one on one: day ten

Only ten days into my one on one with Joon and I feel so much stronger! I am PRing left and right on my lifts, jumping better and higher, and running better (slowly). I still have a lot of work to go before I am completely efficient in all my lifts and movements but I am so much closer to it than I was a year ago. I feel exhilarated and look forward to every class, as much as I hate some of the things Joon as me do, because in the end it will ALL pay off. So what did I do today? Lets see:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     6 x 50ft Skips

30 Sec On/ 30 Sec Off:
     Squat Jumps w/ 35# Bar
     Pike on Bosu Ball
     Mountain Climbers on Bosu Ball

Seated Box Jump (view video below)
     Worked up to 23 inches

Snatch Complex

EMOM for 12 min of:
     12 KB Swings (started with 35# and finished with 25#)
     Sprint (there and back)

I absolutely did not enjoy the Squat Jumps with the bar, that was completely uncomfortable for me. But the biggest surprise and the most fun was doing the seated box jumps. I can not believe how high I got! Woot! Check out the video below.

one on one: day nine

Getting little sleep the night before a session with Joon is NOT a wise decision. Eating poorly is even worse. My diet this past week has been awful, not only do I know it but I feel it. And whether it's because I'm anxious or lazy, my sleep does not feel recuperative. I really need to get more strict with my food and my sleep, ASAP!

Now with all that said, I don't think it would have mattered a whole lot if I had gotten enough sleep and ate well for todays session. I know I say on every post that Joon kicked my butt but he always finds a new way of just making me feel, what's the word I am looking for... ALIVE. My Quads absolutely hate him today, but deep down I am happy for the pain. He pushed me into muscle fatigue and I learned that even when I feel spent and I can't do one more rep, I can. Here is what I did today:

Tabata (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, for 8 rounds)
Row:
     87m, 93m, 86m, 77m...... 93m (we forgot what meters I rowed for my 5th, 6th, and 7th round)
DB Snatch:
     Right Arm 9, 9, 8, 9
     Left Arm 9, 9, 9, 9
Speed Jump:
     10, 10, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9

Rest, then:
3 Rounds (2 min each with 2 min rest between)
     Airdyne (20 calories)
     Max Rep Clean & Jerk @ 65#
          Round 1: 8 C&J
          Round 2: 5 C&J
          Round 3: 7 C&J

My legs aren't feeling as sore as they were right after. I seem to recover quite quickly from my sessions/WODs. But I have noticed today that my Quads and IT Band are fairly tight and I need to roll them out more often. I can't slack off with the mobility work if I want to continue to see progress in my training.

Photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day eight

It's the day after getting my Mojo back and though I am happy, I'm still feeling on edge. I want him to make a full recovery and not worry that at any moment he will need to be rushed to the vets again. So for now we are taking it one day at time and thankful for every moment we have with Mojo.

None of this of course changes the fact that Joon continues to kick my ass into shape. I came into this session feeling a tad bit tired but ready for whatever he was prepared to throw at me... or so I thought. This is what I did today:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     3 Sets x 2:
          Row for 15 Calories
          10 Hollow Rocks

Rest 1:1

Then,
     3 x 2min of the following KB Complex, rest 1 min between each 3 min round.
          One-hand Clean
          One-hand Jerk
          Right-hand Snatch
          Left-hand Snatch
          Two-hand Swing
          Two-hand Clean- Goblet Squat- Press Combo
          (all done in 25#)

Then,
     20 x 20 Front Squat @ Max Effort (45#)
   
Rest 5 min

Then,
     3 Rounds
          5 Slam Balls (15#)
          20 Lateral Skiers
          (completed in 1:39)

My least favorite of this session was the Row/Hollow Rocks, that is probably because it's a breather. The KB work was fun, but definitely hard. I learned quite quickly how not to clean a KB and have growing bruise to prove it. But by the end of that segment I think I was getting the transitions down. The front squat made me feel like I was locked into an enclosed space even though I had the entire gym to roam around in. Holding the bar for an entire 20 reps made it really hard to breathe. Joon says it's primarily mental, and I know he's right. But man it sucks! For the last portion of our session, Joon wanted me to get the 3 rounds done within 3 minutes, and I laughed at him. Than he said and to surprise him, get it under 2 minutes, I laughed even harder. I had every intention on going as hard and fast I could, and even though this was another breather for me I didn't expect my legs to feel as dead as they became by round three. Well I didn't only surprise Joon, but I surprised myself by getting it done in under 2 minutes. WHAT! Yup, I guess I'm just that awesome. :::wink wink:::

