Friday, November 30, 2012

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!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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!









Monday, November 26, 2012

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.

Friday, November 23, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

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!





Tuesday, November 20, 2012

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 :)

Monday, November 19, 2012

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!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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.

Monday, November 12, 2012

"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!

Friday, November 9, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

"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!

Monday, November 5, 2012

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!

Friday, November 2, 2012

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!