As it should really. When working out feels like just another chore on your list of things to do, it becomes much easier to talk yourself out of doing it. But who doesn’t want to play?
Last week, the CrossFit workouts were ghosts of our P.E.past. On Tuesday, we did front and back somersaults. Sounds easy enough, right? Not if you’re someone (LIKE ME) who had a remarkably hard time doing back somersaults as a child. My parents have a VHS recording of a tumbling performance when I was about three. I am unable to do a back somersault and I just keep trying and trying, holding up all the other kids behind me in line waiting to make their parents proud by actually doing a back somersault.
Turns out not much has changed in the back somersault department. I found myself still unable to do one and still holding up the line of other people waiting to get on the tumbling mat. But you can bet that doing a back somersault has made it onto my 2012 list of goals. Along with doing a freestanding handstand.
Yes, I’m back in the fourth grade.
On Thursday, I showed up to CrossFit and instead of the usual 10 or 12 people, there were only three others. Turns out we were climbing the rope in class and it seems some people were still traumatized by their rope experiences in junior high. You remember that rope. My memory is of the Presidential Fitness Challenge in the 7th grade where I totally failed in my attempt to climb the rope. Like I didn’t even get off the ground. And of course, this happened in front of my entire co-ed gym class.
I can understand the trauma.
Fortunately, that did not happen this time.
I climbed more than halfway up the rope on my first attempt, learning two very important lessons along the way. Never underestimate your abilities when trying something new. And never wear capris when climbing a rope.
{Thanks to Nicole, my coach, for the photo of me in action and the constant encouragement.}
On a VERY regular basis, I get my ass kicked during a Crossfit workout. I’m totally used to that. But I must admit, I love that the people doing it are amazing.
For example, this morning I deadlifted 100 lbs. Which I thought was awesome.
And then I hear a fellow athlete, Suzanne, call out her deadlift weight.
145 lbs.
Which is even more awesome.
This is Suzanne:
I wouldn't fuck with this one if I were you.
I’ve known Suzanne for almost two years now. We work out together regularly at the buttcrack of dawn and we both share a slightly sarcastic sense of humor. Meaning that if you’re in class with us at 5:30am, one of us will probably be cracking jokes. Hey, you do what you have to in order to survive these workouts.
The other thing I love about Suzanne? She’s 23 years older than me.
But the absolute BEST thing about Suzanne? She holds the world record for being the oldest woman to row across the Atlantic. Not only was she part of a team of rowers going for the trans-Atlantic speed record (they missed it due to cross-current issues), but when she was finished with the journey, she also picked up an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, MRSA.
Holy shit. As if the rowing wasn’t hard enough.
I have crazy respect for athletes like Suzanne because honestly, they are one of the main things that keep me coming back into Crossfit Roots again and again. I can only hope one day to be as accomplished.
Doesn't everyone take pictures of their new running shoes?
During and after my pregnancy, I took about seven months off from running. This qualifies as my longest break from the sport since I started running thirteen years ago. (The only other break was when I had runner’s knee. I took six weeks off that time.)
But I’m back.
In a serious way.
Like “already signed up for races and started training with a plan” serious.
But also “starting out with thirty extra pounds of baby weight” serious.
I’m doing the Muddy Buddy with a friend in three weeks. I’ve always wanted to run through a mud pit (weird desire, I know) and this event gives me the chance to do just that. Not to mention it’s a bike/run relay. With physical challenges.
In order to register for the Muddy Buddy, each team has to come up with a name. Keep an eye out for Team Dirty Moms. You can bet your sweet ass I’ll be writing up a race report for that one.
However, the Muddy Buddy is only a training run for the much larger goal: a half-marathon in September. Specifically, this half-marathon. I was four months pregnant the last half-marathon I ran, so I’m looking forward to being a bit faster this go-around.
Truth be told…I’m looking to be quite a bit faster. Instead of simply aiming to finish the race (which has been my goal many times before), I’m going to attempt to do it in under two hours. Considering my fastest half-marathon time currently stands at 2 hours, 11 minutes, I have some serious work to do.
Which is why I’ve decided to follow a training plan for this race.
Crazy, I know.
It’s been years since I put together an official plan but so far, it’s been working out really well. I like knowing what I need to do every day and not having to think much about it. This plan was inspired by my friend Roni and someone named Hal Higdon. He looks nice enough.
