Shopping

Rest Day

Thus more time for reflections on the blog. I will warn you now that this post has great potential to veer into the sappy and far too introspective realm, so read at your own risk...

As you may remember, I have some very kind and helpful friends, always ready to tell me what I need to hear. Recently one thoughtful friend took a picture of me and sent it over with a note that this was proof that I needed new pants. She was right, but I really, really didn't want to go shopping. I used to like to shop for clothes. Long ago. Not so much anymore.

But I knew I needed to bite the bullet and go shopping for pants, the very worst. As comfortable as they are, there is no way that I could just live in my workout clothes. Things were getting a bit desperate since I have been committed to getting rid of clothes as they get too big (I guess I have been keeping them until "fall right off" big) so that I have no "fat clothes" to fall back on. Part of my commitment to my new healthy life this means that if I put weight back on I will have nothing to wear.

So it was time to go shopping yesterday. At the first store, I just pick up some jeans, figuring it was time to just try almost anything on (still passing over all of the skinny jeans since they will never fit and I will never wear them anyway.) Something amazing happened! They fit! After several stores and lots of options, my mind just wouldn't stop spinning.

I was a full size smaller than I had planned on. You know, not the ooh, I found one skirt in a size smaller experience, but the yep, everything I try on in that smaller size fits experience. That means I am down 6 sizes, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am more than half way through my size losing. Admittedly, I never, ever would have dreamed weighing this much at this size, but I will chalk that up to the muscle that allows me to back squat 218. You got to do what you got to do.

In all of this, my mind raced to two different places. One, the mall is a dangerous place. Goodbye days of shopping at just a handful of stores that carry the big sizes, hello to shopping everywhere. See, that is dangerous! I could have shopped and shopped and shopped yesterday, but I told my sister-in-law that I would babysit, and I have limited funds for clothes that I don't plan on wearing for too terribly long.

Secondly, I realized that the mind is a very funny thing. I know that I have lost weight. I know that I am smaller. I know that I have changed. I am happy about a lot of things from the past year, and there are lots of important numbers: my deadlift, my back squat, my first rx'd wod, my changing measurements, my lower weight, and more. But I am really happy about being the size I am now. Definitely not so happy I want to stay here, but happy that I really seem to have accomplished something.

Why is this such a big deal? I am really kind of puzzled by it. I know I have accomplished things before this. I know this size is not the most important accomplishment. But I know that it means a lot. I think it means so much because it is such a tangible sign that I have entered into something new. I can't shop in the Women's department anymore because everything there really, truly is too big. I can shop in any other store and not buy the largest size on the rack. I can go shopping all.day.long and not run out of options.

I will have to be careful to not spend too much money on clothes...

Overhead

Skills
Push Press
88x5x3
with box jumps 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

I started with the 16 and worked up to 21.5.


WOD
4 rounds
12 Overhead Lunges 53#
2 rope climbs-sub with 14 ring rows
200 m run
Time: 15:05


Holding anything heavy over my head for any significant time, let alone moving my legs at the same time is not one of my strong points, so I am very happy with the 53# and how much more stable I felt with it today. I realized that this was day 6 this week, so tomorrow is definitely a rest day.

I was ready for a non-lifting wod

Skill
Snatch High Pull
15x5, 35x5, 55x5

Working on that pull! Hips, arms, feet, elbows...I am really glad I don't have to do anything special with my nose for this lift.

WOD
AMRAP in 8 minutes
5 push ups
7 C2B pull ups
10 jumping squats
Me: 7 rounds + 4 pull ups

Rx'd for the push ups was clapping, but yeah, I am super stoked to be doing "real" push ups now, so I'll just dream about the day I add the clap. I had to do jumping pull ups for the C2Bs, so I couldn't practice my mean banded pull up skillz. Oh well, that would have given me a lot of rest since I would have been doing them one.at.a.time after the first couple of rounds. Jumping squats are surprisingly much worse than air squats, and I was very tempted to just leave off the jump since I was kind of behind the post and Sam probably wouldn't have been able to see me. But I didn't.

Because the trainers always see. As evidenced by the events this week:
Sam just had to look out the door to see me walking back from the 200 m run. I know, that's bad, but I did run all the way to the parking lot...

