Sympathy for the Devil

10/29/2012 LP:

Back Squat: 80 lb

Press: 42.5 lb

10/30/2012 WOD:

3 RFT

100 Double Unders (400 singles)

25 Toes to Bar (Knee to Elbow)

25 Hand Stand Push-Up (Stinkbug)

25 yd Bear Crawl

Time: 27:26

Lets begin with this weeks linear progression. I wasn't in the best of moods going into Monday's session. Just a bad day at work that never turned around. My trainer told me to take it out on the weights. So I did. And boy did I leave feeling 1,000,000% better. And boy are those weights getting heavier. I actually ended up doing a 4 x 5 instead of my usual 3 x 5 for the squats because one of the guys helping me load the bar didn't put all my weights on one side. I thought I just picked it up a little off balance but really it was 7.5 lbs lighter on one side. Extra sets can't hurt, right?

And now for my thoughts on last night's WOD. It sucked! I've said it at least twice before and I'll say it again, I hate stinkbugs with a fiery burning passion. Easily my least favorite movement. I begged the trainer to let me do 100 yards of bear crawls instead but he wasn't having it. However there is good news. I noticed a a good bit of improvement in my knees to elbow and my stinkbugs. Of course as the workout progressed they went back to their usual weak attempts that took everything I had to get through two or three at a time, but I still saw improvement in the first set. I can really tell my core is getting stronger and I can see a Toe to Bar in my near future, even if it's just one. 

I wish I were this creative! 

Today is Halloween and it's my first one being in the house by myself. My neighborhood doesn't typically get many trick-or-treaters. Sadly the few kids we do have leave and go to bigger, better neighborhoods. All that said I've decided to skip hanging around the house for the few stragglers to show up and hang out with a friend who's neighborhood actually gets trick-or-treaters. And since I adore Halloween (I've had decorations up since late September, don't judge me!)  and the kid in me loves getting in costume, I've donned some horns and a tail and will go as a Devil this year. A pretty simple costume, but one I've never worn before. It should be a pretty fun night! Seeing the kids in costumes still being kids always makes me happy! 

Happy Halloween everyone! 

Short and not so sweet

10/27/2012 WOD:
Tabata: Total burpees only
Dead-lift (105 lbs)
Burpees
Reps: 47

This morning's workout was quick and I loved that! I typically enjoy tabatas because of their quickness and their ability to still cause lots of pain. Today's was no exception! Our trainer told us to focus on form and heavy weight with our dead-lifts and for that reason we wouldn't be tracking the reps. And for that reason I went up 20 lbs from my last dead-lift in a WOD. Boy did I feel it! Typically I was getting about 4 reps per 20 second round. However, at the same time I could tell I wasn't struggling as much as I thought I would. I guess those LP squats are starting to pay off!

Quick update on my primal/paleo experiment. After the immense cravings I was having last week I sat down and decided what I would need to include into the lifestyle to be able to maintain it without feeling like I was going to pull my hair out. Since that adaptation it's been gravy! And I think I can maintain this way of eating pretty permanently. I'm sticking with the main diet of meats, veggies and fruits and am adding to it on a regular occasion beans and more dairy, including chocolate milk. I am going to occasionally allow myself to have peanut butter, chocolate, and good pizza (homemade or local quality pizza, no pizza hut crap). And on holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July or my birthday all bets are off! I haven't changed much this week since my 'rules' have changed except having beans on night in soup and having chocolate milk every morning. Those little things alone have kept all cravings aside!

Tonight I'm cooking a new dish that I'm pretty excited about! Parmesean roasted sweet potatoes and something I found on pinterest called Heroin Chicken. We'll see if it's as addicting as the site says it is! Tasty dinner and scary movies should make for a pretty fabulous night!

Abs of Steel-ish

10/24/2012 LP:
Back Squat: 75 lb
Press: 40 lb

10/25/2012 WOD:
4 RFT
50 sit-ups
25 KB Swings (18 lb)
200 m run
Time: 18:05

I. Do. Not. Like. Sit-ups. I don't think I will ever learn to like them. And depending on the day I'd rather do burpees, which makes NO sense whatsoever. All that said, I managed to do 200 sit-ups tonight and I can still stand upright! I'm already dreading trying to get out of bed in the morning, it's going to be a bitch.

Subtract a few of those plates and that's me! 

Linear progression is coming along pretty well. I can't remember how many weeks in I am at this point for the back squat but I'm up 30 lbs from the starting point which is huge for me. I'm really enjoying it a lot! And it's getting tougher. A little slower to stand up. Not so eager to get as low. Though I know I can do it and I can tell it's helping me in the WODs. Recovery time when we have to do squats, thrusters, wall balls or lunges is greatly improving.

