Tuesday... felt like a Monday

Workout at 6:30 am. Surprisingly not bad... but it wasn't much metcon, mostly strength. Tomorrow should be all metcon... we'll see how that feels at 6:30 am.

Warmed-up with a 400m row. Pulled 1:55-1:56 for the last 300m. Was surprised and pleased with this.

Back Squat Progression:

Warm-up set @ 45# x 15 reps

Then,

95# x5 - 125# x5 -135# x5 - 145# x5 - 160# x5

CFTotal BS was 165 (prev PR was 185) so felt good about today's numbers.

--

Nutrition

5:30 am [Pre-wod] - 3 egg whites + 1 yolk; ~2-3 oz mushrooms; 1/2 T cashew butter

7:45 am [Post-wod] 1/2 small-medium apple; 4 slices all natural no nitrates ham (it was literally the ONLY meat in the grocery store that was remotely paleo and cooked. I asked for no salt turkey and the woman was confused. She said she had low sodium turkey. "How low?" I asked. "I don't know, I think it says 240 on the label. I assume that's per slice." "How much sodium is in your regular turkey (so I could figure out whether this really was low enough in sodium content to bother)." "Um, probably the same." Sigh. "But, if that's your low sodium brand, wouldn't your regular turkey have higher sodium?" "Oh. Well, I guess so then." RIGHT. So, needless to say I didn't buy the probably not low-sodium turkey, and settled on the nitrate-free ham.

9:00 am - 10 oz coffee + coconut milk + 2 raw sugars

12:00 pm - Seafood salad (mussels, shrimp, calamari poached in white wine) over field greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions with olive oil & red wine vinegar.

12:30 pm - 10 oz coffee + coconut milk + 2 raw sugars

4:45 pm - 1 Banana Bread Larabar

7:00 pm - 4 oz venison steak; 3 1/2 oz red chard sauteed with coconut oil, coconut flakes, and dried cranberries; 3 1/2 oz. sauteed onions, portabellas, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, honey and balsamic vinegar.

Three Days of catch-up

Weekend wods, first.

Sat: FUN Team wod with JJ, Emmitt, and Tina:

Round 1: 2 rope climbs
Round 2: 50 ball slams
Round 3: 10 muscle ups
Round 4: 40 toe to bars
Round 5: A hallways length of lunges with a 25# plate

Each round each team member had to run the length of the hallway 2x. Felt awesome to sprint again - hadn't run in forever.

Time: 19:21

Post-wod on Sat I ate way too much at the paleo cook off, and then wanted a nap but instead had three cups of black coffee, followed by more food and bunch of vodka. Late night after getting up at 6am.

Sun: Was exhausted!! Got up to a-coach and then hit up the West Loop for open gym with Jonny. Did a 500m row super slow. Stuck around 2:15. I got off the rower, went and got some water and tried to shake that slow ass row off. Got back on a few minutes later, and rowed 500m in 2:00.5! Much better time. Only went above 2:00 in the first few strokes. Felt waaay better! My right deltoid has been troubling me the past few days so since the 2nd row started to hurt towards the end I opted to stop working out and rest. Then got a phenomenal massage. She focused on my lower body and stripped away so many trigger points and so much whatever was in there. My thighs feel a bit tender but I'm not in pain in my hip flexors anymore and the muscle that goes on top of my IT band (don't remember its name) was apparently the problem, but it's better now. My snatches on Monday were easy to get into the bottom of and without pain :)

Mon: Olympic Total!

"Olympic Total"
1RM Snatch - 78# (failed 83# 3x)
1RM Clean and Jerk - 118#
(failed clean @ 123# 3x)

Total: 196.

My prev ugly-as-crap-total-press-out power snatch (from the oly meet) was 75#... My prev. full squat snatch PR was 63#. SO, 78# felt great tonight! Think I can get more if I get under the bar faster and with better hip extension. I muscled up the 83# pretty easily, but it wasn't a good snatch so didn't count it. Danced around like a silly little girl afterward.

Prev Clean PR was 110, Prev Jerk PR was 115. 118 was exciting, though I was disappointed b/c I felt I could've gotten 123 but just wasn't getting my elbows under fast enough... or I wasn't getting low enough fast enough. Wasn't sure, and the coach there had newer CFers working on 1RM Power Cleans so his focus was on them.

Have to workout tomorrow at 6:30 am in order to get a wod in while in VA. Not sure how that's gonna go... never tried working out that early. Maybe I should go to bed...

Starting work on my improvement plan. Patience is a virtue...

Worked on kicking up against the wall and handstand negatives in my apt for about fifteen minutes after lunch.

OH Squat & Snatch work at the 7pm class. Snatched the bar up, and then began OH squats. Worked with:

the PVC for a little while
15# bar - 2 sets of 10 reps
20# bar - 5 reps, 10 reps
33# bar - 5 reps, 2 sets of 10 reps
43# - 5 reps, 10 reps
53# bar - 2 sets 5 reps (failed the snatch twice. @ 53#?? Seriously? WTF?!)

My wrist flexibility was a huge problem today. Stretched it out in between each set, but wrists HURT on every set. The first set at each weight was only 5 reps because of the wrist pain. Also, in the bottom struggled to stay in my heels.

Lots of soreness in my right deltoid (please notice I used the name of a muscle besides bicep. That's right, kids, I now know the name to TWO muscles) for the past few days. Also my traps (three!!) are incredibly tight. Especially on my left side. Why must the pain be worse on opposite sides of my body??

Meant to work on bench press after but worked on OH squats for so long I put bench off till tomorrow. Then went and played three games of vball.
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Nutrition
8 or 9am ish (I don't remember) - 1 egg; 2 oz grilled grass-fed beef shoulder; 4 oz. rainbow chard, rutabagas (finally -all gone!), & mushrooms. All cooked up together with an egg on top like a 554. De-licious.

9:30 am - coffee with coconut milk and 1 1/2 t. raw sugar. Didn't drink it very fast - I finished it with lunch at 1:45.

1:45 pm - 3 oz. halibut, 4 oz. lettuce, ~4 crushed pecans, wild maine blueberry dressing, black pepper & a tiny bit of sea salt. I need to go grocery shopping. I just ate a lettuce salad. With fish and pecans too, and I did enjoy it... but seriously? no other vegis but lettuce? Sad.

3:00 pm - 3 T. sunbutter. Maybe only 2 1/2 - I was annoyed/frustrated and on the phone and not paying attn. Normally I spoon out a portion and put the jar away, but I was distracted so just kept spooning from the damn jar. NO MORE PHONE CALLS + EATING. Wasn't I trying to cut down on the fats in my diet?

