I am a CrossFit Athlete

I have been writing this post in my head for 2 full days and I'm still not sure where to begin.  2 showers since I finished my first CrossFit competition, and my number is still showing up on my hand.  The fact is, even once it's gone, the pride I have for having done what I did this weekend will take a whole lot longer to be washed away.

I spent this weekend at my first ever CrossFit Competition, War of the WODS.  I signed up and immediately questioned my sanity, but it was done, and I was locked in.  I have decided to start pushing myself out of my comfort zone this year, and that totally happened this weekend.

So, we woke up at 6:35 on Saturday morning, got our breakfast in at the hotel, and headed off to the competition.  We got checked in, walked into the athlete baggage area and I knew I was in well over my head.  These people looked like beasts, fit, strong; both mentally and physically, They had nutrition routines that they were already following, specific stretches to do, they were taping up, drinking certain shakes, and I felt like a total fake.  I didn't spend much time in that area for that very reason.  It is intimidating, to say the least.  So I spent my time watching the competitors.  This is a double-edged sword.  It is intimidating as hell to see people kill the WODs, but I could fade into the audience as just another spectator.

By the time I was going to do my first WOD I was intimidated, but resigned.  I was going to do the best that I possibly could, whatever that meant.  I had attempted this WOD at our box the day it was released and was surprised at how much it took out of me.  The WOD was 30 reps of cleans at 45#, 30 reps at 65#, 30 reps at 85# and the remainder of reps in a 7 minute time frame at 105#.  When I attempted it at the box, I finished 66 reps total, and was hoping for more the day of the competition.  I approached the WOD differently, but the outcome didn't change much.  I was jumping up and down, literally, due to cold and nerves.  A girl named Kristin from CrossFit Sanford approached me, told me she was scared too, and wished me luck.  Sportsmanship at its finest.  Once the clock counted down, 3-2-1, GO I was in the zone.  I heard NOTHING but my judge counting for me.  I had realized before we started that when I practiced, I loaded the bar one way, but at the competition, that wasn't possible.  In practice I used a 45# bar, added 10# weights to each side after the first 30, then added 10# more and never got beyond the 85# set.  When we got there, we had a 35# bar, a 5# plate, a 10# plate, a 15# plate, and 25# plate for each side, so I had to change how I loaded my bar...not easy to do on the fly.  I ended up completing 67 reps, 1 better than I had gotten in practice, but still was proud of how I did.  I didn't check standings for myself for a while, didn't want to be discouraged.

The second WOD, while it is my forte, was very scary.  We don't have a Yoke at our Box, and the WOD was 5 minutes to find your 1 rep max Snatch.  Before each attempt you had to carry a Yoke to the other end of the parking lot and back.  My intent was to make 3 attempts, starting at 65#.  My best ever snatch before the competition was 70#.  I should have started at 70 or 75#, but you know what they say about hindsight being 20/20.  So I carried the Yoke down and back, by the way, it weighs 100#.  I got back and threw the 65# Snatch up like it was nothing.  Down and back with the yoke, and did 75#, again, no problem.  Now, this is when the weather started to get the best of me.  It was a whopping 26* outside overnight, and the bars were freezing cold.  After 2 rounds, having numb hands makes it incredibly difficult to squeeze the clamps and unload/reload the bar.  So I come back from my 3rd trip with the yoke, and threw up 85#.  This wasn't so easy, but I did it still on the first attempt.  Went down and back with the yoke, and the 4th time getting the clamps off the bar was nearly impossible.  I added 5#, to put me at 90#, and I really think if I had had time for 2 more attempts, I would have gotten it, but the first attempt, I barely got it above the bridge of my nose, and it has to be above your head, so I got no-repped, and only had 15 seconds left to attempt down and back w/the yoke and get it again, not nearly enough time so I was done.

At this point I heard that standings had been posted and I went over to peruse them, finding myself in 18th place after the 1st wod out of the 22 people who showed up, and tied for 10th in the second wod, again, out of 22 people.






Next we headed inside to the Samurai WOD.  This WOD was incredibly difficult for me for a couple of reasons.  It was a LONG WOD first of all.  Secondly, we don't have rowers at our box.  Thirdly, The last thing in the WOD was hand-stand push ups.  I can't do hand-stands yet, so HSPU are pretty much completely out of the question.  I asked about doing them with my knees on a box, and they offered me the option of putting my knees on one of the weight benches.  I accepted, not wanting to take a 0 on the last round.  I was going to beast out as much as I could do in the first 4 rounds, but still didn't want a 0.  So the Wod went like this, Row for 2 minutes for maximum meters, rest 1 minute.  Bench press 75# for max # of reps in 2 minutes, rest for 1 minute.  Jump rope for 2 minutes, (double-unders counted for 3x what single-unders did), rest for one minute.  Squat Jumps to a 45# plate for max # in 2 minutes, 1 minute rest.  2 minutes for max reps of HSPU.  I rowed for 375 meters, (the least of all scaled female competitors), I did 24 bench presses, 134 single unders, 31 squat jumps to the plate, and I think it was 27 push ups.  I say I think because since I scaled it an no one else did, I got no credit.  I got a 0 even though I did 27 push-ups with my knees on the bench.  It was very painful, but I pushed through every single rep, every single second.

 

The final WOD had me completely nauseated just thinking about it!  I had watched my workout buddies finish in 8 minutes, and we had a 10 minute max.  The WOD was 8 rounds of 8 sumo dead lift High-pulls with a 35# kettle bell, 4 burpees over a 20" box and 10 wall ball shots with a 10# ball over the 8' line.  Now, the thing is this, I have only ever worked out with a 26# kettle bell, I've only ever worked out with a 12" box and I've always used an 8# med. ball for wall ball shots.  My hands are sweating just typing this.  When the clock started, so did I.  The thing is, I zone out when I work out.  I don't hear anything, I just focus on what I'm doing and need to get done.  The only thing I could hear was my judge Karen counting for me and encouraging me, and unfortunately, I heard the words "no-rep" more times than I would have liked, but I would have been pissed if I hadn't heard them when I wasn't meeting the standards.  I think I was about 3 rounds in and was seriously struggling with the burpees over the box and one of the judges who wasn't judging anyone that heat came running over and started to encourage me.  I found out later that his name was Jon Ingram.  He was amazing for coming to encourage me.  Out of nowhere he was telling me to push, to keep going, to not think about it.  I couldn't hear the crowd at all, I couldn't even hear my CrossFit APX buddies, who I am certain were screaming their heads off with how much we were screaming at everyone else.  So at that point I had 2 things in my ear, my buddy Karen counting for me, and my new found cheerleader, Jon screaming in the other ear all kinds of encouraging things to push me.  I think it was the wall-balls during the 3rd round and continuing on that I felt like I was going to lose the lunch I had eaten a few hours before.  I told Karen at one point, "I'm going to puke" she put her hand out and said, "I'll catch it, just keep going!!!"  That, is a true friend.  I heard them call time as I was getting ready to do one of my round 5 burpees, either #2 or 4, and I literally just melted into the floor.  I collapsed and just started bawling.  The next thing I knew, I had people rubbing me on the back and hugging me.  They were telling me how awesome I did, and how I had rocked it.  The pictures made it very evident that I had absolutely given my all.

