2014 Regional Event 6 at Central LI

Today CrossFit Central LI's WOD was 2014 Regional Event 6 programming.

For time:
50-calorie row
50 box jump overs, 24/20 inch
50 deadlifts, 180/125 lb.
50 wall-ball shots, 20/14-lb. ball
50 ring dips
50 wall-ball shots, 20/14-lb. ball
50 deadlifts, 180/125 lb.
50 box jump overs, 24/20 inch
50-calorie row

It was a tough workout. It was the first time I had done wallballs since my nose surgery and I think I might have gotten worse at them. Box jump overs are no joke after a row - my legs felt as if they were independent from the rest of my body. I did the workout Rx except for the ring dips. I don't have dips on my own yet so I used a thin green band on the dip horn (it's a lot less dirty than it sounds) but my goal for 2014 is to dips on the rings and the horn WITHOUT a band.

And yeah, ONE HUNDRED deadlifts at 125# has been my great accomplishment of the week thus far.

Spartan Race: Colorado Military Sprint

Today I did my first Spartan Race. The Colorado Military Sprint was held at Fort Carson, about an hour outside of Denver. It was a really well-organized event but it took a while to clear security and enter the race area. Oh, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Rachel and Tammy had planned on doing this event with their friends Scott and Andy. They all know each other from Equinox in New York. They now live in Denver. I'm pretty positive I took one of Scott's classes before he moved out here. Andy generously offered to drive us all out to Fort Carson.

Andy and Scott holding down the front seat.

Denver Run

After an incredible week at Exploring Leadership, I had Friday to explore the city by myself. Tammy and Rachel from CFHK have been on a cross-country road trip and didn't get in until last night. I visited the Clyfford Still Museum and had lunch at Cap City Tavern. I recommend the perfect little side salad with grilled chicken and a side of their garlic rosemary fries.

I had planned on going to CrossFit but it was absolutely gorgeous out and I decided to run instead. I wore my new favorite tank.

WODs on the Go

So I'm in Colorado for a leadership journey and I have entirely lucked out with my roommate Kristen. She's based out of our San Francisco office and she's a CrossFitter! We were so excited when we found out that we had that in common. Kristen goes to Diablo CrossFit, which happens to be where Alessandra Pichelli trains. My name is Alessandra, her name is Alessandra. I'm 27, she's 27. She holds a special place in my heart.

Kristen and I have been committed to exercising during this trip. We spent the first couple of days at a YMCA in Granby, Colorado. This is the mountains and there was snow. As much as I would have liked to run outside, I value my ankles too much and didn't want to fall off a cliff. Instead we did 100 burpees for time and both finished under 10 minutes. My time was 9:26.

Goonies Never Say Die

So Saturday morning I woke up at 5:21 AM. That's what I get for being a responsible person and staying in on Friday. I was also still recovering from norovirus, aka the most debilitating stomach bug ever, so I got in bed at 7:30 PM. Sorry I'm not sorry. The logical thing to do when you're up at that hour is sign up for the earliest CrossFit class and that's how I found myself at EVF at 8 AM.

The WOD name alone made me giddy with excitement but the fact that it was a partner WOD really made it awesome. That James Quigley and his awesome programming.

Goonies Never Say Die
Training in teams of 2

CrossFit with Friends: Ryan Kay

Ask the Athlete: Ryan Kay

How long have you been doing CrossFit?
Just over a year.

What affiliate do you call your home box?
CrossFit the TAJ in Boston.

What is your favorite movement or WOD?
Overhead squats

What movement or WOD do you hope never to see on the board?
I hate box jump workouts.
___________________________________________________________________________________

My friend Ryan sent me a message sharing the good news that he would in New York on Friday and wanted to drop in at Hell's Kitchen with me. We decided upon the 12:05 WOD. This is a class time that I rarely go to and I'm glad I did because I learned many people I like are regulars.

I was super excited to get back into the box. I had been back at CrossFit since Monday but I hadn't WODed at CFHK since before my surgery. Fortunately Friday's programming was all things that I am permitted to do.

Early April in Photos

April has been pretty dang good to me thus far. Here are some photos that capture why it's been so nice.

One day my friend Brittany came to visit me at work and we went to CFHK. She didn't bring her gym clothes but we were able to convince her to wear some of our extra gear and train in her sock feet. There she is with two of my other most favorite people - Tammy and Rachel. It was a great Friday afternoon and I am so thankful to have these three ladies in my life.

Tammy is working on her jerk recovery. This is when we put more weight than we can jerk onto the rack and jerk from that starting position. This helps us to get stronger and improve our form.

