February 19

Friends rule
Today was the awesome Saturday team workout. These are fun, because you can put yourself on teams with your friends, no matter how many times your trainers tell you that you can't. We were supposed to have 3 guys and 3 girls on our team of 6, but we're rebellious and we don't care. Jimmy crack corn...

Here are (some of) my ladies. LOVE them.

After the workout, I was supposed to go and visit my gimpy, broken ankle friend, but instead, I backed out and laid on the couch all day. I did not put on make-up and I spent the day catching up on my trashy TV shows on my DVR. And then a friend came over with food, booze, and movies (and a big 'ol bag of chips and a giant container of salsa).

All in all, I'd say an A+ day.

February 18

Longest. WOD. Ever.
I think today marked the longest time I've ever taken to finish a WOD.

This took me 51:46. And my runs were in the rain. It was rad.

Those aren't my hands (because I use gloves), but THAT is what happens when there are 150 pull-ups in a workout. Ugh.
 

And we had a visitor in the gym, too. Super cute. But I didn't want to touch it. Bleckgh.

February 16

Another kick-ass WOD
I've been really stepping it up lately in my workouts. I'm noticing that I'm getting stronger and that some of my workouts are faster.

Today's was called the Smoking Gun:

Not only did I have a good time (see below), I manned up and did the intermediate prescribed 70lbs. That's HUGE for me. HUGE.

So what did I do afterward? Eat some good food and some well-deserved BOMB mac and cheese from the regular restaurant we go to afterward.

February 15

My poor delicate, girly hands
Ok, so after yesterday's workout, my hands hate me. I actually have a blister from the bar and kettlebell.
:(
I'm such a wimp, I know. But being a CrossFitter means that your hands take a beating. Here are my hands 24 hours after last night's workout. Notice the red blister on the middle finger and the calluses where my digits meet my palm. It's a good thing I don't have a boyfriend...

February 14

Duh duh dunnnnnn...
The dreaded "holiday" for single people. Actually, this year, I could have cared less. I have amazing people in my life, and, sure, I would have liked to have had a man to buy me stupid shit, but I didn't... and I was fine with that. In fact, I got texts from friends all day, my uncle sent me a sweet card (with $), and a friend from the gym took me and another singlet out to dinner after our workout. I'd say it was a pretty damn good Monday.

Aside from all that bull honkey, the workout today was reeeediculous. Not that many of you will understand, but it was SEVEN rounds of 15 kettlebell swings (35lbs), 15 power cleans (65lbs), and 15 box jumps (20inches). After round 1, I was dead. After round 3, I wasn't even halfway done. At round 5, I was in my head, breathing a mess, and almost in tears because I was the last one doing the workout. I managed to get through the rest of it, thank goodness.

But the really awesome part was that I usually have to modify the weight. I can never do what we CrossFitters call Rx (prescribed weight). Tonight, I did. And I hate being the last one done. It always gets in my head and I freak out. Tonight I was the last one done. It started to get in my head, but I talked myself out of it. It was a giant breakthrough for me.

Here's a picture of my weights after the workout. Not super exciting, but it's my first full-on Rx'd hardcore workout. And after that is my name with an Rx next to it on the board (last one done for that class). A proud, proud moment.

February 8

Bear hugs rule
Today was a whole bunch of stressful. I'm not going to dwell on that. I am, instead, going to focus on the fact that I have rad friends.

My workout sucked. Well, I didn't so much suck at it, as it just plain sucked. 150 wall balls. What is a wall ball, you ask? You hold onto a 14 lb. medicine ball (imagine a 14 lb. beach ball), squat, and then THROW the ball up as high as you can against the wall, and catch it as is comes down while you're simultaneously crouching back down into a squat. Repeat. 150 times. They don't look difficult. But let me assure you, they are. By number 20, I was out of breath and could hardly throw the ball up. Yeah, 130 more to go after that realization. Wall balls are literally my least favorite thing to do.

