My New Adventure

Once again I would like to apologize. I have been missing in action for quite some time. In fact, my last post in July was just a week before my life changed in this new, exciting direction.

"So what's been going on?" you ask. Let me tell you!

When I decided a few years ago to become a certified CrossFit coach, my long term goal was to own and run my own box. At the time, my boys were a bit too young for me to dedicate that much time coaching and then shortly after, my husband's job changed and he began traveling...a lot! So, the idea of me having my own box was put on the back burner.

That was okay. I wasn't ready yet and I was loving every minute coaching where I was. I loved the people there and I loved watching that box grow with new members. As the months and years went, CrossFit became more and more of what I thought about, what I did and who I was. I was what some called "obsessed" but what I just call "dedicated".

Then, this summer, a remarkable thing happened. God opened a door for me.
In late June, my dear friend and fellow crossfitter, Leigh, asked me one day during lunch if I had ever thought of opening my own box.

"Oh yes!", I told her. But then I went on to explain why I had not pursued this yet.
"Wouldn't it be amazing if we started a gym? A box, run by amazing, strong women?", she asked.
Well, that WOULD be so amazing!!!
And then we talked about it, ate lunch, went home. Life went on.
We were just talking...right?

But deep down I was serious...and so was she. This was my dream. Could we really do this? So we kept revisiting this topic and I knew within the next week that we absolutely could do this!

Then another remarkable thing happened. Another great friend of ours (not knowing anything about what we had been discussing) asked us if we had suggestions for a great business to invest money in. Didn't we have any ideas?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
We said nothing. Not. One. Word.

What we did is went home and thought about it. Talked about it and did a whole lot of PRAYING about it.
What became very clear to us both was that God was opening door after door. Was this really happening?
YES!

Our goal was to open in October but again, more opportunities came available and a month and a half later we were owners of CrossFit Alabaster!

We opened the doors 3 weeks ago, August 27, almost 2 months to the day after we first talked about it.
Last week was our official Grand Opening and I was moved to tears by the support of the CrossFit community that came out to support us.
Talk about a whirlwind!!

It has been a crazy, exciting and very emotional few months and I am still pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming. But I am loving every minute.

I would be lying if I didn't admit I have never been this tired, but to see these new faces walk in the door and try CrossFit and become part of my CrossFit family, has just made everything worth it.

Our first week, we signed up over 20 new people and as of now we have over 50 members.
Mind. Blown!

I must also add that there is no way I could do this without the support of my amazing husband. No way.
He has been amazing.
So this is why I have been missing.

I will be posting on a regular basis again now that things have begun to settle.
Thank you to all who follow. I hope you will enjoy this ride with me!

My Experience at the 2012 CrossFit Games

I didn't think it was supposed to rain in sunny California!

It has been a week since I had the incredible experience of going to the 2012 CrossFit Games and it has taken me a full week to process what an amazing weekend it was!

A few months ago, my husband told me that he wanted to take me on a weekend get away, just the two of us, no kids. Where did I want to go?

I told him, “The CrossFit Games!”

Seriously?

Yes! Seriously!

The very first event I wanted to see was the Master’s. I know that 90% of that crowd was there to see Rich Froning Jr., Annie T and the who’s who in CrossFit, but for me, the Master’s were first on my list. They had already started when we finally made it in the gate, but I was mesmerized instantly. 

These athletes were absolutely amazing! I was humbled, enthralled and inspired watching these incredible people trudge through WOD’s that would have crushed me! Watching 60+ year old women knock out pull-ups and double unders like there were nothing is something I think everyone should see! Seeing Freddy Camacho compete was pretty exciting, too!

Freddy Camacho

Master's chipper WOD

I also had my check list of friends I wanted to see. Our first stop, was to stop by the 2Pood booth and visit my friend, Justin Key. I cannot explain how cool it is to travel all the way across the country and attend an event knowing you will run into someone you know!  Friends that I have made in the CrossFit world through competitions, certs or events. Really, I think this was one of the most exciting things for me.

