Support

Day 31 - Tuesday, January 31, 2012


So I've mentioned before about the amazing amount of support the ACF/CCP/90 day challenge groups are providing along the way of this "competition." It's so good to see everyone giving advice, encouragement and the occasional kick in the pants when needed. I appreciate everyone's blog posts, blog comments, facebook messages and inspirational photos so much. 


Today the special support shout-out goes to Caleb. This man truly lives and breathes mobility. Creating daily videos with movements specifically geared towards that day's WOD and answering incessant questions about aches and pains, he's a truly invaluable resource.


On another support note ... does anyone have any good suggestions for sports bras? I'm in desperate need of new ones.


Food:
Breakfast - fruit salad, sausage
Lunch - garden salad, tilapia with mango salsa, broccoli
Dinner - meatballs and italian sausage in tomato sauce, caesar salad


Workout:
active recovery/hip mobility

The road to hell ...

Day 30 - Monday, January 30, 2012


... is paved with intentions, right? Well, thus began our dinner tonight. We had planned on having chicken taco salad. John went and got the chicken, the lettuce and an avocado for me and I was so excited for it. We prepared the chicken together and then left it simmering on the stove on low to cook down. We could smell it from the other room, it was mouth watering-ly wonderful. Timer goes off, time to eat! And disaster! It was charcoal! It made made the trip to the flames of best intentioned hell! How could this happen?! We don't have anything else! Time for takeout. I know it's not the best option, but at least I tried. Stella was kind enough to wolf down the sub roll while we weren't looking so even the temptation is gone. I really would have preferred the planned meal, but we did what we could. 


It's funny to think about this being day 30. It's kind of flown by. Thanks to all for the love and support thus far. It's great to be feeling this strong.


Food:
Lunch - Leftover meatza
Snack - orange
Snack - pecans
Dinner - chicken taco salad  the "guts" of a turkey bacon sub (turkey, bacon, lettuce, onions, mustard)
Snack - dark chocolate kisses


Workout:
rest day

Fuel for Athletes

Day 29: Sunday, January 29, 2012


This weekend the Court Club (the building that houses ACF) hosted an Eastern Collegiate Racquetball Conference tournament. The parking lot was full, and so was the building. Dozens of college racquetball players, coaches, fans and supporters lined up watching the matches. I may just be being overly aware due to the 90 day challenge, but I was shocked by what I witnessed this morning.
These collegiate athletes were fueling themselves with garbage. I saw evidence of Fiber One bars, pizza, energy drinks, chips, and artificially sweetened beverages. After I wiped the drool off my chin from the alluring smell of pizza, I took a deep breath and reminded myself of how much better I've been feeling over the last 29 days. Between the reduced inflammation in my stomach, the clearer brighter skin, the lost weight, and the better sleep how could I not cringe when I saw what these athletes were putting in their bodies. This is all aside from the performance improvements I've seen. It's no wonder professional athletes are turning to the paleo lifestyle. 
Someone should tell those racquetball kids. 


Food:
Breakfast - eggs, bacon, orange
Lunch - turkey breast
Dinner - meatza with pepperoni, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, onions


Workout:
Strongman class
I: keg carry warmup (140lb)
II: farmer's walk warmup (110, 160F, 140 each hand)
III: medley: farmer's walk and keg carry (140lb keg, 140 each hand farmers walk)

Grace AND Guts

Day 28 - Saturday, January 28, 2012


Today was just a fantastic day overall. I started it with this yummy concoction. The BEST paleo friendly pancakes I've had yet. No fighting with almond butter and a really fluffy, true-to-pancake experience.
Then, off to GymNasty class which is quickly growing on me. It was definitely tough and my shoulders are going to be shot tomorrow, but it's definitely a good forum to work on skills. I noticed my ring rows are getting a lot stronger, and I'm gradually able to move my feet closer and closer to the wall while keeping the height of the rings the same. So where does the grace come in? Oh yes. During tripod practice, I fell off the freaking box. Yep. I failed trying to push myself up and ended up half-somersaulting, half flailing off the box. Poor Kia. She didn't know what to do with me. I was fine, or course, but it must have been amusing to watch. 
When I got home, I had a message from Jay asking if I wanted to sign up for the Throwdown in a couple weeks. I'd been thinking about it. Debating. Telling myself I'm crazy for even considering it. After this morning's fall off the box, I know I'm crazy. But I'm signed up. A couple other girls and I have a pact where if we do something stupid we'll disguise each other's identity to avoid embarrassment. At least there's a plan in place. Now it'll just be a matter of how I make a fool of myself. But competing is a good challenge, or something, right? And I know there's some saying out there about life beginning at the end of my comfort zone?  This one's gonna take a lot of guts and not the same kind I've been talking about the past few days. Wish me luck!