I think long term I'm going to gain more from the press. I was pleasantly surprised how little of a difference I noticed this week moving up to 40 lbs. It's the most weight I've lifted overhead to date. My trainer says I have no excuse for not doing 40 lbs in the WOD's now but I think it will depend on the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm very eager to add some more weight to my bar, but I also know my limits and don't want to hurt myself.

I spent some time yesterday reading back through a few of my first posts for when I was getting started at PDCF and it's crazy how much progress I've made. For a few of the movements I was only using the 15 lb bar. I'm in no way ready to start RXing ever workout, but progress is progress and I'm thrilled!

With the weekend practically here I'm looking forward to spending some time at PDCF working on my form, hanging out with the college kid, catching up with another great friend that's in town for quick visit, and getting my horror movie fix in time for Halloween. It's looking to be a pretty fantastic weekend!

Show Me Your Snatch

10/23/2012 WOD:

'Isabel'

30 Snatches (25 lb)

Time: 2:47

Last night's WOD was the shortest workout I've done to date with the longest instruction time. I'd like to repeat myself here: PDCF has the most amazing trainers. Ever. 

The workout was supposed to start at 5:30-ish as per usual, but the first heat didn't start until after 6 because   they wanted to make sure we were all doing the correct form for our snatch. Not only did the instructor help us, so did the gym owner, and three other trainers who weren't on the clock but there for their own workout. It amazed me! The owner helped me and for the first time the process finally clicked. 

Here's a little video from CrossFit HQ if you're curious what a snatch is. It's one of the most complex moves.  One I used to dread, next to the clean and jerk. 

Since I was still mastering the move, he suggested I started holding the bar just above my knee instead of from the ground. Arms as wide as possible. Elbows out. Stick your butt out. Tuck in your lower back. Chest out. Drive with your legs. Weight in your heels. Explode through the hips. Weight on your toes. Bar close to your chest. Shrug. Weight back in your heels. Lift and squat under the bar. Arms locked. Stand. Now think all of that in about two seconds without dropping the bar on your head. Then think it 30 times as fast possible when your forearms, shoulders and quads are screaming! 

Halfway through my heat, the owner came back by, with his client was taking a break, to make sure I was still sticking the form and keeping a good pace. And once I had finished he called me over to where he was working with his client to tell me I had done great and once I rested I should try going up in weight. Then he told me he thought I was also ready to try it from the floor. Having that kind of encouragement made me happier than finally figuring out how to do a snatch. He was working with a client and didn't have to help me on his breaks, but he did. Felt great! 

I'm planning on working on my form while it's still fresh in my mind this coming weekend when I go in. Hopefully I'll be able to make it stick this time! 

For a little humor, here's another video that has been passed around the PDCF folks this week. And as someone who use's the tens regularly I am all too familiar with the sad ones. I do what I can to help those little guys out. Just remember, save the tens! 

Girl Talk

Do you ever have one of those days that start out not bad, not great, just kind of okay with no complaints and it turns into something really great you weren't expecting? Well that was my whole weekend. Slow start that just got better and better!

Can't complain about Friday or Saturday (except for the terrible loss by my Gamecocks Saturday), both were pretty relaxing and enjoyable, but nothing spectacular I had to make a mental note of. Then Sunday I woke up to find out the college kid was going to be in town! She came over mid-morning to catch up. Then we got lunch with another fabulous friend of ours and enjoyed some girl talk about silly boys. Spent the afternoon window shopping and watching a scary movie. And to cap off the weekend I went to that fabulous friend's house with the college kid for dinner and Walking Dead. It turned out to be a super fun day!

Then, unexpectedly the same thing happened again yesterday. Slow start to the day, but no complaints, then the day got better and better all over again! I even got to have lunch with my old college friend who is this year's state teacher of the year. Her schedule is insane right now so I was really glad she was able to squeeze in a lunch with me! Side note-if you ever get the opportunity to have a salad that has a vinaigrette dressing made from rotisserie chicken pan drippings, order it STAT! Words can't describe how delicious it was! And it was something I would never have ordered had it not been for my new eating lifestyle so score one for me! Back to my day, after lunch the day just continued with greatness! I cooked a tasty paleo dinner that I enjoyed outside before it got too cool then went for a nice dog walk bundled up in a sweater I forgot I bought last spring on clearance. Spent the rest of my night in trying to warm up from the walk (it got cold out quick!)

I love days, weekends, or anytime really like that. When you're anticipating the norm and you're unexpectedly surprised with a great day! Life's great for that.