7:00 pm [Pre-strength work] - 2 oz. no salt turkey breast; 6 oz coconut water

8:30 pm [Post-strength / Pre-vball] - 2 oz. no salt turkey breast; 4 oz coconut water

9:30/10 pm [During & Post vball] - Pecan Pie Larabar; 6 oz. coconut water

10:30 pm - 4 oz. grilled grassfed beef shoulder; 4 oz. parsnips & 2 oz. broccoli sauteed in 1 T coconut oil; 1/2 c Mint Galactica Coconut Bliss ice cream.

Aim for the Moon. If you miss, you'll still be amongst the stars

Rest Day today. A for real one too - no workout OR volleyball!!

Proving Ground Goal - to be achieved by 10/15/2010:
Complete WOD 1 from the MidWestern Sectionals with a Top Thirty qualifying time. That means in 12:43 or better.

And, here are the rest of my 2010 goals. The rest of these goals I want to have achieved by 12/31/2010:

Back Squat - 185# x 10 reps unbroken

Bench Press – 125# 1RM

Box jumps @ 20” x 50 reps unbroken

Clean and Jerk – 135# 1RM

Deadlift – 250# x 5 reps unbroken

Double-unders – 100 reps in 2 minutes (not necessarily unbroken)

FGB - 300 points or more

Fran - sub-4 min

Front Squat – 165# 1RM

HSPU – 10 unbroken reps, no abmat

Muscle-up - 1 kipping

Muscle-up - 1 strict

OH squat – 80# x 10 unbroken reps

Pull-ups - 35 unbroken (kipping)

Push-ups – 30 unbroken

Ring dips - 10 unbroken

Run 1 mile Sub-9 min

Run 400m Sub-1:35 min

Run 8K Sub-48 min

Skin the Cat on the bar

Snatch – 1RM 90#

Some of these goals will be tough as hell to achieve (10 OHS reps @ my current 1RM? On my worst lift? wtf?!), while others I'm much closer to so think I'll be able to achieve them relatively soon (My current Bench is 110# so 125# seems more than reasonable to achieve soon). But, I wanted to set goals for myself in as many areas as possible so that I know not only where I stand today but where I want to be. I am going to try and review these goals on a ~monthly(ish) basis to track my progress and to see what areas I am neglecting so that I can in fact reach as many of these goals as possible... hopefully all of them :) I'll have to sit down and work out a plan to reach each of them (just stating them won't make them happen)... I'll post as I have more stuff ironed out. 
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Nutrition
9:00 am - 1 egg; 2oz no salt turkey; 5 oz rainbow chard + spinach; "cereal" 1/8 c. coconut milk with a schlook of coconut water, pinch coconut flakes, ~6 walnut halves, ~5 pecans, 12 fresh blueberries. Mmmmm.

11:15 am - coffee with 1 1/2 t. raw sugar and 1/8 c. coconut milk

3:00 pm - 3 oz. halibut; 8 oz salad (lettuce, a handful of sauteed rhutabagas, 17 blueberries, pinch of coconut flakes, ~3 crushed walnut halves, ~1 1/2 T. wild maine blueberry dressing). Not bad, though I'm so sick of these damn rhutabagas. SUCH a strong flavor. I'm never cooking up two of them at the same time again. One would've been plenty.

9:45 pm - 1/4 c. mint galactica coconut milk ice cream (while cooking dinner)

10:15 pm - 4 oz. grass-fed grilled beef shoulder (delicious and tender); 6 oz. parsnips baked with coconut oil; 1 t. almond butter and 1 t. macadamia nut butter with 10 blueberries.

11:15 pm - 2 T. sunbutter. I TRIED to give it up. I tried.

Tomorrow (Weds) is a SNEAK PREVIEW of the NEW CFC LOCATION!!

WE HAVE A NEW BOX!!!!

I'm super excited about Open House at the new box, 1444 W. Willow, with classes at 4, 5, 6, and 7pm tomorrow! Thursday and Friday classes will resume at the old box location (1962 N Clybourn), and then effective Saturday 2/20 classes will officially be moved to the new location!! AND THEN SATURDAY IS A PALEO CHILI AND DESSERT COOK-OFF?!?! Amazing. I love our new box already. I bought some elk meat for Amy that's been sitting in my freezer, and I'm totally stealing it to make paleo chili with it (sorry Amy).

As excited as I am for a new box, I think I'll be sad at the last Friday evening class at the old box. I'll miss that place. It's where I got to know all my friends in Chicago, and it's the first place I felt at home in this whole city. It's where I go when my head is full of unnecessary things that I want cleared out or when I need to get away. I am forever grateful to that place and to the people in it for my new life, and it will be sad when we move out. Sadder than moving out of my condo, actually, which is kind of funny. I'm sure I will grow to love our new box as I loved the old one, especially since the new one is even CLOSER to my apartment than the current box, and we'll have showers, and hand dryers, and a heated parking garage, and it's so much bigger than our current box... all of which is awesome. Plus, all the people I love will be moving to the new box which is key. Dinner at my place post-wod? Sure, it's only a few blocks away!! We can walk :)

And tomorrow we'll start a new initiative called Proving Grounds where we'll set a goal for ourselves and then work to achieve that goal by October 15th. WELL... I've already been thinking about just that sort of thing, except I have a boat load of goals to achieve. To achieve my enormous list I'm setting a deadline for 12/31/2010, but for Proving Grounds I've selected one very special goal to be accomplished sooner than that. I look forward to learning what everyone's goals are and am excited to be a part of helping everyone reach their goals.

--

Today's workout:
Deadlift 5-5-5+
(1RM+10#) 58.5%/67.5%/76.5%
146# - 170# - 191# x 10 reps!!

12 min AMRAP of:
3 hang squat clean (60-65% of 1RM clean) used 73#
6 burpees
9 kbs (heavy) used 55# 

6 rds + 1 HSC

This was a horrible workout.  My back ACHED afterward and it took a long time to feel right again. The KBS were NOT unbroken - I got 5-4 most rounds, but got 4-3-2 in rd 5 or 6. HSC were all unbroken but slower than I wanted them to be. Everytime I dropped the bar back to the hang position it hurt my back - I should maybe learn a more comfortable way of doing that. Burpees were unbroken.

--

Nutrition

8:30am - 1 egg, 2 oz. no salt turkey, 6 oz. spinach, 1 cup iced coffee w/ 1 t. raw sugar and 1/8 c. coconut milk. 4 fish oil, 1 vit. C

1:30 pm - 3 oz. no salt turkey; 9 oz. of: rainbow chard sauteed in 1/4 T. coconut oil, plus mushrooms and onions; sprinkle of sea salt & pepper. 1/3 L. Water. 4 fish oil.