The Awesomeness that is the CrossFit community is unparalleled.  I had gone into this weekend completely terrified of embarrassing myself.  I was so afraid that I was going to be the elephant in the room that everyone was talking about.  They would be wondering who let this fat chick sign up, or even feel like a side-show freak at a circus.  This is why I felt so uncomfortable in the baggage area at the competition.  What I found was amazing folks that encouraged me, athletes that competed at the RX level who took the time to stop me and tell me how proud I should be of myself.  There were women in the crowd that stopped me to tell me that they couldn't do what I had done and how incredible I was.  It was humbling for sure.  Even yesterday, when I was there as a spectator, people would stop me and say, "Hey, you competed yesterday, didn't you?  You were awesome!  I have never believed that I could inspire anyone, but this weekend showed me that I might be doing just that.  Those folks didn't have to encourage me.  Jon didn't have to come over and help me in the middle of the workout.  I am humbled, I am inspired, and I am IN IT! I feel so confident, a completely foreign feeling for me.  I am so ready to really hit this, and continue doing what I have been, but at a way higher level.  I need to get my HSPU, I need to get this weight off, and I NEED to continue this journey.  The funny thing about this weekend was the unbelievable number of people who commented on my "Good form".  I have always wondered if I was doing things right, were my coaches going easy on me because my weight has limited me to a certain level, but with the comments I heard this weekend, I'm thinking that I may actually have a body that moves well naturally, so the weight is truly the only thing holding me back.  The mental part is no longer holding me back, I feel a strange confidence I have never before experienced.  

This is what it looks like when you have given you're all you have nothing left in the tank, but you are surrounded by amazing friends who love you, even when you are sweaty, threatening to puke, and crying.  I love you girls!

DNF--and a little inspiration

Tonight's WOD was heavy on cardio, which at 5'2" and 255 pounds, I'm not really in any shape for AT ALL!!  Tonight was incredibly difficult, but I didn't give up, and I didn't leave the box in tears this time.

WOD #1:
10 ab-mat sit-ups, 20 Thrusters (I used 55#), 20 sit-ups, 16 Thrusters, 30 sit-ups, 12 Thrusters (I dropped to 45#), 40 sit ups, 8 Thrusters, 50 sit-ups (I only made it to #29 in the allotted 15 minute timeframe to complete the WOD), then 4 Thrusters.  My heart was racing so fast when I got "done" that I wasn't so certain about my ability to do WOD 2, but knew I had to try.

WOD #2:
8 rounds for time
10 box jumps, 10 kettle bell swings.

Shout out to Guanina Palermo-Pinckney for teaching me the trick of staring at the wall during box jumps and NOT looking at the box.  I always get overwhelmed just looking at the box and my fear gets the best of me. I got through my first 40 box jumps without a thought or a problem thanks to this little piece of advice!

I got through the first 4 rounds doing the jumps and then on #6 of the 4th round of jumps, I turned my ankle pretty bad.  It hurt something fierce!  For rounds 5 and 6 I did step-ups, rather than jumps, but I kept pushing.  There was no way I could finish the last 2 rounds, due to time or my ankle either one.  I didn't leave upset like I did the last time I didn't finish, I left proud.  I am proud of my continued efforts to go into the box and push my limits.  I am proud that I continue, even when it hurts, when my heart is racing and my mind is telling me that I should stop.  I am proud of all that the box is helping me to become, and not just in the sense of finishing workouts and building muscle.

Now for the inspiration part----I had read a post earlier today by one of our CrossFit members, Phillip Mason.  Phillip posted the following on his FB status today:  Today as I sit here I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!! I have had the best year of my life this last year I lost 76 POUNDS!! And I'm still going! This is the best shape that I have been in my life and I love it. There comes a point in your life when you say that it's time for a change!! Thank GOD this past year was when I drew a line in the sand and said NO MORE!! I will be a better person, I will forgive those who did me wrong, I will continue to be a better example for all around me who say its time for a change!! I only hope that my achievements will be a light for others who are fed up with where they are at, and they will too make their decisions to change themselves and their lifestyles!! Thanks to ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO HAVE SUPPORTED ME THROUGH THIS JOURNEY!! And also a big thanks to CrossFit APxfor helping become healthy and more physically fit!! 

I found this exciting since I have so much weight that I want to lose, and some very lofty goals for myself.  Just like most obese folks, when we hear of someone who has had this level of success, we ask the same questions.....You know the ones........How did you do it?  How long did it take?  Phillip told me he started really focusing on his weight in April of 2012.  He had made some small changes before that, but April 2012 is when he really started to focus on it.  This was really exciting for me to hear.  Why?  Because I would like to lose 100#.  Now, I'm not focusing on the numbers, but instead focusing on the things I have some control over, my workouts, and what I put into my mouth.  If I control these 2 things, I will see results on the scale in time.

In that vain, Barney was going to the store tonight and I gave him a list of things I needed him to buy me for breakfasts and lunches this week.  He gave me a look of concern because of the number of times I've attempted this, and failed.  The amount of healthy fruits and vegetables that have been purchased and gone bad in the fridge because the bad stuff was far easier and took less time.  I very calmly asked him to please trust me.  I need to make these changes, and I need him to trust me that I will continue this and be eating all of these foods.  I need to have healthy snacks available to eat during the day, so I don't eat things like chips and candy which are so available to me on a regular basis.  I have to be prepared to succeed, or I am planning to fail, basically.  So, I need to wrap up this blog post, go hard boil some eggs, clean and pack some salad for tomorrow, and cut up some carrots and cucumbers for my healthy snacks during the day.  Our Keurig came today, so I'm going to try all the different coffees that came as a sample until I find one that I can drink black, since cream and sugar aren't in the food plan.

Until next time...Krista

ugh! Can I get a do-over?

Well, Tonight's WOD was the horrible ending the capped off my horrible day.  The first even of the day will not be mentioned here--next I got an email from HR in response to my questions about the status of the job I interviewed for and was told that another person had been recommended.  I got fussed at and yelled at by students, I had people sent to me that didn't have appointments and I didn't know were coming.  I had to do mommy duty in the parking lot because my 6 year old was refusing to go to school, screaming at my mom and refusing to let her brush her hair before school.  It was a long and very rough day...I just knew that going to workout was going to make it all better, because working hard and sweating always makes me feel better, and I feel like I accomplished something.  I was chatting with a friend of mine this afternoon, and told her that days like today make me want to quit.  I'm not going to quit, I'm NEVER going to quit, but days like this would normally be what did me in and made me walk away in the past.

