Not quite a Princess--pictures added

This year's Princess Half Marathon didn't exactly go as planned, but as with every other failure I have experienced along this journey, I am going to break down my experience and look at the positive outcomes and learning experiences.  I have also spent the last 3 days analyzing what went wrong, and how to deal with those experiences in the future.


So, let's start with last Wednesday, when we were headed south to Disney.  I started to notice during the drive that I was running a fever, and the innocent cold that had started on Monday (I suspect spending the night in the frigid hospital waiting room was to blame) had started to move into my chest, and was getting worse.  Now, when you are getting ready to run a half marathon, AND you suffer from exercise induced asthma, a sinus infection feels like a nail in the coffin.  So I bought some sinus medicine and took it religiously for the next few days.  I also decided that it would be best to skip out on the 5k, because with my lung issues, I didn't want to run the 5k and get my lungs all messed up and not be able to do the Half on Sunday.

Thursday we got to the resort, got checked in, headed to the ticket line, and then it was off to the park.  On Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios, which the kids were NOT happy about initially.  We got there just in time for the afternoon parade and got to participate in a flash mob as well.  We then hit Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster.  We did tons of stuff we hadn't been able to do before, like the Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Star Tours, etc.  The kids had a blast!

Friday Kara and I got up and headed to the Expo to pick up our bibs, shirts, etc.

I knew I needed to pick up some race nutrition stuff as well, and was hoping to meet Ali Vincent, the first female winner of The Biggest Loser.  To say that the Expo was a nightmare might be the understatement of the century.  I had to wait in 5 different lines to pick up bibs for me and the kids, and a REALLY long line for the t-shirts.  I ended up hanging out at the Run Disney stage and listening to Ali Vincent tell her weight loss story.

I was moved to tears a few times by what she had to say.  I know that things have to change very soon for me because I'm on the precipice of having severe issues due to my weight, and cannot continue to live this way.  I'm tired of it, and for the first time in my life, I'm starting to realize that I deserve better.

I then waited in line to get my ankles taped by KT tape, waited in line again to get some Run Disney merchandise, specifically an "I Did It" shirt.  I was hesitant to buy it in advance, but I heard they were running out of them, and didn't want to risk actually completing 13.1 miles, and not being able to sport that pretty pink shirt.  By the time I got back to the room my mom, sister and kids were all over at Magic Kingdom.  I went over to meet them there, and we closed the park down.

Kara and Justin had to get up early on Saturday morning to be in their Start Corral for the 5k in time.  I had told Justin that he had to stay with his aunt Kara until she told him it was okay to go.  She ended up making him stay with her for the whole first mile, and then turned him loose once they were in the park.  Justin ended up finishing in 42 minutes.

He told me that was 3 minutes faster than he expected, and that it would have been faster had aunt Kara not held him back.  I couldn't be any more proud of him.  Then the older girls, Mae and Ada, ran the mile together.  We told them to stay together because they had to go to the corral alone, and it made me nervous.  After they finished the mile in just under 20 minutes, the 100 meter run started.  I was in the corral with Ella, and she wanted me to run with her.  I was in NO WAY dressed to run, and even had on my sandals.  I ran with her, and it wasn't a good idea.  She did great, until she saw Goofy at the finish line, and she couldn't get around me fast enough to put me between the two of them.  We decided not to do a park visit on Saturday because of the half.  It was really hot the whole time we were there.  With the warnings about heat, hydration and things, we thought it best to rest on Saturday.  I finished my tutu, Kara took the kids to the pool for a while.  We watched a wedding at the resort, and had a ball.  In bed about 8:30 to be up and at 'em at 2:15 for the race on Sunday.

Sunday started Early!!!  Out of the hostel room and on the bus by 3:00 am to get to the race.  Now, for someone who isn't a morning person, Disney does a stellar job putting on a race.  getting there in the morning at that ungodly hour, and they have a DJ spinning in the parking lot, lots of excitement, folks dancing, etc.  Now, let me say that if you are considering running in a tutu for some reason, I would highly recommend against it.  Going to the bathroom with a tutu, NOT EASY!!!  From here on out, I will stick to Sparkle Skirts.

