"Running"

I missed out on class today because I had to go to SF to see Wicked again...Good news-it is still a great show!

So I had to come up with something to squeeze into the end of my day. I jogged (just made sure I kept my movement above a walk) for 1.5 miles. No stopping, no walking, no crying and I lived. I didn't even feel like I was dying.

Back Squat Fail

Back Squat 5x5
203x5
203x5
203x5
203x5
203x1 then fail...
203x5

I rolled forward on my toes while I was coming back up, and lost it. I can only figure that I momentarily lost focus and relaxed, and I was super bummed about the whole thing. It wasn't too heavy, I wasn't too tired, and I had no worries about missing that set. It was very hard to get back under that bar and try again, but I am sure glad I did (or that my coach made me do it.)



AMRAP in 12 minutes
10 DB shoulder to overhead 25#
10 broad jumps
50 m farmer's walk 25#

Rounds-5 +10 DB S2O

Buffalo Tri-Tip

Push Press+Push Jerk+Jerk
53
73
83
93
103
108
113
118
123 fail on the push press

WOD
AMRAP in 10 minutes
200 m row
10 OH plate lunges 25#
10 K2E
Rounds: 4 + row

This wod was nice and fast, but still very hard. K2E were definitely the hardest part and the lunges were easier than I thought they would be.

I grilled up some buffalo tri-tip for my dinner, and it was very, very tasty with a wonderful rich, deep flavor. I loved it and hope that Cliff will go hunt some buffalo for all of us...

Happy Dance

Snatch
53x3
63x2
68x1
73x1
78x1
83x1
88 fail

Umph...I really wanted to get that 88 today.

WOD
4 rounds 2:30/90 sec rest
200 m run
7 box jumps 20"
max KBS 44#
19-15-15-14

And then pull up practice. I did it! I was totally shocked when it happened, but I got my first kipping pull up. Clearly there were several important pieces to today's success: my latte, the mocking of my hip snap, and the presence of the vuvuzela in the box. Now I just have to try to repeat it, but it more than made up for not getting the 88 on the snatch.

Clothes and More Clothes

I decided to clean out my closet again today.

This feels great, every single time. It is wonderful to bag up all of those things that I'll never wear again.

It is also offers a bit of time for reflection.
"Why on earth did I ever buy that? It is horrible!"
"Why did I even keep it this long?"
"How nice must my friends be that they were willing to be seen in public when I wore this!"
"Or maybe they are just a little evil and never told me how hideous these pants really were..."

And then the big question-
"How in the world could I have all these clothes, and yet I never felt like I had anything to wear?!?"

It is utterly ridiculous that I am still getting rid of all these clothes (not to mention shoes...ouch!) Why in the world did I ever buy and then hold onto all of these things?

There is no doubt that part of the answer is that I do just like new clothes. But the other part is that there was an underlying hesitation to ever get rid of much since I might "need" it when I was one of any 5 or more sizes that I intend to never return to. Believe me, I am not talking about just holding onto some things for the "fat days." I still had stuff that literally falls right off of me now. That stuff is gone now. I know that I also held onto clothes because I had such a hard time finding anything to buy in the first place-not many stores, not many options, lots of large, ugly tents in slightly differing cuts...

And on the subject of clothes, my dear sisters and several friends will be happy to find out that my recent purchases have been in the following shades:
peacock blue
eggplant
plum
pink
green
some other shade of purple
and only a little tiny bit in black and brown. :)

C&J, Deadlifts and Yummy Food

Clean and Jerk, on the minute
80x5
88x5
93x5
No misses
Then
103x1
108x1
113x1

The 113 clean was not very beautiful...

WOD
AMRAP in 10 minutes
7 deadlifts 165#
12 GHD situps
Rounds-4 and 7 DL, 8 GHD

Yes, I was that close to finishing the 5th round, and if I had moved faster I could have finished that round. By the way, GHD situps still make me lightheaded and dizzy. Good times!

I went home, did some work and then took a nap.