Here is what my training entails…
Monday
Yoga
Tuesday, Thursday
Crossfit
Wednesday
Intervals
Friday
Run
Saturday
Rest
Sunday
Long & Slow Run
I’m in week 3 of my 11 week training program and can honestly say that intervals suck.
Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
I’ve written about CrossFit manytimesbefore. There are many things I love about it, but quite honestly, the aspect that I dig the most is the community. The CrossFit shop that I go to, CrossFit Roots, is made up of all sorts of people, brought together by a desire to accomplish small victories every time we show up.
There’s something about going through a tortuous workout together and coming through the other side. Panting, hearing other athletes cheering each other on and giving congratulations on a squat well done. Watching someone lift more than they thought they could or crank out an intense set of pull-ups. It’s inspiring and pushes you to work harder.
In fact, some of our workouts are partner or team-based. So you’re actually depending on others to complete what needs to get done. We support one another and help each other through the challenges, no matter how ugly it gets.
(And let’s not forget that we like to drink together as well. What’s a community without happy hours, social outings and potlucks?)
This feeling…of enduring something physically intense with other people…is quite similar to the feeling one gets being part of a team. When I played my (only) championship season of ultimate frisbee, there was a bond and community that was created from the experience of giving it your all on the field. Knowing that others are suffering alongside you and are hurtling themselves towards the same goal.
That’s what I feel at CrossFit every time I’m there.
Fortunately, when this happens, I know exactly what I need to do.
Sign up for a physical adventure that costs money.
Why? Well, because once you pay for something, it becomes real. I’ve said that about every race I’ve ever entered. You can talk about training all you want but if you haven’t actually paid money for a race entrance fee, then you’re not really doing the race.
Because you don’t have anything on the line.
Even if you tell yourself differently.
So here I am, in fantastic shape due to CrossFit three times a week, training for a half-marathon at altitude (Aspen, I’m looking at you) and STILL looking to try something new. Because I’m crazy like that. There’s just something in me that longs for the taste of something different.
And that, my friends, is why I’m going to give cyclocross a try.
(Breathe Mom…it’s not motorcross. You don’t have to pray that hard while I do it.)
What is cyclocross?
It’s kinda similar to mountain biking and done on a bike somewhat similar to a road bike, with an obstacle course thrown in for fun. And some mud.
The Rumblings
I started hearing about the Boulder cyclocross scene when I worked with one of the sport’s *loudest* and most enthusiastic evangelists, Greg Keller. His blog about cyclocross, Mud and Cowbells, does a great job of capturing and expressing his passion for the sport. I began to follow his blog, reading about the local cyclocross courses and checking out a few videos.
The sport certainly looked fun. That mud! Those cowbells! And, of course, all that “Hup Hup Buttercup”-hollering and noise-making, which certainly didn’t detract from the good times.
He also goes by Muddy Cowgirl.
But I wasn’t ready to buy a new bike.
Until I got my tax return from Uncle Sam…and heard news that my old friends had just bought a bike shop. Turns out I was ready to invest in a new bike.
The History
My old buddy Dewey hooked me up with a sweet cyclocross setup and it’s wonderful how things come full circle. Honestly, although Greg got me turned on to cyclocross in Boulder, Dewey was the first person to tell me about the sport way back when…in 1996. We used to live in the same neighborhood in Laramie and would ride bikes around town together.
One day, we were tooling around the university when we came to a huge concrete set of steps. Dewey hopped off his bike and gave me my first introduction to cyclocross. He showed me how to throw the bike over my shoulder and then instructed me to run up the steps. I thought he was crazy but I did it. Although slightly painful with my heavy mountain bike frame from the early 90’s, I definitely saw the potential in the sport.
After that little lesson, Dewey taught me how to do the cyclocross dismount. It’s a little more complicated than simply getting off your bike because you want to keep moving and not come to a standstill. Fortunately, I’ve had that move down pat for the past ten years or so. Even in cute flats.
Now what?
I’ve got my cyclocross bike, I’ve got my in-town coach (Thanks Greg!) and my out-of-state coach ready to help. This past Saturday, I made the challenge a reality, paid my dues and signed up with a local team. The team is affiliated with the Boulder Cycle Sport shop and comes highly recommended. (Thanks Greg!) One of the perks of the team is that they have a tent at local Boulder races where you can get your bike worked on before/after the race. For someone like me, that itself is worth the price of the team.
They mean the royal We, right?
