July 2013

Tomorrow starts July. I really can't believe half of 2013 is now behind us. The second half will bring lots of amazing things: kindergarten for Declan among them. Half of the summer is also behind us now. Where does time go? I've absolutely enjoyed all the good that 2013 and living in Arizona has brought to us and I can't wait to see what is coming next.

Since I ran my half-marathon in early March, running has been put on the back burner. I started weight lifting in March and Steven and I started CrossFit in May. This month, I plan to find a balance between running and CrossFit (and the rest of my life). My mileage goal for July is 30 miles. And I want to run 3 times a week.

I plan to start July off right by participating in a Virtual Run on July 4th. The proceeds will benefit The Wounded Warrior Project and I get this cool medal. This will be my 6th race of the year, which means I have 7 more until I've earned my "13 in 13" medal. Too easy.

Seems totally doable, especially because in January and February I was hitting 50 miles. But, its all about starting to get back into the rhythm and training again. I have a pretty full fall/winter race season and I'd like to be very ready to go.

I think that I can continue going to CrossFit 5-6 times a week while running 3 times a week. July is busy for us, but my work schedule isn't extreme. Even on the weeks that I do work, I only work 3 days.   We shall see how the balance goes and I will continue to tweak the number of WODs I do with the steady increase of miles as I train for my fall half-marathons. I know I can find a balance and still enjoy both.

Whole 30: Day 6

Day 6 did not go as well as planned. But I'm accepting that its ok.

Breakfast was great, scrambled eggs with sausage and a decaf coffee with almond milk. We spent the morning on chores, cleaning Declan's room and building his bunk beds. Lunch was a slight "cheat." I made the kids waffles and was so tempted. I resisted that temptation and instead had Cascadian Farms Organic Granola with almond milk.

I went to a Foundations Class at the gym and spent almost two horus working on squats. We did a lot of work on form and then did a workout.

3 Rounds for time:
25 Air Squats
20 Front Squats (45#)
10 Overhead Squats (35#)
I did it in 11:25 and boy are my legs SORE!

By the time we got home after that it was almost 4pm. I was tired, kids were tired, and so we got pizza for dinner. It was loaded with veggies which is better than nothing. I took it one step further and had some beer.

After feeling guilty for a little while  I decided that one "bad" meal a week is not the end of the world. Really, its ok. I felt great all week, and that "diet" is totally maintainable IF I let myself have some things I enjoy in moderation as well.

Day 7 will start me back on the Whole 30, or at least the version I've been doing.

Whole 30: Day 5 (HALFWAY DONE!)

Yes, I know the point is doing 30 days, but right now, my goal is 10. I plan to then see how I do on my own. I've been very happy so far, so I think it will be easy to keep on track. Anyway, Day 5, one full of temptations, but I stuck to my plan.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with sausage, made by my wonderful husband. I then met the girls for some Starbucks mid-morning and succumbed to the temptation of getting the new Valenica Orange Refresher. Its definitely the most healthy drink on the menu, as its fruit and water. And, it was really good!

For lunch, I made Cold Avocado and Crab Soup. I found the recipe in my Runner's World magazine. I was hesitant as it comes out really green, but it was good! We both enjoyed it, which is good, because there are leftovers.

This afternoon we went bowling with some of Steven's co-workers. We were hungry and didn't plan well, so we had to get something there. We made the best out of it and got some sweet potato fries and a burger with avocado and bacon. I ate my half of the burger without the bun so I felt good about that.

Tonight at CrossFit was fun and challenging. I was looking forward to the workout, which involved cleans, but I wasn't looking forward to the mental breakdown I knew would come. Cleans are a very mental lift for me. Today I broke through just a little bit. The workout's name was Elizabeth and it consists of 21 reps of cleans, 21 reps of ring dips, then 15 reps of each, then 9 reps of each.

