straight beastin it.

so my biggest fan's name is john, then all the coaches at crossfit, and my mom but those are all assumed... so my biggest fan that is not related or paid for is a maintenance guy i believe I have only seen twice but each time he has nothing but nice things to say.  The first time he only saw me working out because I was the last one and he said "man you straight beasted it" I think maybe I was doing overhead squats or .  Today he saw me again and said "hey I didn't know you still came here...you are the one in the picture on the wall lifting all the weight...with the legs".  (That does happen to describe everyone on the wall as we are all blessed with legs)  But I will admit sometimes it is nice to have an extra cheerleader...and here is the photo I believe he was talking about....

(those are my legs)

Today's wod was AMRAP 15 minutes 10 box jumps then alternating pull ups and push ups to finish out the minute.  Boy was it tough...I got through my first round of box jumps and half of the second with actual jumps and then stepped up for the rest of the wod.  I lost count of my reps, I know I was at 37 before I lost count maybe at round 8? 

Also today we lost a pioneer in the fitness industry.  Jack Lalanne was the awesomest man ever. (that's it)

push ups sit ups and squat cleans (o my!)

So last night I developed a new symptom of not being able to breathe so I had a hard time getting to sleep but made it up in time for crossfit.  Colin was coaching so of course he lead us through a parkourish climbing jumping crawling warm up.  We had to jump across three boxes, hop over the 31 in box (we could use the other box for assistance), jump over the side bar of the pull up station and then climb under the other and crawl back to the start.  I like his warm ups as they are challenging and stuff we don't normally get to do, but sometimes one part of it kicks my bottom, in this case the crawling (wierd right).

The strength work was squat cleans in sets of 5 which I hate, but the website told us we didn't have to do touch and go reps, which made it more manageable.  I worked off a one rep max of 120, which is the highest I have ever clean and jerked, but I have never maxed out on cleans alone.  So my sets were 68, 83, 103.  I complained the whole way through, but got through all the sets.  Workout was 50 push ups, 50 GHD situps.  Push ups took me a while and when it was time for me to sit up the GHDs were all taken (darn) so I did 70 abmats, and finished in 8:19.  After I somewhat recovered, I worked on pull ups and did my first unassisted pull ups this year, as I am finally able to jump up to the pull up bar.  I only squeezed out 5, but baby steps.  I feel like my knee is back to normal...of course now my wrist is doing funky things but that is more manageable.

Also this weekend is the Charlottesville Superfit Games.  Last year John and I trekked up to VA in the blizzard we had last year, (VA got twice as much snow).  We got snowed in, but had a great time.  I looked at the wods and they are crazy brutal.  Like AMRAP chest to bar pull ups with a med ball between your legs...as part of one wod, and squat clean thrusters, air force wod style with chest to bar pull ups on the minute.  I am sad I didn't get to experience it this year, but with everything that derailed me this year, it would have been a bit more than I was ready for.  I just know that if I can focus with diet and workouts and not beat myself up, I can be ready for a whole lot more next year.

That's me last year...reppin out 77# thrusters...after burpees before failing on hspus.  I still can't do handstand push ups why? but I am much closer than I was here.

boo sickness.

So I do not get sick.  Maybe a sniffle here or there, but I cannot remember the last time I had anything that lasted longer than a day, so I can't remember ever calling out sick from work, or spending a day in bed.  I will say it is a result of taking awesome vitamins, eating relatively well, and working out.  I also think being exposed to all sorts of germs at a gym for the past four years have helped, oddly enough. (When H1N1 first broke some lady came in saying she was over it, knowing she worked out regularly before she knew she had it passing it around and there are more crazy stories like that)  But this week something knocked me on my bottom.  At first glance when I felt kinda off, I thought it was diet related.  I kinda fell off my whole 30 horse this weekend which explained the headache and general lethargy. But when I woke up on Wednesday with a fire in my throat I knew it was not right.  I spent two and a half days in bed, and now am somewhat over it.  I have not had much of an appetite, and when I have I have been working on noodle soup (yeah if you do not have paleo soup ready you are s.o.l. (in my opinion)).  I tried to eat a chick fil-a meal and couldn't do it (told you I fell off/at least I didn't eat the whole thing :/).  So tomorrow's workout looks truck throughable (just keep swimming).  I will attempt three paleo meals and a workout and kick this thing for good!

Day 10/I'm BACK!

Today marks day 10 of 30....I made the best spaghetti sauce to put on my spaghetti squash, but ended up eating it plain...I feel better than a few days ago about the whole situation, I think stocking up for the impeding blizzard is how I need to shop all the time, and I will never be lost for what to eat.

I actually did the regular wod yesterday. We started with presses trying to find a one rep max.  My recorded pr is 90.  I made many attempts at 85, but couldn't quite get it up, but feel that it is attainable.  I also didn't really strategize, like attempting 80, or 82.5 and then going beyond, so oh well.  The wod involved overhead squats and box jumps.  I hadn't squatted in a while so I did the wod with 45 instead of 65, and stepped up to the box instead of attempting to jump some.  I had a slow time, but don't know that it was much slower than if I had done the wod Rxd.  I am super sore today, but am excited about my progress.  While it still hurts to land on the knee, so running is not happening, I can now jump off of it, so I could do broad jumps from two legs to one, or create all sorts of movements no one ever needs.  I also learned I cannot do one legged double unders.

Day 7

WHOLE 30
Today marks a week into my whole 30.  It hasn't been my best performance.  I don't know that I have been eating enough, and I know the nuts and clementines I eat when bored, sad or happy are not the best for me.  I think a good trip to the grocery store where I get foods I am excited about eating will help, lately I just haven't really been excited about the meals I have prepared.  I really miss eating foods I don't have to make, and white potatoes, and if I see a commercial, picture or description of anything I want it...even if I don't usually eat it.

