a little note

This year has been a really off year for me in the way of health & fitness. I haven't been posting much because I really don't want to jump on here and post about all the negative thoughts and feelings I am experiencing with my constant setbacks. I've been riddled with minor injuries and irritating old ones. It's frustrating, but I know this is only temporary and everyone goes through it. So bare with me, I will be back on a more consistent basis soon. This week we are working on a few 1RM, so I am sure I will post more about my outcome.

Hope you are all well!! Keep grinding!

week of improvements

After a failed attempt in participating in Murph this past Memorial Day, I wasn't looking forward to doing any WODs this week. Tuesday called for a Snatch Complex of sorts and I was dreading it all day. My wrist was not so pleased with me Monday, how would it be a day later. Well, I have learned to always try at the very least, so I did. I managed to do an entire complex with just the 35# bar, but next could I add more weight? I threw on some 10# plates and went for it. My first attempt was a failure. My hand grip felt weak and I didn't feel like I had much control of the movement, BUT my wrist wasn't what stopped me. So I took a moment and rested before attempting again. Well guess what? I did it, not once, or twice, three times, but four times. Holy shit guys!! Do you know what this means?!?! Shit is getting better, that's what! Now granted it was only 55# but still, only a week or so prior I couldn't even do just the bar. Any sort of Cleans is still a bit iffy, I can't fully extend my wrist in a front rack position so I have to keep with the light weights.

I woke up this morning expecting my wrist to be sore or inflamed but it was not. So there was no way that I'd miss todays WOD either, which was going to push me to my limits I was sure. And it did. I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to complete the WOD in its entirety or even without modifying the movement. It called for 5 rounds of 27 Double Unders, 20 Hang Cleans, and 15 Shoulder to Overhead. First of all, this sort of WOD taxes your grip, so going all out is a no-no. Secondly, Cleans are still an issue for me and to do that many, could I? I didn't ask Joon for any modifications because I didn't want something to bail to. I wanted to give me all and if I couldn't complete it, well than at least I tried. My grip definitely felt it, I had to break the Hang Cleans in sets of 4, and I did Push Presses and those were no easy feat. Again, I kept the weight light at 55# (prescribed was 65#) and paid close attention to my form. Being ever so careful on my wrist movements. About 3 rounds in I realized I was doing just fine and that I can FINISH this WOD as is. I looked at the time and decided to hustle it and get a time under 16 minutes. And I did!

Tonight I am feeling slightly sore in my upper body, but I feel great. I am delighted to know that after so many months of pain and setbacks, I am improving! It is such a great feeling!!!! I will keep you posted with future successes, hopefully a LOT more will come. Goodnight.

wildwood trail #1

Any of you that read my blog from the very beginning, before I even heard of CrossFit, you may remember how I tried to learn to be a runner. I scoured the internet for advice, bought shoes and supplies, everything I believed that would help me be a runner. At one point I even had a running coach, who to this day I still utilize all of the lessons she taught me. It's been about 6 years now of off and on training, I don't think I classify as a runner but I still try. Most of my running though is done in a CrossFit WOD, which means it's done on the sidewalk or road.

Now that the weather is becoming nicer, Aaron and I decided to start running on the Wildwood Trail again in Forest Park like we've done in past summers. I had no expectations, as I am just looking to restrengthen my ankles and just be consistent in my running. I almost immediately could feel my feet and ankles start yelling at me. Shortly after that my knees expressed their hatred for me too. I only made it 2.5 miles total, walking the majority of the time inward and ran most of the time back to the car. I think my total running mileage was a little over a mile.

I think after a few more running sessions on the trail I will be able to run more, and further. It felt good to on the trail again. I took a few breaks where I stood there and took my headphones off to listen to the birds chirp. I'm so thankful to live in a city with such an abundance of beautiful parks.

yes, yes, i am back

I know I know, it's been almost two months since I've posted anything. There were plenty of times I had something to share but than I never got around to actually sitting down and typing it all down. I let stuff get in the way of my making time to blog. I now have missed thoughts that I will never be able to fall back on. It is what it is and all I can do is move forward.

