36 Weeks Down 4 (or less) to Go!

With a month or less of the pregnancy left, I'm finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.  My hospital bag is packed, we have instructions on what to do if I start going into labor, and I'm seeing my Dr. on a weekly basis to keep an eye on the progress. 

I cannot wait to meet our baby! 

One of the cool baby items I got at my Baby Shower was the Baby Bullet.

It's basically a food processor that processes, steams, stores, and prepares homemade baby food which is the alternative to buying it already jarred.  I did some reading and some jarred baby foods are good up to 3 years!  WTF. How is that even possible?  The explanation is that the food is heated up so hot that nothing bad can grow in it, but at the same time it kills anything good in it.  So the hope is that with this machine and the recipe book, I can give baby healthy homemade fresh food. 

It also says that you can make a good amount of baby food in small amounts of time (making some, freezing some, and mixing things up) which sounds good to me.  Of course this would start only when baby is READY for said food, the hope is to breast feed as long as possible before moving on to foods.

However, I feel good that I want to start baby's life out right by avoiding foods that have preservatives and that potentially have been processed. 


How have I been doing lately? Ha. ha. ha. Today on FourSquare I unlocked this badge:

This little piggy almost caused me to have a mental break down today at lunch.  FourSquare is an APP that when you go somewhere you "check in."  It doesn't serve any real purpose but to keep track of where you've been and they have fun little badges you earn for going to certain places. 

The "Porky" badge, innocently enough, just recognizes the fact that I've been to a few different BBQ restaurants, it has nothing to do with how large I am, but remember people I'm on emotional overload here!

35 Weeks Down 5 (or less) to Go!

35 weeks and 35lbs later, I am at the last 5ish weeks of my pregnancy and I couldn't be more excited to finally meet the little baby that has been taking over my body.

I had all intentions to continue my Crossfit career throughout the pregnancy but at the end of the 1st trimester it proved to be just too hard (for me).  I read articles of "Crossfit moms" and woman doing Crossfit up until delivery, but that just wasn't me.  I was sick, I was tired, and laying down and resting just seemed more important to me than going to a WOD. 

Maybe it's because I'm an average person, maybe it's because this was my first pregnancy, or maybe it's because I didn't have the energy to do so.  Whatever the case is, I know that post baby I will bounce right back into the swing of Crossfiting and eventually get to and exceeding where I was physically. 

I've had a lot of time to think about my Crossfit/fitness goals while pregnant and a lot of time to reflect back on how far I had come since joining the Crossfit Cult.  The one thing I haven't lost during the pregnancy is my want to be the best version of myself.  As my belly grew during the pregnancy, I started to have the same emotions about my body as when I had extra weight (but not pregnant).

I was quickly growing out of my clothes so I'd have to buy bigger sizes and/or it would take me multiple outfits before I found one I was "comfortable" in. 

When I sat down I felt the "overhang" of my belly which is gross.

I'd get quickly winded after minimal physical activity.

If I ate something unhealthy, I felt guilty about it, but still ate it. 

Obviously some of these things can be justified now because for goodness sake I'm growing a human!  But those emotions were very similar to how things were for me before I found Crossfit.  I cannot and will not go back to that!

I know it's going to take a while to adjust to all the new things that are in store for me and it will take me a while to get back to where I was, but the main goal is to never go back to where I was before Crossfitting. 

I'm not asking to be the Crossfit Games 2013 Winner, I'm just expecting to get myself to a level where I can feel good about hitting new PR's, doing a few road races, and feeling comfortable and confident in how I look. 

I have all the tools to do this and even with a baby, I'll make it work.  If I want it bad enough, I will make it work. 

I'm aiming for a January 1st "re-start" to my Crossfit training which gives me plenty of recovery time after baby is born (hopefully sometime in early November) and just in time for the New Year. 

What I've planned to do is, just like the picture on my blog, I will document my physical appearance at the same week marks as I did while pregnant and hopefully get back to where I was pre pregnancy.  I like to think of it as the "Reverse Baby Bump" project. 

I will take pictures on the first day I start back Crossfitting and then at weeks 12, 20, 27, 35, 37.  I will match them up with my pregnancy pictures of weeks 12, 20, 27, 35, 37 (coming soon), and last day pregnant (coming soon), pictures for comparison. 

Hopefully I will have the same success I had in 2010, 2011, and early 2012. 

Baby Steps

Oh hello old friend Digital Mustard!  I know it's been way too long, but since my Cape Cod vacation, describing my activity level as sedentary would be the understatement of the century.  

Sometime on Saturday while at a family picnic I was lucky enough to contract a cold that has been kicking my ass since.  I cannot catch a break.  I stayed home for work on Tuesday, tried to go in today, but had to leave early and this cold is showing no sign of letting up.  I really hope I'm better by the weekend, but at this point who knows. 

So after feeling particularly sorry for myself and day dreaming about how hopefully my life can get "back on track" after baby is born, I decided that enough was enough.  The weather was nice enough so I decided that I was going to go for a walk.  

Pathetic I know. 

BUT let's put this into perspective.  I'm about 30ish weeks pregnant (and carrying about 30 extra pounds).  I have a cold.  And I haven't worked out innnnn forever.  I'm giving myself a pat on the back for even leaving the house.  

I figure if I walk at least 1 mile a day this week, and then add a mile next week, and then a third mile the following week and continue to walk those three miles until baby comes, I'll be pretty happy.  

