first physical therapy appointment

This will not be long because my hands are tired from the little I did today.  PT wasn't that bad today because we just did a lot of measuring of my strength and sensations at this point.  Although we did not do a lot I didn't realize how hard the simple things (like just turning my hands over and making a fist) would be. My physical therapist is really nice and I am confident that she will get my hands where I need them to be in just a few weeks.  I know the real work will start with my next appointment, December 26.  Here are a few pictures from today's session, but please excuse my hair (that isn't really what I was thinking about ---- I was just trying to remember to breathe)! 

 

 

 

 

 Excuse my face in this picture, but bending my hands was not the most comfortable thing to do.

 The two pictures above are the tests to see how my sensation in my fingers is at this point.

 This is how my hands looked after they took off the original bandages.

These are my new dressings, and are much more comfortable than the bulky ones from before.

a few days post surgery

The surgery went really well.  I have been in quite a bit of pain, but I hate taking the pain meds because they make me really tired!  I was overwhelmed with the amount of texts, facebook messages, and prayers people sent to me!  I am truly blessed.  Thank you all!  I have my first physical therapy appointment on Wednesday and I am hoping that when they take the bandages off they will be amazed at how well I am healing!  I haven't been allowed to take the bandages off so I have no idea what anything looks like but I feel like it is going really well.  I have stuck to my diet so I am hoping that swelling will not be an issue!  I have been so blessed to have a family that has taken care of me and has cooked me food that follows my diet.  I haven't really been able to work out because I have been sick since the moment I got to Texas, but I am hoping that I can do a bunch of sit ups and squats tomorrow!  I feel very blah since I haven't been able to be active.  I have gotten in trouble by my family because I have tried to do too much with my hands!  I am just way too independent and don't realize what too much is!  I have slowed down some because it does actually hurt when I do simple things like open a bottle of water, buckle my seat belt, open the refrigerator, or even turn a door handle.  It is very frustrating to me but I don't want to try and over do it!  I will let you all know what happens on Wednesday, but please pray for really good news!!

day before surgery

I spent the day with my sister shopping at Trader Joe's and Central Market for things she can fix for me while I am recovering at her house.  She is so sweet!  She had looked up some recipes she could make and even had a cookie recipe!  We got a lot of good stuff like butternut squash for some soup, spaghetti squash, fish, hamburger meat (grass fed), almond flour, almonds, coconut milk, coconut oil, some berries, and BACON!  I am really lucky that my family is supportive enough to not only take care of me after my surgery but to also cook things that I need/want to eat. 
I will have bilateral carpel tunnel surgery tomorrow.  I have to be at the hospital at noon, so who knows when I will get out of there!  This will probably be my last post for about a week or so.  I have my first post-op and physical therapy appointment next Wednesday.  I am hoping that I will be able to recover faster than they think and will be able to get back to Crossfit (although I will be limited with my hands) ASAP! 
Thank you all for your support.  It really does me the world to me!  I couldn't have gotten this far without your support!  I am truly blessed! 
Talk to you all very soon!!!

clothes shopping

I usually hate to go clothes shopping!  Nothing ever fits and it is always just a frustrating experience!  I haven't bought any new clothes since I started Crossfit or did the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. To date I have lost 40 pounds, so buying some new clothes became a necessity!  I got my sister to go with me today because she is probably the most honest person I know.  The women might be the only ones that really get this first part. :) We started at the mall and decided I would go to Victoria's Secret just to get fitted for a bra (because I needed one really bad)!  When they fitted me and I tried on the bra and it fit....I had to buy it!  I can't remember a time that I fit into a Victoria's Secret bra!!!  That made my day!  Then we went to Old Navy so I could get some inexpensive jeans and a few shirts.  We started at the size I thought might fit, but when I put them on they were way too big!  I ended up going down 2 sizes from the jeans that I had walked in the store wearing!  Sarah was convinced I needed skinny jeans, and I am not sure how she convinced me to try them on or buy them...but I did.  I was just really excited that it all actually fit!!!  I never thought this was possible!  Not for me.  I am so glad that I found Crossfit and Advocare!! This was the best shopping trip of my life!

playing catch up!

Life got kind of hectic right before I was getting ready to leave Montgomery.  This post is going to play catch up from last Wednesday.  One of the reasons I didn't post on Wednesday was because I was really frustrated with my performance that night!  I had hurt my knee on Monday and it was still pretty tight on Wednesday.  Wednesday's WOD was 5 rounds max reps of burpees, wall balls, body rows, push press (55#), and step ups.  I started out on wall balls and I couldn't even do the first one!  My left knee and hamstring were killing me!  I almost started to cry because I knew this was one of my last workouts before I left Crossfit for about 6 weeks and I couldn't even do the first exercise.  Travis told me I could just do push ups instead.  I knew I couldn't even do regular push ups because my leg hurt just doing those.  I did the push ups with my knees on the floor.  I did the first round with push ups instead of wall balls, but on rounds two and three I wanted to try squats.  Once that didn't hurt too bad I decided to try wall balls again!  I actually decided to switch it up halfway through round four.  I guess my knee had loosened up enough at that point that it didn't hurt nearly as bad!  Even though I did end up doing wall balls in this WOD I was still very frustrated that my body was not cooperating with me!
Thursday was a completely different day!!!  I went to my doctor to get my final labwork done for my surgery.  He wrote a letter for my surgeon.  When I read it I almost started to cry!  My doctor said,  "She is without a doubt in the best shape of her life." Seriously?!  I have been working my butt off and my doctor actually noticed!!  I couldn't wait to get to the box and show Travis!!  I was basically jumping up and down when I took the letter to him!  I think the best part was when he realized what it said because he got this huge smile on his face and gave me a big hug!! He was just as excited as I was!  I had been worried about the WOD for Thursday, but after reading this letter I knew I could do it!  It was three rounds of 500m row, 10 deadlifts @ 185#, and a 200m run.  I asked Travis what weight I should do on the deadlifts. My 1RM is 235#, so I wasn't sure I would be able to do 185# ten times in a row!  Travis said I should at least be at 145#.  When he saw me warming up with 145# he said 165#.  Eventually it worked itself all the way up to 185# (which was RX).  I really wasn't sure that I was going to be able to do it, but I would sure as heck try.  When I was on the last round and was running back into the box from the 200m run Travis was standing there cheering me on.  I don't think I have run that fast in a VERY long time!  All I could really think about was that letter from my doctor and how I was going to prove it right!!!  It was an absolutely amazing night!!!  I finished in 17:49, but the time didn't even matter!  I was just really really happy with how I did!!!
On Friday I did a very similar WOD to the one I had done on Tuesday.  It was 5 rounds max reps bench press and body rows.  The big difference being that I did 115# on the bench press instead of 75#! I ended up doing 32 bench presses and 48 body rows after 5 rounds. 
Saturday was my last workout before I left for surgery.  It was a really tough one because I didn't get nearly enough sleep and was just feeling kind of drained.  It was a 20 minute AMRAP of 1 power clean, 2 front squats, 3 push presses @75#, and 200m run.  I was in a group with Stephanie and Rachel.  I am so glad I had them because I don't know if I would have finished without their support! I struggled through the lifts, which was disappointing, but I did get through them!  It was sad to know that this was my last workout at Crossfit for about 6 weeks.  I told everyone goodbye and basically ran out of the box where they wouldn't see me cry!
 

some of my inspiration

Someone posted this on facebook a while back and I put it as my background on my computer.  Everyday I read this and it makes me remember why I changed my diet and why I go to Crossfit everyday that I can.  I want to get to that point and thank myself everyday for the rest of my life!! 

Pretty satisfying night!!