Food:
Breakfast - coconut pancakes, maple syrup
Lunch - Chili bowl at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center
Dinner - Hellfire (cajun chicken, hot sausage, curry, peppers, onions, tomatoes)


Workout:
Gymnasty Girls - (I think I'm missing something)
I: With a partner, 3 rounds: 45lbs overhead with 10 squat therapy
II: 5 rounds: 8 ring pushups, 3 ring rows (challenging)
III: 10 minutes tripod practice
IV: Accumulate 1 minute false grip time
V: 20-20-20 pushups, hollow rocks, handstand hold
    15-15-30
    10-10-40
    (5:30)

Guts (continued)

Day 27 - Friday, January 27, 2012

Oh boy. While I enjoyed every bite of my cheat meal last night, I'm paying for it today. Sparing any grisly details, my stomach is just not reacting well to the sugar, grains and fat from my food intake. My poor gut is just not happy. Again. For a totally different reason than two days ago.

I took an impulsive day off from work today and enjoyed some extra rest while nursing the upset stomach. While the prospect of attacking the Filthy 50 was intimidating in itself, doing it with an upset stomach didn't seem wise.

Dinner is back on track tonight. Hamburgers with bacon and turnip fries. I'm glad I got the cheat out of my system and was able to start back so easily. This definitely has never been the case before. I blame all those people cheering me on and holding me accountable. That and the fact that Murph will be back from vacation eventually and seeing all of my food again. :)

Finally, I'm working up the guts to sign up for the Tri-State Throwdown event at ACF. I know it's important to step outside my comfort zone. To compete and see what I can do, but I'm truly terrified. What if I do something stupid?! What if I forget how to count like  always happens?! Definitely going to take guts.

Food:

Lunch - Turkey club (minus the bread and mayo), sweet potato fries

Snack - dark chocolate almonds

Dinner - hamburger with bacon, sweet potato and beet chips

Snack - two dark chocolate Hershey kisses

Workout:

none

Hooray for a rest day!

Day 26 - Thursday, January 27, 2012


I'm so happy for a rest day today, although the WOD today looked like one I really would have "liked" and needed. Split jerks are definitely a weakness of mine and something I should work on. My strongman jerks would really benefit from a split jerk. I was also really excited for my first whole cheat meal since the start of this challenge. I'm sure I won't feel the same way tomorrow, but for today a day of takeout and laziness on the couch with my honey is exactly what I need.


Food:
Lunch - turkey breast, pepperoni, mozzarella, almonds
Dinner - first cheat meal! boneless chicken wings and chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream


Workout:
None! First rest day in five days!

Guts

Day 25 - Wednesday, January 25, 2012


After a small amount of courage thanks to Jonesy, I posted my blog on the 90 day challenge site yesterday. Yeah, that long rambling super personal story about all of my weight struggles over the last 15 years out there for everyone to see. Oh my goodness was it traumatic, but it was nice to get some positive feedback and encouragement. I'm glad I got the guts to do it, even though it took some encouragement.
I also had a conversation with a fellow crossfitter about my issue with finishing last. (The not wanting people to cheer for me and yell at me to finish. The wanting to tell them to fuck off, drop the bar and walk out.) I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way.
Finally, I had strongman class (first Wednesday back in forever!) tonight. The first WOD was axle clean and jerks, five heavy rounds of one. These are the WODs PRs are made of. 110? no problem. 115? no problem. 120? that's getting heavy, but it's up. 125? holy shit, I got it up. 130? nope. but certainly doable down the road. I'm pretty sure my previous PR was 115. Also, I think my "normal" jerk PR was lower than 125 as well, making this extra impressive for me. The only problem with the continental is that intermediate step of resting the bar on your belly to flip your hand over before the quick transition to rack position. It gets pretty tender pretty quickly. Rearranging your guts (back to the topic at hand, see how I did that?) in the process. Between that, and the 75 situps yesterday, my guts are cooked!


Food:
Breakfast - ham and cheese omelet
Lunch - leftover chicken stir fry, orange, chocolate covered almonds
Dinner - chicken cobb salad
Snack - almonds, meatballs


Workout:
Strongman at ACF
1-1-1-1-1 Axle Clean and Jerk
PR! 125lbs.
Failed at 130 in fifth round attempt.

I've lost more than 200 pounds!

One of my "lighter"
moments (with Comstock
prison in the background)

Day 24 - Tuesday, January 24, 2012


Aren't you impressed! Too bad I was never able to keep it off. I just wanted to try to document some of the weight related milestones in my life. To recognize my struggles and successes.

Obesity runs in my family. My dad has had type II diabetes for as long as I can remember. There's never a shortage of food at a family event. In fact, during one summer barbecue, with a crowd of us standing in the chow line, the whole deck fell off the side of the house. 

I've never been a small girl. Perhaps average through the first part of elementary school? When I graduated from high school, I was the same pant size as I am now. I know for a lot of women, being able to fit into your prom dress is a badge of honor. Maybe not so much for me. 