Not to mention there are training rides, weekly coaching clinics and many muscular men in Spandex like-minded athletes. If nothing else, I’ll be motivated to cheer my teammates on (because I love obnoxious yelling more than the next person!) and will have the resources necessary to set myself up for success my first season of cyclocross.
And when I say success, I’m not talking podium success…simply surviving-the-season success.
Starting soon, I’ll be learning a new sport and it may end up being something else that I suck at. But it’s time to find out and to see how my core strength holds up on a cyclocross course, how I hold up on my bike and how my clavicle holds up during a race.
(I haven’t broken a bone yet and would hate to start with my first season of cyclocross…*cough* Greg Keller *cough*…)
And you know what, cyclocross might also turn out to be a sport and physical activity that I totally love. I mean, we are talking about a combination of bikes, running and mud here.
I never usually write race reports. But then again, my goal for the usual race is just to finish. This year, I had an actual goal with time involved. And I had posted about it on the internets. Twice.
Since I don’t run that many races anymore, I’ve decided that when I do, I’m going to take them a bit more seriously. Not that much more seriously, because let’s remember it is me, after all…
But enough about my serious running goals, let’s talk about the Bolder Boulder as it happened almost a week ago…
–It was the first race that no carb-loading took place the night before…maybe ever? The hubby made me spaghetti squash and fried eggplant, with plantains and a salad fresh out of garden. I wasn’t missing carbs one bit and didn’t have that heavy feeling the night before the race.
–Race morning: Got up early to stretch, drink coffee and eat a banana w/ almond butter. Felt like a champ.
–Ended up in same wave as a friend and had someone to chat with for the first mile. Before I dropped her. Although, in her defense, she was suffering through a sinus infection. (Hi Robin!)
–After parting ways with Robin, I ran the race by myself. Well, me and my watch. It’s the first time in three years that I haven’t had my husband running the race with me. I think the solo effort helped me to keep an eye on my mile splits and to push myself harder than usual. Not that he slows me down or anything, but without my husband there, I was able to fully focus on my performance. And it showed in my time.
–No water until mile 5. It felt good to keep running through the early water stations and since I rarely train with much water, I was okay not getting any until later in the race.
–After I got home and checked my results online, I realized I pulled off a negative split. Meaning that I ran the second half of the race faster than the first. This has been a goal of mine for a long time and it’s the first time I’ve actually pulled it off.
–Shaved three minutes off last year’s time, which was the very public goal that I made sure to tell everyone about. Also? I was *this close* to coming in under an hour. Like 21 seconds close. Can you guess what my goal is going to be for next year?
–Felt strong the entire time. I was passing people in the last couple of miles and that’s something I really enjoy doing. Because in years past, it wasn’t something I was doing much of.
–I did the whole thing with a busted lip. It’s a long story but suffice it to say, I’ve had prettier years running this race. (You can see a little something on my chin in the first picture and yes, it’s a big gnarly scab.)
–I honestly think that CrossFit had a lot to do with my success in this run. I didn’t do that many training runs before the race but because my core is just generally stronger, I had more power overall, less soreness in my legs and the ability to push myself when necessary. Not to mention the fact that I’ve done way more sprinting with CrossFit than ever before by myself. Sometimes I just need someone yelling at me to insure that I run short distances.
This race just gets better by the year and is the perfect start to my summer racing season. I plan to continue running this one for as long as I live in Boulder.
Just when you thought it was safe to come back to my blog…well, it’s not. Mainly because I start another Paleo challenge today.
Why would I ever do such a thing? Oh, you mean besides this?
“Research has strongly associated the modern Western diet with the current epidemic levels of obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer.”
And it turns out I really like the mindfulness and challenge that go into adhering to a strict diet.
Of course, I picked a helluva week to start this thing. I know, I know…that almost sounds like a lame excuse. But with Boulder Startup Week taking place this week and a little event called Beer and Blogs that I’m helping to facilitate, I have a schedule packed with events featuring alcohol.
(Too bad I won’t be able to drink a beer. In a microbrewery. With a bunch of strangers. Talking about blogs.)
Reason #3? I’m running the Bolder Boulder in four weeks and would love to carve just a few minutes off my time. Totally doable.
Reason #4? I want to do an unassisted pullup. Or loosely translated, I want to get stronger.
And finally…this Paleo challenge, I’m in it for the metrics. Last time, we just had pictures to document our changes. This time, we’ve weighed in, taken measurements, and done two different benchmark workouts. Can you say science experiment?
(We did take more pictures, but this time, the picture is solely used in the case of a tie.)