I was so excited when I got to CrossFit, but that was VERY short-lived.  During the warm-up we needed to run 100 meters and I felt like I was running with anvils at the ends of my legs.

WOD#1--6 rounds for time, 25 minute max
3 squat cleans ( I had 65#)
20 ab mat sit-ups
6 inverted burpees (I had to do get-up to bronco kicks)
10 box jumps

I got through 4 complete rounds, and made it to the inverted burpees in the 5th round.  I was absolutely devastated.  I left the box in tears and just went and sat in the parking lot and cried.  I was embarrassed and frustrated.  I absolutely HATE not finishing.  I HATE DNF'ing.  I knew my lungs weren't on board for a lot of running tonight because I'm still coughing and congested, but I didn't expect to not be able to finish.

There was to be a second WOD which included sprints.  There was NO way I could sprint tonight, so after I failed at the first workout, I grabbed my stuff and headed to the car.  I just sat there and cried.  Our coach, Tyler, stopped me on the way out and told me that my attendance meant I was on the right path.  He told me to think back to what I was capable of when I started in late July, the answer is, I wasn't capable of much.  Today was a bad day, but as bac as it was, I am NEVER going to quit, Tyler & Andrea.  I will continue to show up and do the best I can.  I will get through this speed bump.  See you again on Wednesday!

Until next time....

Krista

I did a double...

Yesterday, on the day before thanksgiving, I did a double workout.  It was the first time I have ever done that, and I wasn't all that sure it was going to happen.  I headed out to the box at 8:45 with my buddy, Faith, so she could kind of get an idea of what CrossFit is all about.  I have been telling her about it since I started, but she wanted to see what it was.

I explained how CrossFit works, about the whiteboards with the WOD written on it, and our times/scores on them.  Then it was time to get started.

WOD:

200 meter run
5 Hand Stand Push Ups (I can't do these yet, so I put my knees on a box, hands on a floor)
10 pull-ups (I still have to use the strongest bands/red)
15 crucifix push ups (the girlie kind, on my knees)
20 Kettlebell swings (26# for me)

Each round was 52 points, I made it through 3 complete rounds, for a total of 156 points.

Afterwards I went home for some laundry and housework to get ready for our trip to barney's hometown for the weekend.  I finally got up the nerve to re-arrange our bedroom, so my 2nd workout involved the moving of our queen-sized bed, a triple dresser with a mirror, a chest of drawers, a double-dresser, 2 night stands and a cedar chest.  Mid-afternoon, I started to notice a discoloration on my thighs and was trying to figure out how I had bruises in straight-lines across my thighs, just above my knees....It appears the modified hand-stand push-ups on the box have left me with some pretty impressive battle-wounds.  See pictures:

Right Leg

Left Leg

Finally, I had decided to do a double workout, and promised my buddy Jeff Krenrich I would do the double, and I'd meet him at the box at 6:30 for a second workout. I also decided to I could almost definitely beat my time from the morning, and I needed to see if I was right. So...it was off to WOD #2 of the day and what amounted to a 3rd workout after the re-arranging of the bedroom furniture.

This time I decided to do 100 meter runs instead of 2, because of the swelling in my ankle and the exhaustion after the furniture changes. This actually worked to my benefit I think, since running isn't my strong-suit. I was able to bet through the entire WOD 3x again, and complete the 4th run, HSPU, Pull-ups and 6 of my crucifix push-ups. My score for my second WOD was 175. It felt really good to get a second workout in, especially since I was going to be away from the box the rest of the weekend. I was right, I could beat my original time.  I knew I had it in me.

Unlike in previous years, I didn't stuff myself to the point of nausea with all of the Thanksgiving goodies. I didn't even eat a piece of pie. I did eat some mashed potatoes, a bit of Sweet Potato Casserole, 2 yeast rolls and a little bit of Turkey.

Tomorrow I'm going to swim some laps in the hotel pool, and Saturday evening when we get home, I'm going to be going for a run, on Sunday too.  I've got to get some serious miles in to get ready for this race

in February at Disney.  I can't get swept again, and I won't allow me to sabotage myself again, as I have always done in the past.  I deserve better.  I deserve to succeed.  I deserve to accomplish what I have set out to do.  

Grace?!?! Um, I need some

Wowie, wow!!

I returned to CrossFit APX tonight, and as a thanks for my absence, I was welcomed back with an ass-kicking pair of WODs that left me in the parking lot puking after the first, and a 3rd time heaving in the midst of the second workout.  Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I don't believe in vomiting.  I was pregnant 4 times, and could count on 1 hand the number of times I vomited.  I didn't eat chicken for 7-1/2 months while pregnant with Ada because that was what caused me to be sick with her.  With Justin and Henry, it was brushing my teeth, which I did research and found Cinnamon toothpaste to be the cure.  With Ella, it was actually bronchitis, and coughing till my body revolted.  I DO NOT throw up.  It is against everything I believe in.  I once joked with a therapist that diagnosed me as anorexic/bulimic that I couldn't even bulimic and do it right because I binged, but forgot to throw it back up.  That diagnosis has now been amended to be Binge Eating Disorder.  Sometimes I don't eat at all, other times, I can eat 2,000 calories in 1 sitting.  Depends on where I am emotionally.

At any rate...Today's WODs kicked my BOO-TAY!

WOD #1, "Grace"

30 Ground to Overhead, and we were to use a Clean & Split Jerk to accomplish this.  RX for ladies was 95#.  I went with 65, and man-oh-man, was I feeling it.  After the first 10 in 1:18, I was hoping I could finish in under 5 minutes.  It took me 5:18.  One of the members there for the 6:30 workout said he was changing his shoes and all he heard was "shit, F&*%, and barbells hitting the floor".  Not all that lady-like, I know....and all the while I was wearing my Minnie Mouse t-shirt that says, "I look this cute every day."  Um, cute isn't exactly the terminology to describe me during "Grace", and neither is "Grace".

I grabbed a drink of water, and my gag reflex was in full on hyper-sensitivity, because the water hit my throat and it and my lunch came right back up, not once, but twice.  Then it was time to get back in the box and get ready for WOD #2.  I missed the explanation, but we were counted off in 2's because we had so many people and we wouldn't have enough space to do the bar work all at the same time.

WOD #2: (I started at the end of the WOD, so what I'm typing is what I did, while others started somewhere else in the workout.

