Encouraging July 4th Hero WOD

These encouraging words were spoken to me today while finishing up my last 1/2 mile of Murph today, "Great job Becky.  If you can get through this, the rest is cake.  This is the hardest WOD there is."  This was from the owner of the gym who was doing the workout with us today.  As he said this, all I wanted to do was collapse on the asphalt I was running on.

MURPH:
As prescribed this is done with a 20lb weighted vest

1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

I did half of the work, 1/2 mile run, 50 pull ups, 100 push ups, 150 squats and 1/2 mile run.  The heat was intense while doing the WOD today.  Doing my push ups I was actually thinking about our troops over seas.  I thought about them doing push ups in the sand, running in the desert, all while in full uniform and gear.  I can't even imagine it!  I am very grateful for our service men and women.

Aside from my first few times at the gym this was by far one of the hardest for me to get through.  The difference of completing this compared to some of the first few was ALL mental.  I couldn't physically get through the first WODs that I did.  Today I could physically do all of the work, but with the heat and thought of all I had to accomplish, I was having a hard time mentally pushing myself through.  But when I ran through the gym door at the end I felt AWESOME!  I was done.  I DID IT!

That is the feeling I still get after completing every WOD.  Every single time I go in I feel like I have accomplished more and I am that much stronger for it.  This is the feeling that keeps me coming back for more.

Weekend preparations

So today was the prep day for the week.  Eric and I went grocery shopping Friday evening.  Somehow even with a list we both had to run out for ingredients that we missed.  So lesson learned, I have to check out the recipes and get the lists in order a little better from now on.

So the menu for the week:  (this is what Eric and I both have made to share)

Chicken salad (I don't have a recipe for this, sorry, but I only use organic ingredients in it.)
precut fruit raw (berries, pinapple, cantelope, honeydew, and grapes)
precut veggies raw (red and green peppers, cukes, and broccoli)
The Bomb pork http://fastpaleo.com/the-bomb-pork/
Chicken scampi http://fastpaleo.com/chicken-scampi/
Paleo crunch http://paleosimplified.com/recipes/paleo-crunch/
Fried Eggplant http://fastpaleo.com/?s=fried+eggplant
Rosemary roasted carrots http://fastpaleo.com/?s=rosemary+roasted+carrots


The websites are listed for those of you that may be interested in the paleo or clean eating diet.  I am really feeling good about getting everything cooked today and being able to sit down and enjoy my evenings after work and not have to worry about what to eat.  From all of the other blogs, fitness magazines that I have read, and the experience with my husband, this is one of the best ways to make sure my diet stays on track and there are no excuses.  That is what I need, NO MORE EXCUSES!

How do you stay on track with your diet?  Please share any secrets or websites that you use with me.

My power snatch is better...and an eye opener for my diet.

Hey everyone!  It have been a crazy 2 weeks.  I had an infection, found out that I was allergic to Penicillin, and felt like crap for about 5 straight days.  However I have pushed through it.  I am improving my running.  I have had 2 runs and a CF workout in the last 24 hours.

Last night's run was 5.5 miles and tonights was an easier 3.  This morning WOD was "Randy" 75 power snatches for time.  

I shared the bar with my 6am buddy so we each did 50 power snatches in 9:56.  I was excited to hear the trainer tell me that I had great form on my power snatch.  He even told me to tell my trainer husband that my snatch was better than his.  Now I am not sure if this is true (he has been at this for years.), he did his workout later in the day while I was running.  However, it was really nice to hear that kind of a compliment at 6 in the morning.  The snatch movement for some reason has come easy to me compared with some of the other movements like the clean and jerk. 

On the diet side of things...I have gotten a calorie counter app for my phone.  I track everything that I eat/drink.  It even has a bar code scanner for those foods that I do eat that are packaged.  Surprising to me, there are not very many anymore.  Just my prepackaged almonds and almond milk for protein shakes on most days.  By tracking my foods I have been able to see that I am still very low on my protein intake and high on the carbs due to all the veggies and fruits that I am eating.  It is allowing me to adjust my diet to hopefully help me perform better.  

Now all I need is a few solid weeks of no health issues.  I am hoping that all of the workouts and improvements in my diet will help me to maintain a healthier mind and body.  

Hero WOD at 6am? What am I crazy?!

I wake up, let the dogs out to do their business, grab a bottle of water and fly out the door to get to the 6am class again this morning.  Again, I realize that the class size is much smaller, which I like.  The loading doors opened up as soon as we started into the warm up on this hot summer day.  We focused on a bunch of dynamic stretching before starting.