I am still not in 100% full CrossFit routine again, the right wrist is still rehabbing from my injury back in February. It is better and continues to get better but I am still unable to hold just a 35# bar in the front rack position. It is a very frustrating situation. I am however able to push press again and snatch, but find it hard to do an overhead squat. So I will continue working towards strengthening my wrist.

In tonights class I experienced a boost in my confidence that was much needed. My working out hasn't been as consistent as it use to be. This week was the first week in months I believe that I went in four days straight. I am sore but not enough to not function. I didn't want to miss tonights class, it was Randy. (Randy is a Hero WOD that is 75 Power Snatches for time) The last time I did Randy was a little over a year ago. I RX it back than and got a time of 8:03. I had a goal to beat that time given that my wrist could handle doing 75 Power Cleans. The weight for women is 55#, which is not a very heavy weight to begin with, but with this sort of rep load, it can get heavy pretty quickly. I knew I had something to prove to myself. So when the clock counted down 3-2-1-GO, I Snatched my little heart out, took no breaks other than to tighten the bumper plates to the bar. I managed to shave off :56 seconds from my time. Almost a full minute. This may not seem like a lot of time after a year, but when you factor in that I have lost a lot of workout time to minor setbacks here and there, it is a huge improvement! I am very proud of myself and look forward to smashing my new time later down the road.

I promise to make a better effort in posting more consistently. I hope you all are doing well!

got the message

Being injured, even as minor as it is, is very frustrating! Monday and Tuesday has really pushed some buttons that forces me to make some realizations. Hurting my wrist I feel is a blessing in disguise, but the timing is just awful. I haven't done a WOD in quite some time and now that I can't do most lifts, my weightlifting program is on hold and I am rejoining the class. Well Monday's WOD proved to me that I really need to keep doing WOD's as my endurance sucked. And Tuesday's WOD reminded me of how much I miss working with some of the greatest friends I have. It also made me highly jealous that I couldn't do half the WOD with everyone because of my restriction and that was not fun. So once I am back in working condition, I need to figure out a balance to keep me moving forward and not doing the two steps forward three steps back dance anymore. The Universe has a funny way of making you realize things, I got the message!

As for 15.1 in the Open, I managed to get 25 reps. Once the snatches came up I could not move my wrist in order to do it so I stopped. At least I got to log something in and try, I am happy with that. On Saturday I was able to judge my fellow box mates and that was a fun experience. I am so proud of everyone. Now to prepare for 15.2 and see if it is something I can be a part of or not. :)

crossfit open 2015 & injury

Last year I competed in my very first CrossFit Open, and in the very first WOD (14.1) I scored a big fat zero. It was 7 minutes of doubleunders and even though I managed to get three of them the night before, I could not get at least one when it was go time. I continued to compete the next four weeks even though I could no longer log in my scores. I had no illusions of going to Regionals but I gave my very best. Well CrossFit Open 2015 is here and the very first WOD (15.1) is this Saturday and I will not be able to fully participate even though I am registered. I will fight to get one rep in so that I can log something in, but I unfortunately hurt my right wrist last Tuesday. It has gradually been getting better but my grip is nowhere near what it was and there is so much swelling that any deep bending causes so much pain.

My boss/doc says I have a sprain/strain and that I just need to give it some time to heal. For once in my life, I am going to listen to him and not push myself into a potentially serious injury. I am frustrated that I got myself into a situation that affects my level of participation in the CrossFit Open. I am however certified to be a judge now and look forward to helping my great gym out.

I wish everyone at Stumptown the very best luck!

was down with the sickness

So I have been absent here, in CrossFit, and in parts of my social life with a nasty cold. Last night was my first day back in the gym in 13 days, yea 13! Thankfully the training program I am on is having a light week, great way to ease myself back into it. Though I am feeling a million times better, I am not 100% yet and that was evident last night when I felt like I ran a marathon after only an hour of light lifts. Over the weekend I purchased my very first pair of Oly shoes and so I had a chance to try them out last night. At first they were a bit awkward to walk around in, but after a while I forgot about it and noticed a difference in some of my lifts. These things actually make a difference, who knew! I am looking forward to feeling 100% again and I hope that is by the end of the week. I did sign up for the CrossFit Open which starts at the end of this month. Hopefully I don't die, ok well that won't happen but I really don't feel prepared for it. I'm just gonna go and do my best and have fun with it.

