SoCal Regionals wkend!

As usual, getting to watch an event as exciting and awe-inspiring as Regionals I got excited. At North Central Regionals I was focused on two things: judging and supporting my team members while they fought for their rankings as members of the elite.

This weekend however, I watched and cheered. I had no personal vested interest in anyone making it in to the games (preferences of course, Kris Clever is one of my all-time favorite badasses, Becca Voigt, Kenneth Leverich, Tory Morgan, Josh Bridges of course, and new favorite Heather Scaglione...

...Heather Scaglione separated her shoudler during Amanda (WOD 5). She was ranked 5th in the SoCal Regiona and so continued competing - moved on toWOD 6 where she rowed 20 calories one-armed, compelted 30 burpees one-armed, 40 GTO @ 35# screaming and fighting to complete every single rep using both arms, and completed some TTB - which to me were the most impressive things I've ever seen. She had to use her left arm to lift her right arm and place her hand on the pull-up bar, and then held on for dear life and completed a series of TTB. BADASS does not even begin to describe this girl and her ability to fight through adversity. Holy fucking shit.

...plus new friends of mine or friends of friends like Shirley Brown repping CF Los Angeles whose team ranked thirs, yaaay!!, Jason Friendman, and Kathy Borkoski. Amazing work these people put themselves through.

So this weekend I had a lot more time to think. Time to think about what the hell I am doing with my life. And I realized that I have this amazing opportunity to really do whatever the hell I want to do right now. I've felt so trapped much of my life following in other's footsteps or following along for the ride... and now it's just me. And really, for the first time I am asking myself,

What do I want to do?

I mean, I've asked myself that before, but generally I have no real answer. "I have things I like, to do, but nothing specific that I really want to do." I've said that shit a thousand times. Not today though. Today, and really thanks to an awesome convo with this girl Allison whom I really like from TCF over the weekend that got this line of thinking started. I wanna train. Myself. I wanna get stronger, faster, leaner, meaner, than ever. I wanna chance to compete in the Games, whether as an individual or on a team I don't care, I just wanna be up there. Can I get there? Who the fuck knows. But I'm strong. And with improved tecnhique and serious training... maybe. If I can go from not being able to run 800m to picking up and running a half marathon, why can't I? I love CrossFit. Everyone knows this. So why shouldn't I try and really make it my life? Competing, coaching, training? Maybe one day I'll get good enough and train trainers for HQ.

I generally avoid posting goals or things that seem inconceivable, or even admitting them aloud because I may not achieve them. But fuck it, if you read my blog then you probably already love me and will love me regardless of me achieving my goals, and maybe you'll be a positive influencein HELPING me reach my goals. And if not, who really cares what you think? I can probably beat you up anyway ;)

Oh right. Blogging.

So I've been tracking my workouts for the past, what, 2 weeks or so on my laptop... no idea why I wasn't just blogging them here. My sister just started a paleo challenge and is logging her stuff, which I was reading and discussing with her and then I remembered WHY I blogged. So, time to get back to my CFC roots and blog.

I wanna get back to where I was and better. I wanna compete for the 2012 Games. I may never be able to qualify at the Individual level but for sure on a Team I should able to be competitive. I want muscle-ups...butterfly pull-ups... a damn sub six fran time... and handstand push-ups to the damn ground. And to look hot in a bikini. I know about making S.M.A.R.T. goals, and I will for sure make them but right now I just want to get back to a competitive level in the box by getting a month of so of consistent CrossFit training (consistent meaning 5 times a week or more) and then I'm going to start establishing (and achieving) goals.

I am trying out a new training cycle. Week One: heavy weights, longer time domains, high volume of workouts, skills work. Week Two: Focus on speed training and cardio burners. Lower weights and shorter time domains. Fran-type WODs are the ideal time domain for this week. To play catch-up, I'll post week one and then week two as separate posts, and then will start daily/almost daily blogging to begin Week Three.

2011 Resolutions

So, I guess it's that time of year. I've actually never been big on making resolutions at the start of the year, but this year I realized that I needed to make some.
2009 was my coming out year ;) I had my first CFC wod on Feb 13, 2009, became obsessed by April, went full paleo in June, got my first kipping pull-ups (6 in a row!) in October, ran my first race (an 8k) in November, lost 40 lbs and won my first weightlifting competition in Dec!! And somehow in all of that, I found who I was and became truly happy again.

2010 on the other hand was marked mostly by endings. My husband and I divorced, I quit my job of ten years with my family's company, and my family and I didn't really speak much for almost four months. When the year itself ended, it did so on a pretty sad note for me, and maybe that's why when I looked back I saw mostly endings. On later recollection, I also competed at Sectionals and Regionals (where I landed the world's ugliest 100# snatch) for the 2010 CrossFit games, which were incredible achievements, and both of which I am very proud of.

So this year I'm gonna set it up better. I'm gonna plan and make sure I have a whole fucking list of achievements. Next year I'm not going to look back and see endings, I'm going to look back on achievements instead and be proud.

I resolve to...

• ...complete a mararthon. My very first.
• ...get two more CF certs under my belt (I'd like more than two, but at least 2).
• ...get my personal training certification.
• ...stop slacking on diet/exercise while shooting movies. 3 workouts per wk at least!

A-Team... what what?!

Super excited to have made the CFC Affiliate Team and to be competing at Regionals. I had lots of goals for where I wanted to be and what I wanted to improve on and now they've just gotten completely restructured and the time table moved up substantially. In addition to the below goals I just want to improve my pacing on the row and on my runs. I want to be able to sprint my ass off and not crash. Overall, I just wanna get better.

I just barely made this A-Team. In fact, I kinda didn't make it - I'm first alternate, but since our #2 girl can't make it to Regionals, I'm in. I'm proud of earning this opportunity and am going to work my ass off to show that I earned my spot on this team and that I belong on the team. I'm a competitor and I'm not gonna let up, I'm gonna work as hard as possible over these next few months and I'm gonna be ready to compete at Regionals. I'm gonna be more than ready. Seriously. I can't fucking wait.

Box jumps @ 20” x 50 reps unbroken

Clean and Jerk – 125# 1RM

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

HSPU – 3 unbroken reps, no abmat

Muscle-up - 1 kipping and/or strict

OH squat – 110# 1RM

Pull-ups - 25 unbroken (kipping) on the Big Boy Bar

Push-ups – 25 unbroken

Ring dips - 10 unbroken

Run 1 mile Sub-9 min

Snatch – 1RM 90#
Wall Ball - 3 x 20 reps @ 14#, 60 sec rest in b/w rds. Unbroken or under 60 sec per round.

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.