My husband and I with our friend, Crystal and her son Morgan.

Shelby Levy and I right before the "Double Banger" event.

I loved that I was able to visit again with Jeff Tucker, Coach Burgener and Chuck Carswell and have the opportunity to introduce my husband to them. Being able to meet people that I have become friends with on Facebook because of CrossFit was just awesome. To meet Eileen Schreiber was a big highlight! Meeting Candi, with WOD Love, Kevin Daigle and Lisbeth Darsh, I mean, really, it was hard to contain me! Seeing Nicko Kazadzis with Atlas Power Wraps and being able to finally hug his neck for all the help he gave me for the WODism for Autism...it just made my weekend.

Eileen!

Me,Tucker and Nicko

Of course meeting Fitness Lonnie was just an experience in itself!

Honestly, these moments are what my weekend was about. Yes, we watched the Games! Are you kidding? We sat in the stands and baked in the California sun and cheered. We jumped to our feet and screamed as it came down to the wire between Kristen Clever and Talayna Fortunato. We were caught up in the emotion watching Jenny Lebaw struggle through the bar muscle up triplet. We sat in awe as we watched Chris Spealler clean a med ball that weighed as much as he did and made it look easy. I had goosebumps as I watched Matt Chan take the podium in 2nd place and cried with Annie as it was announced she was the Fittest Woman in the world for the second time. But you see, I could have done all this while watching the games on my computer at home. Being there at the Games was soo much more than just watching the elite crush workouts. For me, it really was about the community. It is truly something I have never experienced before.

This past weekend, I met many of the “who’s who” of CrossFit and I remained star struck most of the weekend. Here is what really stood out the most to me.  I did not meet ONE asshole. Not one! In a place full of 10,000 souls, I was surrounded by a group of people that I had something in common with and every person I met was just nice! When does that happen?

I was so excited to finally meet Cheryl Brost. She has been my inspiration for 2 years.

I do have a confession to make. There was one person I did want to meet over everyone else that weekend. She was the top of my list and I when I did finally meet her, I became like a kid. Cheryl Brost did not disappoint me, she was adorable! I had just had my picture taken with Lindsey Smith and Jermey Kinnick when she ran up to talk to them. I looked at my husband in disbelief because she was running right at me.

I looked at her and said, “Oh my God! I have been wanting to meet you all weekend!”

She said, “Oh my God! I have been wanting to meet you, too!

And you know what?

I believed her. 

I did it and I did it WELL!

I am a little late blogging this, but I was waiting for the video to be put together so I could share it with you in this post.
Two weeks ago I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone and pushed myself to new limits!
I participated in an all night Endurance Camp in which we did 10 "Girl" WODs in 10 hours. For those of you who follow this blog but are not very familiar with CrossFit, the "Girl" WODs are some of the most difficult workouts that we do. They are named after girls much like hurricanes and they will leave you wrecked!
So last Friday night, my friend Mary and I arrived at 7:00 pm. We had an hour to set up our little gypsy camps, meet everyone there and start to warm up. At 8:00 pm we started with our first and probably most awkward workout, "Condoleezza Rice".
I had done many of these WODs before and I knew this was not the night that I would be making a new PR (personal record) on any of these. This night was going to be about getting through one WOD, resting, fueling up, and getting through the next one, and the next one, and the next.
The WODs were scaled to varying degrees so that we could make it through the night. One of the ways they were scaled was that everyone worked in teams of 2. In some WODs, we both had to complete the workout in its entirety. In other WODs, we could share the work however we needed to.
The ones that had heavy weight were the ones we were able to "share", bodyweight ones like "Angie", and "Annie", we both had to complete on our own but we couldn't call time until both of us had finished.
In the video, each WOD is listed and the time that we did it. We started each one on the hour every hour.