For anyone who knows me, they know I'm a planner. I enjoy having things on my calendar. I like to know what's coming and how it's going to happen. It's just in my nature. Yet somehow in figuring out who I am I've learned I enjoy going with the flow and not knowing what's around the corner just as much! Spontaneity and last minute plans usually lead to fun times and great memories.

When Cravings Attack

I could have easily eaten a cupcake or an entire pizza since day one of this primal food experiment but today is different. Today I would do really really bad things to get my mitts on somethings sweet covered in chocolate and a really extra cheesy pizza. Really really terribly bad things!

I've spent half of my day trying to find new recipes that peak my interest that will sustain these cravings and I've spent the other half of my day browsing Pinterest (please don't look at all the non-primal treats I pinned!) and telling myself I felt fine with what I ate before a as long as I keep it in moderation I don't need to stick to this damn experiment. Three and a half weeks, am I crazy?

At the moment I'm at the fork in the road between caving and sticking it out. My plan for this weekend was to start coming up with how I wanted to eat after November. What I would continue and what I would allow back into my diet. But right now I want it all back!!!!

I can't decide if having the weekend completely free of any plans is going to be good or bad. I have horrible will power when it comes to stuff like this! Fruit just isn't cutting my sweet tooth right now.

Time to go think happy thoughts and picture the looks of disappointment on my friend's faces when I tell them I caved. Will it be worth it?

Pure Torture

10/18/2012 WOD:
4 RFT
40 yd OH Walking Lunges (10 lb)
20 Wall Balls (8 lb)
20 Hand Release Push-Ups
Time:17:19

Holy hell tonight was BRUTAL!!!! I should have known it was going to be agony when one of our beast of a trainers told me as she was finishing up to just leave. She's a badass so if it kicked her ass I knew it was going to kick mine. With that bit of information I decided to save myself a bit of pain and go a little lighter weight than normal. I still want to be able to function tomorrow, hello!

I also picked the absolute worst day to wear my new capris from Old Navy. I'm always a bit more aware of my ass in those things, but lunges and wall balls in capris with half the class waiting in the wings for their heat and cheering us on made me super self-aware. Today's lesson: Bring a back-up pair of shorts or an extra long top on days I plan on wearing capris just in case! Make sure you right that one down, I don't dish out lessons very often on here.

Surprisingly my legs are feeling pretty great given the 160 yards of lunges and 80 wall balls. What's really hurting me at the moment are my shoulders. Not so much hurt, more of a slight throb. Hand release push-ups and holding a ten pound plate over your head will do that to you!

I also had my first serious craving for chocolate milk tonight. Like wanted to pull into Harris Teeter and pick up a half-gallon and down it. I'm not sure why but when I exhaust my legs from lunges or squats I really want to recover with a huge glass of chocolate milk. Go figure. And two weeks from tonight I'll be having myself a nice big glass.

Primal eating is still going really well. I had scrambled eggs and hot sausage for breakfast, leftover steak and onions for lunch, apple and orange for a snack and I just enjoyed a very tasty pork chop with sauteed zucchini.  I'm eating pretty damn good. Yet saving way more money then when I wasn't eating this way. Looking forward to the next two weeks to see what other things I can come up with to eat and to see if the cravings for bread and sweets subside anymore.

Playing Like Kids

10/15/2012 LP:
Back Squat: 70 lb
Press: 37.5 lb

10/16/2012 WOD:
4 RFT: (partner)
40 yd wheelbarrow
40 box jumps
Time: 9:07

Quick, simple and fun accurately describes last night's WOD. It has been quite some time since I've done such a short and simple workout, it was a nice change of pace. After being partnered up by picking matching coins, we were given the low-down on the best strategy for transitions by our trainer. We had a pretty good little system going, I carried him 20 yards and he carried me 20 yards back then he did the first 10 box jumps, I did 10 and so on until we hit 40. Yay for teamwork!

Waking up this morning I thought I had slept funny because my neck was a little achy but as I got to moving around I noticed my shoulders were a bit sore too. I don't remember wheelbarrows hurting as a kid! I also don't remember doing them quite as quickly as I did last night either.

This kid  must have been doing the WOD too. He's so tired he's resting his head on his partner's butt!

The Primal Blueprint experiment is still going strong! I made a delicious ground chicken and fresh salsa combination for lunch yesterday and had nice steak and sauteed zucchini for dinner. Did you know you can buy three nice sirloin steaks for about $6? That's $2 per steak! That's cheaper than one pineapple. Why does anyone ever pay $10+ in a restaurant? Go ahead, laugh at me for just realizing this. I only cooked my first steak about four months ago! Anywho, I've said it before but I am really enjoying cooking, a lot! Not having a dishwasher is becoming more of an annoyance lately with having to do more dishes, but I'll take the trade off.

