Believe! You Can Do This!

It is that time again when one year comes to an end and another year begins. A time when we look back on the past year and pat ourselves on the back for achieving goals that we set for ourselves OR wonder "What the hell happened?!"

I have stated before that I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. Why? Well, let me ask you. How many of your New Year's Resolutions have you actually achieved? My guess is, probably not that many.

Now let me ask you another question.

How many of the goals that you have set for yourself have you met? I would venture to guess that you have reached many of them.

Have you achieved all of your goals? Probably not. If you have, I would tell you it is time to make some more. We should ALWAYS have our sights set on a goal and when we reach that goal, set a new one! Remember, "The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race."

As I have looked back on this past year, I am thrilled and amazed at how much has happened.
There were many goals that I set out for myself that I still have not reached, but I am certainly closer to achieving them than I was a year ago.

As far as goals met, I competed in 4 CrossFit competitions in the RX division,  I even came in second place in my first Master's Division at the Reindeer Games. I recieved my CrossFit Gymnastic Cert., organized my very first and successful fundraiser benefiting Autism, (WODism for Autism). I went to the CrossFit Games and watched some amazing athletes! I met Cheryl Brost, Lindsey Smith, Rich Froning Jr AND Fitness Lonnie! I learned butterfly pullups, got my first bar muscle up and got stronger.

I also surprised myself with achieving my largest goal.

Owning and running my own box has been a long time goal of mine, more like a dream of mine. I saw that dream fulfilled back in August when I and two of my good friends opened CrossFit Alabaster. It has been a huge success and that is due to my outstanding partners and our amazing (and fun) athletes! I have made some pretty incredible relationships because of CrossFit Alabaster and have the opportunity to spend time with some pretty amazing people on a daily basis. I am blessed.

This morning while I was in church listening to my dad preach, he said this during the sermon, "sometimes opportunities come disguised as impossibilities. Remember, nothing is impossible with God!"

This is so relevant to me. I don't know if I thought it was impossible to have my own box, but I did wonder if it would ever be possible. What I can say is that I BELIEVED I could do it. I don't know what your faith is, but I do know this. You must BELIEVE  for it to come to pass. I truly believed. I had a few people tell me that I would not be any good at all running my own gym/business. That I didn't know how to do "this", I didn't know how to do "that". I wasn't good at "this", I needed to be better at "that".

I had faith in myself though. I had a positive support group and I chose to listen to them. I chose to believe in myself and I chose to put my faith in Him.

Have you ever set a goal or set out to do something and had someone tell you that you couldn't do it?

Did you do it anyway and succeed? Why? Because you had faith in yourself! You believed you could do it!

The same also applies to your fitness goals, as well. One of my goals this year was to have a "PRETTY Muscle Up". It's okay, you can laugh, but if you saw my muscle up, you would agree that this is a very good goal for me to have. The other day, I was on the rings working with one of our other coaches and he told me, "Dawn, give me a few minutes, I will have you on top of those rings! It's going to happen today!"

HE believed!

We transitioned, we kipped, we broke everything down back to the basics. All the things I already knew. I could do this! I was ready to do this...right? I got back up on the rings, did this beautiful kip (well, it felt beautiful)...and felt myself stop pulling, mid-swing.

For the first time, I actually heard the words in my head. "You are going to fall."

I was scared I was going to fall. I KNEW I was going to fail. I was scared I would go through the rings...all the way through and fall out of the rings. I did not expect to get on top of those rings. So...I didn't.

I did not believe.

Guess what goal I have not reached. Guess who is holding me back...me.

So today I am asking you to make goals for yourself. Write them down. Share them with someone! My biggest goals were achieved because I had help and encouragement and I BELIEVED.

You can do this!

2013 is going to be an amazing year!

Happy New Year!

Garage Games One Done!

