NYC: Afrobrutality and Master Chef Junior

This weekend was a blast. We spent it in the car (boo) and in New York City. It took us a forever to get into the city - Friday afternoon traffic was sllllloooooooow. We hit the city around 7:30 and had dinner in Harlem with Syn of Afrobrutality.

Syn of Afrobrutality with Skully the Pit

We ate at Spaha Soul - Syn shut that joint down for our family to eat with him and a few friends. It was great. I had buttermilk fried chicken, collards, and mac n cheese. So yummy! Next time I get the spicy yams.....they looked delish.

Spaha Soul in Harlem - YUM

This dude can cook - Super nice

Who forgets to snap a pic? Me. I suck.......next time we take pics!

Meeting up with Syn was awesome - but the main event of our NYC trip was so Sammy could audition for Master Chef Junior. He finished his cooking and interview on cloud 9. He cooked an egg, chopped some veggies, and measured water.  He did this all on his own - Sam sat with the other moms (hahahahaha)while Sammy did his thing. I don't care what happens now - he left feeling awesome about himself and had a huge smile all day! If he makes the cut we should hear this week. Fingers crossed!

Sammy went in feeling the love and support from friends, family, and school. His whole class made bracelets and wore them on Friday to support him (tear) - what a great community he has! Thanks guys!

Getting ready

Sam kept me in the loop as we hiked NYC

So beautiful

NYC at Christmas is amazing. So many lights. So many trees. So many people! Where do they all come from? Whew. Busy for sure! We walked a ton, saw lots of sights - including Santacon

So many Santas

Drunk at 9am

We gotta get back up to NYC soon - Syn mentioned an amazing pizza place that we NEED to go to. Girl's gotta eat.

In the mean time, it's cold outside. Get yourself a brutality sweatshirt for all your training and chillin needs.  Maybe "The People's Athlete" will have a shirt........stay tuned :)

I want the green one

Everyone loves a hoodie

I QUIT!

Dramatic? You bet. Did I really quit? Nope. That's exactly how it felt though......ugh. I don't like change. I don't like not doing something I said I would. I just want to follow the plan. Sometimes, things interrupt that plan.

Like injuries.

Saturday I was signed up to compete in my FIRST individual competition. Superfit Rubicon. It was going to be magical. My pull-ups were looking good (stringing 12 together!). My lifts were improving in technique and weight. I wanted it. I was happy. I was determined. I was going to prove how hard I've been working. TO THE WORLD (or anyone awake at 7am in Mclean).

Cue the shoulder. Doc says it's bicep tendinitis. So I've been doing rehab. Nothing over head. Nothing that hurts. Which all hurts my soul.....

Injuries. Not impressed.

Enter the Superfit workouts. I was glued to my computer Thursday. Waiting. Maybe magic will happen and the workouts will only be double unders, box jumps, deadlifts.....no shoulder needed. No such luck. Each one did play to my strength. I loved them all. This was going to be uh-mazing.........Oh - but my shoulder still hurts. Talked with my husband and Coach Bijan - both said "Nope". Not worth becoming seriously injured. Not worth throwing The Open. Not worth surgery. No sir. 

I just want to lift!!!!!!

Emotional. Yep. Just a bit. I slowly let my support crew know I was not going to be competing. It was hard, but it helped hear their supporting words. My partner in crime, Holly P,  sent me this gem:

#truth

My people. My support. Love them

I tried to stay away from #superfitrubicon, but I couldn't. I watched the videos. I scrolled through the pics. I didn't cry. I didn't throw anything (can't. Hurt my shoulder. duh). I put my big girl panties on and did squats, lunges, hollow rocks......stuff I CAN do. That's where my focus needs to be. What CAN I do? Turns out, a lot. So for the near future all my programming will be focused on everything that is not my shoulder. It sucks. It's frustrating. I will come back stronger, tougher, smarter. Believe that.

Believe it

I tend to be dramatic (remember when I quit?..Up top).......this is a time to put things in perspective. My husband helps me do that. My coach helps me do that. My goals are the same, my approach will change. I am on the same journey - just a few more turns. 

That time Miranda broke her neck....

and then

Regionals 2014...then went on to the games!

Instead of competing this weekend I played with my kids (add in 1 cousin), made a gingerbread house, and got our Christmas Tree. 

cousins

so much fun!

Tree Time!

My journey is still happening. Life is good. Next weekend is NYC and Afrobrutality. Hell Yeah! The reason for my visit? That is a different post all together :)

sneaky sneaky

Whenever I need a good laugh, a smile, anything to make me feel better I just look at Dawson and Kim. My favorite ugly criers. Your. Welcome.

 

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!