The first and last one I would say were the most demanding because they were awkward, but I will confess, "Angie" almost made me cry.
In the video, you will see me standing on the tire (in white shorts) with my hand on the bar...not doing anything. I feel like I should explain. This was during "Angie" and I think I was in the 70's on the pullups by this point and my hands were done. Just hanging off the bar hurt so much. After this WOD, I was more thankful than ever that Mary was on my team. We complimented each other perfectly. She can crush most body weight exercises and I could handle the heavier weight. Being able to split up "Helen" was huge! She did the 45 pullups and I did all 45 of the 45lb Kettlebell swings.
OK, so you may be wondering, why the hell would I do this?
Because it scared me.
Because it was something I had never done before.
AND, because it scared me.
I have done CrossFit competitions before and I leave them with mixed feelings. I love doing them, and I am so proud of myself for putting it all out there, but I am always humbled by how far I have to go. There are so many incredible athletes out there and I will never come close to some of these ladies. At the age of 38, I just started too late.
(This is not something I am saying as a "poor me". It is a fact. I will tell you that now, at 40 years old, I am fitter and stronger than I have EVER been! So, no, this is not me playing a sympathy card.)
Let me tell you though, this was not a CrossFit Competition yet I think I put my body through more that night than I have in any competition I have done so far. Another thing I should mention is that this Endurance Camp did not leave me with those mixed emotions. I was humbled, yes. I was exhausted, absolutely! I was not the best, or even close, but I left that morning at 6:00am thinking of only one thing. "I DID IT AND I DID IT WELL!"
Thanks to Sean Dickson for putting together such a great camp. I will be doing this again for sure.

A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish

The past few months for me have been crazy busy and I have never felt so scattered and out of sorts. Don't get me wrong, some incredibly amazing things have happened. I competed in Garage Games One in the RX division (my first), I completed my CrossFit Gymnastic Cert, organized my first fundraiser, WODism for Autism, and my gym just moved into a brand new location that is twice the size of our old one because we have grown so much. See? Really great things!
Looking at this list, I see so many things I can mark off of my goal "check-list" and that's good, right? Of course! So why do I feel so disorganized?
I have blogged before about the importance of making goals and I have discovered that, for me, the hardest part of having a goal is the plan you make to get there.
 I am so ADD and I am a procrastinator. This is a fact. I am also, for the most part, my own coach. When it comes to programming, I am the one who programs it.
Yes, I workout with the 8:30 class and Coach Mark programs that class. That has been my "unknowable", but for the rest of my training, it is up to me.
Over the past few months during this crazy time, my training has had no rhyme or reason.
Why? Because I haven't given myself the time to sit down and make a program just for me.
For example, I went into the gym Friday planning on working on 1RM Split Jerks and Snatches during Open Gym, but I was easily distracted and found myself watching, helping and coaching the other people in the gym instead of working on what I needed to.
Yes, I worked on my Split Jerk but I never even got to the Snatches.
My problem...no plan.
I find that the days that I have already planned out what I will be working on a day or two in advance, I get it all done. The days I struggle are the days I decide to come in and "work on" something or walk in with no plan.
The procrastination becomes a factor when it comes to my planning. I am a mother of 3 boys and they keep me hopping. All day long as I am running errands, cooking, working or WODing, I am thinking "I need to do this, I need to do that." But when I finally have the time to sit down and do what I have been thinking of all day, I am pooped! Excuses? Maybe. But it is what it is.
I have blogged about my goals before but what I haven't blogged about was my plan to get there.
Tonight I plan on sitting down and creating my plan, my program for the next 3 months.
I will blog about it later this week but what I am focusing on is sticking with the same program for 3 months. This may be difficult for me because I get bored so easily but I accept the challenge!
I am ready to get stronger!
I am ready to get faster!
I am ready to be better!
And I am making a plan to do just that.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

I know you have read this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt or heard it many times but have you tried to do just that? I did this past weekend. If you are friends with me on FaceBook, you have probably grown tired of hearing me talk about this past weekend, in fact I am sure I have probably been blocked by some of you. I apologize, really, but I am still giddy as hell about it!

What happened this past Saturday? The Regionals, yes, BUT that's not what I am talking about. I am talking about the WODism for Autism.

What is that you ask? Well, let me tell you about it.