College brought the infamous freshman fifteen (or more??) with that darn unlimited dining hall and my limited palette. By the time I graduated from school I was even heavier. 

And then, it happened. I got engaged. With just over two years until the wedding, my fear of the white dress was enough to motivate me into doing something about my size. All vanity. No health concern. I joined Weight Watchers with a few other friends at work and had a lot of success. I lost ~90 pounds and got well below my lowest adult weight. My wedding dress that wouldn't have fit me when I ordered it, had to be taken in about five sizes. I was so proud of myself.

And then, I settled into married life. I gained some happy weight. 

And then, disaster. I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and we had to start playing around with some different medication options. All of them known to cause weight gain. Over the next year or so I gained 100 pounds. Yes, 100. Two pounds a week in the wrong direction. I was depressed because of my condition, depressed because of my weight, and depressed about my unhappy marriage, which would soon end.

And then, when I was just about my heaviest, I met someone. I lost some weight to be happier and healthier. It stuck a little bit. I decided I wanted to play roller derby, but knew I couldn't possibly do it at my then current weight. I rejoined WW. I had some more success. I lost ~70 more pounds. (That's about where I was in the picture.) 

And then, I joined roller derby. It was so much work. Such a great workout. I ate pretty much whatever I wanted and was maintaining my weight. Not losing, but maintaining. I was practicing three or four times a week, plus going to a globo-gym. And then ... I got burnt out. It was just too much work, too far of a drive, I started to slow down the workouts and practice schedule and started to gain weight again. At first I didn't notice, but eventually it crept back up. Luckily during this time, I found Crossfit thanks to Jay's sponsorship of the team. 

Since retirement from derby I was missed the practices. I was still occasionally going to Crossfit. Yoyo-ing back and forth between hardcore dedicated and not going at all. Unfortunately the low periods were more frequent and longer than the motivated ones.   I'd join challenges, lose weight, feel good and then get tired. Or injured. Or sick. And getting back in became more difficult. I lost my derby girl support system and gym buddies. I was shy and hard a hard time connecting to the infamous "community" everyone raves about. 

Last October, I decided I was going to get back to it. Start working out again. Dedicate myself to Crossfit and being healthier. I wanted to feel good again. Like I hadn't in quite a while. I didn't have the same excuses that had kept me away before (house renovations, new puppy, inconvenient location). My diet wasn't perfect, but at least I was moving. Scaling everything but the strength workouts, but showing up. Vacation came and went and then pneumonia. For nearly two months, I struggled to recover. I could barely speak a sentence without coughing so hard bad things happened. At this point, I came into CCP and talked with Murph. Tears in my eyes, I explained how I wanted to feel better, to lose weight, to look good in a white dress again. He said we'd get there. Once I could breathe, we'd start slow. Get back into workouts, scale things as much as we had to. Work around the asthma and the declined fitness. I started to feel good about it again. Motivated. I joined the 90 day challenge with the goal of being able to start working out again without coughing for January 1st.

24 days later, I'm seeing some success on the scale. I'm seeing even more success in inches lost. I've finally embraced the community at Crossfit even though I'm still shy. I'm starting to see improvements in my Crossfit performance, although I still have days where I struggle to breathe, or have asthma attacks.Slowly this will improve. I'm not sure where I'll be on day 90. I'm even more frightened of day 91. And terrified of how I will look on day 366. 

Today, I will work hard. I will go to Crossfit even when the WOD looks terrifying. I will grocery shop with the menu plan in hand. I will celebrate the small victories, on the scale and off. I will support and be supported by the athletes around me, in the challenge and beyond. I will take one day at a time. And I will be healthier and happier for it. (And maybe even look good in that darn dress.)


Food:
Breakfast - orange
Lunch - leftover pulled pork, sweet potato chips
Snack - apple chips, almonds
Dinner - chicken stir fry (chicken breast, carrots, pea pods, broccoli, lemon, curry paste, white wine)
Snack - dark chocolate, almonds, hot chocolate milk


Workout:
CFWUx2
I: 10x2 press (55lb)
II: 3 rounds
   10 ring rows
   10 ring pushups
   10 power cleans (55lb)
   15 burpees
   (11:45)
III: 5x15 ab mat situps

So much to say

Day 23 - Monday, January 23, 2012


First, I just want to say I can't stand DMB. Like, second most overrated band EVER, sorry Jay. (BTW, Metallica is number one.) However, I can't say "so much to say" without that darn chorus getting stuck in my head, so now it's your problem too.


Secondly, I'm proud of myself. Even though I've been dodging "Karen" for two years, I walked in the door today and didn't leave when my stomach started to ache, and my head started to hurt. (Anxiety anyone?) 


