WOD 10-27-09

Deadlifts to the knees 3 x 8
20k - 20k - 20k

Kept it light, focusing on the knees back technique.

2 power cleans + 1 press x 8
20k - 25k - 30k - 30k - 35k - 35k - 40k - 45k

That last press was tough but I got it up!

Then we did a short met-con of:

20 Turkish Get-Ups per side (15 lb. kettlebell)

Time: 9:27

Those things are tough! Much tougher than it seems. Had to break it down into 5 per side, was definitely feeling the presses from the earlier part of the workout. TGUs work pretty much every muscle you've got, so that was good.

KY Vacation

On Thursday night I left with my parents and my Pod to head up to Kentucky to see my sister Meredith. I was looking forward to the break from my routine and to seeing Meredith and her husband Chad - and their sweet like Dachshund Emma. Pod flew with us and he was great - he has flown before so I knew he would be alright.

We got in Thursday night around midnight which is a foreign hour to my family, as we like to go to sleep around 9 pm! I am sure Chad thinks we are crazy though, haha, as he is a night owl. On

Friday Meredith took us into Wilmore to show us where she works (and where Chad goes to school) at Asbury Seminary, and then we headed into Lexington to go to Keeneland. Keeneland is a gorgeous horse track that only races two months out of the year, and we were lucky enough to be there while they were racing. When you first walk in there is an area in the middle where the handlers walk the race horses around, so you can get really close to them. It was amazing to see those horses up close - they are huge and solid muscle. We stayed there for a couple of hours and then headed to Dick's Sporting Goods (love this place, and there are none in Houston so I had to take advantage) where Meredith bought me a nice Nike running shirt for a belated b-day gift. Then we went to Moe's (my all-time favorite place to eat! Again, none in Houston) which is a build your own burrito place and had a great dinner - a "Home Wrecker" burrito. Also just to note - my Zone diet went out the window on this vacation, but that was the plan.

Saturday we woke up relatively early and Meredith and I got ready for the 5k we were running in. It was out at this guy RJ Corman's property - he has made millions, probably billions, in the railroad industry - and it was absolutely gorgeous. He ran most of the race just a few steps ahead of us, which was cool. The weather was hideous, about 40 degrees and misting, but the scenery was great. It was private land so there were no cars, just nice paved paths through rolling hills. We finished in a little over 25 minutes which was a pretty decent time. After the race we stopped by their local coffee shop Main and Maple for coffee and hot chocolate, then headed back to their house. Chad had to do some work at the school, so once he got back home we headed into Lexington for lunch at a pizza place called Pazzo's. UK had a home football game that day and they just happened to be playing UL-Monroe which is where my dad went. So Pazzo's was near the campus and it was cool to see all of the tailgating and people going to the game. Not many people in ULM Warhawk gear though, haha. Pazzo's is known for their beer I guess - I can't even guess how many beers they have on tap but I am guessing it is well over 100. So that was Chad and my dad's main focus, while I stuck to water and Meredith and my mom had tea. I was starving and downed a calzone that was roughly the size of a small child. It was delicious! After lunch we headed back to the house and took the dogs to the dog park. It was a pretty day, but we were the only ones there. But that was nice and the dogs got a chance to run around and sniff all over the place. Later that evening we headed out to Wilmore for a bonfire at Chad and Meredith's friends house, the Strebecks. Everyone was so nice and there were so many cute little kids. Glad to know that Meredith and Chad are surrounded by such nice people! So after that we headed home and I think we may have ended up watching the Bodygaurd? Haha - it was just on tv and we were all sort of watching it, it was weird, I'd never seen that movie. Anyways it got to be about 10 pm and I had to throw in the towel and go to bed.