This past weekend I competed in the Garage Games One.
I had competed last year in the Garage Games but in the Scaled Women's division. Last year I didn't finish as well I wanted to and knew I wanted to really improve myself as a competitor and an athlete. I needed to up my game.
My number one objective? To compete in this years Garage Games as Rxd.
Done!
This year there were 30 Rx women that competed and I finished 27th. I know, I know, not great and I spent about 1 day disappointed and feeling like I had let people down.
I had so many people tell me how proud they were of me that I finally began to realize that the only person I had let down was myself.
Sunday, as I was sitting on the couch, icing my knee, feeling every joint and muscle in me ache, feeling very 40 and having a small pity party for one in my head, I really began to think about what I had done this past weekend in Woodstock, Georgia.
I had done my very first Rx competition...and I didn't suck too bad. (although I will admit I was next to last on the run. More about that later). This was also the first time I had ever done 5 very tough WOD's in one day. I hung in there with the big dawgs! Incredible athletes like winner, Amy Wight (who I watched clean 175lbs!), Shelby Levy, Crystal McCullough and many, many more. Yes! I did it!
And what's more is that I realized how much I had improved from just last year! HUGE! Something I know I can be very proud of.
What I also learned is that humble pie can be good for you.
Walking out there full of confidence and then having your ass handed to you because of weather conditions (20 degrees and snowing...are you kidding?), or because you just ran a measly 2 1/2 miles and now your knee won't cooperate because you make excuses not to put that into your training (yep, that's me....I.HATE.RUNNING!)...yeah, BIG old helping of humble pie.
I think the one thing I was the most upset about was my clean and jerk. I was full of confidence! I had been practicing with 135lb clean and jerks weeks leading up to this. I HAD it. I was hoping to get a new PR at 145lbs. But at the 125lbs, my thoughts were already on the 135lb bar. I went to jerk 125lb and everything on my body stopped working. Even my legs went out from under me making it impossible to get out of the way. Yes, I dropped 125lbs down my back. ARE. YOU. KIDDING?!?!?!
On that event, I walked away in tears. Not from pain but from frustration and embarrassment. If you were to ask my athletes, they would tell you that I coach just as much about getting out of the way of the bar as I do about lifting it and here I had just dropped it on my back. This was a first for me.
Then of course you have to add the "Unknown". On this day, the "unknown" was the weather. This winter in the South has been incredibly mild. I think we have had only about 2 weeks of 30 degree or below temperatures, so I hadn't experienced training in this cold. This was the UNKNOWN. It was in the upper 20's, cloudy, snowing, with 40 mph winds. People had windburn. Crazy Southern weather! It was 60 degrees two days before the event and now it's back in the 60's again. Only this past weekend was it in the 20's. Another serving of humble pie.
So what is the takeaway?
I am soooo glad I participated in this event. It was fun in a CrossFit strange sort of way. I loved seeing friends that I have gotten to know through these competitions and making new ones. I loved watching my husband and Joe (one of my athletes) compete. I did REALLY LOVE IT!
I loved having my friends there from my gym cheering me, Mike and Joe on and dancing to keep warm.
I loved have my bestie there screaming at me to "keep going" and to "save the baby!" I love you Cindy!!
What can I say? I love this stuff!
What I also loved, believe it or not, is that this event also showcased my weaknesses and really highlighted what I need to work on....yes, running and stamina. This is a good thing, it really is.
The bottom line is that it was fun and I really recommend you trying it out. The Garage Games has a series for the entire year. Go to their website and get registered. They really run a great event!
Okay so, now that I am recovered, aside from the beautiful bruise on my back, (you're jealous, it's okay)  I know what my next step in training needs to be. Endurance and Running.
My most important goal  for 2012 is to continue to become a better athlete, not just a better CrossFitter and to become the best coach I can be.
What are your goals? Write them down! Check them off and then set new goals!
Keep going forward. If you fall, get up and try again.

Got My MoJo Back!

This past weekend I, along with 5 friends (my husband being one of them) from my box, Trinity CrossFit, competed in our very first team competition and oh my Goodness! It was so much fun! We didn't win, but we had the best time!
I have done CrossFit Competitions before, but this was my very first team competition. I can't decide which I like better but it definitely got me pumped up for the Garage Games in February.
Above is a little video I put together of the days events. I know it's a little long but I had so many pictures and video. It was hard not to throw it all in there.
The first WOD was, as a team (3 on a team), complete 12 rope climbs in 3 minutes, then run an unknown distance with a log. Our team finished in 12:51 (30 second penalty for not completing the last rope climb). Yeah, we kind of choked on the rope climbs towards the end. We had improved a lot on those, but our competition was pretty tough!
The second WOD was- Carry 15 logs up a narly hill and back down again. During the WOD, 100 burpees need to be completed. Our team did this in 9:56. We decided the best strategy was for me to carry a log up the hill and then knock out the burpees while Joe and Hunter worked on the logs. I finished in time to help carry down the last few logs (I carried 4 down). We were really happy with our placing on this one.
By the way, 100 burpees on a steep hill is a whole 'nother world!!! WOW! My calves felt like rocks for days.
The last WOD was the tug of war. Oh my gosh! This was, by far, the best event!! Everyone was into it and cheering! It was awesome!
We placed 12 out of 22 teams, so we didn't make the final cut, but we were happy. Our scaled team missed the cutoff by 1 slot and placed 6 out of 13 teams.
If you ever have an opportunity to do something like this, DO IT! There is just no way to describe what it is like to be there. Both as a cheerleader and as a competitor. SO. MUCH. FUN.
Thanks to Brute Fitness for putting together such a great event!
Tonight, my husband and I will be signing up for Garage Games One and I will be doing it as Rxd. I am ready! I have checked out their website and it looks like I need to work on sled pulls and max height box jumps. So, I have now added that on my "to do" list.

Ok, since I am only posting once a week, I will be posting my last weeks WOD's for those of you who are keeping up or doing these on your own.