Then I cooked dinner-
stuffed bell peppers
glazed carrots
melon with prosciutto

It was one of those super nourishing meals, not just food for fuel, but deeply satisfying food. Wish you all could have enjoyed it with me. :)

And yes, amazingly enough I realize that there are now plenty of time that I eat just to fuel my body. I eat that chicken or cauliflower simply because I need to, not because I want to. I didn't think I would ever be that person. I ate because it was good. One of the problems was that there was just too much that I thought was good and it actually wasn't. Now I make sure I still have plenty of food that I love, but there are plenty of meals that I just eat because I know I have to, because it is what I need to work well.

Tabata Front Squats

Tabata Front Squats
75# rx'd
total score: 57
Vero, you are amazing. That is all there is to it.

Then-
Chest 2 Bar pull ups (GB) 8-6-4-2
KBS 53# 16-12-8-4
Push ups 32-15-12-8
Time: 8:04

The push ups were KILLING me, so Sam adjusted the middle rounds a bit. Otherwise I would have been working right until the next class...4 hours later. And I was worried about the 53# KBS!

Jump, Jump, Jump

Snatch PP
63x5
73x4
88x3
98x2
108x1
118 fail

SLDL
83x3x5

You do enough of those behind the neck presses and jerks and you learn to absorb that weight a little better! You do those SLDLs and they just remind you that your hamstrings exist and complain a bit if you don't give them enough attention.

WOD
8 rounds
8 Box Jumps 20"
8 KBS 44#
50 m run
Time: 11:56

I could say that the difference between completing 36 jumps on the 20" box last week, coupled with almost no other leg work, compared to the 64 jumps, coupled with the runs, was just a tad noticeable. If you want a more honest assessment, I'd have to say that it was tough to even finish. Blah, like leaning against the wall, wondering why I put myself through this stuff kind of tough. I'll admit that I felt pretty proud/hard-core/legit for actually completing those box jumps, but it was hard to get them done.

And guess who actually completed a double-under? Yep, and then I was able to do it again. I was just too overwhelmed with the thrill of a double-under to get the rope around again...

On a diet note, I went to Whole Foods yesterday, fell so in love with all the fabulous fruit that the produce guy kept giving me to taste that I decided to add fruit back in for the summer. It is good to eat seasonally, right? I think I'm going to have figs and prosciutto tomorrow.

The Weekend Post

Saturday

Back Squat
198x5
198x5
198x5
198x5
198x5

WOD
We had a fun wod with:
broad jumps
shuffles
tire flips
half moons (15/25#)
med ball sit ups (20#)
ball slams (25#)
It was 30 secs per station with 15 sec rest and we completed the cycle two times.

This was the first time I've done half moons and tire flips. That tire got a little heavy...

Sunday
Snatch on the Minute
58x5
63x5
68x5
73x1
78x1
83 fail

So the 58s were feeling fantastic, as in one fluid lift. All of this gloriousness started to break down here and there as the weight went up, but all of this is good practice in patience. :)

WOD
400 m run
5 pull ups (GB)
20 russian twists
200 m run
10 pull ups
20 russian twists
100 m run
15 pull ups
20 russian twists
50 m run
Time: 8:55

Running wods are never something I look forward to, but knowing that each run was shorter made this much, much more manageable. If I have to run, this was actually a great way to get it done. :)

7, the Perfect Number

Snatch Deadlift
63x3
68x3
73x3
83x3
93x3

Lots of important work on leading with the chest.

WOD
7 rounds
7 lateral jumps
7 back extensions
7 GHD situps
Time: 9:55

Lateral jumps were my major frustration on Saturday, but I was far more successful today. The GHD situps were hard to get through by about round 4, so that made 5,6 and 7 delightful. I was glad to have someone counting my rounds or I am sure I would have done at least 9. I get all light headed on the GHD machine and can't remember anything beyond the 7 reps I need to do at one time.