I spent part of last night in my hammock for the first time in a few weeks. It's neat to see how quickly the light is changing. I think the first night I got in it, it was getting dark around 8:30 and last night it was dark before I got out there at 7:30. With the leaves falling and the much colder weather it got me really excited for fall and the upcoming holiday season. I bundled up for as long as I could take it but eventually my cold toes won the battle and I had to retreat back indoors. Great way to relax after a nice dinner and fun workout!

One Week

I am officially past the one week mark of my primal food experiment and I'm happy to report overall I'm really enjoying it! I've cooked a few new dishes, saved a lot of money by not eating out, and my body is loving all the fruits, veggies and extra protein!

While there are a few cons to this little experiment like giving up chocolate milk, my willingness to push-down small children to get to a loaf of french bread, and being tortured by Halloween candy EVERYWHERE, there are so many pros! Here are a few thing's that have gotten me pretty excited over the past 7 days:

• While I've eaten until full at all my meals, I have never felt sluggish after. 
• The speed at which I can cut a pineapple is greatly improving!
• Only shopping for meats, produce and eggs makes for a very speedy shopping trip.
• Sweet potatoes are pretty damn tasty and you can put them with lots of foods
• Having a crisper drawer full of oranges, apples, grapes, strawberries and pineapple makes me feel very adult for some strange reason.
• Zucchini, bacon and scrambled eggs are an amazingly yummy combination
• Pot roast is yummy and I can't remember why I dreaded my mom making it as a kid

I'm looking forward to see if urge to harm people for bread and candy eventually subside or if that innate urge will always stay with me. The cravings have definitely passed, but anytime I see it I want to eat it desperately. 

I have 15 more days until the experiment ends and then I'll decide how I would like to proceed with my eating. At this point, I would like to continue as I am now but bring back chocolate milk. I really miss drinking it at night after a tough workout! I guess time will tell.

E.T. Phone Home

10/11/2012 WOD:

1-1-1-1 Max Jerk

Max: 45 lb

6 RFT:

3 Wall Climbs

200 m Med-ball Run (14 lb)

Time: 15:25

10/12/2012 WOD:

800 m run buy-in

7 RFT:

10 Grasshoppers

10 Dead-lifts (85 lb)

20 Sit-ups

Time: 18:11

I"m a few days late getting these up, but that doesn't mean I'm not still feeling the effects of them! Both of these workouts had new movements I was unfamiliar with, Wall Climbs and Grasshoppers. And neither of them could I do as prescribed, but one day I'll be able to! Below is a little video that just happens to have demos of wall climbs and grasshoppers if you're curious what all the fun was about.

I was pretty excited doing Friday's WOD because I really upped the weight on my dead-lift since last time and with 70 reps total I could feel it. That plus the 140 sit-ups has me a tad bit sore today, but nothing unbearable at all. 

I'm officially seven days into my primal experiment. I could murder a bag of dove milk chocolate squares right now, but other than that I'm doing good. I'm enjoying cooking more and trying new dishes a lot! I also really got tested this weekend when I went to my parents to watch the big game (USC vs LSU, sadly we lost by 2) and they had ordered pizza from one of my favorite local shops. I held strong! I think if I can survive pizza in my face I might be able to make this work. 

Outside of CrossFit and going primal, everything else has been really great lately too. With a lot of my friends out of town this weekend I've spent some good quality time with my pups, who have been especially playful. I had a mini movie marathon that has included Clueless, Steel Magnolias, Forrest Gump and will conclude with E.T. tonight. And I was able to catch up at lunch yesterday with two of my favorite people who have been insanely busy lately.

And I've had one hell of a productive Sunday morning so far. Groceries purchased, breakfast cooked, dishes cleaned, tea brewed, more pineapple cut, dinner going in the crock-pot and all before 10 am! I'm excited about dinner because I'm cooking pot roast which is something I have never cooked before. Seemed like a good dish with the cooler weather. I'm thrilled to end my weekend with a new dish and one of my favorite movies ever! It's going to be a fantastic night! 

La Piña

10/10/2012 WOD:
20 min AMRAP
8 Front Squats (35 lb)
20 yd sprint
20 push-ups (knee)
20 yd sprint
Rounds: 8

This was my first WOD since Saturday as I was trying to make sure I had recovered from my cold and it was a good one! Those 20 minutes flew by and the push-ups were torture. The strange thing is that my last 3 rounds of push-ups actually got a little easier. I was able to do more reps at one time that I could earlier in the workout. Very odd! And just in case you're curious, 8 rounds means I did 160 push-ups. 160!!! Mind boggled.