What I learned for sure today Hero WOD=torture for sure.  These are WODs named after fallen armed forces HEROES!!  This is what I kept thinking to myself while enduring the 25 and a half minutes that it took me to complete it.  

MICHAEL

800m run

50 abmat situps (scaled to 30)

50 back extensions (scaled to 30)

However scaling it did not stop me from having sore abs from all those situps!  Or stop the hamstrings from tightening up this afternoon from the back extensions.  Surprisingly the run was the hardest part for me this morning.  My short legs did not want to propel me forward at all!  However I did take a minute to see the beauty of the morning sunrise through the trees.  

I got home, drank my protein shake~not paleo, but I am horrible at cooking bacon-either undercooked or burnt.  There is no in between!  So I just quite trying.  I only eat it when my husband cooks it, perfect every time!  

So then I was off to work.  Here is my dilemma, I am hitting a wall at about 3pm.  I am so tired and want a nap.  Day 2 of 6am was working I thought until 3pm.  I am going to keep trying the 6am for now and see if my body and internal clock will reset.  Any suggestions?

Morning WOD not a total fail but....

Today was my first attempt at a morning WOD.  It wasn't a total fail, but full of blooper moments.  Let me remind everyone...I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!  This was obvious to everyone in the class including the trainer when I couldn't stop yawning during the warmup.  I was totally winded after 60 seconds of jumprope because I was yawning nonstop during it.

The workout 5-4-3-2-1 ground to overhead squat and muscle ups (I cannot do this yet.)  So scaled it was dips and the movement of a muscle up on the rings from the ground up.  

Well my addition skills were lacking that early in the morning as well.  By the time the workout started I finally realized that I had 55lbs not 40lbs like the trainer had suggested I use.  Then in the round of 3 on the last rep of overhead squats I actually squatted myself all the way to the floor and had to release the bar behind my head to the floor.  I think I was still sleeping.  Everyone looks and shouts the same question, "Are you ok?"  I get up, dust myself off and answer, "Yep, I can do this!"  I then miraculously complete the workout in 7:47.  

So maybe getting up and working out isn't completely horrible.  The smaller class size was nice, and I got to see an old friend from school that comes in the morning.  

Here's to hoping that my next attempt at a morning WOD goes a little smoother.

I NEED to run.

I am beginning to feel the NEED to run.  I NEED to run to focus.  I NEED to run to clear my head at the end of the day.  I NEED to feel the sweat on my brow.  I NEED to feel my lungs open up and suck in the fresh air.  I NEED to feel my legs pushing off the ground and propel me forward.  I NEED to run!
Now this is a crazy feeling for me.  Just 72 days ago I stepped into a CrossFit gym and thought that I wouldn't make it through my first workout.  Today I ran a 5K as a training run.   This is a pretty drastic change in less than 90 days.  I committed to running a 7.5 mile run, however when I did this I did not consider myself a "runner".  Actually I haven't considered myself a runner until tonight.  I was running in a gentle rain, sucking air into my lungs, listening to the frogs in the canal, and I realized...I am running in the rain!  I would have never ran in the rain!  I thought that was for extreme, fit, healthy people.  I don't currently consider myself any of those terms.  However I do feel like I am on my way to fit and healthy.
Tonight I also had the pleasure of coming home to a grass fed bison steak and cabbage, onion, bacon side dish, my husband is a great paleo chef!  I really think he has a calling in this.  He also made kale chips that made it out of the oven and straight into our bellies.  I finished out the night with a paleo brownie, the base is mashed dates rather than flour.
This has been a great start to the week.  It is now time to keep the momentum going!

Soreness like I just started all over again.

WOW...that WOD yesterday, appropriately dubbed "Evil" by the trainers,  kicked my butt.  My arms, my chest, my quads, my hamstrings, my calves...this list could continue going until I named every body part.  I haven't been this sore since I started in March!  So I decided that it would be a good day to head out for a run.  

What a beautiful night on the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath!  A nice breeze as I ran 3.5 miles.  I did get a new app for my iPhone called Ease into a 10K.  This tells you when to run and when to walk.  So I am beginning to see an increase in my speed and distance since every run is based on 40 minutes if I use this app for about 6 weeks, and then the time will increase along with distant goals.  I needed an easier night and a run to clear my head.  I really think some of my best thoughts and ideas come to me while running.

Beginning tomorrow I am focusing on increasing calcium and iron in the diet.  We shall see if this makes me feel any better.  I have been struggling a little bit with what I think my performance should be and read up on a few fitness sites that those 2 things are vital to performance and most women are deficient in both.   I am hoping that a few days of this will help turn things around for me.