Read these words of wisdom this morning.

“Life is made up of a collection of moments that are not ours to keep.”

Here’s what I take from it.. Enjoy what you have while you can. Don’t hold on to what isn’t yours or what isn’t meant to be. Enjoy each moment, and look forward to all of the upcoming moments; we may never experience those moments again.

Max Upper Body Complex
1 – Power Clean
1 – Hang Squat Clean
1 – Thruster
1 – S20H

WOD:
6 min AMRAP

21 – 15 – 9 Calorie Row
Box Jump Overs (24/20″)

3 min rest

6 min AMRAP
15 – Ring Dips
50 – DU’S (double singles)

For the Upper Body thing, I ended up getting 145! Although that’s my old 1RM Thruster PR, I did it mixed in with a bunch of other stuff, so.. I’ll take that as a PR! I can definitely do more and I’m excited to get my Thruster 1RM even higher. 

For the WOD, I did double singles. I tried a few DUs and my right foot/shin instantly seized up. Not worth it.

I hate that I won’t RX DUs right now, but any Dr will tell me to take time off and rest, and that’s not an option. I’ll just push through and modify instead. Any time off and rest I’ve taken has felt great (physically) but my body is just wanting more, and mentally I’m a mess without my exercise.  And it’s the stupidest things that cause the pain, like even under heavy loads, it flattens my feet out and they end up hurting. Stupid.

Feels good to be back home and back in my gym!

WOD: 9 Minute AMRAP

3 – Power Snatch (95/65)
3 – OHS (95/65)
3 – Strict HSPU
*Add 3 reps each round

Because they didn’t want us using a weight plate for the HSPUs, I had to do them on a box. That sucked! I hate the scaled version of HSPUs, but whatevs, I did them.  I finished 4 rounds + 1.

I took quite a bit of time off after we got back from Colorado. For lots of reasons. I was tired, I wanted to recover, I was busy, and just cause. 🙂 My body felt great and I didn’t hurt or have any soreness, and I figured I’d had enough of all that.

WOD: 13.2

10 Minute AMRAP

5 – S2OH (115/75)
10 – Deadlifts (115/75)
15 – Box Jumps

I ended up beating my score from the previous time I did it, and I hadn’t even peeked before the WOD to see what it was. I knew I wasn’t going to kill myself going into it, that I’d just do it like any other WOD.

So my score this time around was 199. 2 years ago I got 190, but was destroying myself to get that. I know I could’ve done better than 199, but I’m happy that I beat my old score without even trying. 🙂

AND… to make it all even more amazing, I had a hot date at Big Fish afterwards for some Power Yoga. Holy hell that was rough, but it was so awesome. I even posted on FB:

A recipe for making your day really freaking awesome.
Go to CrossFit TotalControl, beat your previous score, cheer and high five everyone while you’re there. Then, go to Big Fish Yoga and listen to really awesome music while twisting, bending and sweating on your mat, of course, also alongside some more really awesome people.
Biiig siiighhhhh. Happy weekend, all you beautiful people!

I went back to Aspen CrossFit for more. Why not?! This time, I had a different coach, and a different group of people, so it was like being new all over again. Heyy-o! It was fine though, and I had a great time again.

WOD:

3 Rounds For Total Reps:
1 min ME AirDyne (L+R=1)
1 min ME Med Ball Clean (20/14)
1 min ME DU’s (3:1)
1 min ME KB SDHP (70/55)

So instead of destroying my calves/feet on the last day of being out there, I got to row instead of do DUs, which was marvelous. The airdyne was awesome, actually. And the whole WOD was perfect! Aside from the DUs I RXed the WOD and used a 16lb wall ball, since that’s what we do at home.

Boom. I don’t remember what I got, but I remember that I increased my reps per round each time, which was challenging but great. Woo!

Last Day at Aspen CrossFit, thanks guys!

Got to visit Aspen CrossFit while we were out in Snowmass, and it was awesome! I had a few different boxes to choose from, and decided on Aspen CF from a recommendation from a friend who used to live out there. Very warm and friendly group, the owner, Erik, was super helpful and great with getting back to me on drop ins and visiting. I LOVE that I can go just about anywhere and drop in at a CF box and just, fit right in. It’s a great feeling. 🙂

Anyway! Holy altitude! I knew I’d have a hard time at some point with the elevation, and here it was. The only other time I had any issues (outside of CF) was going up the crazy flights of stairs to the village where Starbucks was at.. first world problems.

Anyway, the WOD!

21-18-15-12-9-6-3
KBs (55/35)
Burpees to 45lb plate

UGHHHHHH. Really? I knew there’d be burpees. Here they were. Here it was. Yes I did them. They were great, and awful. So awful that, I skipped one of the rounds, (I think 15) just because I didn’t want to die. I admit it. I’m sure I finished in something like, 2 hours. Not really, it was more like 20+ minutes, but it was awful. 🙂 And great. I’m so glad I went!

With Erik Larson, the owner of Aspen CrossFit!

In search of beautiful, fresh powder and new (to us) trails, we decided to go exploring our little Snowmass mountain. In the process, we took a wrong turn and we got stuck on a Double Black Diamond. Hell pit Gulch. Death Gulch. Nightmare Mogul Gulch of Death. Call it what you will, but we turned right instead of left and couldn’t get back across and were faced with the ultimate mental and physical challenges of our trip.

I saw the moguls and was like, fuck it. Let’s do this. We don’t have a choice so I might as well hit this shit head on and make it happen. I started in, and went slowly. The moguls were some of the craziest I’ve seen (doesn’t say a lot, but.. I’ve encountered doable moguls before.. these weren’t those.) Side to side on my heel edge I went, and I tumbled, caught my edge, fell back, fell forward, I even somersaulted and landed with my feet and board facing up the mountain. WHOOPS.

