WODs & Well-Being

April 22, 2013 I have been trying to think of a way to write about the tragedy that began unfolding just one week ago today in Boston… I didn’t put it on hold on purpose, I just couldn’t sit down and put together the words I wanted to use to express my feelings. Writers block dosent happen often for me, as I write directly from my thoughts, but in this case I wasn’t even sure what I was thinking.   Boston. The Boston Marathon. Boylston Street. Patriots Day. All such familiar words, words that I have connected to for many years for various reasons. Those reasons have of course changed over the years. Boston was the place we went to on field trips in elementary school to go to the aquarium and over time in my eyes became the hub of a social scene, the heart of Massachusetts, where I went to school, where I worked for a time, where I had lots of very special moments. The Boston Marathon was an event I got to watch on TV as a child, thinking that these people we...

February 25, 2013 I couldnt let this one go without noting it. This past weekend The UFC made history for having their first womens fight! The fight was the headliner for the title and was between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche. Rousey too the win in the final seconds of the first round... but I feel it was so much more than just a title win for her. Made strides for all women! I love it!     WARMUP: 3 Rounds - 2 X Gym Shuttle Run - 10 Spiderman - 10 Shoulder Dislocate - 10 Toy Soldiers - 10 Pushups SKILL:  Max Effort Toes to Bar (10) OLY: Clean and Jerk EMOTM for 10 Min 3 @ 70% - 145lb 3 @ 80% - 155lb 2 @ 90% - 165lb WOD: Shake Up 12 Minute AMRAP - 5 Ring Dip - 10 Jerk (95) - 15 Air Squats (6+5 Rx) .

February 19, 2013 Well, I spared you all the "nasty" pictures of my dumb ass move with the box cutter, but this couldn't go undocumented! The first pic is right before I got the stitches out and the second is today. Not to shabby eh? But in all seriousness, today is the 19th... so only 12 days ago that was a pretty nasty cut. I have to attribute the quick healing to my diet and health. The Dr also did a great job stitching me up... the "master" stitch remover (big props KP) did a fantastic job as well! I took care of it, kept it clean and was ready to rock and roll at the comp. This morning I decided to just go balls to the wall with it (oddly enough this could be a literal statement in crossfit, but it wasnt today). The stitches are out and I "held together" at the competition. So a little tape, a small piece of gauze and I was ready to get my bar complex on. Ummm... maybe a little too soon. Looked down 8 minutes into the 10 minute WOD and...

January 25, 2013 WARMUP: Fish Game 2 Rounds - 5 Ring Rows - 10 Good Morning - 5 Inchworms 2 X 9 Fundamentals (1 with PVC, 1 with Bar) WOD: Bear Complex On the min, every min for 15 min - 1 Clean - 1 Front Squat - 1 Jerk - 1 Back Squat - 1 Jerk ( 5@85lb, 5@105lbs, 5@115lbs) *4 Min Rest* 4 Min AMRAP of Lateral Burpees (55 Rx) .

January 7, 2013 I think its safe to say that I sleep better at night knowing what the WOD is going to be the next morning when I get up for the gym. See... going to the 5:30am class is perfect for me (yes, Sarah we know it is) but that means that there are nights that I am literally waiting for the WOD to go up on the website before heading to bed.  No, there has never been a day that I bailed on a workout because I didnt want to do it... and yes, there have been nights that I didnt seep as well because I knew it was going to be a challenge the next day... but there are also nights (like last night) that I went to be super excited and slept fantastic because I knew what the next morning was going to bring... my favorite Hero WOD, "DT." There is something about this WOD that really gets me going. DT are the initials of SSgt Tim Davis, 23d Special Tactics Squadron, US Air Force who was killed in action on February 20, 2009. He was 28 years old supporting operations in OEF...

September 29, 2012 Man oh man was I excited to get my package in the mail at work today!! Right away I got so excited for my first lifting session that I could wear them for! I knew it was going to happen today!! I have been wanting to get some lifting shoes for a while now and have talked to Hubs about it. When we went to Garage Games, Again Faster was there as a vendor. They had their new lifting shoes on display and they caught my eye... ok, I will admit, it was a little because they had green and grey shoes out there... but also because of the craftsmanship and the price. They looked to be pretty close to the Rizzo Olys that a few of the ladies have at CFW. They are really happy with them so I thought if these were made similar than I would be golden with the price. So I inquired with Again Faster and come to find out they are actually made by the same people that make Rizzos. They are all hand made and hand crafted... so they are also the same quality. The major plus is the fact...