The prescribed weight is 95# for women and 135# for men. I was able to get 95# for the first 13 reps of the first round. After that I dropped down to 85#. I also wasn't able to do ring dips due to a sore rotator cuff, so I did pull-ups 15 the first round, then 10, then 5. I completed the whole workout in 13:37. Not as fast as I wanted, but respectable.

For dinner I grilled up the last of the eggplant and ate the leftover pork chops and mushrooms. It was yummy. Day 5 was good, Day 6 will be better.

Whole 30: Day 4

So, I cheated a little bit on the morning of Day 4. No, nothing food related, I cheated with the scale. I desperately wanted to know what was going on with the weight changes and I'm so glad I did! I'm down 2.6 pounds from when I started. It was definite motivation to keep on going!

I started off the day with my usual scrambled eggs and added the nitrate free sausage I had prepared the night before. I mixed up another almond milk smoothie, this time with half a banana and some strawberries.

I struggled with finding something for lunch, as it was hot and I was tired. The tuna fish and avocado from Wednesday sounded really good, so I made another serving of that.

I sliced another cantaloupe for my snack and took about 1/4 of that in for my 3pm energy boost.

I had prepared Paleo Chicken Curry a month ago and defrosted it and put it in the crock pot for dinner.

Since we took Wednesday off, we went into the gym and did the most horrible workout ever.

Bethesda
15 minutes, as many rounds as possible

25 Double Unders (ratio was 4:1 for singles)
10 Burpee to Broad Jumps

I completed only 3 rounds and all of the single jump ropes for the 4th round. This WOD was hard. My shoulder was sore on the burpees, my feet were sore from my heels and then jumping. Ugh.

BUT, I DID IT. And the part of CrossFit that applies here is practicing what you dislike or are bad at to make it your strength.

After the workout, I did 3 sets of 5 pull-ups on the green band for the first set (which takes away 65# of your body weight) and the last two sets with the green and red band (taking away a total of 90#).

I had some celery, carrots, and red peppers with a homemade avocado dip for a late night snack.

Another good day. Almost half-way through my 10 days.

Whole 30: Day 3

Today was another good day for good food. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs and salsa, which Steven carefully inspected the label on yesterday so it passed the test. I also mixed up another decaf coffee, almond milk, banana shake for my mid-morning snack.

Lunch was tuna fish and an avocado. You'd think I would soon tire of avocados, but I haven't yet. I love them in all forms.

I brought some cantaloupe for a snack but didn't get a chance to eat it until I was on the way home. Then I created a nice, colorful, healthy dinner.

Grilled pork chops with mushrooms, served with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli. Miraculously, the children ate dinner today! And it was wonderful. And, we both have lunch ready for tomorrow.

I'm really surprised at how I'm not hungry. The reason I fail at every single diet I've tried is because I'm hungry. With this, I'm not at all. I'm usually reaching for a snack about 4pm, especially on the days I'm heading to the gym, but that's it. And, after dinner, I'm fine until the next day.

This isn't something I would want to do for the rest of my life, but it is something I could maintain most days. So, three days down, and 7 more until my 10 days are up. At that point I'll reevaluate and perhaps reintroduce some foods.

*Today was a rest day for both of us. We needed some time to heal sore shoulders, and some additional time with the kiddos this evening. It was well worth it.  

Whole 30: Day 2

Day 2 was not quite as good as Day 1, but I managed to get through. This was also my first day back to work since starting this. So, I now know I need to do some preparation ahead of time.

Breakfast was good, bacon and eggs. I also whipped up a drink of a half banana, decaf coffee, and dark chocolate almond milk. Now, I know the almond milk is not 100% Whole30 approved, BUT, its a conscious decision that I am going to drink it until it runs out and then get the unsweetened original or try coconut milk. I've accepted it, you all can too. ;)

Lunch was leftovers from last night: baked chicken, grilled eggplant and tomatoes, and I added an avocado. I snacked on some cantaloupe about 3pm. I was a bear come 4:30. Obviously, something was off in my body. So, I decided to have dinner early, I had about half a serving of Mexican Pork Stew. Pork chops, sweet potatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, and diced green chiles. This made me much happier.