2:15 pm - 1/8 c. Mint Galactica Organic Coconut Bliss... it's coconut milk ice cream. And it's amazing. Ingredients listed below. Apparently I'm not through cheating... but as far as cheating goes this BARELY counts.

3:30 pm [Pre-wod] - 4 oz. tuna sashimi, 1 1/2 t. almond butter, 8 oz. coconut water

5:20 pm [Post-wod/Pre-vball] - 3 oz. salmon sashimi, 8 oz. coconut water

6:30-7:00 pm [During/Post vball] - 8 oz. coconut water

10:20 pm - 4 oz. Halibut; 6 oz. broccoli & mushrooms with fresh sauteed garlic in 1 t. avocado oil; 2 t. almond butter. Am craving coconut milk, but think I need to cut down on my fat intake, as I'm feeling heavier recently (though the scale doesn't show it, I feel it). We'll see if I can tough it out and get to bed without caving.

--

Ingredients of Mint Galactica Coconut Bliss : OG coconut milk, OG Agave Syrup, OG Fair Trade Dark Chocolate (OG Choc. liquor, OG sugar, OG cocoa powder, OG cocoa butter, OG Vanilla extract), OG coconut oil, OG Peppermint extract, OG Vanilla Extract. And Happiness.

More cheating... plus workout

I need more time to chart out my goals. I'll work on it and post when I've got it down.

Workout:
Press 5-5-5+
(1rm+5=90) 58.5%, 67.5% 76.5%
53#-63# -69# (x 8reps!)
(should've been 61 on the 2nd rd, but easier to set the bar this way)

Then, 5 Rounds for time of:
15 Push press (50-55% of 1RM used above, so 50#)
15 Box jumps (24"-20")

I think my time on that was about 6:10ish after 5 rds... but I'm not entirely sure... because I kept going and did 6 rds instead of 5. Because I'm awesome. And because when I have too much sugar I don't function very well. Who knew?
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Nutrition

10:45 am - 3 egg whites, 1 yolk; 1/2 banana in 1/8 c. coconut milk with 2 crushed macadamias and 3 walnut halves with 10 dried cranberries

1:00 pm - Amy's bday lunch. 1 beer. For the table - Mac n cheese and Pork fries (waffle fries topped with bbq pulled pork and cheese). Split the Mayhem burger (Sliced Jalapenos, Pancetta, Pepper Jack, Giardiniera Mayo) and the Lair of the Minotaur burger (Caramelized Onions, Pancetta, Brie, Bourbon Soaked Pears) with Mo. Barely got a few bites of either half in. DNF'ed on the burgers for sure.

2:15 pm - 1 cup coffee, 1 banana cupcake with chocolate frosting, 1/2 red velvet cake cupcake. Amazing.

Like yesterday, I felt SUPER tired after the sugar binge, and struggled while shopping with Amy around 4pm. Was gonna take a nap but couldn't fit it in. No pre-wod meal b/c I was still full.

8:15 pm [Post-wod meal attempt] - approx 1 oz. salmon sashimi. Couldn't force it down.

10:15 pm - 1 c. SleepyTime tea to try and make me sleepy so I'd go to bed early. Added 1/2 t honey b/c my throat is killing me from screaming all wkend.

I cheated on Paleo.

So, Sectionals ended and now it's time to get a plan for how I'm going to improve on my weaknesses. I said before and I'll say it again, I know myself and unless I have a focused plan I won't continually improve at the pace that I want to improve at. So, today I'm taking off work, going to Kuma's Korner for one last cheat (it's Amy's bday - how could I miss that??), and then putting together my next plan for CrossFit improvement. I'll post it once it's ready.

--Nutrition
I'm not posting about my whole weekend because I don't remember what I ate. I stayed paleo until maybe 4 pm or so on Sunday... I will post about the cheating - not because it was epic like other CFCers, but because it was so unlike me. I ate four donuts. Four. Donuts. Within, what, thirty minutes?? I've never eaten that many donuts. I also had a schlook of champagne (thanks, Anj), and about 3/4 glass of beer (thanks, Kurt!!). Delicious delicious beer. First, let me say that I'm not even that big a donut person. I never crave them. I always think it's funny how Rudy/Chris/Mandie and everyone love them so much, but I was so pumped after the workout that I joined in the donut fun. Then, after we got on the road we stopped at Burger King for a Tendercrisp Chicken sandwich WITH cheese (my favorite fast food meal - though the bun wasn't exciting so I only had a few bites of it and then ripped it off the bun. It wasn't worth cheating on paleo for that shitty roll) and a medium coffee WITH cream and white sugar (I'm pretty sure was at least 24 oz. HUGE!). I then had my very first food coma. Amy was driving (thank god - I would NOT have made it) and I passed the fuck out. I was completely unable to keep myself awake. I took about a 30-45 minute nap. Pre-Burger King, Amy asked how much I had to drink, because the sugar had made me completely lose my mind. Future reference - 4 donuts is too many.


Oh, and hours later, we had Raw Organic dairy free cappuccino ice cream. It wasn't totally frozen so tasted more like mousse. Amy and I downed the full pint (again - NOT like me to eat so much... apparently when cheating on paleo my inner fat kid comes out). The ingredients weren't so bad - note OG means organic: 

Water, OG Cashews, OG Agave Nectar, OG Coconut Oil, OG Shea Butter, OG Fair Trade Coffee, OG Lucuma, OG Cacao Butter, Sunflower Lecithin, OG Vanilla Bean, Sea Salt, OG Maca, OG Locust Bean Gum, OG Guar Gum, Caregeenan, OG Cinnamon, OG Mesquite

So that was kind of a cheat too, but wasn't so bad. And it didn't make me pass out afterward, which I think is a good thing :)

Sectionals Day One

So, I DNF'ed the first wod. MAN was I pissed. I could not get any OH squats. I think the clock hit 20 minutes after I got, 4? 5? And, I'm not really sure I got them... the judge may have felt bad for me. I got to OH squats pre-eight minutes in, and stayed there. I just couldn't get low and keep that effen bar over my head.

Also, I nailed myself in the head. It didn't really hurt, though I have a knot on my face (worse than my kettlebell nailing in the face two weeks ago). And it's red. And sore. Didn't hurt at the time really though, just thought "Fuck I just nailed myself in the face. Why did the other judge tell me to "jerk it in the front" which ps is MADE UP. I think she meant snatch it. Idiot.