We had a lazy Sunday morning then headed back into Lexington to go to Alfalfa's for breakfast, a sort of eccentric place that Meredith had gone to after a 5k a while back. It was really good, and afterwards we headed back home so Chad could get to work on his gumbo. We took the dogs for a walk and then headed out to Boyd's Orchard "fest". This is an apple/pumpkin orchard where you can pick your own stuff, and throughout October they have different fests (Harvestfest, Orchardfest, Octoberfest, etc.) each weekend. It was a beautiful drive out there, and once we got there the place was packed. There were tons of kids running around and going down the huge slides and on hay rides. We stuck to the food, and bought some apple cider, pumpkin pie, apple doughnuts and pumpkin doughnuts. Now I am not a huge apple cider or apple juice fan, but that cider was delicious. I drank it cold, and it tasted like someone was just squeezing an apple into my mouth. And don't even get me started on the doughnuts. Heaven. Once we got back we had a couple more hours to go on the gumbo, so we just relaxed for a while. Chad's gumbo was ready right at dinner time and we dug in. It was perfect - sausage and chicken gumbo, white rice and thick, toasted French bread. And I got to try Ale-8 aka "Kentucky crack". Pretty good! Like a mix between Mountain Dew and ginger ale. After we had stuffed ourself with the gumbo we had the pumpkin pie from Boyd's and some of the chocolate pie that Meredith had made. It was all delicious and Meredith and Chad are excellent cooks. Well, Chad at least! Haha, Meredith is a good baker, and I only say this because Meredith recently had a rough experience with a chicken.

And then it was over! Monday rolled around and we had to get ready to pack up and head out to the airport. It was a great time with Meredith and Chad, and I love that we got to see them on a relatively unexpected trip. We missed Michelle and Brit, but we will all be together at Christmas.

Some pictures:

Pod and his best friend Emma, and a Kentucky weather map.

Meredith and Chad at Boyd's Orchard.

Meredith and I at Boyd's.

On the world's largest Adirondack chair!

WOD 10-22-09

Deadlift
1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1


Weights (in kilos):
65k - 85k - 90k - 95k - 100k


Woo hoo! I made it to 217 lbs.! 250 is right around the corner. When I first started at Taylor Sport (now Crossfit Bay Area) I was struggling with 120 lbs.! I am just amazed at my increase in strength, technique and confidence. Thank you Coach Laura and Dr. Taylor for providing me with an awesome place to workout and giving me the tools to make myself better.

Ok enough about that - after the deadlifts we did our metcon:

Slam Balls (12 lbs.)
20...1

Sit Ups
20...1

Push-Ups
1...20

So to start you do 20 slam balls, 20 sit ups, 1 push up. Then you do 19 slam balls, 19 sit ups, 2 push ups...and so on down the line until you are 1, 1 and 20.

Time: I forgot to write it down! It was flooding in the gym and a crazy morning..but I believe it was around 27 minutes? I remember saying I PR'd by about 5 minutes and the last time we did this I was around 31 minutes. I think. Anyways, I used a heavier ball (4 lbs. heavier) this time around and still completed the WOD faster which is awesome.

A great workout to finish up my week!

WOD 10-20-09

"Barbell Tuesday"

Snatch
3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 1 - 1 - 1 -1

Weights (kilos):
20 - 20 - 25 - 25 - 30 - 35 - 35

Snatch felt good - my last one was the best so that was good. I definitely need more confidence when approaching this lift.

Then a short WOD of:

3 rounds:
15 pull-ups
20 weighted lunges (20 lb. dbs)

Time: 9:42

WOD 10-19-09

Push-Press

3 - 3 - 3 - 1 - 1 - 1

Weights (in kilos):

25k - 35k - 40k - 45k - 50k fail - 48k

I was thisclose to getting that dang 50k, but it was just too much. Soon!

Here is a shot of the group - we all PR'd on our push-press.

Then a WOD of:

800 meter run

9 db swings (25 lbs.)

9 burpee box jumps

400 meter run

15 db swings

15 burpee box jumps

200 meter run

21 db swings

21 burpee box jumps

Time: 13:30

This was a good one! Burpee box jumps were not as bad as I thought they would be. I was chasing Coach Laura's time of 12:45 so I was hustling. I got close, but not close enough!