I'm unhappy doing nothing and finally today I decided to put my shoes on. 

Obviously this was a leisure walk with Dennis and when we faced an uphill and I tried to talk, I was breathing pretty hard.  After a bit into the walk I felt ok and I could have gone longer but I didn't want to push anything.  

To some, this may be nothing, but to me, I'm really happy I went.  No real goal here but to get the miles in.  Come January....it will be a whole other story.  

Cape Cod Mini Vacation

Normally when I travel I get giddy and excited about trying out a new Crossfit box (See the listing on the right side of the Blog) and when I visit new boxes, I add another T-Shirt to my collection.

Every year, some girlfriends and I take a mini vacation to our other friend, who's parents have a vacation house on Cape Cod (ironically in the town of Dennis, MA).

I believe last year I tried to visit a box there located in Hyannis, but the owners were on vacation and the box was closed for the time that I visited, no big deal, I just did a couple at home WODs on the beach and looked like a weirdo.

This time there was actually a closer box, Crossfit Phase II fitness that I looked up and noted the class times, and of course planned to go to.  Things didn't quite work out as I had planned, but I wasn't a complete lazy bum!

 

The second day of vacation we took a ferry to Nantucket and decided to rent bikes.  We got a decent bike ride in and the trails were not flat.  I was really shocked to see how out of shape I was but thinking about it now, I really haven't been doing much of anything for a while. 

After about 10 minutes of riding, I was good to go, just had to get over that initial "hump."  We guessed our round trip biking adventure was about 12 miles, but do to some app malfunction, we will never know.  After we biked we indulged in some local food and drink:

 

The next day I was pretty sore from the bike ride, so I took it easy on the beach (which by the way, walking on sand with multiple things to carry isn't the easiest task).  But we took decent walks on the beach and on our last beach day we took a long walk onto the jetty which took some good balance and a little bit of courage. 

Over all it was a low key mini vacation and I didn't make it to a new crossfit box, but, I have to listen to my body (and baby's body too) and TRUST me I am eagerly waiting for January so I can really get back into things.

I hope while I'm on my Crossfit Sabbatical everybody else is killing it!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Since I'm going through something completely new to me physically and emotionally (pregnancy) I didn't know what to expect. 

And the timing probably couldn't have been worse.  (No offense future baby!).

In the grand scheme of things, I was just getting my feet wet with Crossfit, morphing from a beginner to a slightly more experienced fitter, and with my running goal so close in sight, and not to mention my body finally 90% beach ready, it all came to a halt. 

Pregnancy is brutal!

Overall, it hasn't been horrible, it's just a completely different animal and part of me is scared of what I'm becoming during it.

Instead of getting up at 5:30 in the morning to either WOD or run, I'm snoozing as late as possible before having to get up to work and instead of rushing out of work to get to the 5pm WOD, I'm rushing home so I can get to bed.

Instead of making sure my meals are paleo friendly, I'm eating pretty healthy, but not feeling guilty if I don't. 

Each day hoping to see my weight go down, I'm getting bigger and feeling more and more gross about how I look.  It's mentally devastating. 

Yes I could still be hard core dieting or working out, but it was challenging enough when I was not pregnant, and growing a baby adds a whole new level to it. 

So with only a few months left, I'm really hoping that after baby is here, I make it a priority to get right back to it and pick off not right where I left off, but to start off slow and make my way back.  I'm hoping for a January start.  Crossfit and Running. 

Curious as to when I started my running training, I went to my Digital Mustard facebook page and read through all my posts.  And I almost lost it.  Was that really me?  I was obsessed and more importantly, I was working so hard! 

Immediately I felt so happy that I, even though I didn't know I was doing it, was documenting how I felt about doing great on a WOD, terrible on a WOD, running, eating, and balancing my life with these new things.

I saw some posts about keeping things honest about not doing something as well as I should, or not being able to make it to a WOD.  I guess as the manager of the page I didn't really look back on what I posted, but today I did, and I have to really pat myself on the back.

All those times that I thought I wasn't doing good enough or felt like what I was doing wasn't enough I wish I looked back at my posts about all the accomplishments I was proud enough to post about.

It helped me realize how far I had come from where I started and even though I'm down and out right now, I know that with a lot of work, I can get back to where I was (even with a little baby!).

So to Karen past, thank you for being who you were and all the posts and blogs you wrote, it was fun going back to the beginning and reliving all those moments, good and bad. 

1984

1984 isn't the year I was born (it's actually 1983) but it does happen to be a book that I was forced to read back in High School.  What does this have to do with anything?  Well, 1984 had a list of quotes and one of them always seemed to stick with me.

Give up on which one it is?

If you guessed quote #2, you would be correct.  Freedom is slavery.  Bare with me for a bit so I can explain my point.

Pre Crossfit610 closing and my getting knocked up (no worries it was on purpose) I had a very regimented schedule.  It typically was like this:

Wake up, get to work by 8am.  Leave work at 5pm (or a little before).
Catch the 5pm, 6pm, or 7pm WOD.

If I has social plans after work, I'd either have to go to a 6am WOD or manage my rest days vs. WOD days accordingly. 

My job, my workouts, and my social life pretty much set my day up for me and there was not much wiggle room at all.  For pretty much over a year (more so when I started my running) I was making it to all of my WODs, achieving goals, and kicking butt with my running, because my schedule was so tight and I was compliant to it and let it lead to me to success.  To some that may sound like slavery, in a sense.  But to me, I was free.

What was I free from?