Joon states that he can tell I am getting fitter and stronger. I have to admit that I agree with him but it's odd to acknowledge this about myself. I think if you just see me walking down the street you would never guess that I once deadlifted 225# or that I can back squat 175#. I also don't feel like anyone would guess that I could actually run 200m now without stopping, and maybe one of these days I will surprise myself by running a full 400m without stopping as well. What I have noticed is that I am growing more and more confident with each session/WOD. I am testing my boundaries and pushing through walls. I'm excited to see what else I am capable of and proud of myself for pushing through.

Photos taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day seven

If you read my previous posting than you know the heartache I am going through. I know that I am someone who can easily fall into a dark place and close everyone off. As hard as it is to simply get up and move I forced myself to do so. So today I went and had my one on one session with Joon to help work out some anger and frustration. It most certainly helped to let some pent up emotion out in a way that will benefit me in the long run and makes me feel better. Today we did the following:

Warm-Up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
     4 x 50m Skip
     4 x 50m Athletic Burpee Sprint
     4 x 10 DB Clean (speed)

Rest 5 minutes

CrossFit Football Total - 1RM
Power Clean
Back Squat
Bench Press
Deadlift
My total = 580

So my old Power Clean 1 rep max was 105# that I achieved back in March, today I got 110#. I did try for 115# but mentally I was being challenged. My old Back Squat 1 rep max was 140# that I achieved last September, today I got 175#. I went for 185# but once I got to the bottom of the squat I wasn't coming back up. It's still a 30# PR! My old Bench Press was 85# that I achieved in February, today I got 100#. And the funny story on this one was my kicking out my leg from the floor to help me push that 100# up. Joon doesn't know how I did that with a flailing leg but I did. And lastly, my old Deadlift 1 rep max is 225# that I achieved last January. Today I was only able to muster 195#. It wasn't without trying but by then I was taxed out.

I am happy with my achievements today and look forward to doing this one again to see where I end up!

Photo taken from Pinterest.

my loss & fight for mojo

If you know me personally or are my friend on Facebook than you are already aware of the loss that Aaron and I are going through. For those of you who are not aware we had to make the difficult decision to surrender our loving cat, Mojo, to the Oregon Humane Society in order for him to receive the medical care he so desperately needed. About 12 or so days ago we rushed him to an Animal Hospital when we noticed that he was straining to pee. Turned out that his urethra was blocked by a tiny crystal. They drained his bladder and flushed out as much of the crystals and debris as possible, he stayed there for 3 days to recover and to be sure he was in the clear. He came home on a Saturday to very happy fur-parents. We ended up paying close to $2000 for his emergency care, this forced us to look into pet insurance. Unfortunately none of our research was fast enough as 10 days later he started to exhibit the same behavior and again we rushed him to the vets. It wasn't good new. I refused to end his life just because we couldn't pay the amount again so soon, but I am distraught that I had to give him up indefinitely for him to get the care he needed. My heart is broken into so many pieces.

We've received an outpouring of love and support from family and friends that is completely overwhelming but appreciated. So many people have offered to adopt Mojo and give him back to us. Some even expressed anger that OHS would not just simply give Mojo back to us knowing that he has a good home and is well loved. The more and more I think about this, it upsets me that they refuse to give him back. But on the flip side, I kind of understand. Trust me, if we had the funds to pay for his treatment than we would've paid gladly. But after already fronting $2000 for his first procedure only 10 days prior, we just didn't have anymore to give.

I am in the process of learning about many organizations that offer emergency funds to pets/families in need. I never knew these existed. I have called OHS to ask if we were able to come up with the funds, if we could get Mojo back. I'm still waiting to hear back from them with an answer, it's been several hours and the waiting is really hard to deal with. Aaron intends on giving them a call and seeing if he can get any answers before we attempt to apply for emergency funds and signing up for a fund-raiser.

I am trying to remain positive but I also don't want to set myself up for more heartbreak. Mojo is my fur child and I love him immensely. The last 24 hours have been brutal but I'm simply moving one foot in front of the other.

