Let's Have An Adventure Shall We?

When I think about 2016 - I have a hard time verbalizing my thoughts on it. 2015 was a rollercoaster on a few different levels - but it was definitely a good year.  Honestly, I think that the older you get, the more you realize that life just IS a rollercoaster - at least if you're doing it right.  That means that you are taking the chances that you need to open yourself up to failure and torment - but also taking the chances on the the really awesome things that make you insanely happy. Thus leading to the highs and lows that make up the Thunder Mountain Railroad of Life.  (Wow... that sounded deep, huh?)

2015 had some pretty awesome experiences, but also included a lot of lessons that I had to learn.  Seriously - I thought that by 31, I'd be done learning life lessons. Nope. Apparently that isn't a thing that ever stops. And I am by no means saying that all of these lessons were bad - to the contrary, most of them were good.

So what about 2016?  What's going to be different?  Well... I don't really believe in resolutions.  But I do believe in changing your life for the better.  So that's my goal - to do little things that change my life for the better.  I mean, my life is pretty good (despite all my complaints to the contrary) so we aren't talking a total life overhaul here.  And while many of these goals are private (please... I am NOT sharing all my dirty little secrets with the world) - there are a few that I can share:

• Think less. Turns out that anyone who knows me even a little bit, knows that I am an over thinker.  Seriously.  I can turn almost any situation into a life-ending tragedy in my brain. My brain is the supreme pessimist. I don't know when I stopped trusting my instincts and started overanalyzing. So... 2016 is the year to stop it. Breathe. Trust. Let go. And just see what happens.
• Disconnect from social media. Let's call this more of a social experiment than a goal for the year.  For the month of January - I am deleting Facebook from my phone (I'll still have access to it via computer and/or iPad - so I won't go totally off the grid.).  I've read several articles about how social media affects the way we see ourselves - and I feel like having it at my fingertips 24/7 is just too much. So... I'm giving it up for January.  Maybe for longer.  We'll see how I do.  So far, I'm on day four and I haven't caved yet.  Stay tuned.
• Travel more.  I don't care if it's a day trip to the coast or a weekend trip to eastern WA or a weeklong trip to Central America.  I just want to get out of the city more. Seattle is bustling and I think is probably a top contributor to what makes me anxious sometimes.  Sitting in traffic and dealing with being surrounded by people all that time can be exhausting and I am just not built like that. I love the city, I really do - but I find that I'm happier when I can get away from it all.
• Make my bed every day. Why? Discipline, that's why.  Don't worry that the last two days - Grace has totally removed the throw pillows from it when she wants to snuggle up - but at least I can say that I've tried.  (And to clarify, it's not like I was a delinquent before who never made the bed - I usually do. I'm just making the concentrated effort to take the extra minute before work to do it correctly, throw pillows and all. I know... I'm weird. Whatever. I'm okay with it.)

And so here we go.  Let's have an adventure.    

Why Will You Compete?

Tomorrow is the day.  The day that registration for the 2014 CrossFit Open begins.  You can register up until the day before the first workout but the majority of us overzealous crazies will register early.  Somebody asked me the other day - 'are you trying to make it to regionals?'  Ummm... no. That isn't even on my radar.

So - why do I do it?  Why put myself through five grueling and painful workouts if I know I'm not going to 'win'?  Well. Lots of reasons.  

Here are the top five reasons why I compete (and why you should too):

1. Because I can.  And really... anyone can.  The first workout in 2012 was 7 minutes of burpees.  ANYONE can do a burpee.  Don't let the weights and times of all the other workouts intimidate you.  Last year, a gal at my gym did almost 150 fourteen pound wall balls to a 10' target.  I don't know if she'd ever picked up a 14lb medicine ball, much less done a workout with it.  And she KILLED it.  That's the point of the open - to crush your limits.
2. To beat myself.  Last year I came in 19,220th place out of the 27,820 women who completed all five workouts.  Awesome right? Okay... not that awesome.  But this year - I want to beat myself last year.  
3. To compete with friends.  There aren't very many opportunities that you have to compete against your friends at the gym - trying to beat them while cheering for them to get one more rep.  You work your ass off, give each other sweaty hugs, and then you go have a beer afterwards.  It's the best kind of competition.
4. To feel awesome.  Last year, I didn't think there was any way that I could do ANY of the workouts for the Open.  I was so intimidated.  The workouts are long.  The workouts are heavy.  But you finish it - and you feel awesome for finishing it.  
5. Because why not?  Seriously... why not compete?  It costs $20 and you get to see where you rank against all the competing CrossFitters in the world. In. THE. WORLD.  Where else can you see where you rank against a whole world of athletes?  I'm not positive - but I think no where.  (Unless you are an Olympian.  And in that case - having you compete in the CrossFit Open is remarkably unfair and I protest.)  