I was free from having to manage my own schedule.  I was at the mercy of my work scheduling and the WOD scheduling and my running requirements.  The plan was simple.  Do this that day or fail.  No brain work needed.   

I must have heard the phrase "If I didn't come today at 6am, I wouldn't be able to get in a work out at all" 100 times.  There was no choice.  You either went at 6am or you didn't.  End of story. 

Still not buying it?

When my husband got laid off back in April, after being sad and scared for him and us (losing your job is NOT a fun thing to go through esp just finding out you are having a baby in 9 months), I was actually jealous of him.  He had what most 9 to 5er's want, freedom.  Freedom to do what you want, when you want.  But lets take a closer look as to what really happened.

Dennis used to work about an hour away from our house, so getting home in time for the 5pm and the 6pm classes were near impossible, and sometimes there wasn't always a 7pm class so again, he had to figure out which classes he was able to attend to either before or after work.  Simple, he knew he had to make it work.  No real brain work there. 

He did this successfully for just over a year.  Until he lost his job.   

All of a sudden, he didn't have to wake up early, didn't really have much to do during the day besides job hunt and the nice little "honey to do list" I would give him.  So he had to make his own schedule, which to some is harder than be given one. 

With that, and the gym closing after a few months later.....I don't think Dennis has been to a WOD in weeks, dare I say even a month?  There are plenty of options for him, Ronin Fitness has a great following, multiple alternate Crossfit locations, but for some reason, having MORE free time on Dennis' hands, has actually decreased his gym attendance. 

I've always had more success with things when I either find or create a training program to be accountable to rather than just making things up as I go.  (And for those that know me, we all know that FINISHING those programs and being afraid of success are my major issues). 

Which way works best for you?

Dedication

Why am I not programed like this?



ANGRY Blog!!

Since Crossfit has become more and more popular (just check out the difference in numbers from the 2011 games and the 2012 games) it's not a HUGE surprise that with the gaining of the followers, there is a huge group of people that are against Crossfit. 

Articles have been written about why Crossfit isn't good or why Crossfit isn't the best way to train, etc.  But let's face it, with everything in the world, there are going to be multiple opinions. 

The Problems with Crossfit



Point #1. It is group exercise.

Counter Point:  Group exercise has benefits.  How many times have you worked out alone and towards the end you've said, ehhhh I'm going to skip the last set because I'm tired/lazy?  Chances are, you've done that.  With group exercise, that is simply not an option and until you have reached your Rounds for time, or the clock reaches zero on a 20 minute AMRAP, people will be cheering you on and in your face. 

Who cares if you are WODing next to somebody?  Even if the person next to you is a beast and using 3x's the weight you are, there is SOME motivation to eventually be like that dude, and being able to gage your performance by other box mates is a competitive aspect that Crossfit provides. 

Point #2. It is generalist.  Do you want to be a power lifter? Don't do Crossfit.  Do you want to be a distance runner? Don't do Crossfit. Do you want to simply add muscle bulk at all costs? Don't do Crossfit. Are you training for a specific sport which requires you to sharpen very specific physical skills? Don't do Crossfit

Counter Point: This "point" infuriates me.  I started Crossfit not to be a runner, not to be muscly, and not training for a specific sport.  I joined Crossfit to lose weight and become more athletically versatile. 

When I decided I wanted to do long distance running, I added running to my Crossfit training.  Crossfit alone will NOT make you a marathon runner, but practicing running in combination with Crossfit helped me PR on all the running distances I did in 2011.  If you want to be a good swimmer, do Crossfit AND Swimming.  See my earlier blog Swimming for Time.  Crossfit didn't make me an instant swimmer, but the strength and other skills I've gained via Crossfit has certainly improved my performance.  Hell, I give credit to Crossfit when I move furniture without effort, bring all my groceries into the house in one trip, and have great stamina during...well you know.  

On the other hand, one of my Crossfit friends did NOTHING but Crossfit and won Overall Category for bench press and deadlift.  No power lifting training at all.  HMMMMMMMMM.....

So as for Point #2 I say, no shit Sherlock!!

Point #3. It is too expensive

Counter Point:  Yes it is MORE expensive than a 10 dollar a month membership but it is WAY cheaper than having a personal trainer.  BOOM!

Point #4. Their pull ups suck

Counter Point: Yes Crossfit uses kipping pull ups instead of strict.  What's your point?  Crossfit is big on doing movements quickly and efficiently and it just so happens that a kipping pull up is quicker and more efficient than strict.  BFD.  He then goes on to talk about how Crossfit promotes doing heavier weights with bad form quicker rather than lighter weights with perfect form slower.  Dude, we are all trying to work on form, speed, and weights.  I have not met one Trainer of Crossfit that would be like, awesome job on that heavy, fast, terrible form snatch.  Any good trainer would be, drop the weights down until your form is good, and then lets work up to a heavier weight. 

OK NOW I"M STARTING TO GET ANGRY!!

Point #5. You will get injured

Counter Point:  You COULD get injured, sure.  But you could also get injured running, driving, doing zumba, or basically doing anything that requires you to move. 

IF you have a good trainer, injuries will be kept at a minimum and yes I agree that if you are trying to quickly do box jumps you may miss the box and bust your shin.  IT HAPPENS.  Jimmy Rollins pulled a hamstring while running down the crowd giving fans high fives.  Does that mean that baseball is a horrifically dangerous sport?  Seriously dude, you're pissing me off!! 

