WOD - CrossFit Total

I started CrossFit today. The whole idea is that you get a scrore or time for each workout, so I thought it would be a good idea to record them so I can monitor progress as I go. Thought I would keep the record here so I can tag the posts and easily find them, and you can also track my progress if you feel like it. If not, then feel free to just skip these posts. :)

CrossFit Total
1 rep at max weight of:
Deadlift - 175lbs
Shoulder Press - 65lbs
Back Squat - 165lbs
Total Score: 405

It took me a few lifts on each exercise to find my max since I wasn't really sure of my starting point. I was feeling somewhat confident after the deadlift, although apparently my goal is 1.5x my body weight....so I've still got a way to go. The Shoulder press definitely humbled me. As I already knew, all of my power is in my legs! I was so close to getting the 70lbs, just couldn't quite get it. On the back squat, I did have to bail on my first attempt at the 165 lbs, luckily Jim was there to grab the bar as I fell backwards. I just laughed it off, shook it out and gave it another attempt, and got it!

Felt like an easier work-out although my muscles are definitely starting to let me know that I did something hard. I've never attempted a max weight lift before since I've always done reps, so lifting really, really heavy weights is a whole new experience for me. Hopefully I'll enjoy CrossFit as I continue to get stronger!!

Stupid Universe...

Over the past few days, I have felt that the Universe is seriously out to get me. The hits just keep on coming...

1. OAR concert on Friday: there was perfect weather on Thursday, but of course on Friday we had some seriously severe storms. The concert ended up being postponed, and because of some unhelpful announcements, Becki and I missed the first 30 minutes of OAR....sad. We also got rained on at the show....oh well, the worst part of that was that it made my beer very watery.

2. The power went out on Friday! Unfortunately I discovered this when I pulled in my driveway and tried to open the garage door....and of course I didn't have my house keys in the car! The only glimmer of good luck was that my back window was unlocked, so I was able to pry that open and climb on in. My dog just kind of looked at me a little funny...she's such a great watch dog.

3. The power continued to stay out all weekend! And did I mention that this was the weekend it decided to get super hot and humid here in Chicago??? My house was not a pleasant place to be.

4. Woke up on Sunday...short run...and then home to shower. Only to find out that since the power was still out, my hot water heater had run out of hot water....hello ice cold shower!!

5. Got the tragic news about Jason at the bike shop on Sunday.....the rest of that day was jus a blur. Still working on dealing with it....but I'm getting better.

6. Once the power came back on it became apparent that my A/C wasn't working. Add to that temps in the 90's and some serious humidity and my house was very uncomfortable. I also found out that my dog is a "fan hog" she kept sitting right in front of it!

7. The universe also seems to be vetoing my half marathon idea!! I'm having some really obnoxious knee issues lately that are keeping me from doing any real running... I really need to figure that out!!

So I have one message for you, Universe. BACK OFF!!! It's time to give me a break for a bit. Even if you think I can handle it....it doesn't mean I want to!

Enjoy it while you can....

Today has been a tough day. Checked my e-mail on the phone just before I pulled into the bike shop for work (at a red light of course), unfortunately I received an e-mail with very tragic news. Our shop manager Jason, the son of one of the owners, was killed yesterday. He was working on his car and because of the heat the jack shifted on the asphalt and the car fell on him. It's such a tragedy and one I haven't quite come to grips with yet. We were all kind of in a daze while working at the shop, Jason was supposed to be there with us today. Once we closed, a few of us stayed behind to have a beer and toast Jason. We will absolutely miss him.

Just another reminder to try and enjoy it while you're here. You never know when it could all be over.

Stormin'!!

Wow, when the weather man says thunderstorm...he means it!! We had some very loud storms that woke up me at 3am this morning!! I have slept through plenty of thunderstorms, I apparently even slept through a minor earthquake once, but this storm woke me up! Luckily my dog is a champ though and she slept right through it...not even the smallest whine from her.

I then tried to get up at 5 for bootcamp, but the knee is still feeling sore, so I decided to get some more sleep. Reset the alarm and dozed back off. When I finally did get up, I immediately felt guilty for not going to boot camp. I know that I want my knee to get better so I can run, but I also probably should have tried bootcamp and given it a chance, oh well. Nothing I can do about it now.

Now that I'm at work the storms have picked up again! There is some seriously loud thunderoutside, and I would swear it's 9:00 at night because it's so dark out there! I really just hope the hail stays away! I don't want dents all over my car!!

These storms now have 2 options. Move out in time for it to dry up a little and get nice for the OAR concert this evening, or keep on raging so that they have to cancel and reschedule the show! As much as we like OAR, Becki and I really don't want to stand in the rain for a few hours, and I would rather not waste the money I spent on the tickets.... I guess there is some irony there considering the original reason that I bought the tickets...

Seriously PETA???

Come on PETA, most of the time I agree with what you stand for, but if you want more people to take your organization seriously, you need to stop making statements like this.

Come on lightning....