Box Jumps and OHS

Mini-Warm Up WOD
10 Box Jumps 20"
10 vertical jumps
30 single jumps
5 ninja rolls (hate them, because I can't do them)
5 burpees
Yep-the 20" box jump today. This was the first time I have grouped together any jumps at 20" since I gouged my leg on this box in Jan. (you all remember that made up story about the box jumps and the staph infection, right?) And I was told that I was actually doing burpees today. That is a good thing and I bad thing. I guess that now when I am told to do the burpees correctly, I won't be able to just yell back that I CAN'T DO BURPEES.

Overhead Squat
33x3
53x3
73x1
83x1
93x1
103x1 (PR!)
108 fail

Super happy to break 100. I still love seeing the regular, steady progress of CrossFit!

WOD
AMRAP in 10 minutes
5 snatch balance 53#
7 pull ups green band
9 box jumps 20"
Rounds: 4 + 5 snatch balances

Yep, the 20" box again! And I didn't miss even one of them. :)

No Pull Up Yet...

Jerk
Warm Up
63# push press, push jerk, split jerk
83# push press, push jerk, split jerk
Then single split jerks
103x1
113x1
123x1
133x1 (PR)
143 fail

Ah, I was so excited about the 133 that I got greedy and jumped right to 143. That was not the best decision as I missed the 143 royally. It was like my brain and body just totally and completely failed to function as they should have.

WOD
4 rounds
8 SLDL 63#
10 ring push ups (knees)
12 sit ups
Time: 5:21

Fun!

Then multiple attempts at a pull up. Not yet...

Hard Things

In some ways the last year and all of the changes I have made in my health and fitness have been easier than I thought and it some ways it has all been harder. Right now I am thinking about the harder. It hasn’t been magic and easy. I didn’t find the one spectacular way to suddenly change all of my poor diet and fitness habits. And as wonderful as my CrossFit box is, it has all been very hard. There truly is no easy way about it.

I have worked really hard, harder than I imagined that I would. I have cried, occasionally in a workout, but usually all by myself after I left. There have been so many days were I could hardly do anything all evening because I was so completely exhausted and sore. I have ached and hurt for what seemed like endless days-my knees, my neck, my shoulders, my arms, my everything, just not my fingernails. I had to learn to enjoy the pain that comes with doing weighted lunges and GHD sit-ups.

I have been sick at the thought of going to the box to work out, and then sick to my stomach while waiting for a wod to start. Of course I have been sick to my stomach during and after a wod. But I detest throwing up, so I still haven’t done that. I had to learn to just embrace that nervousness and get to work.

I have wanted to quit so badly that it almost consumed me, as in it was a struggle that I wasn’t sure I could overcome to take one more step or swing that KB one more time. Occasionally I have given in, and then I have felt the regret of quitting when I shouldn’t have. I know there is a time to quit, in order to avoid injury, but I honestly don’t face that decision often. I am faced most often with just wanting to quit because it is so hard-hard to move, hard to breath, hard to not give up. I had to learn to just keep going, long after I thought I couldn’t do anymore.

I have worried myself endlessly about what other people thought of me and what I looked like while working out. I have worked really hard to hide in the corner. I would carefully choose where I would lift or work so I would stay as inconspicuous as possible. I have been so thankful that there are no mirrors, but embarrassed that even though I couldn’t see how silly I looked, other people could. I tried to hide in pictures. I still don’t like the idea of being videotaped, but I’ll adjust. I had to learn to be more comfortable in my own skin, working on whatever I need to work on.

I have left classes feeling totally uncoordinated and disgustingly out of shape. Now I wasn’t happy about being fat and out of shape, but then when I started CF, I had to deal with a whole new side of unhappiness-the total dissatisfaction and frustration of really seeing how bad I had let things get, of being smacked in the face with that every time I worked out. And even with that awful awareness, I had to pick myself up and do it all over again another day.

I have learned many things since starting CrossFit, much more than I ever would have imagined, and I know that I have many hard things still to learn.

I Still CrossFit

I just forgot to post...I know you were all worried.