30 burpees (I modified mine after the first 8 to use the box, because my hip flexor was really smarting and my stomach was not on board for full-on burpees)
20 walking lunges with a 25# plate overhead
30 T2B (I still can't do these, but did curls that were a lot more like Knees-to-Elbows)
30 box jumps (12" box)
30 Push Press (RX for ladies was 45, I did 65 still)  with a quick run to the parking lot after the 20th
15 jumping pull-ups

I finished in 18:09.  Man, it feels good to have completed it, but boy do I HATE to be sick.  I finished over an hour and a half ago, but I'm afraid to eat because I'm afraid it won't stay down.  Not cool!!  I've got my eye on some yogurt, just need to brave it.

What an awesome welcome back WOD.  That just teaches me that staying away means you'll always get your butt kicked when you come back.

Friday's WOD---a bit more progress

Today's WOD was fun, although I have some form break issues that need to be addressed.  We did 3 rounds, for time, 10 back squats, 10 front squats, 10 overhead squats, RX for ladies was 75#, and I did 55#, all 3 rounds.  The most sore part of my body right now is my wrists.  When I do cleans/front squats, I can't get the bar far enough back on my shoulders and get my elbows up high enough to roll the bar back and take the weight and pressure off my wrists.  Then with the overhead squats it's tough to get my hands wide enough apart it is incredibly uncomfortable for my wrists.  I finished my 3 rounds at 9:55 with 55# for all 3 rounds of squats.

Then we did Tabata training, 8 rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 second rest alternating exercises between Burpees, low-jacks and Hand release push-ups.  By the time it was over, I sat down and started heaving.  I almost hurled all over the box floor.  Not good considering  that there is already a mess at the box from there being a plumbing leak.  I thought I was going to toss cookies all over the floor...ugh.

Now for the exciting part.  I'll spare you any pictures as proof of what I'm about to tell you, because then you'd likely toss your cookies all over the computer screen.  as a girl who is "thick" for lack of a better word, I have forgotten that my body used to have curves in the right places, and not just between my rolls.  Well, today, as I looked in the mirror, I noticed that where I used to have a VERY round side/roll, I now have smaller rolls, that go in at my waist.  I also noticed that while my hips are still rounded, they don't stick out as far as they used to.  My body is finding its shape again.  It's time for me to do measurements again, since I did them at the beginning of October, so we'll see how that goes.  I may or may not post them this weekend.

As it stands for now, I'm going to go spend "girl time" with my baby girl and give her all the mommy snuggles I have.  She was the best cheerleader ever tonight, and actually did most of our tabata training with us.  She loves to do burpees, so she's an old pro at those.  When I started struggling she'd say, "Don't stop mommy, keep doing them with your friends."  She's the best little cheerleader any mommy could ever ask for.  I am so very blessed to have her in my life, as well as the other kids.  It is hard for me to comprehend at times, but if we hadn't lost Henry, we wouldn't have Ella.  I never got to know him, but I truly believe she's as sweet as she is, because she got a chance to love her big brother before she got here.

Breathe in.....Breathe out......

Okay, so you may or may not remember that this spring I posted this saying that I would be running the Battleship Half Marathon in Wilmington, NC.  Things have gone a little crazy since thing, I've waxed and waned on whether I would actually run this weekend or not.  I've been doing a lot of cross-fitting, and some running (though admittedly, not as much as I would like).  Well, as of yesterday, our trip to Ohio to take my dad up to spend some time with his mom got cancelled thanks to "Frankenstorm Sandy" so I'm going to go to the race on Sunday.  I know I won't break any land-speed records or anything, but this will give me a good idea also of how far I have to go on February 24, and how far my training has to improve me before February 24.  The time limit for this race is 4 hours, and I can saunter a mile without trying in about 17 minutes.  I'm also going to dedicate this run to two women who are fellow runners who have recently passed on.  Amy Wayne was the running buddy of one of my online friends who was tragically hit and killed by a car this past week.  She was only 27 years old, was following all of the traffic laws and doing what she should have been, but she was still killed.  Kristen is a close friend of another of my online Running Mom friends who just succumbed to cancer yesterday.  I run in their memory, and pray for their friends and family at this very difficult time. 

Now--Last night's workout, yes, I went, even though my left arm didn't really feel up to it.  I went because even though I knew it would be uncomfortable, its time that you are uncomfortable that you have the most opportunity for growth.  This is when you find your limitations and figure out if they are really limits or if you can do more.  I did have to modify my pull-ups to ring-rows to take some of the pressure of my left arm. 

We did Tillman, in honor of Pat Tillman.  Clearly, with my arm hurting, I didn't even attempt the dead lifts at RX, so I just did 75#, our RX run was 100 meters, and for the pull-ups I did standing ring rows.  You were to do 7 rounds for time and we did a 30 second rest between each round, instead of 45 seconds.  My goal was to finish in under 20 minutes, and I finished in 20:06.  The really difficult part was the run for me, because with it being about 48* and my asthmatic lungs not liking cold air, I was running with my sweater over my face to keep my lungs from hurting so badly.  It was also drizzling a bit of rain which wasn't any fun either.  It was a rough work out, but one definitely worth doing!  As weird as it sounds, my left arm felt better afterwards.

Battle wounds.....

Made it into the box last night, and the workout was brutal.

It was a bit confusing at first, but then it all made sense, in a sick, and twisted way.  You can see the different card suits listed on the board.  We did 15 rounds of 1 minute on 1 minute off AMRAP of whichever exercise was indicated by the suit on the card pulled out of the deck by one of the members of the class.  As my luck would have it, the first and fourteenth rounds were Diamonds, but only 2 rounds of burpees was fine by me.  There were 3 or 4 rounds of spades, and I was doing a 65# push-press.  We had a lot of rounds of push-ups and T2B, or toes to bar.  The push-presses were definitely at my limit.  The most I did in one round was 13 I think, and they were definitely to failure.  My left arm would eventually give out and I'd drop the bar.  But by far, we had more T2B than anything else.  Now, it really doesn't sound all that bad, hanging from a bar, swinging your legs to kick the bar you are hanging from, but when you are 257 pounds, it is BRUTAL on your hands.  After the first round though, Andrea stopped me and said not to try to swing my legs, but instead, to work on tapping my feet on the box and pulling my knees up at the same time, as high as I could.  I was able to do a lot more of these than I was when I was attempting to swing, but my hands are definitely paying the price for it today.  I can't wear my wedding rings right now because there is a blister under my ring on my ring finger.  My pad across my hand at the base of my fingers is incredibly sore.  I will absolutely be purchasing some lifting gloves this Wednesday when i get paid...maybe I'll even find some with pink on them.  The most gratifying part of all of this was adding up my numbers at the end.  When we started working out, I wanted to aim for 250 reps over the 15 rounds.  Burpees are definitely something I can't do many of, and same with T2B, so I really had to kill the push-ups and push presses.  I knew this before we started, so when we got our first round of push-ups, I busted out 43 girlie push-ups in a minute.


