A little bit of struggle to make me stronger.

Tonight was HARD!!!  I struggled through the warm up and then struggled through the workout which was only 17 minutes long!  Thrusters, burpee box jumps, and clean and jerks.  None of which came very easy to me tonight.  I did however increase my box jumps to 16 inches!  So I guess tonight wasn't a total mess for me.
My wrists are not feeling all that great right now, even after stretching them out several times.  I was encouraged by the trainer (my wonderful husband) that I will begin to increase my wrist flexibility and that they will not feel like this forever.  I hope he is right.
I also noticed in the shower that I have lovely "burpee bruising" on my knees.  I apparently was throwing myself to the ground during this.
So how do I deal with this?  I have started by going back over my blogs and reading about the times that I have felt successful during my workouts.  This has helped me a ton.  I am strong enough to get through these workouts!  I will continue to get stronger everyday!  I will be better for admitting that tonight was a struggle, and I know one day I will be better.
Tomorrow is a new day and a new WOD.  I just pray that it doesn't include burpees!  (I really HATE burpees.)

Looking forward to "date" runs.

Tonight was a 40 minute run with my "running buddy," my cousin Ginger.  I really look forward to our Monday date runs together now.  She tells me stories about her 6 year old son that crack me up and keep me occupied and not so focused on only the run.  He is such a smart little guy.  Our "runs" used to be mostly walking with sprints mixed in.  However now we are running more than walking.  She has become quite the inspiration to me.  It started off with "if I have someone waiting on me then I will run at least once a week."  To "I cannot wait to run and see her this week!"  Ginger and her husband Greg are also my inspiration for participating in the Akron Roadrunner Relay.
This journey I am on so far has been amazing.  I am amazed at how quickly my body has changed and adapted to CrossFit workouts, running, and even my diet.  I still get sore after most workouts, but nothing like the first few days.  I actually enjoy and embrace the soreness and know that my body will be able to handle the next one to come.  I am not really having the diet cravings that I used to have.  I also notice when I have had too much sugar or carbs that day.  I have a hard time unwinding and sleeping that night.
Tomorrow back to CF.  I will remember my gloves, to eat something light and well before the WOD, and wash my makeup off my face!

New running PR

July 4, 2011 I ran in the North Canton YMCA 2 mile run, finishing time 24:40. Today June 3, 2012 I ran a 2 mile for time at the Canal Fulton tow path, finishing time 20:24. New PR (personal record)! I knocked over 4 minutes off my time! I also ran my first mile in under 10 minutes which I have never done before. I must admit I was a little disappointed that I was unable to maintain under a 10 minute mile for the second as well, but soon that day will come for me.
The results are motivating me to continue moving forward. I will continue to become better and faster as long as I can keep myself focused.

Exciting news

Ok so I have the new mobile app for blogger! This means I can take and upload pics easier, blog from anywhere I am, and for those of you following my journey I can blog more often.
Oh and in other exciting news, I am 50 days smoke free! This is one thing that I am so incredibly proud of. So I am now off for a run now. Stay tuned for more!

A little bit of "DIET" talk

So today I wanted to talk a little about "DIET".  This is an area that I have MAJOR room to improve at.  I am dubbed "The Carb Queen" by my husband, even though I went gluten free due to allergies about 6 years ago.  I will find a way to eat salty or sweet, crunchy or soft, carb loaded foods at all times!  So paleo is not really friendly to my carb-loving ways.

However, I have been making small changes and getting away more and more every week from the foods that are toxic to my body and put me in the place 2 months ago of lethargy almost all the time.  I have read that "losing weight" or "fitness" is 10% workout and 90% diet.  I will tell you from my experience, it has made a big difference for my laziness to eat less of the processed crap!

A book that I have read recently, Why We Get Fat, And What To Do About It; by Gary Taubes, goes into what the reason is that we are all gaining weight and why it is so hard to get it off.  I have lost 8 pounds in the 2 months that I have been doing this.  You may think that is not much.  But think about the this:  I am stuffing my face full of bacon, almond butter, olive oil, steaks, almond milk, eggs, and my husband's Thai turkey wraps (I am addicted to these), and I never measure anything.  I eat until I am full.  This is because of WHAT I am eating, NOT how much I am eating.  I encourage anyone to look into this diet if you are struggling with hunger.  I am never hungry!  Our bodies were not intended to live in hunger for prolonged periods.  Don't get me wrong in current society it is difficult to follow Paleo 100% of time.  I have ice cream on a weekly basis and I have my slip ups.  This is why I started by saying I have room for improvement.  We are all a work in progress and I strive to be better every day.

So the picture above is called Paleo Breakfast Bread.  I am not the most comfortable in the kitchen, but this was quick and very easy to make.  I had to eat it as soon as it came out of the oven.  The verdict?....YUM!  It is awesome!  Here's the recipe:

Paleo Breakfast Bread

• ½ cup creamy roasted almond butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon stevia
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, with a hand blender, mix almond butter until creamy
2. Mix in eggs, honey, vanilla and stevia
3. Add salt, baking soda and cinnamon
4. Mix well with hand blender until all ingredients are combined
5. Transfer batter into a well greased 8x8 inch Pyrex baking dish
6. Bake at 325° for 12 to 15 minutes
7. Serve

Serves 4  http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-breakfast-bread/

Not very lady-like WOD hands

So after yesterday's WOD my hands are feeling it.  I have blisters and I now feel official as I have what I am dubbing as WOD hands.  It doesn't feel pleasant at all, but I luckily did not rip them open.
I am realizing that I will no longer have feminine hands.  Breaking nails, splitting nails, blisters, dryness, and calluses will be a part of my life now.  I must accept that.  However, I don't have to accept bad hair.  So in lieu of another WOD at the gym that will tear up my already tender hands, I got my hair done.  I did not skip working out all together though.  I did my own little thing before work.
20 air squats
10 push ups
10 sit ups
6X
This allowed me to work on the core strength that I am lacking.  I would really like to be able to do some of the gymnastic type WODs but I don't have the core or upper body strength to really work much on the rings.  I have a hard time with being able to stabilize and lift myself.  I am actually thinking that since this did not take that long to complete that I may add this to my day.  Well maybe not 6 rounds every day, but a version to work on some extra stability.
I also want to say a big thank you to everyone that is reading the blog.  I cannot believe the stats on my homepage!  Any support or suggestions that any of you would like to give to me is welcome.  Thanks again for reading.

Important lessons learned

I learned a few important lessons today during my workout.  The workout was 500m row and directly to  55lb bench press reps until I failed x4.  I completed 4 500m rows and then a total of 26 55lb bench presses.  (this is much harder than it sounds.)  I also found my max bench press which today was 75lbs.  

Lessons learned

1.  Do not eat pork for a snack an hour before a workout.  You will feel like puking during and after the workout is complete for about an hour.  (I didn't, but really thought it was coming)

2.  Rowing can cause your hands to blister if you hold the bar really tight.

3.  Always wash the days make up off your face before a workout.  You will wipe your face on your shirt at some point and end up with makeup smeared across your face and shirt.

I will have to learn from my lessons today.  All of these things I will not do again!  However, I seem to love the pain and oddly enough the nausea that I received from my workout today.  I think I am a little insane now.  It was not that long ago that I was afraid to even walk into a gym and now I really like it! 

I missed a little bit due to ear infections (yet again) and the other "Utilitarians" as they call themselves at my Box actually asked where I was and if everything is ok.  They genuinely care and want me to be there next to them working out.  I feel like a part of the group for sure.  Dare I say that I too am a Utilitarian?!  Not really sure about that yet.