Storm Wars 2

So its 2 days before Storm Wars.. your stomach is in knots, its okay, Its normal, and its actually great. Those nerves are going to help you on Saturday. If its your first time competing, congrats.. you've already won in my eyes just by signing up. It takes a whole lot of guts to say that your going to try this thing. So I'll give you the advice your mom is going to give you... "just go out there and have fun!" And shes completely right, you should go out there and have a blast... BUT you should also remember this is a competition, and you don't want to be having so much fun that your doing the salsa in front of your bar, and then later regret not staying focus and giving it your all. So let me tell you what I mean when I say, "have fun".. you are prepped for this, your ready and your going to go out there and give all that you can give, and whether you finish the wod, or get stuck on a lift, you will be very happy with your performance, because you gave it everything you have.

Ill give you guys an example of what happen to me. Last year I went into the summer crush competition just happy that i signed up Rx, I just wanted to have fun! The last WOD was Isabel, 30 snatches @ 95#, with a vest... awesome, i suck at snatches. And i knew i sucked at snatches going into that wod, but I told myself that i would give it my all and try my hardest and have fun with it (while staying focused!). These beasts i was competing with finished the 30 snatches with time to take their vests off and cheer others on, while I failed the lift over and over. For the whole 10 minutes I readjusted, set up again, and attempted the lift, as i failed i would look to the crowd and saw my family, my friends, and my stormers cheering me on. I only got 9 snatches. And i could have stopped before the 10 min cap, gotten super frustrated, and just walked off in defeat, but i didn't. In a lot of peoples eyes, i bombed it.  But in mine, i didn't. I look back at that moment and i am proud that i stuck with it, that although i was dead and completely embarrassed, i fought until the time ran out. ... and because of that, i left feeling like i had a BLAST. It will only be fun if you give it your all, if you come out of there proud and if you stay positive. So have fun during Storm Wars... even if your failing over and over, keep fighting and show everyone and most importantly yourself that you have heart, that you fight til the end, and that no matter what happens you stayed positive.

What competition does is show you what your weakness and strengths are. After summer crush you better believe i worked on my snatches... still working on them actually, still afraid of them, but not afraid to stand up to them. So no matter what happens at storm wars, remember that you too have strengths and weaknesses and this will not be your last competition... so work on those weaknesses and be proud that you had the guts to compete... you can do this, i know it, and you know it. So keep smiling =], its gonna be fun.

So back to 2 days before storm wars... what should you expect, what should you do, feel, whatever.... First of all, don't change your routine. if you normally don't carb load, then don't carb load, if you normal don't take extra supplements, then don't take anything. The only thing i recommend to everyone is to drink water, starting now... more than anything its going to be hot... and remind yourself of that when your woding... "you are not tired, you are just hot!" Expect to be hot, expect to be tired, expect for the weight to feel heavy.... all normal. Just accept all these things, realize it feels heavy for EVERYONE (yes, even that guy in 1st) and just keep pushing hard.

Go work out tomorrow, just don't go too heavy or rip your hands on the bar. Take Friday as an active rest  day.. go for a run, row, swim, play basketball, whatever... and stretch. Go to bed at a decent time because you have to be there by 7. And on game day, Have your normal breakfast. pack a little cooler with water, lunch, maybe some oranges and a chair. Bring your friends and family to come out and watch you, a little pressure will help.  and most importantly.... "HAVE FUN!"  ;)

250 Burpees

For all those stormers who are thinking that today is a rest day, or a "just go for a long run," day, or a "just ganna some lifting during open gym" day,

You are wrong.

Today, is 250 Burpees.

I was wrong this morning too. I went into the 7:15 open gym thinking I would do a little rowing, maybe some back squats and see what goes from there. Then I realized that BECAUSE I hated the WOD, because I hate burpees, THAT is the reason I HAD TO do this work out.

2 minutes in, I literally said out loud "This was a bad idea," but Joe Cox dying right next to me said something that was simple, funny, yet genius. He said "Its ganna make you a better person."

He was completely right.

Want to get better at snatches? Do Burpees.
Want to run faster? Do Burpees.
Want to loose weight? Do Burpees.
Want to get mentally stronger? Do 250 Burpees.

So if your thinking about skipping todays WOD, and trust me I know you have an amazing excuse.... remember that its ganna make you a better person, and a better athlete.