 As the rounds progressed, and I reached 243 with about 5 rounds left, I was in shock, and totally excited.  I knew I could do more than 7 reps in the next round, and was almost giddy at the idea of closing in on 300 reps.  I hadn't looked at anyone else's scores on the board other than to notice a whole lot of 200+ scores.  I finished up with 291 reps total.  I did use the box for the second round of burpees because we were on our 14th round and I was feeling like I was going to vomit anyway.  All the way to the floor and back up would definitely have pushed me over the top.  Here's a glance at what my left hand looks like after last night's work out.  See the red spot on my ring finger...that was UNDER my wedding ring....gloves are a must.

I was so proud of myself when we finished and I had 291 reps.  There were quite a few folks with more than me, and I didn't do it RX, but I'm pretty damn proud of myself for this workout and how I did.

Ahhh, a workout!

I got to head back to CrossFit APX tonight!  I love getting back in to work out and sweat and get to see some of my favorite peeps.

So tonight's WOD was Justin and John Jarman's 26th birthday WOD.  This is synonymous with torture typically.  Birthday WOD's are typical brutal, and this one was definitely not the exception to the rule.

Tonight's WOD was as follows:
400 meter Run
26 Wall Ball Shots (20/14, I used an 8#er)
400 meter run
26 Crucifix push-ups
400 meter run
26 reverse ab-mat sit-ups
400 meter run
26 dead lifts (I lifted 60#)
400 meter run
26 Causack Squats (the side-to-side variety, similar to a side lunge)
400 meter run

I had to scale this, but modified nothing.  I did half of everything (runs included) and finished in 20:10.

It felt so freaking amazing to work out again.  I LOVE how it feels to get into the box and sweat.  I LOVE working out with my buddies.  I have grown to love the folks I work out with, the support they offer me, and the encouragement for everyone involved.

I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to reach out to me, either through a friend, in person, by posting on my blog, my FB page or via email.  I have had a number of people tell me that my blog, and more particularly I am an inspiration.  This doesn't seem to fit well into my perception of myself, but I still want to be sure that anyone and everyone who has taken the time to express that, I truly appreciate.  This is definitely not a success-only journey, and your support and encouragement make it easier to get back up after I fall.

I truly appreciate everyone's love, support and feedback.  It means more to me than you will EVER know!

Krista

I know I'm crazy.....

So, tonight was probably one of the WODs that I have been most capable of completing.  I still had to modify some stuff, but I feel like I accomplished something tonight.

We had 2 WODs

The first WOD as 12 minutes, every minute on the minute you were to do 5 pull ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats.  I of course had to use the red band to assist me with pull-ups, my push-ups were the girlie kind, and I was able to do the air squats w/o modification.  If at any point you couldn't finish those 30 movements w/in one minute this WOD turned into an AMRAP.  I was only on the minute for the first 2 minutes, and then I couldn't keep up.  I ended up completing a total of 7 rounds in the 12 minutes.

The second WOD was all about abs.  Maybe if I do this WOD every day, first thing in the morning for the next 7 months I'll have a beach body by next June......So we started with 20 Russian twists (10# medicine ball, rest on your tail bone, feet off the floor twist from one side to the other touching the medicine ball on the floor.  After this, did 15 reverse ab-mat sit-ups and then 10 Toes to Bar.  For me, the Russian twists required that my feet be on the floor, The reverse ab-mat sit-ups, then I can't begin to do Toes to Bar, but I am starting to get the swinging part down, and got my kicks almost up to my waist level.  I need to find a way to keep my hands from hurting so badly when I'm doing things like pull-ups, Knees to elbows, Toes to Bars, etc.  I need to get some weight-lifting gloves  and maybe some warmer workout gear when I get paid at the end of the month.

Finally, here is a picture of part of the team of amazing folks who are helping me to change my life.  Tyler is one of the coaches at the box, and is awesome.  He is always very encouraging, without being in my face screaming.  He knows when I need to keep pushing and when I truly don't have anything left to give.  Andrea is an inspiration in what she has been able to accomplish in her own life.  You can read more about her personal story here.  I don't know that I'll do it justice if I try to re-tell it.  These people, as well as the other coaches at APX, John N., Dan, John J. and Pete have never made me feel like I let them down or should have done better.  This truly is an awesome family.

I also have to give a shout out to my normal 5:30 buddies, Shaade, Ivan, Jon P., Tucker, Megan.  Nichole, Looking forward to seeing you at 5:30 on a regular basis going forward.  You are all helping me to find the person and see in the mirror the person that everyone else I have known for years has always told me was there, even though I never believed them.  Thank you to all of you for being part of my journey and tolerating my being a work in progress.  And to Karen and Georgia, you ladies inspire me, and I love you both.

I will also say that for the next couple of weeks, I am going to make sure that I am eating at least 3 meals/day.  This seems like it should be obvious/automatic/easy, but for me, it is none of the above.  I ate about half of my breakfast this morning, then I ate a sub from Jersey Mike's for lunch, using the cheese as the bread and throwing the bread in the trash.  I had some popcorn shrimp and mac and cheese for dinner.  I realize these aren't the best food choices, but they are calories that I am taking in, and I am trying to take the steps to making sure I eat every day.  Once I get paid again, I'll be doing everything possible to eat Custom Fit Meals Paleo meals 3 meals/day, 5 days/week for the months of November and December.  I'm also going to start working with Next Level Nutrition on supplements during those same 2 months and seeing if I can't get myself turned around.  I've been working out now for 3 months, and am hoping and praying that having mastered that part already, it will be easier to focus on the food and put the workouts on cruise-control.

I also want to take this moment to thank every single person who is supporting me and sharing positive feedback with me on this blog and on my FB page.  You are all amazing, and helping to keep me motivated.

Catch-up

Wow, somehow the weekend got away from me and I wasn't able to blog, so let me see if I can catch up or not. 

Friday--
another crazy WOD.  I don't remember what all we had to do, and for some reason I didn't take a picture of the white board like I usually do.  The best I can remember we had to do 30 Dead Lifts, Run 400 meters, 30 Sumo High Pulls w/a Kettle Bell, 100 ab mat sit-ups (i only made it to 80) and 7 Wall Crawls, then maybe 15 dead lifts, Run 200 meters, 15 sumo high pulls, 50 ab mat sit-ups and 7 Wall Crawls.  It was a difficult but do-able workout.  Now that I think about it, I didn't take a picture because afterwards I was talking to Andrea about some of my food/eating issues.  She and I share a very unfortunate history of having an eating disorder.  While that sucks, having someone to talk to that understands that the age old, "It's really not that hard, you know you need to eat, so just do it" isn't helpful for someone who has an overwhelming fear of food and what it does to my body.  

