WODs & Well-Being

May 23, 2013 Like everyone else on the planet, there are some morning I find it hard to get out of bed. There are some days its hard to put on a "happy" face and walk around like I have everything together. There are times when I take a long hard look at where I am in my life and think "is this where I thought I would be." I havent always been a positive person, I have talked about that before. In fact, the "glass is always half full" people always seemed to find a way to piss me off because I felt like I was just treading in deep water constantly and going absolutely nowhere. I was so unhealthy. I may have looked like I had it together on the outside (to some... dont ask Hubs, he knows I was a walking headcase). I had more nights than I want to remember where I say at home and beat myself up over where I was in life, what I was doing, why I was stuck in a crappy job, why I couldnt afford to buy a house... I wouldnt sleep at night because as soon as...

April 25, 2013 What would life be like if everything was “easy” or came natural?   What if anything you wanted to try in life was right there for you to try and there was no work involved in getting there? No worry that you wouldn’t succeed when you tried it for the first time. No question of if you will fail. My personal opinion. Boring. Unrewarding. Lackluster. There is something about doing something I have never done before that just lights a fire inside me. This is especially true when I am asked to do it by someone who has the faith in me that I can do it. I may fail the first time, I may even fail the second time, but I know deep down inside that I will never stop trying until I have accomplished what it is I have set out to do. Risk and challenge are scary things for some people. I was there for a long time myself, living in comfortability. Again, my mind is wondering back and forth from the gym to “life” when it comes to this topic. Will I ever lift that 10lb...

February 23, 2013 Not sure what is going on but I have been on an accident prone spree lately. This morning had a lovely incident with my favorite bella bar (we cal her Black Beauty or Bella in the gym). I had a great snatch session, still hitting 115 consistently and with good form, but once I just to 125 I havent been able to stick it. Anyway, I was working up my clean and jerk and was on my second attempt at 185 and had the most ridiculous fail ever. After thinking about it... and talking to M, I realized that I did not release my hook grip. The bar came down, slammed into the top of my knees and pinned my right hand between my knee and my hand... so whats a girl to do? I pulled. This all happened in a split second mind you. I shook my hand because I knew I either broke my nail or jammed a finger, but what I wasnt prepared for is what I saw. I literally ripped the entire pad off the ring finger fingertip on my right hand. Suddenly, I have no fingerprint. Um.... OUCH! That hurt...

February 6, 2013 WARMUP: 3 Rounds - 1 Gym Length Bear Crawl - 10 Spiderman - 10 Shoulder Dislocates - 10 Air Squats - 1 Rope Climb 1 X 9 Fundamentals w/Bar WOD: Bother 21-15-9 - Clean (95) - Double Unders **3 Min Rest** AMRAP 8 Min - 10 Cal Row - 20 BK Swings (1pd) .

January 21, 2013 So here is the deal… you walk into a CrossFit gym and look around and you will see a lot of similarities. They all have a pull up rig, they all have rings, rowers, kettle bells, boxes, stacks of weights, GHD’s, ab-mats and of course bars and PVC, some have med balls piled high, some have a  climbing rope… most have a PR board and each and every one has a WOD board with todays’ WOD displayed for all to see. That’s it folks… those are the “material” things that make up a CrossFit box. More often than not, they are a converted warehouse, a garage or a car dealership…. Wide open, no ceilings with stall matts on the floor to break the fall of the weights on the concrete. There is nothing “fancy” about an orange home depot bucket full of chalk and jump ropes hung on a nail in the wall… we checked “fancy” at the door. Functional space what  we need. However, those things, those material things. They don’t make the box. They are the things that all...

January 2, 2013 Intensity... its was building... now its here, its GAME ON time!  Time to turn up the heat, turn up the intensity and push harder than I have ever pushed before. I have set myself some big goals for 2013 and have all the faith in the world in myself that I will fulfill all of them. In the gym, out of the gym... you name it, I will get it done. There is a feeling inside me that I haven't felt at this level before. Its a feeling that keeps growing stronger every day. It started that first day that I picked up a barbell in the Garage at CrossFit Wachusett. The day I realized that if I wanted to change something, now is the time. Work hard, push through the grind and you know what... it will come. The amazing thing is... that thrill that I talked about so long ago when I completed my first WOD, or even a WOD that was more challenging than another.... its still there. Its still very present every time I complete a WOD, every time I challenge myself with a lift...