Unrelated side-note: Amy and I are laying in our hotel bed watching tv and a commercial just came on... playing Lady Gaga's Paparazzi, with close-ups of doggies. What?! Thought I'd share that with you.

The 1st wod ended though, thank god. And while I was so unhappy about it, I didn't quit, I sucked it up and stuck it out. After the wod ended I went outside, collected myself, dealt with the disappointment and frustration of failing the wod and then came back in. It took a heat or two to feel "in it" again, but then I moved on.

And then, I felt AWESOME after the 2nd. Clean and Jerks - 17 reps (though they posted 15 on the site... I was sure he told me 17, I'll have to check on that tomorrow) @105#. I felt strong getting through so many. It was great to end the day on a high note.

We're here!

After a long (and super fun) drive, we have finally arrived in St. Charles!!!

Amy, Emmitt, and I have a fun day planned tomorrow... though I think Emmitt is opting out of the best part - MANICURES!!

There's something really great about taking an extra day off and relaxing... just enjoying the day and ensuring that we're super rested for an exciting competition that we've been training so hard for. Plus, I haven't taken two days off in awhile and it feels goooood! We turned off our alarms for tomorrow. Waking up without an alarm... mmm, that'll be niiice.

ALSO - the Holiday Inn Express has big mini-fridges in every room! With a microwave! And a coffee maker! We got our whole cooler's worth of food put away nicely. And, there's still room for a Whole Foods trip tomorrow :) Which is good, because Amy brought way more coconut milk than I did and her jar is looking at my jar and making my jar feel bad about itself.

You want me to nail myself in the chest?

Ugh. So, tonight was the last couple counseling session with Travis. Seemed kinda dumb to keep going when I've already moved out, and my lawyer's gotta call his lawyer... so tonight we agreed to stop going. But it was not a fun hour at all. I cried. Haven't cried in a long while, so that definitely caught me of guard. That was definitely NOT what I wanted to be doing the week of sectionals, but what are ya gonna do, eh? Went to the box immediately after and it took a little while to feel under control. We did some crazy push-up modification in the warm-up where I was supposed to nail myself in the chest. I have two things to say about that.

One. Sometimes I think the coaches have too much free time and make this shit up. Like pistols. Or one-legged deadlifts. Or, doing a push up and nailing yourself in the chest at the top. WHEN THE F AM I GOING TO NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DO THESE THINGS?!? ISN'T CROSSFIT ABOUT FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS???

Two. It is obvious to me that guys make up these fucking workouts. No woman creates a workout when she has to nail her chest into anything (ie chest to bar pullups, or Bryce's crazy chest-nailing push-ups). Hello? CrossFit has made them small enough already do I have to punish them by smashing them into things??

Regardless of today's smash-my-chest warm-up, I wanted to be there. I was happy to arrive at the box and see Rudy holding a box of shiny new Sectionals t-shirts (okay they weren't shiny but they were new and AWESOME and they put a huge smile on my face). After the hour I just had, the box was the only place I wanted to be... and I got there and was suddenly surrounded by some of my very favorite people. As usually happens at the box after a rough day, by the end of the pass-throughs all the frustrating/sad feelings had drifted from my mind and I was able to focus on lifting and sectionals and my new life since the split (which, by the way, is way better than my life pre-me-moving-out).

I had come in with the intention of doing a met-con, wasn't sure which one but wanted to get one in this week, but ended up just working on a few skills. Did some HSPUs, worked on stabilizing at the bottom of OH squats with light weights, and watched/cheered on people going through the Air Force wod.

Earlier in the day I got an amazing 90 minute massage today where the fantastic Ruby Room masseuse, Kimberlyn, stretched my body, got a bajillion knots out, released trigger points out the wazoo, and massaged my fascia (sp?) until I was nice and tender. After the massage my shoulders literally lowered and dropped back about 2 inches into the proper place. What a world of difference. I did the stretches that Mike taught me after the massage and got so much deeper into the stretches than I ever could before - I couldn't believe it. I'm including going to start including massage into my routine every two weeks. If I can get my muscles to stop locking up so I can get full range of motion I bet I'll be able to do much more weight. WHICH is obviously a goal of mine. She also suggested I include yoga into my routine once a week, though thought bikram might dehydrate my body too much which would make those trigger point harder to release. Too bad it's the only kind of yoga I can stomach. I'll just have to drink a gallon of coconut water beforehand (YES!!).

Well, I'm off to bed. It's 12:30 (wasn't I going to go to bed before midnight every night this week? haven't made it once), and I should rest. Tomorrow Amy, Emmitt and I leave for Sectionals. We're driving up a day early so we can be well rested and ENJOY the day tomorrow. I think we'll get manicures while in St Charles (Amy and I anyway - I'm pretty sure Emmitt's not gonna join us for that). OOOH and maybe go see a movie!! Mmm, a day to ourselves. I can not wait.
--
Nutrition

9:30am - 1 egg; 2 oz. filet; 6 oz. of rutabagas, red chard, & eggplant sauteed in 1/2 T. avocado oil; 1 shot worth of coffee (all that was left, sigh) 1 t. with raw sugar and coconut milk - basically slightly coffee flavored coconut milk; fish oil, vit. c.

12:00 pm - 1 c. herbal tea

2:30 pm - 1 c. herbal tea

4:30 pm - 4 oz. (low sodium) roast beef; salad greens, yellow peppers, rutabagas, 1/3 avocado, with 1 T. wild maine blueberry dressing; 1/8 c. coconut milk with walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries, & 1 t. unsweetened cocoa powder

8:00 pm [Post-skills] - 2 oz. filet

10:00 pm - 7 oz. chicken/apple salad (with olive oil, fennel, dried apricots, and lemon juice); 5 oz. spinach with garlic, marinated mushrooms, pine nuts; 1 T. cashew butter (YUM), 2 T. sunbutter

Sectionals wods announced... four days until we compete

Sectional wods for Saturday have been announced!!!!

Good news is, I can do all the movements and all the weights in the wods. 2nd wod is a 5 minute AMRAP Clean and Jerk @ 105... heavy as all hell, but I've been doing metcons with that weight for the past few weeks (I started doing the metcons at 95 but moved up to 105 so feel okay about that). Shooting for anywhere from 15-25. I've never done a metcon like this so just don't know where I'll be, but if I get one every 20 seconds I'll hit 15. That's the minimum I would like to hit.

