Chasing Iron
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  • February22nd

    4 Comments

    the workout that broke me…

    Posted in: body gone badass challenge, crossfit, crossfiteastdecatur, motivation, paleo

    I can count on two hands the number of workouts that have completely broken me. Maybe that’s a bad thing. I mean, maybe the point of every workout is to push you harder than before? And many of my workouts have done that. I mean, most often, I have a sense of accomplishment and pride about what I’ve just done. But there are a small percentage that have literally left me in a puddle, completely broken, angry and defeated. The WOD that did that to me last week was the following –

    For time:
    21 Mankillers* (a burpee done with 2 DBs, a pushup, then a clean and push press at the end)
    28 Plank Rows*
    35 Thrusters*
    42 Suitcase Deadlifts*
    49 Step-Ups*

    *Each move is to be done with dumbbells. Only one pair of dumbbells is to be used for the entire workout. In my case, I used 20# DBs.

    Looking at it, it doesn’t sound that bad. I mean, there are scary workouts in every genre, and I have done other Crossfit WODs that were longer or more daunting (hell, I’ve run for hours and hours, ridden 125 miles, swam 5000m, pushed my body for 15+ hours in Ironman), nothing should break me, right (ha!)?

    This one stuck up on me and beat me up. Maybe because I’m in the midst of changing my diet for the long-term. Maybe because I’ve been dealing with lower back pain for the last few years (which has left me really tentative about anything that makes it hurt). Maybe because out of anything I’ve done, Crossfit has had the biggest learning curve. Whatever the combo was, I just crumbled. I finished the WOD (because quitting lasts forever), went home and got in the shower, and thought about that workout.

    What is it about the ones that have broken me? Tour de Cashiers, BOBBBR, Maui Marathon, ING Georgia Marathon, Ironman. I can unequivocally say that it was 30% physical, and 70% mental. All of those races and events were HARD. And Crossfit is HARD. When it’s just you and some dumbbells, you get a glimpse at where your head is. At where the challenge is. And at what you can accomplish. But it also shows you where the suck is. It doesn’t let you get comfortable with the things that might be a little easier. Because just when you start getting comfy, it kicks you in the face and you end up on the floor wondering how you got there in the first place….

    I like it.

  • February9th

    2 Comments

    that little devil…

    Posted in: body gone badass challenge, crossfit, food, inspiration, paleo, primal

    Day #3 of the BGB Challenge, and it’s getting better! Not gonna lie, I was super cranky on Monday and all I wanted was a Coke Zero (blasphemy, I know!) and some chocolate. But this time around, I’ve been focusing on planning ahead and packing meals and snacks, and that’s made it considerably better.

    All I thought about on Monday was the yummy dinner that my boo (yes, mushy pet names, but I’ll never use cuddlywuddlybear) had planned for dinner. Was it ever yummy, and the perfect kickoff to 8 weeks of paleo! Pan seared filet (medium-ish) with mushrooms and onions, a balsamic reduction and asparagus.

    Drooling on your keyboards? It was tasty!

    So all of this thinking about food (because that’s just how it goes the first few weeks, all you can think about is meal planning, shopping, etc..) has me pretty tuned into the ‘voices in my head’. Not the creepy, Sybil type voices, but the little angel and devil voices that sit on your shoulder. Being a part of a challenge, where you have to keep a food log and be 100% honest about what you’re eating, is a huge motivation (aka little angel). But then, there’s that little devil who likes to sit on the other shoulder and be a real jerk. Let’s take a few of the recent suggestions from ‘Jerk’.

    While walking into the Farmer’s Market to pick up more breakfast stuff…“You should have some bread samples, remember how yummy they are? And they’re just samples, they don’t count”.

    While driving home from work…“Dark chocolate sounds really good right now, how about just a small piece?”

    While at work…“You’re so tired, how about some caffeine? Drinks don’t really count…”

    Seriously dude? Screw you!

    I’ve been more in tune with these kinds of thoughts that keep popping up throughout the day, and I’m just blown away. And done. I’m done with the sabotage, done with the negative. Either get on the train dude, or take a hike. Because I’ve got work to do.

  • February8th

    3 Comments

    body gone badass…a challenge

    Posted in: atlanta, body gone badass challenge, crossfit, crossfiteastdecatur, food, paleo, primal, triathlon

    So, my Crossfit box (aka gym) is doing another 8 week challenge. Thank the little baby Jesus! I really enjoyed the challenge last time, but I also really enjoyed the last 2 months of indulging, and my pants are screaming for mercy. It’s time to get on the paleo-wagon, kids. Spring is right around the corner, which means ditching the sweats and wearing shorts!

    Since I was a part of the last challenge, it wasn’t so bad to prep for this one. I tossed out anything non-paleo (I really didn’t have much in the fridge, all of my “cheating” was eating out) and hit up the Farmer’s Market for fresh fruits, veggies and meats.

    We had our benchmark WOD (workout of the day) on Saturday, and it was called “Fight Gone Bad”. See me in the back, laying on the ground, gasping for air? Yah. It was a good fight.

