Friday’s WOD

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WOD:  “Helen”

3 Rds of

Run 400m

11 pull ups

21 KBS

Rest 2 mi

SWOD: 5 Rds of:

OTM 1: 3 strict pull ups (+ weight if needed) + 3 burpees

OTM 2: 5 Strict Dips + 6 Box Jumps (24/20)

My body knows when Friday arrives.  Immediately after work and about an hour before CrossFit class, my body needs a 16 oz. dose of caffeine (hazelnut cream and sugar).   I need time for the caffeine to take effect.   I know.  I know.  Eating clean means that I should avoid the cream and the sugar.   I’m working on that.

For now, my compromise is driving around with sandwich bags stuffed with Sugar In The Raw packets in my glove compartment.  Whenever I buy java on the road, I add my sugar.  The Sugar In The Raw is natural unrefined sugar.  Yeah, it’s still sugar, but more natural than the other options.

Although challenging, today’s WOD was refreshing compared to yesterday’s “Halloween Gone Bad,” it still was no picnic.   Completing 5 rounds of strict pull ups with a thinner blue band was super sweet!  Gotta love progress!

B’Dazzle (my son) completed the 400M runs with me, so that was fun.  By the way, “B’Dazzle” is what he insists we call him; before B’Dazzle, he insisted we call him “medium.” He was tired of being called “little man.”   I think, B’Dazzle, has a lot to do with his football game and how quickly he gets into the backfield!  He’s cute!  B’Dazzle did burpees for most of the hour long class.  Kids have so much energy!

He’s excited about fitness and that’s the way it should be with kids.  I set a good example for him and he’s certainly picking up on my lifestyle.  Last week hubby called me to tell me that B’Dazzle ordered a veggie sub over something with meat!  Oh man!  Those kind of choices get my hyped, especially because I wasn’t present.  He is enrolled in the kids CrossFit  and loves the class.

Today when I got home, there was a medium size white envelope on the kitchen counter.  The envelope was addressed to my mom, but had a written note, “For Tanya, love mother.”

Today is not my birthday, so it was a “just because” gift.  Ironically, I just picked up a cool “just because” gift for her.   Mother saw this night-shirt in a catalog and felt it suited me perfectly!  Lol!  We rarely see eye-to-eye on anything, so this gesture is huge!  Thanks mom!

Well it is another late night and it’s definitely time to crash.   Sweet dreams!!

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This is a t-shirt dress (night gown) that mom brought me today.

Thursday’s WOD

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SWOD:

6 minute EMOM 3 rep strict pull ups w/weight (Max Effort)

WOD:

7 rounds of:

OTM 1- row 100m + 8 SDLHP (55/35)

OTM 2- 1 rope climb (sub 6 chin ups) + 8 T2B or 16 K2C

OTM 3- 6 Burpee Sandbags  + 2 sled push

Buy out:

3 rounds

30 Sec AMRAP V-ups +30 sec AMRAP supermans

Missing Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday’s WOD was disappointing.   Well, that’s really an understatement.  To be honest, I was pissed!

Pissed because I’m feeling the struggle and tug of war of desperately wanting to make it to CrossFit and making sure that when my son looks over to the sideline at football practice, that I’m sitting there encouraging him.  Next week will be different so I look forward to that.

On the bright side, I took a spin class on Monday (the first in nearly a year).   It tore me up and I enjoyed every minute of it!  The instructor, Judy, a fellow CrossFitter, from LivingWell CrossFit led a high intense and challenging class.  I may not have lifted weights or boxed jumped, but I work and I worked hard.

Now for today’s workout.  I arrived at the box early.  I sat in my car and watched this video.  The same video that I posted earlier today.   The video gave me just enough fire to walk in the door with a little sass and confidence that I would kick it out.

While fatigued and laying on the black top in the parking lot kissing a sandbag, I reminded myself of the message,  “Choose to be blind and do whatever it takes to see.”   The images of the athletes’ determination, drive and commitment, moved me to complete the WOD.

As I was saying my good byes and walking out the door, a classmate questioned, “You’re not staying for the rest of the workout?”  LOL!   Apparently, I didn’t see the Buy out at the end of the work out.    I laughed aloud, got my butt down on the floor and finished the workout.

I look forward to tomorrow’s workout.

Sweet dreams!

The Longest 1.6 Ever!

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“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” ~ Conrad Hilton


TODAY’S STATS:

Distance:     10:01 miles
Duration:     1:49:40
Pace:             10:57 min/miles
Calories:       1398

“Come on girl!  You’ve never been a quitter!  Don’t quit now!  Come on… get your a** in gear!!!”  Someone around 8.4 miles, my hamstrings and quadriceps felt weighted.  Those muscles felt like five pounds of weights were strapped to my thighs with heavy electrical tape.  The goal for today was 10 miles.  Typically 10 miles is cake for me, but I think running in the unexpected heat took a toll on my body. While I was well hydrated, the last time I ran in 85+ temps was probably Fall 2012.  I don’t know about other runners, but my body has to become conditioned and acclimated to the summer temps. In Jersey, we’ve gone from 70ish spring like weather to a four-day 90 degree heat wave.

