the last hurrah.. pre-challenge weekend

Hey everyone! I hope you guys were alot cooler than me! Works been crazy awesome but exhausting at the same time. Ill bet that has something to do with me eating like shit to get all my snacks and beer in before the 4 week challenge.  I'm actually very excited for this paleo challenge.  Paleo has worked well for me and my body loved it.  I started to stray off with life getting so busy which is a poor excuse.  The hardest thing about paleo is just having all the food and having it easily accessible.  I'm going to try to be as strict as possible.  Sooo we went out for dinner 5 nights straight including out to breakfast twice. What can I say it's a very busy time of year for us and we make plans for every night, especially on the weekend. Playing softball twice a week always ends with beer and its a great time. I'm truly going to struggle most with not having a few beers here and there. It's pretty much how I relax with my boyfriend friends and family. I don't get drunk but it's refreshing this time of year and it def helps me relax.

We ate at one of my favorite restaurants last night, La Esperanza, and had some beers. It was AWESOME! Later I went and talked to my tattoo guy about covering up my terrible foot tattoo that I've been hating for over 10 years. It's soo bad I've had to tell people what it is when they ask, and it's soo bad people actually had to ask. I'm thrilled and can't wait for it to be done Friday.

Pancake fries... soo good but soo bad

Sunday morning we went to the pop shop for a glutinous breakfast. They actually had PANCAKE FRIES ...ridiculous and u know we got them! They were sooo good with cinnamon cream cheese dip... But it was at that time I realized all this last hurrah food was absolutely making me sick. I felt awful and even worse I was sooo sluggish. I felt lazy and didn't even want to play softball. The heat isn't helping but I swear its from eating soo shitty. I needed to get this out of my system but then it caught up to me and I had no desire to eat anything all day after that massive breakfast which I could barely finish.  In fact after softball Rob wanted to go around the corner to crapplebees and all I got was a margarita.  I had no appetite what so ever and still don't.  I think I was poisoned with terrible fake food, lots of dairy and grease.  At least now I know that I don't want any of that crap and even after 4 weeks all I'll remember is how sick and gross I felt.  I cant wait to start my 4 weeks of clean paleo eating!  I cant wait for my face to not look all gross and broken out!  My body definitely craving a change.

Anyway we won our game and I realized both games were very dull and quiet.  I think its this crazy heat we've been having.  I love to play the game... but I'm a very emotional player... you could say?  I get into it and I don't hesitate to open my mouth back at the other team... especially with the coed team.  When someone has something to say or something is wrong (as in bad sportsmanship) I'm the first one to open my big mouth.  Its going to get me in trouble one day but I'm not afraid of dumb people and I'm going to stick up for my team.  Either way it was very quiet and no one was carrying on.  We won and just walked off the field like nothing happened.  I'm dying to get my new bat in... hopefully it will come this week.  I'm not hitting as good as I was with my bat... so hopefully this one will be a good replacement.  I just cant wait for Monday... new way of eating and I get back to crossfit.  Here's to a tough WOD to start off this challenge right... I cant wait to see whats waiting for me in the box tomorrow!

RX, sweat, and Personal records baby!

Soo I basically started my week off at 730am when my bud Alex (coach) says to me... why are you here so early?  Everyone kinda knows I'm not an early bird... especially because my work schedule doesn't usually start til 11am.  To be fair... i also work til 9pm when everyone else has had dinner and is already half asleep so whateve.  I decided last week, after taking the late morning class that I was still all red and sweaty by the time i was clocking in and ready for my first client, that that's not ok.  I needed to start going earlier... and you know what I actually like it.  Unfortunately this also made me more tired by the time I was done work I just wanted to go to bed and not eat but thats not ok either... I need to find a happy medium.  I cant get anything done when I work til 9 and cant get anything done before work because things aren't open.  I'll figure it out.. I'm just putting my passion first and that is training in crossfit.  Its soo good for me and I adore it, as well as all of the amazing people who I've come into contact with... and yes i love you all.  We are about to start a 4 week healthy challenge based on diet and rest and basically taking exceptional care of your body.  Its based on the paleo lifestyle which i definitely know about... i just still consider myself a rookie.  I'm still a crossfit rookie when it comes down to it.  I'm waiting for that day when I don't feel like going... I'm going on 9 months now and that has yet to happen... or even come close.  Its almost as if I'm going to play something ...a fun game of some sort, its hard to explain but we all know.

So anyway... I wanted to go hard this week since I felt like going early was going to be tough for me i wanted it to be worth it.  I was able to RX this all the WODs i did this week!!!!! YES!!! That's all I really try for everyday I train.  Clicking that lil RX button means everything to me... I feel like I can do it without being babied... although theres still alot of things I cant do RX, 3 days in a row made me feel  amazing! Tues there was no lift but I stayed after class with Alex and did the competition work so i felt better doing some clean and jerks after, and because I was there so early I had the extra time!  We did the Fight Gone Badish benchmark metcon.  YESS!!! I love doing benchmarks.. its good to try to beat your own time!

5/28/13 WOD
METCON
Fight Gone Badish


-3 rounds for reps 267 reps
--1min wallballs 14lb
--kettlebells 35lb
--box jumps
--push press 55lb
--row for calories
--rest 1 min

Wed I woke up saw that it was squat day and I wanted to beat my 1 rep max of 250lb.  I was determined.  My bud Rach was there and that made it soo much better.  I did the hatch squat program which required you to do your 1 rep max and when I got there I just did the required 3 reps.  I was soo excited it felt like xmas morning with a PR!!!  I think I love to squat.  I love doing alot of lifting but squats and deadlifts might be my thing.  The metcon consisted of front squats and push presses and bar hop burpees(which are the devil) and I did better than I thought.  The RX weight was 75lbs so I was good with that but it got heavy fast.  I cooled off and got ready for work only to realize it was one of my buddy's last day at our shop.  Shanely has been a huge part of our store and has really gotten to know our clients well.  I'm going to miss her soo much.

