Hitting Goals

Right now I am down in New Jersey visiting my parents. Last night we headed into NYC and I indulged a bit-ice cream, chocolate, alcohol(okay maybe more than a bit). I very rarely do this and I felt pretty guilty, especially when I got home and saw the WOD for today on the Big Dawgs Blog-a 1RM Power Clean.  A few weeks ago I had set myself a goal of doing a 150# PC by the end of August.  After PC'ing 140#x2 a little while ago I sent my video to a friend for some analysis.  I have been focusing on the tips he gave me and I knew that 150# was well within my reach.

However, the combination of bad food, no air-conditioning/crazy humidity, the pending hurricane and my nervousness led to a TERRIBLE night sleep.  So, when I woke up(tired and with a sugar hangover) and started getting ready to go to the gym I had to mentally push the negative thoughts I was having out of my mind.  The people at CrossFit Hamilton were AWESOME and there was some pretty wicked energy there when I arrived.  It must have rubbed off on me becasue as soon as I started warming up I knew I was going to PR.  Sure enough I put 150# on the bar and it flew up.

The best part about the PR was that it was easy-in fact it almost caught me off guard because of how great it felt. 150# felt really light and I know I can do more.  While I am really happy with today I have already set myself a new goal - 160# by the end of September.

"Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor..."-Aldous Huxley

First video...

I took some video footage of the Big Dawgs WOD for today which was:

15 power snatch - 115#/80#

9 box jumps - 24"

12 power snatch - 115#/80#

12 box jumps - 24"

9 power snatch - 115#/80#

15 box jumps - 24"

My time was 8:19 and I was really disappointed(especially after seeing the other times posted).  I hurt myself mentally on this as I told myself when I saw it posted that the snatch weight was going to be 'heavy' for me and so I started making excuses(sore legs from Thursday, not wearing oly shoes....) before I even began. As a result I took WAY TOO MUCH rest between snatches. The weight never got too heavy but I convinced myself I needed to rest to ensure I didn't fail any reps.

To sum it up. I need to learn to start telling myself that I CAN do met-cons with 'heavier' weights.  The weird part about this is that 80# shouldn't even be that heavy for me.

I was a bit embarrassed to share this video but figured that it keeps me honest. It is only the first and last 9 snatches to show the difference between the beginning and the end of the WOD.  Please ignore the yelling(after starting to video myself I have come to realize how annoying I am....sorry!)

Accountable

This is a quick post on 2 goals I have set for myself. 

By the end of the month I am going to Clean 150#.

I felt it was important to put it out there in order to hold myself accountable

Today I cleaned 140#x2 and missed 150# twice but only because of stupid mistakes.  I got some good advice from a friend who watched my video of it and I know I will get it next time I try.

By the end of the year I am going to get a sub 9-minute "Helen"

I did it today(stupid idea) at one of the gyms here in Edmonton but it was after my Big Dawgs training for the day (no excuses).  I know sub-9 minutes is within my reach(I did everything unbroken) I just need faster run times which should not be hard for me.

*On another quick note I can say that since starting Big Dawgs I have come to value my rest days a lot more.  I used to take rest days whenever I felt I needed them(which wasn't very often) but now I need them and I am using them to recover(lots of stretching, walking, icing).

Changes...

There have been lots of changes for me this week. The changes varied from my address to my training schedule.  Change can be stressful but it can also be fun and I think that the biggest factor in deciding the outcome of any change is how YOU deal with it. So I am going to let everyone in on a few of the exciting things that have happened as a result of the changes this week:

• Michael and I are getting to the gym at 6am to do our WODs together. I am enjoying working out first thing in the morning again and I love walking home from the gym (although I sometimes have the urge to knock on all the houses and drag people out of bed to do a WOD so they can feel the same way as me). 
• Edmonton has LOTS of AWESOME Farmers Market's.  Seriously, I was amazed at the quality of the produce and meats this past weekend. I am looking forward to this Saturday so we can go back.
• My diet has changed(a bit..don't worry I am still the 'paleo nazi') and I have been enjoying preparing food again(because I am cooking for 2 again...). I am in the process of trying to gain lean mass which is way harder than it sounds. I sometimes feel funny when most people are trying to lose weight that I am trying to gain it.
• I am finding that learning how to push myself when I am not competing against someone else(before Jodi and I were doing Big Dawgs together) is hard but in the long run I think it will be beneficial.
• I have made it a goal to start filming my WODs...especially the lifting.  This is mostly so I can critique myself but also so that no one back in Winnipeg starts going through withdrawal(I know you miss the shrieking...)
• I finally ousted our TV into the guest room. We haven't had cable for 2 years and I was getting tired of it taking up space in our living room.  I plan on turning the living room into more of a library with a fireplace(a fake one unfortunately...) and I can't wait!