Kyle just had to notice that I had skipped the inchworm during his warm up. And yes, after I got caught, I did it, even though I really think he just puts it in there because he knows how much I hate it. I noticed that there was a key change in the warm ups after they all went to the CFFB certification. All this love for high knee kicks, butt kicks, ninja rolls, inchworms...all came after this event. Was this cert about football or stuff designed to make you clients look awkward? :)

But really, I couldn't leave off the jump because I know, even as much as I hate it at that moment, that it would be cheating myself. I know that I can squat and jump, so I know I have to do it.

Cleans, again, and again, and again...

Skill
Clean
63x5
83x5
103x5

Ha, I will get better at this lift some time! I obviously need to practice these a lot.

WOD
max box jumps for 1 minute-24
This number then indicates the number for each part of the wod, but of course we didn't know this little fact when we did the box jumps!

Then for time-
400 m run
24 deadlifts 153#
24 push ups
24 wall balls 12#
400 m run
Time: 11:49

Not What I Wanted

Skill
Jerk
63x3
83x3
93x3
103, 108, 118 (PR)

WOD
Row 1500m
Time: 6:59

I wanted to get a higher number on the jerk than I did. I wanted to not have a pounding headache and a bad neck. I wanted to do the regular wod. (Well, honestly, I didn't really want to do the wod. It would have been a fun one-the other 3 in class completing each of the 5 minute rounds with plenty of rest, and me having to turn around with like 10 seconds of rest-fun! But part of what drives me at CF is at least sort of wanting to do the wod.)

But now I know that I can row more than 500 m! :) How about that?!?

The headache has made me remember that I used to feel like this most of the time. I would go through months of daily headaches and/or shoulder and neck pain. Now, it has been months since I have had one day with a headache, so this is definitely a good, good change.

I'm planning on no pain tomorrow. :)

Paleo Cottage Pie (Shepherd's Pie)

Rest Day! I am tired, and sore, and I think I slacked off the protein again...so I came home and ate chicken. I can't go to bed early tonight though...

Are you cooking ahead for your week? Making extra here and there to save for another meal? Food prep really is key to making paleo work since processed foods are a no-no. There is no quick bowl of cereal, bagel and cream cheese, frozen dinner, or quick pasta.

Paleo Cottage Pie

(It's not paleo Shepherd's pie because it doesn't have lamb.)

1 lb. ground beef

2 links hot Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

4-6 carrots, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

3 zucchini, sliced

mushrooms, sliced

3/4 c. beef broth

garlic, minced

thyme, dried or fresh

s&p

2 heads cauliflower, roughly chopped

Brown the meats. Remove from the pan and set aside. Saute the onions, carrots and celery in the same pan, using the drippings and adding more olive oil if needed. Add the garlic, zucchini and mushrooms and thyme and saute quickly. You do not want anything to cook too long, so make sure nothing is getting mushy. Add the beef broth and the meat, then allow this to cook for a about 5-10 minutes. The stock should reduce some, but you still don't want mushy vegetables. Put this pie filling into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Steam the cauliflower until very soft. Drain and return to the heat for a couple of minutes to cook of any extra water. Smash the cauliflower, like mashed potatoes, adding s&p to taste. You can also add a tablespoon or two of butter and/or a little cream. Spread the mashed cauliflower over the filling. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

An Obvious Weakness

Skills
Strict Press x2 80% 1RM
on the minute for 10 minutes

I started out with 73# for the first 4, and then due to heckling from the peanut gallery, moved to 83# for the remainder. They were right, I was still able to do it...

WOD
AMRAP in 4 Minutes

1 Clean 103#

1 Burpee

2 Clean

2 Burpees

3 Cleans

3 Burpees

and so on.

Rest 2 Minutes and then repeat for time, starting with your highest round. For example, if you scored 5 rounds in the 4 minute AMRAP, start at 5 rounds, then do 4, then 3, and so on for time.
Me: 4 rounds, time 3:00

I subbed the cleans for the snatch on this one since I am still way to unskilled to get any reasonable workout with the weight I can handle for the snatch. Without lots of time warming up and stretching, I was sure that I would be stuck at 15-20# and that would just be a super lame. Plus my should is still a little sore from the little, tiny bit of work I did on the snatch yesterday.

