Oct 9, 2011

Crossfit Fight Gone Bad

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Gosh, my life has been so busy that I have been really failing at updating the blog! But Thursday I had a great workout that I wanted to share! At class on Thursday night Kari and I gave “Fight Gone Bad” another try! You may remember me talking about the workout that made me want to throw up 100 times and this was that same workout with just enough almost vomit as the first time around!

As a reminder… here is the Crossfit workout…

  • Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
  • Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
  • Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps)
  • Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
  • Row (Calories)

We did this for 3 rounds and you get 1 point for each one you do! The first round I was pretty motivated and the second round I struggled to even jump up on the shorter box  but the third round I picked it back up and finished strong. I finished this time at 356 points and the last time around I finished at about 320 so I would say it was a success! Kari still put an old fashion whoppin’ on me and finished at over 570! She was amazing and I hope to get to that point one of these days but Thursday just wasn’t my day!

Another great part about the workout was that we started out the workout with a nice 1 mile run. I turned around and did just a little extra with Kari too so I guess I was just a little over 1 mile. I laugh when I attempt to do a 1 mile run because it usually takes me about 2.5 miles to really get going so the one mile run feels like it is going to kill me! But it was still nice to get out there. You never know what Ohio weather will bring so when it brings sunshine and warm weather you make sure to get out there and enjoy it!

Most of the ladies aren’t big runners but they do such a great job when they get out there and push themselves! It is so motivating to see people out there doing things outside of their comfort zone and it is a reminder to me that I need to get out there and start pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Sure, my comfort zone has grown a little but each time you get comfortable I think it is important.

Still want to be able to run about 7-8 miles by the end of the month but I better step it up if I am going to make that happen! I figured out I should be able to fit in 3 long runs a week… and on top of that I am doing a wedding challenge!

The wedding challenge includes 52 burpees a day (for this week). Next week it will be 51 burpees every day. This will go down by 1 every week and eventually right before the wedding I will be down to NONE! But before I get to none I’ll work my butt off and hopefully had a pretty stellar back and arms from all of those push-ups! My mom is also doing this (she gave me the idea) along with her client Patti and of course Tim has joined in! My dad is doing regular push-ups instead of burpees but he is getting sore!

I’ll keep you updated on that because that will probably be pretty tough to do!

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Sep 16, 2011

One Mile, Two Mile, Three Mile… YAY

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On Thursday I headed to workout class and knew I was feeling good. It was COLD outside compared to the heat wave we had this summer but it felt great. You know that great weather when you can wear shorts and a hoodie? You may sweat a little or you may be a little cold but in the end you’ll feel great? It was that kind of day. So for Crossfit/Rowing class I was with Kari and we did a kick butt workout

5 min warm up on the rowers then we had 1:30min to complete the following exercises and we did that three times each exercise

  • -20 Burpees
  • -15 Kipping Pull-Cups
  • 25- Bench Jumps
  • 10- Olympic bar squat curl presses

It was TOUGH. The burpees for example were nearly impossible to finish in 1:30min but we both made it through the entire workout! After the workout I mentioned to my mom that she looked like she was dressed and ready to go for a run. I was THRILLED that she said YES! Then Kari asked us where we were going so I knew she was in too! So the three of us headed out to Buckeye Woods park (a different path than I have been running) to do a few miles!

My mom and Kari were AWESOME. They just ran through the first mile like it was nothing and I was so proud and impressed by both of them! They turned around at the first mile and headed back for 2 miles total and I kept going to get in a little more than an extra mile. Doesn’t hurt to do another 5K right?

This run was great because I was feeling like I was really starting to get it ya know? Like I could tell my form was good, my breathing was spot on, and I was challenging my body without pushing it to an unhealthy limit. Plus, I was able to run with my mom and a great friend so that made it all that more enjoyable!! I am looking forward to maybe doing a little bit more of that in the next few weeks! I think both my mom and Kari enjoyed it as much as I did!

Went home after the run and Tim and I hadn’t really thought about dinner much. We finally decided on veggie burgers which meant an impressive veggie burger salad for me! I made guacamole for it and also added on cookies mushrooms, 2 pieces of lean bacon, and tomatoes. It was just as tasty as it looks!!