Mojo and I

one on one: day five

Todays session was hard but absolutely my most favorite session so far. I went into the session feeling pretty good, completely rested and energized. Tony chimed in a few times during the session to help give me pointers in how to efficiently sprint. I can't say that I mastered it yet, but I surprised myself with my sprint times. And it seems I can be quite consistent. So this is what I did today:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     2 x 50ft Skip / Reverse Skip
     2 x 50ft Side Skip

Conditioning:
     6 x 100m Row + 30 sec FLR 1:1 (Row times 24/25/22/22/21/20 - Overall time was 13:30)
     6 x 30 sec to perform 2 Burpees + 20m Shuttle Sprint w/ 1 min rest (Overall times 10/11/11/11/11/11)

Ballistic Movement:
     100 Sledge Hammer Tire Strikes (every 10 strikes perform 5 tire jumps)

I have to admit that the sledge hammer strikes were my most favorite movement of the day. Great to do something new and different. Joon says now that we've had a few sessions, from now on we will end every session with a little work on the goals I have written down and goals he has set for me. I am excited to attack my list of goals and can't wait to see myself achieve skills and improve overall!

one on one: day four

I woke up this morning still feeling quite sore from Tuesdays session with Joon AND from the WOD that evening. I also struggled with stomach pain last night and a mild one this morning but I will leave that for another posting. Other than being sore I felt pretty good this morning and ready for what Joon may have in store for me. And I was surprised! Today's session was taken outside to Buckman Field. And this is what we did today:

2 x 25yd Jog
2 x 25yd Jog Backwards
2 x 25yd Skip (for some reason this was hard to do)
2 x 25yd Side Skip

Rest 3 minutes

2 Sets:
10 Alt KB Snatch 25#
50yd Sprint (walk back)

Rest 2 minutes

2 Sets (timed):
20 Russian KB Swings 35# (unbroken) -3:14
50yd Sprint (walk back) -3:04

*Test*
200yd Run (timed) -0:54:04

DUDE!! I did a 200 yard run in under a minute. ME! Where in the world did that come from? And that after I did all those KB things and breathing hard. If it's not obvious, I am stoked. My progress in this past year has been amazing, but the progress I've made in such a short time with Joon is even more amazing. I feel so proud of myself and can't wait to see where I will be in a few months. Thank you Joon!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

help me help jennifer

So I know in the past I have blogged about various people who have impacted my life in positive ways, Jennifer Burningham is one of them. She is the person responsible for helping me to learn how to run, to push through barriers that I constantly put up (and sometimes still do), and ignited a passion to keep working towards getting fit and healthy. Meeting and working with her I feel was critical in my finding the path that I am currently on. Had she not pushed and inspired me, I don't think I'd be where I am today. So Jennifer, thank you.

With that said, the main reason for this post is because I learned that Jennifer is working towards opening up her own fitness studio. This is something she's contemplated for a very long time and is in a position to take that step. Her goal is to create a space that is totally committed to client success and overall wellbeing without grabbing for money or selling supplements. Her long term goal is to offer training and wellness services on a sliding scale. I think this is a fantastic idea, it gives people access to her that ordinarily would not be able to afford the expensive price tag of a gym and/or personal trainer. To learn a little more about her, visit her site by clicking here.

Jennifer is in the process of trying to raise funds to help with the expenses of opening up a new business. Depending on how much you decide to donate, you will receive a perk. Whether it be a one 30 minute session with her to receiving several sessions and a lifelong discount of 15%. I encourage you to take a peek at her fundraising page: Right Track Health and Fitness. If after reading up on her via her website you find that you may be interested in working with her and/or just want to help a local woman be successful in helping her community get healthy and fit- donate. And as a favor, I ask that you share the link to my posting with your family and friends in the Portland and surrounding areas.

This photo is from Pinterest.

one on one: day three

On the way over to CFST this afternoon a familiar ache began to grow in my stomach. This was not a good sign and I did NOT want to experience the same pain I had only a week ago. I knew I had taken my medicine that was prescribed earlier in the day, so I know that was not the reason for the pain. The last thing I ate was a Luna Bar, this has me wondering if it has anything to do with the stomach pains. Meanwhile, I decided to eat a banana in hopes that it would settle my stomach some. By the time I arrived at the gym there was no trace of discomfort, but I will have to do some research on those Luna Bars. 