Lately, my pal and I have been doing an after-workout workout. We try and run a mile - which is 4 laps around the building - or do something equally as stupid after our ridiculous workouts. So she came in just for the after-workout mile (she worked out this morning). Well, after doing 150 hell balls, my legs were pretty shot.

3-2-1... go. We started the run and I looked like a friggin ruh-tard because my legs wouldn't work. I ran the first lap. Pretty much walked the 2nd lap, and then literally walked the 3rd lap. And I was done. I quit.

I never quit.

I was pretty pissed at myself, but I was done. I didn't have it in me tonight. But the anger at myself was about to bring me to tears. So, being the rad friend that she is, my "running" partner saw this I'm-in-my-head moment and said we were getting dinner.

Needless to say, the dinner cheered me up (on top of the fact that it was nutritious and delicious). She rules. And that is all.

January 31

Blah, blah... I know, I know
I leave for the gym at 5:00ish each day. This is what time I usually get home:

Not because I work out the entire time. But because after my class, I try and run a mile or row a 2K, work on my pullups (I'm determined to get that 20 pullup tank!), or mainly just BS with people at the gym for an hour or so. And then we usually go and get (healthy) food afterward.

Reason # 654...

January 29

I like big BUTTS and I cannot lie...
Reason #546 why I love my gym... we actually go out and do stuff together. This weekend, a lot of us went karaoke-ing (sp?) at a bowling alley bar (yeah, we're classy). It was awesome to interact with people outside of the sweaty gym and to see people sing (and dance) their butts off. So much fun. I, of course, didn't sing. I need a lot of liquid courage for that.

This is one of the girls that I've actually known before we started working out together. In the background is the owner of the gym and one of the guys who records a lot of our workouts (on what we like to call the Spartan Cam) and posts awesome videos for us.

January 26

LOVE!
I seriously LOVE the people that work out at my gym. I know I talk about it a lot, but it really is awesome. I work out in the evening (5:30 class) and it's usually the same people who work out with me. We've even named ourselves the ninjas, (as opposed to some of the guys who call themselves the Spartans in the morning classes) (and because we think we're so freakin' funny).

These are some of my lovely ninjas. I seriously LOVE these girls. And I love that restaurant. We eat there frequently.

One of the girl's 6-year old daughter took this picture. I kept her finger in there because she ruled for doing this for us.

January 21

Well, duh
I love working out. In fact, I love the pain that CrossFit causes me so much, I continue to go back each day, even when I know the workout is going to hurt. Isn't that called being a masochist? Yeah, that's what I am. So I did my workout on Friday, cashed out* by rowing 1000 meters, and then decided to make up for yesterday by running a mile after all that. The same friend who broke down yesterday and texted that we were going to Yard House instead, redeemed herself by getting me off my sweaty, tired behind to run that mile that we agreed we'd start doing after our workouts.

So, let's review... 15ish minute HARD workout, 1000 meter row, and then a mile run. Yeah, I deserved Yogurtland afterward. And I love me some Yogurtland for many a'reasons. But on this night it wasn't for the red velvet yogurt, the delicious almonds, or even the sour gummy worms that I love so much... it was this sign that was discovered on the door, leaving Yogurtland:

Yes, kind door sign... I do.

*cash out: a term that our trainers use to just let us know that even though we worked our little behinds off in that day's extremely difficult workout, we're so not done and they want to torture us with one more round of pain before we leave the gym.

January 18

Epic fail
At my gym, there is something called, "earning your wings." When girls can hit the 20 and 30 pull-up milestone, they get a tank to display their hard work. Here's what the 20 pull-up tank looks like:

Last time we had to do "max pull-ups" during our workout (probably 2-3 weeks ago), I was pumped because I knew I could FINALLY do pull-ups without a resistance band. The time before, I posted a big, fat ZERO, so I was really excited to finally post a number this time around. I got up to the bar and knocked out 11 pull-ups. I looked at my coach and he gave me the "I'm reeeeally sorry" look and told me that I didn't get any. My chin never went above the bar on any of the pull-ups.