I have made a couple of small realizations after this discussion with Andrea:
1--I need to get some help to get over the fear/anxiety that I have over managing my diet.
2--old fears and anxieties are rearing their heads now because I want this so badly and am frustrated at the slow progress
3--If I just eat what is available or what I want without holding my own feet to the fire about the healthiness of the food choice I don't have the issue with fear and anxiety.  When I start asking myself whether I am making good decisions or not is when this becomes a huge issue, because the fear and anxiety take over and then I just don't eat anything because I'd rather eat nothing at all, than to eat something really bad.  I know what you want to say to the screen now, so please refer to the underlined quote above.      

Saturday--
On Saturday I went to CrossFit Clayton for a nutritional workshop with Jared Olson of Next Level Nutrition and was blown away by the information I got.  Like any other person who is an intellectual, when I don't understand something, I start seeking out information so I can start to understand what I am facing, and this workshop was an AMAZING help.  I had Jared do the measurements for BioSignature profile and just happened to have the lab report from my physical in February in my car, so I was able to provide that information to him as well.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but I have never really grasped the concept that what I eat doesn't just affect my weight, it also affects all of my hormones and bodily functions and systems on a cellular level.  I am so grateful that God put me in a position to get to gain this knowledge and start to understand this.  I am going to be working with Jared and Next Level Nutrition to help me get my body back to doing what it is supposed to naturally, and part of that is to make a drastic change to my eating habits.  As time goes on, I am gaining more and more weapons for my health and wellness arsenal to reach my ultimate goals. 

Monday--

Today's WOD was ROUGH!!  I knew when I saw it posted earlier in the day by someone else that some massive scaling was going to be involved if I didn't want it to take me 2 hours to finish.  The thing is, scaling weight is easy for me, but scaling the reps and running distance becomes more of a challenge.  I know it's the same concept, you can only do what your body is ready for and pushing your body beyond that will likely lead to injury, but it is more difficult and tends to make me feel like I'm taking the easy way out still.  So here is what the WOD looked like on the board: 


When we were stretching Coach Dan looked at me, remembering my conversation with him last week about scaling and feeling like I needed to know when it was appropriate to scale and said, "Half.  Just do half of everything."  I knew I would have to do half of the runs because the 3 miles prescribed would take me 45-50 minutes alone, and that is without stopping to lift weights.  I did do my 20 Thrusters, but realized very quickly that doing all of everything but half the running would still take me quite a long time.  After the thrusters, I moved to half of every exercise.  It ended up taking me 38:40 to finish the workout, even with it being Half.  Dan told me that the fact that I was finishing among the other people in class, not first, not last, indicates that it was scaled appropriately.  I totally get that, but can't help but wonder, how in the world I know what it will take to scale everything this well. 

Tonight is a run night, and I will be going 30 minutes.  My goal is to make it 2-1/2 miles in my 30 minutes, which would mean that I am picking up my pace and my endurance.  Hopefully starting to get on the right track with eating, and supplements and regular exercise will help me start to see the changes in my body happening faster, my strength and endurance improving, and my overall ability levels increasing as well.  In the mean-time, here is a picture that I found pretty darn amazing.  When someone is working toward losing weight, it is literally a day-to-day struggle, and because we see ourselves in the mirror every day, it is difficult to notice the small changes that are happening.  When I got ready for my workout last night I put on my Running Moms Mafia shirt from the Diva Half Marathon that was run in Myrtle Beach in May.  I believe the race was on May 20th, so not quite 5 months ago.  I was amazed at the difference, specifically around my mid-section.  There is an obvious roll of fat/skin above my belly button in the picture on the left, and while I wouldn't say I'm "thinner" that roll is obviously less noticeable.  So, not quite 3 months into CrossFit and 5 months out from the picture, and I see a noticeable difference around my mid-section.  I think I'll take another picture in this outfit at the end of the year to see the change with better nutrition and supplementation. 

 pic taken 5/20/12                                 pic taken 10/15/12

Holy Moses...another PR!!!

So this week we are working on our max lifts.  Today we were working on max Dead lifts.  I started with my normal amount I dead lift in a WOD when I am doing it repeatedly, 40#.  Well, I got the learner bar up to 110# and Pete and Andrea told me it was too easy for me and I had maxed out the bar, so I needed to move to the big bar.  Now, I'm TERRIFIED of the big bar.  I've only ever used it once, to do my back squats the other night, and then I was right back to the learner bar.  So I jumped in with the 2 girls next to me who already had 165 on the bar, and did it pretty easily.  We kept creeping up, till we put 195 on the bar.  I didn't think for a second I'd be able to do it, especially after my hero, Shaade was unable to lift it.  I decided to give it one shot, and I did it!!!!  I dead lifted 195 pounds!!!  I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't be more proud of myself.

Now it was time for the WOD.  I took one look at it and said, "This WOD is brought to you by the things Krista just can't do yet."  Which was 100% true.  Makes for a really, REALLY slow workout.

The workout looked like this: 3 rounds for time (took me 24:50)
10 get-ups to burpees
15 back squats (rx was 75#, I did 70#)
15 knees to elbows (still can't do these, just hung on the bar and lifted my knees as far as I could)
10 inverted burpees (which I can't do the wall handstand yet, so I just did the get up to the bronco kicks)

**2 minute rest**

6 minute run I did 500 meters

Re-did my measurements tonight, last time I measured myself was on September 11, almost exactly 1 month ago.  My waist, hips and thigh are exactly the same measurement, but I have lost 2-1/2 inches in my bust.  YAY!!!!  progress is progress, and I'll take it.

So, here's the crux of my problem at this point.  As you can tell, while I'm still having struggles with the workouts, I'm finishing them.  I am getting far stronger.  I am capable of completing more and more.  On the working out side of things, everything is GREAT!!!  The problem is, my eating. I swear I need a damn babysitter to make me eat the right stuff at the right time.  Today is a good example of my issue.  I got coffee on the way to work, a large, with cream and sugar.  The next thing I had to eat or drink was 3 Twizzlers before I went to work out at 5:30, followed by a bowl of cereal when I got home from my workout.  This is why I am not seeing the results that I want to see even though I'm busting my butt at the box.  I haven't been hungry ALL DAY.  I don't even know what to say about this.  When I realized tonight that this is all I have eaten today, this is an obvious issue, and one I need to fix.  But I'm at a loss.  If I can get this part under control, I have no doubt I'll start seeing the results I want/need to see to stay motivated.

I'm at a loss right now.

Krista

I reached a personal best!

