just because of her tattoos. She did 131 burpees in 10 minutes. I don't care who you are. That's a lot of burpees.

On a side note, I decided to do this WOD yesterday (AMRAP in 10 minutes of: Burpees without rest) just to see how I measured up. What I tried to pay particular attention to was the pacing of the WOD. Miller mentions in her video that she had a difficult time pacing this workout. I'm with her on this because I tend to go full out, crash and then do sets of five or so; however, I found that pacing myself helped me simply because I rested less than I normally do. And yes, unfortunately I rested for a few seconds here and there.

In the end, I did not reach 131. Let's. Get. Serious. However, I did break a hundo - 102, which I am happy with at the moment. Now... I only wish that people were donating cash to me so I could go to the Games and watch...

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

I received a disturbing email from my coach, Jennie, yesterday. It read: "Emergency! The new girl crushed our 2K meter row records! Get to the Fort STAT and let’s show her that the veterans RULE! :)"

From that moment, it was on, and I quickly assured Jennie that I would be at there that night to regain the title back from the newbie. When I arrived, I immediately went to check out the times on the board. There were only two times that were relatively close to my previous 8:31.5. One was a newbie (8:42.3) and the other was a veteran (8:40.5).

I do admit that I was a bit relieved. I was still in first place with my old time. Now all I had to do was defend my title. The only problem was that I was worried about the fact that I had taken the past three days off and hadn't rowed in awhile. Regardless, when Bill yelled at all of us to head upstairs to the rower, I drew in a deep breath and set my sights on reaching 8:25.

Before we started rowing, Bill gave us some tips about pacing ourselves. I stored the information in the back of my mind, ready to implement his suggestions when I reached the allotted checkpoints. I would keep a steady pace until I reached 800 m, at 800 m I would speed up to the point where I was rowing just a 500 m pace, and at 500 m I would go "balls to the wall," as they say at the Fort.

As soon as I heard the "3-2-1-GO!," I was off, and let me tell you, it felt good. I was focused, determined and maintained a good pace throughout. I was able to pick up my pace at all the allotted check points and finish in 8:23.1, two seconds better than my original goal. When I finished, I was (tired but) happy with my time and with my improvement since the last time we did this workout in April, despite my recent lagging diet and lack of gym time.

And yes, I was also pleased that I beat the veteran and (especially) the newbie. It's not that we vets don't like newbies. We want all of the newbies to do well. *Looking down* We just don't want them to do better than us…

Stay Puft? I Think Not.

Dr Ray Stantz: I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood. Something that could never ever possibly destroy us: Mr. Stay Puft!

Dr. Peter Venkman: Nice thinkin', Ray.

If you've ever seen Ghostbusters (and if you haven't, you need to), you know that Venkman's response was dripping with sarcasm. Sure, in regards to context Venkman's sarcasm stemmed from a 100 year old demon's supernatural attempt to destroy New York City, however, based on early lines in the movie, Dr. Venkman was also fully aware of the dangers of sugar. Case and point:

[Inspecting Dana's refrigerator for paranormal activity]

Dr. Peter Venkman: Oh, my God. Look at all the junk food!

Dana Barrett: Oh, dammit. Look, this wasn't here...

Dr. Peter Venkman: You actually eat this?

You see? Miss Barrett's eating habits were less than spectacular. Venkman knew this, and I'm sure Miss Barrett knew it too; she was just too preoccupied with ghosts living in her refrigerator to notice or care, which is completely understandable considering the circumstances. My point though, is that I have been eating like Dana Barrett and thinking like Dr. Ray Stantz lately in that sugar can't hurt me (even though I know better). For example, I was a bad girl yesterday, and this was why:

1. Dark chocolate cake;
   
2. Sausage and mushroom pizza with ranch dressing;


3. Ice cream.

If there was ever a trifecta of evilness to put into your body, this may be it. I was fortunate enough to miss the smorgasbord of Paleo Hades (if you're unfamiliar with eating Paleo follow the link: http://www.paleodiet.com/) that went on at my house on Saturday because of work; however, there is this little thing, you have probably heard of them, they're called "leftovers," that brought down my weekend to a whole new level. If there is a Food Hell, I think I reached the Fifth Circle yesterday, since I seem to hate myself by eating this way (by the way, whoever can tell me what epic I am referring to gets ten points and a Paleo cookie).

If I wanted to, I could come up with a whole mess of excuses for my less than perfect eating habits. Sure, I don't have demons living in my fridge but it was a holiday weekend and I've had a lot going on – parties with friends, music festivals, boating trips, work, little sleep and so on and so forth. Regardless, I'm sick of making excuses for myself. I admit it. I haven't been as focused on my diet as I should be, and believe me, I'm already feeling it. See that picture of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? Yeah. That's exactly how I feel right at the moment: Puffy and gooey - like someone just took an air pump to my body and filled me right up. I actually feel kind of sick. It's not pleasant.