As soon as this was over I regretted not upping my weight for the front squat. I know I'm not up to the same weight as my back squat, but I probably could have done 45 lbs. Having to clean the bar to get into front rack position first is what made me a little anxious and kept me at my safe 35 lb weight. Note to self: see what weight is comfortable to clean next Monday.

And speaking of Monday's, my linear progression was a success. I'm excited to pass the 65 lb threshold next week and to give the press another go. Pressing the bar and not using your legs at all is a very strange feeling, especially since I've only ever done push presses before. Very interested to see how this goes. I've also decided to track my progressions like I do my WODs so I can easily see my progress.

10/8/2012 Linear Progression:
Back Squat: 65 lb (45 lb starting point)
Press: 35 lb (starting point)

I'm still going strong with my primal food experiment. I even survived an impromptu stop by the grocery store when I was starving and wanted to grab every candy bar and frozen pizza in sight. The biggest challenge for me, which I have read is common among those transitioning, is that I find that I'm hungry about an hour and a half after eating a really filling meal. However, it's not a low-blood sugar feel like I'm going to pass out hunger that I'm used to. It's tolerable and I'm able to make it to the next meal.

I failed in my first attempt to cook sweet potato fries last night. I was in the home stretch, pulled them out of the oven to toss 'em around and put them back in under the broiler to get them a bit crispy. Then all of a sudden whilst cooking my pork chops I smelled smoke and they were goners. Luckily I was able to saute some zucchini up real quick and salvage dinner. Tonight I'll try to stay focused on the fries which should be easier given my pork chops are already cooked and ready to go.

I've been eating a good bit of fruit to help with the sugar cravings and while I could KILL someone for just one square of dove chocolate right now, the fruit has been pretty helpful. Eating as much as I have isn't typically ideal, but I'm not trying to do low-carb primal eating to lose weight so it's okay.

I did something yesterday that I have never done before in my life. Actually I did something on Monday and then topped it yesterday. While shopping on Sunday I picked up a pineapple. It wasn't on my list but I figured it could be good in the smoothies and I love fresh pineapple. Easily my favorite fruit. And one day I'll finally get one of those bastards to grow like they do on Pinterest! Sorry, I digress. I chopped up my pineapple Sunday night and strangely it had all be eaten by Monday night! On my way home Tuesday I stopped at the store and picked up two more along with a few other items. I chopped up the other two after dinner and had just a few bites before calling it a night. Then last night after dinner, my giant bowl full of two pineapples was empty. I ate two pineapples in 24 hours!!!! What is wrong with me? I've told myself I can't buy another until Saturday but I just don't think I can keep that promise. My apples, oranges and strawberries are great, but there is nothing like fresh pineapple!

I'm Shakin!

A couple weeks back I posted pretty randomly about one of my favorite Jack White songs and my sister's upcoming nuptials. Well this post will be pretty random too and not on-topic for the theme of my little blog, but I just can't resist!

Jack White released the video today for that little ditty I love so much and I couldn't resist the urge to share. It's a pretty fun video and still an amazing cover. I love it dearly and just puts me in a wonderful mood.

And since this post is already completely off topic, I'd make the most of my time here and share some very exciting news! Well, it's probably only exciting for me and a handful of other folks, but one of my favorite local bands, Shovels and Rope, has opened three shows for my boy Jack in the past two weeks!!!! If you've never heard of them do yourself a favor and give 'em a listen. I love their music, I love their style and they're undeniable love for each other.

I'm so very happy for them and how successful they've been with the release of their second album. Fingers crossed they keep coming home to Charleston and playing the local bar for $6!

Going Primal

Before I ever got joined the CrossFit cult community I knew that there was a different style of eating that generally went along with the lifestyle for most involved. I never had any intention of joining in on the clean-eating, paleo, primal eating movement. I had lost the weight I wanted to lose from hard work in the gym all while still enjoying yummy foods.  Then after spending a few months getting more fit and stronger, I started to see why these folks want to pay so much attention to what they're putting in their bodies. Sure cupcakes taste delicious, but they aren't helping me get strong enough to do my first pull-up.

Given my affinity for mini lifestyle experiments as of late I decided I was going to take on  primal eating starting today through the end of the month. Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint is what I'm using as my guide. Since I'm not necessarily trying to lose anymore weight, I won't be focusing on counting carbs. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very deep love for bread and could eat some form of candy everyday if it was acceptable. I'm not sure why I choose the best month of the year for candy to give this a try, but we'll see what happens!