September 24, 2012 WARMUP: 3 Rounds - Row 250m - 10 Pushups - 10 Good Mornings - 10 Air Squats GROUP OLY: 7X2 Snatch from High Hang 65 (2), 75 (5) WOD: 49er 4 Rounds for Time - 50 Double Unders (first round unbroken) - 10 Push Jerks (95lbs) Rest One Minute - Max Chest to Bars (4, 5, 3, 3) (11:55-13 Rx) SKILL/STRENGTH: - 5X3 Push Press 85, 105, 125, 130, 135 - 50 Hollow Rocks (day 15) .

September 21, 2012 As if having 1RM day to look forward to today... it was deadlift 1 RM day! Supah! I have had my mind set on this silly number of 300lbs for my deadlift for a while now. Not sure why and not sure what I will do when I get there, but its there and its in my head so thats what I am shooting for. This morning after the warmup and some OLY Group lifting we were off to find our 1RM. I was excited and ready to go. I worked my way up and was very happy when I approached 165lbs and the pull was pretty comfortable and reasonably quick. I skipped right over my previous 1RM and went for 175lbs. Next up a slow, but successful 185lbs lift. I was thrilled! I put on 195, went for the lift and failed it. Not sure if I didnt rest enough, didnt have enough in the tank or I am just not strong enough for it yet... but it is what it is and I am damn proud of my PR and super excited about being one step closer to my goal. After the deads I was getting ready to WOD when G and TP were he...

September 18, 2012 WARMUP: 3 Rounds - 10 Lunges - 10 Shoulder Dislocates - 10 Air Squats - 10 Inchworms - 10 Abmat Situps GROUP OLY: 5 X 2 High Hang + 2 Jerk (35, 65, 85, 95, 95) WOD: "Incomplete" 4 Rounds for Time - 150m Shuttle Run - 20 Hand Release Pushups - 50 Double Unders (11:27 Rx) STRENGTH/SKILL - 1 RM Back Squat (205, 215, 225, 230 PR) - 50 Hollow Rocks (day 9) .

September 9, 2012 Garage Games 2012 - Day 2 I slept pretty well after finally falling asleep. I tried so hard to get in bed early, but it just wasnt happening. Once I got there I laid there for about an hour just trying to get myself to relax... even as tired as I was. I still had so much excitement built up for day number two! When the alarm went off I had to hop right into the shower to get myself going. I hurried downstairs and made myself and Hubs some breakfast... yes you read that correctly... I made breakfast! I was very happy to see him walk downstairs after his shower and across the kitchen, yesterday it looked like he was going to need crutches to get around today. As soon as we were done we headed out to meet everyone to drive to Natick again. The ride there today was still so exciting. We chatted about our soreness... and about the WOD's to come... and how we wanted to do. Different conversation, as I think we were all a little less nervous and more excited since ...

September 3, 2012 Labor Day is usually the day that marks the end of the summer. Its the last weekend that people usually use their vacation homes, pack up their boats and have massive parties. Really... Labor Day exists for a much better reason. Labor Day was established as a National Holiday in 1894 to pay tribute to the working men and women in the Nation. I found this great quote by Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor while looking up the actual date it became a national holiday and wanted to share... "Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." As I have become more aware of myself, m...

August 31, 2012 Anyone that knows me in real life... especially my parents and Hubs can tell you, I have absolutely zero patience. I have never had any, not when I was a newborn, a toddler, a child, a teen, a young adult... and still, I have none now. I am not really sure why, and I am not really sure how, but it is something I am working on. Though most of the time I can translate it into being a positive there are times that it is not good. Sometimes it adds stress where stress is not necessary and when I get stressed, I get even more impatient and, well, you get the picture.  I think one of the biggest issues that people have with working out and "dieting" (for the record I hate that word now when used in that context and almost cringe when I write it), is that they want immediate results. With the workout, they want to walk into the gym, pick up the weights or run on the treadmill and in a two week time period see results. They want to spend a week eating a "low ...

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...