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Sep 11, 2011

Goal 3: Accomplished!

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Checking off the goals this week! Thursday I woke up at my normal 6:15 time and got ready for work! I cooked up some eggs (1 whole egg, 1 egg white) and mixed in some left over Jennie-O turkey sausage! I’ll tell you what- that is a heck of a breakfast. A ton of protein and keeps me full… great way to start of a day!

After work I was exhausted but I was still motivated enough to head to workout class! Luckily I didn’t have to stop and put gas in the car so I was able to sneak in about 10 minutes on my parent’s couch, which was enough time to rejuvenate me enough. Together with my partner Michelle we had an amazing workout! An interval training day is what we completed and it looked like this…

  • Row 10 minutes
  • Pull Ups
  • Box Jumps
  • Thrusters
  • Kettle Bell 1 arm swings
  • Kettle Bell 2 are swings

We did that that 3 rounds and it kicked my butt! After class I was a little tired and secretly hoped it was raining so I had a really excuse to tell you all that I didn’t go for a run because of Mother Nature not my lack of commitment but when I looked outside the skies had opened up and were calling to me. So I answered the call and went to the park.

I did a 40-minute run! The best part about it is that I actually went further than I did last week, which means my pace was getting faster! That was huge for me because the Susan G Komen race was just right around the corner at this point and I knew I needed to pull an impressive time out to make my goals happen! While I was running I looked over at one point and saw 3 deer just hanging out staring at me while I was going to town! That is what running is supposed to be about! Especially when you go to a place like the park to run- to really enjoy nature and all that it has to offer. One of the things I like best about running is that all I really needed is a great pair of running shoes and some workout clothes. No need for a gym membership or anything which helps the checkbook! Now, I have no idea what I am going to do when the ground is covered with snow but I suppose I’ll figure it out.

Once again my foot fell asleep probably around mile 3 so that is just weird. But I was feeling great and I have been really impressed by how feel I have been able to control my breathing. Now that I going to challenge myself to really concentrate on my feet and legs to ensure I am running properly. For so long I was just wishing I could go a mile or two and now that I am getting a hang of that I am hoping to get to 6 miles in the next few weeks and then really work out my form. I have never done the “turkey trot” over Thanksgiving but if there is a 10K I may try to do that one instead of the 5K…. I think I can do it!

When I got home wonderful Tim had dinner going. Since he is on that no-carb diet thing it is working out well that he is in charge of dinner. He made this stir-fry type meal with chicken sausage from Sam’s Club, lots and lots of veggies over lentils. Since Tim isn’t even carbs we couldn’t do rice or anything so he chose the lentils and I thought it was a great idea! I added some soy sauce in mine and thought it was just delicious. I’m not sure how the leftovers will heat up- seems like a one time meal but it tasted really good!

I forgot to take that picture right away! So that is after I already ate a little bit of it!!

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Sep 4, 2011

Smiling Makes Me Happy

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I am beginning to love the idea of long runs mixed in with some short runs but not having to do it every single day. So here is my latest update on running- another beautiful sunny day in the park made it a lot easier for me to keep going!

Thursday morning I once again had to be in to work for a meeting at 8am so I knew my butt was not getting up earlier than that 5:30 alarm so I once again snuggled with Tim in bed until 6:15. I got up and bolted out the door (I am sooo much slower getting ready in the morning when I don’t run!) and made it to work on time! Before I left a grabbed some eggins to take me to eat after the meeting.

The beginning of beautiful eggins!

Eggins are delicious. Our friend Mary showed us the way with these little treats. I simply just mix up some eggs in a bowl and I added the following… onions, jalapenos, green peppers, and spinach. You mix them all up and put them in the oven in a muffin pan to bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Then TADA they are done and you can take 1 or 2 with you to work!

So fluffy and tasty!

Pretty tasty!

portable too!

So the workday went one and I enjoyed my packed lunch around noon. I had made up some tuna fish, which I ate with a few Stacey’s Pita Chips. I also enjoyed a bag of left over fruit from dinner the night before and then gave my special a special treat of fruit snacks! YAY for those Target fruit snacks. Seriously, the best one I have ever had.