Monday WOD
Open WOD 11.2
AMRAP 15 minutes
9 Deadlifts (105lbs)
12 Hand Release Pushups
15 Box Jumps
Score- 8 rounds + 25 reps (beat my old score of 8 rnds + 9 reps)

Tuesday WOD
6 Rounds
10 Dumbbell Thrusters (25lbs)
10 Knees to Elbows
10 Weighted Lunges (25lbs in each hand)
Time-11:43 WOW!! The lunges were the surprise!

Wednesday was a rest day since I had the competition that weekend.

Thursday WOD
Still sore from lunges!
"Runny Annie"
50,40,30,20,10
Double Unders
Situps
Run 200 meters after each round
Time-14:31- not great. Did the first 3 sets up Double Unders unbroken, got to 10 and I couldn't sting 3 together. WTH?

Friday-another rest day. Going to a competition and being unable to move due to soreness from the previous days WOD is not recommended!

Saturday-Barnyard Throwdown

December 4, 2011

The 2012 Garage Games are just around the corner and I am getting ready to up my game. I am about done with the strength bias I have been using for the past 3 months. I am going to ask my coach to come up with a specific training program for me so that I will be ready on February 12. I am almost positive that I will be competing in the Individual Competition on Saturday and the Teams Competition on Sunday. I am so excited. I haven't done a competition since April and I have missed it.

So, playing catch up again, but here are Thursday and Friday's WODs

Thursday
AMRAP 8 minutes (75lbs):
1 Deadlift
1 Hang Power Clean
1 Front Squat
1 Push Press
If the bar rest on the ground, you have to do 3 burpees
Score: 25+6 burpees (hard to keep up with your rounds)

Strength/Skill
Worked on my Snatch Drills (light weight, this is about technique)
5 Muscle Snatch
5 Snatch Balance
5 Squat Snatch

Friday
Strength WOD (percentages are based on 1 Rep Max)
Front Squat-60%x5(90lbs), 70%x4(105lbs), 80%x4x4(120lbs)
Power Snatch-60%x5(53lbs), 65%x4(58lbs), 75%x4(68lbs), 85%x4x2(78lbs)
Clean-75%x4(98lbs),85%x4x2(108lbs)
Split Jerk (from Rack), 60%x5(80lbs), 70%x5(95lbs), 85%x5x3(115lbs) on the first 2 sets at 115lbs I failed on the 4th and 5th rep, on the last set I failed on the 5th rep

A Little Bit About Me

So, this is my first time blogging and I know that right now, there is probably no one that will even read this, but this is something that I need to do.

First, let me give you just a little more information about myself so that you may have a better idea of who and what this blog is about.

I have never been an athlete. This is surprising to most when I tell them that my dad was a high school basketball coach and football coach...and a damn good one, too! But I grew up with my sister and my single mom where money was very tight. Sports were just not an option.
Although I will say, I played volleyball in the 6th and 7th grade and was mediocre at best, but suffered horribly from "stage fright" or "game day fright". So, I didn't try again.

My profession is as a graphic designer and an artist. I LOVE art! I could spend an entire vacation in museums! (and have) So, imagine my surprise when I find myself standing in room full of fit people about to receive my Level 1 Certification in CrossFit. Never in a million years would I have imagined myself there and yet, there I was! And I was in HEAVEN and loving every minute!

I first found CrossFit in January of 2010 thanks to my coach and friend Mark Smith. I had just been through, and was still going through, probably one of the most emotionally traumatic and stressful times of my life. I walked into that "box" just looking for something to get my mind off of things. What I found was that for 1 hour I could disappear into just the moment. Let me just tell you, it was the best therapy I could have found! After 6 weeks, my self-esteem had started to reappear and my self confidence was returning. Mind you, I still couldn't do one dead hang pull-up, but the way I felt mentally and emotionally was priceless. I asked Mark one night, "How can I share this? I want to be a coach, I want others to experience this, too!" He smiled and said, "I was hoping you would ask me about this."

Fast Forward a year and half. I am now a coach at Trinity Crossfit and I love everything about it! I have competed in the 2011 Garage Games (scaled division), #4# in Montgomery, Alabama, the Metro Dash in Atlanta and the Xterra Run in Pelham, Alabama. All in the past year. Another thing I never would have imagined myself doing. Gone is that girl with performance anxiety.

So, why do you care and why am I blogging? Well, I have set some new goals for myself and being a busy mom of 3 boys, I need some accountability. I can journal all day long, but knowing no one will read it, I can skip a day on training or have a bad week eating and who will know but me? Well, my husband of course, but he won't tell on me. :)

So what are my goals? The big one? The CrossFit Games! But first, I am setting my sights on the 2012 Garage Games, which should be sometime in February, 2012. I want to compete in the Rxd women's division, no scaling this time!

So this is my journey. I will be blogging what my workout program will be each day and my eating. Honestly, I hate to admit it, but I have a "Sugar Demon" and it is evil!! So, I am hoping that this blog keeps me focused on my goals and what I know I need to do to achieve them.

Feel free to following me. I look forward to these next few months ahead of me.

3,2,1...GO!