Point #6. The whole "cult" thing

Counter Point:  If by "cult" you mean super nice people who want to better improve their physical and mental shape by working out/spending time with other super healthy people then yeah...that really sucks! 

Yes it takes a certain type of person to do Crossfit, but the community aspect is one of the coolest parts of Crossfit.  I've done WODs with people that I wouldn't normally meet (Hell one of our members was a finalist on American Idol) but during the WODs we are all there to accomplish one thing, to be our best. 

I agree that some cults are scary, but we don't do scary things.  We work out and sometimes we have bbq's or do competitions or even things that help the community.  God, that's just TERRIBLE!!

Point #7. You can't trademark working out, you fuckers

Counter Point:  So would calling Zumba Dancing be the same thing?  Because they have seemed to trademark "dancing."  I could list other examples but I'm still confused as to why this is an issue?

In conclusion, I appreciate people having opinions and it seems that you can take ANYTHING in this world and put a negative spin on it.  So do me a favor and do your homework and remember that there are two sides to every story. 



Sportsfest 2012

One of the best and worst things an average Crossfitter can do for their self esteem is be a spectator for any Crossfitt Competition. 

Every. Single. Time I've watched Dennis compete in Crossfit, I've kicked myself for not signing up and trying.  Most events have a scaled division, which I'm pretty capable of.  This was my 2nd year spectating Sportsfest and I can remember the first year being completely blown away by the athletes.  I remember feeling so excited that if I worked hard enough and stuck with it, I'd be out there "testing my metal."  (I believe I had only been Crossfitting for about 4 months at this point). 

This year I watched the athletes thinking, yup, I could have done that.  (now over a year into Crossfit). 

However, reality set in and I have to remember that I am 25 weeks pregnant.  After a day of watching the Cleans, Box Jumps, and Tire flips, I was ready for a nap! 

So what I have to do from now until I can get back into my "normal" Crossfitting routine is to pack away all the motivation, dedication, and inspiration that I feel when watching others succeed. 

I have to remember that pre-pregancy I made leaps and bounds, and although it will take work to get back at it, I will get back to the level I was.  I'm sick of being average.

Congrats to all that participated in Sportsfest 2012, it was a pleasure watching everybody compete and I am, as always, humbled by everybody's passion of Crossfit. 

Swimming for Time

Back in 2008 I completed my first ever Sprint Triathlon.  I did another one in 2009 and again in 2010 when I finally reached my goal to complete the course in under 2 hours. 

A Sprint Triathlon consists of Swimming, Biking, and Running and it is the shortest distance of all Triathlons.  When I trained for said Tri's I used the same program, an 8 week program that got you prepared for a novice race, and it worked for me.  The program was mostly cardo but suggested one day a week of strength (which I blew off because pre-Crossfit I couldn't care less about strength) and it got me to where I thought, I wanted to be...at the finish line. 

As of late, I've been frequenting my gym's pool and not really following any type of training program, just trying to keep my fitness up while pregnant and until the dust of 610 closing settles.  Until yesterday when I decided to swim 500 meters for time.  I wasn't pushing super hard, just wanted to get the laps in without splitting up the "reps".  So I did and I finished in 14 minutes and 30 secounds.  Then I got curious.  What were my swim times in my Tri's?


In 2008 I swam 650 Meters in:  18:27*
In 2009 I swam 650 Meters in:  19:33
In 2010 I swam 650 Meters in:  20:25

*that was the year I missed a buoy and had to swim back and around the stupid thing. 


2010 was probably the last time I set foot in a pool for any type of race, and obviously in 2011 I joined Crossfit which involved no swimming.  So all I had been doing was endurance on land and strength. 

I had Dennis do the tricky math for me and if I did a 650 meter swim at the pace I did yesterday, I would have finished in 18:51 seconds.  Just a bit slower than my fastest time back in 2008.  That is amazing to me, oh and btw, I'm 23 weeks pregnant.  (I will note that open water swimming is a bit different from swimming laps in a pool, but still). 

Holy Crap!!!!

I guess this Crossfit thing really does work! 

First Ronin Fitness WOD for me!

As I posted yesterday, under option #2, a few 610er's have been meeting at a park and doing Strength and WODs together.  Yesterday was my first time attending one of the park WODs and it was no joke.  


We started off by taking a warm up job down a football field and back.  Then did a few running exercises such as high knees, running backwards, and a side step run that I can't remember the name of.  


Johnny then reviewed what we were doing for strength, which today was finding a 1 rep max of a shoulder press, and we split into three groups.  Guys, light girls, and heavy girls (light and heavy meaning bar weight, not weight weight). 


We rotated through while people found their one rep max and even though we were limited on bars and weights, and no racks, we worked as a team to make sure everybody had an equal chance.  

Human Racks!

After the strength portion we were ready for the WOD, which today was Annie.    Since I'm "with child" I had to scale the WOD.  Instead of Double Unders, I did singles and instead of sit ups, I did knees to elbows on the ground and cut the reps in half.  Even though it was a scaled version, I still felt like I got in a great workout.  

Two really awesome things that I noticed at today's WOD was there was a brand new person at the class!  Somebody that never crossfitted before came out and did the WOD with everybody, and hopefully she continues!

Secound, Armon hit a HUGE PR on the shoulder press.  I'm not sure the exact weight, but dude is strong and I can't wait to see how much that goes up over the next few months.  Keep at it Armon!!!

Special thanks to Johnny for running the classes and coming up with the programming!