5/29/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-back squat x3 @250lbs
METCON
-AMRAP in 10 min
111,222,333,444......
-front squat
-push press
-bar hop burpee
finished with 8.7 rds


Today I decided to sleep in since I was falling asleep while trying to eat dinner late after 9pm.  I now know that I def hate watching Kelly and Michael and wont be wasting my time with that anymore.  Shes become soo annoying and its ashamed because I love him, hes been a great co-host.  I realized today I cant stand to watch her anymore.  I kept thinking that I shouldve been at the 9am WOD.  There were some errands I needed to run today and since places didn't open til 10ish I would go before my 12 class and get everything done... well that didn't work because I forgot a few errands and I went to see Dr Nelson about and hr early because I had the wrong time lol.

Anyway it was sooo hot.... duh like that's all we talked about all day ...but my car was saying 94 and it felt worse in the box.  Our strength for the day was power cleans ...which I love and I wanted a PR.  We started and I was all sweaty before I even got weight on the bar.  I managed to get up to 145lbs for a PR!!  I failed the first time and gave it a few min and then I got it!  We were doing cleans in the metcon too so it was a gonna be a good day.  This was another benchmark that i haven't done yet so I wanted to set the bar high for myself.  I felt like I did well since i couldn't breath and didn't feel weak til the last set.  My lungs held me back but I felt good about my score... I was moving as fast as I could thank god for that starbucks lol.

Top bruise..crossfit/sliding boo boo on bottom

5/30/13 WOD
STRENGTH

METCON
The Chief
-5 rounds of 3 min per round AMRAP
--3 cleans @95lbs
--6 push ups
--9 air squats
21 full rounds completed

We were soaked... but it felt good almost like a detox/sauna.  I got home and realized I had an email from Rogue about the Nike Romaleos finally coming in!  I have been waiting for these weightlifting shoes to come in now for at least 6 weeks.  My feet are tiny so I have a hard time finding a small mens size but these things are badass.  I cant wait to see how they help me with lifting.

I couldn't wait for my softball game tonight with the women's league.  These girls are the best.  We play well together, have fun, make fun of each other, and best of all we win ....ALOT.  So it was probably our biggest game before playoffs and we won, we played well tonight too.  I feel awful tho I hit one of my teammates with a line drive.... like a hard line drive.  Shes tough though trust me if I asked her if she was ok one more time she prob would've threw me in a headlock.  Robbie came with me we had a few beers and got food at the bar... ya know getting all the bad food and beer in before my 4 week challenge.  I need a challenge since I realized how great paleo is for me Ive really slacked, like BAD.  Its not that I want to eat that way but Ive had no time to prepare food or even get to the store.  Besides that its been a crazy time of year for me not only at work but everywhere else too.  This challenge will make me stop making excuses and get serious about this by being held accountable.  That's sad that I need it but maybe after 4 weeks it will come natural to me again. We shall see! this is going to be interesting!

FRANtastic weekend!!!

I started my weekend off with ...of course... a new injury.  I don't know if I just jammed, hyper extended, or busted my finger, but by today its just really sore and stiff.  After a fielding softball practice I took a bad bounce off a ball and saw stars.  My ring finger was instantly numb and didn't hurt too much so I continued to play.  When I woke up sat morning it was killing me... all bruised and swollen like a sausage.  Thank god I had a half day because I actually need that finger to cut hair and couldn't imagine doing more work than I had scheduled.  I had a great day though and once I clocked out we wrapped me in a splint and went straight to the phils game.

It was just me and rob and we love starting at xfinity for food and beers.  Ive realized its tough to tailgate with only 2 people and sometimes its just awesome to be waited on.  Summer Shandy was my drink of choice for the night and it definitely hit the spot.  The game was pitiful so we left and met up with some buds at a new local bar.

Sunday was awful.  The weather sucked and I was pretty much expecting to play softball, but believe it or not ...we played.  Well... we kinda played.  We more or less got slaughtered which is not like our team.  It was muddy and rainy, but I'm just happy no one got hurt.  When your running around an slipping sliding all over its soo easy to get hurt but nothing was hurt but our egos.

Ali's sweat angel

Soo... today was FRAN at the box!!!!  I was excited but a lil hesitant with my bad shoulder.  Its alot of thrusters which I really haven't been able to do heavy since feb.  Now that we know my shoulder pain is coming from my arm muscles not activating (not working whatsoever) Im trying to stretch and do whatever I can to get them to wake the fuck up!  Before people got there I was hanging with Bonnie and asked her what she suggested.  I ended up doing some 15lb dumbell arm workouts.  Just light, quick but tight movements.  I'm soo awful at dumbells since Ive always done barbell, with the exception of some little stuff.  When I do any dumbell workouts my arms are all wobbly over the place and pretty weak.  Anything over 20 is just pathetic looking and not tight, almost like no control.  Can I tell you how much those exercises helped me.  I went to do my thrusters and I was def nervous that it was going to hurt but I had no pain... I even went up to 125 but couldn't do more than one lol.  I was soo thrilled.  This meant that I was going to participate in FRAN.  This class was great... full of some great people and we banged out the wod soo fast it barely felt like an hour.  I love working out with some of my fav buds, it seemed like an event of some sort.  I even got a short video of 2 of my buds starting fran.

Anyway my I was thrilled with my FRAN score.  I dropped down to the red and orange bands for my pull ups and did the RX weight at 65lbs.  Somehow I beat my old time by a full min.  I'm happy with that especially since I didn't even think I would be able to do it. This was awesome tho because I actually had burning post-wod numbness in my forearms... so I know them babies were working!  I never had that pain there before so as awful and rubbery as it was I know did everything right.

5/20/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-thrusters x3 @115lbs
METCON
-FRAN- sets of 21,15,9
--thrusters @65lbs
--pull ups
finished in 7:08

dull week/crossfit withdrawl

So I'm sure everyone is dying to know what Ive done this week ...just kidding lol.  Last weekend was pretty much crazy but nothing athletic or wild to talk about.  I had a funeral, crazy ass prom day(awesome day), a highly productive but insane saturday for my whole shop,  coed softball was cancelled due to mothers day, and we just hung out with moms and did the sunday brunch thing.