Training on the side, going to open gym, going to LA fitness to swim... all amazing ideas. Doing supplementing workouts will make you better. Just make sure that when your modifying the WOD, or skipping out on 250 burpees, that you are not AVOIDING the movements  that you don't feel comfortable doing. Working on those things that you hate are what is going to make you better. Its what is going to make you stronger and what is going to make you unstoppable.

So get your gym bag and get into the box, its going to be worth it and after your 250th burpee you will look around to all your friends sweating and dying around you and you will be proud and know that all of you are better people for it. I know that I was. THEN I was even more proud when Mike Valdes said that we all did those 250 burpees VOLUNTARILY since it was technically open gym, nice catch Mikey, I didn't realize we were all crazy, but now I know we are all better athletes because of it. 

Heres a link to todays WOD:
http://www.crossfitstorm.com/wods/can-you-burpee/

13.1

Going into 2013, I knew my CF goals would be a little different. I had lost my “crossfit mojo” and I wanted to give myself time off from competing and training.  And after having surgery I knew that the break was inevitable. BUT of course as soon as I was forced to stop training and stop competing, my mojo started to itch.  When registration for the open started I had already known that I wasn’t going to register and that competing 4 weeks post op would be stupid. But the more and more I pushed you guys to sign up because of “how much fun” it was going to be, or how the “journey was an experience,” the more and more I would be convincing myself that I too could not miss this kind of experience. So I said fuck it, and signed up. I could do sit-ups and doubleunders and thought well if 13.1 is Annie then I’m set! Lol

So when the WOD was released and I saw burpees and snatches I thought, oh crap. Lol. I guess the “no pressure” attitude had to work for me and the following day I went into the box and tried to burpee. Ugly, slow, but hey a burpee is a burpee, chest to the ground, up and jump, just get it done. And then I tried snatches, they were much heavier now but felt ok. I was ready for 13.1. (Although my doc might disagree. Lol). What did you guys think when you saw the WOD? What was your initial reaction? Sometimes the best thing is to plan right way, what does your gut tell you? How are you going to approach this wod?

 I wrote on FB the day after I completed it tell you guys that you have to go in there with a plan, with a goal, and to give  yourself time to surpass that. Did it work? Here were my goals… First of all, my initial gut told me that I had 17 mins, and that it was a lot of time. My goal was to get to the 75# snatches and finish all 30 reps. So first the burpees… Some people say to pace yourself on those burpees.. eh, that doesn’t really work for me.  My burpees were pretty slow already since I has to control the way down, and I knew that 1 burpee or 40 burpees, I would be out of breath regardless. So my plan was to go a very controlled balls to the wall. Also, I am a big believer in watching the clock, especially when ur basically running out of time. So my next plan was to get to the 75#s with at least 8 minutes left. And then get off the 75# with enough time to get my burpees in and try out the 100#.  I had already known that I wouldn’t be able to get that 100# up, but I also knew that unless I successfully loaded the bar and at least failed, I would always wonder what if. So I wanted 3 minutes and was focusing on starting my set of 20 burpees at 14:00. Good plan I thought.

Friday morning came along and as I was putting on my wrist straps, I was shitting myself. Lol. I was sooo nervous, I was shaking. I was trying to focus, trying to visualize, trying to remember all the goals I had set. My chalk was where I wanted it, my plates ready to be set up. Then for a second right before “3,2,1,go” I had a moment of clarity and thought WTF am I getting so worked up about?!?! Why am I nervous, why have I just gone over goals and planning and stupid burpee strategies when this is only for fun, when I just had surgery and I knew that there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to even complete the 40 burpees?!!? But then I realized… that is the journey, the experience, the fun that I was talking about. I actually love that “ugh I am about to die” feeling you get right before you hear “go.” So after completing 13.1, I was happy. I had gotten farther than expected but right where I had hoped. I was able to try the 100# twice, and although I didn’t hit it, I knew that I had at least tried it.  I think that setting small goals was key. No matter how new you are to CrossFit, how weak you think you are, or how strong you use to be, it’s fun, it’s the experience, and CrossFit is amazing because you can set your OWN personal goals.

So what were your goals? Did you get as far as you hoped? Did you fight for 17:00? No matter what happen 13.1 is behind you, you are more experienced and the only way to look to toward the future, 13.2.  I am so proud of all my Stormers, you guys are the best… from the rookies to the veterans, everyone should be proud and excited for the rest of the open! Lets do this!