In my post about last night's workout I neglected to mention that I somehow hurt my left knee. I did a lift wrong and felt something pop, but it didn't really hurt at the time so I finished the WOD. I woke up around 1:00 this morning and my knee was killing me!  I limped around most of the day at work. I iced it and put Biofreeze on it but it didn't seem to do anything. I had already seen the WOD for tonight, which included a whole lot of lunges, and knew that was probably out of the question. Somebody at work told me that I should just take the day off and rest. That was not happening!! Saturday is my last workout at Crossfit2l2q for the year and I am not taking any night off between now and then!  I knew Travis would come up with something for me to do. I was frustrated that I wouldn't be able to do what everyone else was doing. When I got to the box I was frustrated and feeling kind of defeated. I told Travis what was going on and he said he had another WOD I could do that would let me rest my knees for the night. I ended up doing 5 rounds of max reps in bench press and body rows with a 2 minute rest in between rounds. I did 75# on bench press.  I counted how many I did of each thing in each round. I am going to focus on the bench presses because I wasn't doing so great at body rows tonight (I think the most I did in one round was 11). I wasn't sure how I was doing throughout the WOD because I had no one else to compare it against. I felt like I wasn't doing as well because I didn't have other people around to push me. At the end I counted up all of my bench presses. I had done 75 at 75#!  When I asked someone if that was pretty good they looked at me like I was nuts for asking (they said that was great)!  After we did the skills I decided that I wanted to try and find my 1 rep max in bench press. I knew I was a little tired from the other 75, but I really wanted to see what I could do!  I started out at 105#. Clinton was spotting me and said that I needed to add more weight if that was so easy after doing all the other lifts tonight. I ended up lifting 140#!!!  At the end I made a comment that 140 wasn't that bad and Clinton said no that was really good!  It makes me pretty happy when I can lift weights!  I wanted to see what I could do tonight because I want a place to work towards when I get back from surgery. I was so mad about my knee tonight, but it was just a blessing in disguise so I could do bench presses!

tough night

I was so tired last night that I fell asleep before posting my blog.  It wasn't a bad night of workout but I was definitely not as focused as I should have been.  We did 7 rounds of 1 Hang Power Clean, 1 Front Squat, and 1 Push Jerk.  I struggled with the hang power cleans the whole time, but I did pretty good on the front squats and push jerks.  I worked my way up to 110#.  Then we did "Heavy Elizabeth" which was 12-9-6 of Power Cleans and Ring dips and then a 400m sprint.  I did 85# on the power cleans and a black band on the ring dips.  This is the first workout that I have ever done ring dips, and I was pretty nervous about it.  I ended up using the black band (which makes the ring dips the easiest they could probably be) to get through it.  I finished the 12-9-6 in 2:54 which wasn't too bad!!  We did the 400m run (I rowed) after everyone had finished the power cleans and ring dips.  My arms are pretty sore from the workout, but I think I could have done more weight if I had more focus.

Reflection of a few things

As I was driving to my liver ultrasound appointment this morning I started thinking about my first days on this journey and some of the things I have been able to accomplish. The very first day at Crossfit I couldn't even run 200m. Today I can run 400m, on most days, without walking. I thought about the first time Travis had our Elements class do Abmat situps. I couldn't do one without straightening my legs out (instead of keeping them in a butterfly position). Earlier this week I did 4 rounds of 20 unbroken Abmat situps and I can now do the situps with a med ball!  I have a lot of things left that I want to accomplish! But, today I just smiled to myself thinking that in the past (almost) 3 months my life has changed so much!  I never thought I would actually enjoy working out, but now I look forward to going to the box each day. Most of that has to do with the people that are there and the support that they always give me!  I never thought that I would lose 30+ pounds, but the Advocare 24 Day Challenge (combined with Crossfit and a Paleo diet) made that possible. It is kind of funny how life can change so fast!  God is so good!

Team Awesome!

I was really excited when I saw that tonight was a partner WOD!  I was just hoping that my partner would be there!  I knew we were going to kill this WOD so I was happy when I saw Katherine walk through the door!  Katherine and I have fun while we dominate the workouts.  Tonight was no different. We could split the exercises up anyway we wanted (as long as each of us did at least one of each thing). It started with 300 single jump ropes. Katherine did most of these and was awesome. Then we split 20 push ups in half. The next part took the longest. It was 40 hang cleans with 75#. I started and we just switched back and forth until we got through them. My arms were pretty tired after that, but we split up the next 20 push ups. We got through them pretty fast and finished the WOD up with another 300 single jump ropes. We finished in 10:21!  It was an awesome night!

My arms still hurt but I can actually feel the muscles in my arms!  They are getting a little more defined and that makes the pain SO worth it!

Back squats!

I was really excited to see that we were doing back squats tonight!  This is something I can usually do really well. The last time that we did our 1 rep max on back squats I got up to 205#. I was pretty sure I could have done more but we ran out of time. I was a little worried that my knees were going to hold me back but I really wanted to see what I could do. We spent 12 minutes finding our 1 rep max. I got up to 185# and was doing fine. I decided that I would just try 235# and see how it went. I was doing fine until about half way back up and I knew I couldn't do it (I think most of it was a mind thing).  The bar was resting in the wrong spot (on my neck) so I couldn't just drop it. I imagine that it kind of looked like a slow motion video of me falling backward. I was fine (actually I was kind of laughing in my mind thinking of how it probably looked). That was the first time that I have dropped any weight while I was lifting so I was a little hesitant about going back. Jessie and Chase told me I should try 205#, and I finally agreed. After the 205 I went up in increments of 10# and got up to 225#!  Not too bad!!  Next time I will get that 235#!  The next part was 5 rounds of 1 back squat (50% of your max weight) and a rest of 30 seconds while holding the bar. Once the bar came off the rack it didn't go back until the five back squats and rests were done. This part was pretty easy after 225#.  The final part of the WOD was the part that I kind of dreaded. It was four rounds of 20 unbroken Abmat situps and a 200m sprint (mine was more like a jog) with a 2 minute rest in between rounds. I really wasn't looking forward to the running but it ended up not being as bad as I thought it would be. Although I thought about each time I was jogging, I didn't walk on any of the 200m runs! I was pretty satisfied with my entire workout tonight!  YAY!
I will be icing my knee tonight, but those back squats were worth it!  My arms still hurt from last night and my abs just started burning. My body's just telling me that I worked hard :)

more focused

Yesterday was a much more focused day.  I started with an 800m run (I didn't run the whole way but I did run/jog about 2/3 of the way).  That is the first time I have ever even attempted the 800m run!  There was a lot more in the warm up but the 800m run was the highlight for me (not that I like to run but I was impressed that I did so well).  The workout was a 20 minute AMRAP or 3 box jumps (I did step ups), 6 push presses, and 9 toes to bar (I did knees to elbows).  This workout was pretty intimidating to me but Morgan said I should be able to get 12 rounds in during the 20 minutes.  I thought she was CRAZY!  I started the workout with my regular step up and 65# on push presses.  When I got done with the knees to elbows on the first round and headed back to start the step ups I realized that someone had added a weight on top of the step!  It was a lot higher! I did the step ups and push presses again on the second round, but when I got to the knees to elbows I noticed that James and Morgan were headed to my bar with more weight!  They added 10 pounds to each side.  So, I finished the rest of the 20 minutes with a higher step up and 85# on push press!  It was hard!  I couldn't believe it when I finished because I had actually done exactly 12 rounds!!!  I got my last 2 knees to elbows for the 12th round done in the last 3 seconds!  I really couldn't believe that I did it!  My arms felt like jello afterwards but it was SO worth it.  This is the reason that I go to Crossfit.  They push me further than I would ever push myself.  I would have stayed at the 65# on push presses the whole time.  It would have been a decent workout, but nothing like doing the 85#!  I wouldn't have made the step up any higher either but it was good to see that I could actually do it.  The people there believe in me and push me, but not further than what they know I can really handle. 

Travis asked me yesterday about how long I was going to be gone after my surgery.  I told him at least six weeks and that I wouldn't even be in Montgomery because I would be with my family in Houston.  He told me that I would be really good at sit ups when I got back!  I had asked him to give me some stuff to do while I was gone because I am really afraid of losing all the progress that I have made so far.  He said that he would start hounding me after about 7 days about what I was doing to workout.  I was actually really glad to hear this because I will need the push!

These pictures aren't really good ones.  My sister (and some others) asked me to post some, so here they are!

Decent workout even though my mind has been crazy lately!

I will get to the workout in a minute, but first I'm going to lay a lot of stuff on the line. I am really excited about seeing and spending quite a bit of time with my family and getting my hand surgery so they don't hurt anymore. The problem is that I have been really stressed out trying to get everything ready for me to leave. My job is stressful on a good day but trying to get things manageable for my coworkers once I'm gone has been crazy. I have been working over most days and on holidays. I've also been working every weekend at my second job (and when I get off there I usually head to my full time job for at least two hours). There are a lot of little details that I have been trying to get done too. (like getting my mail forwarded, the dogs food ordered and ready, lab work for my surgery, etc.) I have been in sort of a funk for a few days just because of stress. I have also been really stressed about leaving Crossfit for so long. I am worried I will fall back into bad habits and won't be motivated to workout like I should. But, what topped my stress level off today was a call from my doctors office.  I had gone in to get my labwork for my surgery done last week, so when they called me today I was pretty sure there was some sort of problem. Everything was fine except for my liver enzymes. I have had a fatty liver for as long as I can remember so elevated enzymes is normal but these were higher than my normal high. This has nothing to do with drinking alcohol. It is something that runs in my family. When the nurse told me the news it just took my mind back to a place I was in about six years ago when my uncle died. (long story short he had a fatty liver that eventually caused him to have a transplant and then got lymphoma after five years of taking anti rejection meds.)  Anyway it just brought me back to a place of knowing there are some things I just can't control no matter what I do! Needless to say it did not help the mood I have been in. I am in a much better place than I was in six years ago and am a much stronger person (spiritually, mentally, and physically) but it still kind of hurts when you hear news like that. Some people might have seen my Facebook post tonight about not knowing if I was going to go to workout. I was just really frustrated and really stressed and REALLY didn't want to cry in another workout!