WOD 10-17-09

For time:

800 meter run
30 wall balls (14 lbs.)
600 meter run
20 knees to elbows
400 meter run
10 "swirls" (dumbbell burpee to clean - 20 lb. dbs)
200 meter run
15/15 sledgehammer swings

Time: 16.33

This was a good one! I hit my heel on a bench while practicing my kipping, so I felt that throughout the runs. Other than that it felt good - it was a beautiful morning and I always love Saturday workouts. The swirls were interesting - definitely tiring!

WOD 10-16-09

4 rounds for time of:

10 deadlifts (155 lbs.)
25 sit-ups
15 med-ball cleans (12 lbs.)
200 meter run

Time: ~12:11

I was able to do this workout with Coach Laura and she kicked my butt! But it was good, because I really pushed myself and had a great example of where I need to be. The deadlifts are what got me, as I am still trying to build my strength on those.

WOD 10-15-09

"Fran"

21-15-9

Thrusters (65 lbs.)

Pull-Ups

Time: 13:15

A pretty dismal time considering a good time is under 5 minutes. I am really struggling with my pull-ups (due to tightness in my shoulders) and I just felt like I had nothing in the tank for this one. So, I am looking forward to shaving a couple of minutes off of this time. My goal for next is time is around 10:00, and then I will go from there!

Enjoying the lower, thinner pull-up bar!

WOD 10-13-09

"Barbell Tuesday"

Power Clean + 2 Push Presses x 6
Weights (in kilos):
25k - 25k - 29.6k - 35k - 39.6k - 39.6k

Overhead Squats 6 x 3
Weights (in kilos):
15k - 20k - 25k - 25k - 29.6k - 29.6k


Then 100 air squats for time:

3:40

WOD 10-12-09

Incline Bench Press
5 - 5 - 5 - 3 - 3 - 3

Weights (in lbs.)
55 - 75 - 85 - 90 - 95 - 95


Then "Helen":

3 rounds for time of

400 meter run
21 kettlebell swings (40 lbs.)
12 push-ups

Time: 9:50

WOD 2: Oktoberfest Obliteration

Oktoberfest Obliterarion WOD 1

Oktoberfest Obliteration 10-10-09

Well, it is safe to say I was obliterated! I did well enough in WOD 1 to qualify for WOD 2, in which I took 6th place out 10 competitors. Pretty dismal placing, but I am thankful for the great workouts and the learning opportunity. Here are the details of the workouts.

WOD 1

Run 400 meters
15 Thrusters (65 lbs.)
Row 500 meters
15 Power Cleans (75 lbs.)
150 Jump Ropes
15 Power Cleans
Row 500 meters
15 Thrusters
Run 400 meters

Time: 17:36

I had three of my thrusters (first set) not count because my head was not all the way through on the lockout. This really cost me some time. I was able to make up some time on the jump rope and second half of the WOD and finished 4th in my heat. That last run was probably the toughest run of my life - my shoulders were shot and I just couldn't catch my breath. Made it through though!

There was a team event that took place between the individual's WODs 1 and 2 and that was really fun to watch. I can't wait until Crossfit Bay Area has some great teams competing in these competitions! It was also really fun to watch all of the other individual competitors. The women who competed in the Standard Women's division were absolute beasts - 95 lb. thrusters and 105 lb. power cleans - I can only hope I will be at that level one day soon. It was great to watch the world's 5th fittest woman Lindsey Smith in action, as she stayed calm and collected throughout her entire heat.


WOD 2:

Run 100 meters to retrieve 10 lb. med ball, run 100 meters back to wall with ball
30 wall ball shots
Run 100 meters to retrieve 25 lb. kettlebell, run 100 meters back to mat with kb
30 kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters to retrieve 53 lb. kettlebell, run 100 meters back to mat with kb
30 sumo deadlift high pulls
Run 100 meters to retrieve two 20 lb. dumbbells, run 100 meters back to mat with db
30 man makers (push up, right arm row, left arm row, stand up, clean dbs to rack position, db overhead press = 1 rep)
Run 200 meters with 40 lb. "sandbag"

Time: ~ 18:30 (not sure of exact time, but it was 18 something)

WOD 2 was actually much more enjoyable than WOD 1. I was in third place going into the man makers. Those man makers killed me though, and I just couldn't move fast enough and ended up falling into 6th place.