We hit the 6:30 class at CrossFit Cochise, which is new for us, but due to work schedules that is where we are this week. It was a good class. "Nancy" was the workout.

5 rounds for time:
400m Run
15 Overhead Squats 95# for men, 65# for women

Due to my plaguing shoulder issues, which I think was made much worse by yesterday's bench press and pull-up workout, I did overhead squats with only a 10# bar. But, for me, the big deal was the run. I completed the workout in 22:22. I ran the entire 400m every time. That is big for me.

So, after dinner I had a bit of almond milk and I called it a day.

Day 2 done, and now I'm prepared for Day 3.

Whole 30: Day 1

Day 1:

I was a little apprehensive but excited about Day 1. Usually, the hunger makes me snap. And, since I was not working today and was at home with all the "other" food available to me, I was not sure of my chances. But, I DID IT!

Meal 1: Scrambled eggs (with water instead of milk), nitrate-free sausage, and red peppers; served over half an avocado  Since my husband embarked on this with me, a little uncertainly, I made enough for both of us. My goal was to make it to 10 o'clock before feeling hungry. I couldn't even finish my plate full of good food, and I wasn't hungry until I started packing up lunch.

I did a speed workout this morning, 1/2 mile warm-up at 10:30 pace and then 8x100m repeats at 8:00 pace.

I prepared lunch to take to eat with Steven at work. I baked tilapia with some seasoning blend from Costco. I also chopped up raw vegetables (celery, red pepper, carrots) and then whipped up an avocado dip with my emersion blender. We ate this and it was good!

I had a small snack mid-afternoon, because I knew dinner would be late due to CrossFit. I had a quarter of a cantaloupe and some cashews.

CrossFit today was another benchmark workout, Lynne. For this we did 5 rounds for max reps. Bench press and pull-ups. So, for Round 1, you do as many bench press reps as you can and then you do as many pull-ups as you can. Then the rest of the rounds, resting as needed. You are supposed to do this bench press with your body weight. Obviously, that is hard for a lot of people, particularly women. So, I did bench press at 85#. And I used the black band for my pull-ups.

My left shoulder was sore today and it was obvious on these two exercises. But, I learned a few new technique things on my bench press that I think will help me when I'm at 100%. And, after class, I attempted to go down in bands. The bands make you lighter when you are doing pull-ups, the black band "takes away" 100 pounds. The next one is the green one, which removes 60 pounds. I was able to combine the blue and red and go down to 90 pounds. Its a step in the right direction of pull-ups.

I did 71 total reps tonight. A good benchmark for the next time, at least.

I came home and prepared dinner. I had put chicken in the crockpot with olive oil and some of that same seasoning blend. Then I grilled eggplant slices and served them with tomato on top. It was excellent. And, husband has lunch for tomorrow.

Day 1 was a great success. Day 2 will be as well!

Whole 30: Lifestyle Change

This morning, I'm embarking on my Whole 30 Journey. This plan for food is pretty simple, Eat Good Food. Its a very strict version of the Paleo Diet. I will eat protein, produce, and healthy fats. I will not eat grains, legumes, sugar, dairy, or other processed foods.

I'm focusing on what I CAN eat, things like chicken, beef, eggs, sausage, bacon, avocados  cashews, olive oil, coconut oil, any fruit or vegetable. This is 30 days of eating whole foods, good foods.

I've been reading the book It Starts With Food and I'm somewhat prepared for what the next 30 days will entail. The first week will be rough. After week 2 I should be good to go. No cheats, none. None, none, none.

Steven has agreed to start this process with me, and no matter what, support me in this. I cleaned off a shelf in the pantry and filled it with Whole30 Approved foods. Declan and I hit the local Co-op and Safeway this afternoon to fill the fridge with fruits and veggies. I've found some great recipes and I'm encouraged by the fact that there are virtually no limitations of how much good food I can eat. As many vegetables as I want. As much protein as I need to stay satisfied and there is so much variety!