I ended up going to Crossfit tonight even though I really didn't know how I was going to do. (thank you all for your encouragement on my post.) The strength part of the WOD was 7 rounds of 1 power snatch and 1 overhead squat. I started with just a 15# bar and eventually worked my way up to 65#. The WOD was five rounds of 400m row and 15 overhead squats for time.  Travis told me just to do the 15# bar for the squats because of my knees. I was just happy to be able do a real squat!  My knee did start to hurt towards the end of each set of 15 but after each row it was ok until the end of the next 15. I was on round three and Travis walked by and told me he was proud of me. It meant a lot at that point because I really went into the WOD thinking that I wasn't going to do that well. That gave me the push to be able to finish the last 2 rounds. I ended up finishing in 15:39. Even though I only lifted 15# in the squats I was just happy I finished the workout without having to modify anything for my knee (and I didn't cry)!  I'm glad I went tonight. It was definitely the right choice!

If you didn't think I was laying it all on the line before tonight I hope you now realize I put myself completely out there for everyone to read. I think it is important for me to be able to look back and see how my performance was even if I had a hard day.

Burning off some of those Thanksgiving calories!

I had a great Thanksgiving, but I ate WAY too much. I am so glad we had open gym today where I could work off some of what I ate!  I was really glad Steph was there tonight and wanted to do the same workouts I had decided to do. The first WOD was a 10 minute AMRAP of 3 power cleans (105#), 6 deadlifts (105#), and 9 box jumps (I did step ups). I wasn't sure about doing 105# in power cleans but Clinton was sure I could do it. I'm glad he suggested the weight because I would have never have attempted that weight on my own (I never would have thought I could actually lift that weight).  I forgot to count my reps but I'm pretty sure I did 6 full rounds and the power cleans and deadlifts of the seventh. We rested for a little bit before we started the next WOD. Rachel decided to the second WOD with us too. It was a 7 minute AMRAP of push presses (75#) and pull ups (I did body rows). The first round we did 1 rep, the second we did 3, the third we did 5, and so on. This was a tough one. I think part of my problem was that I always forget to use my legs, so I always end up just doing presses (just using my arms). I got through five full rounds and seven of the push presses on the sixth (which would have been 11 reps of both things). We decided to do the "skill" which was 3 rounds of 10 sit ups and 10 hollow rocks. We ended up doing the sit ups with med balls to make it a little more challenging (not my idea). I was glad that Steph and Rachel wanted to do the same workouts as I did tonight. I could have done them by myself but I wouldn't have pushed myself as hard (and I definitely wouldn't have done the sit ups with the med ball). It felt really good to workout tonight. I almost didn't go because I was so tired but I'm so glad that I did!

Earned my Thanksgiving meal this morning!

Travis was trying to make us earn what we were going to eat on Thanksgiving this morning.  I woke up to go to the 5:30 class but when I took my first step my knee really hurt.  I decided I would ice it and go to the 6:30 class.  It wasn't feeling that much better after icing but it isn't going to help if I just skip workouts.  I got to class early and stretched my quads (it hurts so bad to stretch my right quad that I almost cry everytime), and then put some Biofreeze on it.  I wasn't completely ready for this heavy duty workout but there was no turning back at that point.  The workout was a 500m row, 50ft Burpee broad jumps, 50 kettle bell high pulls, 50 kettle bell swings, 50 toes to bar (or knees to elbows in my case), 50ft Burpee broad jumps, and another 500m row (all for time).  The Burpee broad jumps is where you do a burpee but you jump forward instead of up at the end, and we went 50 ft.  I started out doing ok with the row, but when I got to the burpee jumps I wanted to die!  I kept hesitating on the jumps because my knee hurt whenever I landed, so I ended up jumping and trying to land on one foot the whole way.  It also doesn't help that I can't jump that far, so I end up doing more burpees!  I did 26# in the kettle bell parts of the workout, and other than my arms just being tired, it wasn't that bad.  The part that probably took the longest was the 50 knees to elbows.  It's not that they are that hard but it hurts my hands to hold onto the bar.  I did a little better on the second round of burpee broad jumps, but it still seemed like it took me forever to get through it.  The final row wasn't too bad because I knew it was almost over!  I finished in 18:56!  I was impressed because this is one of the few workouts that I have done what everybody else has done and still gotten a decent time!  (I did do knees to elbows instead of toes to bar, but there were several people who had to end up doing knees to elbows too.)  I definitely earned my Thanksgiving meal with that workout!  Tomorrow will be a rest day and then I will workout on Friday!  I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Started back on squats tonight!

I got to start doing squats again tonight!  I was really excited because I need to be able to use my knees more!  My knee started hurting in the warm up but I knew I had to get through it. The WOD was 5 rounds of 15 front squats and a 400m run for time. I only did a 200m run each round because I still have a tough time running (I'm not very good at it). I only did 55# for the front squats. It didn't seem that heavy, but it was definitely a workout for my knee. It was frustrating because I used to be able to do a lot more weight, but even 55# seemed like a struggle tonight!  I had to stop several times during the rounds to get all 15 front squats in, and that is not normal for me. I usually try to do them as fast as possible because I want to get through it, but it wasn't happening tonight. I finally got through the first round of front squats (which seemed like it took forever) and started my first run. A 200m run isn't usually that bad for me, but I started getting a lot of pain after the first 100m.  At that point I just got mad. My mind went back to last week and I wasn't going to let tonight be like last Wednesday!  I walked a little bit and then kept jogging. It hurt but I'm just going to have to deal with it!  The squats and running got harder with each round, but I made it through all 5. I'm not sure what my time was because I was just glad it was over!  I felt relieved that I had made it through the workout, and glad that I did't give in to the pain!  Tonight I'm icing my knee and hopefully tomorrow it won't be so bad :)

A good start to the week

Today was a good start to the week. I was a little worried after some of my bad workouts last week, but today was good. The workout was a 20 minute alternating EMOM of 5 clean and jerks and 7 body rows. I started out with 75# for the clean and jerks. They weren't easy, but apparently I made them look too easy (I'm not sure how because I was struggling on the jerks). About half way through Travis and James came over to where I was lifting and added weight! I looked at both of them like they were crazy, but they were sure I could do it! So I did the second half of the WOD with 85#! It was tough but not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I have to say it was a much better start to the week! I went to the doctor today for my physical and he was amazed at how much weight I had lost! He is very supportive! All of the doctors that I have had in the past would have just told me that I needed to lose more weight, but he told me that he was proud of me and to keep doing what I was doing. He even told me not to get discouraged if I hit a plateau in my weight loss or even gain a few because I would be gaining muscle. I am so glad I found this doctor because most of my doctors have just frustrated me but he is so encouraging!

not such a bad night

So tonight was much better than last night. My head was more in the workout tonight and I just tried to focus on what I could do and not on what I couldn't do. The warm up started out with a 400m run. It made me nervous because this is where my knee started to hurt last night. It was much better tonight. It still hurt a little but nothing like last night. The strength part of the WOD was power cleans, hang squat cleans, and split jerks. I didn't do the squat. I just did a hang clean instead. I didn't do too bad and ended up lifting 95#. Next we did push presses and I ended up lifting 95# again. Those really weren't the exercises that I was worried about though. I knew the hardest part was coming. The WOD was 3 rounds of 20 step ups while holding a 25# weight and 20 burpees for time. Travis knew that my knees were going to be tired so he told me to just do 2 rounds instead of the three. Before the WOD started I asked him if it would be ok if I did push ups instead of the burpees because the jumping (or crawling) that I have to do in burpees really does hurt my knees more. He said that was fine. While I was in the middle of the WOD I decided that I could go three rounds though. Since I wasn't doing burpees I should at least be able to go the extra round. I finished all three rounds in 7:04! I'm already sore but I'm ready for tomorrow! Today makes 30 days since I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge and Paleo Diet. I weighed myself and I've lost 31.1 pounds in 30 days! Thank you all for your support. It really means a lot to me!

