Glitch in the Matrix

This week has been a long one. Sunday Mason turned 5! I still can't believe it, both the boys will be in full day elementary school next year. I can hear the savings piling up already. :)

We had cake and ice cream and he got two Leopard Geckos. Pretty sweet day. Then came Monday. Ugh. I made it through the work day, got home, and thought I would die. Got hit hard by the stomach bug. I did not sleep much that night, stayed home Tuesday, ate nothing and slept most of the day. I started feeling a little better Wednesday but was not 100% until this morning. It was awful. No CrossFit, no comfort, no enjoying the beautiful weather....bleh.

I did have a moment where I thought "all my hard work is going to go down the drain". That's how I used to rationalize eating like crap. "I don't feel good" or "I'm stressed" and I'd go to town on something bad for me, feel guilty, and then feel worse. I ate what I could while I was sick. Toast, pizza, banana, peanut butter....I know (gasp!) NOT my typical clean eating. Nothing else was going into my belly though. Those were the only things I could stomach....so clean went out the window for a hot second. But, you know what? I feel good today and I'm back to eating clean. I'm not going to dwell on a day or two of crap food. Moving on!

My first meal back from the dead? Glad you asked. I requested a spicy burger. Sam delivered.

Bacon, Avocado, Burger, Organic blue cheese, jalapenos

Our box (hehehehehehe) is trying to do a ladies night! Not the horribly painful Lady WODS, but a ladies only workout with some drinks afterwards. I'm stoked. I love stuff like that - and getting to know the ladies that I don't always see at workouts is great. This weather has me excited to workout and get fit. I have a lot of goals swimming around in my brain that I'm hoping to begin to tackle.

I also ordered a bathing suit from Athleta. I love that place. Luckily I had a coupon, because they can be pricey.......for the first time in a long time I am excited about swim suit season! I will be tearing up the waves in this little number.

Drum Roll Please........

Sam and I won the Paleo Challenge at our gym!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are super excited and very thankful for all the CFA, family, and friend support we got through those 60+ days. Here are a few reasons why we made it to the winners circle:

1. Sam: down 32 pounds, lost 4 inches on his waist, and made it 60 days with one cheat day!

Before pic is from 2008 at his heaviest. After pic is from two weeks ago.

2. Me: down 13 pounds, lost 2 inches on my waist, and improved my Challenge workout by 4 rounds and 7 reps! Kind of scary to post this pic, but I'm proud!

Now, I am not stopping here, neither is Sam. I know I have a ways to go, but I'm pretty happy with what 60 days of dedication, determination, and will power has done for us! We are now a relaxed Paleo household. What does that mean? For us it means we may use honey from time to time, a cheat meal (not day) once a week (or less often), pretty much stick to meats, veggies (lots and lots), and clean foods. If it has a shelf life of more than a few days we are not eating it (sorry twinkies!).

Here's a good Toes to Bar video (some peeps where unsure of how impressed to be for me)

I've crossed a few goals off my list in the last 2 weeks that I'm really proud of. I got toes to bar (now I need to work on consecutive ones), I am athlete of the month (I really hoped to earn that one day), and I've got 7 double unders in a row (shooting for 10 now). I've got a lot of work to do, but it is nice to see how the work I've already done has paid off.

One more CrossFit Open workout to do too!!!! Let's hope I can do it!!

14 Changes for the better

I've been doing CrossFit since the beginning of December 2012. I have changed so much since then......for the better. I don't think I could ever really explain enough how much I love it. But I will try:

1. I have learned to think about what I'm putting in my mouth/body (that's what she said). Did you know there are a million sneaky ways to say "sugar" on a nutrition label? Also, those sneaky bastards put sugar in EVERYTHING

2.  CrossFit has reinforced that I'm super immature and words make me giggle (box, jerk, snatch, wod)

3. I have learned to do double unders: jump rope master! My kids got jump ropes for Easter because they are so jealous of my skills.

4. I have improved my ability to lift on every lift

5. I can now do toes to bar (yes!!!)

6. I have made new friends that are just as in love with CrossFit as I am

7. I have lost 14 pounds - with plans to keep getting fit!

8. I have increased my wardrobe of spandex and its actually starting to not look terrible (just cause it comes in an XL doesn't mean you should wear it)

9. I feel strong, like really strong. Like don't mess with me in an alley strong :)

10. My kids think I am a super hero

11. Clothes fit better AND I get to buy more in smaller sizes!

12. I am finding I am getting pretty good at this weight thing - that feels awesome!

13. I am looking at bathing suits without wanting to cry

14. I have not had 1 migraine since I began CrossFit and eating Paleo - take that Imitrex!

CrossFit is not for everyone, I know that. I try very hard not to push it on people.....but it's hard because I love it SOO much. I have found that my body responds best to lifting weights, cardio, and the intensity that CrossFit brings. I also have discovered I'm a sugar addict and it was in almost everything I was eating. I do now believe "Abs are made in the kitchen" - don't worry, I don't have them....Yet.

13.2 was sweaty. really really sweaty.....

Workout 13.2

10 minute AMRAP of:
5 Shoulder to overhead,  75 lbs
10 Deadlift,  75 lbs
15 Box jump,  20 inch height


I was pretty excited when I saw this workout because I knew I could technically do all the moves and weights listed. I did the workout Friday night and Sam joined me for his first open workout. I think he was impressed with all the cheering and fun we had. I had no idea what to shoot for - I watched Annie T get 12 plus 1 and she made it look EASY. Um, yeah, she's a pro - I need to stop forgetting that. I decided to shoot for 6 rounds (180 reps). 

