21 Days and Counting....

As most of you know, I spent last weekend surrounded by some of the Northwest's top CrossFit athletes. And, I have to admit, I was scared to attend the camp. I'm not sure why, except I didn't want to be the oldest female there, or the slowest. But I knew it was a great opportunity for some awesome coaching and motivation.... and I got both, and much more!

Someone asked me what I learned....

1. That I don't need a half hour to warm up before a workout. One time we literally had 5 minutes to get our shoes on, tape up, and go. No rolling, no stretching.... just 3.2.1.Go! And, I learned that I can workout just as well.

2. I may be 43 years old on paper, but I learned that age really doesn't matter in the sport of CrossFit. The majority of the women at the camp were under 30, and I held my own against these amazing athletes.

3. You can do anything if you set your mind to it. Friday night we lifted, heavy. It had been my second heavy lifting session that day. And, I hit a new personal record Clean & Jerk. The crazy thing is that I actually threw up all day Thursday. I ate something Wednesday that didn't agree and spent Thursday not feeling well at all. I hadn't eaten much in 24 hours. But I was told to load the bar to 165# and lift it. So I did. It didn't matter that I hadn't eaten, had puked the day before, went to bed late, etc. If you set your mind to it, you can achieve it.

4. That I should ALWAYS dress in layers. There was no heat at the host gym for the camp.... and when I started the workout on Saturday, I literally could not feel my feet. Thrusters + Burpee Box jumps + Numb Feet = fun times. :)

5. Lastly, I learned that I really enjoy competition. Even though I get really nervous, I love the challenge and the chance to prove I can do it.

With that, bring on the Open! 21 days and counting.....

PS: I hit a new personal record for unbroken toes to bar.... 23. Check it out.

Age is Only a Number

Someone posted on Facebook today a quote that read, "You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream." I have and will always be a dreamer! When my gymnastics career ended, unexepectedly and way too soon, I knew that my athletic career wasn't over. But, life got in the way for a while and I had to put my athletics on the back burner. Even though I worked out, I always felt that there was more inside this 5'1" body!

It truly is amazing what you can do when you just simply tell yourself to do it, when you make the commitment to yourself and dedicate your thoughts to the positive.

I had a great workout tonight. I hit a new personal record 1RM Push Press of 140 pounds, a new personal record of unbroken double unders at 104 (yes, 104!), and a new personal record 2k row!

I'm mostly proud, however of my 4th personal record tonight.... unbroken muscle-ups. I had never used rings before CrossFit as female gymnasts don't do that event. Muscle-ups freak me out a little bit. I'm not sure why, but they do, so I've been working really hard on setting my fear aside and practicing the skill. And tonight I did the most muscle-ups in a row than I've ever done - 6! To some of the top CrossFitters, that's not a lot. To me, it's HUGE!

I'm 43 and just did 6 muscle-ups in a row.... Age is only a number. You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream. Go for it!

Here are my muscle-ups! I'm sure you will all enjoy laughing at my "I got stuck" pose on my last attempt!

A Little Snatch... A Little Progress

A year ago, I could only dream of a 130# snatch. Now, I can somewhat consistently snatch 130#.

Four months ago I did the workout "Diane" in 6:33. Today, I completed Diane in 4:29.

Knowing that "Diane" was the first workout at last year's Regionals, I decided to look up the scores to see where my time would have fallen... just for shits and giggles. Does it mean anything? Not really. But, my new PR time of 4:29 would have placed me tied for 10th (for that workout) at last year's Regionals.

I still have a lot of work to do. Cheryl Brost, who is in my age group and region AND made it to the finals in last year's CrossFit Games, posted a time of 2:12 at last year's Regionals. I am proud of my progress but know that in order to do well in the Open, I have a lot of work to do.

Step by step, day by day, all it takes is consistent effort. If you just show up regularly and make a commitment to yourself, you can achieve anything.

Here's my 130# snatch from today.