Thank goodness the coaches took pity on me and said we'd post "11(ROM)", which means that I need to work on my range of motion. Whatever, I'd take it. But it's not getting me any closer to the 20 pull-up mark. Well, maybe it is, but now I can't help but be really critical of my friggin chin going over the bar.

So when we had the "T-shirt ripping party" the other weekend, one of the girls who is also struggling with the 20-milestone suggested that we make our own max-number pull-up tank. In the end, I was the only one who did it. I gotta thank a real pull-up champ on this one... the only girl in our gym to get FORTY pull-ups. She bought the numbers and ironed them on for me. I think she just took pity on my weak arms....

Yeah, I added the ROM because it's freakin funny. And I like to laugh at myself. I will rock this tank with PRIDE!!

January 12

Max weight pull-up
On September 1, 2010 I joined a CrossFit gym. My upper body strength was nonexistent. I had never done a pull-up in my life, not even when I was a kid during those stupid Presidential fitness tests. I was always the most athletic girl in the class, but I couldn't pass that part of the test. (Bittermuch? Yeah..)

So, at my gym, there are 5 levels of resistance bands that help push you up when you attempt a pull-up, with level 1 being the most help and level 5 being fairly close to doing a real pull-up. I started on level 2 and by December, I was off the bands altogether. My next goal is to do 20 pull-ups so I can be part of that club (yeah, we have milestone clubs).

Tonight, part of our workout was to do a pull-up with as much weight as possible. For the pull-up to count, our chin had to go above the bar. Tonight, I did a pull-up with my own body weight, plus 17.5 lbs (the vests that we're all wearing below have the added weight). These were some of the + lbs. girls in the workout tonight.

From left to right, +12.5lbs, +45 lbs (she's a rockstar!), +17.5 lbs (me), and +20 lbs.

January 11

Wall climbs
Yesterday:
Me, to K, looking at the post for today's workout: Wall climbs? I can't climb that wall (there's a 7ish foot wall that some of our gym compadres can actually climb over)... I wonder what the modification is for those.
K: You run as fast as you can and run into the wall until you pass out.
Me: Awesome. Can't wait.


Today:
Me, realizing that wall climbs are when you lay on your stomach with your feet against the wall and then use your feet to walk up the wall, while simultaneously using your arms and hands to walk your body back until you (theoretically) touch your chest to the wall in a handstand: Seriously?? I can't do those!!

After the workout today, at a local restaurant:
Me: Dude! I haven't taken my picture of the day yet!
K: You should have taken a picture of you doing wall climbs.
Me: Too late now.
K: No it's not. You can do them outside.
Me (thinking she's joking, but knowing damn well she's really not): Riiiiiight...

After leaving the local restaurant:

January 8

Gettin our bling on
My gym rules. I do CrossFit and the people there are hilarious and fun and we're all like one big family. So a couple of the girls decide that they want to have a "girls only" party to bling and "rip" (cut and tie) some out-dated (2010) t-shirts. I didn't do any ripping, but I did do some blinging. Or, had one of the awesome bling-specialists do it for me.
There may or may not have also been a beer bong involved. Good times.

January 5

HSPU (position)
So this may not be an exciting one for some of you, but it kinda is for me. I have not been able to do a handstand push-up in the 4ish months that I've been doing CrossFit. Not even with the resistance bands to help spring me up. In fact, I still can't do a modified handstand push-up.  
However, I also have not been able to get into this position without the help of one of my trainers grabbing my legs as I kick up to help me lock them in place behind the colored resistance band. Tonight, my friends, I got into that position allllllll by myself. Sure, I still can't DO the handstand push-up, but I can at least get into the position without kicking someone in the head, having them help me.
High five to me.