I'll be updating and keeping track via my blog, along with my workouts from this week. I hope that I'm as excited and upbeat about this on Day 7 as I am on Day "0."

Hero Wod at CrossFit Verve: Nate

So, I'm travelling on business and was able to find quite possibly the coolest CrossFit gym in Denver. CrossFit Verve is the home gym of Matt Chan. So, I signed up online and navigated through Friday afternoon Denver traffic.

Verve proved my theory on the CrossFit community, they are all welcoming and helpful. I walked in the door and barely had time to look around before someone was asking me if I needed help. I was welcomed to the gym, shown to the locker rooms, and then introduced to the coaches. The other people in my class were so welcoming.

For our warm-up, we ran with our PVCs (think a barbell but light like a PVC pipe) to the corner and then did pass-thrus and around-the-worlds to stretch out our shoulders. After a run to the next corner, we did leg swings and good mornings. At the third corner, we did lunges with the PVC overhead. The final corner was squats with pass-thrus.

After our warm-up, we paired up (I was pleased to be approached by one of the experienced Cross-Fitters to be his partner) and worked on a progression to help us with handstand push-ups. The progression was really enlightening and helpful. While I am nowhere near ready to do a correct handstand push-up, I have a lot of ways to work on that technique.

The workout was a Hero WOD, which is named for one of our fallen heroes. Chief Petty Officer Nate Hardy was killed February 4, 2008 in Iraq. This workout was created for him on February 12, 2008. Here is the workout:

As many rounds as possible in 20 Minutes:

2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand push-ups
8 Kettlebell Swings, 2 poods

A lot of people have to modify this workout in one way or another. I had to modify all of it. Muscle-ups are one of the hardest moves ever. So instead of doing them, I did 2 ring pull-ups and 2 muscle-up progressions. I finally have the movement down, now I just have to work on the strength.

Same thing with handstand push-ups. I learned a lot on how to work up to the skill and will continue to do so. I did pike push-ups on a 24" box.

Kettlebell Swings for women was prescribed at 1.5 poods. A Pood is a Russian measurement. 1 pood is 16kg or 35 pounds. I did this workout with 1 pood kettlebell. I know I can lift and swing a 1.5 pood, but since today was one of the first days my back hasn't hurt in almost 2 weeks, I was not going to risk it.

I completed 11 full rounds and the 2 modified Muscle-ups that started the 12th round. I was pretty happy with that, as my goal was 10 rounds.

I miss my coaches, fellow athletes, and my favorite workout partner. But this workout and this gym was awesome. If I ever find myself back in Denver again, I will not hesitate to go there and workout. The coaches today, Luke and Emily, were fantastic.

Heavy Day & Maintenance Day

I've been asking the coaches for a day where we can discover our max weights on certain lifts to see where we are. I was rewarded with a "Max Effort" day on Wednesday.

We had 15 minutes to find our max weight for 1 rep on back squat, push press, and then our 3 rep max on power cleans.

I hit 205# on back squat (which was good considering my recent back soreness but not great considering I hit that weight back in March.)

For push press I did 90#. Which was a 15# increase from the last time I did push press.

I totally biffed it on the cleans. Why this move is so hard for me, I just can't understand. I can do it at light weight just fine, but get to 95# and I crumble. Its so frustrating. Anyway, I did 80# on Wednesday.

Thursday I hit the Buckley AFB gym and, since there was limited space and equipment, did a little lifting.

Power Cleans
5 at 65#, 10 at 75#
Front Squats
5 at 95#, 5 at 105#, 5 at 115#
Back Squats
5 at 95#, 5 at 145#, 5 at 155#
Push Press
5 at 65#, 10 at 75#

Tomorrow I get to go workout at Crossfit Verve. I'm very exited about that, but nervous at the same time.

Brain Freeze

Today was another awesome Monday. I started off the day with the Spartan WOD:

100 m sprint
10 push-ups
100 m sprint
10 lunges
100 m sprint
10 push-ups
100 m sprint
10 squats
100 m spring, 100 m recovery x 2

Then I went to Annihilation class with Jill. It was a rough day! Lots of jumping jacks, squats, and some weight work.