I am having trouble uploading pictures, so I will do that on another post.

WOD 10-3-09

4 rounds for time:

400 meter run
10 thrusters (67 lbs.)
10 burpees
5 pull-ups
5 knees to elbows
5 toes to bar

Time: 26:03 (??) I got my book out and wrote down the workout, but totally forgot to write down my time. I think it was around 26 because I think I remember seeing that on my watch when I reset it. I could be way off, but I think it is around there. Will confirm tonight.

This one felt ok - I wish I could have been a little quicker, but otherwise I felt good. The breathing issue is back (not being able to take a deep breath) although not nearly as bad as it was back in August.

Just got all of the Event/Athlete information from Crossfit Champions for the upcoming competition. Excited! Will train hard tonight, tomorrow am and then go for a run tomorrow am as well. Active recovery Wed - Fri and comp on Saturday.

Olympic Lifting Class 10-2-09

I was able to make the Friday afternoon lifting class which was great.

Snatch
2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1

Worked my way up to 29.6 kilos for the snatch (65 lbs.) which is about my plateau right now. I attempted 35 kilos a couple of times and my form just went to hell. And at that weight (for me at least!) form is everything. So that sucked but I will get there!

1 clean + 2 jerks x 8

Weights (in kilos):
25 - 25 - 29.6 - 35 - 35 - 40 - 40 - 40

Felt MUCH better on the cleans and jerks, was able to make it up to 40 kilos. Probably could not have gone any higher in weight, but I am glad I was able to stay at 40kg for 3 sets.

WOD 10-1-09

For time:

1 mile run
then..
9 sumo-deadlift high pulls (65 lbs.)
9 slam balls (12 lbs.)
9 dumbbell swings (30 lbs.)
800 meter run
12 sumo-deadlift high pulls
12 slam balls
12 dumbbell swings
400 meter run
15 sumo-deadlift high pulls
15 slam balls
15 dumbbell swings

Time: 21:34

I was smokin' it on this one! I love to run, do SDHPs, slam balls and db swings so I loved this WOD. The only thing I had to break up was a couple of the SDHPs. Felt really good after such a poor performance on 9/30.

WOD 9-30-09

Back Squat
3 - 3 - 3 - 1 - 1

Weights (in lbs.)
87 - 107 - 122 - 137 - 144

144 is a PR for me - up from 135.

Then...

3 rounds for time

5 handstand push-ups
10 ring dips
15 knees to elbows

9:22 - I thoroughly sucked at this WOD.

WOD 9-29-09

"Barbell Tuesday"

Power Clean + Front Squat + Jerk x 10 (breaking down each movement of the clean & jerk)

I worked up to 77 lbs. for these.

Power Clean + Front Squat + Jerk x 3 (same focus as above but heavier)

Went up to 87 lbs. for these, felt good. Love the clean and jerk, snatch still gives me a little trouble.

Then mini-metcon of....

4 rounds of
17 wall-ball shots (14 lbs.)
217 meter run with ball

That run with the ball was tough! Just an awkward shape. Felt it in the biceps and abs.

WOD 9-28-09

Bench Press:
5-5-5-3-3-3

Weights (in lbs.)
85-90-95-103-105-failed last set at 105

then...

3 rounds for time

217 meter sandbag run (50 lbs.)
15 lateral burpees
15 box jumps (24")

Time: 14:25

CrossFit - The Evolution

CrossFit in a nutshell! Where it started, where it is, where it is going and why I love it. Enjoy!

"The Evolution" by CrossFit by Overload from CrossFit South Philly on Vimeo.