Due to my weak and sore shoulder, I took it easy this week and didn't crossfit til today.  I was in alot of pain over the weekend and had to open the shop on monday so I didn't have the time to go anyway.

me and rach were twins today!

The shoulder is feeling much better though and I was having crossfit withdrawl so I knew I had to go today.  I saw Dr Nelson and he said its still not really working right but no pain is good.  The WOD today was alot of overhead squats which I just assumed I wouldn't be doing.  I warmed up with everyone and found that the only thing that really hurt me was push ups, the overhead squats didn't bother me and I even got a PR lol!  After thinking about it all day I think I like doing them they felt easier to do today.  I just felt stronger to hold weight over my head and squat and it felt good, just being back in there felt great.

5/16/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-power snatch x2 and overhead squat x2 @95lbs
METCON
-21,15,9 reps of
--overhead squats
--burpees

I had a game tonight... I hit a homerun at my first up at bat, but I had a few balls get by me ughhhhh!  That pisses me off.  My throws were good and my base running was good but man those errors ate me alive!  We were all making errors and laughing about it because we played a team that hasn't won yet.  In the end they almost caught up to us from all of our errors but we shut it down.

where did this week go?

Soo this week went too fast.  I hit my regular crossfit schedule with the exception of  Tues.  After Mondays "grace" wod... i was just burned out lol.  Wed I got to do something new... its apparently a torture squat session lol but i loved it.  I think I did almost 100 squats yesterday with weights half about 65lbs and the rest over 150lbs.  No wonder I'm waddling around today lol.  So somehow the metcon had a few toes to bar(which i still cant do, but the form has gotten much better) which apparently did something to front of my shoulder.  Come to find out today that I must have really pulled it but, Dr Nelson figured out something huge with this.  So I have a majorly under developed bicep on the side that hurts, and that tends to be the side of my back that hurts as well as typical shoulder pain.  I'm glad we found out the weakness that's been causing some annoying pain off and on for a bit now.  Dr Nelson is the man, he really knows his stuff.

5/6/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-clean and jerk x1@140lbs
METCON
-30 clean and jerks for time
finished in 4:24

5/8/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-front squat x5@155lbs
-hatch squats
METCON
3 rounds of
-21 front squats @65lbs
-15 kettlebell swings @45lbs
-12 toes to bar
-9 burpees
finished in 12:57

5/9/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-hexbar deadlift x3 @295lbs
METCON
only finished one round
-500m row
-12 deadlifts
-21 box jumps


After my appt my shoulder felt good enough to workout, and the WOD didn't have much arms in it so I decided to give it a go.  I felt good doing the lift but I had a hard time with the first part of the metcon.  Rowing is something I truly enjoy but today I had to stop after the first round.  It even hurt my shoulder to do box jumps which is bizarre.  Sore wasn't even close to describe how bad it hurt.  I had a hard time driving and also could barely put deodorant under my arm.  Thank god I booked for an appt with my friend who is a massage therapist.  I saw her and just did neck and back, she said I was really tight.  After my awesome massage I was able to move more without pain... thank god because I had a softball game in a couple hours.

I love playing ball with my blue girls.  They're soo funny and its nice to spend that time with them.  I was pissed because I wasn't hitting well and my buds told me that my bat sounded weird.  Sure enough my effin bat was rattling when you tapped it on the ground.  WTF!!! I loved that bat and now its broken... that explains why I couldn't get anything to move on Sunday.  We found out that Easton has a return policy and should take my bat back.  Its not even a year old and I paid good money for it.  Either way we won and are still undefeated.

Tomorrow is a big prom day in the salon and I'm sooo excited for it.  I love formal hair, and thank god I don't have to blow dry because my shoulder couldn't take it.  Its going to be a crazy busy day though.  Days like this I don't have a break or a chance to eat.  I will rely on my orgain shakes to get me through the day lol.  I'm trying to not drink them as much with paleo and all, but its better than not eating and its atleast organic.  Speak of paleo... I had this amazing BACON BLOODY MARY last night, from Zinburger.  My meal was mostly paleo but it was an embellished delicious version. I enjoyed every bit!!!

Paleo=Blood work to make your Dr proud

my new necklace from melissa

So here we go again on the take my blood and pray for good results roller coaster.  I had my appt today to go over my bloodwork and I had them check everything besides my thyroid.  My doc was thrilled to see that my results have dramatically changed and all of my levels were right were they should be.  I even got a high five YES!  I worry now that I'm 30 because my mother had a heart attack very young and I have all of her health issues but we were able to find them earlier.  Including thyroid, and HBP I'm just waiting now to get the hypoglycemia.  The entire family suffers from high blood pressure on both sides so my bro and I were screwed either way.  I had high bp as a kid and only got worse as an adult.  At one point I was 220/160 and I was a size 7.  Since that point I've been medicated and was told I would never not be on high blood pressure meds.  I'm actually on 1 and 1/2 since I started running last year it started dropping so we had to cut back.  Lately its dropping again so I might just be down to 1 pill.  Anyway... I told my Dr about eating paleo and he was intrigued I explained to him how I've been eating more red meat and whole eggs than I've eaten in my whole life.  That was actually making me a lil uneasy, and even my boyfriend was getting concerned, and this was my reason for all the bloodwork.  But... all my sugars, cholesterol, and vitamins were great... imagine that all from eating non processed foods and more fat than ever!   We grew up with chicken and turkey everything since my moms heart attack.  No wonder she cant cook.  My dr said keep it up ...whatever your doing is working well for you.  YES!!! So now I plan on turning into a carnivore lol.  Somehow i ended up with another prescription.  I'm trying out singular, since my allergies have been the worst and I weeze and cough alot after a tough WOD.

I went to crossfit, saw Dr nelson and found out my legs and butt were a lil beat up from the race on Sunday.  So I thought I would take it easy with todays WOD.  We did a lift that Ive never done before and I loved it.  Barbell lunges!  I hope we do them more... I would like to be more stable but i did like them.  