The 1st wod is a bit trickier for me. It's 20-Thrusters, 20-SDHP, 20-Push jerks, 20-OH squats, 20-Front Squats, PLUS, while you're doing all those reps, every 60 seconds the clock beeps and you have to drop and do 4 burpees. I'm glad the wod starts with thrusters so I can be fresh for those and knock them all out in the first minute. Assuming I don't break or fail any reps I should be able to do that. SDHPs at 65 suck - we did these a week ago at this weight and they blew. I'd like to aim for getting a few in before my 1st set of burpees, and then after the burpees knock the remaining ones out before my 2nd set of burpees. The PJs, if I can manage not to fail any by pressing out accidentally, should be all unbroken and before my 3rd set of burpees. The next movement will be the toughest movement for me, so I need to be ready for it. The 20 OH squats. I would like to get in sets of 5. I know this is a hard movement for me and heavy at this weight, so will shoot for 4 sets of 5, but if I can go for more on any of those I will. I do not need to take more than 2 minutes for OH squats. I need to pound that into my head - 20 in 2 minutes or less. That's MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME so long as I don't get frustrated, I keep my breathing focused and really warm-up this movement enough to nail it. The 20 Front Squats... it's a low weight for me so should be totally light and the last time we did these it was 3 sets of 10 reps @85# so there's no real excuse for breaking on these unless it's broken by a set of burpees. So, that's my plan.

I came in tonight just to work on OH Squats, as it's my weakest movement. I worked up to 70#. I was able to repeat sets of 3 @ 65# maybe 5x, before moving up to the 70# bar, which is okay. Not ideal, but for today was okay. Tomorrow I'll do less warm-up work at mid-range weights and focus on sets of 3-5 @ 70# and see how that feels. I also intend on working in some SDHP work at 75 or 80#. To punish myself of course, and so I can realize that 65# isn't so bad - even if i hate the movement (ie KBS @ 53# made me want to die, but it also made 35# a cakewalk).

I taped my wrist for the OH squat work (per Roger's advice) but think I should've taped it tighter and maybe with stiffer tape. That's what Chris does anyhow, and it seems to work for him so I'll try again tomorrow, and maybe buy different tape to see how it feels.

I also worked tonight with Rudy for a bit on strict muscle-ups and then kipping muscle-ups. I hadn't gotten to work with Rudy in a long time, I missed you coach!! Those were fun, and I was pretty close (so close that after I tried a strict muscle-up, Bryce tried one. I'm pretty sure he was thinking, "Hell, if KERRY is that close I sure as shit can get one"). I feel like if I work on these once a week I'll be able to have them (at least one kipping or strict) in a few months.

There's just so much that I want to do it's hard to focus on any of the single things long enough to see huge improvements unless it's a lift (like cleans) that we do all the time... hmmm... maybe I should actually do something about that with this blog... like have a suck list with improvement deadlines for myself? And track progress of specific movements/skills/lifts that I want to improve? Ugh. Do I really need to assign myself more work just as I'm getting to the end of my sectional training?? Obnoxious. Unfortunately a good idea though...
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Nutrition
10:00 am - 1 egg; 2 oz. filet of beef; 8 oz. onions, mushrooms, rutabagas, and a bit of eggplant sauteed in 1 T. coconut oil. Tasty, warm, and filling breakfast.

12:45 pm -  2 oz. cod; 2 oz. parsnips; 1/4 c. coconut milk poured over 6 walnut halves, 1 macadamia, a pinch of coconut flakes, ~12 dried cranberries, pinch of dark chocolate chips, 1/2 t. unsweetened cocoa powder.

2:20 pm - 2 T. almond/macadamia nut butter with some preserves spooned on top. Annoyed not to have sunbutter, but I have to cut back. I'm not buying it for a week (if I can manage that long). Maybe 2.

5:30 pm [Pre-skills work] - 4 oz. yellowtail sashimi, 8 oz. coconut water, a few walnuts/macadamias/dried cranberries

8:00 pm [Post-skills work] - 4 oz. salmon sashimi, 8 oz. coconut water

9:45 pm - 3 oz. cod; 9 oz. rutabagas, onion, mushrooms, red chard; eggplant sauteed in 1 T. avocado oil

I said "Work!" and my muscles flipped me the bird

Skipped CFC today, b/c Amy and I had an oly lifting session with Roger and Mike tonight so wanted to be fresh. It was good thing actually, since Sunday's heavy ass thruster wod really did a number on my muscles and left me SUPER tight. I wasn't sore, but when I tried snatching tonight and then even holding in a clean grip but body just wouldn't cooperate. I've never experience this before. I knew what I needed to do, and my body knows what to do, but my muscles were so tight they just wouldn't allow my body to move that way. It sucked.

I still got some good skill work in though. My snatches were horrendous today (b/c of what i said before - literally my shoulders and hip flexers were so tight I couldn't physically get into position). The more I snatched, the worse my form got b/c my muscles just tightened up even more, even with Mike stretching me out. BUT, my bar path and set up was spot on. Couldn't move past 66# (30 kg) tonight due to that, which was disappointing but again, I know why I was failing, so to have improved my bar path was all I could do today. So, that felt good.

B/c my clean grip hurt too much, I jerked behind the neck which I had never done before. That was pretty cool. Worked on improving the technique of the split jerk. Had never had real specific instruction on this movement before so was pretty excited. Struggled getting a solid lock out (wiggled a bit in and out of my locked position) until Rog told me to loosen my grip on the bar when dipping/driving and tighten it when I hit the lock out. That significantly helped. Worked up to 99# (45kg) on the split jerk and stayed there awhile.

Tomorrow they post the wods for Sectionals. I'm anxious. I'm going to go take a bath, relax and then go to sleep. It's like Christmas - Santa won't come and leave me presents if I stay awake... except knowing the wods for saturday MAY not exactly be the same as getting a Barbie convertible. We'll see!!
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Nutrition
8:45 am - 1 egg; 2 oz no salt turkey; 4 oz coconut water; 4 oz red chard (with a few bites of apple mixed in and coconut flakes); large iced coffee 1 t. raw sugar & coconut milk

12:45 pm - 4 oz. cod grilled with some coconut oil, fennel, dill, and rosemary on top; 9 oz of parsnips, rutabagas, mushrooms (which are not nightshades, ps), & onions sauteed in some avocado oil (delicious); 1 t. sunbutter; 4 fish oil, 1 vit C; started drinking on 3/4 L water

4:00 pm [Pre-oly meal] - 4 oz. tuna sashimi, 8 oz coconut water, handful of walnuts, macadamias, & dried cranberries

7:45 pm [Post-oly meal] - 6 oz beef filet; 2 cups cooked brocoli; salad with "Grecian" (why exactly wasn't it called Greek dressing??) dressing - olive oil, lemon juice, anchovies, capers; 1 cup coffee with a bit of whole milk and 2 white sugars

10:00 pm - 1/2 t. sunbutter (can you believe I ran OUT?!?! I really wanted a whole teaspoon.), 1/2 t. almond butter, 1/4 t. macadamia butter, 1 T. peanut butter. i KNOW. Peanut butter is the bad butter. But I had to have something... at least now that's gone too. Ridiculous. But I ran out of sb, tried the ab/mb which didn't satisfy b/c of the texture so tried the pb. It wasn't NEARLY as good as sb. i can't believe i feel that way.