Strength:

Find 1 Rep Max of Shoulder Press

75lbs 

WOD:

Annie

50-40-30-20-10

DU

Abb Matt Sit ups

I did HALF Annie in 7:52

Lots of Options!

Since lots of fellow Crossfitters are in limbo as to what their next move is as far as joining a new box, there have been some really awesome and creative solutions.

1.  Box Hopping.

Kate & Joanne @ Apex

2.  Outside WODs in Parks.

www.roninfitness.blogspot.com


3.  Giving Globo Gym's another shot.

Clearly that's not working out so well for some...

I have yet to box hop in the area, most require a fee of about $15 per class and if I can avoid paying per class, I will. 

I also have yet to do a Ronin Fitness class, but I'm planning on going tonight and you can pretty much bet that the outside WOD will be my next blog topic.  I'm going to add the Ronin Fitness website to my blog roll so you can keep up with those workouts if you are so inclined. 

Back when I first found out I was pregnant, I was having a hard time making it to WODs due to how I was feeling and as a safety net I got a summer membership at a local globo gym for the pool access.  I signed up in May, but I hadn't done anything with it until recently since obviously I dont' have anywhere to go. 

I've gone twice and both times I was very happy that I did.  Swimming laps is one of the more enjoyable workouts that I've done.  In college I took a swimming class (yes I got college credit to swim a mile) and it was the first time I ever learned how to freestyle swim.  I loved it.

Post college I've done 3 Sprint Triathlons but the once Crossfit came into my life, I didn't have access to a pool anymore and swimming wasn't part of my workout routine.  But I'm happy that I have access to a pool until I figure out my place back into the Crossfit community. 

It's no Crossfit Clock, but it gets the job done!





Not for Time:

500 Meter Freestyle Swim

500 Meter Swim with Kick board (Legs)

AMRAP: Tread Water





Windy City Crossfit

Over the 4th of July weekend, Dennis and I decided to take a Mini Vacation (aka Babymoon) to the city of Chicago.  Neither of us had ever been to the Windy City and we LOVE going to new cities together and exploring.  Since joining Crossfit, visiting new boxes is a must.  

On our agenda this vacation was to visit Windy City Crossfit.  Two years ago (before our Crossfitting days) Dennis and I went on a cruise for our wedding anniversary and on the cruise we made friends on a booze cruise excursion.  We all hung out together on the cruise and when we all got home, we promptly friended each other on facebook. 


After reviewing our cruise picture, it was obvious that Dennis and I needed to change our bodies and thus came Crossfit.  Once we joined, we both became obsessed, and through the obsession, came facebook posts, and these posts were seen by our cruise friends, one in particular, Megan.  


Megan then joined Crossfit out of curiosity and like us, hasn't looked back.  


Why am I telling you this?  Megan happens to living in Chicago and when she saw that we were going to be in the city, we coordinated to meet up at her box to WOD together. 


How freaking cool is that?  Somebody Dennis and I met once 2 years ago were meeting up to WOD together.  Facebook + Crossfit = a wonderful thing. 


Windy City Crossfit Box was very impressive.  They had a very large space, multiple trainers, and ample bathroom and showers.  I was very impressed with the class flow, and being pregnant, the trainer was very accommodating.


We did a group warm up, strength, and then the WOD.  


Warm Up:
3 Rounds
3 Dead Lifts
3 Hang Cleans
3 Push Ups (on a slow count)


Strength:
3 Rounds at increasing weights
Clean to a Push Press to a Jerk


WOD:
8 - 1  (8-7-6-5-4-etc)
HSPU
T2B
(I scaled and used comparable movements for this)


After the WOD Dennis, Megan and I went out to breakfast to catch up and it was really cool that we all had this interest in Crossfit.  


So another notch in my Crossfit box list (ok that sounds weird), but if you didn't notice, I keep a running tab of all the boxes I've visited and do a WOD at (Except KOB).


The rest of the vacation was awesome and we very much enjoyed the city of Chicago.

Crossfit Honor and Murph 2.0

I'm trying to get back into the blogging habit for multiple reasons.

1. It keeps me real.  If I'm having a bad day I can "vent' about it here and get it out of my head.

2. It's a fun way to keep track of my goals, PRs, and I'm sure one day (or maybe not) I'll have a lot of fun reading back.

3. I hope at least it provides some entertainment value to my fellow readers :)


So looking back at my blog posts, I have a few memorable days that I haven't blogged about and since I'm kind of in limbo right now with things, I'll use those as my blog topics.

Back on May 28th, 610 did Murph (one of the most notorious benchmark WODS) and it was my first time ever doing it.  I specifically remember dodging this bullet last year and thinking that the people that showed up for that WOD were absolutely crazy.  I was up for the Murph challenge this year, but the timing wasn't ideal.  Murph, on a hot day, unbroken, and pregnant.

Before I knew that 610 was doing Murph, I had committed to splitting Murp (I will now refer to half Murph as Murph 2.0 going forward) with one of my friends Hillary that used to go to 610.  Her and her now husband Blake both trained at 610 and when they did, as things typically happen there, we all became friends.

Dennis and I were sad when they made the switch to Honor, but as they say, location, location, location. 

So of a sudden I was going from never doing Murph to doing Murph and Murph 2.0 in the same week.  Some may say that is crazy, but not as crazy as somebody that will remain nameless (http://blog.reformedfatty.com/)  that was going to do Full Murph twice in one week! 