I had to talk.. more like yell at myself to keep going.  I swear there’s a beastly coach residing within me. She appears only when I am on the verge of quitting.  Her harsh and demonic like voice forces me to push myself beyond, what I think is my breaking point, to keep moving.  I stopped briefly only to take swags of water from my bottle or to douse my body with ice-cold water from neighbors sparsely running sprinklers.  Still the remaining 1.6 seemed like another eight miles down the road.  Mistakenly I listed to my MapMyRun voice update every .3 miles, which made the remaining distance feel even longer.   That was not smart.  Finally I did a quick body check:

Do my knees hurt?  No.  Cramps?  No.  Feel dizzy?  No.  Chest pains?  No.  Do I feel pain…anywhere?  No.  Then keep moving and stop looking for an excuse to stop!

The desire to quit is internal.  If we are not careful, external forces such as negative energy from those around us can trick us into giving up.  Just as Conrad Hilton affirms , Successful people keep moving.  They make mistakes, but they don’t quit. So there you have it…

Keep it movin and have a great weekend!

A Run Fixes Everything

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For me, a tranquil long outdoor ten-mile run cures nearly anything that is broken on any given day.  But what if I can’t run?   What if time doesn’t permit?  What if the cold temperature at the jersey shore is at its worst and running outside is unhealthy?  What if my treadmill is broken?  What if running is not an option?  What if it has been a week since my last run?

My world shifts and, similar to sliding  on first base, I safely and recklessly slide into off kilter mode.  The slightest stupid comment, that I would normally ignore and laugh off, annoys the heck out of me.  I find myself on edge sitting in the front seat of a high-speed emotionally and terrifying roller coaster. I am the back-draft of a deadly fire.  Beware.  When I feel like this, I should wear a shirt with neon lights with the words “warning” flashing. Folks will know to steer clear and walk around and avoid me because I’m not feeling my normal cheerful self.

You probably won’t know that I am off kilter.  I still wear my predictable smile that I am known for; however, underneath the smile rest agitation at its best.  In this mode, I work hard to suppress my real feelings because I don’t want people to know how I’m really feeling.  If you ask me how I’m doing, I won’t tell you the ugly truth.   I’ll lie or exaggerate (depending on how you look at it) and say, “I’m okay.”  When the truth is I am miserable.

One morning at 7:15 a.m., I am off kilter, driving to work.  A sweet whisper in my ear tells me to turn the car around, go get my running sneaks but don’t bother changing my clothes.  Just RUN!  Don’t worry about sweating out my outfit of the day. Running in makeup for one day won’t kill me.  I might look ridiculous running in a skirt, but I’ll feel a heck of a lot better.  I will just make up some dumb excuse about why I am late for work or why I didn’t make it into work. For sure, the run would fix everything.  In my CD collection (Yes, I still use CD’s -LOL) and on the radio, I randomly and frantically search for the right song to sooth my crazy mindset.

I love music. I could sleep, eat, and work with music 24/7.    The right song can bring me to peaceful place, make me want to never quit running, or help me with deep cleaning around the house.  

On this particular day I arrive at work feeling twisted and knotted like a bunch of sheets just pulled from the washer.   However, as the school periods go by, several melancholy situations instantly diminish the negative thoughts and energy floating around in my head.  I remember that life is bigger than the spoiled runner who can’t get her run on today.   I move along in my day pushing my personal gobbledygook to the rear of my mind where it belongs.  “Life is bigger than you Chica! Get over it!”

With the help of my girl Oprah, a few days later, I suddenly grasp the fact that, while I’ve been loyal to my commitment to eat clean (avoid processed foods and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables), lately I have neglected my mental and spiritual psyche.  My early morning and days end rituals of meditation, daily devotional reads, or stillness and quiet time has been invaded and assaulted by negative energy zapping substitutes.  The likes of reality TV shows like housewives, other pointless shows, and the negative side of social media has distracted me from handling my business of staying on course.  I don’t know how, it just happened… and without warning—I think. 

Although the incredible high from endorphins can temporarily infuse my spirit and make me feel happier and more balanced, the real fix isn’t just a run.  The real fix is restoring balance; the balance of physical and mental/spiritual fitness.

My focus this week is reconciliation.  Restore the balance that I am use to and avoid getting sucked into the negative energy again, even if I am unable to feed my addiction of running.

Enjoy your week!

 

Have you exposed yourself to your deepest fear?

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“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes.  You are free.”        -Jim Morrrison

Yesterday’s Stats (10/13/12)

Distance:    8.35 miles
Duration:    1:15;54
Pace:          9:05 Min/Mil (Average) –  5:19 Min/Mil (Max)
Calories:     1170

Arg!!   Grr!!  Immediately after I stopped running, I checked my stats.  I was off 6 seconds from breaking the 9-minute mile pace!  Honestly, this irks the mess out of me!  I know exactly where I blew the 6 seconds.  When I realized my pace was off, I wanted to turn around, walk down my driveway, and start run the route again.  I stood on the front porch loudly grumbling.