Reality sets in

So reality has started to really sink in. In a few short weeks I will be gone from the box for an extended period of time to have surgery on my hands. I have been worried about leaving and losing all that I've gained but tonight I realized how little I might be able to do while I'm gone. My knees have been hurting a lot today but I have been trying to ignore it. I couldn't really ignore the pain in my right knee as I tried to run about ten steps of the warm up. I came back inside and rowed but I was already upset. I knew the WOD wasn't going to be any better with my knees. I had looked at the WOD last night and I knew there were some things that I wouldn't be able to do like the hand stand push ups and the double unders. I knew I would probably just do regular push ups and jump up and down. That would have been fine except when I tried to jump my knee started hurting again. At that point I wasn't really sure what I was going to do. I asked Morgan and we decided I could row 200m in place of the jumping. I started out ok and did my push ups and knees to bar, but as I started the first round of rowing I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Not because I was in any kind of pain but I was just so mad that there wasn't one part of this workout that I could do completely. I held back the tears long enough to finish my five rounds. I could hear Morgan telling me I was doing a good job the entire time. She looked over at me at the end and asked if I was done. I had been done for about a minute or so and had just started putting the rower back up instead of looking at the clock.  The WOD was for time but I wasn't really interested in my time tonight because I didn't even do the regular WOD. When she told me about what time I probably finished in I just shrugged at her. She could tell I was upset. At that point I knew I was about to lose it, so I walked into the bathroom and just started crying. I've felt like I was going to cry during a WOD before but I've never actually done it. I have been frustrated with my knees because I haven't even been able to really squat lately. All that keeps going through my mind is that I'm about to leave for several weeks and the only thing I'll really be able to do is my lower body. So if it hurts to run or squat, what am I going to do?  It isn't like I will even be near the box because I will be in Houston!  When I came back where everyone was Morgan asked if I was ok and then assured me that I would be ok. It was kind of weird because she knew exactly what I was thinking. Tonight was a frustrating night but I'm not quitting. I've come too far. Tomorrow might be better, or it might be just as frustrating. I just have to remind myself that even if I can't do the regular workout that I'm doing a lot more than I have done in a very long time and that I have come a long way!

Just an off night :(

I wasn't going to even post tonight. It's not that I did bad I just could have done a lot better. The only reason I decided to post was to remind myself that not every night is going to be good and I just have to focus more. My mind was all over the place tonight. It was anywhere but in that workout, and I'm sure everyone could tell. The strength part of the workout was 7 power snatches with a minute rest in between each one. My arms hurt from yesterday so I was just lifting the 45# bar until Chase insisted that I could do more (I knew he was right). I added 20 more pounds and did the majority of the lifts with that weight. James came over when I was almost done and asked why I hadn't been increasing the weight. I told him I wasn't sure I could do anymore. He told me that I always underestimate what I can do. I knew he was right, but I'm still afraid of failing. If I keep the weight at a level I know I can do then I know I won't fail.  It has to be the right night for me to actually believe I can go up in weight (and increase it by myself). I did add weight and ended up power snatching 80#. I could have probably done more if my mind had been in it though. Then we did the workout. My workout was modified because I can't squat right now. Everyone else did 5 back squats, 1 rope climb, 4 back squats, 1 rope climb, 3 back squats, 1 rope climb, 2 back squats, 1 rope climb, 1 back squat, and a final rope climb for time. While they were doing back squats I was doing push presses and instead of the rope climb I laid on the ground and pulled myself up to a standing position with the rope 3 times for every one rope climb. This is the first time I have ever done this. It was pretty hard but apparently,as hard as it was, I was doing it wrong and was doing it the easier way. Oh well. I won't even mention the time, even though it wasn't bad, because it should have taken me longer to do it. I should have done more than the 65# on push presses. If I had it would have taken a lot more effort on my part and would have increased my time. Tonight was an off night but hopefully tomorrow I can actually focus and get some stuff done.

"Murph"

I wasn't really sure I wanted to go to workout after I saw what we were doing today. I was intimidated to say the least. I went because I knew I should at least try!  Today we did a workout called "Murph". It was named after Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, NY, who was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. This was one of his favorite workouts. I figured I could at least try to do this workout. I might not be able to do the whole thing but I thought I should at least try. This man gave his life for my freedom so the very least I could do is try my best tonight!  The workout was a 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and ended with another mile run for time. I only ran 400m at the beginning and end and did body rows instead of pull ups. It was hard!  I did the first 100 of the body rows, pushups, and squats in reps of ten. At that point I knew I was done with the body rows so I could just focus on doing as many of the push ups and squats as I could in each rep. I did good on the first run and didn't walk at all but on the 2nd run I did walk a little. I finished in exactly 43 min. I was really proud of myself!  I couldn't believe I actually did it!  After a little over 2 months in Crossfit I still amaze myself at what I can actually do!

Results from the Advocare 24 day Challenge and Paleo diet

I was amazed by the results I had from the paleo diet and Advocare 24 Day Challenge!  But first, I want to answer some questions that people have asked me about the cleanse. People have asked me if I have been eating. Yes, the cleanse is designed so that you eat 3 meals a day plus snacks. I wouldn't have done it if I couldn't have food.  There is also no way that I could have the workouts I was doing if I wasn't eating!  Now, I did change what I was eating to strict paleo during the whole challenge. I cut out grains, sugar, and dairy. I think the dairy has been the hardest for me. I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to be able to stick to it, but it really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. People have asked how I lost so much weight in 24 days and was it safe.   I think the weight loss and inches lost are all relative to how much you need to lose and how active you are. I am no where near my goal weight even after losing 26.6 pounds so a smaller person would probably not lose as many pounds or inches. The cleanse is safe and my weight loss was not done in an unhealthy way. The cleanse,just like all other Advocare products, was studied by a medical advisory board.  I also worked out at Crossfit usually 5 times a week during the Challenge. The other question that I got  more than anything was about having to go to the restroom all the time. The Advocare cleanse is an intestinal cleanse and you really don't have to go to the restroom more than normal.
My results from the cleanse and paleo diet were crazy to me!  I went into it thinking that it wasn't going to even work, and I walked out of it 26.6 pounds and 15.75 inches lighter!  The inches that I lost were from all over the body. I lost .75 in my calf, nothing in my thighs :(, 5 in my hips, 3.5 in my waist, 4.5 in my chest, and 2 in my arms!  I feel so much better from the challenge and the paleo diet. I have more energy than I've had in a very long time, I'm sleeping better, and the joints in my knees don't hurt as bad!  I am so glad that I did this!  I am so glad that James pushed me to do this!
It did take commitment on my part. It also took a lot of will power to resist the donuts, ice cream sandwiches, cupcakes, and Halloween candy that were all brought into my office during the challenge. I just told myself it wasn't worth the steps backwards even if it looked really good. I have been lucky enough to have support all around me during this entire thing and I think that is key!  I am so blessed!  Thank you all for your support!  If you have any questions about this just let me know!

Deadlifts, jumping, and running

Yesterday was a pretty hard workout for me. I am not a good runner. I don't enjoy running either so that makes it even worse. I was feeling really good after I had gotten my results from the 24 Day Challenge, but I knew I was probably going to struggle through the workout. It was a 12 min AMRAP of 400m run then 7 deadlifts and 21 lateral jumps over the bar. Then when time was called there was a 400m sprint. I did 165 on the deadlift and just jumped in place instead of over the bar. When I first read the WOD I thought we had to run the 400 with each round. Thank God it was just the deadlifts and jumps!  Everyone was already starting their rounds when I got back from the first 400. I am a super slow runner!  I did ok on the rounds and  I ended up doing 7 rounds plus 2 deadlifts. The sprint at the end was more like a jog/walk for me. I was exhausted!  I did jog a lot of it, but it was a far cry from a sprint! When I left last night I decided that I have to get better at running!  I don't have to like it but I have to get better at it!

Tonight we had open gym. I made myself warm up with a 400m jog and some stretches. I could have rowed but I had told myself that I was going to get better at running!  Morgan wrote me a WOD for tonight. It was 5 rounds of 20 wall balls, 10 push presses, and 15 knees to bar. I struggled through the wall balls (as usual) but I got through them all. I was surprised that my knees didn't hurt nearly as bad as they have the rest of the week. I did the push presses with a 45# bar. It wasn't too bad either. The knees to bar are only really bad because the bar hurts my hands so much, but I have been noticing that they are getting easier too!  This was a good way to end the week!