5/2/13 WOD

STRENGTH

-barbell lunges

METCON

-Elizabeth- 21-15-9 sets of

--squat cleans @75lbs
--ring dips

CROSSFIT ASPIRE.. before sweat

finished in 8:57

On to my game tonight... we were playing the only team this year that puts up a good fight, and boy do they want to beat us.  Its soo bad they get all hostile with us... really... you don't win anything or lose anything its all fun.. but its more fun to be on the team who wins 21-12 hahaha lol.  That was rotten I know but as nasty as they are it makes the win that much sweeter.  I had some good hits tonight some plays in the field (couldve been better but not awful) and my first HOMERUN of the season.  I almost hit one in the 3rd inning but then to hit one with 2 girls on base in the last inning was sweet.  The best part was how my girls came off the bench and went nuts at the plate with me.  I love my blue girls.  Now here I sit finishing up a beer ...in bed lol.  I'm going to get in another wonderful practice tomorrow after work with my coed team.... they're crazy fun.  Its a big prom day in the shop tomorrow too its gonna be a great day!
soo

Run forest run!

After a wonderful practice with all my buds Friday night (just what I needed) I knew all I had to do was rest.  I had to open the shop early for one of my lil girlies... her communion was a big deal and it meant alot to her to be the only one there lol.

I had a cray day Saturday running around the salon non stop.  It was an emotional day for me, as you all know I care very deeply for each and every person who sits in my chair and it just seemed like most of them were going through some really tough things.  Illness, death, life surprises, job loss, and dealing with a lot of heavy stuff.  When I hear these awful things it breaks my heart, I just try to listen and not cry with them but I always do.  Its tough when I want to help them soo badly and theres usually nothing I can do.  I love my clients and most of them (99%) I'm closer with than my own family ...even if I only see them every 6-8 weeks.  This is why I love my job.  Saturday definitely was a day of bad news pretty much on the hour.  It definitely keeps me in check when it comes to being grateful for the things in my life.

Later I found out that our Saturday night plans had been cancelled so I decided to go to my buddys bonfire.  I wasn't planning on staying very long considering I had to run a 5 miler the next morning.  It was actually nice to sit in front of the fire and hang out.  My Robbie, being very considerate, decided to call it an early night and we were that lame couple that left before 11pm.


So let me tell you about Me and running.  I'm realizing now that its a love/hate relationship.  I definitely grew to love it last year... until I started getting faster, running more frequently, and longer distances.  Then I got terrible shin splints that wouldn't go away and eventually turned into a stress fracture.  That was when I joined crossfit.  I wanted to get stronger in the legs and lungs to run for days.  It just so happens that I ended up loving crossfit soo much that I don't want to run and I hate the days we have to run with our WOD.  After realizing that I need more cardio in my life I decided to sign myself up for some races this year.  I figured oh... I have plenty of time to start running again and train for this first big 5 miler of the season.  Did I run? No. Did I realize I was going to hate this first run? Absolutely.  So I wasn't really looking forward to it.  Back in November I did a 10k(6.2 miles) and I thought I was going to die and definitely swore I would never do it again.  So I set myself up for this one.  I got a few friends to run with me today.  It was a beautiful day, despite my friggin allergies.  Sunny but still a nice breeze.  We got there at 830am, it started at 9 and we were off.  I was hoping to do all 5 miles within an hour.  That would put me at a decent pace kinda where I was when I stopped running.  I got down to 9-10 min/mile last summer but I was at the 11min/mile for a long time.  We ran the vineyards through the Heritage Winery, there were some big hills and lots of dirt.  I felt good coming up to the finish line and I even caught up to my friend Rachel.  Later I found out that she ran the whole 5 miles without stopping!!!  I stopped a total of 10 times for breathers, shoe laces, and cramping.  I truly haven't ran more than quarter mile runs with my WODs at crossfit so I really had no idea how I was going to do.  I used the mapmyrun app to track myself, especially because I love when it tells me what mile I'm on and my pace.. its very motivating.  I ended up with a time of 58:20!!!  WOOHOO!!! After I caught my breath and found some water, I realized it wasn't bad at all.  It was actually great and went smooth, I think I just cant run in the cold weather.  This day was perfect for a run.  Then came the wine tasting!! We tried a few and I ended up getting a sweet one to make sangria with.

After a nice hot shower and some lunch I was off to my softball games.  There was 3 of us who ran the race and were playing a double header lol.  We can hang though and we proved it this morning.  Its funny we were signed up for the race long before our schedule came out, and our run fell on the only double header on the schedule.  Our games were lousy and we had a few bad calls.  The one team we found out plays in a more professional league on week nights... they were ridiculous.  So after another shower I broke out a few Strongbows and went over to Robs parents house for dinner.  They always cook good food.  I did whatever it took to keep my eyes open while eating ...I had very little sleep these last few days and long week full of strenuous activities.  As I lie in bed now I had to get Rob to put icyhot patches on my back and I can feel my legs, hips, calves, and achilles getting tight.  He suggested a rest day tomorrow but I enjoy going soo much I feel like my body would get stretched more if I WOD.   I guess we'll see what kind of shape I'm in tomorrow.

WOD LOVIN'

This week was a first of being able to go 4 days straight to crossfit and perform to my standards (which are high lol) especially with my lifting.  3 PRs in 4 days and still not sore... I'm not understanding whats going on with me but I'm not complaining.  I don't know if I'm alone on this one but to see my name at the top of the leaderboard makes me feel like my efforts and patience is paying off.  I think the best part of my week (at crossfit) was being able to drop down to the orange and red bands for pull ups.  That's putting me soo much closer to my 2013 goal of doing unassisted pull ups.  I also was ear to ear smiling when I did my 3x3 deadlift at 275lbs.  I love deadlifting.

4/23/13 WOD

Strength

-back squat 1x6 @ 205lbs

Metcon
-15 front squats
-400m run
-15 push press
-400m run
-15 thrusters
-400m run
-15 push press
-400m run
-15 front squats
all lifts at 65lbs

4/24/13 WOD

STRENGTH

-clean and jerk x2 @ 125bs

METCON

sets of 10,9,8,7,6....2,1

-dumbell clean and jerks 

-50m sprint

-45lb goblet squat

-50m sprint

finished in 9:20

4/25/13 WOD

STRENGTH

-deadlift 3x3 @275lbs

METCON

5 rounds of

-5 deadlifts @175lbs

-10 burpees

finished in 6:26

Working this week was amazing because everyone couldn't stop telling stories and laughing about our epic night at the Phillies game.  I love putting together everyones bits and pieces of a hysterical night.  I'm pretty sure we're going to plan another and hopefully soon.   This weekend our store is crazy I'm actually going in 2 hours early on Sat and couldn't be happier to do it... as long as I have my precious coffee.  