Then, I headed to CrossFit for my favorite (?) part of the day. Tonight's workout had 3 elements, quite possibly my 3 least favorite elements ever.

50 Double Unders ( I can't quite do these yet, so I did 150 singles)
50 Slurpees - medicine ball slam - burpee - thruster - with a 15# ball
50 Sit-ups

I completed it in 13:59, and no, I won't ever round that up. My goal was 15 minutes and I'm pleased to have met that goal.

Another good day in the gym, and I'm excited about our adventure tomorrow!

Father's Day 2013

I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful men in my life. I'm happy I was able to spend time with almost all of them recently, even though the miles continue to separate us.

My father, who has been supportive in everything I've dared to dream up and has been publicly proud of all that I've managed to accomplish. And I know that he has been so very happy to be Gramps to my kids. (And I know he won't mind sharing this post with the other men he's brought into my life.)

My father-in-law, who has never once treated me like an "in-law," has always been happy to have us visit, and has been a great grandfather to our kids. He even ran a 5k with me on a muggy, rainy day last August.

My Father-in-law and my Father at our wedding, 2006.

My PopPop and my Grandpa Middleton were so much fun growing up! Sneaking us cookies and playing cards past bedtime. I am so lucky to have been able to spend some time with Grandpa Middleton and still have my PopPop around to be sneaking cookies to my kids.

PopPop and Abi watching the waves
March 2011.

My Uncle Tom has been a special gift to me. He's always pushing me to do my best and to keep on learning. I think I owe my desire to keep reading and learning to him. He and Aunt Sue have always been there for the important things in my life, and I'm so glad for it!

Uncle Tom, affectionately called the UT
at Lisa's wedding. May 2013.

And, of course, my husband. Who I'm so blessed to spend (almost) every day with and watch him play with our kids. Marriage is a journey, and we've had our share of excitement, moves, and time apart, but seeing the kids run to him when he comes home each night is the best part!

Visting Daddy when he had to "sleep over at work"
last week. June 2013.

Fundamental Friday

Friday was a return to fundamentals. Coach was concerned that we, the members at the box, may be progressing too quickly with too much weight, so we spent time on technique. The nine fundamental Crossfit movements are:

Air squats
Front squats
Overheard squats
Straight press
Push press
Push jerk
Medicine ball clean
Deadlift
Sumo deadlift high pull

After performing these correctly, a good number of times. We were to choose our weakest movement and complete 5 rounds of 10 reps with weight.

I didn't have much choice, as the push jerk is one of my weakest movements by far. I didn't even have time to add weight to my Bella Bar (more on that next post). I left the gym feeling frustrated.

Crossfit was my third workout of the day, I had run 1.5 miles earlier that morning, and then attended Annihilation class, which was full of squats and lunges. My legs were tired and I was discouraged. But, it was another day closer to getting better at this sport.

We are only as strong as our weakest element. I have my work cut out for me.

Tabata Thursday

Thursday at CrossFit has become to be an "Active Rest" day. Usually we do body weight exercise, or sled pushes, or tire flipping. Something that is hard but not heavy weight. Yesterday, we did a Tabata workout. Tabata workouts are formatted in this way: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Repeat. Tabata's generally last 4 minutes. Four minutes doesn't seem that long, but it really is when you're working hard for 20 seconds at a time.

Thursday we did this Tabata workout:

20 seconds of medicine ball slams
10 seconds of plank (REST)
20 seconds of kettlebell swings
10 seconds of plank (REST)
For 10 minutes.

Steven and I paired up, so that one of us could count while the other worked out. I went first. Prescribed weight for women was 20# medicine ball and 1 pood (16kg) kettlebell. I did 131 reps total. Steven's prescribed weight was 30# medicine ball and 1.5 pood (24kg). He did 139 reps total.

