The People's Athlete. You can.

I love sports. I really really love them. I don't like every sport - sorry baseball - but I am very competitive so watching a game is right up my alley. My mom enjoys sports a lot. My dad once brought a book and his lap top to a game - he's more of a chess guy.

I played field hockey and lacrosse in high-school. I did a brief stint on the indoor track circuit. Did.Not.Go.Well. Turns out I didn't like to just run.

Never. Ever. 

I went to college on a lacrosse scholarship. I was constantly surrounded by people that were competitive on another level. I loved it. I miss it almost daily. Crossfit has replaced some of that feeling for me. I'm surrounded by a group of people that are competitive - yes, there are people that just want to sweat, just want a good workout, etc. You can find me chatting with any one of them. I love em all!

Next week is my 2 year Crossfit Anniversary. In that time I have competed in Superfit DC twice, Superfit Delaware, Cold War 3, and the Capital Throwdown. Coming up I have Superfit Rubicon (my first individual) and Cold War 4. I love to compete. The adrenaline and excitement sends me to the bathroom about a million times - but I love it. 

Delaware was so fun!

Team America sitting in 3rd after workout #1

All this makes me an athlete. True. I Googled it:

Athlete: a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength

Synonyms: competitor, jock, player, challenger, contender

See? That's me. I love being an athlete. I identify with that right after Mom and Wife. I live for the feeling I get when I workout, when I PR, when I win, when I just show up, when I inspire others, when I get to cheer on my friends.........it's all awesome. 

A Google image search for Athlete

What they have in common is heart and desire - and that black outfit

My stats: Snatch: 105#, Deadlift 285#, Back Squat 245#

I am an athlete because I love it, not because I lift the most or run the fastest. It makes me happy. I show up day after day to get better and to cheer on my fellow athletes. 

The People's Athlete. That's me. I'm here to cheer for you. I'm here to show you it can be done. You can make the time. You can be strong. You can be fast. You can be bad ass. We cannot all be these chicks:

wow

Inspiring? Yes. Awesome to watch? Yes. Absolutely. Will this be you? Probably not. Their full time job is working out. Most of them have some pretty legit athletic backgrounds (think division 1 gymnasts). That's ok. We need the pro's to inspire us.

That's where I step in. I am here to show you that the average woman can be an athlete. You can. Whether it's for the first time in your life or you are getting back into it. You can.  

Yep. Pull ups at 34 years old

I kinda gave myself the title. It's ok. People do that.

You know who loves The People's Athlete? Afrobrutality. Syn rocks. I wrote him my goal is to inspire the average athlete. Show them it can be done. It's not too late. You don't have to spend 9 hours a day in the gym to make progress and be bad ass. Obviously he loved it.

My favorite brutality tank

Always feel bad ass in this tank

Check out Afrobrutality. They have cool shit, great coffee, and are located in New York. What more do you want?

Go out there and be bad ass!

• star

Uber Pride

Last night we went out for our anniversary. 10 Years. Can you believe it?!!?!? I cannot. In true Sam fashion he got an Uber black car to pick us up - yes, we are FANCY. I always feel uncomfortable making small talk with the driver.....but never fear. Sam LOVES to chat. So he did. The whole time.

Mindy is hilarious. Sam talks a lot. Perfect pairing

The driver was nice. Polite. Giggly even. Then Sam noticed his 13.1 and 26.2 stickers. Game. On.

Agha, our driver, quickly went from a nice 7 on the energy scale to a 15! 10 point scale, obvi. He was so happy, excited, thrilled to talk marathon. Agha is from India. There he ran his first marathon at the age of 21. He almost died. He did manage to squeak out a 2:32 finish! Very little water available to runners. Temps in the 115's. Pollution. He collapsed. He lost vision. He was so dehydrated. He described the horrors of his 26.2 mile journey in a way that made you want to get out there and do it too. I mean, 115 degrees can't be THAT bad......right? He actually wrote to India after his first US marathon to tell them how bad his experience was in India and great it was in the US.