The Mind is a Powerful Tool

The most significant improvement I've noticed about myself and my training is my mental state. I'm sure all of you have experienced it... the butterflies you get in your belly when you look at the workout, the self-doubt that creeps in saying, "I'm not sure I can do all that." Well, I am no different. I used to be scared to do some workouts, so scared in fact, that I'd purposely avoid workouts (Fran being one...).

I knew that my mind was a weakness, so I've spent a year working on it. I no longer allow myself to be afraid of what's written on the whiteboard. Instead, I choose to attack it. I no longer stress out about whether or not I'm going to make it through. Instead, I take it as a challenge to see just how fast I can get it done. I no longer allow myself to rest more than absolutely necessary.... Instead I tell myself to keep going.

Yesterday was a testament to the work I've done mentally. The workout was tough, but I approached it one piece at a time, and attacked each piece separately. By doing that, I managed to hit two new personal records within the workout. A 195# front squat about half way through the workout, and a 170# rack jerk at the 39th minute of the workout.

I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm improving and at 43, that's all that matters to me... that I continue to get better each day.

Here's my 195# front squat:

The Daily Grind

Sometimes training isn't all it's cracked up to be. For me, what makes it hard sometimes is the simple daily grind. Cooking and prepping food, every day including weekends. Scheduling your life around your workouts. Trying to get enough sleep for recovery. It's hard sometimes and there are days when I don't feel like a "normal" person. But, then I remember my goals, change my thoughts and off I go.

Today's workout was tough and I honestly didn't think I'd be able to handle the 150 pound power cleans. BUT, I did and I'm pretty sure that's the most power cleans I've done at 150 pounds. 

As you watch the video clip, you'll see something REALLY cool, and it has nothing to do with me. A few seconds into the video, you'll see Alli come into view in the pink t-shirt. She's 14 and has "graduated" into our regular CrossFit classes. Her goal is to one day compete at the CrossFit Games. She can already rock out consecutive kipping pullups, and I do have to say, they are some of the best kipping pull-ups at our box. Then, you'll also see Kelsey come into view. She's also only 14 and plays volleyball with the Puyallup Juniors and is also involved in fast pitch. Seeing the two of them work so hard at every workout is inspiring! What a great example of what we all can hope for in the children of today.... that they grow up loving fitness and are motivated to live a healthy lifestyle. So proud of these two young ladies, and all our student athletes! 

No Time for Tired

I woke up today feeling tired and run down..... But I knew I had a workout to do so I dragged myself out of bed, cooked my breakfast, prepped my food, and off I went to the box. As my training session started, my warm-up weights felt HEAVY, but I couldn't let it stop me from my lifting.... So, I forged ahead and ended up with a pretty good day!

The best part was that I PR'd my Cindy..... If you don't know Cindy it's
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
As many rounds in 20 minutes

Truth be told, these are not my favorite style of workouts. My mind wanders and I have a hard time staying focused when it's so repetitive, but I knew I needed to PR this workout. Luckily, I have awesome members and a group of them came in and did the workout with me!

And, I got 22 rounds! I've never been over 15 rounds in Cindy, so I am super happy with an improvement of 7 full rounds! What started out as a tired day, turned into a GREAT day, thanks in part to staying focused on my goals and to the members who are always willing to show their support!

Here's a clip of my last Clean & Jerk, 155 pounds.

It's Not the Mountain We Conquer, But Ourselves

So I have to confess... I don't like kettlebell snatches. I don't know why, because I have no problem throwing a barbell over my head, so you'd think a little kettlebell would be no problem. But for some reason they freak me out. And, when I have to do them, I always choose the 12kg kettlebell knowing it's too light for me.

So, today when I had to do kettlebell snatches with the 16kg I tried to find every excuse to get out of my workout.... but knowing I did not have an excuse and I could not get out of my workout I decided that today was the day I'd get over my fear, and I just went for it.

This was the first time I've done a workout with the 16kg kettlebell snatch and I have to say it wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be. In fact, I actually had fun! They may not have been the prettiest snatches (insert your own funny joke there) but I did 62 snatches in 7.5 minutes. I might not have been the fastest, but I conquered the fear and it feels GREAT!