Thirdly, I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I did kind of psych myself out of doing this Rx. There weren't anymore 14lb wall balls available (so sad) so I had to scale down to the 10 pounder. Watching my amazing partner crank through her 150, and how difficult it was, and seeing other people down the line struggle through it, I started with self doubt. I can't do 150 of these. What was I thinking? I can't do 100 squats, let alone 150 squats, let alone 150 squats with a weighted ball and having to throw the darn thing up to hit a target on the wall. What am I doing here? So as Eric was walking down the line, getting people set up for the second heat, with a tear in my eye I told him I couldn't do 150 of these. And he said, "then don't." Um. Ok? So I shot for 100. And I did the 100. With Desiree cheering me through every one. Sucking wind. Wanting to cry. But I did them. 100. Not 150. I finished in 8:25, which is more time than many people took to do 150. However. There was one guy, Jeff, who kept working to get in the 150 even though it took him almost 15 minutes. And everyone was cheering for him. Encouraging him. Getting him back to the wall. I kind of feel like I should have kept going.  


Fourthly, I know why I didn't keep going. I don't want people cheering for me. Being the last one finished, for me, isn't about having the worst time. It's about not wanting people watching me. Judging me. Knowing that I'm the slowest, fattest, least fittest. Knowing people are focused on me, and my ineptitude. I know this isn't what the ACF/CCP community is about. I know it's about support and encouragement. However, a lifetime worth of judgement and teasing and bullying about my weight has tainted my view. Just having the fear that one of those people watching is secretly thinking to themselves, why is this girl here. She can't do this stuff. I'm ready to go and I'm stuck cheering for this slob who can't get herself together and put down the pie. This is something I'm going to have to work on. Blogging as therapy?


Finally, I just want to thank the rest of the 90 day challengers for being so supportive and open with commiseration and inspiration so far. It's really been easy to forget this is a "contest" with amazing prizes. I've also made some new friends, and started to open up with other athletes, getting over my shyness. Seeing their faces and reading about their struggles and successes in their blogs and on the challenge group has made it easier for me to approach them. (Ok, that might be creepy.) Just, thank you. And I'm sorry for the awful earwig.


Onto the boring stuff...
Food:
Breakfast - orange
Lunch - chipotle and orange grilled chicken, brown rice (which I later regretted when I was mid-afternoon fighting the vending machine visit craving)
Dinner - Pulled pork with maple barbecue sauce, sweet potato tater tots
Snack - paleo cupcake with dark Hershey's kiss


Workout:
I: AMRAP double unders (um, none. But I did practice singles and worked on getting my heels down)
II: Karen - 150 Wall Balls (10lb ball, scaled to 100: 8:25)
III: 3 sets max rep pull-ups (9,9,8 ring rows)

I pick things up and put them down

Day 22 - Sunday, January 22, 2012

Ok, it's funny, but a little bit true. Sometimes it feels like this is what we do in the Strongman class. Strongman has been my favorite specialty class at Crossfit since the very first time I tried it. Strength days are my favorite regular WODs and when you throw in bizarre awkward objects like kegs and logs, I'm in heaven. Today's Strongman class (the first official Sunday one) was packed with familiar faces and new. It's amazing how much this specialty offering has grown. I love seeing girls wanting to get strong. One girl not only got her very first keg press overhead, but then got a dozen up after that! Some of the girls are demonstrating HUGE strength and more than half were able to get the 75lb keg up at least once. Unfortunately, the only other heavier keg is 140lbs, so that one's not quite in my grasp yet. Next step will be getting it to shoulder but my regular push press/jerk aren't strong enough yet to even attempt it with an awkward object.

I've been hoping to compete in my first strongman even for about a year now. I've talked to Cat and we're working on a strategy to get me involved. Best case, March 17th, but it's kind of a long shot. Otherwise, May 20th! I'm getting excited!

that's me in the red, vipering the lighter keg

Food:
Breakfast - turnip hash browns with onions, bacon, orange
Lunch - chicken breast, sweet potato chips
Dinner - bun-less steak sandwich (with peppers, onions, ham, cheese, and bacon)

Workout:
Strongman
I: fun with kegs (lifting and technique practice)
II: keg press, as many as possible in 1 minute (1st round (75lb) 3, 2nd round (57lb) 10, 3rd round (75lb) 4)

III: 3 keg presses (75lb), 10 SDHP (55lb) (1:10)

Shh ... Don't tell

Day 21 - Saturday, January 21, 2012


My food was just plain awful today. I wasn't hungry and when I did eat, I wasn't making the best food choices. 
I spent some time talking with a good friend of mine about getting my relationship with food under control and discussing the similarities and differences between alcoholism and food/sugar addiction. It's really interesting and difficult to think about at the same time. I've had food issues (binging, secret/closet eating, obsessiveness, compulsion) for as long as I can remember. I have childhood memories of sneaking into the kitchen cabinets for extra snacks, bizarre snacks. Not just normal things like cookies, but bread with peanut butter and sugar (yes, plain white sugar) or a mixture of nuts, M&Ms and goldfish crackers. All of it would be acquired in silence and eaten in solitude. I still find myself doing this sometimes. It's pretty messed up. And I know it. And I have some idea of things I can do about it, but taking that step is scary and intimidating. And I don't want to live a life without chocolate cake, but I can't make my life ABOUT chocolate cake.