Back in the fall, my friend Sean Dickson, from Combat Fitness in Hoover, Alabama had a food drive for Backpack Buddies. For the entire day, he did this crazy body weight workout that lasted literally ALL DAY LONG. People came out and supported him by donating canned goods for Backpack Buddies. I went out there with my boys to bring some canned items and watched him workout. When I got there, some of his buddies had joined him for a few rounds of pushups, squats, running and I think some situps were in there, too.

I was inspired! What a great idea!

Over the next few months the idea of doing something like this to raise money for the Autism Society danced around in my head. What if we had a Ground to Overhead Relay that lasted all day? At the end of the day, we would see how much weight we put over our heads. Why? Well, why not?

Then I thought, what if we had a WOD that was inspired by movements my son, Taylor, likes to do? We could have 3 different versions, RX, Scaled and Kids. Why not use this as an opportunity to introduce CrossFit to our community and show them that they don't have to be Elite to be a CrossFitter. They could even have special needs and we can still make it perfect just for them. This is what I have done for Taylor and it have been amazing for him. Then I thought, wouldn't it be great if we could raise $1000 for the Autism Society of Alabama?

These were my goals.

I had never attempted something like this and I had no idea what to expect. I decided that since April is Autism Awareness month, April would be the perfect time to do this. In March, I sent out some messages to 2Pood, ReDefine Fit, WOD Gear and Atlas Power Wraps and asked if they would like to make a donation for prizes for this event. All of them replied very quickly with a big "YES!". 

I thought Jeff Tucker of GSX CrossFit would be the perfect guy to program the WOD "Taylor". Taylor really likes the body weight movements, and so Tucker is the man! Tucker was so generous with his time and was genuinely thrilled to be asked to do this for us.

I then started sending out invitations via FaceBook and the response was immediate and overwhelming! Can I just tell you how much I LOVE the CrossFit community? We had a great crowd! They came from all over the state. My friend Crystal and her husband Wayne along with their son, Morgan drove all the way from Dothan to be a part fo this event. My friend, Jonah from Brute Fitness in Gadsden (the bad ass in the video doing the one armed snatch) spent the day with us as well helping and putting weight over his head. We also had people come from Huntsville and Tuscaloosa. Not only did they show up but they showed out!
I think this video, done by my good friend James Washer, sums up the days events perfectly.

The day was a huge success!  Trinity CrossFit raised over $7000 for the Autism Society of Alabama and for the Ground to Overhead Relay that was going on all day from 11:00-6:00, we put over 200,000lbs over our head. I think next year we can do even better!


Then to make the day even better the most amazing and moving thing happened. A company called "The Infinite Actuary" donated the New iPad for the event. We decided that we would give that as a prize to the person who raised the most money. A fundraising contest, of course!


At the end of the day, James came in and said "It's over!. Someone just won the iPad by giving over $1000!" Then he told me, "They want Taylor to have it, so it's his and they also want to remain anonymous."

 I was moved to tears! I had to go into the bathroom and just cry. I had told my boys that we didn't count in the fundraising and now Taylor had just won the iPad because there are still some really amazing people in the world. 
Wouldn't it be amazing if CrossFit boxes all over the country did this for their local Autism Society?Autism affects more and more children. It has become an epidemic! When Taylor was diagnosed 13 years ago it was 1 in 150 children. Today it is 1 in 88!

I believe we can make a difference. I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. I am still riding the high of an incredible weekend.


"Taylor"
10 minute AMRAP
5 second Handstand Hold
5 Ring Pushups
5 Shoot Thrus
15 Squats
5 second Hollow Holds

This week's goal-Make a Difference

Gymnastic Cert in Atlanta.

This past weekend I traveled to Atlanta to CrossFit HD for my CrossFit Gymnastic Cert with Jeff Tucker, Julie Maurer and Jessica Gray. Let me just say that I felt like a school kid the entire time! All during the day I felt like I needed to pinch myself and was constantly saying to myself "I am so glad I'm here!", "Can I really call this work?", "This is just too much fun!" and of course "I love Tucker!!"