Now I have to pick a weakness for the month of February. There are so, so many to choose from, and when I first read the post, I thought I'd never be able to choose one. But then I started writing this, and maybe I need to work on the snatch and my shoulder flexibility...It is probably the thing that frustrates me the most right now.

Little Miss Competitive

Open Gym

I worked on some Olympic lifts today, just trying to improve my technique and comfort with the weight. In general, I have been way too uncomfortable with the weight over my head or flying up toward my body. I am pretty sure that by jerk max is way too low at 113 (maybe 123 one freaky day) when my strict press is 93. I think there should be a bigger difference between those two numbers...

Clean 83x5x2
Jerk 83x3x5, 93x3x5
Snatch...was a bust, I gave up quickly. I managed 35x5x1

Apparently I have been mouthing off quite a bit lately (as seen here and here), but that is just my competitive side coming out. You all never would have known it when I first walked in, but yeah, that side is there. This is just a new and very unexpected competitive venue for me.

So yes, Joc, I am very happy to be chasing you, knowing very well that as soon as I retest the Back Squat in 4 months, you will have added some massive amount to yours as well. But that won't keep me from trying! (Same goes for Cliff and the deadlift) I do expect to close the gap. :)

Sam, you keep drinking those mochas. They are good for you! You know that your chance of winning shoots up with every single one you drink.

Christine

Skills
Overhead Squat
5x3x68#
(failed to complete the last set)

Thanks to the rain, I was able to put this last Paleo Challenge benchmark wod off until the very last minute. (Well, I could have saved it until tomorrow, but that would just mean that I would spend tonight tossing and turning, dreading the wod, just like I did last night... I am kind of neurotic like that sometimes...)

Christine
3 rounds
400 m run
12 Deadlifts (153#)
21 Box Jumps 16"
Time: 14:46

Have I ever mentioned that I hate wods with 400m runs? Well, I do. I dread them. Really, truly dread them. I hate them so much that I have been able to beg myself out of most of them. I think if I look like I am going to just burst into tears, the trainers let me run 200m.

But it was time to just bite the bullet and get this done. I have run 400 m wods twice: once was the worst wod ever (Partner Chief, horrible because it was 4 rounds!) and once for interval Helen. I had worked this all out in my mind: I knew that it was possible that this could take me 18 minutes, but I really wanted to get it done in 15 if at all possible. :)

Fran

Skills
Squat Clean 83#
2x5

Just working on technique today, trying to keep the bar close, and enjoying the solid landing with my lifting shoes.

WOD
Fran
21-15-9
Thrusters 63#
Pull Ups
Time: 8:34

I was able to get through the lifts by breaking the 21 and 15 into 2 sets. This is much, much improved over the last time when I think I broke the 15 up into sets of 3 or something like that.

I used the blue band for my pull ups, knew it would be slow, and it was. My last Fran time was 7:12, all jumping pull-ups. The thrusters were definitely easier, so that shows how horrible the pull ups were. Slow, slow, slow! There is that something extra special when you do a wod that includes something that you really think you can't do, that you just won't be able to do no matter how hard you try. I ended up doing 8 jumping pull ups the first round and 6 the second. I did the final round with the band, but they were one at a time there at the end. Even though it was tough, it is pretty great to be able to do that many banded pull ups, when I could do a grand total of 1 in October.

Just Walk Up to the Bar and Lift

Tonight was perfect.

I was tired after too little sleep last night and a day spent moving stuff out of a flooded classroom. I didn't want to drive across the county again in the pouring rain. I went back and forth on going to class all afternoon...

But I went, mainly because I wanted to get the back squat 1RM for the paleo challenge out of the way. I did what I was aiming for. I broke 200!

Back Squat 1 RM 218# (PR)

I could barely get the 203 up, and I contemplated stopping there. Kyle told me that my problem was taking too long to pressurize before the lift. I can think of times when every single coach has told me to just complete the lift, to stop taking a dozen breaths, to stop just sitting there with my hands on the bar, to stop taking so many steps before I lift...blah, blah, blah...And every time I actually hit a PR, it has been when I stopped wasting time and just lifted-the deadlift, the strict press, the clean, the back squat, the overhead squat.