Food: 
Breakfast - two paleo cupcakes with dark chocolate
Lunch - pepperoni and cheese
Snack - hot chocolate
Dinner - eggs with bacon


Workout:
none, couldn't drive to GymNasty :(

Day 20

Day 20 - Friday, January 20, 2012


Just a quick log entry. The day didn't go as well as this suggests, but I worked through it.


Food:
Breakfast - ham and cheese omelet, orange
Lunch - sushi
Dinner - tortilla-free fajitas (chicken, peppers, onions, jalepenos, salsa, guacamole)


Workout:
2.5 "mile" row

Plodding along

Poor little overcooked pork chop

Day 19 - January 19, 2012


So here we are at the almost three week point, and I'm having my first pangs of "I don't know if I want to do this anymore" and "I just want pizza" and "Could one box of Oreos really be so bad." I'm trying to think back whether I've had this hump in the past or not. I guess I thought it would come sooner. Maybe my mind things this is another 30 day challenge? That we're almost done? There's a long way to go in this challenge. And a long way to go before December 21st. And if I'm really going to stick with this for a lifetime, a looooooong way to go. What keeps you going? How do you stick with it through the tough times? The humps and the temptations and the cravings?


Food:
Breakfast - orange
Lunch - tuna, pecans, sweet potato chips
Dinner - pork chop, roasted vegetables, home-made applesauce
Snack - paleo cupcake, hot chocolate


Workout:
morning: 2.5 "mile" row
afternoon: functional, Stella to the dog park
evening: functional, Stella obedience class

Healthy Food Rejection

Day 18 - January 18, 2012


I'm lucky to know a lot of people who are very DIY, something I aspire to, and dabble in occasionally. Once a month, the From Scratch Club holds a food swap that I love to attend. The things these women (and occasional man) come up with to bring and swap are nothing short of amazing. Just last night there was homemade wine, lip balms and soaps, and a variety of soups and baked goods. I brought the cupcakes I tried out last week. Let me just say the idea of gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo friendly cupcakes didn't go over too well next to homemade bread, cupcake lollipops and alcohol. I was slightly disappointed, but it was good to know the couple people that did swap with me appreciated the allergy or inflammation friendliness. In return I walked away with a great carrot salad and sweet potato hummus. I can't wait to try my new food treats out!


Food:
Breakfast - kielbasa, orange
Lunch - tuna over salad greens, sweet potato chips
Snack - paleo cupcake (had to taste test for the food swap!)
Dinner - bacon cheeseburger, no bun


Workouts:
Morning 2.5 "mile" row


Evening CCP
I: 300m row, 30 sec rest, 250m row
II: foam rolling
III: 5 sets: 3 deadlifts (135lb), 5 burpees (real ones!), 25 jumpropes, 3 minutes rest (18:13)
IV: rowing cool down

An (imaginary) toast to the rest day

mmm ... taco salad

Day 17 - January 17, 2012


Yesterday was a rest day. Oh thank goodness. I was definitely feeling the effect of three days of squat intensive workouts, and my hamstrings were so sore from the kettle-bell swings. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good at this point. I'm used to the food changes/challenges. I have a supportive personal chef/inhaler fetcher. I'm seeing results on the scale, in the mirror and in my clothes. I'm so inspired by reading all of the other blogs every day and seeing everyone's progress and dedication. This is probably the "easiest" challenge I've been in so far because of the amazing support system that's developed. It truly doesn't feel like a competition at this point, even though I do have my eyes on the prizes. 17 down, 63 to go in the challenge! 


Food:
Breakfast - omelet with ham, cheese, peppers and onions, orange juice
Lunch - leftover chicken with artichokes and garlic
Dinner - taco salad (romaine, orange peppers, tomatoes, jalepenos, salsa, sour cream, revival cheese from Argyle Cheese Farmer, ground beef)


Workout: 
None, planned rest day

When life gets in the way ... and eats a razor blade ... and burns your hand ...

It tastes better than it looks!

Day 16 - January 16, 2012


When life gets in the way, what do you do? Skip the day? Add another rest day? Chalk it up to living in a busy world? I want to do all those things right now, but I know I shouldn't. I ended up missing the WOD tonight after an emergency trip to the vet. We thought the dog had eaten the "business end" of a razor and had to go get x-rays done. Luckily, no razor in the puppy belly, but what a stressful situation. Especially when a vet visit isn't in the budget right now. So, I missed the WOD. Now what? Well, I'm looking through the WODs on the Road page to see what I'm able to do here at home with the equipment I have and my hand wrapped in gauze. Gauze? Yep, gauze. While cooking that marvelous dinner pictured on the left, John and I both managed to burn ourselves. Both doing the same stupid thing - grabbing the handle of the hot saucepan. Luckily the recipe came out great, even if it didn't look as pretty as the picture. (Do they ever?!)