Dedication is showing up to work out when it is 48* outside, and pretty much no heat in the building.  I say this because our normal 5:30 class is jam packed, we have to share equipment, pair up, and half of us have to start the WOD in the middle so we aren't using the same equipment at the same time.  yesterday?  Not an issue at all.  There were 8 of us there, and we could choose between 2 different WODs.  4 of us did each.

When I got there I was feeling a bit better and knew that the workout would make me feel better but I had no idea how much better.

Observation #1--doing pull-ups, knees to Elbows or anything that requires hanging from the bar, when it is cold...SUX!!!  I must get gloves, and soon, because just hanging there hurt.

This week at the box we are working on strength skills and finding our max.  Yesterday we did back squats.  It was the first time I have ever done back squats, so I was scared to death.  Add to that that Tyler said I could share with Shaade and Megan, both amazing and far stronger than I am, and I was a bit freaked out.  First of all, we were using the heavy bar (45#) and I always use the 20# (learner) bar.  Then they added a 10# plate to each side so we were starting at 65# for back squats.  I was scared to death, but I pulled it off.  5 back squats at 65#.  That felt good, and, I don't know, empowering?  Next round was 4 back squats, another 10# plate on each side, so that was 85#, and I did it.  Now for 3 back squats, add another plate to each side, now 105#.....and I did it.  Add some more weight, this time 5# to each side, so 2 back squats at 115#, and I did those too.  Now, we were down to 1 final back squat, and Shaade took off the 5# plates she had added the round before and replaced them with 10# plates, 125#.  Could I do a back squat at 125#?  Surely not.....but I did.  and it didn't hurt, it felt freaking great!!!

Now it's time for the WOD.  There were 2 to choose from, both the same concept, just different focus.  I did WOD 1 which was as follows:
10 Power Cleans (rx was 75#, I did 65#)--1 Push Press (65#)
9 Power Cleans (65#)--2 Push Press (65#)
8 Power Cleans (55# from here on)--3 Push Press
7 Power Cleans--4 Push press
6 Power Cleans--5 Push press
5 Power Cleans--6 Push Press
4 Power Cleans--7 Push Press
3 Power Cleans--8 Push press
2 Power Cleans--9 Push Press
1 Power Clean--10 Push Press

I finished in 11:29.  That was tough, and still today, I feel like my shoulders are going to shred at any moment. It was brutal but good.  I wish I had had time for the 2nd WOD, which would have been fun too:
10 Wall Ball Shots--1 Wall Ball Sit Up
9 Wall Ball Shots--2 Wall Ball Sit Ups
8 Wall Ball Shots--3 Wall Ball Sit Ups
so on and so forth until:
1 Wall Ball Shot--10 wall ball sit-ups

It felt so good to go work out, even though at first I didn't want to go.  I found a new personal best.  I didn't finish dead last for the first time in a LONG time, and I got the opportunity to cheer on some of my favorite people who always cheer me on.  It is nice to get to return the favor.  It feels good to be able to give back to those people what they always give to me.

There won't be a WOD tonight, it's my running day.  I'll be heading out at 9:00 with my next door neighbor for a run at 9:00.  My goal tonight is to maintain a consistent interval.  I am running in my neighborhood, so it'll be run to the next drive way, walk to the next drive way.  Run to the next, walk to the next.  I'm wondering if by doing this consistently from the beginning I can maintain a more steady pace and maybe make it further than I did last week.  I'll post once I'm done.

Biscuit.

Don't EVER give up!

Sitting here eating my favorite after workout breakfast, scrambled eggs with salsa.

Today's workout SUCKED, but was awesome at the same time.  How is that even possible?  I ask myself that every single day.  How is it possible that sucks so bad can feel good.

Warm up:
100 meter run
10 push-ups
10 air squats

Workout--This is MY varied workout, not what was prescribed
30 walking lunges carrying a 10# plate
50 box jumps using 12" box (not to everyone out there, doing these with your feed wider apart makes it easier, a new discovery for me today.  Thanks Karen!  You rock for pointing this out!)
20 Sumo high-pulls  with 40#
20 kettle bell swings with 26# kettle bell
20 power cleans with 40#
20 burpees--I had to use the 12" box to modify these because I was so shot after the box jumps
20 push presses
10 hand-stand push-ups, which I did with my knees on a 20" box because I can't do real ones yet

Now, let me say, not eating before the workout, BAD IDEA!!!  Not having a water bottle with me, Even WORSE idea.

By the time I finished my 50 box jumps and 10 sumo high pulls, Tyler came over with a small white board with reduced numbers of each of the exercises above.  I was feeling pretty overwhelmed already by the box jumps (I've never done 50 in a WOD before let alone all at one time) and the scaled WOD was, I don't know, embarrassing?  I did the next 10 Sumo high pulls and felt myself starting to wobble.  I was woozy, hot and light-headed.  I went and got a small drink of water and sat down on the bench.  I decided I couldn't allow myself to quit, and walked back over to where I was working out.  I sat down on my box, I pulled my shirt up over my face and cried.  I cried because I didn't want to quit, but thought I was going to have to.  My pride hurt worse than anything else.  I was failing, and I wasn't going to be able to finish even the scaled workout.  When I opened my eyes, Tyler was sitting there asking me what hurt.  He gave me a little pep-talk  and talked about how hard I was working.  He told me that there were going to be good and bad days.  I wouldn't be able to have perfect workouts every day.  After I heard him out, my head had stopped spinning, and I went to try to finish my workout.  I did my 20 kettle bell swings in chunks, 10, then 6, then 4, then 2.  I did my power cleans in 2 groups of 10.  When it came time to do my burpees I knew I was going to have to do the modified version with the box.  I had to do them 1 or 2 at a time, but I got through them.  I did my 20 push-presses without stopping.  When it came time to do my push-ups with my knees on the box.  I got up on the box, but then couldn't figure out how to get my hands on the floor without falling off the box.  I did my hand stand push-ups without stopping.  I finished my workout in 23:48 I think, but I did finish it.  More importantly, I finished it strong.  I never gave up.  And we can't give up.  Those of us who are on this journey to lose this much weight can never give up trying.  If we give up, the fat wins.  We have to continue to fight.  Sometimes it is fun, and we have huge accomplishments to show for it, but other times, it is incredibly difficult   and giving up seems like the logical next step.  Giving up is never logical.  Keep fighting, and I have to believe, some day, we will see the results that we are longing for.

Princess Biscuit

The Sissy Test

My day off today wouldn't have been complete without a workout.  So, after I dropped the kids off to school, Ella and I headed to the box.  Got warmed up and stretched and then Tyler told us that we were going to do the Sissy Test today.  I pretty much know that I am a sissy, so volunteered to take that as fact and skip straight to Tabata training.  Tyler, who is AMAZING said, "nope, you're going to have to prove it."