To take care of my current puffiness though, I plan to get back on my diet – starting today. There's no reason for me to tell myself that I'll start tomorrow. If I start tomorrow, then I will tell myself that I will need to start the day after that, and if I tell myself that I'll start the day after tomorrow, it will become the day after that. For this situation, as for most situations, (and I apologize for the cliche) there is no better time than the present. It also comes at perfect timing because a "No Grains/No Sugar Challenge" was just recently posed at the Fort. Three weeks, just a measly (or incredibly long, depending on your perspective; I prefer the former - positive thinking, people) 21 days, without grains or sugar. I'll take that challenge. Heck, I'll even take some pictures and post them for people to see my progress after the three weeks (sorry if I scare anyone) because in the end it's your diet that is going to take you to the next level of fitness and is also what is going to bring about the best results. You don't need a CrossFit coach, a personal trainer or dietitian to tell you this. It's common sense. Eat junk - look and feel like junk; eat well - look and feel well (and dead sexy).

I'm starting my 21 days today, and I'll update you periodically throughout to let you know how it's going. However, I'll challenge you to do the same: Cut grains, dairy and unnaturally occurring sugars/processed foods (I'm still eating berries, but that's it) out of your diet and let me know how you feel three weeks later. I will commiserate with you if need be, but I promise, we will both feel better and be one step further from staying puft.

Beware of Chipmunks and Bad Times

I heart running. So when I saw the 10k listed on the CrossFit main site today, I was a happy girl. I haven't been for a (semi) long run since March, when my brother, sister-in-law, and I all decided that it would be a good idea to suck it up and run the 8k we had signed up for despite the spectacular snowstorm that had happened earlier that morning. Like that lovely day in March, today's weather conditions were not exactly ideal, albeit they were much, much more tolerable. It has been overcast all day (there seems to be a thunderstorm looming; however, it had, and still has, yet to come to the party) and it's kind of cool outside. Regardless, I concluded that I would try to match my 8k time at the state park across the way rather than run 6 times around my neighborhood, which would have amounted to a 10k. I made this decision for three reasons:

1. I wanted to see if my time was better than my last 8k;
2. I figured I would get a better workout running the trails and hills at the park rather than simply just running the 10k on pavement;
3. All I had to worry about at the park was getting attacked by a chipmunk (which could possibly happen if you are familiar with my past relationships with animals) opposed to running into chatty neighbors or sharing the road with cars.

I quickly made this decision though (and was quite pleased with it), grabbed my iPod, some water and then took off to hang out with Mother Nature for awhile.

When I showed up at the park, my next big decision was which direction I should take on the trail. If I went right, then I would be running primarily uphill; if I went left, I would be running downhill. Well, I opted for uphill, because I figured that's what the CrossFit gods would have me do (and I figured it would make my legs look better), and then started out on what I thought was a relatively decent pace considering the length of the run, the fact that I was running on gravel and was going to be encountering a number of hills.

I did not check my stopwatch until the very end of the run. Had I, I probably would have picked up the pace, especially towards the end when the long sloping hills were starting to get to me. Instead, there I was just chugging along - zoning out with my iPod, avoiding chipmunks and praying that I wouldn't get caught in a torrential downpour. When I finally came up on my self-proposed finish line, I sprinted ahead and then hit the stop button on my stopwatch; I looked down, excited to see my time. My excitement, however, quickly diminished: 50:38.

Wait.

What?...

I was running 10 minute miles? Since when? When I ran the 8k back in March, I finished in 43:00 (which I wasn't happy with either, mind you, because I was shooting for 40:00), but when I ran the race in March, I had to dodge 13,000 other people, raindrops, ice, slush and puddles whereas today all I had to worry about was having a run in with Alvin, Simon and/or Theodore. Granted, today I was running on an uneven surface and took on several hills, but still… 50:38? I'm embarrassed, even as I write this…

Regardless of my head shaking and tinge of shame, I now have two new missions to add to my list: Improve my 8k time at the park and see what my time would be simply running on pavement. I also think that next time I will invite (or con) someone into coming with me to keep me on pace and to use them as a basis for comparison. Of course I will take volunteers; if you or someone you know would like to go for a little run in the park with me sometime, just let me know. I just can't guarantee that I can (or will) save you from any animals should they attack. Woodland creatures aren't overly fond of me. Just ask the donkey, the bird, the horse, the goat...