when life gives you lemons...

Just a few days ago I felt like I had a billion and one things to share and I sit here tonight staring into the monitor of my laptop clueless on what to type. I do have much to share but I am at a loss of where to begin and what would be appropriate to share. Just a month ago I was walking on cloud nine, having accomplished my very first handstand, working on my wall walks, getting the gist of a kip, and most importantly learning I got accepted into Concordia University.

Well I haven't done another handstand, I have done a few attempts but I think the fear is rather strong. So I have been practicing kicking my legs up, trying to get use to the feeling of that motion. I think it is only a matter of time before I get use to it and do it on a regular basis. As for the kip, I keep working on it and I am getting the hang of it, though I haven't done a full kipping pull-up. I am not expecting that to happen in the very near future but it is something I am working on.

Something that I finally got back to doing are box jumps. I purchased some knee sleeves that I can double for shin protection and that helped ease some of the fear on getting back at it. Last Wednesday the WOD called for quite a bit of box jumps and at times I had to just do step-ups as I didn't have any confidence but for the most part I did the jumps. Feels good to be back at it, but I think it will be a while before I am completely at ease again.

So my biggest piece of news has to do with my continuing education. I have recently learned, without delving in too personally, that my financial aid will no longer be helping me. In other words, as of right now I will not be going to Concordia to begin working on my Bachelors Degree in January. I am not sure if I will at any point in fact, and I can not express the disappointment I feel right now. At this moment I am not entirely sure what I will do, what my choices really are, but I know that with every closing of a door another one opens. I am trying my best to hold on to that thought and believe in it. I know this isn't the end of the road for me.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

update on shin, school, and diet... oh my!

So if you haven't already read, heard, or seen it, a box jumped out and bit me a week ago while I was doing box jumps. The right shin faired it pretty well, it's pretty much healed now and the only evidence is discoloration and slight soreness to the surrounding tissue and bone. But my left shin isn't so well. Thankfully no infection has set in, I am diligent on keeping it clean and letting it breathe. But wearing clothing over it is irritating the fuck out of it. During breaks or when there are no patients in the office, I tend to hike up my pants to me knees to let the wound breathe and relax. I walk around looking all gangster at work now, it's pretty funny. Unfortunately this side got the brunt of the bite and the tenderness reaches as high as my knee (which also sustained some bruising). When putting on ointment I can tell that I still have nerve damage as I can only feel pressure but no sensation. I assume this is normal and once I'm done healing then feeling will come back... I hope. Because I'm on my feet most of everyday at work or sitting at the dining table working on schoolwork, my left ankle is now swollen and has some slight bruising going on. I am irritated to no end because all I want to do is feel normal and not have to be careful with my every movement to avoid hitting my left shin against anything or anyone. I can't jump or run which makes working out hard, doable but hard. I want the healing to be done with already and I want things to be as they were. Ahhhhh!

As for school, all is going well. I'm utterly fascinated with Geology now and learning more about what makes our planet tick. Besides volcanos, my favorite part is learning how all the continents were once one large one and how it broke apart. My Human Geography class is eh, the coursework is easy enough and some things are interesting but I'm not as impressed by it as I thought I would be. And lastly, my History of Religion in the US class is blowing my mind away. Learning how religion reached the America's and how it changed, branched off, and grew is quite interesting. Learning so much and confirming to myself that I have made the right decision on my own faith.

And the dreaded diet. This is probably the hardest part of living healthy. Trying to find something that works for you and figuring out how to balance it all. After my little ER trips this past July and learning that I had become allergic to soy protein really put a dent to my diet. Having to give up my protein bars that helped me so much in times where I couldn't sit down to eat something, or to fit in as a snack was great. But now I am having to find something else to fit in it's place and I am struggling. I know that I do not eat enough and that I don't always eat the best. More like I tend to have too much of one thing during a 24 hour period. I don't balance my diet well and when I try to plan my meals, everything and anything sets me back or off track. Thankfully there is this wonderful coach at CFST, Emily, who is helping. She had me track my diet for one week so that she can analyze it. I have finished my one week and am getting ready to send that off to her here shortly. I am hoping she can steer me in the right direction.

So other than my shins and diet, all is going well in my life. I look forward to CrossFitting again with all my gym mates and getting my diet back on track. And I hope all of you are doing well!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-nine (day of boo boo)

Well todays been a painful day, and not painful in a sore from a WOD sense. But painful in a box tried to eat me for lunch sense. After CrossFitting for almost a year and a half, today I had my very first run in with a box. Not with one leg, but both legs. I was literally only two jumps away from being finished and BAM! Not a pleasant experience. My left leg took the brunt of the damage but both hit the box. Thankfully it didn't go deep to the bone but enough to expose the fascia (white meat). At first, besides the pain, there were no visual indicators that I hit. After a few minutes of trying to walk around and hold back in yelling from the pain, Tony had me lift my tights again and blood began to show up. The pain only escalated from there and it only took a minute or two for both spots to get bright purple. By this point Joon said I was done for the day and that we needed to clean my legs up. Walking for the first few hours after was rough, any jarring movement sucked. It's beginning to feel better to walk but touching the skin around the areas is exceptionally sensitive and hurts like hell, regardless of how light I touch. I hope that by Monday I will be back to WODing with no issues. Here is what I did manage to do today before my boo boo:

Warm-up:
10 min Row

5 x 10 Back Squats 100#
5 x 5 Box Jumps

This little incident will NOT stop me from doing box jumps in the future, but I am seriously considering on getting some sleeves for my lower legs. This way next time I have a mishap, besides bruised sore shins, there will be no breaking of the skin!

The photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day seventeen

I went to bed last night feeling pretty sore and thinking that todays session would just plain suck. Then I woke up and logged in and saw that the WOD for the day was "Fight Gone Bad" which I did once before back in July 2013. I was a little bummed because I would miss this WOD since I have other plans for this evening and figured my session with Joon would entail something else. Will it did not, in fact, as soon as Joon learned I would not be back this evening he said that todays session would be "Fight Gone Bad" and I was both excited and scared. The last time I did this WOD my rep count was 137, mind you I had only been doing CrossFit for about a month and half and it was heavily modified. Today I did the WOD, and not only did I RX it but I PR'd it by 41% and got 193 reps. I can not express how unbelievably surprised and happy I am. Joon gave me a goal of 200 reps and though I was like "sure" in my heart I didn't think I'd get that high. I just wanted to beat my old record. So here is what "Fight Gone Bad" is:

Three Rounds of (1 Minute @ Each Station):
Wall Ball 14#
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (SDHP) 45#
Box Jumps 20"
Push Presses 45#
Row (for calories)
Rest 1 Minute
(These weights are for women)

I surprised myself with getting 21 wall balls in the first round, I moved without stopping and even got low on my squats (yay!). Joon and I believed the SDHP and push presses would be where I would excel but I found them the hardest part of this WOD. I couldn't do more than 3-5 reps at a time, and I can easily blame it on being sore or tired but I am not exactly sure why it was so hard. This whole thing sucked! I was consistent with my rowing and have definitely gotten more efficient at that. And I didn't do one step-up on the box jumps, I jumped the entire time. I'd say overall I am pretty impressed with myself and glad that Joon had me do this WOD. I know next time I will do more than 200 reps!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

day 10, 11, 13/30: resting squats & realizations

My resting squat is definitely getting better, though from time to time my knees (specifically the right one) decides to be bothersome. I think the change in weather right now is not helping either. On day 11 I managed to get a flat-footed squat for a moment. This is a huge achievement and means my ankle mobility is getting better.

Day 10 after a sweaty WOD

Day 11, felt good in my squat & got some stretching in.

Day 13 after the CrossFit Open 14.3 WOD.

The day before participating in the CrossFit Open 14.3 with my gym mates I practiced my box jumps. I haven't been able to actually jump the 20 inch box. For the actual WOD step-ups are legal, so I knew I would be fine but at some point I need to get over the mental hurdle that stops me from jumping onto a box. So I practiced with a box up against a lifting platform, it makes the box about 16 inches. I then placed a 25# bumper plate on the floor and jumped onto the box that way, that make it about 18 inches. When I got comfortable with that, I changed the 25# plate with a 10# one. This made me a little nervous, but after a couple of failed attempts I got the hang of it. The next step was to remove the plate all together and just jump up from the ground. And on my first try I nailed it! I did it a few more times and nailed it each time! I FINALLY got box jumps! Now at the Open I didn't do box jumps and did step-ups as I was informed these would be more efficient.

And, today I got my new jump rope in the mail today. We sized it to fit my height and I will give it a go this week. Maybe I will finally get double unders! I will keep you posted on my progress (or lack thereof).

*There was no day 12 in resting squat due to knee issues.

the gorilla takeover wod experience

So as you may have read previously, I volunteered over the weekend at the Gorilla Takeover that my box and another box hosted at the Portland Expo Center. During my time there I was able to watch all the WODs that the athletes had to compete in. Let's just say I did not envy them, but somewhere in the back of my head a thought popped up that maybe our coaches would torture the rest of us with the same WODs. Come Monday things at my box went back to normal and our WOD for the day was Cindy, AMRAP in 20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats. I breathed a sigh of relief, and busted out 11 rounds, 5 pull-ups and 3 push-ups (I progressed since the last time I did it). My relief was short lived though, coming in Tuesday evening I found that we were going to experience WOD #1 from the Takeover. And it didn't end there, Wednesday we also experienced WOD #3. Needless to say, between these two days, my body is sore and I believe I'm feeling new muscles again!

The Gorilla Takeover WOD #1
500 meter row then...
21-15-9
Thrusters 95/65
Box Jumps 24/20
(TC 10:00)

The Gorilla Takeover WOD #3
4RFT
10 Alt KB Snatches 53/35
25 Yard Farmers Carry 140/100
2 Rope Climbs 15'
25 Yard Farmers Carry 140/100
(TC 10:00)

Scaled Version of WOD #3
4RFT
10 KB Swings 53/35
25 Yard Farmers Carry 100/80
2 Rope Climbs 15' or 8 Mod Rope Climbs
25 Yard Farmers Carry 100/80
(TC 10:00)

For the first WOD, I modified the thrusters and did push presses at 55# instead due to knee pain. And I did step ups instead of jumping. I finished in 10:30. For the third WOD I did the scaled version with the modified rope climbs and for the first time did my KB swings with 35#. I finished in 14:12. I am unable to raise my arms over my head. I feel wimpy and like a beast all in one! Unfortunately because my arms feel pretty worthless, I will not be attending today's class. And I'll be completely honest, I'm ok with missing WOD #4!

The Gorilla Takeover WOD #4
60 Double Unders
50 Wall Balls (10'/9') 20/14
40 Burpees
30 Weighted Sit-ups 20/14
20 Alt Pistol Squats
10 Handstand Push-ups
20 Alt Pistol Squats
30 Weighted Sit-ups 20/14
40 Burpees
50 Wall Balls (10'/9') 20/14
60 Double Unders
(TC 25:00)

So now having the opportunity to experience what the athletes did this past weekend gives me a whole new appreciation for what some people can do. Our bodies are so capable of amazing things, with the right training, nutrition, and mental preparedness... we can achieve anything. This whole experience solidifies my effort in my sugar challenge. Because if I want to be able to do what these athletes did by next year, I have to be on top of my game.

This photo was found on Pinterest.