So here is my modified version of the "Sissy Test"

800 meter run
15 pull ups
1 crucifix push up (on my knees)
13 pull ups
3 crucifix push up
11 pull ups
5 crucifix push ups
9 pull ups
7 crucifix push ups
7 pull ups
9 crucifix push ups
5 pull ups
11 crucifix push ups
3 pull ups
13 crucifix push ups
1 pull up
15 crucifix push ups
800 meter run

Took me 32:48 to complete it.

Tabata training today was 20 seconds on, 10 second break, 20 seconds on 10 second break.  The 2 movements we did were dead lifts and squat jumps.  I used 40 pounds for my deadlifts.  Feels awesome to have completed that, and now, at 9:00 tonight, have a date with the neighbor to run for 30 minutes.

Rockin' out the workouts.

Krista

Rough night...

Well, sometimes I just wish I could shut off my emotions and let my body do what it is supposed to do.  Unfortunately I am just not good at that, and tonight was worse than most.  I have heard for years that the most difficult part of losing weight is the commitment and the food part.  Just about anyone can go to the gym and kick ass for an hour and sweat their butt off, but it's what you eat between those workouts that not only fuels your body, it helps determine how much weight you lose and how many inches you lose, etc.  I've seen one of those Facebook post cards that said, "An Olympic workout can't out train a bad diet".  True enough.

Let's be honest, for some people, it can.  I have been jealous/bitter for years that some of my friends have the ability to eat whatever they want and never gain a pound.  My husband is even one of these people.  What I have come to learn over the years is that even if that is true, the picture of the outside is not a true representation of what the body is doing on the inside.  As an example, even though I am 5'2" and weigh 260 pounds, my blood pressure and cholesterol levels are normal.  I'm not even pre-diabetic yet, let alone diabetic.  I have been very fortunate thus far to not be diagnosed with any of the highly-touted co-morbidities associated with obesity, though I'm completely aware it is just a matter of time.

All of this rambling is to say when confronted with my eating habits tonight, I was completely freaked out.  See, I have been eating Custom Fit Meals for the last 3 or 4 weeks, and it was so easy that way.  I ordered food on Tuesday, it showed up on the following Sunday and Wednesday.  I had no concern about what to cook, or making good decisions, except telling them what to send me.  Well, it's the end of the month, I only get paid once/month (on the last day) and the money for Custom Fit Meals ran out this week.  I forgot my lunch at home, and when mom brought me lunch, I had a double cheeseburger from McDonald's and a diet coke.  Not what I have been eating, and trust me, my stomach hates me right now.  Having to stand in the office at the box having a discussion with some of my friends that are trying to help me about what I ate today was overwhelming and embarrassing!  I appreciate their help, I just need to not let the feeling that I have let them down affect my workout.

So, for tonight's WOD, which didn't look all that daunting on the board, I was already in the wrong place mentally.  I was already feeling very overwhelmed by being a screw up.  My brain was almost in shut-down mode before I touched a single thing.  Then we started.  Today's WOD was 5 deadlifts, 5 power cleans and 5 thrusters, on the minute, every minute for 20 minutes.  This sounds simple enough, but I assure you, it isn't simple AT ALL!!  The prescribed weight was 45# for ladies, which is what I started with since it is well within my normal lifting.  I got through 3 rounds like that, and then took off 5 pounds so I was down to 40#. I did the last 5 rounds with 40 pounds.  Because of the "start on the minute" part I was only able to finish 8 rounds total.  I was having this internal argument with myself that I had already blown the day by not eating right so why was I bothering?  Then the asthma started kicking up, and I could hear myself wheezing horribly, followed by the coughing, and gagging and almost getting sick.  Yet another reason to quit, but I came back to keep trying.  There were 2 or 3 minute marks that I started and got through the dead lifts but couldn't continue with the power cleans.  If my memory serves, I did my 8 rounds at minutes 20, 19, 18, 17, 14, 8, 5 and 2.  I obviously had long breaks in there, and while embarrassing, at least I didn't walk away when that is all I really wanted to do.  I happened to park out behind the building tonight, and at one point I contemplated whether or not I could sneak out the back door and be gone before the WOD was over and not have to face any of the people I was working out with, but then I wouldn't have been able to put my equipment up, and someone else would have had to do it.  Also, I would have been cheating myself and my friends out of the respect they were due for completing the workout.

Today was NOT a stellar day, but I did the best I could considering.  Tomorrow, I will get up and go for a run.  25 minutes is on the agenda, and I will have to figure out what I'm going to eat tomorrow as well.  Maybe some yogurt, fruit and hot tea for breakfast, no clue for lunch, and pork chops for dinner.

Till next time,

Princess Biscuit

I'm in love!!!!!

Mark my words, today is going to be the day that changed my life.  July 10, 2012, is the day that the old Krista is dead, and the new one starts to blossom and find her place in the world.  Why is today different than any other day in my life?!?!  I have finally found my niche.  I have finally found something that I LOVE, and I feel strong, powerful and capable at.  What is this new love of mine, you ask?  CrossFit.  Or to be more specific, CrossFit Apex!  (Check out their website: http://crossfitapx.com/)

I went to work out tonight and the foundations class that I had gone to visit was being taught by Pete Koch.  (not to be a name dropper, he is the guy that played "Swede Johanson" in the movie Heartbeak Ridge, like, with Clint Eastwood!!)  The most awesome thing about him, is that he is easily the most knowledgeable, passionate teacher I have ever met.  He teaches everything in-depth, in more than one way. He shows you how to do it, he describes it, he explains why that is the right way and demands that you listen.  His passion, knowledge and teaching style make you feel the passion too.  I can't even begin to describe my excitement as I was doing this workout tonight.

You know what the best part was?  No one told me to do it.  I took the initiative to make this happen.  I took the first step, asked the right questions, and am so glad that I did.  I feel strong and confident.  These are new emotions for me, but all I can say is, "Wow, it feels good to be this proud of myself."  I sweat tonight like I haven't sweat since the days of 12 hour long winter guard practices.  I smell like I used to after a day long practice too, and I was only there for an hour and 15 minutes.

I have finally found a place that I fit in.  A place where the workout can be adjusted to my fitness level.  A place where I can push myself beyond my mental and physical limits, consistently, without having to figure out the logic behind it.  The WOD's being posted daily means that I just have to show up and follow along.  All I have to do is bring my desire to be different.  My desire to be a better and stronger Krista.  I just have to give everything I have in me, then give a little bit more.

I cannot wait for this journey to unfold.  I hope you will be here to enjoy it with me.

Oh, and by the way, I also registered for this little race called the Princess Half Marathon.  I feel confident that I will not only finish this race in 7 months and 14 days, I will kick its' ass!  I will do so dressed as Rapunzel, with or without a running partner, etc.  I will finish what I started last year.  I've so got this!

Krista