It was a good workout. I followed it up with some more pull-up work so I can get even closer to my birthday goal.

"Mari"

Wednesday was my date day with Declan. Throughout the summer, I'm doing some special things with each kid, and some trips together. Last week Abigail had Friday with me, this week Declan had Wednesday. We started the day with a 1/2 mile run on the track. Declan was thrilled with this. Then we went to Annihilation with Miss Jill. Declan loves going to this class with me, he gets his own mat, his own step, his own weights and he works out hard. We did box jumps, squats, lunges, push-ups, and he did it all with me.

After a stint at the playground, a lot of errands, and some nice relaxation at home, we all headed to CrossFit. My kids do not like that they have to play with other kids at CrossFit instead of working out with us. But, we let them workout a little bit afterwards. They swing on the rings, do pull-ups, squats, and handstands.

Yesterday's WOD was Mari. It was pretty brutal, but relatively short. The average person did it in 10-15 minutes.

10 Burpees - 1 Pull-up
9 Burpees - 2 Pull-up
8 Burpees - 3 Pull-up
7 Burpees - 4 Pull-up
6 Burpees - 5 Pull-up
5 Burpees - 6 Pull-up
4 Burpees - 7 Pull-up
3 Burpees - 8 Pull-up
2 Burpees - 9 Pull-up
1 Burpees - 10 Pull-up

I had to modify my burpees and step-out instead of jump due to my back (which is slowly getting better!) and I used the black band for pull-ups. This was a huge step for me. Two weeks ago I was still jumping off the box. It really feels like I may be able to do a pull-up on my own before my birthday. I completed this workout in 12:04. My rock-star of a husband completed it in 5:15.

I Know Squat

Front Squat

Today my coach asked me if I check the website for the WOD before I come in. "Of course," I said, "how else do I know what socks to wear?"

Today we did a workout involving front squats. These used to scare me, but now I embrace them. So, of course, I wore my purple socks. They say I KNOW on one and SQUAT on the other. They are SoxBox socks, one of my favorite pairs.

Today's Workout for time:
5 rounds
10 Ring Dips (I did mine with the green band)
5 Front Squats 95#
10 Renegade Rows 15#
11:48

Since I'm apparnetly a glutton for punishment, and I love working out with my husband, I skipped my evening run and went back to do the workout again. This time we did it for strength, increasing in weight on the front squat.

Renegade Rows

I did a few sets of the ring dips and renegade rows, but spent most of my time on the front squats.
First Round: 5 reps at 105#
Second Round: 5 reps at 115#
Third Round, first attempt: 2 reps at 135#
Third Round, second attempt: 1 rep at 135#
Fourth Round: 5 reps at 125#

So another successful day at Crossfit Cochise. I love going there, I love the coaches, I love the people we workout with. Such a great feeling when I walk into the gym.

Life is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

This line is quite appropriate as Monday, at Crossfit, we did a workout called Muscle Snatch Marathon. This workout has 3 Levels.

Level 1: Group of 3, alternating to hit 1,000 Muscle Snatches
Level 2: Partners, alternating to hit 1,000 Muscle Snatches
Level 3: All by yourself - 1,000 Muscle Snatches

I did Level 2 with a 35# bar with Kristen. We had a 50 minute time max. We hit 650 reps. Kristen did 350 and I did 300. It was a ROUGH workout.

In the evening, when the temperatures were back in the low 90s, I hit the track for my evening run. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do, but I ended up doing this:

4 rounds of 300m run/100m walk
4 rounds of 200m run/100m walk
4 rounds of 100m sprint/100m walk

All in all, it was a great Monday for working out. A great way to start the week!

Catching up on the week

Weeks always seem so hectic when I work, add to that Steven started golfing for the Commander's Cup Competition, and one staff duty and I'm not shocked the next time I can write is on Friday.

Tuesday's WOD: Fight Gone Bad
This workout is a rough 17 minutes!
You do each thing for 1 minute, after the 5th thing, you take a 1 minute rest. Then you repeat for 3 full rounds.