"Nutts"and "Jackie"

I didn't post yesterday because the whole day was kind of nuts, just like the workout. I had read the WOD before I got there and I was a little nervous. I always get a little nervous before a partner WOD because I don't want to hold anyone else back. I had looked at it and tried to figure out how much I was going to be able to contribute. When I got there we had an odd number of people so plans changed.  When I asked Travis who I was going to work with he said I was going to do it by myself!  I stood there for about a minute waiting for him to say the name of the person that I could work with because I knew he had to be joking!  He wasn't. I asked him if I was halfing everything but his answer to that was no. Apparently the WOD was originally meant for just one person.  I couldn't imagine being able to all the things on the list by myself!  The workout was 15 deadlifts (155#), 10 hand stand pushups (I did regular pushups), 25 box jumps (I did step ups because of my knees), 50 pull ups (I did body rows), 100 wall balls (I did get to cut this in half and did 50 with 6# med ball.), 200 double unders (I did 100 jumps), and a 400m run with a 25# weight. I did do it all by myself in 17:37!  I was amazed!  This is why I come to Crossfit. They believe in me!  Travis knew that it would be hard but that I could do it, even when I really thought it was impossible. I looked at him like he was crazy when he said I was doing it alone!  If I had been working out anywhere else I would have stopped because I "knew" there was no way I could do it. But here people push me further than I would ever push myself and that is why I keep coming back. They won't push if something is truly wrong with you but they push when they know that you can really do it but just don't think you can. I left yesterday feeling very accomplished!
Today I went in not sure how I was going to do, but happy that it had lifting in the workout. It was 1000m row, 50 thrusters (35# bar),  and 30 pull ups ( I did body rows) for time. I didn't have the best row but I wasn't too far behind everyone else. I got to the thrusters and I couldn't squat all the way because the muscles around my knees are so tight it hurts whenever I bend them!  I had to take a few breaks during the lifts but I got through pretty fast. I did the body rows in reps of 10 where I would have a stopping point to rest for a few seconds. I ended up finishing in 10:09, which wasn't a bad time. I felt pretty good about my workout. Travis had me do this stretch after the WOD to help my quads. It hurts like heck but I know it is helping.
I have felt really good about my performance in the workouts for the past two days. It just shows me that I AM getting stronger!

Bear apparently means seven?

When I read the WOD for today I was kind of excited because it had lifting in it. Little did I know that it was a lot more lifting than I had bargained for!  I have been trying to work on my lifting because I know I won't be able to do a whole lot after my surgery and I want to get as strong as I can before that happens. The WOD was a 20 min AMRAP of 400m run (I rowed) and a Bear complex that consisted of 1 power clean, 1front squat, 1 push press, 1 back squat, and 1 push press. I was feeling ok about it until Glynn explained that bear meant seven!  Really?!  Travis had us all warm up with just the bar and I thought I was going to die just from one round, and that was with no weights!  I didn't do any of the squats because of my knees but what I did felt like my arms and legs were going to give out. I did the seven rounds of the power cleans and push presses with 55# and rowed 400m. I ended up doing 4.5 rounds in the 20 minutes, which wasn't too bad. My arms are already sore!  But this is the kind of hurt I don't mind because it just means I'm getting stronger!

When I weighed myself yesterday, on the 20th day if the Advocare Challenge and paleo diet I had lost 21.5 pounds!  That is crazy to me!  I never thought it would work and was so resistant to it, but I am so glad that I am doing it!

Burpees, box jumps, running, rowing, pushups, and lifting

Thursday was a hard day as usual. I knew it was going to be tough when I read the WOD.   I wasn't too optimistic about it but I wanted to try the best I could. It was a 20 min AMRAP of 250m row, 15 lateral box jump burpees, and a 200m run. Well first of all, when I first read it I thought it was a row at the beginning and the end! I wasn't feeling too bad about it until I got to the box and realized it was a run at the end! LOL I got through the first row ok but when I got to the box jump (I just did step ups) burpees my knees and my back started killing me. Every time I would go to do a burpee my right knee would hurt. When I was doing the pushup my back was tightening up over my right shoulder blade (I have had several knots in this area for about a week). I didn't go very fast but I got through the step ups and burpees.  The run wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. No, I wasn't going very fast on the run but I didn't walk!  I only got through two full rounds and the row and burpees of the third. It was better than I thought I was going to do though!  After the workout everyone did sit ups with med balls and twists. I tried but the pain in my back was too bad. It wasn't a terrible night and I know the workout was hard so I am not discouraged. I just know that I would have never finished one round of this workout even two months ago and yesterday I finished almost three!  In two more months I might be able to finish 4 or 5!  It is progress!
Today I went to the chiropractor and got a 30 min massage just on my shoulders and knees. I felt so much better when I left there!
Tonight I went to workout and had Travis write me a workout. He knows how much I struggle in the mobility part of the workouts so part of tonight's WOD was stretching. I stretched out my quads for three min on each leg. If that doesn't sound like a long time to you then you are a lot more flexible than I am!  Then I used a lacrosse ball and massaged out the knots on my knees for three minutes on each leg. That hurt!  The only good part was that part of the workout was followed by putting Biofreeze on my knees!  After that I did five rounds of 400m row, 21 kettle bell swings (26#), and 15 pushups. It was hard but I got through the whole thing in less than 25 minutes!  I rested for a little bit after the WOD and then did bench presses with Kesha. I used to love doing bench presses in high school because I was good at it. I haven't done them in a long time so I wasn't sure where I should even start. We worked our way up in weight  and I ended up finishing at 125#. It wasn't my max but it was time to go. I will work on weights again when I go on Sunday, but I thought I did pretty good for tonight.
I only have five weeks before I leave for Texas. I will be having surgery on both of my hands and won't be able to workout my upper body for a while. So, I want to make the most of the time I have left in this year to get in the best shape I can!  I will go everyday that I can to make sure that happens! I am hoping that I will be able to recover from the surgery faster than expected too (recovery time is usually 4-6 weeks) because I don't want to lose the momentum I have right now!

Advocare cleanse and Paleo diet

I am on day 16 of the cleanse and paleo diet. I wasn't too sure about this whole thing when I started. James had told me about it and all of the results people had gotten from it, but I honestly didn't think it would work on me. I mean, I have tried EVERYTHING in the world to lose weight, get more energy, and help with my knees to stop hurting!  I basically did the 24 day challenge to shut him up about it! ;) I am sooo glad I did!  I got measured and weighed myself at the beginning of the challenge.  I hate getting on scales, but I wanted to actually see if the numbers went down. I have lost 19 pounds so far and I have 8 days left!  I saw a number on the scale tonight that I hadn't seen in quite a while!  It is no where near my goal weight but it is certainly a big step in the right direction! 

Power cleans and double unders

So, my mind was a little more focused tonight. I wasn't sure I was going to be more focused because I was tired and I struggle with power cleans. The workout was 3 rounds of 10 power cleans and 50 double unders for time.  I wasn't sure how much weight I should do for the power cleans because I have problems with my form. Poor Charles walked up as I was trying 55# and told me to remember to have high elbows. He was very nice about it and was just trying to help, but I was already frustrated that I couldn't get it. I told him I knew and that is why I hate power cleans (not my finest moment, but just frustrated). He told me add fives on each side, so I did the workout with 65#. It was a really good call on his part because I think I actually did better in the workout with more weight. Although on the last round I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do all ten. I just jumped instead of double unders, but I had to do 150 instead of 50. Jumping up and down doesn't sound that hard, but after 50 or 75 my legs were tired!  I didn't do too bad and finished in 7:06. I only caught myself thinking about other things once during the jumps and tried to quickly refocus. It was a good day and definitely much better than my other days this week!  Hopefully tomorrow will be even better!

Tabata something else

My mind has been somewhere else for the past couple of days. I have done the workouts but while I'm doing them I am not truly focused. When I read what tonight's workout was and didn't understand what the heck it was talking about I thought about just not going. I only decided to actually go around 2:30 today. Until then I was pretty sure I was just going to lay on my couch tonight. There isn't any good reason of why other than my mind is just in a funk. After I got there and got going I was glad I was there but getting there was hard today.
Today's workout was 32 of  twenty second intervals of workout with a 10 second rest between each one. The first eight intervals were pull ups (I did body rows), the second eight were push ups, next were sit ups, and finally squats. We counted as we went and I totaled 259 when I was done. Twenty seconds may not sound like a long time, but when your arms feel like jello it seems like an eternity. I was trying to just stay focused on the counting but half way through the push ups and the squats I found my mind wandering. The goal for tomorrow is to stay focused because I'm sure I could have done better if my mind had been at the workout too!