That is it for now, I will keep you updated with my sessions with Joon (they will start up again next week) and updates on my progresses- wall walks are almost complete! Take care everyone and stay healthy!

the gorilla takeover

This weekend was the second annual of The Gorilla Takeover competition that my gym, CrossFit Stumptown, and CrossFit Mt. Hood hosts. This time around I didn't volunteer or compete, but instead was there to cheer on Aaron, and his partner, Matt. They competed in the men's scaled team division and came in third at the end. It was an incredible experience to be a part of. I am unbelievably proud of these two guys on how hard they worked. 

We had quite a few members from CFST that competed and they all fought real hard through those tough WODs. I'm so absolutely proud of all of you: Kay, Zoe, Chris, Jenna, Angel, Joe, Adam, Austin, Chris, and of course Aaron and Matt. You all should be so very proud of yourselves!!

It was fun to see how very different each competitor was within a division, and than the differences between a scaled and rx division. There were plenty of new competitors but also a great deal of those who have been around the block. Some were stronger than others and some were fast than others. But the one consistent thing you witnessed was the sheer determination they all had to keep pushing through the suck. Whether it was the AirFit, the burpees, or the farmer carries. No one simply gave up, they worked until the work was to be completed or the time stopped them. And it still surprises me to see other competitors stick around to cheer on their very own competition. This is most definitely a community of people who understands what hard work and effort is and isn't afraid to share in the pain and pleasure of it all.

I am a proud member of the CrossFit community and look forward to my future with it.

This photo was taken from The Gorilla Takeover FB page.

one on one: day thirty-eight

Today's session with Joon is with my having three days off from any sort of CrossFit or training, not ideal. This morning I really wasn't feeling like working out and it took a lot of my energy to get up, eat, and get ready to go. But once there at the gym, I started to perk up a bit. Jumping on the rower help me as well. Now that I am following a starter program for Olympic Weightlifting, Joon has restructured our sessions to compliment that and help me in other areas that really need some help and are on my goals list. This is what we worked on today:

Warm-up: 1500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
   KB Ladder 25# Swing/Goblet Squat 5/10/5 Reps
                      35# Swing/Goblet Squat 5/10/5 Reps
                      53# Swing 30 Reps x2

Ring Work- played with just hanging off of the ring in a hollow position and with my knees up.

The Jefferson Curl 10x

Than,
V-ups 20x
Banded Pull-ups (no kip) 5x
V-ups 20x
Banded Pull-ups (no kip) 5x
V-ups 20x

Cool-down on AirFit for 5 minutes

The KB work felt more like a workout than a warm-up and I am amazed that I swung a 53# KB. All of the KB work was to be done without putting it down. On my last 30 of the 53# swing I broke it up into 3 random splits as my hands and lower back had enough. I need to chalk up as the KB threaten to fly out of my hands and my back wanted a time-out. The ring work was fun, other than ring rows I have never actually played with the rings before. Doing a hang from the rings was far easier than doing it from a pull-up bar, I will keep practicing these on my own. I am not sure how to explain what the Jefferson Curl is, but let me just say it is absolutely amazing and completely feels great on the spine! The v-ups just plain suck, I'm not good at them. I think it is mainly because for a very long time I couldn't do them because it would be too painful on my tailbone. But today it didn't bother my tailbone at all. It was still hard though, my form was awful. Practicing a strict pull-up is hard, even with a band. I have gotten so use to using a kip to help me that I haven't really helped the necessary muscles that will get me to do a pull-up. Another thing I will be working on.