In case you have no idea what Paleo is, here’s an easy list of what I can and cannot eat.
Other changes this time around…
no dried fruit. I believe my coach said something to the effect of “That shit’s like candy”.
no canola oil.
butter is allowed. I repeat, butter is allowed. So if I get desperate at some point during the challenge, I reserve the right to eat a spoonful of butter.
this challenge will last five weeks.
tequila and potato vodka have been added to the list of approved alcohol; still only four drinks a week though.
teams of two. I’ve partnered up with another finalist from the last Paleo challenge and between us, there is much potential for shit-talking and ass-kicking.
no spousal support. My husband has decided not to join me on this adventure and knows that there will be repercussions for eating ice cream in front of me. It could get ugly.
Goodbye. For now.
That’s what my challenge looks like starting today, but what does Paleo 2.0 mean for you?
More talk about eating real food, more documenting the struggle and more sharing of recipes this go-around. According to my Lijit stats, someone keeps searching for Paleo stuffed mushrooms. Since that was one of my favorites from the last Paleo challenge, I plan on making it again AND posting the recipe here.
I have one successful Paleo challenge under my belt (top five finalist, right here)–so I know I can do it.
The question this time is can I do it without my husband. And without pissing off my new co-workers. Or killing my partner.
Stay tuned. Things are about to get interesting. At least as interesting as carb-free can get.
You can put some catchy music in the video to make it look appealing…
But what it really comes down to is this…CrossFit isn’t something that you look good doing.
Because it’s hard and you’re pushing yourself and it’s difficult enough to even think about doing 100 box jumps…much less try to look cute while doing these 100 box jumps.
If you want a pretty workout, go to a big gym and check out the cardio equipment. Or stop by one of the bajillion yoga studios in town. However, if you want results AND you don’t care how you look getting them, then you should be doing CrossFit.
The other morning, my coach mentioned that she had some pictures of me from a workout. She also mentioned that they were pretty awful and she didn’t think I would appreciate her posting them on the CrossFit blog. (She’s nice like that. And totally right.)
So while I don’t want them on that blog, I’m more than happy to post awful pictures of myself here. Enjoy a candid capture of me in the midst of a CrossFit workout. You’ve been warned.
And don't tell me that any of you, after doing 100 box jumps, 100 wall balls and 5 400m sprints, would look any better.
Thank you CrossFit and especially to my coach Nicole. It may not be pretty, but it works.
And you can bet that I’m ready to carry my husband over the threshold on our honeymoon.
I’ve been doing the Paleo nutritional challenge (I mentioned that I hate the word diet, right?) for nine days now. Not a ton of time, but enough to begin to see some changes and feel some differences.
A few things I’ve learned this past week…
People like to talk about food. As soon as I mention what I’m doing, it raises emotions in people. Either they think I’m totally crazy or they’ve tried something like this in the past or they have lots of questions. But so far, not one person has heard about the Paleo way of eating and NOT had something to say about it.
Sugar withdrawals are real. And they suck. The worst episode (so far) happened to me on Thursday afternoon at the office. I was lethargic, tired, grumpy, achy and bitchy. Definitely not the best Tara that my co-workers have ever seen–in fact, probably the worst. It was so bad I had to cancel my dinner plans that night…with a friend who was cooking a Paleo dinner, no less.
Temptation is everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I can understand how Tiger Woods felt now. Except that unlike him, I haven’t cheated. But I do want to send dirty text messages to every cookie I see, telling it exactly what I’m going to do to it. Baked goods how you taunt me!
We have way less recycling now. Funny that when you don’t buy food that comes in boxes or cans, you really don’t have much to put in the recycling pile. On the flip side, our refrigerator is overflowing and our freezer stocked. After a trip to Costco, our cupboards aren’t as bare as they once were but there are now filled with gargantuan bags of nuts. (Insert nut joke of your choice here.)
Coconut milk is a girl’s best friend. Fuck diamonds. When you can’t have any sugar or natural sweeteners, coconut milk poured over fruit tastes like heaven. The dessert of Paleo champions, I say.
Limiting yourself to only four drinks a week makes you very picky about where and when you enjoy those drinks. If I agree to have a glass of wine with you in the near future, consider yourself honored. Because that’s a quarter of my weekly alcohol consumption right there. But if I do have a glass of wine, you can be damn sure I’m appreciating it. Slowly.