**Had to post some of the few dates I missed back in June/July for my archive** July 21, 2012 WARMUP: Run 400m 3 Rounds - 5 Strict Pullups - 10 Step Ups - 10 Shoulder Dislocates Run 400m WOD: TABATA - Double Unders (148) - Burpee (159) - Shuttle Run (47) - Cal Row (51) (Total 305) *10 Kipping Pullups! <---- PR .

**Had to post some of the few dates I missed back in June/July for my archive** July 3, 2012 Hubs and I decided to check out CrossFit NEPA in Wilkes Barre PA today! What a great time! We met some really great people and got our asses kicked doing Fight Gone Bad with them! Very cool!  WARMUP: 400m Run 2 Rounds - 10 KB Swings - 10 Pullups - 10 Squat Jumps 400m Run WOD: Fight Gone Bad 3 Rounds - Total Reps 1 Min Wall Balls (14lbs) 1 Min SDHP (50lbs) 1 Min Box Jumps (20") 1 Min Push Press (50lbs) 1 Min Cal Row 1 Min Rest (296 Rx) <--- PR .

**Had to post some of the few dates I missed back in June/July for my archive** June 30, 2012 Hubs and I were both competing as individuals. This was going to be a first for both of us. Rx... individuals! So exciting and also so nerve wracking! We had no idea what to expect, as we know the Best of the East is a pretty large competition. This was the "qualifier" because the first place individual man, individual woman and team were automatically given a spot (without paying) for the real "Beast" in October. When we got there I was pretty intimidated. I started to look around and see faces that I recognize from various competitions we have been to. We were alone so we hooked up with our friends at CrossFit Exp for "camping out." The exhibition hall was pretty packed with all of the various activities they had going on; from jujitsu to arm wrestling... and strongman to figure competitions.... flooded down the middle by all sorts of vendors. Pretty crazy...

September 19, 2012 In my short 31.75 years of life (not 32 yet!) I have learned many lessons. They started as a baby, when my parents “tried” to teach me “NO,” and continued through my childhood when I was taught right from wrong, good from bad, the difference between tattle tailing and telling what needed to be told and the famous treat others as you want to be treated. Of course there have been many, many more lessons learned (never play leapfrog with a unicorn and don’t eat yellow snow being some more of the “wiser” lessons) through my life, far too many to list or even recall at one time in one sitting. I can say that some lessons I had to learn the hard way, some were drilled into my head so I didn’t ever have to think twice about them and some I just developed on my own. The lessons that I learned the hard way seem to be the ones that have had the most impact on my life. Maybe that’s because whatever it was that I experienced to cause the burn or teach me the lesson is so...

August 28, 2012 If you couldn’t tell by the oodles of pictures of children being forced to stand against the wall or at the bus stop to take pictures, or the massive amounts of traffic and yellow buses carting children all over the town… today is the first day of school for many kids is MA and NH. I can remember the back to school ritual my mom had with us kids growing up. Every year she would take us to Bradlees for back to school shopping. We were able to pick out a few outfits and some new shoes… all of which was put on lay-a-way until the week that school started. First day of school usually meant first week of dance too so after school shopping we would hit up Pattersons in Burlington for some new tap shoes, new jazz shoes (character shoes too if I needed them) and a few new pairs of tights. My brother would get some new sneakers for basketball… and we were all set for our school year to begin. Something about the first day of school is so exciting. The crisp new white...

July 31, 2012 What would life be like if it was "fair?" I can clearly remember asking my parents if it was ok if I could go for a ride in my friends boyfriends car when he got his license and we were only 15. When the response was "absolutely not," my witty teenage whine "but Dad, thats not fair" came out without a second thought. I knew he was doing what was right for me... and keeping himself and my mom sane in the mean time... but I didnt understand it, it just didnt seem fair that someone else's parents didnt have the same rules as mine. When I was a senior in high school, I qualified for the State Championship for throwing the discus. My coach decided to have a Junior, who also qualified, fill the spot because she was "more consistent" than I was. I thought it was totally unfair that I was a senior and this was my last chance, and I got shafted for someone who would have another chance the next year. I had been so excited that I qu...