Headed to the Corral, got there, and apparently, Corral D, which was mine, was the biggest.  It was HUGE.  As the corrals started heading out, I could feel the anxiety ramping up.  What if I get swept again?  What if I can't make it?  There was 100% humidity at the start of the race, what if my lungs give out?  I honestly felt like I was going to vomit.  we continued to move up toward the start line, and finally it was our turn.  My bladder decided it needed to be emptied AGAIN, but there were NO porta-potties.  Now, at the risk of being indelicate, when you have to go, you have to go.  The Princes could manage this very easily, and while not discreet, all you could see was their back, no biggie.  Us Princesses, not so much....but, a girl has to do what she has to do.  I was a little more discriminating about my locations than some, and saw way more shiny white hineys in the first mile-and-a-half than I would have liked, but I knew the feeling.  I found a relatively dark place just under/behind a billboard, and did what I had to do, then hit the road again.  I continued o drink my Gatorade, trying not to get dehydrated, and was apparently over-hydrating, because another potty stop was necessary right at mile 2.  This time there was a bank of bushes around some electrical boxes/equipment, so there was plenty of cover, and while everyone who saw me duck into the bushes knew what I was going to do, they didn't see me do it.  By now the fear of being swept had crept in and was eating away at me.  I was past the place I got swept last year but I had this overwhelming feeling that it was going to happen again at any minute.  Every corner I turned I thought there would be a bus waiting on me to take me to the finish line.

Mile one in about 17:20, behind pace, but my fastest of the day

Mile 2 in 19:30...this is shaping up to be a LONG day!

I have to go back and say that in stark contrast to last year, my sister decided to stay with me for the race this year.  I also had a friend from the Running Mom's Mafia, Denise, who was going to run with me and help to pace me.  She met me at mile 2.1 I think, and she is tiny, but mighty.  She is a BEAUTIFUL soul and a WONDERFUL person, who has the ability to motivate you, and everyone around you without being ugly.  Denise kept telling me that she knew I was going to be calling her a bitch for the way she was motivating, but that word couldn't have been further from my mind.  I literally wanted to hug her cute little neck every minute of every mile.  She was more AMAZING than I would have ever expected, and I look forward to the privilege of doing a race with her again sometime in the future, when I have gotten some of this weight off, and improved my speed and training.  There are not nearly enough words in the English language to express my gratitude for what Denise did for me on Sunday.

So Denise met up with me just beyond mile 2 and gave me a hug, then started to get me moving!  She told me we were pacing at a 14:30 mile and she wanted to keep that pace through mile 5 or 6 if I could handle that to build a cushion on the sweepers.  The funny thing is, with the exception of a few conversations along the way, I have NO IDEA what Denise was saying, just that it took me to another place mentally.  I quit being preoccupied with the balloon ladies and being swept, and just enjoyed the experience.  There is something incredible about seeing strangers cheering for you and highfiving you.  It is humbling, and beautiful, and SO FUN!!  As we went through the back lot and hit Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, I started crying immediately.  All I wanted last year was to get to the castle.  I was staring down Main Street at the Castle and I was overwhelmed with emotion.  I went jogging up Main Street, and my buddy Denise was telling me where to go to stop for my picture.  She took my pic in front of the castle, then a pic of the 2 of us, then a pic of me, her and my sister.  I put my camera away and headed back out.  Denise said the next time I stopped for a picture would be at mile marker 13.  I made it around, and got to hear the trumpets blow as we entered the back of the castle.  We had to walk through the castle, shoulder-to-shoulder, chest-to-back, very slowly, but it gave me enough time to get pixie dusted on the way through.

I LOVE this woman!  She is an amazing inspiration and a wonderful woman!

Me, my sis and my pacing buddy!

After crossing the 10k mark, there was a water stop.  Denise had talked to me about how you lose 30 seconds to a minute at each water stop, and I had a hydration belt on with water bottles.  I squeezed the water bottle, the water shot out, hit the uvula in the back of my throat and the coughing and heaving and gagging started.  I thought I was going to hurl for sure.  I finally regained my composure and went on.  I knew the next 2 big milestones would be the song at Halfway and seeing my family.  I was so proud to know I would get to go past them.  My son was so worried on Saturday night about whether or not  I would be able to make it past them on Sunday.  When I saw my family the tears started flowing for sure.  I knew that they were going to be excited and proud of me.  At this point, still no sign of the balloon ladies and I was feeling confident that I would finish.