So... have I convinced you?  Why will you compete?  

And on to 2014!

Do you ever have one of those moments where you look around and think 'Holy Crap!!! It's 2014?!?! When did that happen?!?!?!'.  Ummmm... No?  Hmmm... 

Well.  I did.  Yesterday and today I've been pretty darn shocked that it's 2014 already.  And I'm pretty excited about it.  2014 is going to be my year.  It's totally in the bag.  I saw this yesterday and yes... just yes... 

It's going to be a good year.  I refuse to settle for anything less.  

So... what's up on the priority list for 2014?  I don't really do resolutions - that just seems to set me up for failure.  But I do have priorities for this year... most are private (as they should be!) but here are a few that I'm willing to share: 

• Call my grandpa more often.  There will come a time when he won't be around to talk to - I want to make sure I take advantage of him while he's just a phone call away.
• Be more organized and keep my house clean.  It's so easy for me to get cluttery (is that a word?!) - time to be a real adult... with an organization system. 
• Spend more time in the kitchen.  In 2013, this came in waves - but since I've moved into my house - I really haven't cooked a whole lot.  I'm doing this in 2014!
• Blog more.  You are welcome. 

Okay... enough about my 2014 goals.  I wish that I had something awesome else to say... but I don't.  It's been a slow couple of weeks. I did do the Polar Bear Plunge yesterday - that was awesome.  Even though I'll be the first to admit that I chickened out and didn't put my head under.  I learned two important lessons of polar bear plunges: 1) Wear shoes, and 2) Don't stop moving when you hit the water.  Next year, I'm going all in. 

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Remember how I said that writing that I was excited about a new guy was probably going to be the kiss of death? Well.  Apparently it was.  Effffffffffffff.... 

This one was all on me though.  (Okay.  It was a little bit on him too.)  But mostly it was just me not feeling it.  So I decided to end it instead of leading him on and ultimately hurting him worse - that's the right thing to do, right??  Well.  It doesn't feel like it.  I still feel like I hurt the guy and that makes me feel terrible. 

So what now, you ask?  Well.  I think I need to take a break from the online dating.  I am officially stressed to the max between work and coaching and life in general.  I think I have probably used my lifetime capacity for stress management and now I can just barely muster the energy to deal with one stressful thing at a time.  I haven't worked out in a week, I wake up exhausted every morning, and I literally slept almost all day yesterday (in all fairness, my power was out - bed was the only place I could stay warm). A friend told me yesterday that I sounded 'angry' - well, I'm not necessarily 'angry' - but I'm not happy either.  I'm ready to be done with the fall.  Fall is the hardest time of the year for me - it's honestly one of the last times that I remember being truly happy. From now until January - pretty much everything is a memory and that's tough to deal with.  So... from now until January - I'm working on me.  I'm done with dating for now - if someone comes along who is fantastic, that's great.  But... three months of 'me' time, is very much needed.  I am just trying to get settled into my house and spend time with my dog.  These things make me happy and right now - I'm desperately in need of doing things that make me happy.

So... what is included in 'work on me' time?  I dunno.  Maybe I'll finally pick a new color for my ground floor bathroom (sky blue doesn't do it for me).  Maybe I'll organize my garage (I have to before Thanksgiving - my dad will have a heart attack if he sees the piles of CRAP that have grown in my garage).  I'm definitely going to start going to the gym more - two days a week just isn't cutting it.  Maybe I'll actually make a recipe out of the paleo cookbooks that I have picked up (heaven forbid!).  I'm going to have the girls over for a sweatpants, wine and gossip night.  I'm going to go see the monster (my bestie's two year old).  I'm going to train my dog. I'm going to plan a vacation.

The Next Challenge

For the last two months, I've been making goals and working on hitting them in order to be ready for the Beatdown.  Even though I didn't do as well as I was hoping to do, I'm still pretty pleased with my performance.  So what's the next big thing?  Who knows.  And I could really use someone to help me decide - any ideas?

In the meantime, I have signed up for a 5K.  The Mustache Dache to be exact.  Why in the world would I want to do a 5K?  Good freaking question.  I have no idea.  Okay, actually I do have an idea.  Simply just because the theme is mustaches.  There really isn't a better theme than mustaches for a 5K.  I designed awesome mustache themed t shirts, I found press-on mustaches (to which I was quickly shown up by PINK mustaches! Thanks Barb!), and bought sweet stackable mustache wristbands.  So... I guess my next challenge is to run a 5K without passing out or crying.  Since I keep meeting marathon runners lately, I feel like a 5K is a wimpy kind of challenge.  But for me, it's huge.  I'm not entirely sure that I've ever run 3.2 miles without stopping.  Hmmm... (the awesome outfit that I am going to wear is what is keeping me enthusiastic right now.  That and the beer garden at the end.)