These are just a few of the good things that have happened this week.  I still miss everyone in Winnipeg and there are still parts of moving that suck but I have decided to put them behind me and keep moving forward with a smile.

Also on the topic of changes. This week I genuinely enjoyed myself during a rowing WOD(Row 1k for time....done in 3:52.3...wanted 3:49...next time I'll get 3:45).  If anyone remembers the me from about 6 months ago you would know that rowing would have been at the top of my list of weaknesses. Now I would list it as a strength.  To borrow a phrase from Again Faster...I have 'embraced the suck' of rowing.

Moving Weekend

This weekend was spent moving from Winnipeg to Edmonton.  I was determined to not let the drive put my training on hold and luckily I was able to follow through on that.

Saturday we stopped in Saskatoon and the Big Dawgs WOD consisted of cleans and burpees as well as 400m sprints. I had to improvise a bit for the cleans but felt good after that I had done my own variation of the WOD and been able to move around after being in the car for 8 hours.

We arrived in Edmonton on Sunday and had to be at our new place to meet the movers for the unpacking of the truck.  Luckily, I have a very understanding husband who agreed to stay for the unpack while I headed out to the gym on base.  I am pretty excited about the fact that the gym here has its own CrossFit area and was even more excited to see it fairly busy when I arrived.  When I saw the Big Dawgs WOD for the day I cringed a bit as it contained Double Unders and my skipping rope was buried in a box somewhere but I found out the gym had skipping ropes you could sign out.  After a decent warm up I got started and my DU's were horrific-I wanted to curse the new rope(a rubber one rather than my cable one) and then realized that the rope shouldn't matter, I should be good enough to not let the skipping rope dictate how my DU's are that day-lesson learned.  I was able to make up some time in the WOD during the lunges and pull-ups but I still felt deflated once I finished.  Now, a day later, I have decided to start incorporating DU's back into my warm-ups again along with wall balls(my other big weakness).

I am going to try to start posting on here more often about my training and eating to keep me accountable. I have signed up for 2 upcoming events- the Bridge City Beatdown in Saskatoon in September and the Big Dawgs Bash in San Diego in October.  I am hoping to see some of you there!

Heading Home

I am writing this post from the Los Angelos International airport after having spent a week in California to watch the CrossFit Games.  A few moments ago I was flipping through some pictures of the games and was overwhelmed by a mix of emotions.

First, I am sad that the experience is over.  The people from CFW that I got to share the trip with have become amazing friends.  It hit me that when I get back to Winnipeg I won’t be getting back to life as normal and I won’t be competing against, coaching and cheering for my friends at the gym anymore. Instead I’ll be reading about their achievements through facebook statuses and sending them motivational texts.  While I know that leaving will not really be goodbye I am having a hard imagining CrossFit without them.  It is odd to think that when I get back to Winnipeg everything I own will be loaded into a moving truck and even weirder that in a few short days I will be living somewhere new.  I guess I should thank CrossFit though for making me always ready for the unknown…

I also feel motivated though (in fact, after flipping through the pictures I was on the verge of setting myself up in the corner of the airport and doing a HSPU and luggage deadlift WOD.)  Being able to watch the games athletes push themselves to the limit a few feet away was unbelievable and I realized more than ever how badly I want to get there. I know it may be a long road and I will have to work unbelievably hard but I also KNOW that I CAN get there one day. So, I am going to share with everyone right now a goal that I have been internalizing for quite some time-I want to be a competitive CrossFit Athlete.  Like I said, I realize that I have a long road ahead of me and that it may take me a few years before I am ready but I am going to put in the time and effort and I AM GOING TO MAKE IT THERE.  There was a post on the Big Dawgs blog a few weeks ago that made me begin to think about sharing my goal with everyone and now my post-games excitement has allowed me to finally do so.

Stay tuned to the blog this week for 2 more updates. One will be about my CrossFit Goals for 2011 and the other will be my Thank You Letter to CFW.