More disgusting metcon...

Have you noticed a theme this week? If you guessed metcon, you're very clever!!! Saturday was more gwoss metcon stuff... but I guess you already knew that huh?

I don't really like writing about metcons because see, I don't like them really, so the only thing I can ever really say about them is that they suck. Really, I do know deep down that the only way to get faster is to do more metcons, but I just really can't force myself to like them. Just doesn't happen. Boo hiss! So, I will say though that my run on this SUCKED. All the middle stuff though, pretty good. I was not the fastest girl on the day by any means, but despite my ridiculously tight hamstrings, I still posted a pretty decent time.

Run 800 M
5 rounds
7 pull-ups
7 box jumps
Run 800 M
5 rounds
7 pull-ups
7 burpees

Time 21:08.

I was really hoping for sub 20 but for that to happen, I need to shave some serious time off my 800 M run in the middle of a wod. Ummmmmmmm...... I'll get back to you on that....

Row, lunge, swing, run!

Did you catch all that!?!? This wod had a little bit of all the really crappy metcon stuff I could possibly want. AWESOME!

500 M row
Rest 4 minutes
5 rft
60 ft Overhead walking lunge 25lbs
12 KB swings 53 lbs
Rest 4 minutes
Run 400 M

This was a metcon nightmare for me. I rowed out hard and then just couldn't get my legs back. The whole time I was doing the lunges and KB swings my hamstrings were just tweaking! It was pretty wicked. I didn't recover in time to do much better on the run either. My row was a 1:43.1. I could have rowed faster. I took about a second pause at about 100 M left. I was really tight then, and just felt my legs giving out, and that pause caught me. I held the CFOT row record for about 2 hours before someone else had to break it. It sort of makes me angry that people keep pinging on me. I kinda wish they'd just leave me alone for a day, but really, I suppose there isn't much I can do about that....

Do you feel lucky?!?!?! Well do ya punk?!?!

Like many things that get started in my life, the discussion that gave me this blog idea started off with a seemingingly innocent question. My kids and I were discussing St. Patrick's Day yesterday and I asked them to write in their journals about why they were lucky, or what would be something that would make them feel lucky. I wasn't overly shocked at the responses that I got, but I was sort of disappointed.

In a time when Haiti is in ruins, Chile has shifted the world, New Orleans is still rebuilding, and tsunamis have destroyed Asia, my kids are still focused on the material things. They're 8, and so they still very much exist in an ego phase (satisfying their wants before thinking of others) but still... I was hoping for a little more than what I got. Being lucky means winning the lottery and never having to work again, taking the easy way so to speak. Being lucky means that you have every gaming system made right now, have state of the art cell phones, eat all the ice cream, chocolate and candy you want (I will concede on this one, this IS lucky) and have all the money in the world. I understand that St. Patrick's Day isn't really supposed to be a reflective holiday. Let's face it, for a holiday that focuses on drinking green beer, it's hard to think that St. Patrick's Day is a time to analyze ones life or luck.

Regardless though, it got me to thinking. What is luck really? Why am I lucky? Just like my journal got my kids to think, it made me pause for a minute to think, and I realize that regardless of how "rough" things seem and how frustrated I get, I am one heck of a lucky person. While many things in life may frustrate me, the opportunities that I am given and the things that I have make me a very lucky person. So rather than type them all out in big long paragraphs, I made a list. A list of things that make me one lucky son of a gun... well or daughter of a gun if you're getting technical.... ;)

My list of reasons why I'm lucky...

*While CF and work may make me sore, I have 2 arms and 2 legs that work and support me and carry me through endless hours of work and working out. Regardless of the suck factor, I CAN do it.

*I have a job, multiple in fact. In a time when folks are getting laid off all over the place... I have three jobs that I usually enjoy, and are helping me to actually get financially on the right track. While others are struggling, I am seemingly moving on unphased and actually making headway.

*I have a roof over my head. Haiti, Chile, lots of folks there don't right now. I may hate rent, and I may wish I had more room, but I'm lucky enough to have a place to call home.

*I have friends... and lots of them. Maybe some are only acquaintances, but I'm blessed enough to have a variety of wonderful folks in my life. Amen.

*I've been loved. Some people in their lives live so much in fear of love, that they reject it or ruin it. While it may be painful, I've loved, and been loved... and it truly is the greatest feeling in the world.

*I have food in my belly and clothes on my back. Some people don't. I should remember this when I worry that I don't have the latest fashions or the latest $200 purse or pair of shoes. What's inside the clothes is more important anyway.

*I have my senses. I can smell the first cut grass of the season, see the flowers as they poke through the earth, feel the sun upon my face, hear the birds and geese as they return, and taste the custard that Rita's gives free on the first day of spring... sometimes it really is the simple things...

*I can read. I may not agree with everything I see, but the point is that I can see it, and understand it.

*I have a family. Well, two families actually... my biological one, and my CrossFit one. There are people who go through their lives never knowing what it is like to have the love and support of a family. I'm lucky enough to have it two times over.