Drop under the bar!

Skills
10 KB Swings (Russian) 44#, on the minute for 10 minutes

WOD
On the minute for 20 minutes
1 Clean and Jerk
I started with 103#, moved up to 108 after the first couple, and then to 113 for the remainder. I did try to move to 118, but failed and moved back to 113. I am pretty sure I did at least 12-14 of the lifts at 113. My previous PR for 1 clean was 103. I am happy.

Now if only I can get my brain to remember that dropping down under the bar is so much easier than pressing it...

I also tested two of the Paleo Challenge Benchmarks:
Max Pull Ups-3 green band
500 m. row-1.55.5

Imagine me doing a happy dance right now...Or maybe not, since I am a horrible dancer, but I am very happy with both numbers!

Paleo Challenge 2.0

The new event has begun! I didn't think I was really going to care about doing another challenge since I already eat Paleo, but when it comes down to it, I care. I am in this one to win, so watch out all of my wonderful fellow CFers. It is quite possible that doing "Christine" will kill me, so then none of you will have to worry about me anyway.

I've been eating Paleo for about 8 months now, and one of the most important things for me is food prep. I must set aside some time at the beginning of each week to prepare a few things in large quantities so I have food to pack for lunch and quick dinner food for nights I will be home late. This weekend I made up a large batch up sun-dried tomatoes and turkey (from Jocelyn) and beef stew. I made a double batch of zucchini for dinner tonight, and I will roast some broccoli as well.

Then I weigh out my turkey portions (since I zone as well) and guesstimate my stew proportions. Everything is all packaged up in containers and ready to grab and pack in my lunch bag each day. If I don't have this done each week, it is very, very hard to eat right every day. I either end up eating way too much fruit and nuts since it is easy. or I just don't eat anything and then I get too tired at CrossFit.

No Lazy Shoulders!

Skill
Burgener Warm-up with the 15# bar
Snatch on the minute for 8 minutes 35#

Then we did x5 at our own pace, increasing the weight
35, 38, 45 (PR), 45, 45

I didn't even realize until just now, but this morning was a 12# PR on the snatch. That is still excruciatingly low, but I plan on seeing great gains on this lift during 2010. :)

I had that pesky right shoulder pain again, that mysterious, unknown, shooting pain. It showed up early on this time, and that was very frustrating for me. I can't just keep wandering around, avoiding this lift, hoping no one notices that I can't do it to save my life. I do actually want to be able to do this. So today I tried again to narrow my grip ever so slightly. That didn't make it go away. Then I worked hard on pulling my shoulders back for the lift, keeping them from rolling forward, especially when I pulled the bar overhead. I think this might be it! This seemed to be what kept my shoulder pain free and helped to keep my more stable.

WOD
5 rounds
7 thrusters 45#
12 Box Jumps 16"
50 m. sprint
Time: 8:02

My poor arms were still tired and sore, so 45# was perfect today and allowed me to work on making each transition effective. I owe much to Joc for pushing me so hard on the last 2 rounds!

Power Cleans, Pull Ups and Box Jumps

These are a few of my favorite things...
(not quite, but...)

Skill
Max Chin Ups x5
Blue Band: 7, 5, 4, 5, 5

WOD
10 minutes
AMRAP power cleans 93#
*but do 3 high box jumps at the top of each minute
45 cleans

How can I not adore Kyle?!? A class with three things that I am so determined to improve! If only he hadn't put the inch worm in the warm up...

I wasn't too happy about doing max chin-ups after doing max pull-ups last night, but it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Since I am counting chin ups in my pull up total, I am up to 211 this month.

Then we get to the wod...I got to use 93# since I opened my big mouth last week (and since my sister was using 93#.) I missed a few lifts, but this time, I tried to shake it off and then work on doing what I knew I should be able to do.