Tonight I played softball with my blue girls... omg it was soo funny.  We kind of played a team who wasn't too good... so we crushed them and laughed at each other the whole game. Sometimes we have soo much fun its as if we are the only team there.  

I'm thrilled to practice tomorrow with my coed team since I didn't go to last weeks game.  We are planning on beers as well.  I have a double header with them on sunday but me and some friends are running in a 5 mile run.  Its a vineyard run so it should be fun and the weather is looking to be beautiful... and it comes with a wine tasting yes!!!  My girls and I have to be careful tho since we are playing later... maybe we will play better lol.  I think ill want to take a nap but I doubt that's going to happen.  I'm glad my friend Rachel from crossfit is also running with us! Its a good crew and who knows how I'm going to run... i haven't ran more than quarter miles at a time since last summer.  I'm prob going to just drag myself through.  

Oh yeah I have  a special shout out to the Birthday Girl Melissa!! Cant wait to celebrate this weekend!

REST? who needs rest!

I started this week feeling kind of sore still from Festivus last Saturday, so I said... I'll take it easy... yea ok.  The wod monday was intense and long but I loved it.  We did bench pressing for strength and Tabata this! for our conditioning.  I know have a full understanding of what Tabata means... and I loved it.  I did what I could because my body was tired but I felt great about this WOD... and I was dripping in sweat so I know I got a good one in.

4/15/13 WOD
Strength
-Bench Press 3x6 @95lbs
Metcon
Tabata Sets of
-Rowing for calories
-Pull-ups
-Push-ups
-squats
-sit-ups

After my WOD I was feeling a lil lightheaded... I'm not sure if my allergies are just that bad and when I cant catch my breath I feel like my ears get all stuffed lol.  Either way I don't think light eating before working out is working for me.  Which sucks because I'm one of those people who cant eat right after waking up.  I had a protein shake and some eggs and felt much better.

Tuesday I was planning on getting up and hitting up Aspire but I ended up being soo tight in my shoulders/trap/neck that there was no way I could do cleans which I think was part of the WOD.  I guess I SHOULD rest... lol.  I know I have to do it to get strength but I HATE rest days... am I psychotic?  Am I crazy because I love going there and doing something good for myself while surrounding myself with awesome people?  NO.  Like I said before... its good for the soul.. I don't think you can walk out of there without feeling good.  On a side note... I found a pic from the photographer from the Festivus Games and its hysterical but I have to say im thrilled to see I make a face like im trying... any of the other pics im in while training usually just look like me trying to catch my breath lol.

Wednesday I already had my dri-fit clothes laid out to get up and go for the 730am class.  I HATE waking up early if I don't have to but I love that feeling when I'm done busting my ass for the day by 830am.  Sometimes I think I'm just as addicted to the post-workout feeling.  After that I ran to wegmans got some grass fed beef and got stuff for dinner later.  Ive been sticking to a mostly paleo diet which its been a lil easier to stray this week since I'm not training for a particular reason.  Im thrilled that ive been losing weight still.  But to be honest I hate the way I feel after I eat shitty... it hurts my stomach and I feel like shit.

4/17/13 WOD
Strength
-Back Squat x4 @235lbs
Metcon
4 rounds
-10 back squats @95lbs
-15 burpees
-400m row

Today I woke up and went to the 9am class... and I woke up early enough to eat something real before my WOD.  I'm not a fan of shoulder presses since I cant get a PR for months now.  I couldn't even get more than 80lbs up when I normally strict press 85 wtf.  Either way I wasn't sweating it... Alycia explained to me that I'm at a point now where I'm not always going to get a PR every time.  Sometimes I need people to put things in to perspective for me... shes absolutely right and realized I cant beat myself up for not lifting more weight than the last time.  However I am looking to build some arm strength in areas we don't really focus on.  So this is where Rob comes in.. although he doesn't really know good form lol.

4/18/13 WOD
Strength
-shoulder(strict) press
Metcon
sets of 21-15-9
-push press @55lbs
-pull-ups
-box jumps
finished in 9:35

I felt good after I finally caught my breath.  I wasn't lightheaded or feeling weird.  In fact I felt like hitting DSW for some new spring shoes for work since I put the boots away.  I did find a cute pair of strappy flats by some ortho company which is fab for my kind of job.  After that I went over to pick up my bud Melissa because its been 4 weeks since she broke her ankle and we had an appt at the orthopedic.  She got great news and is healing fast.  She also decided to try and drop the crutches for a lil bit and was hobbling around well.  Today was finally my day to get my 2 inches of roots touched up by my bud Ashley.  I pretty much tortured this poor girl for 2 hours while she did the tedious job of color my hair.  My color is fresh and bright and I'll like it much better in 2 weeks when I get a lil root ...I'm soo weird ...i want to be blonde but it doesnt look great with my skin and black eyebrows so I feel like a lil root makes me look better.... I'm nuts.

We had another great softball game tonight with the blue team winning 11-3... I just love these girls.  I swear sometimes all we do is break each others balls to the point where I almost forget about the other team.   There was some funny errors nothing too bad, and we were all hitting even if the women was pitching illegally all night.  Our new ump had a humongous strike zone...like up at the shoulders in slow pitch is not a strike but he called it.  Either way it was fun because I play on the best team and I swear when we aren't in season I miss these women soo much!

Sooo I got my clothes ready to WOD after work tomorrow, I apparently don't feel like resting at all this week but I feel good so why not.  I love seeing the pm crossfiters its nice to catch up with them and kill WODs.  I'm looking forward to curling my hair and seeing my fresh color done right.  All the girls from work (30 of us) and husbands are going to the 8pm phils game Sunday night and planning an day of tailgating with all the works.  I'm not sure yet but since my coed softball game is later in the day I'm prob going to skip it... as long as they don't need me and last week they didn't so we'll see.