This list isn't very long, but honestly, it doesn't have to be. The point has been made that despite all the ups, downs, sideways maneuvers my life takes me on, I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am very lucky. I may only be part Irish, I really actually am, but regardless of the size of the Irish in me, I'm one lucky girl. I can't think of how much different my life would be if even just ONE of those things was not the same.

Life is all about perception. How you perceive what is happening in the world around you. Sometimes it's hard to keep everything in perspective. Sometimes life feels like a runaway train that we can't get off of. When you start to feel that way, just stop and think. You might just be forgetting the little things. Keep it in perspective. I'm lucky. So are you.

Katie on love: Perhaps it's time?

There are a lot of things that I am. I am a teacher, I'm a friend, I'm a sister, I'm a coach, I'm an athlete, I'm a writer, I'm a CrossFitter.... all of these things give a pretty good description of ME. What I am. But one thing I am not, is lucky when it comes to love.

After last year's fiasco where I found out through my blog that the man I was dating had another girlfriend, I sort of backed off writing about my personal life. But as I think more and more about that, it bothers me. Part of the reason that I wanted to write my blog was to share MY life. I wanted to share MY stories, MY experiences. I felt that if people could take ONE thing away from something I've written or gone through, than that was a good thing. But if I'm running scared, afraid to actually write about any of those things, the purpose of this blog is actually quite moot.

I was very candid in '08 when I shared my ENTIRE CF story and it hit the main page. Why now after all that dirty laundry has aired should I suddenly be so shy? I shouldn't. But one bad experience nearly ruined it all. So, it's time to get back to my roots so to speak. Time to get thoughtful, and time to get candid with you all. So, here we go.

My thoughts on love. Let's get serious shall we? Love is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Unfortunately, it also can be one of the most elusive to find. I have spent years trying to find someone who understands me. Understands the way I think, the way I work, the way I am. And to be quite frank, I've thought a few times that I found it, only to have that perfect glass house that I've built in my head come tumbling down around me in a million tiny small shards.

I've built walls and tried to act as if I don't care that I have been unlucky in love, but the bottom line is that I do. No one really WANTS to live their life alone. Humans are not notorious for being reclusive hermits. We like to be around other people. We need social interaction. We want to feel that connection to someone, and when it's not there, we feel like something is missing.

For a long time, CrossFit helped to fill this void. I love going to the box and seeing everyone and for a long time CF helped me to fill that need to have that interaction. But at the end of the day, CrossFit can't be my boyfriend. Although I would love to marry CrossFit and take CrossFit out for drinks and dinner, it just doesn't work that way.

I will be very honest now and say that my last relationship really messed with my head. I don't want to air all the dirty laundry because in truth, it's really not fair to the other party regardless of what he's done, but the long and short of it is that he wasn't very honest with me, and never really treated me well. If you honestly and truly care about someone, lying to them and doing things that you know will hurt them wouldn't seem like things that are good ideas. Regardless though, despite all the good things, the bad things left their mark too, and it's taken me a really long time to get over this person and the things that they did. This isn't to say that I'm without fault in the relationship. I am and I fully admit that I am not a perfect person, but in my opinion, my shortcomings were not quite so severe.

But, regardless, I'm ready now. I think it's time to move on, and time to get back on the box. I know. Box? What? Well, I'd like to think that in some ways, love is like CF. Sometimes when you miss the box on a box jump, you bang your shin and it hurts like hell. It leaves bruises, probably tears a little flesh off, and takes awhile to heal. For the next few box jump wods, you're really cautious of that box. You are so terrified of slamming your shin that you nearly injure yourself again. I feel the same way with love. I think I've been so wrapped up in all the "what ifs" that maybe some things haven't worked out the way they otherwise could have.

So, I think it's time. I think it's time to start going full throttle on the box jumps again. I think to have a full life, you need to let other people in, even if they chose not to stay. I'm lucky enough to have had the opportunity to love others, and be loved. It hasn't worked out the way I had hoped, but seldom do things in life work out as planned. I would like to think that things in my life are planned. There is a time and a place for things to happen for me. It may be that things never happen, and if not, well, then that's so. But for now, I'm going to keep my heart open and allow people to find their way in, and also be sure to close my heart to the people who don't really belong there to begin with. This is hard to do no doubt, but just like those box jumps, all it takes is a little practice, and eventually you learn. You get better at them, and you get tougher. Next time you bang your shin, it hurts. But you know it will get better in time. So you walk it off, swear a bit, and get right back at it. Don't ever quit. For if you do, you never know what you might miss.

Let love in, because sometimes, all you need is love.

Run, jump, lift...

It's getting down to the wire now folks. VA/DC/WVA sectionals are coming up fast. To help get all the sectionals athletes ready, and there are a bunch, Jerry has been throwing the disgusting metcons our way for much of the last week. Monday I opted to take a rest day after the insanity that was my weekend. Work Friday, 13 hour double Saturday, plus another shift Sunday combined to pretty much whoop me. Not to mention, I hit that terrible row, OHS, double under wod on Saturday and I wasn't really feeling spunky for the box.

So, Tuesday I made sure to get back in. After working Monday night, I hit the PM class on Tuesday, and certainly enjoyed the run. Well, sort of. It was gorgeous out as it seems that spring has FINALLY decided to make it's way to DC. So, I loved being outside in the warmth and sunshine. It certainly does the soul good. I can at least tell you that. As for the actual running part, that still pretty much sucked, but there's not a whole lot I can do about that.