I want to move up to the 20" box sometime in the next century, but the difference from 16 to 20 was too scary, so I had never even tried to jump onto it once. I did use it tonight, but only for the first round. On the second round I smacked my shin and moved down to the 16 inch. So yeah, I just kept up with the power cleans, even with that excruciating pain. I am that tough. :)

Lynne

Skill
Front Squat + Jerk 5x2+1
83, 83, 93, 93, 98

Lynne
5 rounds
Max Bench Press
Max Pull Ups
Time 6:44
Totals: 50 BP/28 PU

First time to ever bench press so I had to just pick a weight (since there was no way I could do this rx'd at body weight, ha, ha, ha, ha!) I had 65# on the bar and used the blue band for the pull ups. Admittedly, I didn't hit my real max on the first round. Comparing the way my final BP on round 1 and my final BP on round 5 felt, there was no comparison.

Joc warned me that I would be sore tomorrow...how about sore in just a couple of hours?!?

Learning to Like the Unlikable

Skills

Overhead Squat 7x2

43, 53, 53, 63, 68, 73, 78

My dread of the OHS is diminishing! I didn't have to warm up with the 15# bar. I felt much more stable. I didn't have to drop the bar at all. My wrists didn't hurt. I don't have to live in dread of the next OHS day. Whew! One less thing to worry about!

But then we had to do squats and broad jumps. I can't jump, just can't. So I don't enjoy this exercise, as I don't normally enjoy doing things that make me feel like a nincompoop. That's why I don't like the dumb inch-worm exercise either, or that ninja roll, or... Who really wants to inch their bum up into the air, lose their balance while trying to jump forward, or roll on their back and have trouble back up?!?

But I do it all
usually
for at least part of the prescribe time
most of the time...

WOD
10 Clean and Jerks 88#
200 m. run
10 Clean and Jerks 78#
100 m. run
10 Clean and Jerks 73#
50 m. run
Time: 7:19

I will use 93# for the next wod with a reasonable number of cleans...I really will...

The fun of family!

A bunch of us were together (only 14 this time) for dinner Saturday night, and my mom made me my own, fabulous paleo sweat and sour pork. Yum! I have a great mom!

I wanted to test my max push ups, real, true, no cheating-at-all push ups, so I had my dad count them at our family dinner this evening. He is a super strict judge for things like this. I only had 8, but they were perfect! My dad told my 16 year old brother that my form is better than his. :) Serves him right since the kid told me that he could hardly stand to be seen with me if I kept wearing baggy jeans and my CF sweatshirt.

Of course, then almost everyone had to show off their push up form. See, these are the fun things that big families do-push ups and making fun of each other, it makes you stronger in so many ways!

And I was getting tired of zucchini, so I had to change up the saute recipe a bit tonight. Nice and simple!

Spicy, Garlicky Zukes

4-5 zucchini, sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2-1 jalapeno, chopped

salt and pepper

Saute the zucchini in a bit of oil. When the zucchini has just barely started to soften, add the garlic and jalapenos and toss. Cook for only a few minutes more, just enough to allow the garlic to soften, but not become brown and crispy. Season with salt and pepper.

Then serve with the pulled pork you made earlier for a great dinner! (I really, really need to learn to take better food shots...)

Tabata Deadlifts

Skill
After our sprint drills, tabata deadlifts
Me: 155# 45 total

Last done 11/19/2009 with 32 total
I think this stuff might work!

WOD
7 rounds
12 Box Jumps
7 Ring Dips (subbed on a box)
1 Rope Climb (subbed with 7 pull ups, blue band)
Time: 10:23

Yeah, pull ups in a WOD are still brutal, even with the blue band, but that brings my pull up total this month to 147.

Watch out Grace, here I come...

So I found this very enlightening and rather disgusting illustration today. This is a handy visual of what Kyle and Joc keep telling me to remember...

The yellow, pitiful fat clocks in at a calorie burning rate of a measly 3 calories per day. I have lost 11 of these blobs. I have added an unknown number of of the sleek, slim, super worthwhile muscles with their calorie burning rate of a 30-50 calories per day at rest.