10:45 pm - Sleepy Time tea :) and long hot bath. Mmmm.

More weekend workouts

Friday 2/6/2010.

Back Squat 5-3-1+ @ 67.5%/76.5%/85.5%
111#, 126#, 142# (x 17 reps). 17!!!!

Then, for time (12 min cap):
10 power snatches (75% of 1RM snatch),
50 double-unders,
8 PS, 40 DU, 6 PS, 30 DU, 4 PS, 20 DU, 2 PS, 10 DU.

AWFUL. DNF'ed @ 12min after completing 10 PS, 50 DU, 8 PS, and 37 DU. Ridiculous. Was super disappointed/frustrated/angry/sad/etc. After all my progress this week, I really didn't expect this. But it happened.

So, I took Saturday off. I needed a day off. To recoup mentally and physically. After the eight million attempts at DUs on Friday and all the clean on Thursday my arms were fried.
--
Sunday 2/7/2010.

Bench Press
5-3-1+ @ 67.5%/76.5%/85.5% of 1RM, so... 75#/83#/95# (x11)
Alaskan Qualifier wod for Sectionals 2010. Brutal but bearable.
4 rounds for time of (20 min cap):
3 CTB pull-ups
3 Ring dips
500M row
6 Thrusters @ 95#

20:29. Fucking hell.
FIRST - the good news of this wod. All CTB unbroken (which felt awesome), and 1st 2 sets of ring dips unbroken. Last 2 were 2-1 (had to re-do one rep). 1st 500m b/w 1:56-2:02, 2nd set 2:02-2:05, 3rd less consistent but anywhere b/w 2:02-2:15, 4th mainly around 2:10. Thrusters in rds 1-3 were in sets of 2s, and 4th rd was 2-2-1-1.

On to the sucky part. Finished my last thruster of this wod and turned around and watched the clock hit 20:00, and thought I was done under the 20 min time cap and was so excited!! I walked away from the bar, exhausted, excited, and more exhausted... and everyone was quiet. No post-wod cheering? wtf?! Turns out I didn't lock out fully at the top of my last rep, which TOTALLY sucked. I asked, "What?! Did it not count?" and then had to go back and pick the bar back up. Amy pushed me to pick up the bar and I yelled at her. Told her I needed a fucking minute or something equally as bitchy. Had to regroup and do one last thruster. I had already mentally turned off. It took SO MUCH to get my ass back under that bar. I actually thought to myself 'Fuck that, I'm not picking it back up. I'm DONE!' I WAS DONE! But I had to pick it up. And thankfully, after I finished and apologized to Amy she laughed it off and told me to shut it. Thanks for not getting mad, Am. I love you :)
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NUTRITIONAL WEBSITE!! This was a great find for me... the website below lists a LOT of nutritional information about food you're interested in eating (including glycemic loads; carbs/fats/protein ratio; nutrient balance; protein quality; amino acids; types of fats: mono-, saturated vs. unsat., Omega 3 vs. 6; etc).

At the top right of the screen you can type in any food you're curious about (I typed in "cocoa powder" and 12 diff options popped up. I was able to find unsweetened Dutch chocolate powder I wanted to use) and it will tell you all the above nutritional facts and more. I can't vouch for the rest of the website, but this search tool is very useful - I'm constantly trying to determine glycemic loads for new fruits/vegis I want to try and typing in "Glycemic load, sunchoke" into Google doesn't always give me the result I want. The site also includes fast food choices and their nutritional values, though that might just make you sad. I also typed in doughnut... and there were 51 options to choose from. I'm not a big doughnut person (though I know many CFCers who are), but I did type in doughnut just to check. My all-time favorite Krispy Kreme doughnut has a GL of 19. Sigh.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/

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Nutrition

Since I'm behind I'm going to be super vague. My food choices this weekend good (all paleo), though, Sat night we had the CFC Girls Night Paleo Dinner, and I ate lots of healthy fats - but certainly more fat than usual. Had an effen & water and a shot Friday night, and a glass of wine Saturday night.

Meh. Thursday was not my favorite day in the world.

Thursday, after 11am a-coaching, my non-workout/non-nutrition related personal life su-ucked. I had to deal with something I wasn't prepared to deal with and ended up taking the whole afternoon off work to recover. I ran a few errands to take my mind off things, and while waiting for some pictures at Walgreens, stopped at a nearby bar for lunch... which turned out to be a great idea. I love love love dive bars, and the old men in them. I got a free delicious Smithwick's beer (yea I know - i didn't care. it was so tasty) and the awesome bartender brought me extra jalapenos, and while that may seem silly, it made my day just a little bit better. Oh, plus the guy at walgreens was extra helpful getting my camera to work when I couldn't get it to. I don't really care that I cheated on paleo today - I was having a shite day.

The workout was alright. I worked on finding my new PR with a power clean, but was struggling getting the motions right even after all the work with Rog & Mike. I feel stronger on snatches after focusing on it two weeks in a row, but we've only worked cleans once so I think I need to pump my brakes (thanks, Rudy, for bringing that back into my vocab) and give myself time to really get set on the technique before I try and go up in weight.

I still PR'ed, but not as high as I think I should be lifting. If I can consistently work at 95# for an hour, can and have done 30 reps @ 95# cleans during multiple metcons, and can clean a 105# bar during a metcon, I'm sure I can lift heavier than my newly established PR, but until I can get the form cleaner and more consistent I'm not going to see that transferred to a heavier weight.

Find your IRM Power Clean - 110# (failed at 115# 3x)

Metcon - 5 rounds for unbroken reps of:
Wall Ball
Hang Power Clean (45% of 1RM Clean)
30 seconds of rest in-between exercises. 

I am an a-hole, and used Ben Wood's Inspirational Weight Calculator wrong. YES, I work in accounting and finance. It's true. I used 45% of 85.5% of my 1RM by accident... 43#. SO obviously I crushed the HPC portion of this wod. I thought my arms were going to fall off. The last rd of HPC my arms had gone completely numb.