Agha went on and on about his love for running. He let us know that he is in a running club. The 50 states Marathon Club. Yep. 50. He is currently sitting pretty at 36. That's a lot of t-shirts!

His favorite? Marine Corp. Hands down. He said that he runs it just to see if they mess anything up - but they don't! They never slip up - the organization of a Marine is amazing!

His least favorite? San Fran. Those hills. He said the last 3 miles were up hill. Was he pissed? Nope. He laughed about it.

Next up? Hawaii

Agha went on to talk about how he cannot believe how American he felt running the marathons. He said he feels like he was born in this country - water at every mile, the spectators.......just amazing. When he runs in India he cannot believe the lack of support for runners. "I was born in this country, but they do not treat me that way".

I could not see his smile (he WAS driving) but I could feel it. Ear to ear. His laugh was contagious. He was so proud and happy to talk about his passion. I have run my share of half marathons and 1 full marathon. I don't think I will do another (you never know) but talking with someone who is so passionate about it sure did make me think about it. 

I truly hope that when I talk about the things I do that I inspire people. I hope that people can feel how much I enjoy Crossfit, lifting weights, my family..........my goal is for that to always come across. 

Thank you Agha for sharing your passion!

Oh My God Becky.........

It's true. I have a booty. Always have. Not scared of it. Not in denial about it. Not trying to get rid of it. I AM trying to tone that puppy up - but that is a life long battle I think. Now, having a booty and thunder thighs make wearing shorts difficult. I do own a mirror. I'm not showing up anywhere - the gym - looking like a fool. My husband will also laugh at me and send me back upstairs if I look ridiculous. 

No mirror?

I am beginning to embrace the booty short. It is hard to find ones that fit though. As I am loosing weight, gaining muscle, and toning up I'm becoming more brave to try them out. I cannot tell you how many pairs I've ordered or tried on and can't get past my thighs. OR they are so tight on my butt that one little squat would split them. Also, gotta factor in the waist. Those booty shorts need to stay put for burpees, double unders - and please no crack on a squat.

 

Stacie - Killin the shorts games 

Booty IS strength

 

So my bravery in booty shorts brought me to Hopper Apparel. They are based in Richmond and do all the Superfit Shirts. I knew I liked them and they have a Pistol Short that I HAD to try. Last night, I did. Let me tell you - they are short. I was nervous to try them on, having tried on SO many CUTE CUTE shorts that don't fit will do that to you. I took a deep breath and pulled them up. WHAT?!? They fit. Not only did they fit, they were SUPER comfy. Feels like underwear. Seriously. Again, they are short. At least on me. My butt fits. My thighs fit. Nothing is digging into me. They stayed put the whole workout and I never once had to pull them up. Which kinda sucked because sometimes wardrobe malfunctions is what I distract myself with to catch my breath. :)

I wore them in my garage gym for rowing, overhead squats, and over the rower burpees (Right? My coach "surprised" me with a great WOD). Enlarge at your own risk. 

These really are made for girls with a booty and thunder thighs. I was uber comfortable during the workout. They stayed put. I'm still working on looking like Stacie while wearing them :) If you have struggled with trying to find shorts - you NEED to try these!

Love this!!!

14 Questions with Sheila Barden - Games Athlete

I always wish these interviews started with "We sat down for lunch together" or "As we chatted on the phone".....but email is what makes most of these Q and A's possible, so I'll take it!

Today's Q and A is with Sheila Barden. All around Bad Ass from the North East. Her Crossfit journey began in 2011 and she has since been to the North East Regionals in 2012, 2013, and 2014. She earned the 2nd place spot in 2014 and headed to Carson for the Games. She can do 40 unbroken pull ups, deadlift 285#, and is gaining strength daily. Can't wait to see what the next year brings! Congrats Sheila!

1. Last song you listened to on your Ipod? Most embarrassing song on your Ipod?

Big Money by The Game

Sweet Little Sheila by Tommy Roe

2. Favorite "I know it's not good for me" treat?

Salted Caramel Gelato, yum!