Food:
Brunch - keilbasa, grapes
Snack - buffalo chicken breast
Stressed snack - dark chocolate chips (not proud of it, weak moment)
Dinner - Chicken with Artichokes and Garlic Sauce from the Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals cookbook


Workout:
2.5 "mile" morning row


WOD on the road
30 air squats, 4 rounds. rest for 2 minutes between rounds

No Crying in Crossfit

Day 15 - Sunday, January 15, 2012


Rumor has it there's no crying in Crossfit. That might be so, but there's certainly crying during rest at Crossfit. At least there was for me yesterday. I started the first set with a little too much intensity and started an asthma attack  during the first rest. The tears started rolling down my face with frustration. I'm so tired of not being able to breathe. But each set, I got back up and did what I could, modifying intensity as I needed to survive the four minutes of work. Thank goodness for Jameela cheering me on and Murph checking in on me. My mantra will just have to be:


"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
- Coach John Wooden


Food:
Lunch - spaghetti squash with meatballs and sauce, garden salad, planned cheat: birthday mini cupcake at my niece's birthday party
Dinner - free form chicken fajitas (no tortillas)


Workout:
I. Group mobility
II. 5 sets - 
   4 minutes AMRAP
   20 KB swings (18lb)
   5 air squats
   5 ring rows
   4 minutes rest

Day 14 - Two weeks down!

Day 14 - Saturday, January 14, 2012


I didn't eat much yesterday. I just wasn't hungry. What I did do was go to my first ever GymNasty Girls class at ACF. So challenging and yet, so much fun at the same time. I can't wait to go back and do it again. (Except for that whole, dropping the barbell on my foot part.) That sucked. 


Food:
Lunch - two eggs, bacon, sweet potato fries
Dinner - chicken with buffalo sauce, gorgonzola cheese, yellow pepper strips, paleo cupcake


Workouts:
morning row 2 "miles"


Gymnasty Girls at ACF
I. Group warmup/mobility
II. Muscle-up transition work, ten minutes
III. 3 rounds, 5 kip practice swings, 5 pushups (knee)
IV. 10 minute volume training on a suck (5 challenging ring rows)
IV. 7 minute AMRAP: 2 HSPU (knee on box), 4 seated barbell press (45lb), 6 lunges (6 rounds)

TGI Friday the 13th

Day 13 - January 13, 2012

If Friday the 13th is a day for bad luck, I certainly had my share of it. At the least, it was a comedy of errors. First, I couldn't find my car keys. I searched high and low and they were nowhere to be found. Then I had to find a spare and head to work. I busted my butt to get a lot done early so I could sneak out a little early to make the 5pm WOD at Clifton Park. Rushed over there, and was getting changed before I realized I had forgotten to pack a sports bra. Many ladies can probably get away with this, but not this lady. So, I got redressed and awkwardly walked back out. We had dinner plans out with friends and headed to Ruby Tuesday. I knew I could have a cheeseburger without the bun so that was my plan. And that plan worked. But somehow, I forgot that potatoes weren't primal. Duh. And ate half of my mashed potatoes before my brain said, "what are you doing?!" And I looked and John and said, "why did I order potatoes?" And he said, "I don't know. I gave you a funny look when you ordered them, but you didn't see me." Thanks, honey. Finally, we got home to a road closure due to a water main break around the corner from our house. Now we're under a boil water advisory and have experience some intermittent outages. What a day! Thankfully today (Saturday) is off to a better start.

Food:
Breakfast - small banana, almonds
Lunch - leftover Italian peasant soup, paleo cupcake
Snack - grapes
Dinner - Bacon Cheeseburger, broccoli, mashed potatoes (argh!)

Workout:
morning row (2 "miles")

Rest day due to my own stupidity

Italian Peasant Soup recipe

Italian Peasant Soup simmering away

Day 12 - January 12, 2012

^ That's a lot of 12s!

But, I digress. Thursday is work-from-home day for me, which can either be great for accomplishing things, both work, and personal OR it can be a disaster of forgetting to eat and working way past normal hours. Today was a fantastic mix of getting lots done. One of the most exciting was making this fantastic pot of "Italian Peasant Soup". It's really good and makes enough to refrigerate/freeze for future quick meals. I got the recipe from my aunt, so I apologize for not being able to source it properly. We also made paleo vanilla cupcakes which are AMAZING as well. Recipe in a future post.