Overall it was a good session and I feel great. My hands are killing me, especially after going back to CFST tonight to work on my program and practice the ring hangs again. I want to say that my hands are getting use to the abuse but they aren't yet. I do have some calluses building up but the pain hasn't lessened one bit. I am looking forward to a day when it becomes tolerable... cause it will happen, right?!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

week one: completed

It has been an incredible week, and yesterday I made some amazing advances with my lifts! I completed my first week of the starter program via Catalyst Athletics, with much to be happy about and a better understanding of where I am weak. I have been moving non-stop since Sunday and I am not as sore as I was expecting to be. I know it is not from a lack of pushing myself, as I did weights that I didn't think I could do and supplementing my program with other "work in progress" stuff. My shoulders and lats are probably the most sore, but even than I could go lift more without any hesitation. I feel that becoming strict with myself with stretching and mobility work everyday is a huge reason why I am feeling better than just ok.

Yesterday, the last set for week one was finding my single heavy (1RM) of the Snatch, the Clean & Jerk, and the Front Squat. Firstly, the Snatch is where I am weakest, actually any movement where I have the bar over my head and having to squat is a weak movement for me. I know that the very last time I did a Snatch was on September 16, 2013 and I could only do 55#. Now for those of you reading this that do not know what these movements are, a Snatch is where I lift a barbell from the ground to overhead as fast as I can while receiving it in a squatting position. This takes a lot of control and balance, and as you can imagine the heavier the weight the harder it becomes. Because we do more Power Snatches and Muscles Snatches in the WODs (no squatting), I never get enough practice with the movement. This is by far the most challenging and the hardest of movements but I know if I keep at it I will get better at it. Anyway, I managed to PR my Snatch exactly 16 months after doing it last time and got 65# and if felt really good. I didn't struggle to get the bar up or hold it in the bottom of a squat. I did try to do 70# and just couldn't get the squat to stick without dropping the bar.

My next movement was the Clean & Jerk. I have never done the Clean & Jerk until I started this program. In our WODs we only ever do the Power Clean & Jerk, and even this is a rarity. I didn't even know there was a difference between the two until I went through the videos on Catalyst Athletics. I had no idea how much I could Clean in general and I knew that the heaviest Split Jerk I have done in the past was 105#. Combining the two together was going to be interesting. Earlier in the week I did the program with 85# and last night I established my 1RM being 105#.  I feel that the Split Jerk can definitely go heavier but given that my Power Clean 1RM is only 115# and I couldn't even Clean that amount, I think it will take some time before I can get past this weight.

The last movement was the Front Squat. My last PR was in September of last year when I did 115#. And because I know I let the weight mess with my head, I worked up to 105# and than began adding weight without calculating how much was on the barbell. I kept adding the weight in increments of 10# so that I didn't waste time or tire myself out before reaching my true 1RM. In the end I ended up having a 35# PR at 150#. I honestly think I could have gone further but by this point my wrists and elbows were done and I didn't want to risk hurting myself. I am beside myself and incredibly proud of my accomplishments.

I am taking today and tomorrow off, giving my body a much needed break but still focusing on stretching and mobility work. I want to be prepared for next weeks program where the reps will go up and possibly some of the weight will too.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

feeling good

I officially have two days down in my first week of programming for Olympic Weightlifting. I'm not as sore as I suspected I would be but we'll wait to see how I feel after Friday. Today I worked on the Snatch, it's been a very long time since I've done a regular Snatch. I went sort of light since I am not sure how much I am capable of doing. I will find out this Friday, but I am sure I will PR the Snatch and I am hoping the Front Squat too. I am feeling quite strong today.

I have also been working on my planks, and I am pleasantly surprised by how quickly I have gone up on my times. Today I accomplished a 1 min 20 sec plank, and this with something being placed on my back for about 20 of those seconds.