Skill

BB pull ups-10 painstaking, broken but still done, pull ups

Dynamic Back Squats 10x2 at 65% 1RM, 30 sec rest between sets

123#

WOD

4 rounds

5 power cleans + push presses 83#

10 ball slams 25#

15 box jumps (subbed for the Rx'd double unders)

Time: 9:44

Why did this wod intimidate me so much? I agreed to the 83#, and knew I needed to do that, but I sure wanted my comfortable old 63#...I have it in my mind that clean and jerks at 83# will be too hard for me. Logically this makes no sense. I got through it and really, the worst part was the box jumps.

CrossFit, the Liberal Arts of Fitness

During my Humane Letters class yesterday, a student piped up with this statement, "Well, we get an education to get a job." The rest of the class audibly gasped and then looked at me for my reaction, while the one poor student realized what they had said.

I did not disappoint! They got a reaction from me. :) I am not in education to create a better work-force for the future. I do not run a trade school. My students know that I do not give them assignments so they can make more money in the future. While jobs, money and trade schools are all important things, as a liberal arts educator, none of those things are the central reason for an education. I believe that well-educated students will be better prepared to specialize and focus their training, but that all comes after a liberal arts foundation.

I teach and study with my students so that we all can be more fully human, more completely the people we are created to be, more wise, more virtuous. Specifically as a grade school teacher, I love education because it is general, it is broad, it is liberal. It is liberal because it is such an integral part of what makes us "free" men, people who have been given all they need to pursue a full and complete life.

And as the dots start connecting in my mind, I realized that this is why CrossFit, and especially CFWSC, is so perfect for me. When I decided that I needed to change my life, there were many factors, but a driving factor and what keeps me going, is the realization that I am not doing all of this to lose weight, to look better, to wear a smaller size...I am eating better and working to build strength and fitness in order to be a more complete person. And that makes the pain from those weighted lunges yesterday worth it.

I Do Know How to Stand Up...

even if it didn't look like it during this WOD.

Skill
1 1/4 squats 5x5
43, 53, 103, 113, 123

WOD
10, 8, 6, 4, 2
Walking lunges 70#
Pullups (Blue Band)
Time: 8:29

Mentally, this type of wod is almost wonderful. Things just look better and better every round. If you can finish the 10, you can finish the 8, and that 2 at the end just sounds delightfully simple. In reality, those last rounds of lunges were hard, hard, hard. There is something uniquely humbling about weighted lunges. It just shouldn't be so hard to do something as simple as standing up.

This is for you, Wesley-I did the wod with banded pull ups. :) That brings my pull up total for January to 88. I hope to be able to actually get more than 1 green band pull up at one time by the end of the month!

I need new shoes so I can *sound* aggressive

Skill
Snatch Balance 5x3
15, 25, 33, 43, 53

Snatch 7x1
a rather random progression between 15 and 43 in an effort to practice the snatch without that nagging sharp pain in my shoulder. It is a brief, unknown pain, but I am too much of a wimp to hold the lift through it.

WOD
9,6,3
Deadlift at 75% 1RM
burpee pull ups

My DL should have been at 220, but that just felt way, way too heavy. :) I did 205 and that was plenty since it took me 5:something.

January Banded Pull Up Total: 58

The Weekend

Saturday
Support jerks and jerks
worked up to 93#, not feeling very strong today...

WOD
I had a BW wod because my knee was really bothering me.
AMRAP in 4 minutes x3 (with a 1 min rest between sets)
3 pull ups
5 push ups
7 plate sit ups 25#
Rounds: 4/4/4

Sunday
Max Pull Ups Sets
1 green band (without any little push ups from anyone else this time)
8 Blue band
6 BB
5 BB chin ups
6 BB
5 BB chin ups
5 BB
4 BB chin ups
3 BB
Total: 43

Strict Press 1 RM
33x5, 43x5, 53x3, 73x3, 83x1, 88x1, 93x1 (PR)

2010 Goals

Some 2010 CF goals-
1. 400m run-sub 1:55 (yep, I'm that slow!)
2. 500m row-sub 1:50
3. OHS-115#
4. C&J-135#
5. Grace-as Rx'd
6. Pull Ups-get 3 real ones
7. Helen-as Rx'd
8. Push Ups-25 unbroken
9. snatch-103#
10.