The wod Jerry threw down was pretty gwoss. I mean that in the nicest way possible too. It went a little something like 'dis.

Run 400M
30 Box jumps
15 cleans
Run 400 M
24 Box jumps
12 cleans
Run 400 M
18 Box jumps
9 cleans

Load: 105lbs
Time: 18:37

I have to say, I was pretty proud of this one honestly. I felt like I really put out on this. Scratch that, put out? Sounds bad. I really gave my all? Better. I was wheezing and gasping through most of this, but I was pretty good about staying off my knees and just at least getting a few more reps. I'm no metcon ninja, but I where other elite (105) folks lost time on the clean and jerks, that's where I sort of made it up. While they smoked me on the run, I gained some of that time back on the jerks. So it was a nice balance. I wasn't the fastest girl on the day, but I was pretty close, and on a metcon with a run, that's pretty good. I'm still not what I would call "psyched" for the sectionals because I'm still too worried about DU's or HSPU coming up, but I'm sort of at peace with it. What will be, will be, and there's not much I can do about it. Life has thrown me some training curves that I didn't see coming and I've done my best to work around them. I've gotten stronger and faster in the last few months, and although my goats haven't gotten that much better, that's not to say that I haven't shown improvement. I have.

So, I'm proud of myself for doing what I need to do for me, and still being able to compete at this level. I think that says a lot about me and my personality, and it says a lot about my level of fitness. I can do this not being totally focused. Imagine what I could do if I was focused! Maybe next year that will happen, but for now, I'm just rollin' with the punches.... but people at sectionals better be ready. I do carry a pretty mean right hook. ;)

Things that for some reason are really beginning to irk me...

I'm going to start this list now... and then do the other blogs later. I don't know why I was bothered by this first thing on my list, but... it irked me.

#1- "Baby on Board!" signs

Ok, I understand that parenthood is a big deal, and I hope that someday I will have the opportunity to have someone love me enough to bring a little wee glitter wearin' CF'er into the world. However, I don't understand these stupid little signs. It's like people think that by announcing that they have a child in their car, they have some sort of a special license. As I was following the driver with this sign this morning, I felt like their special license was a license to be stupid. Driving under the speed limit, signaling for nearly a minute before changing lanes, braking for every single possible pothole, squirrel, ant, and every other driver within a mile radius who happened to brake for a legitimate reason and in general driving defensively with a capital DEFENSIVELY.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that kids are precious and the desire to protect is strong, but honestly, driving UNDER the speed limit down here is actually just as dangerous as flying down the highway at 80MPH. Not to mention, the signaling stuff was just plain annoying to all the other drivers around them... they slowed down to let the car over, but then when the person didn't take advantage of the space they were allowing them, they decided to pass them. The car THEN decided it wanted to move, and did the whole swerving thing, as if the cars who were originally trying to be nice, had done something wrong. Irk irk irk... I was annoyed by this this morning.

Straight outta the bag...

It never seems to fail. Everyday I wake up, think about what I have going on for the day, figure out what I need to take with me, and I pack it. After a shower (if I'm not going to CF) I grab my gear and hit the road. But I've increasingly noticed that rather than walking out the door like a normal human being, I walk out the door feeling like a bag lady. I literally feel like I've been living my life straight outta the bag.

I walk out most days with a CF bag, a school bag, a lunch bag, perhaps a comfy clothes bag (if I'm planning on staying late at work to do papers etc) and very often a restaurant bag. I literally feel like I'm living in these bags. It has gotten so bad that I've begun to carry and keep doubles and triples of everything just so that if by chance I forget to put it in the bag, I know I'm covered. For example, I think I currently own 8 deodorants, 3 toothbrushes, 3 lint brushes (one travel sized), 4 things of lotion (there are more than that, but they do not travel), 3 things of body spray, traveling Q-tips, two make-up bags, 2 shower poofs, 2 sets of shower gear (soap, bodywash, poof, shampoo, conditioner, face wash) and multiple pairs of tweezers, and make-up.

I'm beginning to literally feel like a bag lady. I realized the magnitude of this issue one morning last week. I didn't attend CF because I was feeling under the weather, and I had stayed late at work the night before, so I hadn't brought home any school work. I didn't have restaurant work, and my lunch was already in the fridge at school so I literally left the house carrying my phone, my keys, and my school badge. I felt naked. I felt like I had forgotten something and it drove me crazy. I probably spent five minutes before leaving the house wandering around, looking for something that I was supposed to be taking with me. I'm wondering if this bag carrying has turned into a sort of sickness. A sort of disease. Bagitis? Hmmm... I don't know if I like that. Sounds too much like some sort of VD. I'm wondering too if this is just me. Does anyone else suffer from a sort of affliction like this? Bagitis? Perhaps coffeeitis? A disease where you can't leave the house without carrying your coffee??!? I think I should check in with some sort of medical association to see if perhaps I can be diagnosed or at least make them aware of this pressing and very dangerous condition. :P