Bacon Beatdown Recap

Hey y'all!  It's finally Bacon Beatdown weekend.  Eek!  I signed up for this in August and October felt like SUPER far away.  Turns out, it came WAY faster than I was expecting.  Here is a rundown of the workouts: 

WOD #1
5 minutes of thruster for total volume
Weight x reps = total score

WOD #2
6 ear-to-ear pullups (I know, WTF are those?!?!)
12 kb swings (36 lbs)
15 goblet squats

WOD #3
9-15-21
Hang cleans (75#)
Burpees (touch hands behind head, jump over bar - because normal burpees are apparently impossible)

WOD #4
1RM of snatch, clean and deadlift

WOD #5
Push-up ladder of deficit pushups and hand stand pushups

WOD #6
60 Double Unders 
50 20# wall balls (20#s?!?!)
40 50# slam balls
30 50# shoulder to shoulder slam balls
20 box jumps w/ 20# wall balls
10 rope scales (monkey style across a rope - ugh)

These workouts are hard.  Totally hard.  And not a fair representation of what was expected based on the 'scaled division' standards. 

A few days ago, I almost walked away from the competition entirely based off of the workouts themselves.  One rep maxes in a competition setting can be scary - it can be exhilarating too - but I know for me, I lose my form and push too far sometimes.  I'm not in tip-top shape right now, my training has been lagging because of my busy schedule.  The workouts totally freaked me out and I'm glad I didn't walk away without even trying - I had a great time hanging out this weekend and meeting lots of CrossFitters from other gyms.  I looked at Tara while 18 lanes of athletes were doing thrusters and dropping the bar left and right and just said "I love this shit!".  I do.  I totally love it.  I love the energy.  I love the sweat.  I love the swearing.  I love going to competitions and watching people push it to the brink.  I love pushing it to the brink.  

But here is the deal.  I know when to stop.  And yesterday, I needed to stop.  My body was done.  This is more than just CrossFit soreness.  I was totally toast.  And my heart wasn't in doing the last two workouts.  When your heart isn't in it, every muscle in your body hurts, and your back is threatening to give up on you - it's time to quit, it's not worth it.

My results for the weekend? 

WOD #1: 41 thrusters = 3075lbs total.  (When you look at it that way, it's super impressive.  I did 3075lbs worth of front squats and push presses.  I am a rockstar.)
WOD #2: 137 reps (or 4 rounds + 5 pullups.  Okay.  I KILLED the ear-to-ear pullups.  Considering a week ago, I was practically in tears because I thought I was going to get exactly zero - I'll totally take 5 rounds of them.)
WOD #3: 7:59. The worst.  I freaking hate burpees.  I was SO SLOW.  
WOD #4:  MY FAVORITE!!!!  PRs for all lifts! YAY!  
Snatch: 95lbs - almost stopped at 90.  Then the teeny tiny little girl behind me hit 95 and I refused to let her beat me.  Take that teeny Canadian girl.  
Clean: 125lbs.  I thought that was a record for my PR.  NOPE!  New PR.  YAY!
Deadlift: 265lbs.  This is a new old PR.  When we retested a few weeks ago, it was 240lb (down from 265lb six months ago.)  

Total place?  28 out of 39 (obviously the two DNFs dropped my ranking - but I'm okay with it - I actually still beat people who finished all events).  My best event was the 1RM event.  My worst?  The burpees.  

A CrossFit Newbie's Guide to All Things CrossFit

Or... 'What I Wish People Would Have Told Me When I Started CrossFit'.

I have been doing CrossFit for 471 days (yes.  I know the EXACT date I did my first workout.).  During these 471 days, I have learned a ton about myself, about CrossFit, about people, about life in general.  Let me share some of the more poignant landmarks and things that I wish people would have told me to expect when I first started.  