Sooooooo good

3. You can take 3 things on a deserted island, what are they?

My husband, my nanos, flint

4. Row or Run?

Neither, can I get an airdyne?

Hmmmm, could not find an Airdyne pic

5. Crossfit term that makes you giggle? Yep, I'm super immature

To be honest, none. 

6. Hardest movement to master?

Snatch, I've cried more than once during snatch sessions.

7. Your favorite movement?

Burpees

Such a funny one - and Lindsey is her Team Mates on the LA Reign

8. What has been your proudest moment to date?

Not dying in the ocean during event one of the 2014 CrossFit Games. That was the first time I ever swam in the ocean, and the fact that I didn't have to get rescued out in those waves made the rest of the week feel like a cake walk.

9. Who is your biggest fan?

My husband, Jake. He was my first "sponsor" and my biggest support system.

10. Who do you look up to?

My sister. She's a teacher, an inner-city charter school founder and an all around bad ass. She inspires the next generation and is helping to shape the future. No matter how many times I go to the Games, or step out on the Grid, I will never be able to say I changed the future like she has been able to do.

11. Who would play you in your made for tv movie?

Me. I'm one of a kind, I don't think I'm replicable, and no one can duplicate my laugh.

12. 1st thing that went through your head when you got to Carson?

"I don't want this feeling to ever go away."

13. Quote that keeps you going?

Little Wins

14. Favorite moment on LA Reign?

Gritting out the backward roll to supports and winning race 8, and the bonus flag, for my team against the Phoenix Rise.

Barbells for Boobs - Smash Cancer

Crossfit Annandale did a Barbell for Boobs event last Friday. We had a great time, raised money, played cornhole, drank beers, ate snacks.....oh - and did Helen Vs. Grace

It was a lot of fun - my partner and I split Helen to where she did all the kb swings and I did the pull ups. Now, you guys know I've been working on my pull ups. Up to this point the most I got in a row was 7. It was magical. Truly something I never knew I was capable of doing. So, we did the 400 m run (I still hate running) and my partner knocked out those swings. I climbed up and got ready, set, go! I did the first set of 12 unbroken. What The F#ck!?!? Three rounds of those pull ups came and went. Each one I went unbroken. It was amazing. I teared up a little.....then kicked some ass on those clean and jerks. I did not know that magical moment would happen - so there is no video. Pic? Of course. There is always a pic:

In all my pink gear

I'm fairly confident that my pull ups looked VERY similar to this video I found:

Sam LOVES pink

Great event with lots of money raised and FUN FUN FUN!

Superfit DC: Team Booty Crew and Christmas Abbott

It's been almost 2 weeks since Superfit DC. I'm recovered. It did not take 2 weeks........well, maybe mentally. It's such a big build up. It's such a long day. My partner, Holly, and I had a blast. We work well together, this was our second competition together......hopefully with many more to come. Here's the scoop:

WOD 1:

Yep. Thrusters. 3 of them. Heavy. I had a hard time not jerking at the top - but I hit 125# which was awesome because my goal was 115#!!!

WOD 2:

I should have known better - but on paper my partner and I were all "We got this!". Turns out that this was hard. Not in a "I hope we can do the movements" kind of way.....but it was just a lot of arm/upper body stuff and time went FAST!

WOD 3:

Ew. Wall balls. Bleh. We did sets of 10 with fancy throw high and switch. Yes. We are fancy, even when tired. My partner did the last 20 and I headed to the rower. We ended with 81 calories.

Christmas Abbott was there. That was awesome. My second time meeting her....no big deal (yes it is).

Don't worry, I'm working on my arm placement

My husband LOVED meeting her (only his 1st time)

Warm up area

You don't have a crotch shot pic? Weird......

This was my husbands first two-person competition. He did great!

on the rower

wall balls of death

thruster city with a unicorn shirt

toes to bar - again, that unicorn shirt was magical

You are right. I am not in this pic. My partner had bronchitis and I took her home as soon as we finished....missed the group pic

Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer, take pictures, and take video. It is always so much fun to hang with friends and work out!