As weird as it sounds, visiting new boxes, both near and far has become something that Dennis and I very much enjoy doing.  It's cool to see the slight differences each box has, and learning from them.  Even though we knew we were in a world of hurt at Crossfit Honor, we were excited to finally see the facility.

I f*cking love the Lime Green!


The facility was incredible.  HUGE space, nice equipment, great staff, and did I mention the logo was lime green? 

So on Thursday, a mere 3 days from doing Murph, Hillary and I were teaming up for Murph 2.0. 

Lets just say that Hillary carried me!  She did slightly more than half of the WOD, and for that I thank her.  Her and I chipped away at the WOD and when we were down to the final mile, I don't think we could have been more proud. 

Dennis, doing Murph for the 2nd time, changed his strategy by breaking up the movements proved to be the faster strategy. 

MURPH is no joke!

For time:
1 Mile Run
100 Pull Ups
200 Push Ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run

As a team:  I believe we finished in about 44 minutes? 

It's An End of An Era

As if I wasn't going through enough both mentally and physically,  life decided to throw yet another curve ball at me.  

Seconds after landing in New York from Dennis and I's "Babymoon" in Chicago, I got 610's blog update saying the gym was going to be closed at the end of July.  My heart sank.  I started to feel the same way I felt when I heard Trainer Mike was leaving, and then again when I found out Trainer Molly was leaving.  Sad, very, very, sad.  

My workout identity was being taken away from me. 

Yes I know I'm being a LITTLE dramatic, but Crossfit610 gave me something that the LA Fitness' of the world couldn't.  It not only changed my body, it helped me gain confidence and taught me that I can do things that I never though possible.  (and that I can get under 150lbs!)

Over the months of training, all the members became friends and we grew as people together.  Bottom line, it was a really great thing. 

AS IF THINGS couldn't get worse, I learned that Tuesday July 10th was the last time I would ever WOD at Crossfit610.  UGH.  

Sparing all the details, it just wasn't possible to continue the gym the way it was.  And the best option for the owner and the members was to close the doors, but in hopes that everybody would go else where to continue their Crossfit Journeys.  

Something that meant a lot to me was that for the last WOD at 610, Elissa was by my side.  Her and I started Crossfit at the same time and I can honestly say that I am so happy to have crossed paths with her.  Besides being one of the nicest person I've ever met, she is inspiring.  It's been amazing watching her grow over the year and to see her achieve so much.  I will always remember and cherish all the stupid stuff we've done at the box, all our little jokes, and all the tears we've shed together (we are definitely the criers!).

Once all the classes were threw, the burning question that everybody was asking was.....What are you going to do?!?  Such a huge choice and it  being extra complicated for me since being due in November, my Crossfitting days were limited as it already was.  

With no other Crossfit location ideal to me, I was simply at a loss.  And then this happened:

How cool is that?  With things up in the air about where people are going to go, former 610 members were meeting up with what equipment they have to do WODs.  That just shows how committed, and how close we all had become.  

Among all the emotions and having things sink in, I realized that I have my membership at 24/7 that I had not been using at all.  

So today I swam, and I freaking loved it.  I always forget how much I love swimming until I get back into it.  I swear I am part fish (it would explain my love of The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, my tattoo, and my constant want to be near or on the water).  

Between the "at home WODs" at random meet up places and my 24/7 membership, I think I will be ok until after I have Baby O and then who knows from there!

I happened to bump into a former 610 member at 24/7 and it was nice to catch up! 

610 will always have a special place in my heart and I can't thank Trainers Mike, Molly, and Evan for all they've taught me, and how much they believed in me, even when I didn't believe in me.  

I hope to continue my Crossfit Career, regardless of where I end up, and I will ALWAYS ALWAYS know where I started and where I came from.  610 for life!!

"Aha Moment"

I know its only been 3 days back at Crossfit (thursday, saturday, and yesterday) but I already feel like a new person. 

I was on the fence about doing the strength (which was back squats) but I hadn't moved a bar in weeks and I thought I'd give it a try.  I started off with just the 35lb bar and did sets of 10 working my way up to 65lbs (the weight I'm supposed to stay at while pregnant). 

Just having the bar on my back and going through the movements was enough empowerment to keep me wanting more.  I know it sounds so stupid, but I felt so accomplished, even after only "maxing" out at 65lbs.  (BTW my 1 rep max is some where close to my body weight, 155ish.)

After the strength we had the WOD which was:

2 Sets of:

Run 1000 Meters
40 Hard Release Push Ups
8 minute cap

First round I got through 21 HRPU and the Secound round I only got through 15ish.  Not horrible, but not super fantastic. 

Cash out included 50 ring rows with a 5 minute cap, and I completed them in 4 minutes and 30 secounds.  I was completely spent. 

I left the gym feeling accomplished, fatigued, and just really proud of myself.  Crossfit has become such a big part of my life, and without it, I was basically a big bowl of mush.  (Physically and Mentally).  And since I have adjusted my bed time from 7pm to about 10:30pm, and added Crossfit back in, I've been sleeping better and now when I feel tired, I know it's because I've physcially exhausted myself at the box, not just sitting at work feeling sorry for myself. 

Baby Steps!

I am so happy to report that Thursday and Saturday of this past week, I finally worked out!


Even though after being at work all day, I'm exhausted and want to rest, I know that in order to improve my sleeping habbits, I need to get back into WODing.  


I picked Thursday to start back because it was a "Recovery" WOD which means that it's not for time and typically it's more cardio based rather than strength.