In my warm up I practiced the should to overhead with the bar and then with 75 pounds. Ugh! I told Sam I wasn't sure I could do it....it was HEAVY! I got nervous and tried not to freak out, but wasn't sure I could do more than one set at that weight. Before I knew it the 3 second count down began and I had to just go with it. Once I got moving the shoulder to overhead was heavy, but not impossible. Whew! I did 2 rounds of box jumps as jumps and then switched to step ups (still legal). I felt like I was cheating, but the step ups were faster and I was burning through my energy so the jumps just couldn't happen. I powered through the dead lifts and felt very strong there. This workout was tough, the first one where I felt like I might puke. I just kept moving, just kept breathing (hard), and just kept sweating. I ended with 6 +23 (203 reps)! I was really really happy and really really tired. I was also wearing my new shirt!


  Probably the best shirt I own. It's SUPER soft and I LOVE the length. Not a fan of my belly or butt hanging out.

Not sure what 13.3 will bring me - but I've heard lots of rumors about wall balls, thrusters, or double unders. I also have to do 13.3 in the 6am class. Eek! That's an early one. I just hope I have the energy to get through it. BUUUUUUT next week is Spring Break! Wahoo!!!!!

13.1 in the books

I did it. 13.1. The first WOD for the 2013 Crossfit Open Games. I was really nervous leading up to it. No, I'm not planning on winning. I always get nervous before stuff that I want to do well on and that I have a goal for.

Being so new to Crossfit I'm never really sure if my goal is attainable. Sometimes I set a goal and knock it out of the park. Sometimes I set a goal and don't even come close. I'm getting better at judging it but sometimes I'm still way off. Since the scores for the Open are posted online for all my stalkers to see (hehhehe) I want to do well. I set a goal of 100 for the 13.1 WOD. Then the nerves set in. What if I get 50, don't even come close????

Warming up for the WOD I got more and more nervous. The work out posted:

Open Workout 13.1

17 minute AMRAP of:
40 Burpees
30 Snatch, 75 / 45 lbs
30 Burpees
30 Snatch, 135 / 75 lbs
20 Burpees
30 Snatch, 165 / 100 lbs
10 burpees

Now, I've snatched a grand total of one time. WTF!? Can I even do this?? I set my sites on 100 because I knew I could do 40 burpees and 30 snatches. If I can get through that, then hopefully I can at least fall 30 more times for the other round of burpees. They take tie breaker times at the end of each snatch (hahahaha, snatch...i'm so immature). My time at the end of 40 burpees plus 30 snatches was 6:45. I was really really happy with that. So, I added more weight and attempted the second set of snatches. I put up 10 that counted, a few were not good enough form to count. I was THRILLED with the cheering and coaching I got that kept me going. I finished with 110 and a HUGE smile. I even got in a picture:

 
That's me. In the back. Way back there. Ready to snatch 75 pounds. 

The next workout is bound to be hard. I'm hoping I can do it and live to tell about it. I'm super in love with Crossfit. Swoon. We haven't done our Challenge afters yet (pics, measurements, etc)- that's Saturday. I'm sure it will be epic! 

There's no crying in Crossfit.....

At least not until you get to the car. Then you can cry like a baby - which is what I did last night. The last couple of days have been crazy. Nothing terrible has happened, just little things that make you feel like "nothing is going right!". Pity party for one. That was me. I'm sure it sucked for Sam. Hehehehehe.

So, the WOD last night was 3 minutes of back squats, 3 minutes of rowing, 3 minutes of burpees. I was stoked. I really like back squats (my legs are stronger than my arms - duh). I warmed up, no problem. I went to warm up the back squat with just the bar and BOOM. Quads just wouldn't work. I stopped. Stretched. Rolled out. Tried again, just the bar. Nope. Not gonna happen. I talked to my coaches, got some stretching pointers and cheered on my peeps during their squats. I waited until it was my turn to row and do burpees, so at least I got that done.

I felt lame. I felt frustrated. I felt sad. I don't like to be hurt. I really don't like to not do something I'm supposed to. I know this happens, I know this is not the end of the world. It did nicely round out my "nothing is going right" kind of day. Ugh. The worst. I played it cool until I got in the car. I called Sam and let the tears flow. He laughed, talked me through it, made me feel better. What a good guy. I calmed down and pulled my head out of my ass.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Paleo Challenge. I've come far. Read far. I've improved on my benchmarks, I've lost 13 pounds so far, and I feel great (minus last night). I will not let one crappy workout throw me off.

January WODs

What I get to eat and still loose weight and be strong

My first blister! Love it!

February WODS

Holy Soreness

I'm sore. Super sore. Sore like I've never been sore before. Wednesday I did Cindy (20 minutes of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats). I got 19 +12 rounds - that's 285 squats! It feels like a million. I then went to CFA on Friday and did that WOD. Sometimes moving around helps with soreness, and let's face it - I'm addicted. So I did 5 minutes of 10 pull ups + 10 ball slams and 5 minutes of 10 toes to bar + 10 jumping lunges. I believe what got me on Friday was the jumping lunges. My quads, hammies, and booty are feelin it!

Walking down the stairs, sitting on the toilet (it's more of a look and just fall), getting out of a chair, getting off the couch, picking something up I dropped (probably will just leave it there) - it all hurts.

The tiger tail has been saving me and hurting me this week. Rolling out is important, but oh so painful.



I am just as sore, if not more, this week from a 20 minute workout and a 10 minute workout as I was after a half marathon and my full marathon. I promise, both took WAY longer. I'm drinking tons of water, stretching, and rolling as much as I can. Tomorrow I'm going back. Work through the pain, get stronger.

Wednesday is the last day of the Paleo Challenge. Wahoo! By next weekend I should have my before and after pics, measurements, and weight. I cannot wait!