For all my apprehensions about losing the tasty foods I love, I'm equally as excited to cook some new yummy meals I wouldn't be trying otherwise. And to cooks foods I know I love but in ways I haven't tried before is going to be lots of fun!

I'm going into this experiment with an open mind and a positive outlook. While I'm not expecting myself to be sold on all aspects of it at the end of the month, I have a feeling I'm going to take away a lot from it that I will want to continue come November. One thing that I've recently added to my daily routine and will be giving up this month is chocolate milk. I was deeply saddened by the loss. And while it's not paleo or primal or whatever you want to call it, you can count on me picking up another half-gallon on November 1st, whether this new lifestyle continues or not.

And since today is day one here's is what's on my plate for today:

Breakfast:
Diced bacon and zucchini omelet
Pineapple chunks

Lunch:
Leftover pork chops with caramelized apples and onions and butternut squash soup

Dinner: 
Hamburger hash with peppers and onions

Late night snack:
Orange, banana, and pineapple smoothie

To add to the theme of trying new things along with this experiment, all of my meals today are all brand new things I've never had or cooked before. Yes, that means I've never had an omelet of any kind before. I know I'm crazy! It was really really really good!

I don't intend to track my eating on here daily for the remainder of the experiment but I may from time to time mention what I've eaten lately if I'm especially excited or grossed out by it. Also please excuse any especially crabby or bitchy sounding posts later in the week. Ridding my body of sugar is going to painful!

One last thing, I've decided to add the press to my linear progression experiment starting today. I will start with my current weight of 35 pounds and go up 2.5 lbs each week. I am also jumping up from 55 pounds to 65 pounds this week per the suggestion of my trainer. This was where I capped out a few weeks back when we were gauging a good starting point so I'm eager to see what happens this week and next with it!

Recovery Weekend

10/6/2012 WOD:
12 min AMRAP
10 Push Press (35 lb)
10 Kettlebell Swing (18 lb)
10 Box Jumps
Rounds: 4 2/3

For a Saturday we had a pretty good crowd show up, plus the college kid was back so that made it extra fun! As the workout was being written on the board I thought it wouldn't be too bad, but those push-presses took it all out of me. I think my going three days in a row wore me out a little more than I had thought.

After the workout I got in my second set of squats for the week, doing them for the first time without complete supervision of my trainer. I'm really looking forward to going up to 60 lbs on Monday and seeing how much of a difference I notice.

The rest of my Saturday was pretty fantastic for so many reasons! I spent the majority of my day with my favorite college kid just hanging out and running around town. Enjoyed a night in by cooking myself a super yummy dinner of pork chops smothered with caramelized onions and watched one of my all time favorite movies, Ocean's 11. Topped it off with a cupcake and a laying in bed a little fighting off this cold I refuse to accept I got at Disney. If I tell myself I'm not sick, it's true, right?

And to make the day even a little more sweeter my football team, USC, pulled out an AMAZING win over Georgia, 35-7. First time we've beaten them three years in a row. First time we've been 6-0 since 1988. And first time we've ever won ten consecutive games. What a great time to be a Gamecock!!!

It's been great to be back home and to get back into the swing of things. I was so happy to get away last week but I'm happy to have this weekend at home to recover and to spend some quality time with friends and my two girls. It was just what I needed!

Rope Burn

10/5/2012 WOD:
Rope Climb: 3 attempts
3 RFT:
20 HSPU (stinkbugs)
400 m med ball run (14 lb)
Time: 17:01

Holy shit I got off the ground! Twice!!! I gave it an honest effort and I got a good 4 feet up the rope! I have never in my life made it more an inch off the ground. I have a little rope burn on my legs but it was so worth it! Knowing we still had the WOD and that this was mostly for practice I stopped after two attempts. But I can't wait for another chance to try again soon!

As far as the rest of the workout, it was pretty brutal. I told our trainer in the middle of my second round of stinkbugs that they were easily my least favorite move. Even though I was actually able to push myself back up and didn't smack my head on the ground, I really dislike them. I thought it was funny because he asked if I would rather do bear crawls instead and explained that I would prefer it any day! 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow mornings workout because the college kid is back in town and will be joining in on the fun. I'm thrilled she's back! 

Buckets of Sweat

10/4/2012 WOD:
5 RFT
50 yard Bear Crawl
15 slapping push-ups (chest touch knee push-ups)
15 Knee to Elbow (knee to stomach)
Time: 17:39 

Either being away for a few days seriously screwed with my head or I'm really becoming a masochist because when I saw this on the board I thought, "Eh, that doesn't look bad. Should be fun!"