After work I headed to my parents house for workout class. Class was great and we did a circuit of 8 different workout for 20 seconds on 10 seconds off. It was fast moving and kept my brain stimulated just as much as my muscles because I had to remember what station I went to next! The stations looked like this…

  • Burpees into pull-ups
  • Squat, sit, rows on the cable machine
  • Plank v-ups on the Reformer Machine
  • Push-ups
  • Farmers walk with 30-40lb
  • Sit ups
  • Squats
  • Rowing

Heck of a workout! So great in fact that I was feeling really powerful when I left and decided to make a pit stop at the park on my way home. I was so glad I did because I had another successful day at there!

So keep in mind that tonight the sun was still shining at 7pm (which I do love) and it was still 87 degrees according to my faithful Murano. This is a major catch 22 for me because I love sun and I love warm weather but I would have enjoyed my run a lot more had it been about 15 degrees cooler with a nice partly to mostly cloudy evening. But I put that out of my head and just thought about the next 30 min or so where I was going to enjoy this day and do something for me.

I realized during this run that for me to really go into a run with the right attitude I sort of started my own little traditional. So I did do a mini-walk to warm up which took me to the beginning of the main path I run and I stopped there at the path.  I did a few quad stretches and hamstring stretches and then I just stood there and took a couple of deep breaths. Yes- I probably looked silly but I took a few minutes just for me- to prepare myself for what was coming and to reflect back on what today was. Then I smiled. Yep- I think that is where the true magic happens during a run. I stretched and then just smiled. A big sort of goofy smile but a smile that said “I’m proud of myself today. I am proud of who I am and what I accomplished already today and now I get to enjoy my accomplishments for me”. Honestly as trivial and silly as that sounds I think the smile is what really puts me in the mind set I need to be in to have a great run.

So not that anyone of you are looking to me for advice but in case you want any here I go…. If you are trying to run for any reason… a race, your health, or just because you want to love it like me take a minute to smile. If you are doing anything really that you have committed yourself to regardless of who knows about your commitment just smile. It sounds so silly but heck even giggle a little before you start. It really is mind over matter and I am the poster child for that! I spent so much time worrying about my tired legs and my off the wall breathing that I forgot to enjoy the ride! This little smile I do right before I start that reminds me that life is a journey and that part of my journey is this side running journey that I voluntarily signed up for. I don’t want to just ride it once and get off- I am hoping it last me a lifetime. Who knew you could do all of that in a smile? I didn’t! But now I do.

So I didn’t make it the 45 minutes I did on Tuesday but I did make it about 35 before I got so hungry I needed to go home and eat! The good news is that I think my body could have taken me further. My legs were feeling great even though they were sore from my last few days of working out. My breathing that I usually stress out about was right on target and my head was right where it needed to be! I had even remembered to charge my I-POD at my parents house in hopes of having some motivation to run so I got to listen to some awesome tunes while I ran. Stayed tuned for a post about a play-list that will keep you going for miles.

I think I love running at the park for a few reasons… 1. There is always a soccer practice going on and it just takes me back to the days of my soccer life! All of those little kids running around and laughing just really makes me think about all of the good times I had with my friends playing soccer 2. There are other people there… people I don’t know that I don’t want to let down. So yes, I have some competitive blood in me. I run for me but I certainly don’t want people to notice that I just quit- I want them to be impressed that I can keep going. 3. It is just beautiful out. I like that I can run the whole park without back tracking at all and go for miles. The wet lands are awesome to run through (except for the bugs and toads) and then you see playgrounds and families, then soccer fields, then a few hills to keep you motivated, and a pond where people are fishing.  SO much to look at and I think that helps to keep me going!

Another night where I just felt amazing. I was so gross and sweaty when I got home and Tim made sure to remind me of that but I felt GREAT about me. I was proud of myself which I think is more of an accomplishment than having anyone else be proud of you ya know? At the end of the day what matters most is that you know you put yourself 100% into everything you did that day and that you are proud of the person starring back at you in that mirror.

I ate left overs for dinner as Tim finished up his P90X then showered before bed! I slept like a rock that night and smiled the entire time :)

Shout out to Tim who does a great job at doing the dishes!

What a great "soon to be hubby"

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