    Fight Gone Bad translates to –

    In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. There are 3 rounds. The stations are:

    1. Wall-ball: 14 pound ball Women/8 pound scaled, 10 ft target. (Reps)
    2. Sumo deadlift high-pull: 55 lbs Women/35 pounds scaled (Reps)
    3. Box Jump: 20″ box (Reps)/step-ups scaled
    4. Push-press: 55 pounds Women/35 pounds scaled (Reps)
    5. Row: calories (Calories)

    The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate,” the athlete must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

    We could choose from RX (prescribed weights above) or scaled. Since I’m still dealing with back pain, I went for the scaled version. I really wanted to go higher on the weights, but coach recommended it and I’m not going to do anything that’s going to get me injured. See, smart girl!

    The workout was SO.MUCH.FUN. I mean, seriously hard, but I really enjoyed pushing myself to see what a good benchmark is, and where I can improve. For me, it’s going to be a wall ball with every attempt (I missed a couple), and maintaining reps on the SDHP. Score for the benchmark? 231.

    I have a lot of goals for this challenge – I want to get an unassisted kipping pullup (basically, a pullup with a kipping swing to help you get above the bar), and I want to get full plank pushups. Body-wise, I want to get into several pairs of jeans in my closet. Good goals, I think!

    I plan on sharing more during the challenge this go ’round, I want you guys to see the difference that eating clean can make and maybe I can inspire you to try it out for a few days?

    In other news, my bike tires are completely flat and I think cupcake has given up on me. As soon as it gets a little warmer, I’m definitely going for a ride. I miss it so much! I’ve been contemplating whether or not I want to sign up for a race (tri) and I’m going to hold off for now. I have a strong pull that I’m doing CF now for a reason – to get stronger and healthier, and I should give it the attention it deserves. I definitely want to ride and run, but the pressure of any sort of training schedule just doesn’t sound fun right now. I love being able to show up at the gym and have a different workout every day. That feels more like playing, and less like work.

  • January18th

    4 Comments

    work it…

    Posted in: crossfit, food, paleo, triathlon

    A thousand blog posts in my head, so it’s time to get back to it. Let’s go with bullets, since there’s a lot to catch up on –

    - The Blog: I’ve been a busy girl! Check out the new digs (since I’m sure you are all reading via feeds)! It’s still a work in progress. I need to finish the masthead and add photos to the scroller, but I didn’t want that to hold up posting, so you get to look at pretty stock photos for now ;) The plan is to continue to share my triathlon/crossfit workouts, talk some paleo diet, food and travel. I might add a little bit of industry commentary in as well, since I’m more and more intrigued with the changes in social media. I’m working on my sidebar, so let me know if you’re a reader and want to be linked!

    - Crossfit: Awesome. Now that I’m working out more consistently at CF, I’m really noticing improvements and loving it more and more every day. People ask me about it all the time, and here’s what I think. Crossfit is HARD WORK. And that hard work is really really rewarding. There are workouts and/or movements that really piss me off, and I think that’s good. You become very aware of your body, your challenges and the obstacles that are getting in the way of being more fit. I’ve been working on double unders (jumping rope – the rope comes under your feet twice before they land) and pullups (we use stretchy bands for assistance, in varying widths, so I’m working my way down to less help). I’d like to have both of these this year. My other goal for CF? I want to see some WOD (workout of the day) pictures that I’m proud of. Coaches at our gym take pictures of the workouts every day and post them on the blog. I want some bad ass pictures.

    - Paleo: After following the challenge for 8 weeks and losing 14 lbs, I’m a huge fan of this lifestyle. I got off track over the holidays, but after seeing the difference in myself just after a few weeks, I’m ready to get back on the wagon. See above…I want the bod that comes with eating like a caveman ;)

    You know what else cavemen like? Fizzy water. My friends have this fancy soda maker that I’ve been coveting, so I’m ordering one! CSN Stores (the rockin peeps that sponsored my last giveaway) offered me a gift card towards my purchase, so I’m getting that instead of a swing set!!! Since the condo association would probably be angry if I put one on the front sidewalk.

    - Yoga: I said it. The girl with chronic chiro issues requires stretching. So I’m going to try it. And try not to laugh at how ridiculous I’ll feel. I need more body awareness in CF, and I think this will help.

    - Racing: I’m working on picking a few races for the year. Maybe a 5K/10K here and there to help get me back into shorter distance running, and potentially an Oly. Cupcake is very lonely in the corner of my new condo and I’m ready to get back out on the roads. Swimming? I’m not sure where my goggles are ;)

    - Travel: Just went to NYC and had an amazing time shopping and dining. I’ve really gotten into experiencing new restaurants and getting outside of my comfort zone (well, slowly). The most fun is ordering small plates and sharing with my date, because then you get to try several things and don’t have to commit to one choice. Score! I’m dreaming about where to go next…

    - Cooking: Shocking, I know. This girl used to cook solely with her toaster oven. Now I’m getting into new recipes and foods, and I LOVE IT. Maybe some cooking lessons?

    That’s it for now!

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