Competition Recap...

Soo I had my big competition yesturday and I really was soo nervous I actually peed 7 times in the first hour I was there!!! Thats cray!  Anyway enought about bodily functions it was great as soon as I got there I found my crew got my heat assignments and we discussed who was going when so we could be there for them when they throw down.  I had the 21-15-9 round wod first which kind of fatigued me for the day.  I just tell you that they pulled the trash can over to my area because I was definitly ready to barf.  Seriously I could barely walk, talk or breathe.  I was a lil worried because I the lift wod next within the hour and there was no way I could recover fully from that.  My buddy Ron got me a vitacoco which I mixed my new sweet potatoe protein with once I got that down I felt better but I was upset because while I was lifting my girl Brooke was doing the 21-15-9 rounds of torture and I couldnt be there to cheer for her.


On to my next wod ...Im soo dissapointed with myself and theres nothing anyone can say... I know i still had one of the heavy lifts of the day but I couldve really killed it.  Any normal day I can do it and it couldve been a mix of nerves, and fatigue but I couldnt get anymore than 125 up 3x for a clean and jerk.  Ive done 140 so my goal was to PR at 155 but it just wasnt happening.  Btw my sternum is the most bruised its ever been.. it acutally hurt to lay down.  I know alot of people think we are nuts for wanting to participate in this sport but if you ever came out and just saw a normal class or the espn crossfit games.... you would get it.  Its amazing, the people ive become friends with from my crossfit box.  Theyre amazing and yes we may be a cult but when I explain it to other people, I now tell them its more like a club where we do intense crazy workouts and hang out and laugh in that hour when we eventually catch our breaths.  Some of these people have helped me do things they dont even know they did because theyre just amazing people.  For instance... I was soo nervous about this competition  that I talked about it for weeks,  can I tell you the only people who came out to watch and cheer me on were my friends from my box.  Not my friends or family... my cult came to support me.  Even my bud Melissa who is on crutches and cant drive got her ass over to Philly to be there for us.

Let me tell you.. they came and came strong, the extra pointers and screams when you feel like you cant run another 10 meters will push you further than your lungs can even handle.  Even at one point when I thought I would sneak away to finish my last event (which I wasnt thrilled to do) without anyone watching so they wouldnt see me fail miserably... when I looked and they were all there.  I was even handed a beer as soon as I finished YAY, and I was told they were surprised because I looked like I ran out of steam but got another 2 rounds in.  I was out of steam but its because of them screaming for me that I did get 2 more rounds.   I love them for this and thats another reason why I love this cult/club/gym whatever you want to call it, crossfit is great for the body and the soul.

I woke up today sooo sore... I wasnt expecting that since I didnt feel like my results were good.  Now I know I gave it everything I had because my body was ailing.  My quads, arms, shoulders, traps, and even the sides of my neck were sore... but the good sore like I pushed myself as hard as I could and gave it my all.  I almost needed this because now Im not so dissapointed knowing I can barely do the clean shrug today I def gave it everything I had.  I was just burnt out at that point.  Now trying to figure out how to get around that for the next competition.  I cannot wait to compete again.. it was soo much fun... but I truly think it was more fun screaming and cheering for my friends!!  Oh yeah did I mention we went out for food after and had delishous BBQ on south street!  What a fab day!

Rob and I ran some errands, had brunch (steak and eggs!) and, cleaned the house.  I was waiting around all day for my 545pm softball game which I was excited for since it was my first game with the coed team.  I stretched and foam rolled as best as possible and felt ready to kick ass.  We ended up having a few extra people so we rotated.  The game sucked... we lost... whatever.  Afterwards I was thinking about it and I got pissed.  I waited all day to play and only played a few innings, never even got my hands on the ball and only got to hit 3 times.  That sucks I play because I like to play not because I like to wait all day to play and cheer from the bench... I like to share and rotate I believe everyone should have a chance to play but I wasnt happy about it last night.. I might as well have stayed home and rested my shoulders.  I dont care if we lost or won, I just like to play.

After I got home and ready for bed my shoulders were shot... pretty much couldnt lift my arms up past my head lol.  I now am understanding that I did the best I could and left it all at the festivus games.  I look forward to killing it next year.  I just hope I can WOD tomorrow lol.

Busy week

Hey y'all sorry I haven't posted in a week but its been a crazy week. It started with a fab wedding where two amazing people became husband and wife and started their new lives together off right... With a DJ great food and alcohol!! I enjoyed myself soo much that I decided to drink wine for the night but later when the wedding was over I painted my bathroom with it lol. Apparently you can't drink red wine like its beer. I ended up being greatful that I took off Monday since I broke blood vessels in my eyes and broke all the lil capillaries around my eyes... Needless to say I looked like the living dead lol. So since I passed out mid day and just couldn't get my act together I never went to crossfit because I don't think I would've been able to hang without barfing.


Tues morning I just couldn't get my exhausted self out of bed to get there early enough to WOD before work. My body said sleep and I listened.

Wednesday I forced myself out of bed early only to find out it was sunny and hot at 630am. That makes getting up and out soo much easier. I needed to got because I'm a slug and haven't been there for a week with a competition on sat. Ughhh soo frustrated I really needed to be there this week but friggin hangovers ruin everything.  Anyway... I got to WOD and I was the only one who showed up at my class lol.  I was pumped because we got a Hex Bar and I got to do deadlifts with them for the first time!  Apparently I did well and didnt notice since my Robbie pointed out to me later that night that I had the all time highest at 275... I really need to start paying attention.  I actually took it easy I didnt want my hands to tear or push myself too hard because of Saturday.  Running was in the WOD and it felt good to get out there in the sun... I HAVE to start running again.  Im such a moron, I signed up for a 5 miler in 2 weeks lol... I havent ran since the fall lol.  I should be ok tho my body can handle it... its the lungs. After crossfit I went to work an earlier schedule because I had Phils tix.  I love these seats.. we had someone hit a homerun right near us in our row.  It was a great game and we won!