1 rep max and 2k row

I went into today not too sure how I was going to do because I was really tired after the weekend. I almost didn't even go. But, I knew that if I skipped I would just make more excuses as to why I couldn't go any other day. I struggled through a pretty simple warm up and braced myself for poor results on the workout. My knees were killing me today for some reason. I sucked it up and started the workout. If I'm being completely honest I wouldn't have lifted anywhere close to what I ended up at if Clinton and Chase weren't there to encourage and push me. We had 45 minutes to get our 1RM in back squats, presses, and deadlifts. I ended up lifting 205# in back squats, 105# in presses, and 235# in deadlifts. I might have been able to do a little bit more in back squats but time was up. The press was a little bit easier for me than others because I naturally muscle the bar up instead of using my hips and legs. Every time we do push presses I know I'm doing it wrong because I don't really do the push part. I was happy that I would be doing it right today!  I was kind of impressed with my deadlift because I never thought I'd be able to lift that!  The last part of the workout was a 2000m row for time. After the first few rows I could feel my arms getting tired. I pressed through to 2000 and finished in 10:00. I was happy with how I did today and I'm happy that I didn't give into my tiredness!  It would have been so much easier to stay at home, but I know that I would have been mad at myself later. If I was working out by myself I probably would have stayed at home, but the people at Crossfit actually notice if you aren't there!

Good results from first 10 days of Advocare and 2 good workouts

So yesterday I got measured to see how much I had lost during the first 10 days of the Advocare Cleanse. I was a little nervous because, even though I do feel better, I wasn't sure I really lost that many inches. I was so happy when I saw the results!  I lost 2.5 inches just in my waist!  I lost everywhere but my thighs (which I gained) but I felt really good about it!  It kind of gave me a boost for the 14 days I have left.
I went into the workout last night not really knowing how I would do. I had read the WOD online and was a little bit nervous. The WOD was 50-40-30-20-10 of overhead squats and doubleunders for time.  My knees have been giving me some trouble this week so I wasn't sure how any of this was going to go. I did the 15# bar for the squats and just jumped instead of the doubleunders. My knees hurt a little at the beginning, but as I got into the workout I didn't really notice them. I got done in 9:29. I got done so fast that James thought I had skipped the 30 round. I swear I didn't though!  I did an extra 30 just to make him happy though ;) I'm pretty sure the only reason I got done so much faster than the others was because I was only lifting 15# (which was lighter than everyone elses) and I wasn't jumping rope (where you might mess up and take more time up). I felt really good about the workout. I guess I was so focused on the workout that I didn't notice my knees were really hurting until I was done!
We don't usually have workout on Fridays, but Travis opened the gym up for two hours tonight. I am excited about being able to go on Fridays because I have to work every Saturday. Travis wrote me a WOD tonight. I did a version of Grace meets Helen (which is what they are doing tomorrow). It was 3 rounds of 400m row, 21 kettle bell swings (26#), and 12 body rows. Then 30 clean and jerks with 45#. I forgot to keep my time but I know I did the whole thing in less than 27 minutes. The kettle bell swings and clean and jerks were the hardest part because my arms were so tired!  I wasn't even sure I was going to get the weight up on the last couple of clean and jerks! It was kind of wierd doing the WOD by myself.  Because, even though I felt like I was going at a decent speed I would have probably pushed harder if I was doing it with other people. I am just glad I got a chance to get another workout in during the week! (I NEVER thought I would EVER say that!)

Good day with dead lifts

I ended up going to the 4:15pm class because I slept through the 5:30am one. I think it was better choice because my body got to recover just a little bit from yesterday's workout. My knees have been hurting pretty bad, but Travis found what the main culprit is with them. I have knots on the inside of each of my knees. They have been hurting, but it wasn't the same pain as before so I was a little afraid to ask what it might be. I was relieved when we realized it was just knots, but those things hurt!  Biofreeze, some ice, and massage helped a lot today!
 I was a little excited about the workout today because it had dead lifts in it, and I don't struggle as much with those as I do clean and jerks. We warmed up with a 400m run, a few more exercises, and stretches. Then we started the WOD which was a 1000m row and 21-15-9 of dead lifts and box jumps (I did step ups instead of the box jumps) for time. The heaviest I had ever done on dead lifts was 95#, but today I did 105# for the workout. After the round of 21 I was really tired. I somehow got through the 15 round but when I was done with that I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to do 9 more dead lifts and 9 more step ups!  I was standing at the bar just wondering how I was going to pick it up and this guy that had already finished walked up and talked me through the final round. I don't even know his name but he helped me believe I could make it through that last round. I ended up finishing in 12:40 which isn't too bad!  Although those dead lifts were hard I still feel good about my performance today because I added weight and I had a decent time!

Tough but good day

On a personal note...I ended up with two out of my four dogs riding with me to workout today. Taylor has been going with me for about a week now, but today Tucker decided that he wanted to go too. I don't mind them going while the weather is nice because they love to just sit in the car. I hadn't taken Tucker because he hadn't really put up a fuss about it until today. He is a momma's boy and has a lot of separation anxiety. He hasn't really gotten used to the new way of life yet. He was used to me coming home after work and snuggling with them on the couch until bedtime. This has been a life change for everyone at our house!
We had a partner WOD today. These always make me a little nervous because I don't want to hold anyone back when they could do more or go faster. There wasn't any running in this so I felt a little bit better about it. I was excited when I saw Katherine walk through the door because I was hoping we could be partners. I have known her for a while so I felt better about being partners with her. The WOD was a pyramid workout of pull ups (I did body rows), push ups, sit ups, and squats. The first peron does 1 pull up and rests while the second person does 1 pull up. Then the first person does 2 pull ups and rests while the second person does 2 pull ups. You go up to ten and then back down in each movement. Basically we did 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, and 100 squats! Katherine killed this workout, and, in turn, got me through it a lot faster than I normally would have.  It was tough, but it was good to work with Katherine. She helped me a lot through the push ups and sit ups. There were moments when I wasn't  sure I could do one more sit up or push up but Katherine assured  me that I could and told me I was doing a good job. At one point in the push ups, I can't remember what was said by one of us, but we started laughing and could hardly stop!  We were still doing the push ups but we were laughing through them. I'm not sure that I have ever laughed when I was seriously working out. It is nice when you are having fun while you workout. We finished in 31:19. That was a good time and we were ahead of some other groups!  It was a tough workout but it was fun and I was impressed with how well we did!

Catching up from last week and today's hard workout day

I didn't post last Thursday because my whole body hurt after the workout. The first part of the workout was a 500m row, 4 min AMRAP of jump ropes (I just jumped up and down where I wouldn't put as much pressure on my knees.), and another 500m row. There was a 10 min cap on that part of the workout and I finished in 9:42. We had a 5 min rest before we started the 15 min AMRAP of 30 med ball cleans and 30 push ups. I thought that I was going to die during the push ups. James and Travis asked me why I had my eyes shut on the med ball cleans. I couldn't answer them at the time but when the workout gets really hard I sometimes just shut my eyes where I can just focus on the exercise that I am doing at that moment. It might seem crazy but it works for me.  My arms felt like jello!  I did four rounds but I did quit 15 seconds early. James told me that the time wasn't out but I told him I was done...no matter what the time said!  Not the best attitude to have but I was tired!

Today was another tough one. I find that Monday's and Thursday's are my hardest days. I think it is because on one I have had a couple of days off and on the other I have been pushing myself to the limit for days. We warmed up with a 500m row and 3 rounds of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 15 walking lunges. Then we had 10 min to find 85% of our 1RM on clean and jerks. I got up to 85#. Then it was 10 min of EMOM 7 clean and jerks at 65% (I did 55# for this). I was doing better with the high elbows tonight, but when it came to the jerk part I was having a tough time with not just using my arms to get the weight up. I'm not very good at using my hips in these things. I did make it through every round with seven lifts but I wanted to quit more than once!  Every time I finished one round the minute would be almost up and it was time to start another!  But, every time I wanted to quit I could hear James telling me to pick the bar back up.  I just laid on the floor when it was over!  I had to get back up though because the workout wasn't over!  We had a two minute rest before we started the last part. It was 4 rounds of 400m sprints (I rowed the 400m). We got to rest in between rounds but you only got to rest for the same amount of time that it took you to run the 400m. I did ok but rowing after that workout wasn't easy (I'm sure running wasn't either though)!
After workout several of us went out to dinner. We went to this little diner that actually has a paleo platter on the menu!  It was nice to hangout with everyone and eat exactly what I was supposed to for my diet and cleanse. I am finishing up day 8 of the cleanse. It has been ok but I still feel a bit tired. I have stuck to the diet and haven't cheated (although I really want some chocolate and some cheese)!  So far so good though!

Two workouts today

I started the morning off at 5:30 with a workout. I warmed up with a 400m row, stretches, and then two rounds of 200m row, 5 body rows, and 10 push ups. The strength part of our workout was five rounds 1 hang clean (full squat) and one push press with a 90 second rest in between sets. I got up to 65# on this. Not the best that I've done but pretty good for how tired I felt.   The workout part of today wasn't too bad. It was 20 minutes alternating every minute on the minute with 5 unbroken power cleans (I did 55# for the workout part) and 15 hollow rocks.  It was tough but I felt better about my performance this morning than yesterday's. I was pretty satisfied with how I did. 