• Day -31.  A friend is going to tell you that you should do CrossFit.  You are going to laugh and say 'that stuff is nuts.'  But somehow, it sits in the back of your mind and after weeks of ruminating on it, you think, 'what the hell' and sign up for a free trial. 
• Day 1.  You are hooked. It sucks, it hurt and when can you sign up for essentials? 
• Day 2.  You reconsider when you are unable to get out of bed but you've already paid the essentials course fee.  Muscles hurt that you didn't realize you had.  Sitting down and standing up becomes a process. 
• First real class post-essentials.  Terrified.  Absolutely terrified.  These people are strong.  These people are fast.  You go at the pace of snail holding 10 lbs but you do it.  Victory!
• One month into classes.  Everything hurts all the time.  You try to learn everything and struggle at most things.  Why can't you see muscles yet? 
• Three months into classes.  You've lost weight.  You can see muscles.  You give up happy hour, cocktails and cheese because why would you want to to cancel out all that work you just suffered through.  You buy new pants two sizes smaller.  It's glorious.
• Immediately following the purchase of new pants?  First plateau - workout times are fast, like really, really fast.  Body is less sore.  Time to increase weights.  Jump on a higher box.  Attempt double unders.  Basically, time to step it up.  
• First CrossFit Summer.  Friend asks you to go boating.  You have them pick you up at the dock so you can get your workout in first.  Everyone looks at you like you are crazy.  
• Six months in.  Rx your first workout.  You are a rockstar.  You see the CrossFit Games in your future.  
• Six months + one day.  Actually watch a CrossFit Games athlete do a workout.  Brutal realization that you are not as awesome as you think you are.  Also, does that person have a 12 pack???
• Six months + two days.  Up your gym membership to unlimited classes.  12 classes per month is no longer cutting it.  You are determined to be excellent at CrossFit.  Expensive?  Yes.  Worth it?  Absolutely. 
• Nine months.  Sign up for your first competition.  Get killed.  Another brutal realization it's time to step up. Get a gym best friend who pushes you every day. 
• Ten months.  Time for your yearly physical.  Step on the scale and cry.  All the weight you've lost is back.  Wonder how that's possible.  Realize you've lost inches but gained muscle and a CrossFit booty.  Still, ego is bruised from the scale.  Make a promise to yourself to only use the scale when weighing luggage from here forward. The scale is officially the devil.  
• Ten months +.  Realize that you really love this stuff.  Sign up for a Level 1 Certification course.  You are going to be a trainer and you are going to be awesome.  
• First CrossFit Open.  Get schooled every Saturday for five weeks.  DQ on the last WOD because you can't pull your chest to the bar.  Die a little inside. Decide that you will do better next year. 
• Happy One Year Anniversary CrossFit!!!  Take your certification course.  Again realize that you are not awesome and it seems everyone is better at everything than you.  Stand in the middle of the circle of humiliation while demonstrating how NOT to do medicine ball cleans.  Realize you have a million things to learn.  Regardless, pass certification test.  Congrats.  You are a CrossFit coach.  Now panic.
• CrossFit Anniversary + 1 week.  Start CrossFit coaching internship. You may not know everything but you will be the most enthusiastic one there.  You are determined to learn and be awesome. 
• After internship.  Teach your first solo class. Try to keep sounding confident even though you are freaking out.  Go home and cry because you think you'll never be good at this. 
• Continue teaching.  Realize that you are getting better with every class you teach.  Ask questions.  Watch videos.  Learn as much as you can from the other coaches.  Take pieces of their coaching styles and incorporate it into your own.  Before you know it, coaching is coming naturally.  You are having fun and you love it. 
• CrossFit Summer #2. Run a Tough Mudder with friends from the gym.  You won't regret it.  Your body will hurt.  You'll want to cry midway through - then you'll pass groups who started 90 minutes before you and you'll realize that you are doing way more awesome than you think. Three hours later, you'll finish it and have a memory that you'll never forget.  
• 18 months into CrossFit.  You can finally Rx most workouts.  People ask you for help and you actually know how to help them.  You finally feel pretty confident with coaching even though you know there is still a lot to learn.  Expand your friend group at the gym.  Shazam every catchy song you hear and add it to the CrossFit playlist on Spotify. 
• Day 471.  You'll still wake up sore every day.  You want to date someone who gets CrossFit so you don't have to explain to them what Fran is and why you want to do it.  You'll spend more money at Lululemon, Reebok and Rogue than you do at Nordstrom and Target combined.  You'll cry, sweat, and bleed at the gym and love every minute of it.  You will love coaching and seeing people hit their goals and set new PRs.  Set yourself new goals every month.  Set some 'you' time aside.  Find a workout partner who encourages you and will push you to the next level.  Keep working your ass off every day. 
  
  
  

You Know What Happens When You Brag?

You get smacked down with some wicked hand tears.  Yowza.  I make this whole post about 'look at me and my fancy hand care regiment' and then I go and do Fran and BUTCHER THE EVER-LOVING HELL out of my hands. I definitely cried (and swore) a little (okay... a lot) when I washed my hands.  Shit, shit, shit.  Hand tears blow.  I'm not sure what the difference was today... maybe my grip was slightly off, maybe its because I did the whole thing Rx (yup - you got that right - no assistance bands on the pullups.  I am a rockstar.).  Who knows.  Regardless.  Me+hand tears=grumpy pain face.  However, wine+trashy tv=slightly less grumpy (still pain) face.  