While running last weekend, I was frightened by a neighbor’s dog.  This dog is never allowed to roam the yard.   I always hear his bark from behind a wooden fence, but thankfully, until today, I have never seen the beast.

I knew I was in trouble when I came around the corner and the dog was using his hind legs, to ferociously kick dirt on his waste.  He scared the crap out of me.  I made the quickest U-Turn possible… heart pumping double time and all.

I’ve run twice since that day.  While I like my route that runs past this house, intense fear of being bitten by the dog has prevented me twice now from passing the house.

During my run I asked myself what else is FEAR preventing me from accomplishing.  I realize that a little fear keeps me from getting my best time.  Sounds crazy?

What’s my biggest fear? Dropping dead during or after an intense run from heart failure! Simply pushing myself too hard. Yeah, I’m fit.  I get a annual physical, but still.  We’ve all read or heard  stories of how top athletes have died after completing a marathon run or some other intense workout.

So today, I asked myself.  “Okay… so what if I died during or after a run?”

It would certainly be better than dyeing hooked up to tubes and breathing equipment squeezing out my last few breaths of life.   Heck, at least I would have checked out while doing something that I love and am extremely passionate about.  The fact is when our time is up, we can’t do a darn thing about it, and so as long as I’m taking care of myself and making smart decisions, my life is in God’s hands.

I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about this fear. The tought was random. I did think about it long enough to inspire me to run harder today.  I ran harder, and it showed in my time.   Heeeey, I’m siked!

I run because it’s so symbolic of life

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“I run because it’s so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can’t. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you’re capable of so much more than you thought.”
–Arthur Blank

Today’s run…

7.51 Miles
1:12:22
9.37 Minute/Miles (Average)
5:54 Minute/Miles (Max)
780 Calories burned

Somewhere around mile five (5) or so, the rain continues; it has not stopped.  My ear buds are wet and continue to fall out of my ears.  Jill (Scott) bellows, “I’m magnificent” and I agree.  I feel free.  I’m wet but it doesn’t matter.  I don’t care.  I don’t care that my natural hair is drenched, I don’t care that my new sneaks are wet, and I certainly don’t give a damn that it’s 50 some degrees outside.  My heart beats at a steady velocity.

Closing my eyes, while moving forward I consume a huge batch of cool damp, yet refreshing air.  My lungs and my body approve.  Another favorite song blares in my ear.  Oh, this feels so good! I am so happy that I could literally shed tears of joy.  It is so hard to explain.  I am engrossed in an intoxicating moment.  Nothing matters.  Physically I feel boundless.  Spiritually I am blessed.  I cannot think of a single reason to complain.  The drama of an earlier week is miles behind me.

The previous week had been one of extreme highs and lows —all relative to parenting.

Committed and active parents recognize crucial and defining moments; times when the most painful and the most difficult decisions are made, all for the benefit of our children.

It is easier to “talk-the-talk” than it is to “walk-the-walk.  A critical juncture presented itself.  Hubby and I discussed the issue and made an extremely difficult but necessary parental decision.   Carrying out the decision took me to an ultimate low place where I never envisioned for myself.  Afterwards, I meditated. I prayed.

As parents, we would like to believe that 18+ years of sacrifice, good teaching, and committed parenting will result in young adults who make smart choices.  Not true. Our children stumble and make bad choices, as we once (and sometimes still do) did. Nevertheless, we are there for them and continue to guide and to support them.

However, there are moments when tough love is the best and only medicine to administer.  Tough love is painful for both parents and our children–We both learn from this experience.  This I know.

That same week, I experienced a supreme high.  My nine-year –old, who is the fastest player on his Pee Wee football team, scored his first official touchdown.  The touchdown came as a result of his intercepting an offensive pass.

Once I realized that he had possession of the ball, I was content.  I knew that no one could catch him.  He sprinted 30-40 yards hugging the football as if the ball was his Sony DSI game and a playmate was trying to steal it.  Although he is outrageously fast, the coaches rarely give him the ball to carry (that’s another story), but he was ready for the opportunity and convincingly delivered.

I don’t know which was best… the joy on my son’s face as he bumped chests of a teammate in the end one or my hubby’s elation as he literally jumped, screamed, and punched the air in excitement.   His team won the game, which made the touchdown all the better.

Runners experience similar highs and lows.  Highs—when we are healthy, strong, and meet or exceed our personal goals; Lows—when we’re injured, wounded, experience setbacks, or simply have bad days,

“…but then you find your inner strength, and realize you’re capable of so much more than you thought.”

The sentiment is true.  Regardless if you’re running, trying to make it through a tough day with the family, dealing with a challenging week at work or experiencing a problem in another area of your life, seek out your inner strength because you are capable of getting through the difficult time. This you must believe.