Around mile 3 my right foot had started hurting, on the top, just below my ankle bone.  I could feel something wrong in my foot, like there were bones moving and rubbing against each other, in ways that they really shouldn't.  It really hurt, A LOT.  I kept trying to put it out of my mind, and was fairly successful in doing so.  Then I heard someone say that the balloon ladies were only 10 minutes behind us around mile 8 or 9.  I freaked out, started crying and telling Denise that I wasn't going to make it.  She talked me down and just about had me convinced that I was going to finish when the balloon ladies passed us.  The balloon lady was hollering as she went by a photo stop that if people didn't want to get swept they had to get in front of her by the next mile marker.  Well, we beat that mark, but as I approached mile marker 10, the pain in my foot had gotten so intense that I was gagging and feeling queasy.  I also saw the volunteers waving orange flags at us and they said we were 4 minutes behind the pace and had to pace the next mile marker in 12 minutes.  Now, this is when the freak out intensified.  I hadn't done a 12 minute mile the entire race, there was no way in hell with the pain that I was in I could make it to mile marker 11 in 12 minutes.

I am sad to say that I threw in the towel.  I sat down on the guard rail and cried.....A LOT!!!  In hind sight, I don't know that the physical pain was as bad as the emotional pain of seeing the balloon ladies!  There was a medic I had noticed earlier in the race that was a dude wearing khaki shorts and a tutu.  He is the one that came over to me after I sat down and Denise yelled for a medic.  I told her I would be find and I didn't want her to get swept.  I don't remember the medic's name, but he asked me why I was crying.  I told him that I was failing my kids because they would be waiting on me at the finish line.  He encouraged me that I shouldn't be upset, that continuing on and finishing the last 3.1 miles could do more damage than good, and I didn't want to not be able to come back next year and finish it.  He was awesome!

I sat there and waited on the bus, and once it got there, another medic helped me to the bus.  I hobbled over and up the stairs, and got a round of applause from the folks on the bus.  There were only a few seats left, as all of them had been swept at mile 8, and they told me they were proud I had made it to mile 10.  I got to the finish line, put ice on my foot/ankle, had the medics put the blister treatment on my feet.  I sat there for a few minutes and took in the fact that yet again, I hadn't walked or run across the finish line, but ended my race in the medic tent in the back lot.  I was so disgusted and disappointed with myself.  I hobbled to bag check, then found a place in the parking lot and sat down and waited for my mom and sister.  Once they found me, Kara ended up getting a wheel chair for me to take me to the race transportation back to the hotel, and she, my mom and the kids caught the monorail back to Polynesian, then the race bus back across the street to the hotel.  Back to the room to get cleaned up.  Took myself a hot bath, which is when I discovered the bad case of chafing I had on my back.  I had basically bathed myself in body glide before the race, but I couldn't reach my back....BIG MISTAKE!!!  A couple of hours later, I headed off to the ER to get my foot checked out.  I had taken 5 Tylenol during the race, I took a narcotic pain killer once I got out of the tub, and my foot was still killing me.  The ER Doctor said he suspects I may have a stress fracture in my foot, because of what I described.  Stress fractures apparently don't show up right away on x-ray when that is the case, only once they start to heal and a callous starts to form.

I'm now 3 days out of the race and here are the positive things I have taken from this race:
-Since race day, my bum foot is the only part of my body that has hurt.
-even with 98% to 100% humidity on race day, I didn't wheeze once, and my lungs never once hurt or gave out on me, this is proof that the training I am doing to build my lung capacity are working
-I did 5x the mileage I made it through last year


The negatives:
-I could have and should have finished
-I left seeing the balloon lady get in my head
-I yet again sabotaged and gave up on myself