So here's the report for tomorrow, it just keeps getting better. Did you see the part about large hail and strong winds?? Perfect weather for the outdoor OAR show. Is it bad that at this point I'm really wishing that if it does rain, there is also lightning so that they have to cancel the show?? I would much rather have it rescheduled or get a refund, then stand outside in the rain for a few hours....as much as I love OAR....that just doesn't sound all that fun.

Make it stop....

This is ridiculous....please just make the rain stop already!!! It's not looking good for the outdoor OAR concert on Friday!!

Lesson Learned...

So today I learned a very important lesson....take the opportunity when it shows up! For example, if the forecast calls for rain, and you wake up early to run before work and it's not raining.....then you should go run! Don't decide that you're too tired and you need some more sleep and you will run after work. Guess what....it could be pouring after work!!

The SkirtChaser race report...

At the beginning of the day we were all worrying a little! It was cold and raining….not exactly ideal SkirtChaser weather. We made the decision to set up in a large tent that had been provided and think positive thoughts that the weather would get better! Well, the power of the Skirt prevailed once again! By the time people were showing up for registration it was bright and sunny out! Of course this meant only one thing for me….outfit change!! I had started the day with the Sweetest Thing and lime green Runner’s Dream because it was so cold, but when it warmed up, I had to break out the limited edition Blue Tattoo GymGirl that showed up at my house just in time (thank you 2 Day Air!!!) Let me say….it was a hit! Everyone was jealous and wanted one of their own! Nicole definitely got it right again. It fits perfectly, and seems to fit the same as the other GymGirls I have purchased this season. Ok, so now that we have covered wardrobe (the important stuff)….on to the actual race!

We had plenty of volunteers for this race, so I had the fabulous job of “floating”. I got to meet plenty of fun people who were all very excited about the upcoming race. It turns out that SkirtChaser Chicago was quite the hot-spot destination! We had a couple from Virginia (they are shown in Nettie’s pictures – and they also ended up being one of our “newlywed/not so newlywed” game couples). She had a tough time deciding which Skirt to get….but ended up looking super hawt in her new white MarathonGirl. We also had 2 separate groups of girls on girl’s trips! One group from Bermuda (why you would leave Bermuda and come to the Midwest for a girls trip is beyond me….) and another made up of Ohioans and Minnesotans who had met in the middle.

Once start time rolled around, everyone was ready! My friend Jon who had shown up to volunteer made sure that all of the cute, single girls had their “chase me” stickers firmly attached to the backs of their skirts. (He’s such a good helper and very willing to do whatever is necessary!) The Skirts took off when the time came, and the Chasers looked a little worried – they weren’t quite sure if they could catch them! And they didn’t!! The Skirts came across in 1st and 2nd place, and then there was a battle between 2 Chasers and another Skirt for 3rd. Sadly, the Chasers had one last kick and crossed the finish line neck n’ neck slightly ahead of the Skirt. It was definitely a well fought race. The 1st place Skirt was actually married to one of the 3rd place Chasers!

Post race festivities were fantastic. The Dos Equis and Barefoot wine were flowing freely, and the “hot wieners” were definitely a hit (they may have even inspired some new “awards” to be debuted at future races!) :) The band was rocking inside the tent…but most people were hanging outside of the tent because of the gorgeous weather. We did have a great fashion show though….with some fantastic models. 2 girls at the end were brave enough to rock the Tri Bikinis, and one of them even pulled out a full-on toe touch jump in the middle of the stage! Awesome!

Oh, and SkirtSports and the SkirtChaser are now the subject of a dissertation! Claire, who is a Ph.D. student at Ohio State is traveling around to the SkirtChasers and volunteering or racing to gather information. She was a big help this weekend at packet-pickup and on race day (she was the first and last volunteer there!) and we are glad to have her and help her with anything she needs!

All in all it was a fabulous day. I’m so excited for the next one….Denver, here we come! :)

Holy Crazy Schedule Batman!!

Ok, this is starting to get a little but ridiculous....if I make it through this summer I may be amazed!

June 12-13: SkirtChaser Chicago!
June 19: OAR concert
June 20: Chicago Summerfest for Curbside?
June 27: Sara's Bachelorette Party
June 28: Bike shop BBQ
July 3-5: Sara's Wedding
July 9: Bastille Day 5K and block party
July 10: World's Largest Block Party for Collective Soul
July 11: Barrington Brew Fest and LATE Ride
July 26: Chicago Criterium
July 31-Aug. 2: Tour of Elk Grove (or Austin??)
August ??: Maybe run a 10K/10 miler??
Sep. 10-13: IM Wisconsin - cheering and hanging with the Entourage!
Sep. 26: my birthday! :)
Oct. 1-5: ACL Fest in Austin

Eh...

Titles for blog posts are really difficult to come up with when you don't know if you actually have anything specific to write about.....just sayin'.

This week has been somewhat blah so far, blah weather, blah mood, blah blah blah... Monday started out well, but it's amazing how something minor can turn it all around. Trying to keep my mind off of things but my brain just doesn't seem to cooperate. The dreams and constant thoughts that I can't seem to control do make things harder...but eventually they will stop right?