Thursday I decided to WOD since I was seeing the magical Dr Nelson.  I played around with what the class was doing but I didnt do the metcon I rowed and ran instead.  I truly hate not participating with the class.. but they all agreed it wasnt a good idea with the competition 2 days away.  Speaking of that I started getting nervous/anxious/excited!  After that I ran some errands and picked up some snacks for sat.  My bud Alycia told me its important to eat in between events, all this prepping really got me nervous.  I dont know why but im soo nervous.  Thank god I had my first softball game with my womens league... i swear i love them gals soo much that I havent seen them since summer and its like we picked up where we left off.  I really love them soo much theyre all hysterical and amazing people... oh yeah and they kick ass at playing ball too!  I had a great hit when we were down 2 in the last inning it was a double... and my bud up after me brought me in because im an asshole on the bases and cocky ass it sounds im fast and i slide good... so i take the chance if its possible and last night it was.  It was totally worth all the skin on my leg but I beat the tag by a second.  Then my girl scored and it was a walk-off win! It was a great game but the other team is always soo serious I almost pity them for acting soo dumb... its supposed to be fun.  I guess thats why my team always wins... we act like jackasses.  We celebrated with beers like normal and then I ran home to eat the grassfed beef burgers I picked up earlier ...yumm!  They were soo good even if Rob burnt the shit out of them.  After dinner I started thinking about Sat again and started freaking out so I just went to bed.

So today all I was thinking about was getting through my day with the girls at HG.  They always make me laugh so I didnt think too much about the competition... ya right lol.  I had a more quiet day too so I atleast got to eat and rest my feet some but jeez its all im thinking about.  My bud Melissa needed a cut and has a broken ankle so offered to pick her up and cut her hair and of course shes such a WODrat... (i think i just made that up, and want to put it on a tee) so I picked her up at our crossfit.  It was good to see my coaches tonight for some pointers ...they helped me get a game plan so I dont waste time and effort tomorrow.  Thank god they made me feel soo much better.  Now im just laying down and relaxing ...outfit layed out for tomorrow down to the socks and headband ...snacks packed and my necessities.  So now all I need to do is SLEEP... UGHHHH .....did u ever feel like your going to throw up and shit yourself at the same time lol... thats going to be me tomorrow lol! wish me luck!!!

birthday weekend...

Ok yay Happy Bday to me! So me and some awesome peeps went out for drinks sat after a crazy day in Marlton. I strayed from my paleo for the weekend and had a lil pizza and a lil bit of bar food but its Easter and my bday. My night out with friends was wonderful... Especially because some of my friends from work got to hang with my crew and couldn't believe the awful things we say to each other. We are actually horrible. Either way we closed the bar and went home to bed. Thanks to everyone for coming out!!!!










 Rob mentioned he wanted to go to crossfit in the morning so you know I took advantage of that.  It was Easter and after 5 hours of sleep we got up, got ready and were there by 10am.  It was cool to see some of my buds on a Sunday for open gym and I loved that my Robbie asked me to show him some basic lifting techniques ...omg! My caveman actually asked ME about lifting weights lol!!! This is def a highlight of my life... I know it's sad but he doesn't ask me for anything and he wasn't impressed by anything I was able to lift before but now I think I have his respect. We were only able to stay about an hour since I had softball practice, and it wasn't cold so I was excited for that. My Sunday league is all my old friends and we are much more awful to each other on the field than normal. We practiced about 2 hrs and I was happy with my swing.

3/31/13 WOD
-open gym - worked on lifting form and mobility
-softball 2 hours


I then ran home to get a shower to see my nephew Brody who's absolutely adorable. He had on a bunny outfit omg!! After a lil but we went to Robs moms to see the other lil monster who got a grill from the Easter bunny lol. The poor kid has soo many allergies he can't eat anything so he gets to grill fake burgers and dogs lol. I picked at only a few snacks before dinner because I was starving but I love ham and wanted to save my appetite. I ended up only having ham and corn since I didn't like the rest of the food but I'm picky so that's my own fault. We also had a orange creamsicle birthday cake for me from sweet eats which is AMAZING so I didn't need to gorge myself. I don't know when I'll learn my lesson but the cake actually made me sick lol... I guess from eating no starches or dairy and then POW in the guts! It was worth it lol.

I woke up Monday morning the day of my bday and had my coffee while watching my shows... ahh nothing makes me enjoy the morning more.  My day was planned out like every other Monday,  noon crossfit followed by working the night.  I was always a firm believer in "no one works on their birthday" but I really enjoy work and I had a half day with 3 big colors who I thoroughly enjoy working on and the Monday crew which make it a fun day to work.   The WOD was deadlifts!!! yay!!!
I wanted to PR for my bday so I pushed it and got 255lbs.  It was fun there was soo many people and my buds were there.  We sat on our weights and had as Liz called it BAR TALK lol... shes soo funny. The metcon was intense(20 min AMRAP), me and Ali pretty much did the entire thing together thank god because I forgot about counting lol... shes awesome.  It was amazing when the 20 min was up... she turned off the radio and all you could hear was everyone gasping for air.  No joke I actually felt nauseous, and then realized when it was all over that somewhere along the way I ripped a callous ughhhhh!!! This is going to annoy me all week at work and woding!  I just hope it doesn't interfere with 13.5, which btw I'm still thrilled to be able to make it through... hopefully lol.

4/1/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-deadlift 5 reps @255lbs
METCON
20 Min AMRAP- 11 rounds
-5 deadlifts @125
-5 pull ups
-10 push ups
-15 air squats

When I got to work I came in to find my station was all decorated!!! It was soo sweet! My girls really took care of me.. how did I get soo lucky?  The night went quick and I was spoiled.  I asked Rob to make steaks on the grill for dinner since my stomach still kinda hurt from the night before.  When I came home we ate and his steaks were awesome, then he gave me his presents.  OMG hes a nut, I got a couple great outfits for crossfit, cute vans shoes, and Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses.  I loved the sunglasses but they looked weird on me, so Rob wanted to take them back ASAP.  It was a great birthday!