Finally, I have been told repeatedly, by a lot of people that I shouldn't be running.  I don't have a "runner's body".  But here's the thing, I did 10 miles and the next day, the only thing that hurt was my bum foot.  I am NOT going to quit running.  Instead I am going to start over from square one, really.  If I am being 100% honest, I haven't trained appropriately for anything I have "run" so far.  Once I get my foot checked out and know there is nothing wrong with it I am going to start the couch to 5k program and work on my endurance and speed.  I want to get my 5k time under 40 minutes.  I am doing a 5k on June 1, here in the Quay, and want my time to be 40 minutes of less.  So I am going to be working really hard on that in the coming months.  If I reach that goal, then I will be working on a 10k.  I am registered for the Wicked 10K in October and will be doing that.  If I can get my 5k time under 40 minutes, I want my 10K time under 1:15, maybe not by October, but definitely by the end of this year.  The next half marathon I do will be the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon in Raleigh in April of 2014.  By then, I am hoping to have 120# off, and to be able to finish it in under 3 hours, though under 2:45 would be ideal.

Here are the split times that I have from the Princess on Sunday:
5k time--1:02:39, an average pace of 20:10, my WORST 5k time EVER!
10K time--2:00:39, an average pace of 19:25
15k time--3:03:49, an average pace of 19:43

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!

Speechless!!

Tonight was THAT NIGHT.  You know that old saying, "No good deed goes unpunished"?  yeah, well, today was proof positive of that statement being true.

So after doing my first real burpees during a WOD last night, I was feeling pretty confident when I walked into the box tonight.  I saw my buddy Jeff and he said, "I'm so glad you're here tonight!"  then our friend Robert said, "Don't even look it's better that way."  So you know, kind of like watching a train wreck, someone tells you not to look and what do you do?  You look.  Everyone does....Oh lord, I looked and wished I hadn't.

We had but 1 WOD tonight, and it was a simple one to remember to be able to write down here....

WOD #1:

100 burpees for time


Really? So, my reward for figuring out how to do real burpees is LOTS-O-PRACTICE!!!  It was tough.  Jeff told me not to look at the clock, to face the back wall of the box and just keep going.  I made tick marks on a mini whiteboard, 10 of them, at the end of each 10 burpees, I wiped one off.  The first 20 went by pretty quickly, but then it started to get tough.  Around 40 I really started to struggle and noticed that Trell and one or 2 others were already done.  I mean, really?  I'm slow as crap, but that was fast.  As time went on, I noticed that more people were finishing, and I was just plugging along.  At one point my right shoe came off because it was tied loosely, like I do when I'm going to be running since my feet swell, not necessary for 100 burpees.  Then I realized my left big toe was getting caught when I went down, so I had to put my shoes back on.  I continued plugging along, and by the time I had 40 left, everyone but me was done.    I'm not sure when, but my buddy Karen came over and started doing burpees facing me and helping me count and keep going.  Then Andi came over, and Andrea, and Jeff, and Trell, and Bryan, and Bruce.  By the time I had about 30 left, they were all doing them with me, cheering me on, encouraging me to breathe.  THIS, my friends and family, is why I do CrossFit.  Those folks did way more than their 100 burpees, and they didn't have to do it.  They could all have popped a squat right there, sat cross-legged and counted for me, or cheered me on, but they did my burpees with me.  They counted with me.  This is why I LOVE CrossFit APX and the people I have met there.  It is all a mental thing.  I said going in, "I can't do 100 burpees."  Jeff said, "Can you do 10?"  "Yep"  "okay, so do 10, and then just keep doing 10 at a time, until you've done 100".

These people have shown me love and support that is unbelievable to me.  They didn't have to do the extra burpees, but they did, to help me, to encourage me, and to support me.  I love my CrossFit APX family.  LOVE THEM!  So that is my workouts for the week, until Saturday.  I am competing Saturday, and will get at least 4 WODs in.  If I am in the final, which I HIGHLY doubt, it would be 5.

If you ever want somewhere to workout, come over to CrossFit APX.  They are all AMAZING!

Oh What Fun!!

So excited to get to CrossFit APX tonight.  I missed my workout last night thanks to a mean old hateful migraine that put me on the couch from about 4 till 7:30.  I am competing this weekend, so missing extra workouts just isn't an option.  I went in tonight and saw that our 1st WOD included the Bear Complex...ugh, I am not a fan, but it's all good, because fan or not, I showed up, and I was gonna do it.