Seriously, after spending 2 months sick with Bronchitis, YES! 2 MONTHS!, this put me in such a fantastic mood that I feel I am still floating!

I am still riding on the joy and feeling so blessed! I am blessed!

I have had the opportunity to work with outstanding coaches such as Mike Burgener, Jeff Tucker, Chuck Carswell, and on and on!  I get to meet truly amazing athletes such as Brandon Phillips, Emily Griffith, and Alecia Grantham and Leah Polaski. (Look for them in Regionals!) The friends I have made in my few short years of CrossFit are priceless! But more importantly I have the privilege of sharing CrossFit with other people. I have the honor of spending an hour with someone and help them to achieve goals they never dreamed they would achieve. Can it get better than this?

I could go on and on. Bottom line? CrossFit has changed my life and has brought me a joy I didn't know I was missing. Are you waiting for the mushy music to start? hahaha!

I know, this is soft and mushy, but this is how I have been feeling this past week. I wish everyone could feel like this! But here is what I have learned. I am not normal.

Surprised? Haha, probably not!

I know there are other "not normal" people out there and I love you! I also love the normal people. I realize not every one of my athletes live and breathe CrossFit. That's okay. They still walk in the door with a goal and if they don't, I give them a goal. (Goals are your friend!)

My goal right now is to make a difference. Yes, I have other goals such as a 135lbs snatch or finally getting a strict muscle up, but in the big picture my top goal is to make a difference.
I am working on that goal this coming weekend. The WODism for Autism.

This was an idea I had a few months ago after being inspired by my friend Sean Dickenson, from Combat Fitness who had done a day long (brutal) WOD to collect food for Backpack for Buddies. I loved it! I wanted to do something like this to raise money for the Autism Society of Alabama.What I came up  with was a WODathon  which we will host at my gym, Trinity CrossFit.

As you may or may not know, my oldest son, Taylor, has High Functioning Autism. He has been doing CrossFit Kids for 2 years now and it has been so great for him. I wanted to share this with other parents, so I thought this would be a great way to introduce CrossFit to people who may think it is only for the Elite and to raise a little money in the process.

Jeff Tucker with GSX CrossFit programmed the WOD "Taylor" for us. We are also going to be having a ground to overhead relay going on all day for the total amount of weight overhead by the end of the day.
I can't wait! I have no idea how many people are coming, but I do know that it has grown much larger than I had dreamed. I am looking forward to it!

If you would like to participate with us by doing the WOD "Taylor", here it is.
"Taylor"
10 minute AMRAP of
Handstand Holds - 5 seconds
5 Ring Pushups
5 Shoot Thrus
15 Air Squats
Hollow Hold - 5 seconds

I will blog next week and let you know how it goes!

OK, now on to the WODs this week
I have taken the past 2 weeks off because I couldn't get well so I only have Monday and today to post.

Monday:-
Strength
Push Press (no rack) 3-2-2-1-1 (95lbs, 105lbs, 110lbs, 115lbs, 125lbsF)

WOD
15 minute AMRAP of
5 Power Cleans (100lbs)
10 Toes to Bar
15 Wall Balls
6 Rounds +2

Strength 2
 Bench Press 5-5-5-5-5 (95lbs, 95lbs, 100lbs, 100lbs, 100lbs)

Tuesday
Skill
Ring Support 4 x 15 seconds
Ice Cream Makers 3-3-3-3-3

WOD
100 Overhead Squats (65lbs)
at the top of each minute do 3 burpees
8:45

Feels good to be back to my WODs again. My goal for the next 4 weeks is my bench press and my muscle up. I am working towards a bodyweight bench press and a strict muscle up by this time next month.

SKINNY does not mean HEALTHY

I have spent the past week or so really trying to find the right words for this post. I have finally come to the realization that I just need to be up front and point blank about this. I really just need to vent just a bit.

SKINNY DOES NOT MEAN HEALTHY!