May 23, 2012 So here is the deal… a pound is a pound. A pound of feathers weighs exactly the same as a pound of bricks…. There are going to be a hell of a lot more feathers than brick… but a pound is a pound. I am so tired of hearing the phrase “muscle weighs more than fat.” This is not true… a pound of fat weighs a pound… a pound of muscle… weighs what… say it with me now… a POUND. The difference is, the amount of space that is taken up by a pound of muscle is significantly less than that of a pound of fat (think about the brick and feather analogy here). What people mean (I think) when they say that “muscle weighs more than fat” is that you can be a smaller person and weigh more, or the same as a larger person because you may be more muscular than them, that just by looking at someone you cant tell how much muscle they have in a lot of cases. What is really funny is that people often say that, but don’t apply it to themselves.They dont look in the mirror and see the change...

May 19, 2012 Saturday at the gym are used as "open gym" we are able to complete a WOD that we missed during the week or we can work on our skills. I know that I have plenty of work to do on skills so I opted out of my make up WOD. This isnt really like me, as I typically do what I missed, but with the comp coming up I need to take as many opportunities as I have to work on my goats and skills. I am glad that I did too. I did a round of "death by pullups" which has pretty much been my staple for working my pullups. I set my timer for 10 minutes and do 1 pullup the first minute, 2 pullups the second minute, 3 the third and so on... the idea is to get as far as you can in the minute so if you can get 12 pullups in a minute you keep going. I am right at the 1 minute mark getting 10 pullups in, so this is something I need to get going on seeing as how there is a 15-12-9 of pullups and cleans in the competition... with a 5 minute cap... so it would be nice to get the ...

April 10, 2012 WARMUP: Fire Hydrant Jog 2 Rounds - 10 Abmat Situps - 10 Back Extensions - 10 Inchworms 2 X 9 Fundamentals 2 Min Mobility WOD: Fight Gone Bad 3 Rounds - Total Reps 1 Min Wall Balls (14lbs) 1 Min SDHP (50lbs) 1 Min Box Jumps (20") 1 Min Push Press (50lbs) 1 Min Cal Row 1 Min Rest (259 Rx) SKILL/STRENGTH: TABATA L-Sit Hang .

February 14, 2012 Dear Crossfit, You are the burn to my hamstrings, the ache in my back, But somehow I can never allow myself to slack. Youre the reason my alarm goes off at 4 every day, Thats when the 5:30am crew comes out to play! Your warmups make me hot, your WODS makes me sweat. Even when "Murphs" on the board I dont fret. Whether with Annie, Christina, Grace or Nicole, I will never stop... even after my goals. I love your wall balls, burpees and kettle bell swings, I might even love doing toes through rings. Sometimes its an AMRAP and sometimes for time, sometimes they even involve rope climbs. Each time I chalk up my hands and tie my shoes I know you are behind me, I have nothing to lose. When I am with you I feel so fast and strong, you make me feel like I could do no wrong. At the end of the WOD we post on the board, and later we see how everyone scored. Whether its strength, enduran...

January 17, 2012 This morning at the gym I got a dose of my own medicine. KP and T arrived at the gym and we all warmed up together. I keep using any spare minute that I have to try kipping on the high bar and occasionally pull out a pullup or two, understanding that the more I try, the better I will get at it. I happen to get two kipping pullups in front of KP... she was as excited for me as I was for myself! Now, there have been a few mornings where I get on KP's case when it comes to weights. This is not to be pushy or mean, but to encourage her to do the prescribed weights because I know she can do it. It might not be quick, it might not be pretty, but I know she can do it!  At the end of the WOD, she gets through it and is very happy that she went for it. I dont even have to say anything anymore (not that I am the only one encouraging her, but I have dished it out and thats part of the story). This morning, the tables were turned. The second I did those two kipping pu...

December 21, 2011 I know I have talked before about our Crossfit Wachusett Family... but I am so excited to see that 2012 brings to us all. We are changing, we are learning, we are building friendships and we are growing!! Its so exciting and it brings a smile to my face. It really makes me happy to know that M and K have such a great thing going with CFW and the fact that we are all succeeding is a tribute to them and their programming, their support and their coaching! I keep thinking of where I was just a few short months ago... August 8th is the first entry in my journal... The things I have been able to do, the things I never thought I could do and the drive I have to get better has been amazing. It feels like the first day I did crossfit I took an oath that I was going to throw myself into this 100% and nothing was going to get in my way. I now find my time at CFW the best and most rewarding part of my day. As hard as it is to get up some mornings, as tired as I am the ni...