Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The Scariest Part

So yesterday I was completely freaked out about my overdue return to Capital City CrossFit. In fact by the time I made it to the 4:30 class – this was the mental “Scary Door” picture I had in my head before walking into C3.




But instead of being scary – I was immediately welcomed by this.


Okay – not exactly rainbows and unicorns, but I was immediately welcomed back into the fold. Zack even almost smiled at me. Probably not so much about my return – but had more to do with the fact that I was handing him money. But I’ll take it J


The truth is – because of not being able to go to C3 for 3+ weeks, I had worked myself into quite a frenzy about returning. I'm happy to report that it was all much ado about nothing. After some quick hellos with fellow CrossFitters – it was down to business as usual. Since I had been gone for a while – Brian worked with me to ensure form and proper weights for my back squats. I happily grabbed the grey band for pull-up assists – and I’m so glad I did – b/c there were a million of them. I can’t lift my arms today – but that’s okay – I feel awesome! Awesomely sore – yes – but happy to have faced my fear to just walk back into the box. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has ever had life work get in the way of working out. I’m just happy to report that the hardest part of yesterday – was simply walking through the door.  

Sunday, July 28, 2013

My Day of Reckoning

With recent travel demands I’ve witnessed a decline in my fitness commitment. It wasn’t an overnight failure – it is one that in hindsight was a gradual slipping of discipline. Here’s the breakdown of my breakdown.

Week 1 trip – very committed to not letting work and travel get in the way of my fitness goals. I was actively doing my WODs and running up to 4.5 miles 3x per week. I kept up the running, and got creative for getting workouts done at my hotel. The commitment to carving out time to get my workouts in definitely went hand-in-hand with my food choices. Without being too much of a fuddy duddy – I managed to make smart choices while remaining discreet with my intentions. I’ve learned people (especially during happy hour) don’ t really want to be aware of my thoughts about the menu.

Week 2 trip – still committed – still running, but energy definitely slipping. I have more evening entertaining to do on this trip and the nights are getting later and later. I still managed to get in 3 runs that week – but they were only 3 miles each time – and the last run was pathetic re: time. My workouts were affected by other choices (two words – Japanese Karaoke). I was pretty pleased with my efforts. Food-wise was still consciously opting for lean proteins and veggies. And then it happened – the really late nights started adding up. Not just from staying out late, but staying up late to get work done around the meeting schedule. Too many nights of seeing midnight on my computer screen. I started adjusting my alarm clock. 4 am turned to 5 turned to 6 and the desire for sleep won out over going for a run or working out. Starting the day sluggish made poor choices easier to make. Scrambled eggs became pancakes. Grilled chicken and veggies became hamburgers and fries and when the desserts came out at dinner – I was like “bring it on!” 

Week 3 trip – almost didn’t even pack my running shoes, but I managed to convince myself I was going to run. I was heading to our TX office – so I feel really safe and familiar with the area for solo runs – and I really didn’t have an excuse to not to. By this point I really wanted get back to feeling great. I do function at a higher level of productivity when my workouts and nutrition are on track. Well – the best laid plans…. The running shoes never saw pavement the 3 days I was there. Happy hours were extremely Happy, and I didn’t do myself any favors by tossing nutrition discipline out the window when it came to meals. I returned home exhausted, puffy and with a sugar addiction rearing its ugly head.


So I know all the magazines say – shake it off, forgive yourself and move on. Luckily I’m off the road for a few months. I’m eager to return to my routine. No matter how ridic my 4am alarm seems to most. It is what works for me. I have to have that workout first thing in the morning. It truly casts the dye for the rest of my day. The WOD fuels better food choices, gives me a head start on getting going, I have more energy throughout the day. By the time I get home to debate dinner, I’ve had the opportunity to layer several positive decisions on top of each other. Those decisions typically carry me through the rest of the evening. On full-force days, I’m more likely to play outside with the kids and laundry and miscellaneous chores feel easier to get done. This weekend is prime example of my attempts derailed. I was still struggling to shrug off the past few weeks, and the proof is that I didn’t get nearly as much done around my house as I typically do. With my oldest off to grandma’s for the week, I should have been able to run circles around myself. But I didn’t. I ate ice-cream instead and still have a pile of laundry to fold. 

Tomorrow is my first day back at Capital City Crossfit in over three weeks. While I’m absolutely dreading the next few days – I know it’s going to hurt. I know I’m going to get frustrated with myself. But what I fear more is what will inevitably happen to me if I don’t get back there ASAP. I’m aware that I’m perched on a slippery slope. I fear complacency and poor health more than I fear the WOD. 

Friday, July 26, 2013

Adventure of a Lifetime

Adventure of a Lifetime

I'm mildly famous in a suburb of Raleigh :). All kidding aside, my best friend Aimee joined me for this year's Rim to Rim to Rim hike of the Grand Canyon with Project Athena Foundation. Her local paper featured the adventure. It felt fitting to share it here - since I talked so much about it during my training efforts. Aimee proved to be a hard core endurance athlete! I'm sure she's caught the bug now for even more challenges. It just proves that everyone is stronger than they think they are.


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Fat Girl Running!