There have been a few highlights though.

1. I received a large envelope of my latest SkirtSports order on Monday! Hooray for new stuff! I'm super excited about most of it....I may return 1 or 2 things, not because I don't like them, just because I think I may want other things more. :) I wore the new Sweetest Tee to boot camp this morning, and I would just like to say that it is wonderful. I would like to exchange every t-shirt in my closet for one of these!!

2. Had a good solid ride last night. I knew that the Garmin was dead when I headed out, but oh well. Sometimes it's nice to ride with no feedback, but I do need to remember to charge it before intervals on Thursday. And I would really like to figure out why the cadence doesn't seem to be working! I have no idea how far or fast I went, but I was out for at least 90 minutes, and I felt strong and kept the cadence up the whole time. Definitely needed that.

3. Got a surprise very quick response form someone awesome who unfrotunately lives in another country. Normally he takes at least a couple days to respond, this time it was less than a day. It was a nice surprise. Can't believe we met almost 5 years ago and still keep in touch! :)

4. SkirtSports has new Limited Edition GymGirls!! Splatter print and Tattoo print. So fun! I ordered my Blue Tattoo print and put a rush on it to hopefully have it in time for SkirtChaser this weekend!!

I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend! I can definitely use some fun time with the SkirtSports and Red Rock crew! If you're in the Chicago area and looking for something to do on Saturday, come out to the SkirtChaser 5K!!

Summer?? Where are you??

This is really starting to get ridiculous. It's June, it's supposed to be getting warm and nice out! But we are 8 days into June, and I have had to turn my heat on for 4 of those days. I keep trying to avoid it, but then I realize that I'm sitting on my couch under a blanket since it's around 60 degrees in the house and I give in. Keeping my fingers crossed that it manages to get nicer for SkirtChaser this weekend!! :)

Today I tried a Grapple....and I have to say, they're kind of odd. Looks like an apple, has the consistency of an apple, but also has a weird, slight grape flavor. They don't taste like grapes....they taste like purple grape candy flavor. So bizarre. After my first bite, my mind was telling me "it's an apple, no it's a grape popsicle, no it's an apple....aaahhh!" I think I'll stick with plan old delicious apples, dipped in peanut butter please....even better!

Oh yes, and this weekend I learned why the phone locking app on the iphone is such a good idea. Don't you hate it when you start doing something that you know you shouldn't do, but you do it anyway! Arrgg....I fail! I also seem to fail lately at keeping my mind on anything else when I fall asleep. This process of moving on would be so much easier if I could just make the stupid dreams stop!!

Sushi Friday!!

I love Sushi Friday! Mmm sushi. The boys and I went out for lunch and it was absolutely delicious. Some spicy tuna, some dragon roll, red snapper, yellowtail, something called a Chicago roll, a Chef's special and the Firecracker roll! And we devoured all of it. Not a single piece left. Oh sushi....I heart you.

And apparently Sandra brought back some Dilly Bars for all of us. Mine is waiting patiently for me in the freezer. Shaping up to be a pretty good Friday!

Boot scootin' tonight at the Reckless Kelly show! Thanks guys for making the trip from Austin to show these Chicago people how it's done! :)

Why I started running....

I started running because my dog is a fatso and needed to lose a little weight. Apparently she gets tired in the middle of her meals.... We're working on trimming her down though! Taking a little longer than expected, because I recently discovered that she didn't like her new reduced amount of food diet, so she was sneaking in and eating the cat food too.... No more of that!

NRD report!

Here's my National Running Day report!

Started the day off with bootcamp, which usually means I don't run after work, but it's National Running Day....so I had to!! Got home from work late, and thought briefly about skipping the run to mow the lawn....but no.....it's National Running Day! I decided for this occasion I would wear one of my favorite skirts, so the outfit consisted of my Sapphire Blue GymGirl and black Tattoo tee. Sweet!













Since I knew it was just going to be a short run, I decided to go and run for the sake of running. No ipod, no measuring speed, no measuring distance. Just run! And it was perfect. 60 degrees and sunny. I sped up when it felt good, and slowed down when I wanted to, and even walked if that seemed right at the moment. Even took a break to talk to the great crew at Runner's High for a few minutes!

I'm guessing that's what today was really all about. No worrying about races, or times, or paces, or distances. Just go out and run because you can! And try to remember that it really can be fun if you want it to be.

Tomorrow I'll go back to worrying about how far or how fast, but today I'm content with just running. :)

Oh yes, and I topped off the celebration with a delicious beer, just for Mary! :)

Go out and run!!

Happy National Running Day everyone! Don't forget to go out and enjoy it, even if it is just a run around the block!! And don't forget your Skirt!!

Check out the new SkirtSports video! And then head to www.SkirtSports.com and join the Convert to Skirt revolution!

Deep thought for the day....

Trying to remind myself of this lately....

If you have no control over making it happen, it's not worth it to sit around and think about something that probably isn't going to happen....

Oh, and accidental dials can be just plan mean sometimes!