Anyways. I'll be totally honest.  My time wasn't fantastic.  9:16.  That's definitely not a stellar Fran time by any stretch (games athletes are sub 4 minutes) but it's the first time that I've done it with no assistance bands for the pull ups. By the way... for those of you who don't speak CrossFit... Fran is reps of 21-15-9 thrusters (65lbs) and pull ups.  And yes... during my set of 9 - I'm pretty much did the pull ups one at a time.  But I did them.  And I did them Rx.  And that for me is HUGE, considering that pull ups have been my major weakness since CrossFit Day 1. 

Yup.

 

Goal Update

It's been three weeks since I posted my goals and wanted to give you all an update since I know you've been anxiously waiting.  

Let's review my goals:

• Unassisted pullups. 
• Kipping pullups.  Link 5 together.
• Pushups. Do 15 legit pushups unbroken.
• Burpees.  Do 30 burpees unbroken without whining.
• Work on my rope climbs.
• Double unders. 15 unbroken.  

 Now... here's the update: 

• Unassisted pullups.  NAILED IT!
• Kipping pullups.  NAILED IT!!!
• Pushups. Did 10, had to pause.  Arms were toast.  Getting there. 
• Burpees. Can do the burpees - just can't do them without whining.  Working on it. 
• Work on my rope climbs.  Haven't gotten to this yet - soon!!!
• Double unders. 15 unbroken.  Still the bane of my existence.  Got 10 today with a single skip between.  Apparently I'm regressing instead of moving forward.  Damnit. 

 So... that's the update on the goals.  (It's been a solid six months of work to get one unassisted pullup - I totally deserve a hug.)  I've got 5 1/2 weeks left before the Bacon Beatdown.  The rest of my goals are manageable but it's seriously time to buckle down and get my ass in shape.  Today's workout killed me: 

20 min AMRAP
200m run (ish... not actually sure how far - we use landmarks!)
3 hang power cleans
5 front squats
7 push jerks

I did 10 rounds plus the run at 60lbs and was thrashed.  I need to get back on my regular healthy eating plan - I can definitely feel a difference in my performance with not eating as well as I should.  

Yup.  This is EXACTLY how I felt this morning.

On a completely different and unrelated note:  I have a blind date tonight.  And I am totally psyched about it.  Stay tuned for the results (and cross your fingers that it goes well!). 

The Crossfit Girl's Guide to Hand Care

At my gym, we've recently started a pull-up strength segment - so basically every day, we are working pull-ups, negatives and assistance lifts.  The result?  Stronger strict pull-ups, working our way up to strong and healthy kipping pull ups, AND sore hands.  I have strong hands and mine feel totally thrashed. My forearms are killing.  My calluses are feeling extra special.  So... let's take a second to talk hand care shall we?  

Do not roll your eyes.  We watch what we put into our bodies, we spend ridiculous money on shoes and clothes (or maybe that's just me...hmmm), we get up at the crack of dawn to beat ourselves up - but we can't take a few minutes to make sure that we don't look like this? 

This isn't a good look for anyone.  Exactly how much fun do you think this makes doing anything at the gym?  Or for life in general?  Ouch.  No thank you. 

Yeah... that's what I thought.  Read on people.  

There are a ton of great articles and blogs out there that will go into great detail of what you should/shouldn't do to keep your hands in shape.  I've read a bunch of them - some I agree with, some I think are over the top.  Listen... most of us are doing CrossFit recreationally.  It's our fitness regiment - not our life.  We aren't the Rich Fronings and Annie Thorisdottirs of the world.  We come into the gym for an hour or two at a time, get our butts kicked and leave feeling fantastic.  Don't get me wrong - I am in no way trying to diminish what we do - it's freaking awesome! But a lot of the hand care stuff that you read is WAY over the top for the average athlete.  

I do a lot of CrossFit.  I spend a lot of time hanging from the bar just trying to build up my strength.  Every day when I come into the gym - I try to spend a minute or two either hanging, working on my kipping pullups, or just staring at the bar willing it to come down to my level as my arms can't quite pull me up like they are supposed to.  Since I've been doing CrossFit - I've never had a big callus tear.  I may just be lucky, but I like to think that I actually take pretty good care of my hands.  Here's what works for me: 

1. A pumice stone. Seriously.  Best $1.99 I've ever spent. I keep it in my shower and hit my hands every day.  It takes less than 30 seconds to go over my hands and work down the calluses.  Don't do it too hard - you don't want to take off all your skin (that defeats the purpose). 
2. Lotion.  Between the chalk and the hand washing to get the chalk off and probably all the sweat - my hands get really dry.  Invest in good lotion.  Like the really rich and intensive moisturizing kind.  I have two different kinds that I use: Vitamin E Lotion and Hemp Hand Protector.  Both are from The Body Shop.  Vitamin E lotion is super light but moisturizing (wow, I sound like a commercial).  The Hemp Hand Protector is more oily - so I usually only use it at night or when I'm going to be sitting for a while.  Good lotion will save your hands.  When your hands are super dry, it's much easier to crack the calluses.  Ouch. 
3. A reasonable amount of chalk.  If you need chalk, use it.  But there is no reason to have chalk from your wrist to the tips of your fingers.  Rub it in across the parts of your hand that actually grip the bar.  If you use too much chalk, it's possible that your hands will move too much on the bar - therefore causing more friction and therefore more blisters/rips.  Plus, do you really need to be THAT guy who rechalks every set and literally has white hands?  No.  That's excessive.  No one needs that.  Not even Rich Froning.  