Today I woke up to WOD and I was pretty sore from yesterday.  I knew I wouldn't be putting up big numbers but I still wanted to go.  Toes to bar was in the metcon so I wrapped up my open callous and tried to swing but it killed me, so Alex told me I was good with sit ups instead.  We did 2 split jerks every min on the min for 10 min, which means we had to clean them up too.  I didn't have it in my shoulders and back to clean more than 115lbs... I tried and got shut down lol.  At one point when I dropped the barbell from above my head it landed on some weights and came back only to wack me in the shin OUCH!  I actually cant believe that has never happened before to be honest but it hurt.  My shins now are all jacked up from the barbell and I'm going into softball season with a head start being all banged up.  The metcon was 4 rounds for time and 10 sets of everything and I felt good about it.

4/2/13 WOD
STRENGTH
-Split Jerksx2 EMOM 10min
METCON
4 rounds in 7:14
-10 push press
-10 14lb medball sit ups
-10 box jumps

I worked all day and when I got done Rob still wanted to go to the mall to take back my sunglasses.  I'm glad we went because I found another pair of Burberry ones that I loved so I got them yay!!!  We went to lady foot looker too because I got a giftcard there and was looking at possibly new sneaks.  Not for crossfit, not for running, not for the gym or working out... just nice bad ass sneaks.  I got nothing.  I even tried the other footlocker and they had nothing.  Maybe ill just order something online.  Anyway we went to Ruby Tuesday while we were there for dinner because they have good food choices.  I got grilled chicken with spaghetti squash and salad bar.... I actually never even ate my dinner since I ate a spinach salad and was full.  That's different... I guess I'm starting to fill up easy, but I swear before I eat I feel like I could eat a whole cow.  Here's something to check out... I downloaded an app for my phone called Gympact.  I'm not sure how it works yet but its hooked up to paypal and I bet $5 a workout that I will workout at least 3 times a week.  If I go all 3 times... I get paid by the other people who put money in and didn't go.  I guess its like a pool but an app.  Seems easy enough since I'm going at least 4-5 times a week anyway I might as well get paid for it... but we shall see.

Weekend Recap...

So I'm not sure if its just me and the hairstylist life style, but our weekend is a lil different.  Friday and Saturday, being the biggest days of our week, means we need to rest. So unless I want to go to crossfit because I really like the WOD, friday nights are typically a quiet night for me.  I need the energy to plan and focus for a gruelling 2 days worth of non-stop hustling to just stay on time.  Curve balls get thrown at you all day and theres no room for error, so I try to teach the younger girls to just stay calm and keep cool because what can you do, it always works out.  Its a beautiful mess sometimes but I love those crazy days.  With all of the amazing help I have from our 2 awesome assistants and all the help I get from my friends, nothing is ever impossible.  Its just a matter of keeping cool and staying in control.  My work means everything to me.  I love my company.  I love my shop.  Most importantly I enjoy going in everyday and hanging with my clients and helping them with feeling great about their hair.   As well as my amazing crew which I have seriously been blessed to be a part of.  I sound like a big annoying cheerleader... but its truly from the bottom of my heart how much I love my job.

With all that said... I decided to go out Friday night with the awesome girls from Aspire!  They bowled and I just watched, I knew I was going to be late so I just came to hang out.  I swear give a few girls some drinks and a camera and watch as they entertain themselves for hours. It was great talking about things outside of the gym although we knew we could pick up our table and toss it for distance. These are some wonderful people and i'm glad Ive become friends with them! We were laughing soo hard and having a blast I decided to stay a lil later than I planned but it was soo worth it.  I used to be able to do that every weekend like a champ, but as I get older its not as awesome but this weekend was totally worth it.  

Saturday is my big night out and I get really disappointed if the night is wasted.  This Saturday we went out to dinner with our friends that we don't see as much as I would like to.  Their life changed when they had a baby and we can't go out like hooligans anymore with them (which seems to be the trend with all my friends right now).  We did however do dinner at 6:30 which was early for all of us but I didn't care because I didn't eat all day so I was ready. We ended up at our fav La Esperanza, Rob ate and destroyed a fat alex and I had a white meat chicken burrito yummmm!  They make the best fresh margaritas... which is hand squeeze lime juice and tequila with a dash of agave syrup.. I can't do sour mix its just awful and hurts my stomach.  After some great food and awesome drinks we decided to take the party back to the house and play cards.  Rob had to be up early and work booo... but we were having fun fighting over the game and the radio soo he made it til 1am.  He informs me before we left that he still had to wash his work clothes for the next morning.... errruggghhhhh wtf!  I bribed him by telling him i would stay up and do it so we could stay later lol. I wish we could've played all night it was a great time, as always when I'm with these particular people. I know its just tough nowadays when theres families to take care of. 

Today I woke up a lil groggy with another 5 hours of sleep lol with a subtle taste of tequila in my mouth (even tho I brushed my teeth lol).  Ive been looking forward to this day all week, FIRST SOFTBALL PRACTICE of the year!  I give soo much credit to my girl Karen for putting this all together all the time.. signing up a team of misfits, collecting all our info, putting together practices, going back and forth with the league... its a pain in the ass and I appreciate all her effort!  Although it was 37 degrees and windy as shit we got all our cold gear on and faced the elements.  Once you got moving around it was actually ok though.  So my new Boombah cleats are AWESOME... they felt like I was playing in slippers and gripped the dirt like claws, thanks Matt!  My hitting wasn't so spectacular... not awful but not like I wanted.  I was hoping for more ropes but my back is still messed up and actually started feeling worse while playing.  We played around for 3 hours and made fun of each other like 12 yr old boys with mouths like truck drivers.  Oh and I also have a new bruise... or lump or raspberry.. I don't know what to call it but I took a bad bounce off the front of my ankle! oh well thats the life of an infielder!

WOD (workout of the day)
3 hours of softball

Now I'm cooking a nice dinner for my boy and if you know me well... you know I don't like to cook and I only do it a few times a year.  He hasn't had a day off in over a week and hes exhausted so I'm making his favorite roast beef and garlic mashed potatoes.  God help me this better turn out good.... or maybe it wont and ill never have to cook again! lol!