Thursday was almost nothing. I was stuck in traffic, couldn't stay long enough at the box to finish everything, was very, very busy talking to people, very important people, about very important things, so I didn't get much done:
Rack Jerks
93x1
98x1
103x1
113x1
then repeat

Friday
Skill
Back Squat 5x3
203x5
203x5
203x5
213x5
213x5

I know it might look like I was sandbagging on the first few, but this was just an important part of my plan to actually finish the sets in the time I had. :) Yep, I had to do this to make sure I could move fast enough.

WOD
5 rounds
2 snatches 68#
4 HSPU (scaled to pike push ups)
6 C2B pull ups (green band)
8 box jumps (16" plus 25# plate)
Time:7:38

Saturday
Skill
Heavy Clean and Jerk
63x3
83x2
103x2
113x1
123, fail x2

WOD
2 rounds
2:30 stations (30 sec rest)
1. 250 m row/max lateral stick jumps
2. 5-10-5 sprints
My max jumps: 30/70

Yep, that was a whole 30 jumps for the first round. You don't get much done when you spend a lot of time standing there feeling uncoordinated. You also don't get much done when you stand there pouting. I'll have to try to remember this for future wods.

Hmm, still don't really like box jumps...

even though it seems like I get to do them all.the.time
:)

Skill
Snatch
56x2
61x2
68x2
73x2

I tried narrowing my grip again today, and I am amazed at how much I have been able to narrow it and by the fact that I no longer have any shoulder pain at all. It makes it easier to hold the bar over your head when you don't get a searing pain through your shoulder all of the sudden.

WOD
4 rounds
12 KBS 45#
12 Box Jumps
Time: 4:49

Then Russian Twists
2x20 with the 12# ball

I did not even attempt one pull up.

Right now it is painful to sit, walk up the stairs, walk normally...Thankfully my abs aren't horribly sore, but that might hit tomorrow. CF is great!

Finally, a FS PR!!

Skill
Front Squat 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
135x3
155x3
165x3
175x3
185x3 (PR)

The last time I failed at 180. I shared a rack with Cliff and that made me super nervous. I mean, come on, lifting with a certified level 1 trainer right next to you the whole time?!? And then to have not just Kyle, but also Cliff there to mock my horrible front squat bar position?!? It doesn't get much better than that people. :)

WOD
AMRAP in 12 min.
6 split squats 25# DB (6 each leg)
8 T2B (which as we all know weren't T2B for me, but I really surprised myself with how much closer I was to K2B...)
Rounds-8
Special thanks goes to Desmond for finding the missing 25# DB. I was so, so dejected when I could only find one and thought I would have to use the 20 pounders. I really appreciate that he took the time out of his super fast, no rest workout routine to find that thing.

Then multiple attempts at a kipping pull up. Not yet.
But get this-I found out that I actually have to PULL to make this work. I think that is my problem

Home Again and Back in the Gym

I was able to pull myself together and actually got through one hotel wod.
3 rounds
10 DB thrusters 25#
10 burpees
This was untimed, and I wish I could say it was really fast, but I can't. I think it took me somewhere in the 5 minute range. Whoot! Who doesn't love doing this in the middle of a hotel pool room/gym, especially when you just loooove sticking out like a sore thumb?!? I do appreciate Kyle taking the time to program this for me. His kindness knows no bounds.

And then back in the box this morning, yes a Thursday morning class! Happy me! :)

Skill
Back Squat, reset at 90%
193x5x5
This was absolutely perfect for this morning. The weight was just enough to feel like I was doing something good, but not so heavy that I had to really struggle with it. I wasn't up for struggling with the back squat, so this was perfect.

WOD
5 rounds
200 m run (Well, it was actually just to the fence, but that's because Joc told me to run just that far. I would never short a run!)
10 pull ups (green band)
10 ball slams 25#
Time: 12:30

I can't really say this was absolutely perfect. But all things considered it was a really good wod to come back to-simple, things I need to work on, and exhausting. The 5th round was horrid. I even broke up the ball slams, and I don't like to break up ball slams. But I am glad that I just came back and died right away.

Then Kyle worked with me on the kip. No pull up yet, but it is closer!

Then I got to finish with 3x10 GHD sit ups.

Yep, it is super good to be back.