   

   You're welcome. (See... he's totally using an appropriate amount of chalk and he's the fittest man alive. No excuses.)

Before you start investing your money into lifting gloves, Body Glide, and other fancy fixes - give these things a shot.  It could be an easy fix that saves your hands (and your wallet).  By all means, if you are still having problems - there are tons of resources out there for more advanced hand care - and as a coach, I'm always down to help you with whatever you think needs to be taped, chalked, Body Glided, gloved, etc.  

Just make sure you are taking care of yourself.  We need our hands for almost everything - we can't really do anything at the gym if our hands are destroyed.  And on a personal level, who wants to hold hands with someone who has open wounds all over?  No one.  That's who. 

"I'll Liken This To An Overhead Squat"

You know you spend way too much time with Crossfit folks when you go to someone for advice and they start out with 'I'll liken this to an overhead squat."  At that point, you are almost guaranteed to be in for a treat.  In all fairness, I think it was good advice - if I'm actually interpreting it correctly (which is questionable).  Here is the rest of the analogy: "In an overhead squat, you are so uncomfortable that you just want to get out of that position.  However, you haven't broken parallel and need to hold on for just one more inch."  (Well... apparently I'm not the only one who equates things to Crossfit movements.) 

I get what he meant.  I think that people could probably take this about 72 different ways - but it was exactly what I needed to hear today (even though I told him it was the worst advice ever).  Everyone goes through stages that are 'uncomfortable' - I'm totally in one now.  A lot of things that I was used to have changed - my house, my lifestyle, even my couch.  But instead of getting out, I just need to hold it for a bit longer until I nail it.  It's so hard sometimes.  I'm a runner (and wow... I do SO not mean that in the literal way!).  When things get tough, it's easier for me to run away... or ignore it completely.  I rarely tell people how I feel - especially when my feelings are hurt, I'd rather ignore it and let it eat me alive instead of saying it.  I'm working on changing that and meeting things head on - squashing things before they become bigger than I can handle. 

I'm still a work in progress.  I screw up, I say things on impulse, I get my feelings hurt, I cry over stupid things... and I bail out of overhead squats sometimes when it's too much to handle.  What can I say? It happens to the best of us.

On a positive note:  guess who met two of her goals today????  This girl!  Not just one... but TWO unassisted pullups AND, I linked five kipping pull ups together.  Woohoo.  Go me!

Wednesday Goal Day!

Yes... I tried to make that sound just as fun as Sunday Funday.  However...  no day of the week rhymes with 'goal'... so Wednesday Goal Day was the best I've got. 

Most recent bad decision?  I signed up for The Bacon Beatdown on October 12 -13.  I had a moment of total motivation after watching everyone compete at WODFest this weekend and decided that I too can be a stellar athlete.  Hmmm... well.  This will be six workouts over two days. This is a run down of what the workouts were at the Florida event last month: 

WOD 1
100 air squats to a med ball
50 hang snatches (55lbs)
100 air squats (10 min cap)

WOD 2
12 min AMRAP
10 single leg burpees (what?!?)
20 double unders
30m prowler push (135lbs)

WOD 3
3 min AMRAP
Pull ups (20 deadlift buy-in @ 145lbs)
3 min AMRAP
Knees to Elbows (20 front rack lunges buy in @ 65lbs)
3 min AMRAP
Rope climbs (20 Sumo DL High Pull buy in @ 65lbs)
(Isn't this really just three mini workouts wrapped into one?!)

WOD 4
6 rounds (max 12 minutes)
6 ball over bar @ 70lbs
6 back squats @ 105lbs
12 ring push ups (ouch.  must practice.)

WOD 5
Every minute on the minute
Keg ground to overhead (a keg?!?!)
7 burpees 

WOD 6
30 OH Lunges - Right Leg (15lbs)
30 Cleans (95lbs)
30 OH Lunges - Left Leg (15lbs) 10 minute cap

Ummmm... holy balls.  I know that this isn't what the workouts will be here - but I imagine that it will be comparable.  And hard.  Ridiculously hard.