My session with Joon today was as expected, brutal. I say this because he pushes me so far out of my comfort zone, the place where I baby past injuries or second guess my abilities. But with the brutal I must add fun because even though I was tired, out of breathe, sweating, and dealing with burning muscles, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. This is what Joon had me do today:

Warm-up: 1000m row
Extended Warm-up:
     10 Shoulder Shrugs
     10 Hang Power
     10 OHS
     10 Push Press
     10 GHD Back Extensions (did not do full ROM)

4x: Back Squat 115# 4 reps
      20m Sled Push

2x3: Push Press Strip Set 80#/65#/35#

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1:
     Box Dips
     Ball Slam 15#
     Push-ups (Deficit)

The hardest part of all of these were the 2x3 Push Presses. I started off with 3 reps of 80#, and instead of placing the bar & weights back on the rack I had to keep holding it while Joon and David Mobley (another Stumptown CrossFitter) took some weight off. I than had to do 3 reps of 65# than Joon and David removed more weight, and than 3 reps of 35#. But it didn't end there, once I was done with the 35# Joon and David began adding the weight back on. I had to do two rounds of this and in both round I fatigued out on 1 rep of the 80# being added back. This was quite literally one of the hardest push presses I have ever done. 

Pushing the sled around was fun, something new for me. And the last segment of my session was challenging, worked hard on making sure I kept moving with little to no break. My shoulders were feeling pretty zapped which made me love the break during the ball slams, something I thought I'd never say. My experience with today's session was focusing on working past the tired and not giving up. I so badly want to get passed the point where I second guess my abilities. I know I am on the road to it...

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

eagle creek trail: tunnel falls

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday by going on a hiking trip to Tunnel Falls at Eagle Creek in the Gorge. It is one I have never been on and I wanted to explore a new place. Aaron and I got off to a late start and didn't make it to Eagle Creek until around 1pm. The initial plan was to go all the way to Tunnel Falls, from the trailhead to the Falls would be 6 miles. Because of our late start I told Aaron that we should just go as far as Punch Bowl Falls, which is about 3 or so miles in and reserve the Tunnel Falls for another date. 

The beginning of the hike, as any other hike I do, I am slow and tire easy. I eventually have to use my inhaler and take breather breaks. We did notice however, that the amounts of my breaks have decreased quite a bit since I have started CrossFit. I am much better shape now than I was a year ago. We reached Punch Bowl Falls around 4 or 4:30pm and did not expect it to be as crowded as it was. There were a lot of young people there diving into the water from cliffs, some were sunbathing, and others were just hanging out. We hung out a bit and than finally decided to head back onto the main trail.We sat on a log so that I could rest, we chatted, and took in our surroundings. It was at this point Aaron suggested that we keep going and head for Tunnel Falls. He believed I could make it and we'd be fine. Feeling pretty good, I said sure, and off we went. 

Once we passed the entrance to Punch Bowl Falls the trail became a lot more quieter. We'd only come across people every once in a while and the majority of them were back packers. At some point passed the Punch Bowl Falls I found my stride and didn't require any breaks except for sips of water. The scenery was absolutely glorious, and so quiet. A few times the trail would come out from the protection of trees and we could feel the hot sun beaming down. At some point I became acutely aware that I was running low on water and that I will definitely run out before we made it back to the trailhead. We still pushed forward. Eventually at some point Aaron became concerned that we hadn't reached the falls yet but every time we'd run into another person they'd say it wasn't too much further. I swear everyone was lying to us. 

The trail on Eagle Creek.

The path in general is moderate, some easy spots, and than some areas that slow you down due to lots of lose rocks. It is these rocks that I despise! Knowing full well that I am a magnet for injuries and easy falls I was focusing mostly on my footing as we trekked along. At times I think I don't give myself enough credit, and truly get that I am stronger and fitter. I am more than capable of completing this hike injury free, well serious injuries. We finally decided at some point to stop and rest, snack on bars that we brought with us and I had the last of my water. Aaron is good at rationing his, but I drink so much water in general that rationing wouldn't have done much, especially since taking allergy meds and meds for my tummy cause me to have dry mouth. We chatted and almost decided to turn back when Aaron saw someone and asked once again. Tunnel Falls was right around the corner, so we trekked on. We reached it. What an absolutely beautiful Fall it was. We went through the tunnel behind it and out to the other side and could feel the spray from the rushing water. It felt so good against my sweaty dirty skin. We took a few photos and just stared at the beauty of it. But than the reality of our situation took priority. 