As a recovering fat chick I can now admit a few things now that were difficult to acknowledge 80 lbs ago. So let me tell you a little story. I travel for work, and occasionally that forces me to participate in sprints and other random athletic endeavors that I call “Airport Olympics”. About eight years ago I was heading to Vegas connecting through O’Hare – but my first leg flight was delayed out of Bloomington. The BMI to ORD flight is a quickie – so my coworkers and I still had a chance to meet our connection – but it was going to be tight. My travel companion was a much younger, much healthier person who was brilliant enough to wear her tennis shoes that day. As I’ve already mentioned I’m a solid 80+ lbs heavier at this point and - not as brilliantly - I have overdressed for the occasion. So here I’m all dolled up to the max and wearing a pair of my beloved hooker heels.

So enough setup – back on our delayed flight we devise a plan. My coworker is going to run ahead of me to get to our gate in hopes of assuring them that others are coming. As we land our connecting flight is boarding already! It’s been too many years – so I have no memory of the terminal/gate assignments – but it was going to be a ridiculous feat to get there. So here I am – pulling my carry-on and my incredibly heavy briefcase – and I start my best attempt to run – in those damned heels! I’m running in public (which I’m sure looked more like spastic flailing in extra slow motion – I’m hot, sweaty and too many things are violently jiggling. I’m beyond winded, people are staring gawking. They are actually stopping their momentum – to make way for the spectacle that was mine. Out of shear desperation and humiliation, I have what I would guess an out-of-body experience would feel like. I can actually see myself trying to part a sea of thousands of travelers and “run” through them. Out of nowhere I start yelling, “Fat Girl Running!! Fat Girl Running!!” I have a peculiar sense of humor – I’ve never denied that. But I know in moments when I’m most mortified – I tend to race to deliver the punch line and not risk someone else making the joke. I learned it was safer to be the joke teller.

So why am I’m rambling on about this experience now? It’s because I just experienced the total opposite of “Fat Girl Running!” I’m traveling to Orlando today – through Atlanta. I landed in ATL and only had 15 minutes to go from C5 to A29. On most trips I travel dressed for work/meetings, but today I’m outfitted in my running clothes/shoes because I didn’t have room in my combo backpack/briefcase for them. So I get off the plane and see the gate assignment. I took it as a challenge – my WOD of the day – make that flight! I clipped on my backpack, pulled the straps extra snug, and I took off! It was fun – darting around others while avoiding pedestrian crashes. I ran down the escalator to the Plane Train – and then ran up the escalator when I got to the A terminal. It wasn’t until I was at my gate – with four minutes to spare – that I realized something – I wasn’t winded!!!! And I still had time for a potty break! Double victory J Today’s Airport Olympics was a far cry from Fat Girl Running! Sometimes on my fitness journey I get hung up on what I’m still trying to accomplish, or what I still can’t do. Today was a nice celebration of what has been achieved. I still have a long way to go, but today putting “Fat Girl Running!” in my rear view mirror was very healing for this recovering fat chick J So for me this week I have a PR for terminal dash!

Friday, July 12, 2013

On the Road Again

Hitting the road for work for a few different trips presents definite challenge for work/life and my don't-get-lazy-efforts. The coils in my tightly wound calendar have sprung loose and chaos has ensued. I really don't want to loose ground with my workouts so the mornings I'm on the road - I hit the road. Luckily locations are really nice and familiar - so my focus has been to continue increasing my mileage for the next few weeks. I'd like to run a local 10k in August - so that is my first "next". I have worked up to 4 miles - next week I want to get to 5-6 miles. 

Working out in hotel rooms is good in theory but there are limitations. I can do a few things while avoiding waking my hotel-neighbors or having security knock on my door. In room workouts include yoga, push-ups, toe-drivers and air squats - and I'm well aware I could do burpees - but I haven't successfully forced myself to do those yet. 

I really miss weight lifting - it's one of the aspects I've enjoyed the most about CrossFit. Sadly hotels think tossing an elliptical machine, mirrored wall and water cooler in a closet and calling it the "Fitness Center" is adequate - but for me it doesn't quite cut it. I am buying a jump rope before my next trip - I'm nowhere near a double-unders - but right now if I could string together 20 singles - that would be progress. Missing my C3 friends - looking forward to a more consistent schedule in the coming weeks.


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

10 signs you took too much time off from Crossfit

10. You’re no longer bi-lingual because your “crossfit-anease” is rusty.
9. Your six year old starts feeling heavier than he used to.
8. Can’t row 500 meters in under 2:10. 
7. You’re back to modified push-ups.
6. Burpees suck even more.
5. The big grey band doesn’t seem to have enough spring to it.
4. The 20” jump box looks really high!
3. Monkey bars on the playground no longer look fun to you.
2. You decline a jump rope challenge from your 10 year old neighbor.
1. The callouses on your hands have softened.


So it seems my little WOD vacay after my hike was probably a wee bit on the long side. First day back to Capital City Crossfit today – and it was the asskicker I feared it would be. Happy to be back at it, and eager to establish my next goal. What next? That is the big question for me now…. I need to answer this sooner than later. Any suggestions?