1 - wall ball shots (14#)
2 - sumo deadlift high pulls (55#)
3 - 24" box jumps (I did step-ups)
4 - push press (55#)
5 - row, for calories

For each round, you counted your reps and then added the calories you rowed. My goal was to hit 50 reps on each round. My scores looked like this:

Round 1: 78
Round 2: 63
Round 3: 55
Total Score: 196

Wednesday's WOD: Snatches

I went into the box on Wednesday feeling pretty sore and tired. I did the warm-up, I practiced Snatches, I even got one round into the workout, and then I stopped. I was so proud of myself that I actually stopped because it hurt. I was glad of the support from the coaches and the rest of the class that it was the right decision.

Thursday: I took this day completely off due to the continued soreness in my back. I was really hoping a day off would "fix" it.

Friday: Amazing Grace

I was right! A day off did me good! I headed into the gym with pep in my step and was determined to complete the WOD.

3 rounds:
10 Clean and Jerks 65#
10 Handstand push-ups (I can only do halfway down, so I did 20 halfway pushups instead)

I completed this in 14:58. As we discovered today, I can do this with more weight. But I'm having some form issues on my clean. So I was glad to use the lower weight to try to break through the dead end that I hit  with cleans. I did the clean and jerk at 85, but was unable to do it at 95. The other girls in the gym rocked it and were able to hit new PRs (Personal Records) and hit 90# and 95#. I just love it when someone hits a new record!

I can't wait to see what Saturday morning holds for us at CrossFit Cochise!

Just another Manic Monday

What should have been an awesome WOD today was thwarted. First by the soreness from Saturday's intense lunges. Then by the dead legs I had from running for the first time in over a week  last night. And third, by my concern for my daughter. I left Abigail at school screaming her head off for no apparent reason.

So, with all of that in my head, I approached the WOD with low expectations.

"Deadman Sprinting"
15 min AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)
5 Deadlifts 1.5 BW/BW
200m Sprint

So, no way was I doing my body weight for deadlifts today. I settled for 155#. Halfway through the second round, I dropped it to 135#. I completed only 5 full rounds, getting all the deadlifts for the 6th round done before time stopped.

My back is sore, my legs are sore, and my hands are sore, despite wearing gloves. But, Workout #1 for the day is done. This afternoon/evening I will crank out a cardio session, I'm thinking rowing, and call today a success.

And, the best part: Tomorrow is another day with another WOD.

The Perfect Date

One of the things I cherish most about CrossFit is when Steven and I get to go together. It happens most Saturdays and just a few other times during the week. Today was a great example about why I love it.

Our workout today involved partners. Ordinarily, Steven would be paired up with another guy, as men and women generally lift different weights. In our group this morning, there weren't any other men who could lift his weight. I said I would try the 95#. It didn't exactly work, so we compromised from my 65# and landed at 75#. We then took turns walking with the barbell in the front squat position. We each did 10m at a time until we went 20 times each, or 400m total.

It was really fun working with him. He pushes me and encourages me, and makes me want to do better to keep up with him. It was a lot of fun.

After our lunges, we each did 200 situps with either a 5# plate (me) or a 10# plate (him). This was not as much fun, but I powered right through.

I can't wait until Tuesday night, when we get to go together again. Who knows, may be one day we'll take a picture like this....

June Challenge

I twisted my friend Amy's arm into creating a challenge for us for June 1-15. Here it is:

1. Post in our group daily

2. Get 30 minutes of cardio or exercise each day

3. Avoid Caffeine

So glad that the hard work for #3 was already done. I just need to avoid the chocolate, unless it is unsweetened.

Another woman in my group posted this picture for an Ab Challenge. I am also doing this and I WILL STICK TO IT!

So, my month should shape up to include at least 5 days of CrossFit a week, this Ab Challenge, along with my normal healthy eating (leaning more towards paleo every day), and some running. I'm doing two-a-days every week day that I am not working so I can get my running where it needs to be. 

June is my month!