No Chalk at LA Fitness?

Today is Sunday. I decided yesterday that I NEEDED/HAD TO to work out today because I missed a couple days last week. I wanted to go into the box but being sunday, it was closed. I wasn't in the mood to run, so I decided it would be a good idea to go to LA Fitness and get a little WOD in. I was thinking they have weights and pull up bars and I figured I could swim a little.  Well, not to knock anyone that loves the "Globo" Gym, but I hated it. I guess after a year and a half of being at a CrossFit box, I got so addicted that I couldn't handle the change. Let me tell you about my experience. First I assumed being a Globo Gym that they would be open at a buck crack of dawn, so me and Chrisite were going to meet there at 7. Reasonable time, I thought. But apparently they dont open til 8, so we went for a run and did some sprints while we waited. Now picture this, two girls doing sprints and pushups literally in the shopping center of an LA Fitness. lol. Anyway once they opened we went in and started looking around, all i could think of is "Please have free weights, Please have a 45# bar." I honestly couldn't even remember what the inside of a gym even looked like, other than what I used in the past, which was the treadmill, olypical, and the machines. But thankfully they had a bench and some free weights so we agreed on Bench Press and Pull ups for the WOD, Great, well, kind of.  First off, the bar was so shiny and new (and apparently so unused) that i felt like the bar was going to cut my hands to shreds and  like a dumbass im looking around for the chalk bucket in a spotless gym. lol. Then off to the pull up bar, which was these two small bars, separated, pointed away from each other, and covered in some rubber for support, I guess. SMH. Again, im looking for the chalk. lol. And im not even going to talk about the music (im addicted to Coach Brandons Heavy Metal- its the only way to PR). Anyway, After the WOD, we hit the pool. Got a pretty good WOD in, I cant complain about the pool but Im a swimmer first so maybe im biased.

When I left the globo gym all I could think about is how much I love CrossFit and how much I missed my box, It didn't feel good cheating on my box. lol. I have to say that I love crossfit storm, we can be a dysfunctional family, but that's what family is. I love our coaches, always there to push us and support us. And I realize, and accept now that I am completely addicted to working out dirty, no a/c hot, bars & plates, pull up bars, chalk, sweat, filthy music, its disgusting, and i wouldn't have it any other way. Cant wait for 8 am tomorrow, I might actually roll around in the chalk, i missed it so much.

Chalk Angel. haha.

Listen to your body

This week has been kind of long for me [and its only Wednesday!]  I haven’t been able to figure out why, and today has been the worst. I struggled to get out of bed, I’ve been in a down mood all day, everything is bothering me, and I’m dragging ass at work. … And no, I am nowhere near that time of the month, so I can’t even use that excuse! I figured that I was just tired from training hard all week, but I'm happy that tomorrow is my rest day. I don’t know if you guys know, but I started following this program called Outlaw. It looks like the “thing to do” now, but I don’t care what anyone says, I can see it working for a bunch of athletes and its geared toward many of my weakness, so I figured I would give it a shot, and drink from the Outlaw cool-aid. Anyway, tomorrow is a rest day and I’m dying for it, never actually been so excited for a rest day before. And let’s face it, I’ve been in such a bad mood that I can’t even stand to be around myself, so I know I need it. Thinking about this, I remembered something that I had read on the Outlaw website about over training and it make so much sense at the moment that I wanted to share it with you guys ….you may be feeling the same way. [I figure it’s much better to put a name on the kind of crazy you are feeling than to stay in the dark]