Italian Peasant Soup

1 pound Italian sausage, I suggest hot

2 medium onions, chopped coarsely

4-6 garlic cloves, crushed

1 pound boneless chicken, cut into 1" pieces

2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth (I used a 32oz carton)

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

6 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach leaves

In a large pot, cook sausage over medium heat until browned. 

Add onions and garlic, saute until tender.

Add chicken, saute and stir until no chicken is cooked.

Add the broth, tomatoes, basil and oregano. Stir to mix.

Cook, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Add the spinach and heat just until wilted.

Enjoy! Even better the next day.

Food:

Breakfast - omelet with ham, cheese, peppers and onions

Lunch - banana with almond butter and cashews

Dinner - Italian Peasant Soup

Post-WOD snack - paleo vanilla cupcake (OMG, recipe to come)

Workouts:

morning row (2 "miles")

Murph-tries-to-kill-Elle

3 rounds, 1.5 "mile" row, 20 burpees, 25 situps, 2minutes rest

(25:12)

I feel good

(na na na na na na na)

Day 11 - January 11, 2012

11 days down! Woohoo! 12% through the challenge and I'm feeling pretty good. Preparation and planning are obviously a huge piece of this. The community of fellow 90 day challengers and bloggers definitely keep me motivated. The coaches willingness to work around my challenges and to support me has never been this strong. Two of them mentioned yesterday that they could tell I've lost weight. They might be full of it since the small loss so far is such a low percentage it's probably not possible,  but it still feels good. (I knew that it would, now)

Food:

Breakfast - apple, pork sausage

Lunch - vegetarian vegetable soup

Dinner - chicken and lettuce wraps, green salad with ahi tuna

Workout:

morning 2 "mile" row

CCP:

I: Partner warmup

   3 rounds, 20 squats, suicides, 5 burpees (ugh)

II: 50 pushups (scaled to 25, went to elevated box after 15)

    2 minutes rest

III: 20 box jumps (ballistics box, step ups) 

    20 pullups (ring rows)   

    15 box jumps

    15 pullups

    10 box jumps

    10 pullups

    5 box jumps

    5 pullups

    2 minutes rest

IV: 50 pushups (scaled to 25, elevated on 9" box)

(13:27 for II, III, and IV combined)

My first cheat "meal"

Day 10 - January 10, 2011


I had a whole 'nother post written that I was going to put up last night. One full of optimism and pride. And then ... the migraine struck. I'm not sure if it was the stress and cloud of cologne at the car dealership, or the monthly hormonal impact, or just the full-ish moon, but damn this one knocked me down. I spent the evening from 5pm to 11pm huddled under a blanket in the dark sleeping on and off while cursing how loudly I could hear the hockey game on the TV, and how hot the cuddling-because-she-knew-I-wasn't-feeling-well puppy was in her attempt to wedge herself between me and the back of the couch (successfully, I might add.) I hate setbacks like this. And because I was sleeping, and because he was watching the hockey game, John didn't make dinner and so when I woke up still head-achy and hungry I decided to say fuck it and had a bowl of ice cream and went to bed. Would I have done this if I weren't miserable, and hungry and hormonal? Who knows. But I did. And now I've written it down and moved on and gotten back on track this morning. 10 days down, 80 to go in the challenge, and a lifetime beyond that.


Food:
Breakfast - bacon and egg muffins, small banana
Lunch - leftover hamburger with bacon and avocado, green salad, trail mix
Snack - leftover chicken with ham and pepper jack cheese (this was supposed to be my pre-WOD snack)
Dinner - none, slept off my migraine
Snack - Breyer's chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate chips (at least there's no unpronouncables in it, right?) 


Workout:
None (see above mentioned migraine that caused me to sleep through it)

Counter-intuitive progress

Bacon wrapped egg muffins

Day 9 - January 9, 2012


I woke up once again barely able to move. My back was still super stiff and painful. To the point where I called the chiropractor and decided to work from home today. Some adjusting later (and boy did I need it) I was still sore, but could definitely feel that my foundation was better. I talked to Murph and he said he had a plan for me to be able to workout tonight, so off to CCP I went. Actually it didn't go too badly. Now that I'm home and fed, my back actually feels pretty good! Weird. I guess the combination of chiropractic care, movement, and mobility did wonders! Who'da thunk!?