That being said, I am human and I get my feelings hurt, too. I have to admit though, it really pisses me off that I couldn't just shrug this off but instead, let it get to me. Especially when what was said to me shouldn't have bothered me!

Last week, I had someone very close to me, another woman, lovingly point out the fact that I had still have a belly.
Not a shocker! I mean, it's not like I didn't know, but it hurt my feelings just the same. I said as much and she told me that she didn't mean to hurt my feelings BUT she was taking these appetite suppressants and maybe I would like her to get me some also to help me get rid of the rest of my belly.
:(
FEELINGS VERY HURT!

And do you know what makes me the most upset?! The fact that for a split second before I shut her down, I was willing to hear about these pills. WHY?

Seriously! WHY?!

If someone from my gym had told me that this had happened to them I would have come UNDONE! I would have been so upset! Then I would have spent the next 30 minutes explaining to them that SKINNY does not mean HEALTHY! Pills are NOT how to lose weight and blah, blah, blah!

So why didn't I have this immediate reaction when it was suggested to me that I needed help to lose my belly? I think partly because this statement came from a loved one, but I think the real reason is because I, like so many of you, can not be completely satisfied with how I look.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

I have never been that girl with the eating disorder. Mostly because I enjoy food too damn much!  What I have always wanted though, was an athletic build. A body that, when people saw me, would know that I worked hard for it, not wonder who my plastic surgeon was. (DISCLAIMER: I have nothing against plastic surgery, it is just not for me.)
Up until a few years ago, I didn't do the work to get that body, so I had no reason to be upset that I didn't have it. So, I wasn't.

If you don't work for it, you can't expect it, right? RIGHT!

After the birth of my 3rd and last son, I got serious though. I started working out 6 days a week doing something you may have heard of, P90X. This was perfect for me at the time. I had a newborn that I couldn't take to the gym and with this, I could work out at home. I did this for 3 years, every day. (YES! You read that correct) I measured myself monthly, weighed myself, took the before and after pictures. You name it! Over those 3 years, I saw my body begin to change and reward me with my hard work.

THEN I discovered CrossFit and my life completely changed!

I also discovered I wasn't near as strong and in shape as I thought I was. My first CrossFit workout handed my ass to me...and I loved it!!! As a result, I saw my body change more in the following 3 months than it had changed in the past 3 years of P90X. My arms, my legs, my shoulders and my back all begin to change. For the first time, I was able to see muscle definition. I didn't even know I had some of these muscles. Very cool!

What was even better, was that I found my goals had begun to change as well. I was no longer concerned with the number on the scale going down, or the measurements, or the damn "before" and "after" photos. My goals changed to things like, lift heavier, run faster, get an unassisted pull-up, learn the olympic lifts, do push-ups correctly.

Losing 5 - 10lbs began to seem silly to me.

I felt amazing and fitter than I had ever been in my life! Wasn't that supposed to be our goal?

I also learned what my body was not going to do. I had always expected my body to respond to everything, and for the most part it did...except my abs.

I joke with my friends that I only have a 3-pack instead of a 6-pack. Those other 3 abs that will not show, I have named them Taylor, Brendan and Jordan after my 3 boys.

So then why the hell did this conversation bother me so damn much? I had accepted a long time ago I was not a 6-packer.

Not a 6-packer

Nope, no 6 pack here either.

Reality = STRONG!

Not me! :)

My best friend suggested that maybe I was mourning a loss. She asked me, "Why are you not upset that your boobs aren't perfect?"
I laughed hard and said, "Girl, I have had three boys! There is no help for them expect for surgery, which I won't do."
She said, "The same is true for your abs! Everything else about your body changed as you expected with the exception for your stomach. Let's take a photo of those abs you think you should have, burn the picture and bury this crap!"

Well said, Cindy! So, for those of you out there that may be going through this same struggle, let's bury this crap! Love who we are! Be proud of what we are doing, and most important, don't let the hurtful words bring you down.

Strong is Sexy and Beautiful! Caring what people think of you...not so much.

You know better. I know better!

Be healthy, be fit, and most important, be HAPPY with who you are!