CONFESSION:
I cheated, on day maybe 3? However, I am not upset about it, as I cheated in the most whole 9 approved way.  My friend's mom visited from Puerto Rico, and cooked for us.  The last time this happened was May, so this is a twice a year type deal.  She made me baked chicken and peppers and there was plenty of salad so I was fine.  But then she told me that the pigeon peas in the arroz con gandules were fresh, not from a can. I have been eating peas and rice since childhood (I have Caribbean roots) and didn't even think about them being fresh.   So I tried some, not a lot, but it was amazing...life changing even.  So I said it was worth an extra 3 days...or not we will see how it goes.

KNEE:
Still hurts.  I figured two weeks and I would be fine, but running and jumping are still painful.  And while I am thankful that in 20 years of dancing and 2 years of crossfit I have been injury free, I just don't know how to come back from one.  Are you supposed to wait until it doesn't hurt, or just kinda push through it????

WORKOUTS:
Have been sporadic the past week or so.  Ashley gave me a met-con good for one leg last week that about killed me, so I know I need to get back as I seem to have no sort of endurance.

Hello 2011!

I started out 2010 with a renewed vigor following the 2009 Carolina Fitness Challenge, I did pretty well in the following months and made major strength gains the beginning part of the year.  That tapered and then declined at some point during the summer.  I am not quite sure what happened, my diet and exercise habits didn't drastically change, but once the downward spiral started it was hard to pull back out of it.  When it would get frustrating that I couldn't pull close to my max, I would quit instead of doing more work at a lower weight.  I had more meltdowns in 2010 than ever in life but guess what?   IT'S 2011!!!!

My first goal...get unhurt.  If you read my last post, I hurt my knee taking dance classes.  Pretty sure I stepped back on it straight instead of bent.  I heard a pop. It hurt real bad. It feels a whole lot better, I can walk, I wore heels for 20 minutes last night, it is now starting to feel more like my calf muscle, but there is no bruising indicative of a muscle tear... or swelling, it just feels uncomfortable to land on my foot with any pressure, or bend it below parallel, which knocks 90% of crossfit movements out of the picture. 

Second goal...build a new base.  I have some prs on the board that are downright depressing to work toward.  I am going to get back to that, but for now I am going to work on getting stronger and working harder every day.  I didn't hit any of the side 2010 goals...so I am going to just change that year, but I do expect to hit these in the beginning part of the year!

Thirdly...eat well.  I started today on my whole 30.... 30 days of no grains no dairy no soy no legumes no sugar no alcohol.  I feel much better when I am eating a paleo diet, and have a goal of 80% of 2011 eating paleo.  I do well when I plan, and fall apart if left to my own devices...so I know what I need to do. 

so guess i don't still have it...but i could get it...

So this past week I travelled to New Jersey and Pennsylvania to visit family.  And while I haven't been the happiest with how much of a fatty I have been, nothing quite food you can get in Jersey, so I make sure to eat things I can't get here.  Friday night we started with Spanish food at Spanish Tavern as there are no Spanish/Portugese restaurants that I know of around here.  I had paella which could be a meal for two or more, but took a bunch home and ate leftovers for the rest of the weekend.  Throughout the rest of the weekend, I also had carrot cake my grandmother made in honor of my visit (though she told me not to eat too much), half a pizza pie, belgian waffle at a diner, and egg and chese on mish mosh bagels.  Then I got to my stepsister's house, where their motto is paleo schmaleo.  I usually fill up on my pb&j fix while I am there as they always have it because of the children.  I ate my fair share of pasta, and also made smore cupcakes which were pretty good.  I did no sort of workouts aside from helping my nephew be a spider monkey, and tickle fights, but magically came back a pound lighter.

Yesterday was my rude awakening back to workouts.  I decided to head to crossfit, cause I missed it, and the wod was only strength work which I enjoy.  We did press 5 sets of one, push press 5 sets of 3s, and push jerk 5 of 5s.  I failed some on my presses, so I kept it conservative for the rest of the workout, but got to 78 on press (former pr 90), stayed at 83 for push press and jerk.  I hate sets of 5s and dropping the bar on my chest.

Last night I also went for master classes at my friend Deez' new studio.  I was excited as I don't remember the last time I have gotten to take dance classes, which is on my list of things to do in the new year.  I had the perfect well rounded line up of jazz, contemporary and hip hop and was ready to go!  I started in jazz class, and the warmup still felt good, but some strength work I struggled with.  The combination was to a ke$ha song which was super cute, and I had fun with it, though picking up choreography is hard if you haven't done it in a while.  We practiced a few times, and then while walking through (not even dancing) i took a wrong step, over extended my knee and heard a snap.  Yes a snap. gross.  I walked through the rest of the routine and class careful not to bend my knee, but somehting was not right.  I even took the next class which was more of a struggle as the warm up was largely technique based, which requires a straight leg and pointed toes.  I also walked through across the floor and tore skin on my foot (I may be too old for this), and some of the routine, which in hindsight was most likely a huge mistake.  I sat out the hip hop class, hung out for a bit and then drove the 2 hours home.  I got back to my house and found that my leg stiffened during the drive. 

I don't know what this is, but it is ill-timed.  I am hoping that a couple days of rice will help it out, and it will be nothing.  I have heard that people injure knees all the time and keep walking on them unknowingly injured.  This hurts bad, but in my 27 years this is my first structural inury.  I am hoping for nothing, as I have goals and dreams for the new year, and cute heels to wear, and pies to bake....