Tunnel Falls

It was now around 6pm, I was completely out of water, and we had 6 miles to hike back. This time I lead the hike and I must've caught my second wind or the drive for cold fresh water was strong because we were making good time. We also realized that we may have to hike the later half in the dark as the sun was heading down behind the mountain. We clearly did not plan this out very well. All went fairly well until we hit the area with rocks again. A couple of times I stepped wrong and rolled my right ankle. At the moment it felt fine, it was probably adrenaline of wanting to get out and get to water. I began to slow down after we reached Punch Bowl Falls but it was a relief to know that we only had about 3 miles left to go. Water was getting closer and the sun was still out. 

When we reached the end I was so happy, water never tasted so good. I was tired, sore, and plenty thirsty. The car ride back into town gave me time to reflect on this experience. I am thankful for it, I do not regret one moment of it. I most certainly will be more prepared next time but glad to have been with Aaron who gave me enough motivation to keep a positive attitude through it all. 

Today I am feeling pretty sore and beat up. I have a massive blister on my right pinky toe, my right ankle feels jacked up, and my right knee feels tight. I'm taking it easy today but if asked to do it again, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment!

one on one: day two

Let me begin this posting with an update on my health scare. This past Monday I posted about my Sunday evening trip to the ER with stomach pain. They had figured it wasn't my gallbladder or kidneys causing the pain and figured it was either an ulcer or acid reflux. Little did I know that later that evening I would end up back in the ER with even worse pain than the previous night. This time the doctor ordered an ultrasound to check my gallbladder and surrounding organs. They gave me another GI cocktail which didn't give me the immediate relief as the previous night. It did help reduce my pain to about a 5 but I was still dealing with the waves of pain, as well as nausea and back pain. So my gallbladder, kidney, pancreas, and liver was check out and all of them checked out fine. Still no definite answer but this time I left the ER with an RX for some pain meds. It's now been 4 days since my first ER visit and I can say I have had 3 full days of no pain. I am still taking the meds as I was told to and am trying to get in to see my PCP to get checked further, but I am thankful that I am no longer experiencing that god awful pain anymore.

Because I was still recovering this past Tuesday from Monday nights trip to the ER, I did not make my appointment with Joon for my official "day two" session. So technically this would be my day three, but well I won't really count it! Joon thoroughly kicked my arse today, and it probably wasn't fully intentional but he definitely proved to me how quickly I experience muscle fatigue. We worked on some plyometric movements and strength. Today's session most certainly was hard but felt really good. So here is what we did.

Warm-up: 500m row
Extended Warm-up:
     10 Shoulder Shrugs
     10 Cleans
     10 Strict Presses
     10 GHD Back Extensions (this was intimidating and hard for me- did not do full ROM)

3x: Athletic Burpees x3
      Jumping Lunges x6
      Plyo Side Lunges 20sec

4x4: Front Squat 65#
2x4: Power Clean 65#
3x3x3: Push Jerk 65#

5x for time: 
     100m row (26/23/22/22/21 sec)
     30 sec rest
     Medicine Ball Slams x10
     1 min rest
= 11:08

The GHD back extensions were challenging for me. First I had to get comfortable with the idea of lowering my upper body down and trusting that I wasn't going to fall. Once I got over that, well better at it, I found I couldn't even lower myself down very low before my hamstrings began to yell at me with such force. Those sucked! But the hardest thing I did today was the burpees, lunges, and side lunges routine. I had to keep moving without stopping and this is where I experienced my muscle fatigue. Primarily during the side lunges as I kept going my legs would give out on me and I was struggling lifting them up onto the platform. A couple of times I came close to tripping over myself. It's frustrating to want to push through but your body won't cooperate. I can not wait for the day that I get beyond this quick fatigue and can go for longer. The lifts were comfortable, didn't go super heavy, focused on technique. Front squats have been a challenge for a long time and I am just now getting better at them and increasing weight! And the last part of our time was fun and I worked hard on just pushing through the suck. With every round I improved my time on the 100m row, which I have to admit was unexpected. The medicine ball slams were also a challenge, but I did them and that is all I have to say about that.

I am officially tired and sore. Tomorrow is a holiday and I do not have to work- yay! There is only one WOD tomorrow at CFST but I think I will pass on the WOD and enjoy sleeping in. I'm sure I will be plenty sore tomorrow. :)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.