So..WOD #1: 12 minute AMRAP
Bear Complex

1. Clean
2. Front Squat
3. Push Press
4. Back Squat
5. Push Press

5 burpees

10 Toes to bar

In my 12 minutes I completed 5 rounds of the above.  The exciting news it, I DID REAL BURPEES!  I DID REAL BURPEES!!  I did all of them.  I've tried once or twice to do real burpees, but after 3 or 4 I'd have to revert back to putting my hands on the box.  The reality is, the burpee itself isn't that bad, it is getting all of this big body up off the floor after doing it.  Bit having completed 5 rounds tonight, that means I did 25 burpees.  I still can't do Toes to bar yet, so I did the dead hang and pull my knees up as far as possible.

WOD #2: 5 minute AMRAP

5 Hand Stand Push Ups

10 box jumps

I can't do Hand stands yet, let alone HSPU.  So, I had to modify and put my knees on the box.  I still wasn't quite doing them right, but Jeff K. showed me a better way to do it afterwards, and it is actually much easier.  I also did my box jumps without stopping.  I almost took a pretty good tumble.  My right foot was half on and half off the box, so started to go to the right, caught myself, but then about fell forward and smashed my face into the wall.  Thankfully I didn't crash and burn, and was able to continue.  I finished my lasts 2 jumps in that round and went right back to my push-ups.  I ended up completing 4 rounds.  I need to get used to being upside down.  Every time I have to go back and forth between things like sit-ups and push-ups, or HSPU and box jumps, when I stand up I get light-headed.  I am not getting enough oxygen to my brain I guess.  I don't know.  

After the 2 WODs we started working on Snatches.  This weekend at the competition we have 5 minutes to find our 1 rep max snatch.  I did quite a few 65# snatches.  I think on Saturday I'm going to start at a 75# attempt.  Tonight's workout was by no means a cake walk, but it was fun!  I pushed myself, I recovered quickly after a near failure, I pushed my limits.  Pretty excited about how it happened tonight and looking forward to this weekend.  

Now--after the kids are in bed, I'm off for a 1 hour run, hopefully getting in 3-1/2 to 4 miles.  I tweaked the intervals so we'll see how it goes w/a shorter run interval and a bit longer walk interval.

Till next time, 

Princess Krista

Love and Support are VITAL!!!

Sometimes when things get rough and you start to question your ability to complete some of your goals it is the love and support of your friends and family that mean the difference between successful completion and throwing in the towel.

I am in a group of running moms on Facebook and they are some of the most amazing women I have ever encountered.  I have mentioned them before, some are "Ironmen" some are marathon winners, some are on journeys to lose weight and change their lifestyle like I am and some are ultra marathon runners.  We are all supportive of each other, and I often feel unworthy to be a member of their group.  Well, I started freaking out after my run/walk on Saturday because my pace was right around 20 minutes/mile, and to not get swept, I need to be under 16 minutes/mile.  I was freaking out.  I went on the page for the RMM and immediately they jumped in to encourage me.  They gave me training tips, and things.  One of them, Denise, who just ran the Goofy challenge earlier this month (Half Marathon on Saturday, full marathon on Sunday at WDW) said she was on the search for a bib to be able to do the half with me.  She messaged me last night saying that she thought she had a bib, and if her starting corral was ahead of mine, she would drop back and start with me and pace me for the entire race so I don't get swept.  If my corral is ahead of hers, she will run till she catches me, then pace me to the finish.  I have never encountered this kind of support in my life.  I have never had a group of people so willing to encourage me and help me reach a goal.

I also met with the owner of my CrossFit box yesterday.  She has struggled with an eating disorder as well, so she understands how overwhelming it can be to totally change  my eating.  We sat and talked yesterday and she asked me to work on 1 meal at a time.  Once I have breakfast figured out, and I'm really comfortable with eating breakfast that is good and healthy every day, we'll move on to addressing lunch and eventually dinner.  We'll work on one meal/snack at a time so as not to overwhelm me.  She also encouraged my running/walking, and said that continuing to run/walk will help with my cardio vascular endurance, and help me to start seeing results faster.