I left this morning and had no intention of doing another workout today. I went to work and I just couldn't handle the clients yelling at me anymore. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much today because this is a daily thing at our office, but I guess I was just at a breaking point today. I left the office at 11:30 and all I could think about was how I was going to get this frustration out!  I knew there was a class that started at 11:45 at the box and I figured I could get there after they started but still get some work in. I just felt like sweating out this frustration instead eating or sleeping it away like normal. I knew that if I went home and stayed there for the day I would probably eat something that wasn't on my diet and I didn't even want the extra temptation. I went to Crossfit and Travis wrote me up a small workout. I warmed up with another 400m row and then I started the WOD. I did five rounds of 15 knees to elbows, 15 GHD sit ups, and 400m row. I did take my time more than I would have if I was doing it in a class but I got a lot out of it. I felt a lot better about myself after working out some more than if I had just gone home. I never thought I would say that because I have always been a couch potato!  I left the box feeling a whole lot better than when I walked in, so I guess my mission was accomplished for the day :) (I did go home after this workout and slept for quite a while, but I didn't feel bad about it like I normally would have.)

A whole lot of rowing and thrusters makes for a hard day!

Ok, so this is day 2 of the cleanse and strict paleo diet and I am WIPED OUT! I am so tired! I think it is partly the fact that I am coming down with something and that my body is going through some withdrawals. Whatever it is made today's workout feel impossible!
The warmup was a mile run (I rowed 1600m) and then two rounds of 15 push presses (35# bar) and 15 walking lunges while holding the bar in the rack position. Ok so I was super exhausted after this and we hadn't even started any of the workout! We warmed up for five minutes doing thrusters (I warmed up with 55# to make the workout seem a little lighter). The workout was four rounds of 400m run (I did a 400m row) and 15 thrusters. I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to finish the first round. I was in the middle of my first set of 15 thrusters and I remember thinking that I couldn't do this. I was tired and didn't feel great and grouchy, which just made everything worse!  Mentally i wasn't there tonight  Charles saw me struggling and assured me that I COULD do this!  As I was going through the rounds I could hear Charles, Katherine, Carna, Glynn, and a couple of other people telling me that I was doing good and I could do it. I finished last at 14:59, but I finished!  It didn't matter that I finished last because I finished!  We rested for 2 minutes and finished the night off with 5 minutes of sit ups and planks. I am so tired but am glad that I did it!  Now I have to rest up for the 5:30am class!
Oh and I got measured today to see how many inches I lose doing the diet and cleanse. I saw a few of the numbers and wanted to cry...so I just decided to stop looking and I will just look at the end result. It is hard to look at what you have have allowed your body to become, but I guess the real crime would be to never do anything about it. But, it is still frustrating and pisses me off because I know I could have done better for myself.

First day back after vacation was tough

This was my first day back after vacation and it was hard (but not as hard as I thought it would be).  We started off with a 500m row, 1 round of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 15 squats, 1 round of 5 body rows, 10 wide armed push ups, and 15 jumping squats, and finally 1 round of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 15 jumping squats with a 5 second hold on each one. Then we did the strength part of the workout (5 hanging snatches and overhead squats with a 90 second rest in between lifts). After struggling through several lifts I finally lifted 70 pounds. Not too bad. Finally we did the regular part of the workout, and I was already tired!  It was rounds of box step ups, kettle bells swings, and body rows. We did 21,15, and 9 of each!  I did the 35 # kettle bell and finished in 7:27!  Not too shabby!  It was tough but I can tell I'm getting stronger because it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
I am glad that I did that workout on Saturday with Molly ( my sister in law). We just did a little run, a few reps of step ups and squats, and a 7 min AMRAP of pushups and walking lunges. It wasn't too tough but it did get me some activity while I was away.
Oh and today was my first day of a 24 day Advocare cleanse and strict paleo diet. I'm hoping to see some differences from this diet and cleanse in combination with my workouts. It wasn't too bad for the first day so I'm hoping it will be good and I will stay strong through it. I even turned down a piece of cake at a birthday party we had at work today (and I had to buy the cake)!

Six weeks down!

Today was a really hard workout for me.  I had looked at the WOD before I got there and wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it.  My arms and legs were already tired from the other workouts this week and 150 wall balls sounded impossible!  The warm up was a 200m run, several body rows, ring dips (I did push ups), and wall squats with another 200m run at the end.  Then we had 20 minutes to get our 1RM clean and jerk.  I was surprised with myself because I did 100 pounds!!!  We had a 3 minute rest before we started "Karen" (150 wall balls) for time.  I used a 6 pound medicine for this. My mind really wasn't in this today because I really didn't think I was going to be able to finish this workout.  I thought this before I even started it and as we got closer to starting it I started to dread it even more.  I did ok for the first 20, but after that I struggled.  I had to take several breaks over the course of the 150.  My arch in my foot was killing me so much that I ended up taking off my shoes about half way through.  My knees were hurting almost the entire time but I wasn't going to let them stop me (I mean they hurt most days anyway)!  At 92 wall balls I really had a mental break where I thought I wasn't going to finish.  I told myself that if I made it to 100 I was doing good.  This is why I go to Crossfit---there were about five or six people crowded around me telling me that I could do it.  I kept telling them that I wasn't sure I was going to finish.  Not one of them would hear of it!  They kept telling me to just take it in small steps, so I went in reps of seven.  Slowly I made it to the 150 mark.  On the last set of seven I just concentrated on several of the people cheering me on that were counting down those final wall balls for me! I finished in 15:39!  I can't believe I actually did it!!!!  If I had just been doing this by myself of at a regular gym I would have never finished!  I heard one of the guys telling me it was mind over matter, and I knew he was right, because my mind just wanted to quit!  I was tired and sore after I finished but the feeling of accomplishment from doing a 100 pound clean and jerk and 150 wall balls made it ALL worth it! I am so truly blessed to have found Crossfit2l2q!

My arms are SOOO tired!

I thought I was going to be really sore from the two workouts yesterday, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too bad!  The black cherry I've been taking is really working!  The workout tonight was tough though. The warm up was a 500m row and two rounds of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 20 walking lunges. My knee hurt a little on the walking lunges but it wasn't too bad. Then we had 20 minutes to get our 1RM in snatches. I struggled a bit because, for some reason, I don't want to use my legs...I only use my arms. By the end I was doing pretty good and lifted 85#. I felt pretty good about that weight :) Then we started the regular WOD: 3 rounds of 1 minute max row, 1 minute max hand stand push ups (I just did regular push ups), 1 minute max row again, 1 minute max chest to bar (I did body rows), and finally one minute of rest. After the first round I thought my arms were completely dead. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do anything else! But, Travis, James, and Charles were there to make sure none of us gave up. They were pushing until the last second. At the end all I could hear was James saying I had 5 more seconds of body rows and I could do 2 more...and I did it!  If I was working out on my own I would have quit after the first round (or maybe before that) but having people there to push me got me to the end!
One more day of workout this week and then I'm off to see my family at the beach!  I am planning on working out while I am there though. I'm  going to try and get my sister to join me for a workout too!

Two workouts today!

I was off from work today for Columbus Day.  Because I will be missing Thursdays WOD to go out of town I thought today would be a good day to make up the workout. I went to the 11:45am class and did the regular WOD and then went back at 4:15 for another WOD.
 In the morning class I felt really good about my performance. It started out with a 400m run.  This was the first time I have been able to run the whole thing!  It felt awesome to be able to finally do that!  I came back in and started three rounds of five body rows, ten burpees, and fifteen air squats. I was tired after all that but that was just the warm up!  We did some stretches and started the strength part of the WOD. It was five reps of five back squats. I ended up doing 115#! The regular workout was three rounds of ten power snatches and fifteen lateral "over the box" jumps (I did lateral step overs instead of the jumps) for time. I did 55# in the power snatches today (I am still struggling with this lift). I finished in 5:45. Not too bad.
When I asked Travis if I could come back this afternoon he told me I couldn't do the same WOD because overdoing it is the way you get hurt. He said that he would come up with an exercise for me to do. I did a 400m row to start off. Then I started the WOD:10 minute AMRAP of ten knees to elbows and twenty sit ups. This was tough!  He had told me he was going to come up with a workout to work my core...and he did!  I ended up doing 4.5 rounds in the ten minutes. It felt more like 20 rounds though. Then I did 1000m row for time. I didn't do too bad on this even though I did have to pause a few times. I ended finishing in 5:56.
I feel really good about today. The bad days that I have are so worth going through to have the really good ones!  I did some stuff today that I never thought I'd be able to do like run 400m without stopping or back squat 115#!  I'm glad that I decided to do the extra WOD today because it just shows me that I am stronger than what I think.