I also forgot my paper listing my score in my car, but I think I remember some parts so will list what I remember now, and correct this after I check :)

WB @ 10# ??-??-??-??-19
HPC @ 43# 30-30-30-30-38

My forearms BURNED. And then, I had Vball. I thought it was going to kill me, but it wasn't bad actually. My body was able to put off most of the soreness until this morning.
--
Nutrition
8:30 am - 1 egg, 2 oz no salt turkey, 5 oz. sunchokes, 4 fish oil, 1 Vit C

2:20 pm - chicken + bacon + avocado + jalapeno sandwich (minus the bread) ~4 oz. chicken, 1 strip bacon, 1/4 avocado. Free Smithwick's beer (I know I should've have but who turns down a free beer from the owner?! I didn't want to be rude...); and sweet potato fries. So, well, at least I didn't eat the bread. Guess I just gave up the beer I was gonna have after sectionals.

3:45 pm - 1 1/2 T sunbutter

6:30 pm [Pre-wod] - 2 oz. no salt turkey, 8 oz. coconut water, 1 t. sunbutter

8:30 pm [Post-wod] - 2 oz. no salt turkey, 8 oz. coconut water

10:00 pm [Post-vball] - 6 oz coconut water

10:45 pm - 3 oz. monkfish; 7 oz of brocoli plus the remaining shitty chard mix I made the other day, a few cranberries and coconut flakes.

12:15 pm - 2 t. sunbutter
--

 I did watch a 30 sec video on YouTube that made me smile... called "How Not to Snatch"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf-M8_oLlAg&feature=related

Double-unders. I own them.

Okay, I don't own them. But I did WELL on them today. I was super proud.

The first time I picked up the rope tonight I hit a new PR - 16!!!! Prev. PR - 7!!! I was so excited I jumped around the room (and maybe screamed "16!!!" a few times) and considered walking out right then and calling it a night! For the rest of the night I would sometimes get up to 9 or so in a row, other times only 4, but I kept stringing at least a few together every time. I felt so good about the double-unders tonight. So exciting :)

Then "Freddy's Revenge"
5 rounds for time of:
5 shoulder to overhead (185/105 or 110% of 1RM press)
10 burpees

Went Rx'd @ 105#. Heavy as shit. All burpees unbroken. I was going through them quickly but then Bryce said to go slower (which hadn't occurred to me) to save energy for the jerks. Jerks - 1st rd unbroken (thanks for showin' me how, Mo!). Dropped and had to clean the bar on the 1st rep of my 2nd set. BUT I CLEANED IT!!! Remember a week/few weeks ago I tried a front squat wod @ 105 and couldn't clean then bar? WELL I COULD TODAY. I was actually happy that I dropped it (wtf?) because I just put my hands on the bar, and cleaned the bar on the first try. It felt amazing. All the snatch and clean work Roger and Mike have been doing with me for the past few weeks absolutely paid off today. Next four sets broken into a few 2s and a 3 set or two, but mainly singles. Failed probably 3 reps, but only dropped the bar to the ground the one time. Time- 12:15.
--

Nutrition (I'm starting to track supplements & water so I remember to have them)

9:30 am - 1 egg; 2 oz no salt turkey; small glass water; 5 oz. dandelion greens sauteed in 1 t. coconut oil, with 1/4 apple, 1 pinch coconut flakes, and a splash coconut water. The dandelion greens were super bitter. I should've used something stronger (maybe the dried cranberries) to cut the bitterness. Was not a fan. Can't wait to eat the leftovers :(

12 pm - 3 oz. monkfish (seasoned with dill and black pepper, then sauteed in 1 t. coconut oil with a sprinkling of fennel seeds - DELICIOUS); salad (4 oz. lettuce, 3 oz yellow peppers, 5 oz dandelion greens/apple mix from this morning, plus wild maine blueberry dressing); 2 glasses of water b/w breakfast & lunch; 1 g Vit. C; 5 fish oil

2 pm - 1 glass chai tea with some coconut milk & 1 t. raw sugar, 2 T. sunbutter

5:30 pm [Pre-wod] - 2 oz. sauteed rabbit tenderloin, 8 oz coconut water, few walnuts/macadamias/almonds/dried cranberries

7:15 pm [Post-wod] - $11 sushi. That's right. $11 on one meal. Big spender here. Had salmon, tuna, vegis, avocado, and DID NOT HAVE ANY PEANUTS (My dear Bryce and Matt - you suck). And I didn't eat the rice paper the rolls were wrapped in. In case anyone reading was judging... or sneaking peeks at the ingredient list... weirdo...

10:15 pm - 3 oz. monkfish (which I was told is the poor man's lobster. Take that, Chris! Are you happy I bought a poor man's fish??); 5 oz baked sunchokes with avocado oil, black pepper and a bit of sea salt; 2 1/2 T. sunbutter. B/w the workout and dinner I drank 2/3 liter of water. 4 fish oil.

I'm going to kill my cat...

...seriously he keeps finding random shit to tear up and play with that makes loud noises and I'm trying to get ready to go to sleep. I have to keep getting out of bed and hiding the shit he finds to play with. Obnoxious.

Wod and then volleyball tonight.

Press 5-3-1+
1RM @ 67.5%/76.5%/85.5%

58#-65#-73# (x 6 reps)

Then, for time (from 2009 Hell's Half Acre Regional):
21-15-9
Box jump (24")
Kettlebell swings (1.5/1 pood = 35#))
Sumo-deadlift high-pull (95/65#)

Time - 7:26

SDHP felt terrible. I really need to set aside time to work on that movement. It's one we don't do especially often and it always feels soo very heavy. Bryce said to think of it like a clean... It feels nothing like a clean though, and while I imagine that I could do a 65# hang power clean for a 21-15-9 wod unbroken, my sumos were nowhere near unbroken. I strung a bunch in the front end of the wod, but by the end I was in 3s mostly and a few singles. I also dropped the bar and Bryce took away a rep. I forgot we weren't supposed to drop. I definitely dropped others. I didn't remember the no dropping rule until I got called out in my 9 set. Was a bit leery with 24" box jump and had more trouble landing in the right place (which helps me get back on in a fast pace) so wasn't able to string them as well as usual.... I still got a bunch in a row but I wanted these unbroken. KBS @ 1 pood are AWESOME. All unbroken. Afterward the workout, however, more KBS was NOT AWESOME. I tried Chris' new KBS technique and nailed myself in the face with the bell. I can't wait to see how hot I look tomorrow with a big ass purple bruise on the bridge of my nose. It better go away by sectionals.