I am learning a lot already just from the Catalyst Athletics site alone, than you add the info I have been getting from others and it is incredible how much there is out there. My session today with Joon ended up being an hour long talk about my new objectives and goals. It was a very productive talk and it most certainly inspired me and gave me focus. I am looking forward to what is to come and to see progress!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

starter program: d1 of w1

Last Wednesday in class we were looking for our 1RM in Power Cleans. When I first started CrossFit both Deadlifts and Power Cleans were my favorite movements. But now the Power Cleans have become a source of frustration for me. I know I'm not the only person whose experienced this with either this movement or another. And I know this is only a temporary scenario. None of that though makes it less frustrating. I have been stuck on the same weight for some time now and can't seem to get past it. I know most of it is mental, but I believe I also lack enough hands on experience.

I had a conversation with a fellow box mate who has been doing a weightlifting program on the side. I wanted to know why and how she started the program. Watching her has been inspiring and motivating for me. The weightlifting portion of CrossFit is what made me fall in love with it to begin with. And though I love going in and doing WODs with everyone, I really want to begin focusing on the areas that I feel I am weak in. So I have decided to begin a Starter Program from Catalyst Athletics that will hopefully prepare me for another weightlifting training program. The starter program is for 4 weeks and I started it today.

Day 1 of Week 1:
Clean & Jerk 5 x 2 +1
Clean Pull 3 x 3
Back Squat 3 x 5

Day one has already been an educational day for me, as I learned that a Clean is different from a Power Clean (we only ever do Power Cleans in WODs), and I did Clean Pulls for the first time. I'm suppose to use the same weight for all three movements, it has to be challenging but below my max effort. I warmed up with 65#, not knowing how much I could do my Cleans at. I bumped it up to 85# and decided to stay there for the Clean & Jerks, especially since I haven't done Split Jerks in about a year and wasn't sure if I could do anything heavier. The drawback to this was that I know the Clean Pulls should be heavy and 85# isn't a very heavy Back Squat for me. I think my day two of this program I will have to adjust the weight so that it is challenging across the board.

After I was done with todays program, I rested a bit and then worked on my Plank. If I want to get better in other movements I need to strengthen my core. Time to get my Plank time up, I gave it a go three times:

1- 45 sec
2- 30 sec
3- 35 sec

I wasn't feeling my strongest today, but I am pleased that I got this started! Here's to a learning experience and progression!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirty-seven

I'm back!!!! Today was my first session with Joon since November 18th! It has really been that long, between his schedule, my schedule, life, holidays, etc etc. we just couldn't make anything work. But today, we got back on it and you know what? I HURT! I'm still sore from Friday, Saturday, and Monday's WODs, than I add his session into the mix and every muscle in my body hates me and him. Oh and I have lovely bruises forming, it's been a while since that happened. Thanks Joon! Alright, so this is what he had in store for me today:

Warm-up-ish:
800m SkiErg
200m Row
600m SkiErg
400m Row
400m SkiErg
600m Row
200m SkiErg
800m Row

KB Complex 2 minutes:
1 Swing + 1 Clean + 1 High Pull + 1 Snatch
2x

Mission Test 5 minutes:
2 Cleans + 1 Press + 3 Front Squats

Ok, that warm up part was sheer torture as I hadn't done anything with the SkiErg in a long time. During the 800 and 600m sessions, I must've stopped a time or two trying to catch my breathe and shake my already sore body out. What a rude awakening that was for me. The KB work was fun and challenging. My hands have been bothering me lately, I have been trying to work on my grip work on the bar and trying to get my kipping movement down. So holding the KB today was a real pain, I had to chalk the hell out of the KB and my hands just to get through it. After a while the hands became the last thing on my mind as I could feel my muscles scream at me. A few times I hit myself with the KB and knew I'd be feeling that later, well I am. Bruises are forming and I am sensitive to the touch.

This evening I had Coach Tony check my body fat, that is the other thing I am getting back into. I am really disappointed that I gained all that I lost the last time plus some. I could blame the holidays all I want but no one forced the crappy shit down my throat. Thankfully I am back on track and will fix this situation, fast!

All in all, it feels good to be back. I will also be posting more often again and keeping everyone up to date with what is happening. Thank you again for all the positive feedback! <3

This photo was taken from Pinterest.