I guess that's the question you should be asking me.
I'm here :) I know, I know - I haven't posted anything for 10 weeks. It's taken some time to get used to my 'new' life without my dad. Instead of crying, I am now smiling at the little things that he would have loved..... like the flowers that are growing in front of his house. He is always with me!
I've talked about crossfit before but it's worth mentioning again. Crossfit Continuity - coaches and members - have become an important part of my life. I look forward to going (well, not on nights when we do burpees or have to run) and I really like seeing progress. I have new Personal Records (PR's) in both the back squat and deadlift. Below is a video of my 225# back squat.
My deadlift is currently at 232.5#
At crossfit, we all bond over our love of fitness.... and DONUTS! Look at these - Hotlman's :) Nothing makes barbell club on Saturday morning better than donuts and friends.
I plan to compete in the Festivus gams again in October with Heather from Pretty Strong Medicine.
That's all for now.... have a great day and thanks for reading!
Who knew my life would drastically change since the last time I posted on April 19. I had just returned from vacation and competed in my first crossfit competition. I was feeling really good - then, BAM - my dad got an infection. He passed away on Saturday May 7 at 6:16 PM.
For the last few weeks, it just seemed like he was on vacation..... but, today has been the worst day. Maybe because Father's Day is coming this weekend and his birthday is next weekend. Everyone says it gets easier with time. I don't understand how that is because each passing day is one day further from the last time I got to give him a hug - feed him his apple - eat lunch with him - or just call him Dad.
Yesterday, I found his favorite ice cream - PISTACHIO! Every time we would stop for ice cream, he would ask for pistachio. We would have to remind him that 'they don't have pistachio.'
He also didn't mind eating White Castles.... not because they were good, but because he could hold onto them and eat them himself. What did I see when I opened my freezer tonight....?
And, then there is this bowl from which he always ate - not because he ate a lot but because it was easier for him to use .....
I don't need to go on and on about how wonderful he was. If you knew him, then you already know that he was the BEST!
If you knew him, you would know that even though life isn't fair it can still be wonderful. That even though not everyone is kind, you can still "kill them with kindness." You would know that you get out of life what you put in and you are only as strong as the people you surround yourself with. Most of all, if you knew him, you would know what it means to live life fearlessly and to love your family with all your heart.
I promise the next post won't be sad because one of the last things Dad said when he could still talk was 'NO CRYING'.
Who knew my life would drastically change since the last time I posted on April 19. I had just returned from vacation and competed in my first crossfit competition. I was feeling really good - then, BAM - my dad got an infection. He passed away on Saturday May 7 at 6:16 PM.
For the last few weeks, it just seemed like he was on vacation..... but, today has been the worst day. Maybe because Father's Day is coming this weekend and his birthday is next weekend. Everyone says it gets easier with time. I don't understand how that is because each passing day is one day further from the last time I got to give him a hug - feed him his apple - eat lunch with him - or just call him Dad.
Yesterday, I found his favorite ice cream - PISTACHIO! Every time we would stop for ice cream, he would ask for pistachio. We would have to remind him that 'they don't have pistachio.'
He also didn't mind eating White Castles.... not because they were good, but because he could hold onto them and eat them himself. What did I see when I opened my freezer tonight....?
And, then there is this bowl from which he always ate - not because he ate a lot but because it was easier for him to use .....
I don't need to go on and on about how wonderful he was. If you knew him, then you already know that he was the BEST!
If you knew him, you would know that even though life isn't fair it can still be wonderful. That even though not everyone is kind, you can still "kill them with kindness." You would know that you get out of life what you put in and you are only as strong as the people you surround yourself with. Most of all, if you knew him, you would know what it means to live life fearlessly and to love your family with all your heart.
I promise the next post won't be sad because one of the last things Dad said when he could still talk was 'NO CRYING'.
So, you've probably all seen the episode of Seinfeld where George's father invents a new holiday. If not, click on this link.....
It's time for the Festivus Feats of Strength!
This past weekend, I competed in my first Festivus Games. It's a crossfit competition for 'the rest of us' - those who are not quite ready for the Crossfit Games! Fortunately, there were 3 other ladies from Crossfit Continuity who also competed. We also had an awesome coach (Chelsea) and cheering section (Kris and Scott Stapleton).