Before we got started mostly everyone was saying how they were dreading the bear crawls but for some reason I enjoy them. And for some other strange reason I'm pretty decent at them. Not necessarily fast, but I don't fatigue quickly doing them. If I weren't for my shirt coming up, I could have made it the whole 50 yards without stopping, even in round 5. Maybe it's because I'm short and being close to the ground is normal for me, who knows!

Surprisingly the hardest part of the WOD was the knee to elbows. Between my hands and arms I was struggling to do more than 3 or 4 at a time. I am happy to report that I left no major blisters or wounds on my hands, except for a minor bruise on the palm of hand from the crawls and push-ups.

I'm really happy to be getting back to my normal routine up there. And I'm even more happy that the anxiety about what's waiting for me on the board is finally leaving. I didn't think that day would come. Who knew pain, torture and buckets of sweat could be so much fun!?!

Back into the groove

10/2/2012 WOD:
'Daniel'
50 Pull ups (jumping)
400 m run
21 Thrusters (35 lb)
800 m run
21 Thrusters (35 lb)
400 m run
50 Pull ups (jumping)
Time: 21:23

Having been six days since I had done a real WOD this felt amazing!!! And it was great to do something with some weight again after free week last week being bar-free.

Looking at the board made me a little anxious, but I enjoy thrusters and I knew the run would loosen up my calves so I figured it would be a good time. Throughout the entire workout I never once thought 'this sucks' or 'I want to be done with this' which usually crosses my mind at least once. I very much enjoyed it! I don't know it if was having so many days off or what, but when I finished I thought that it was actually fun!

I did 100 pull-ups. 100! Sure, they weren't strict pull-ups, but I still jumped and pulled my little chin over that bar! And my arms felt a little noodle-like after, but today they're not sore a bit. I've decided my goal is to be able to do one strict pull-up by my birthday. That will put me in just three days shy my six-month mark. I think it's possible! And what better way to start my last year in my 20's.

Overload

Just a few hours ago my vacation sadly came to an end. So much happened in the last five days that I don't know where to begin, but I'll give it a shot. And I'll try to be as brief as possible, but forgive me if I ramble!



Day One: 9/27/2012
Departed Florence around 6:30 am for Orlando! After getting settled into the All-Star Music Resort we made our way over to Epcot for the rest of the day and night. But before I stepped foot on the bus to the park I stopped in the gift shop at the hotel and picked up my mouse ears and I wore them proudly the rest of the trip. Who cares that I'll be 29 in a few months, it's Disney! Before heading to the World Showcase we decided to ride Soarin. It was the first time all three of us had ridden and it was a blast! Flying through California smelling the evergreens and orange orchards was pretty damn cool. As soon as we stepped off the ride we picked up fast passes to come back and ride it again a few hours later!

Starting in Canada we made our way around the World Showcase. We made a pit-stop in England to visit Christopher Robin's bedroom where I met up with Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger. Next stop France for an incredible early dinner at Les Chefs de France where I had gratin de macaroni (baked macaroni with bechamel  and gruyere...omg it was yummy!). I also sampled the duck and patty pans that my dad ordered. Having never tried either before I was a little apprehensive but they were both delicious! Officially a fan of both.  We continued our way around the world and capped off our night with a ride on Mission Space. Another new ride for all three of us!

Day Two: 9/28/2012

Being the CrossFit addict that I am, I started my Friday morning with a little burpee, sit-up, squat Tabata. However, my mom was still mastering her new iPhone and accidentally turned the timer off 6 minutes it so it got cut a little short. After breakfast it was finally time to make my pilgrimage to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

The entire park is great but honestly all I cared about was seeing Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. To say I geeked out is an understatement! I don't think I have ever looked or sounded as nerdy as I did walking through the shops, but I couldn't have cared less. After walking through Zonko's and Honeydukes I snagged a Butterbeer and we made our way over to the Dragon Challenge. Followed it up with a little more shopping in Dervish and Banges then hopped onto the Flight of the Hippogriff and capped off our time in Hogsmeade with a trip into Hogwarts for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. 

Not only was the ride completely amazing, even for a non-harry potter fanatic, but the walk through Hogwarts on the way to the ride was unbelievable . The Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore in his office, Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom, portrait of the Fat Lady, talking Sorting Hat, talking portraits, floating candles in the Great Hall...see I am a mega-nerd!!! And I wish I could begin to explain the ride, but it wouldn't do it any justice. Do yourself a favor and just go see it all for yourself. 