Just being really honest...

All of my posts on here are honest, but today I almost didn't post because I thought it might be too negative. I decided to post because no one has all good days and I do want to be able to look back on this day and learn from it. That said, I felt like I had a pretty bad day today. I rowed 400m for the first part of warm up. I did 3 rounds of 3 body rows, 6 step ups, and 9 overhead squats. The first part of workout was 7 power snatches with a minute rest in between. I did 55#, but I'm pretty sure I could have done more. I'm not sure why I didn't add more weight. Maybe I was just scared I wouldn't be able to do it. Next was the main part of workout. We paired up, Kesha was my partner. We did 20m of overhead walking lunges and then a 4 minute max row. Kesha went first and she did really well. Then I started, and even after the second walking lunge I was frustrated!  My arms hurt from carrying the 25# weight above my head and my knee was hurting. Seriously??  This is the end of week 5 and my body acts like it is week one!  I didn't want to let Kesha down because she had given it all she had. Half way through I couldn't hold the weight above me anymore so I just held it at my chest for the rest of the time. Each step got harder because my knee was hurting. I wasn't going to quit. I was already doing a modified version of the lunge because I wasn't putting my knee all the way to the ground. I made it through the lunges and started rowing. I'm not sure what happened but about a minute in I started breathing REALLY heavy. I got Kesha to get my inhaler (thank goodness I had brought it). I took a puff and started back. I know people say "well at least you didn't quit", but I was and am pissed about how I did. I finished the row (792m). Kesha was great the entire time. She kept telling me that I was doing good. I told her that I was sorry but she wasn't mad or frustrated with me. I think I was madder and more frustrated with myself than anyone else. Why doesn't my body want to get better?  When I got home I topped off the night by stepping on a scale...I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. Well, I have lost two pounds!  I shouldn't have gotten on the scale. I know that I do feel better than I did before I started Crossfit, but I just wish the numbers reflected that. I did cry a little just out of frustration. I'm not planning on quitting Crossfit at all!  I'm just MAD!  Monday will be better.

Sled pushing is hard

I am not a morning person, but I did go to the 5:30am workout today.  On Wednesday's I have a Bible Study at night so if I am going to workout I have to go in the morning.  Today was a tough one.  My left knee had started hurting in the last reps from yesterday's workout, but I didn't think much about it because it hurts most days.  It was still hurting this morning so I did a 400m row instead of the run for the warmup.  We did some agility exercises in the warmup and I was ok except for the duck walk.  We did some stretches---which were pretty painful today, and then started the workout.  The workout was five rounds of  20m sled pushes (down and back) and 200m medicine ball sprints with a 3 min. rest in between rounds.  Travis told me I could just go to the road and back instead of the 200m.  My knee started really hurting during the first  sled push and run.  I did the second sled push and I really didn't feel like I could go on.  My knee was KILLING me.  Travis walked with me to the road and back.  The whole time he was telling me how good I was doing.  I told him I was sorry and he said that I had nothing to be sorry about--it is an injury.  As I was walking back I could hear Mary and Heather telling me I was doing a good job.  Travis told me I could do a 150m sprint on the row machine and then walk to the road and back instead of the regular routine.  I finished the rounds, not happy with my performance, but glad I didn't just quit.  We came in and finished up by doing 3 rounds of 9 toes to bar (or knees to elbow for me), L sits, and 21 abmat situps.  Today was a tough day but these are the situations when I know exactly why I keep coming back to Crossfit each day.  I am getting stronger each day, and I have support when I am struggling through a WOD.  While I was rowing I had Charles, James, and Travis telling me that I was doing good, and at the end I had the people that had done the WOD telling me that I did good (when they actually did the real workout).  I am really sore, but I will get some rest tonight and will be back at it tomorrow!

"The Chief" is a hard workout!

"The Chief" was our workout tonight, and it was tough!  We warmed up and then did the strength part of our workout. This part was a dead lift every minute on the minute for ten minutes. You go up in weight each lift, and I ended with 95# (not that bad). I was already a little tired from the dead lifts when we started the regular workout. It was five rounds of 3minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of 3 power cleans, 6 push ups, and 9 squats with a 1 minute break in between rounds!  I did 65# on the power cleans. Travis had told me to do 55# but I messed up when I was putting the weights on and by the time Travis told me I just really didn't feel like changing the weights. The power clean is something that I struggled a lot with last Thursday and when I heard what we were doing I wasn't too excited. Travis looked at me right before the first round and told me to have a good attitude about it. That brought me back to the right place because I knew that if I had the same attitude about it today that I did last week I was going to have a bad workout. I ended up doing much better on the lifts tonight. I'm not going to lie though, even by the second round I wasn't sure I was going to make it all five rounds. Travis and Charles were there the whole time to encourage all of us as we were trying to dig deep to finish. As I was leaving the box tonight I thought about the fact that I tell myself that "I can't" do a lot of things before I even try. I'm going to try really hard to phase that phrase out of my vocabulary. I know it will be hard because I have been telling myself those words for years, but Crossfit has taught me that "I can" do a lot of things I never thought I would be able to do. I'm really sore tonight, but it was worth it!

Tough but good night

I went into Crossfit tonight knowing that the WOD was going to be tough, but I was excited to see how much I could do. I was tired after the warmup of kettle bell swings, walking lunges with weights, and kettle bell squats!  The next part was front squats and push presses. We got to partner up (I like it when we get to work with buddies), and Katherine was my buddy. We did seven rounds of front squats and push presses and went up in weight almost every time. James was there to make sure we were getting the most out of the workout by adding weight (even though we didn't really want to sometimes). We finished by push pressing 85#!  I was pretty impressed with myself but James said that was too easy and I could have gone up more in weight! Haha Then came the workout...4 rounds of 15 Thrusters and a 400m run (I rowed 200m instead of the run). Katherine and I lifted the 45# bar for the Thrusters. That was heavy enough because by the 4th round I wasn't sure I was going to be able to lift it once let alone 15 times!  The thing at Crossfit is that even when you don't think you can do anymore there are people there to assure you can.  I like working with Katherine because she is a really good source of support. We cheered each other on during the workout even though we were both tired. While she was doing her last 400m run I was starting my last 15 thrusters. I wasn't really sure if I was going to make it through them because I was so tired. Travis and James were there the whole time encouraging me. Because of them I almost got through all fifteen without pausing once!  I am sore and I am tired, but I feel like I accomplished a lot today!

Thoughts and reflections

So I finished my first month in Crossfit and I feel better than I have in years!  I haven't lost that much weight (yeah I have gotten on the scales because I can't help myself) and I'm not even sure that I look any different. None of that really matters because I feel better about myself!  I feel like I'm "living" and not just dying one day at a time. I have had a rough road for the past five years and now it is time to claim my life back!  I started to think about this the other day because someone said something to me that I had never really thought about before. We were talking about my blog and how people have said that it inspires them. I told her that I had never been one of those people that got truly inspired by others life changing stories (at least not enough to get my butt off the couch and do something about my own life). Her next comment was what stuck with me. She said that if people knew me now they would never have thought I would be doing this or even be able to do it at all. She didn't mean it rudely (at least I don't think she did) but I think what she was saying was that people should be inspired. What I took away from the conversation was something completely different. I realized at that moment that the people who "know" me now wouldn't ever think I could do this. They didn't know me when I played sports year round and was very active. Don't get me wrong, I was never skinny, but I was in shape. The people that are around me now have encouraged me over the years but it took someone from my past to get me going. That is why God sent James back into my life at the right time to get me motivated to even try Crossfit. James knew how I used to be and I needed that one person to actually believe I could do it (even when I didn't). God also knew that I would need a place to workout like Crossfit. It is like being back on a team. I need that!  I have tried to go to several different gyms and just workout (I've even done the Zumba and TurboKick classes) but at the end of the workout or class you leave and no one really cares if you come back. At Crossfit they expect you to be back and if you miss you have people asking you why. I need that kind of accountability. And, they actually do care how you are progressing and they cheer you on as you meet your goals. So, what I took away from the conversation I had with this person was that I don't want to be exactly who I was in high school but I want to be a better version of that person. I want to want to workout for myself (instead of just for a race or game like I did in high school). I want to enjoy working out, and I can honestly say on last Thursday I did enjoy working out. I do want people to be inspired by my blog (even though I wasn't that type of person) and know that no matter what shape you are in you can do something about it. I told myself that I couldn't do anything about it for a long time, but it all happened in God's time. I can't wait to start my second month and see how I do. I know each day will be hard but the results are sooo worth it.