The WOD was:
50 Wall Balls (10lbs)
60 Double Unders
800 Meter Run
30 Push Ups
40 Ab Matt Sit ups


Because I am not allowed to do sit ups anymore, I replaced them with Kettlebell Swings. 


Doing the WOD was both good and bad.  It was good to get back to it and get my heart rate going.  After the WOD I felt so happy that I chose to go, but during the WOD my ego was getting more and more hurt. 


I struggled through the work out.  I was slow, I had to walk, and when I needed to rest, I rested.  But I finished.  I know that going slow, scaling the WODs and resting is what is best for myself and baby, but its mentally hard to finish last.  


Saturday I went to the WOD expecting it to be a partner work out, but with an odd amount of people I was doing it as a single.  (Baby doesn't quite count as a partner just yet).  


AMRAP in 20 Minutes


5 box jump burpees
5 pull ups
I did 50 BJ Burpees & 50 Pull ups.  
Pre baby I was VERY close to getting an unassisted pull up, but with baby aka my 10lb weight vest, I had to scale down to the purple band.

Not going to lie, the WOD sucked and I wanted to quit, but the way I feel after makes it all worth while.  I'm excited that I got 2 WODs in this week and this upcoming week I am hoping for 3.  

I hope everybody had an awesome weekend!

No WOD Guilt

I've been putting off blogging for weeks now, but not without guilt.  Guilt for not blogging and guilt for not having anything really to blog about. 
Becoming pregnant has become THE BIGGEST change I've ever gone through and keeping up my lifestyle in addition to being pregnant has proven to be impossible. 

Since my schedule is basically recover from the weekend, work, sleep, and eat, working out hasn't been in the mix.  And every morning I wake up and mentally debate about my growing stomach, is it bump or is it just the result of me not WODing anymore? 

Since now I'm in the 2nd trimester, I'm not feeling as sick anymore, but I just cannot shake the feeling of being tired.  I get done from work, head home, eat something small and then fall asleep.  Only to be plauged with dreams every night that wake me multiple times a night.  Keeping me on this horrific cycle of being tired. 

One nice thing about life right now, is our home construction is finally finished.  Our nursery and bedroom have been redone and are both livable.  Huge improvment from sleeping on the futon. 

I was really hopeful to get back to the box this week, and there is still hope.  I've decided that on Thursdays and Saturday I WOD, and then add at least 2 - 3 days in the pool at 24/7. 

I can't go back, I can only move forward and that is the goal.  Tomorrow recovery WOD, possibly some activity Friday, WOD Saturday, and hopefuly that will gett things rolling for me once again!

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May.^[1] Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.^[2] Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.

Crossfit has a really cool way of honoring those who have died in military service.  They have a series of WODS named specifically after fallen soldiers.  One of the most infamous Hero WODS is "Murph."  I dodged doing this WOD last year and I wasn't so lucky.  

Only a few days ago, I agreed to do Murph later this week with a partner at a neighboring Crossfit.  And I was a little scared even splitting it.  

I wasn't sure if 610 would be opening on Monday and when I checked the website, my mouth dropped open.  We were doing Murph.  The rest of the evening and this morning, I kept thinking, I'll go, do my best and if it takes me 3 hours, well, I tried my best.  

We all spent a few minutes trying to strategize how we were going to attack the WOD (splitting up the sets), and then we were told that we were going to do it as is:

1 Mile Run

100 Pull Ups

200 Push Ups

300 Air Squats

1 Mile Run

The WOD was brutal, especially with the heat.  But we all cheered each other on, pushed each other, and celebrated when people finished.  It was awesome.  The WOD brought me to tears (during the squats) but I kept going and I tried to remember why we were doing it.  

We had a little cookout after and it was awesome to hang out with people for a bit after a workout.  I hope everybody had an equally awesome Memorial Day and I am hoping I will be able to walk tomorrow!

Final Time : 97:18 (Longest WOD EVER)

So Far, So Good

I am so happy to finally be blogging today!  I feel as if this week has started in such a positive way and things finally feel like they are coming together for me.

In pure depression and desperation I decided to join a local globo gym in addition to belonging to Crossfit610.  My reasoning's were my day to day health and tiredness are simply unpredictable, so I wouldn't always be able to make a WOD.  Knowing how missing WODs feels, I felt like having a back up gym, some place is that open 24 hours a day would make me feel better.  If I wasn't feeling up for a scheduled WOD, but felt better later, I could go to the Globo for a bit to at the least get some cardio in. 

Also, I've finally started to get my shit together with my diet.  When I found out I was with child, I went nuts.  I blamed all my "cravings" on the baby (which were untrue) and when I finally noticed my belly growing because of my poor eating and lack of working out rather than the baby, I got really upset.  Luckily I can "blame" my bump on the baby, but I know my body.  So this week I took the time to plan and prepare my meals and I know it's only Wednesday, but I already feel better.  And isn't that the point?  TO FEEL BETTER?  Looking better will simply be a side effect.  And an added bonus is that all the fruits and veggies I'm finally eating are not only good for me, but they are great for baby!

So for the first time in more than I year, on Monday I set food into the Globo gym and I have to say the experience was not pleasant.  I went to the locker room, got changed (ironically into a Crossfit610 shirt) and made my way to the cario room.  I stepped on the elliptical machine and I was instantly bored.  I didn't have headphones with me and the small TV's were to far away for me to see clearly, so I put my attention to the center of the room where people were "weight training." 