So you’re tired, feeling crappy, feeling sore, and you’re not sure if you should take tomorrow as a rest day or push for one more day. Well, on Outlaw’s FAQ page, it says that you should use the Mood – Fatigue – Soreness scale to judge your level of over training. On a scale from 1 -10, 1 being the best you’ve ever felt to 10 being on your death bed. They say… 1-1-1 would be ideal, 10-10-10 would be really bad, and 6-6-6 would be fuckin awesome. So I looked into this a little more because I started thinking my mood swings were from over training. I found out that there is an actual syndrome called over training syndrome [which we desperately want to avoid!] and it includes CHRONIC fatigue, appetite loss, altered mood, sore muscles, and sleep disturbance. Anyway, this shouldn’t scare you. I would take these symptoms as a warning sign that you need to “listen to your body” and think about taking a rest day. I also read that the way to avoid over training is to monitor mood, fatigue, and muscle soreness. Just like Outlaw prescribed. So today on my M-F-S scale I’m probably like a 9-8-7… no bueno. This tells me that I even if I wanted to WOD, I should probably rest to get myself back to that “fuckin awesome” 6-6-6. Luckily, tomorrow’s Outlaw is a programmed rest day, but our box and many boxes are open almost every day of the week, so it’s up to you to listen to your body, and be smart about your rest days. Hopefully this could help explain why you almost ripped your boyfriends head off, or couldn’t get out of bed after 4 days straight at the box. Try and use the M-F-S scale to guide you toward understanding what the coaches mean when they say “listen to your body." I’ll keep you guys posted on how my M-F-S scale is tomorrow after my much needed rest day! … So if you’re feeling 6-6-6, get your ass back in the box ;) 

 ... Don't over train to the point where you start looking and acting like this lol:  

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Being Sore Sucks

 Im sorry, but being sore sucks. Lol. 

Its been a year and a half since I started CrossFit, and before this I was a swimmer, played a little water polo, and ran cross county, so I’ve always been into sports but not matter what, I always get sore…always… and it always sucks.  But don’t get me wrong, as much as it sucks, I love it. Soreness means that I worked my ass off and always remind me of that “constantly varied” part of the CrossFit Definition.  I am not scared of being sore, I embrace it. Being sore is my body’s way of congratulating me for completing 160 over head squats.  [which suck more to do than being sore after lol] but now that I am sore and I’ve throw a little party in my head about how those over head squats were AMAZING, and DID NOT suck, how do I make the soreness go away!?!?! I’ll take any advice you guys might have, Lol I’ve tried everything from pills, to rubs, to baths, to rest. But I think what works the best for me is to #1: bitch about it ALLL day lol, then get back into the box the next day, work on mobility, hit another  WOD hard, and shift the soreness to another part of my body lol. I think the tricky part of this is knowing the difference between being sore and being in pain. Im still not great at recognizing the difference but I listen to my body, I try to be smart about scheduling my rest days, and I try not to let a little soreness stop me from getting to the box.  So embrace your soreness, it’s your body’s way of telling you, you rock! 

The time is now

Hey guys, I know I haven't posted in a while [imissyou2] but .... school is officially over! Going back to school was harder than I thought it was going to be especially with work and trying to train. My priorities were completely flipped. I seriously praise all of you guys that work, go to school, take care of a family, and somehow manage to find the energy to come into the box day after day and kick ass.  Great job, keep at it, keep pushing, and keep motivating yourself to give 100% in everything, you are amazing.

June 20 will mark one year since I broke my wrist, a day I will never forget. And among many things, it means: Summer Crush.  I remember going last year as a spectator and being so upset that I couldn’t compete. I remember thinking “I wish that was me!” That drive is what pushed me to train hard and get ready for Clash of the Fittest. A year later and I still have that drive to train hard and be in that spot that I wanted so bad. And honestly, all I want is to get out there, give it my all and be part of such an amazing experience. I recommend to all of you girls that are thinking about competing but aren’t sure, to get out there and do it.  It is amazing. Not even jumping out of an airplane gave me the adrenaline rush that I get from walking up to the bar and waiting for that 3,2,1, go.  So 3 Months, 3 months of training hard, eating right, and building up that fire til Summer Crush.

This weekend that fire building started at Regionals.  Wowza, talk about amazing athleticism. This weekend inspired me to work harder and get better. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t do something, not even yourself. Don’t ever watch someone compete and think that you can never do that because I guarantee that they were not born with the ability to do it, they busted their ass for it and you should too. I saw all of these girls doing Muscle ups like its nothing, and I thought to myself, “dam it I am never going to be able to get them!” But that was the wrong way to think. The hardest part is not always the physical, but the mental. I know that I have to go into the box and practice, and I will get frustrated, I will begin to think that I can’t but that’s when I’m going to have keep practicing and remember that I can. I know I will get them but it won’t happen overnight, I need to train hard, every time and stay positive. Get inspired. Set Goals. Work hard. Do not limit yourself and anything is achievable.

I’ll keep you guys posted on how training is going, and when I get those muscle ups!