Events can be difficult to attend. This past week, I went to an open house where I had to turn down hummus (my comfort food of choice) and many beers. The very next day, I attended a blogger meetup where the only options were fruity champagne drinks and cookies. Finally, on Saturday, I was at a full-day conference that had piles of chocolate in the middle of each table…that I tried not to make eye contact with while eating my nut & seed mixture. I’ve managed to hold it together at these events but I realize that I’m meeting new people left and right that are going to remember me only as “that crazy girl”.
I’m hungry. All the time. Even when I feel full, I’m hungry five minutes later. Gone are those days of carb satiation, where your belly is big and you couldn’t possibly eat another bite. Say hello to second breakfasts, second lunches and near-constant grazing.
My husband is amazing. I already knew this one but after the past nine days, I’ve never appreciated him more. He’s viewing this entire thing as a culinary challenge and simply put, he’s rising to the occasion. We’ve been eating really well and he’s kind enough to put up with me when I start getting cranky. (Babe, I think you’re really going to enjoy eating that mango off my six-pack abs in Belize when we’re done with this.) And besides, this challenge gave him the reason to get that meat grinder he’s always wanted.
Life doesn’t end without carbs, dairy or sugar. I’m still eating delicious foods and they’re actually tasting better than ever before. Meals must be carefully planned but the mindfulness that goes into the food preparation makes it that feel that much more enriching. To illustrate my point, here are a few of the things we’ve enjoyed in the past week: cauliflower mashers, buffalo steaks, beet salad, spaghetti squash, Cornish game hen, (many) green salads, roasted asparagus, sauteed brussel sprouts, meatloaf and an omelette with salmon, spinach and onions inside.
Eating out is a bitch. No way around this one. I can do Chipotle and the Whole Foods salad bar pretty easily, but for the most part, I’m sticking to eating leftovers from the previous night’s dinner for lunch. There are many, many lunch places that I simply refuse to step foot inside for fear that I won’t be able to eat a single thing they serve.
Stay tuned for more updates as I progress along in this journey. So far, so good and only 33 more days left…but who’s counting?
If you haven’t picked up on it yet, most of my challenges seem to revolve around athletic themes. There are the obvious physical and mental obstacles involved, but I’m pretty sure that I’m still trying to make up for lost time. And convince myself I’m an athlete.
In September of 2009, I ran my first trail race in Oregon. 14 miles on uneven dirt with exposed roots and rocks, uphill and down, with the threat of stinging bees along the course. Pretty much the hardest half-marathon I’ve ever run…and it wasn’t the biggest challenge of this year.
Earlier in 2009, I ran a new race, the Fort Collins half-marathon. I wanted to run it so I could say, “Take a bus up the Poudre”, as often as possible at 5:30 in the morning. And it was as fun as I thought it would be. However, around mile eight, my knee started hurting and making it to the finishing line was mentally tough. Still not the biggest challenge of the year.
[I asked my husband about his biggest challenge this year and he answered marriage. Funny. That was the easiest thing I did all year.]
Nope, the hardest thing I did in 2009 was starting CrossFit.
I already blogged about how nervous I was before the first class and made the requisite cult jokes. Now, after almost five weeks in, I can say that it was, and still is, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I absolutely love it. And it might be a cult.
It wasn’t just the workouts. Although they were tough. Pull-ups, push-ups, dead-lifts, squats and kettle-ball tough. Yes, I cried out for baby Jesus. Yes, I sweat. And yes, I bitched about CrossFit on Twitter.
And it wasn’t just because these killer workouts took place at 6:45 in the morning. Before I had to go into the office for a full day of work.
It might have been because getting to those workouts required perilous walks or bike rides in the dark, across ice and through snow, at a time in the morning when I’m normally snuggling in bed with the warm hubby.
Despite all my grumbling about being sore, the results of my hard work were crystal clear this past weekend.
I rang in the new year with two days of skiing. The first day was spent remembering what I was doing and getting used to the snow. We got a full day in and I felt pretty confident.
Day two was amazing. Five inches of new powder, lots of tree skiing and three black diamond runs. My goal for the entire upcoming ski season was to feel comfortable on black diamonds and here I was, day two, in knee-deep powder and amongst trees. Shredding it, feeling good and breathing into my quads.
The fact that I kicked ass my first two days on the slope this year is proof positive that CrossFit has already helped me to become a stronger athlete.
And if that wasn’t enough, waking up today, I wasn’t sore at all. While the husband talked about his sore legs, I simply smiled.