I stayed with my parents for a little after my surgery. My dad apparently doesn't like the scent of cooking bacon. I woke up to find this Post-It on the microwave.

My friend from high school works for CrossFit HQ and just casually trains with Pat Sherwood. No big deal. It took them about 52 minutes to perform their workout. And for some reason, this friend of mine refuses to introduce me to my future husband.

I've mentioned that my friend Ryan has influenced me to start using MyFitnessPal, but I might not have added that I've already lost 4.5 lbs. I guess I was eating a little too much food. When I was in LA hanging out with my friends Rylan and Colton, I joined Colton on his daily trip to Whole Foods. He likes to eat turkey and a green juice every day. I've been eating it for my morning meal more often and it is surprisingly filling and delicious.

The Saturday before my surgery, I joined some of my CFHK friends at the Cliffs at LIC for some bouldering. I've gone rock climbing before but not in the past decade and I had never gone bouldering. Nieves was a great and patient teacher. I was scared at first but I got to the top of one of the v0 problems by the end of our session.

Affordable Bottoms - Gear Review

One day I am going to have a closet full of lululemon outfits, including the accessories like this Scuba Hoodie II, which, in my opinion, is the most unnecessary item you could spend $108 on while at lululemon. It's unclear why I feel such animosity towards the Scuba Hoodie II, but I do and I have since its original incarnation as the Scuba Hoodie. Until that day, I like to peruse more affordable stores to stock my fitness drawers (plural).

Because nothing says, "I am a fitness badass," like a floral jacket with a stylized A* on it.

source

*That's really what the logo is. I can't make this shit up.

I realize this post is a lot of lululemon bashing, but I actually do love most of their clothing, and now I'm ready to actually review two pieces of apparel I have recently purchased.

Post-Rhino Workout

First off, let me say how thankful I am to be able to move my body. I chose to have an optional surgery that will hopefully improve my quality of life, and I knew going into it that I would have to give up some activity for a while. This week has taught me what a gift being able to get out and move around is and I can't imagine the sacrifices our armed forces must make when they are injured while protecting us and go from peak performance to bedridden. I am in no way comparing spending a week in bed watching soap operas after a nose job to the sacrifices of our injured soldiers. What I am saying is that if five days in a bed made me feel the way I did, then I better start doing more for those who are facing much more serious recuperation. One thing I can do is start using Charity Miles more often to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. It kills your battery but I think that's a small sacrifice we can all make.

I've got goals dammit.

This morning I felt like a brand new person. A brand new person whose nose keeps bleeding and can only breathe through her mouth, but at least this person could logically string thoughts together and stay awake for more than 30 minutes at a time. I was up at 7 AM and ready to roll.

I bought myself a Fitbit Flex today. I've been coveting one after spending a weekend in Atlanta with my friend Ryan. Honestly, if he took the dang thing off, I'd have probably stolen it. Ryan uses a combination of MyFitnessPal and Fitbit Flex to track his nutrition and fitness goals. Friday night in the airport I'm teasing him to live a little as I'm sitting there eating chocolate and pistachio gelato and by Sunday, I'm downloading the app and weighing Flex color options. (I went with black.) Ryan's been a good health influence on me since we went to high school together. Senior year, my two hour exercise routine was heavily influenced by Ryan. Granted I ended up semi-expelled and in an eating disorder rehab clinic soon after, but strangely enough, the two are barely related. I digress.

Rhinoplasty Recovery

Greetings from my sick bed!

I considered keeping my recent rhinoplasty to myself and then thought, why bother? It's going to affect my future training for at least 2 months and you guys might start to notice something is up when I'm taking Flywheel classes instead of lifting heavy.

Many of you may be wondering why did I get a nose job? Because my nose has taken a beating. I've broken it four times; the first time when I was 20 and the most recent being January. I also had really shitty sinuses. On Monday I had septoplasty, turbinate reduction, and something done to my sinuses to expand them that involved a balloon. I elected to have the two bumps on my nose from breaks two and three removed at the same time, but that's pretty minor compared to all of the other work that was done. My very wonderful friend Tai picked me up from Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital and I've been living grand in my bed since. I can share the horror story of my post-op wake-up in another post if y'all are interested but as a teaser, it involves a moaning woman named Sylvia, my denied request for ear plugs, and my subsequent panic attack. It was a very fun afternoon to say the least.

Thankfully Nick and Sharon got back together on The Young and the Restless because I am restless as all hell. The weather is beautiful or so my window leads me to believe but I can't do much. I can feel my body atrophying. I need exercise!

This is me taking conferences calls from under ice packs and gauze.

I don't know how much longer I can last like this.