Once we exhausted Universal we made a pit-stop by ESPN's Wide World of Sports so I could pick up my race packet at the expo. I should have known just from how smoothly the expo went that Disney was going to put on a great race! We finished off our Thursday at Downtown Disney with some shopping and dinner at Portobello. We all sampled silician eggplant fries and mozzarella stuffed risotta balls. I didn't think it could get any better after that but my gnocchi with shredded pork ragu was scrumptious! All new foods for me and all outstanding! 

Day Three: 9/29/2012

We spent the first half of Saturday at Animal Kingdom. And while this park is probably my least favorite of the four, I really only wanted to go to ride Everest! It's such a fun coaster and I knew my parents would love it. 

We had late lunch reservations at one of my mom's favorite Disney restaurants, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre at Hollywood Studio's. Just as before it was a lot of fun and the milkshake was perfect! We walked around a rode a few other rides and then I headed back to the room early to catch a nap and get ready for the big race that night. 

At 7:30 I boarded the bus from our hotel back to Hollywood Studios for the inaugural Tower of Terror Ten-Miler. I just knew I was going to be bored out of my mind having to be there more than two hours before the start of the race but boy was I wrong! Photo ops, food trucks and Hollywood Tower Hotel Doorman as the acting DJ made for plenty of entertainment! Not knowing a soul there I made a complete ass of myself dancing! I did the cupid shuffle, electric slide, learned to wobble, walked like an egyptian, danced to thriller and went foot loose. Best pre-race warm-up EVER! 

At 9:00 they asked us all to move into our corrals before walking up to the start line. On my walk over I looked to my right and noticed Jeff Galloway was walking right next to me. Out of the 10,000 people walking over to their corrals, how do I end up next to an Olympian and creator of the running method I would be using to get through those 10 miles. I tapped him on the shoulder, spoke to him very briefly and shook his hand and went on my way. Pretty badass! 

I was in corral B so we got started at about 10:05 with our own firework send off. Throughout the course there were DJs, eerie Twilight Zone tunes, and photo ops with different Disney Villians. We ran around the track and Atlanta Brave training camp field at Wide World of Sports and finished with a run through most of the park at Hollywood Studio's finishing up behind the Tower of Terror. Not only were the pre-race and race fantastic, but the post-race was pretty great too! Very organized, no waiting around for anything plus we could play in the park until four am! Thanks to Disney's handy runner tracking system my parents were there to greet me as I came out the chute and even got to spot me running past Mickey's sorcerers hat.

You would think after being on my feet for three days, running 10 miles and it being a little past midnight I would be exhausted but I was ready to hop on the Tower of Terror and have some more fun! Finally at three am my head hit my pillow.

Day Four: 9/30/2012

On Sunday we finally made it to the Magic Kingdom. My favorite park of all! There's nothing like walking through the gate and seeing Cinderella's Castle. You just feel like a kid all over again! The park was decorated for fall and Halloween which made it even more fun! With mouse ears in tow we wandered through Main Street USA and headed for Tomorrowland to ride Space Mountain. For such a dated ride, it's still so much fun! Next stop The Haunted Mansion. I think this will always be my favorite ride at Disney. Seeing the ghosts dancing just makes me so happy! We made our way through the rest of the park and finished our time there with ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad around the park. 

We hopped on the monorail and made our way back to Epcot hoping to get another ride on Soarin and Mission space, but with over an hour wait we opted for making our way back through the World Showcase and grabbing a bite to eat. The Wine and Dine festival was getting underway and it was the eve of Epcot's 30th Birthday so the park was slowly getting crowded as the afternoon went on. 

And just to make sure we were as exhausted as we could possibly be we went back to Hollywood Studios for our last bit of Disney fun. Finished with two more trips on the Tower of Terror and a little shopping. On our way out I finally spotted Mickey and Minnie at a dance party. Great way to end the trip!

Day Five: 10/1/2012

We hit the road to head home pretty early and made great time! While I was sad our time at Disney was over, I was ready to be back home with my pups. I had a productive first half of the ride working on my scarf until I realized I was picking up extra stitches and decided to put it off until I could get home and focus more on what I was actually doing. At a few minutes after three we finally pulled into town and my girls excitedly greeted me! 

Because I just didn't get in enough walking, running and pure exhaustion in while away, I made my way up to PDCF to get back to squat training. I now understand the craving of wanting to feel some weight on your back and boy did it feel good to get back in there! Plus it was nice to see everyone after being away for a few days.

With just a few hours left of vacation I decided to stay in for the night with my two girls. I had a blast going away but I'm happy to be back home and sleeping in my own bed again. Sometimes coming back home is just as nice as going away!