I've got 66 days from now to get ready for this shindig.  And I need some goals.  I figured that posting them online would be a great way for me to stay motivated and accountable so here they are: 

GOALS

• Unassisted pullups.  These have been a goal for a long time now and I am thisclose to being there. 
• Kipping pullups.  Link 5 together.
• Pushups. Do 15 legit pushups unbroken. (And by legit, I mean full plank, chest to ground)
• Burpees.  Do 30 burpees without wanting to cry.  (Or as normal people may put it - 30 unbroken)
• Work on my rope climbs.  I've got them - I just need to be more proficient.  
• Double unders.  The bane of my freaking existence.  Get 15 unbroken.  

I'm currently recruiting for Team Danielle (and yes, there may be shirts).  If you are in Seattle and available on Oct 12-13, put me on your calendar.  The more people I have watching me, the less likely I am to cry after single legged burpees (or whatever hell they think up for this crazy event).   

On another note, there is a bacon eating contest after the WOD portion of this competition.  That I actually stand a legitimate chance of winning.  

The Scariest Word in the World

Wow... I have officially started three separate blog posts over the two weeks and haven't been able to get them done and actually posted.  So today, I decided to delete them all and start over.  I've had multiple comments about why I haven't been posting lately.  Well... honestly?  I've just been really busy and when I have time to relax, I really just need to shut off my brain and not think.  Which bring us to today's blog topic: CHANGE. 

Oh yes... one of the scariest words around:  change.  It seems like all of my friends are going through huge changes right now: getting married, having babies, buying a new house (oh wait! that's me!!!), moving, breaking up, starting a new relationship, moving in with a significant other, getting a new dog (oh wait! that's me too!), all sorts of things.Today I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal (yes. I read the Wall Street Journal.  I know.  It's shocking that I read things besides the CrossFit Journal.  But I do... sometimes.)  This article was about how major life events (death of a loved one, divorce, getting fired from your job, moving, etc.) affect your sense of self and how we deal with those changes.  It really made me think - how do we actually deal with change?

I, for one, am terrible with change.  I about had a meltdown when Victoria's Secret stopped carrying my favorite underwear.  True story.  (Too much information?  Possibly.  But still a true story.)  But I also acknowledge that change is a fact of life that we are unable to avoid so why do we fight it?  Because it's hard, that's why.  Perfect CrossFit example??? Coaching. When I instruct people to change their squats or pushups (or really anything for that matter!), their usual response is 'but it's harder that way'.  Yes.  Yes it is.  But eventually it's going to get easier because you are going to get stronger and you'll be doing it correctly. 

Next week, I am moving into a new house.  One that I bought and will be paying for over the next 30 years of my life (seeing a payoff date of 2043 was more than intimidating). And I hate moving - it's hard.  I lived in a shoebox sized mother-in-law apartment for almost four years because it was easier than moving into a bigger place.  I've already taken the easy way out with this one and hired movers to get my crap out of my three-story rented townhome, into my new three-story townhome (apparently I REALLY like stairs).  I know I have at least a six-month learning curve ahead of me in trying to figure out where the hell I put all of my things and I know that some things will just completely disappear forever. 

Last week, I got a dog.  Her name is Grace and she is adorable.  AND a ton of work. Getting up 30 minutes earlier every day to make sure she gets a decent walk in before I go to work is hard.  

Isn't she just so damn cute?  She's a pit bull/lab mix. Or as I like to call her 'purebred pound puppy'.

What's my point?  Change is hard.  And it usually has a period of time where it sucks, even when the change is for the better.  Even when you know you are doing the right thing - it's hard to face the unknown.  What if my new furbaby never stops chasing my cats around the house?  What if I don't like my new neighbors?  What if something breaks and I have to spend all of my money on a handyman instead of at Lululemon?  What if my blonde dog continues to shed on all of my black clothes and there is suddenly a shortage of lint rollers in the world??  

Whether it is changing the way you squat or your job or your boyfriend or where you live - it's all the same.  There is going to be a time where the change feels weird.  But it's going to get better - you get stronger - you get used to it.  You build on the change and pretty soon it becomes the norm. 

Life is Like a WOD (Wait. What?!?)

Let me get just a little bit pragmatic on you here...

I know that we've all heard the famous words of Forrest Gump "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get."  Okay... well that is definitely true, but let's face one fact: you are still eating chocolate.  And that, even at it's worst, is not THAT bad.  I've decided that life is really more like a WOD (for those of you who are unfamiliar with that - workout of the day).  Life is hard, and occasionally, we get dealt a really crappy hand - like seven rounds of running and burpees.  For each person it's different - we are all good at different things and cringe when we see others.  The thing is about the WOD - you never know what it's going to be until you walk into the gym.  You can plan on certain movements and work your butt off to improve them - but you can still be completely caught unaware when a workout calls for heavy weight and you are doing it in 95 degree weather.  Little things can totally throw off your game - and it's the same thing with life - just when you think you've got a handle on things, you get a total curveball. 