I signed-up on a whim - I figured, how hard can this be? You show up, complete the WOD's, and go home - right? In theory, that is correct. But, you really need to have a better plan. For example, the 2nd WOD was a 1-rep max thruster. Chelsea said 'hey man, what's your plan for the thruster?' My response - I don't have a plan... I'm just going to start with 55 pounds and see what happens. Luckily, I was able to move 110#'s and come in 5the place in that event. If I had really thought about it (and maybe practiced), I may have been able to squeak out another 5 #'s.
110# Thruster
The first WOD was an a$$ kicker -
10-minute time cap ...
- 25 wall ball - 25 air squat - 25 no-rock hand-release push-ups - 25 double unders OR 50 single unders - 25 American kb swings - 25 double unders OR 50 single unders - 25 no-rock hand-release push-ups - 25 air squat - 25 wall ball
I was able to compete this in 8:18 which surprised me since I didn't even practice this WOD ahead of time. (Another example my poor planning.)
The 3rd WOD was called Night at the Bar - but it wasn't as fun as a night out at the bar! I finished in a respectable 4:26 - the crappy part was that for the remaining 3:34 I had to do Burpees, which I HATE!
With a running 8 minute clock ...
Part 1 - 12, 9, 6, 3 for time
- Sumo-Stance High Pull
- Hang POWER clean
- Shoulder to Overhead
Part 2 - Total Bar-Over Burpees in remaining time
I'm pretty sure I am going to die doing burpees (or running) .... but I did 26 in the remaining time.
Now, you're probably wondering.... 'where did you place?' I wasn't last... or even second to last. I was 8th in my age group but I held on to 5th place up until they announced the Top 5 (whomp whomp - better luck next time).
I would give this experience an A++... how can you go wrong with friends (look at the smiling faces below) and an awesome day? I plan to sign-up for the games in October - who's with me?
I did it! I competed in the 2016 Crossfit Games Open. Not only did I finish, but I actually signed up, registered, paid my entry fee, and participated.
So, why is this a big deal? Go to www.games.crossfit.com and click on the leaderboard. Now, go to the last page and you will see all the people who signed up and didn't even register a score. It takes a little something extra to enter the same competition as Samantha Briggs, Kara Webb, and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet knowing that you don't even have a chance. But, sometimes you need to do it.
16.1 was hell - my quads hurt for 10 days - and I did the scaled workout.
16.2, 16.3 and 16.4 were tolerable. Then we were hit with 16.5.....
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees
I love thrusters, I really do. But, burpees, oh the burpees - they sucked! I actually had a very respectable time, which I attribute to doing all rounds of thrusters unbroken. (Did I mention that I love thrusters??)
Do you want to know how I finished? .... I was not last!
118 - 180 in Ohio
322 - 371 in the Central East Region
4514 - 5110 in the World
The thing about it is, that you don't always have to be first. You just have to finish. Without the support of my friends (yep, I made friends) at Crossfit Continuity and the awesome coaches, I would not even have given a second thought to participating.
Next up - for those of us not going to the games... It's Festivus for the rest of us. See you on April 16!!
I'm not good at blogging..... I start, I stop, I think about it, I look at my page and then I walk away. There really hasn't been much to talk about lately - until now.
So, what's changed? If you've visited my page in the past, you know I like 2 things: crossfit and cupcakes. I've pretty much perfected the cupcake... making them and eating them! But, crossfit has always been something I've dabbled in. Now, I am ready to make it a priority - get it off the back burner and see what exactly what my body can do.
I've tried a few crossfit boxes in the past and was never really impressed. They never kept my attention because anything we did I could do myself at home. (Yes, I have a fully stocked Rogue garage gym... including an assault bike, rower, plates, and even a GHD machine.)
On blind faith, I joined Crossfit Continuity - just steps away from my door so I can't use the excuse that 'it's too far to drive.' I can walk there - and probably will when the weather is nice! The box had not opened yet when I joined, which is why I say it was blind faith. I entered my personal info on the webpage and gave them my credit card number - then I pressed submit. I just committed to 12 months - like it or not!
I had no idea who the coaches were and if they would be good enough. Fortunately, we have top-notch coaches who are invested in our success. I didn't get that at the other boxes I visited.
In just 4 short weeks, I've come to LOVE what my body can do. I know I've only scratched the surface because once I get some of this excess baggage off, I will be able to push myself further.
If you want to try a class, visit Crossfit Continuity and check out the community class. Every Saturday at 9:00 AM - it's FREE!!!!
I promise to come back and post more about my goals and successes!!