Now don't give me wrong, I give these people credit for making the effort of going to the gym and doing their own circuits, but I couldn't help but laugh.  Most of the people spent half their time talking to one another, doing minimal work, and honestly I only saw one guy that looked jacked.  (I actually wanted to approach him and ask him if he's ever heard of Crossfit).  A complete culture shock to my core and after 15 minutes I needed to get out of there.  Headphones are a definite requirement for globo gyms. 

Yesterday I felt well enough to go to a WOD and sure enough when it was done, I felt so great, really proud of myself, and it was so wonderful to see everybody!  I felt a bit sheepish coming back after a long break, but everybody was so happy to see me and acted like I never missed a beat.  After the WOD people were on me about drinking lots of water, it's clear that Baby O is already very loved and will have tons of aunts and uncles.  It's such a refreshing thought. 

Trainer Evan has also been amazing to me.  Even though it's a joke about asking me how I'm doing every time he sees me, he seriously asks me how things are going.  During WOD's I know he is keeping a watchful eye on me, and will make sure that I'm not dying.  He was super supportive of me joining the Globo Gym, especially for the pool access, and he said that whenever I'm ready he will freeze my account and when I'm ready to come back, we will start right back up.  He even joked about setting up a place for Baby O when I want to work out.  He's really made me feel awesome about everything and I really appreciate it. 

So hopefully my positive trend starts this week and continues on.  I've been in hiding for way too long and it just didn't feel natural. 

Endurance:
1/2 Mile Run

10 Minutes AMRAP
20 DU
10 Air Squats
5 Burpees
(4 rounds completed)

WOD:
TABATA Push Ups
500 Meter Row

TABATA Burpees
500 Meter Row

TABATA Slam Balls (20lbs)
500 Meter Row

6:13, 6:18, 6:12

WODing For Two

Ok so obviously I was having a bad day yesterday and this morning I'm feeling a little bit better.  No plans to work out today, and probably won't until this weekend, but in the meantime I wanted to post a few things that have really cracked me up.

Let's face it, Crossfit has taken the world by storm and is growing in boxes, members, and products.  Here are some of my pregnant favorites:

When I tweet sometimes my hashtag is #wodingfor2 and this shirt is amazingly adorable!  This photo has been posted not once, but twice on my facebook page from fellow Crossfitters. 

This following product was the first one that I stumbled across and I have to admit, I want it!  It's adorable!  And the name, Buff Baby?!?  TOO MUCH!

All it is really is a rattle in the shape of a dumbbell, but seriously, just looking at it cracks me up. 

The next few items are from a website called WOD Toys. An entire website for Crossfit Toys for infants, babies, and toddlers.  So hysterical!!

I only wish I could add these to my baby registry! 

Hitting Rock Bottom?

This past weekend I celebrated one of my girlfriend's soon wedding with a bachorette party in NYC.  I was a little nervous about attending since my energy levels have been questionable, me having trouble sleeping in my own bed, and of course being the ONLY sober person (which by the way is slightly amusing, you should try it!).  

btw all I wanted to do in that dress was flex in the mirror.

As predicted, we stayed up / out late both Friday and Saturday and the food's that we ate was far from Paleo.  Sunday morning we woke up and headed home and as soon as I got back, I took a three hour nap and screwed up my sleeping pattern.  


So in what I'm calling my mini crisis, I decided that I needed another option besides (ok not besides, but in addition to) Crossfit.  I convinced myself that because of my unpredictable tiredness and the set times for Crossfit classes, I needed something more flexible.  I also felt like going to Crossfit was such a "reduced" effort on my part, I needed something more.  


So today after work, on a recommendation of a friend, I went to a globo gym, 24/7.  They offer a Summer Membership for a low price and most of all, they have a pool.  


The second I stepped into the facility, I felt worse about myself.  I felt uncomfortable with all the people coming in right after work and scanning their membership card.  I felt sad for all the people on the cardo machines staring into space trying to get their burn on.  


When asked about my fitness history I told the woman that I've been Crossfitting for about a year and my only goal is to maintain my endurance / fitness level during my pregnancy.  She asked if I was interested in Personal Training sessions and I just laughed.  No thanks!  I have my own personal training at my home box.  


I had planned to work out after signing up, but not sure what came over me.  I had to leave and that made me feel even worse.  Obviously I'm having a really hard time dealing with my tiredness, energy level, and slowly letting go of the body that I worked so hard to get.  (Even though I wasn't quite were I wanted to be).  


I hate to keep whining and blogging about how upset I've been, but it's truly been a struggle.  I know that I just need to buck up, get my ass to the gym and stop eating shit.  I know the answer, but I'm literally hitting rock bottom mentally and I can't seem to get myself out of this.  I need to spend the time to manage my schedule and plan my meals so I don't "swing by" the closest fast food place.  


I keep saying next week, next week, but now I have no excuses.  I belong to TWO gyms, and I have control what I eat.  The only thing that I can't control sadly is how much sleep I get and how I'm going to feel each day.  


DEEP BREATH.


The rest of my week is pretty low key (weekend including) and I'm going to use it to plan out my workouts as best as possible and start putting more effort into my diet.  I know that once I get back into both eating right and working out, I will feel better physically and mentally, but it's just a matter of getting started.  


Again, I'm trying to keep this blog real and I'm keeping things honest.  You guys are there for me during my high points and you are especially there for my lows, and I really appreciate all the support you all have given me :)