Somehow for me, dating has turned into one of the most complicated and dreaded WODs of them all.  Just when I think I have it totally in the bag - I get something like seven minutes of burpees.  Hellacious. L ife is killing me with burpees when really all I want is that elusive muscle up.  You know, the one that everyone else seems to have but you can't quite seem to figure out so you are left on the ground doing some wacky combination of dips and pull ups?!?  That's me right now.  Seriously.  Just one muscle up.  That's all I'm asking for. 

WODs are hard - they are meant to be. We do it because it's hard.  We do it because it kicks our ass and leaves us staring at the ceiling sucking wind.  We do it because of how we feel afterwards - relieved, exhilarated, accomplished, bad ass, the works. We excel at certain movements and revel in our ability to kick that WOD's ass while others leave us flat on our backs begging for it to be over.  How is that not life?!  There are highs and there are lows and if you are really lucky (and is my wish for everyone!) - the highs significantly outnumber the lows.

One of the biggest perks of CrossFit is knowing that there is an end in sight - workouts aren't that long and you really can do anything for a short amount of time - no matter how bad it is (even burpees... blah).  Keeping a positive "I can do this" attitude - even while you are getting your ass handed to you (by the WOD or life in general) - can save your life (and the sanity of those around you).   Be positive - you've got this.  

True story. 

Tough Mudder Whistler (or... Where the *%@! is the Finish Line?)

Well... it happened.  We've been talking about the Tough Mudder for six months and it finally happened.  Phew.  Let's just summarize, shall we?  

First off... Tough Mudder is hard.  I knew it was going to be hard.  But it was harder than I expected.  Mostly because I didn't take into account that the Whistler mudder was at higher elevation and ON A SKI HILL.  Duh, Danielle.  Duh.  At one point we walked straight up the mountain... well... normal people walked.  I was practically crawling at that point.

I was pretty much a nervous wreck pre-race.  I've never done anything even close to this... starting with a Warrior Dash or Spartan Race may have been a good course of action - but since when have we ever done things the easy way?  Oh yeah... pretty much never.  We didn't rename ourselves Team Bad Decisions for nothing.  I had pretty much every nervous tic possible during our bus ride to the race - finger twitching, nail biting, the works - go me. 

Look at how nice and clean we are. (Please note that this was also the last time for the next four hours that we were warm and dry.)  Notice the matching socks/headbands.  We also had wristbands.  I decided that matching outfits were totally necessary and was vetoed on t-shirts.  Next time... next time...

Some things I learned during the race?

1) I am not an endurance athlete.  Never have been and odds are good that I probably never will be. My lack of running prowess made me the weakest link on my team (sorry guys!).  Being the weakest link is never a good feeling - I actually feel really terrible about it.  I really did my best - but the hills kicked my ass.  Running up a hill covered in 10lbs of mud was not my favorite thing.  

2) You really can do anything with an awesome group of people.  I would not have wanted to do this race with anyone else and honestly, I don't know if I could have.  I just really can't say enough about doing something that terrifies you with people who are super supportive - especially when you are practically peeing yourself with fear while contemplating jumping off a 20' ledge.  Also, having someone to hold your hand or literally push your ass up a hill is extremely helpful when you are exhausted. 

3) 65 degrees is NOT WARM.  Especially when you are soaking wet and climbing up the mountain.  

4) Even your teammates will tackle you into the mud right before the finish line.  True story.  

5)  Apparently - I bruise like a peach.  I look like a victim of domestic abuse and will not be wearing sleeveless apparel for a while.  Look:

Ouch.  Oh... and I am SUPER pretty today.

But look... we finished!!!  YAY!!!

I'm not 100% sure why I look all grimacy.  Maybe it's because I'm freezing.  Maybe it's because I'm still reeling from the fact that Jess tackled me.  Pretty sure I'm probably just freezing. This is my 'I'm cold and trying to smile' face.

Here are miscellaneous other event pictures for your viewing pleasure: 

We were obviously taking our photo session less seriously than the guys did.

At this point - we are at the 'get us out of here and into a hot shower' stage.

Overall - Tough Mudder Whister was AMAZING.  Hard, painful, torturous - but amazing.  I am so glad that I did it - and I am so proud of us all.  

Hmmm... other tidbits from a weekend in Whistler?  

Canada is gorgeous.  See?

We saw a bear.  True story.  Maybe 50 yards away (but I really think it was closer). 

That black spot in the distance?  It's a bear.  Apparently you are supposed to speak firmly to the bear while staring them down.  We chose the back away/stand and stare option. 

I went on the Whistler Blackcomb Peak-to-Peak gondola and didn't throw up OR have to hold someone's hand.  Total victory.