Dead Hangs - 5-3-3 (not sure about the # in the 2nd set). 2rd set i tried to do a switch grip with hands facing opposite the normal way I do them. I didn't like that. I like my right hand facing away from me and my left facing in.

Volleyball @ 8. Great 3 games. We won. Yaaay!! Rudy played - I forgot how fun he is to have on the team! He's great, which is a huge bonus, plus he's super supportive - always cheering us on and congratulating us or making us laugh. Definitely a great person to have on your team. Thanks for subbing, coach!

I noticed in game 3 that the other team looked a bit worn. One girl was sweating a lot and I realized I wasn't sweating at all. And then I thought about how I had done a hard ass workout just 1 1/2 hrs before vball. It reminded me of how far my endurance has improved since starting CFC. I love CrossFit.

Oh, and I had a small tear on my right hand that I though was fully healed, but it split open today during the SDHP, which sucked. It only hurt a tiny bit though, and I was glad we had Dead Hangs to do post-metcon instead of kipping pull-ups! Sucked during vball though. I could feel it pull when I hit. Or served. Or set. So, pretty often, but again it was a dull pain so no big.

--

Nutrition

9:00 am - 1 egg + 2 egg whites; 6 oz. rainbow chard sauteed with 1/2 T. coconut oil, one pinch coconut flakes, ~1/16 c. dried cranberries; 1 small glass of water

12:00 pm - Emmitt's brownies. 3 of them. Mmm. Delicious. I heart Emmitt.

1:45 pm - 3 oz. spicy turkey jerky; 5 oz. rainbow chard sauteed with 1/2 T. coconut oil, one pinch coconut flakes, ~1/16 c. dried cranberries; 1 t. coconut cream; 1 small glass water; 1 chamomile tea (no caffeine)

5:20 pm [Pre-wod] - 11 oz paleo lasagna & spaghetti squash (leftovers from when Mo and I made it - some lamb sausage - probably ~1/2 oz to 1 oz), 1 T. sunbutter

7:15 pm [Post-wod] - trio bar (thanks, JJ!)

10:45 pm - 3 oz. rabbit tenderloin (2oz sauteed in coconut oil, 1 oz. grilled), 4 oz. coconut water, 2 oz. rainbow chard sauteed with 1/2 T. coconut oil, one pinch coconut flakes, ~1/16 c. dried cranberries; 1 t. coconut cream; 1 medium glass water; 1 SleepyTime tea (no caffeine)
--
Oh! and one last thing. I did the stretches Mike suggested - once at the box after acoaching at 11, once at the box after my metcon today, and then again after vball. Both times at the box I laid on the roller for about 5 mins or so, and then the 1st and 3rd times I did the butt against the wall and arms up. I can already see significantly improved mobility. I also reviewed the snatch movements with a PVC. It's good to get in stretching and focus on the technique for a bit each day. I hope I remember to continue :)

Oly Day

Couldn't make it in to the 9am this morning due to heavy work sched and morning conference call. Thankfully Amy and I have a session with Roger and Mike this evening (yaay) so it's probably good that I'll be fresh for that.

Great work today. Started with snatches (refresher course from last week). Felt strong with these. Don't remember what weight we went up to (but Amy did - 31 kilos - 68#), but it felt good :) Switched to cleans and worked on those for awhile. Worked up to 41 kilos - 90#. It never occurred to me how similar the two lifts are at set up (which seems silly now) and really enjoyed switching from the snatch work into the clean. Next week we move on to jerks!!

Mike also showed me more stretches and ways to use the roller to improve the mobility in my upper back muscles. The problems I'm having with the technique are all flexibility based. My upper spine doesn't bend, and my lower spine over bends. Turns out that's a problem.
--
Nutrition
8:15 am - 4 oz. braised ribs (leftover from Vermillion), 2-3 oz. coconut water, 1 T sunbutter

10:15 am - 1/2 oz. spicy turkey jerky strip (no cooties)

12:00 pm - 5 oz paleo chili (~2oz protein, 3oz vegis), 2 t. sunbutter. I will be hungry later. Probably pretty soon actually.

1:15 pm - Yep. Chocolate tea with 1 t. raw sugar and coconut milk.

3:30 pm [Pre skills work] - 3 oz. spicy turkey jerky, 8 oz. coconut water, handful almonds/walnuts/macadamias/dried cranberries

7:45ish [Post wod] - 10 oz peppercorn crusted filet (mmmm), ~6 oz. roasted zuchini/mushrooms/red onions/eggplant in balsamic, with ~6 oz. salad (greens, apples, pecans, cranberries, celery with oil & vinegar & a smidgen of "apple ranch dressing"), chammoile tea.
--
Read a few interesting things on the CFC Paleo blog today (from Mark's Daily Apple - yes, we get it Rudy, we should be following this site. I promise to start).

It talked about intermittent fasting - which I generally feel is stupid, but wondered how it would affect training. I think it would be negative, since we work our bodies so hard during wods and need as much fuel and recovery time as possible. But, I've never really studied the benefits of fasting for the body... I may look into those at some point in the future, as I'm always interested in how to improve my health (though I have to say it sounds unhealthy. And sucky).

It also talked about an individual's "healthy homeostasis." I really feel that's what I've reached. I've been at or around this weight/shape for a few weeks now without any major changes. I eat the way I should eat and have few cheats (dab of sea salt or raw sugar here and there). OBVIOUSLY I'm not counting my major cheat weekend. But one wkend in 6 mos of cheating? I think I'm okay. I eat mainly vegis for my carb intake (plus coconut water) and I don't eat nearly as many carbs as allowed by Zone, so not only am I not overeating, I am not even sure that I've even getting enough calories in during the day (since I NEVER EVER count them... thank god), though since I'm not seeing performance dropping I guess I am probably okay. Although, maybe my performance would improve if I ate more and I have been performing sub-par for months without knowing it... I dunno. I doubt it though. I think I would feel it if I was lacking in sustenance, and I doubt I'd be hitting any PRs. I think most realistically I've reached the homeostasis that my body believes is right for me and that's why I've stagnated. I'm not as lean as I'd like to be, though according to Mark's Daily Apple that's common for women to have higher than they'd like body fat percentage at homeostasis. He went on to say it would take some serious fighting (adjusting levels of carbs, calories, activity levels, sleep, and stress) to drop any more weight. He also suggested adding some more sprinting into my workout routine, although I would venture to say that many of our metcons (the 8 minutes or less ones) include a decent amount of sprint activity. Hmm. Lots to think about.