March 18, 2012 One of the most important lessons I have learned while crossfitting is the importance in focusing 100% on the task at hand. It is not enough to just go to the gym, or perform a WOD, work on a skill or go for a jog here and there. You have to submerge yourself in whatever it is you are working on and give 100% if you want 100% results. We all know the common "its not working" excuse that a lot of people have. I had it too at one point in my life, it really wasnt that long ago... but it feels like a lifetime ago. The problem was, I was going to the gym, but I wasnt giving my 100% all the time. I was going through the motions, but not committing. I had a problem saying "no" to cakes, cookies and take out... when I knew it was going to hinder my performance and progress. I would "kind of" do a workout and if I was "tired" I would let it take over. I didnt push, I didnt really want it... I am not saying that there is not time f...

May 11, 2012 Ahhhh, you know... I just wrote about strength being not just about being able to lift a lot of weight... but there are days that it in fact IS about that! Those are the days at CFW that make my heart skip a beat! I am a huge fan of strength days as they happen to be my "strength" at the gym. I am not going to say I am the strongest person in the world, as I still have plenty of work to do and I still have gains to make, but there is something about reaching a goal or passing a previous PR with weight lifting that gives me a lot of joy! Putting weight over my head or squatting, snatching, pushing a massive amount of weight gives me a feeling I cant describe! The great thing is that I still have a lot to learn. I am lucky to have great coaching with M, K and Hubs. They know the ques that help me to succeed, they know what to tell me to make me a better athlete. They have patience and will work with me through my struggles... I will be a better athlete with ...

May 2, 2012 Failure has never been an option for me. I have always strived to be the best at what I do in as short of time it takes me to get there. Than once I get where I am happy I am usually pretty content. So that is one of my many challenges with CrossFit. You are never content... and if you are, there is a problem! Its the best and the worst part about it. Once something gets easier, you add more weight, you shoot to do it faster, you reduce the band size when you scale... there is always room for improvement and it never gets any "easier." What does take the edge off is how willing to accept that that is the way it is... and thats a tough pill to swallow sometimes. I have a tendency to want to skip the middle. I want to get to the end before passing through. Throw me in the deep end without swimming lessons and I will figure it out. Give me something to assemble and take away the directions, I will get it built. Thats just how my mind works. The challenge with CF ...

April 17, 2012 Lets face it, we have all been hurt. We have all either been dumped and heartbroken, had to be the person to do the heart breaking, had a friend stab us behind the back, trusted someone who we shouldnt have, been let down by someone we love and trust... I would actually feel bad for a person who hasnt had those experiences. It is those things in life that make us the person we are today. The way you handle those situations will result in how you will handle the next one. Each outcome and each attempt, failure or success will teach you what do do the next time the situation arises. The question arises though, if you should ever forgive the person that hurt you, or if you the "crime" was too big to ever let go or "forget". I think, like a lot of things, time helps to heal. There are some things that seem like the most horrible thing in the world while it is happening, but soon enough you cant remember what it was that set you off... you just remem...

February 8, 2012 Its hard to believe (and somehow at the same time it flew by) that just a mere 6 months ago Hubs and I arrived at the old garage for our first time, met K for the first time and were introduced to our first CrossFit WOD. I looked back into my journal to see what it was we did that day. I wasnt blogging yet.. it was a 21-15-9 of wall balls, burpees and abmat situps... and it took me 14:24. I wish I blogged about that workout, but I know I can remember pretty much feeling like I was going to die at the end of those 14 1/2 minutes! Somehow, I was absolutely hooked from that second on. The adrenalin, the feeling of finishing, the push by K to keep going, the anticipation of the next workout... and really, the challenge, had me ready for more. Here I am 184 days later, not only 22lbs and many many inches later, but in the best shape of my life still ready for tomorrow, still anticipating the next WOD and still pushing to be better every single day. My friend posted TH...

January 28, 2012 This quote is by Zig Ziglar, an author and motivational speaker... he has a lot of great ones, but this really sits with me today. When you think of it, you can apply it to anything in life. You can never get good at something without starting it, you can never get better at something if you didnt suck at it first and you can never improve if you dont work at it, whatever it may be, and embrace the challenge and push on. I have been feeling fantastic since the start of crossfit, I am pushing my limits as far as I can. I have done things I never thought I would be able to do and lifted weights I would never have imagined doing at "traditional" gym. But, as I have admitted in the last few weeks, its much easier and much more fun to work on things that you are good at than those that you are not so good at. The problem with this, is that in crossfit its all about being well rounded and able to perform all of the prescribed exercises (well, it is for me beca...