I feel like I am surrounded by people who are fully invested in me making good choices and realizing my long-term goal of getting this weight off and being healthy.  In the mean-time, Andrea asked me to come up with my short term, mid-term and long term goals, and we will continue to work toward them....so, here goes:

Short Term Goals:
1--Finish the Princess Half Marathon
2--Start finding ways to love/accept myself

Mid-Term goals:
1--dedicate myself to a running & CrossFit routine
2--Start following my heart to do the things that I enjoy
3--get a decent grip/understanding of food/nutrition

Long term goals:
1--Run a marathon
2--Become a certified CrossFit coach
3--Reach the full potential of my body
4--Get healthy/fit.  Weight is not my focus, health and fitness is.

Until next time!

Krista

Training walk

Today I had a really rough run/walk.  I'm sad to say that in typical "krista" fashion I have sabotaged myself yet again, but I've caught on to my problem and begun the work necessary to hopefully keep that from happening. 

I went for my first long run/walk since the Battleship Half Marathon in November.  I did 4 miles today, and it took me an hour and 20 minutes to do it...that's a straight up 20 minute per mile pace....Princess requires a 16 minute per mile pace to not get swept so I have got some SERIOUS work to do in the next 5 weeks to speed myself up! 

The good news is that I tried some Cliff Block Shots and they are tasty and don't make me queasy at all, so I have my nutrition figured out.  I also wore my iFitness belt for the first time today, and was glad to see that it didn't ride up AT ALL and it is very comfortable.  I love it!

Now, for the plan.....

I can't reduce my time at CrossFit, it is my addiction, my niche, and the place that I feel the most amazing in a workout environment. 

I need to build up my Cardio Endurance, and that is going to require some serious work and dedication in the next 5 weeks.

I am going to need to Run 3 times/week.  Tuesday and Thursdays will be evening runs, once the kids are in bed, in the 'hood, and running intervals for speed.  I will be spending an hour each of those nights, and hoping to get to where 1 hour = 4 miles, before the Princess. 

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I am going to swim.  I am hoping this will help me to build the cardio endurance w/o hurting my joints. 

So, project Princess is in full effect.  Any of you that would like to run with/train with/encourage me on runs that live in the area I'd love to have your help.  Emily ran with me this morning, and she was awesome and patient!!  Kara?  Elizabeth?  April?  Jeff?  Robert?!?!?!  Anyone?!?!

Till next time....
Princess Krista

Let me re-introduce myself. Hello...I am a badass!

Well, Hello Grace!  We meet again!!

The last time I did Grace, on November 19th, it took me 5:18 to finish my 30 clean and jerks, at 65# and proceeded to go to the parking lot and vomit.

Today I bumped up my weight up to 75#, and I finished in 5:10.  I was so proud, and no pukies this time either which makes it even better.

Then we worked on dead lifts as our strength skill.  My 1 rep max in the past was 225, but we did it immediately after warming up (no lifting before that) and it was truly 1 rep and done.  So we were paired/grouped together based on strength, and again Andrea assigned me to work with 2 gentlemen, 2 that I really like and both of whom inspire me, which makes it even better.  So I was going to lift with Phillip and Robert.  We started at 95# for 5 reps, then up to 135# for 5 reps, 150# for 5 reps, and 175 for 3 reps.  We all did these weights/reps, and Robert was still making it look incredibly easy.  He had already PR'd by 10# and I felt like he had a lot more in him, maybe even 200#.  He wasn't so sure.  So we next put 200# on the bar, and dropped down to 3 reps of each weight.  Robert did his, Phillip did his, and then one of them asked me if I was going to "try".  Try my butt, I was going to lift it.  And I did, 3x.  Then we went up to 220.  By this point my back and my body were sore....30 dead lifts, and 21 dead lifts building up to 220.  I tried twice to lift it, but I just didn't have that much strength left to get it done.

Here's the cool part.  I really felt like a badass.  I know, I know, unlady-like to say that, and probably inappropriate to brag, but there is something in me that when I think someone is questioning my ability to lift weight it pushes me, and increases my desire to do just that.  Even cooler than that, is I was making suggestions on form for Robert as he was lifting.  I have grown to LOVE the idea of being a certified CrossFit coach once I have found my groove, and gotten my weight down where it should be.  I like encouraging, teaching and coaching...I think I have found my niche, and it is CrossFit.

Till next time...

Krista