Food:
Breakfast - two egg muffins (sun dried tomatoes, peppers, onions, egg, bacon), small banana
Lunch - leftover ham-stuffed chicken, trail mix of cashews pecans raisins and dark choc chips
Snack - leftover bacon wrapped dates
Dinner - avocado bacon cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, four dark kisses


Workout:
I: Warmup - 500m row
II: 5 rounds of 10 ring rows, 10 air squats, 10 pushups (knees) with 2 minutes rest ... 13:20 (note: I felt strong tonight. I know this was scaled for my pain, but I was able to go mostly unbroken for the first two rounds)
III: 10 minutes light rowing (1740m)
IV: couch stretch, childs pose, cat/cow, forward bends

Temptations & Accountability

Day 8 - January 8, 2012

Buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips, pizza bread with broccoli, ham and cheese, chocolate cake, candied pecans, onion dip, wine, apple-tinis, and more. These are all of the foods that were spread out in front of me last night. So many delicious delicious temptations. Luckily John and I had made bacon wrapped dates and I put together a fresh veggie platter and included guacamole as an option. I certainly wish there had been more, but I stayed strong. How? Because I knew I'd have to write down what I ate. And I knew people would see it. And I didn't want that. One of the best part of this challenge is the incredible community and support network that's grown between the participants. Recipe sharing, advice, nutrition information and plain old sanity support are certainly making this the best challenge I've ever been involved in. Everyone is really working together even though there are big prizes at stake. Just one more thing that makes the ACF/CCP community so amazing.


Food:
Lunch - turkey and cheddar rollups
Cafe with Nacho - cappuccino (side note: hooray for getting this instead of the latte with whipped cream after asking the guy what was in it and seeing a list of weird ingredients instead of "cream")
Snack - cashews
Dinner - chicken with ham, honey glazed carrots


Workout:
mobility/stretching
(my back is killing me! time for a visit to the chiropractor)

The no good, very bad day

Last night's meatza
(my half is on the right with the veggies)

Day 7 - January 7, 2012

WARNING: this post is comprised almost 100% of whining. Proceed at your own risk.

My back hurts. I can't breathe. My cough is getting worse again. I have fifteen people coming to the house today and a ton of cleaning to do (thank you, honey for all you do). So what does this mean for the 90 day challenge. I won't be WOD'ing today. I won't be Gym-nasty'ing. I'll be stressing about what to eat and how to avoid all of the dishes my neighbors will be bringing into the house. The things John and I are making are probably the only ones I'll be able to eat, minus the peanut butter and chocolate bars he's making. I'm feeling pretty awful and just not all that motivated today. But it's just one day.

Food:

Lunch - leftover meatza from last night

Snack - turkey/cheddar rollups, figs

Dinner/cocktail party - bacon wrapped dates, raw orange bell peppers with guacamole

Post-party 1am cleanup snack - that darn peanut butter and chocolate bar 

Workout:

none (blah)

Bonus recipe day

Yum in a bowl, with a fork

Day 6 - January 6, 2012

What do you do when you're starving, trying super hard to be on plan, and don't have a lot of time to make a meal? 

Chicken Salad Plus+

1 can chunk chicken (check the label for weird stuff)

1 avocado

Plus raisins, pecans, apples, onion, celery, whatever else you can think of!

Mash the avocado and the chicken together and stir in your add-ins. Ta-da!

Not an original recipe (see Jason's), but a go-to for me for breakfasts or lunches where I don't have a lot of time left on my hangry clock. 

Food:

Breakfast - bacon, orange juice (the greek yogurt I brought with me was spoiled!)

Hangry snack - cheddar cheese

Lunch - Chicken salad plus+, 3 dark chocolate kisses

Dinner - Ground chicken crusted meatza with artichokes, sundried tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, and pepperoni

Workout: 

ten minutes light rowing

mobility and stretching

I tweaked my back somewhere between Crossfit and home Thursday night. Perhaps during the Cindy inspired asthma attack. I'm having a ton of pain in my lower back/SI area and can't do much. Pretty bummed out about the set back.

Good Idea ... Bad Idea ...

Day 5 - January 5, 2012

Good Idea: Yoga

Bad Idea: Yoga with a sinus infection

Good Idea: Having a friend named Cindy

Bad Idea: Doing "Cindy" after two+ months away from crossfit

Good Idea: Eating clean

Bad Idea: House cleaning

Ok, maybe most people wouldn't agree with that last one, but seriously, I hate cleaning my house. Thank goodness house elves show up while I'm not home/sleeping and do a lot. Still doing pretty well with the food. Struggling a bit with the workouts after so long away and recovering from the pneumonia and other respiratory issues. I wanted to die during Cindy, but managed not to cry and to finished with a rather pathetic score. In good news, it can't be worse 90 days from now, right?!

Food:

Breakfast - Omelet with red peppers, onions, ham and cheese, Natural orange juice

Lunch - Leftover cajun stuffed chicken breast, grapes

Mid-afternoon Snack - pecans, figs

Dinner - steak tips, steamed broccoli, rice

Workout(s):

Morning - 5 minute row

Evening - 

1RM Deadlift (215lbs)

5 minute row for distance (960m)

Cindy (8+13)

20 min AMRAP:

5 pullups (scaled to ring rows, toes 42" from wall, bottom of rings waist high)

10 pushups (scaled to rogue box for first four rounds, 20" box remaining)

15 squats