When I realized I was actually okay after landing that somersault safely, (tumble, flip, total loss of control, call it what you will..) I just laid there and laughed. Like.. Holy shit, I just did that! Let’s re-assess this situation! So I sat up, looked for the boys, and noticed how far behind me they were. Dude.. come on, you two! WTF are you doing??

You literally have to zoom in to see them. Dave sitting on the left, Mike standing on the right.

So yeah. They were WAY up there.

This whole time, I had been like, omg, omg, omg.. just keep going. Just keep going. Just take it easy. Stay calm. Keep going. Okay, we fell, let’s take a break. Okay, let’s go. Let’s do this, we’ve got this, we can do this. We have to finish at some point. Holy shit, we’re gonna die here. We’re never going to finish, this is never going to end. Keep going, come on.. keep going. Let’s just keep moving. Keep moving. It has to end at some point…..

Sound familiar? It was like CrossFit. Straight up, the mentality of a really hard WOD. Let’s compare it to getting through Murph. Or Kalsu. Or 500 burpees for time. No end in sight, until finally, it’s just there. It ends. And you’re done. And you’re like, holy shit we just FUCKING DID THAT!!!!!!! WE DID THAT!! WE LIVED!!!!

If it weren’t for what I’ve gained, mentally and physically, from crossfit, I would’ve fallen once or twice and then sat there and cried. I would’ve given up, let myself be defeated, and I would’ve needed to unstrap and trudge down the damn valley of death moguls, crying the whole time, with my board in tow.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, I was ahead of the boys the entire time, but they had their own crazy challenges to deal with! I had the advantage by riding down on my heel edge, but Dave has a hard time with his heel edge, and our friend Mike got his skis stuck at one point and had to untangle himself from a very difficult situation. We’re all really lucky that we walked away from that, seeing as how we weren’t prepared at all for that one!

So thanks CrossFit, for helping me prepare for the unknown. 🙂 That was pretty awesome.

Happy to be out there!

I DID IT!!!!

So we’ve been planning our snowboarding trip (to Snowmass) and I’ve had the intentions of taking it easy before we go, as I don’t want to be wrecked before we spend a fortune to be out West. 

Strength: Snatch
7 Minute EMOM x 5 Reps at @75% of 1RM
All Reps Should Be Touch and Go

I ended up going with 95lbs for my snatch, IIRC. It was SO HEAVY.  I tried to maintain the 75% of the 1RM thing, but I couldn’t pull off the 5 reps per min. I just did what I could, and focused on the form and not so much how heavy it was. Holy Moly.

WOD: 11 Minute AMRAP
8 – Power Snatch (115/75)
12 – Box Jumps (24/20″)
14 – T2B

I was pretty excited about this because.. well, snatches at 75lbs aren’t too bad, and box jumps are awesome, and I can do T2B now, so.. yeah! RX that shit.  Feels good to have a red RX next to your name, especially when there are only a few other girls who can do that same! (5 total girls including me RXed that WOD, out of about 100 people that showed up!)

I was going for 2 rounds, which is sad, but I knew the T2B would slow me down. I ended up getting 2 + 23, so that was awesome! So proud. I love that feeling!

I love me some Evil Wheels, and when I say love, I mean hate..

Our WOD and strength portion were as follows:

Strength: KB Box Squats
10×3 – AHAP

Lori and I used the bigger KBs, 40lbs.

Box Squats

WOD- For Time:
30-20-10
Ring Rows
Ring Dips
Evil Wheels

Evil Wheels, yes that’s me!

I can’t believe 3 years have gone by. Yesterday I celebrated my crossfit-iversary with some family and friends, and it was perfect, really.  The journey itself is never-ending, and the lessons learned along the way are hard-earned; sometimes joyous, sometimes tearful. I never imagined I’d dedicate myself to something so fully that I’d actually transform this much. Today, in a regular moment, it doesn’t seem like a whole lot is different but when I think about it, everything about me is different!

My confidence, my self-esteem, my happiness, my body; both inside and out, my relationships with others, my enormous group of friends and family. This is all because of CrossFit. But is it really all because of CrossFit? Or is it my own doing?

The accidental meeting of my first coach, Erin when she needed decals for her brand new CF box, conveniently located steps away from our offices, completely changed my life. (Was it really accidental or totally meant to be? I’m a firm believer in everything happening for a reason…)  I had no idea then how much this sport would affect me, or change me, or motivate me, but it did. She took me in, taught me, encouraged me and coached me as much as she was able, and in a way set me free. It was from there that I found CrossFit Total Control, my home base.

Here we are. I have earned certificates, attended seminars, met some amazing people, traveled to crazy places, built a crap ton of muscle, lost a crap ton of weight, changed my diet, quit soda, learned a million and one new things about how our bodies work, improved my overall health and well-being, and changed my attitude entirely about life and love and happiness. 

I put in the work and the sweat and the tears. I created those smiles. I made the effort to just go to the damn gym. However, it’s the community, my amazing coaches, my friends, who have made it fun and worthwhile. The people who encourage me all the way to the finish, help me up off the ground, and then high five and hug me after for a job well done. It’s the feeling after a really fucking hard WOD that, hey… I just finished that! I just did that.

I love what I do. I love CrossFit. I love how I’ve changed. I never thought it would have this sort of impact on me, and really, I didn’t even know that these kinds of changes were possible. I literally wasn’t aware of them being achievable or attainable. I am still me, but a much better, improved, happier, healthier version of me.

I wish I could bottle this amazingness up and give it away, because everyone deserves to experience what hard work and dedication will do for them. But since I can’t, I will only hope that my posts, my experiences and my words  can help to encourage others. To that, I raise my delicious coffee and say, here’s to another great year. 🙂