Why I Am Doing the Open

I wasn't going to do the 2019 Open because the 2020 Open is taking place in October 2019. Will we even call it the 2020 Open? Will it be 2019B? With two Opens this year, my plan was to sit this round out and focus on my upcoming Strongman competition. But then I was asked to be a team captain for the CrossFit Identity Open Intramural Competition, and how could I say no to that? This will be my sixth consecutive Open, and I'm glad I'm signed up because it's the last February/March Open we are going to have.

As much as I have loved participating in the Open for the past five years, I have never been thrilled with its timing. I had business travel every single year. I think I may have done more Open workouts as a drop-in my first year than I did at my home box. This year 19.4 falls over my Spring Break, so I will have to do the workout at 5:30 AM on Friday before my flight, but otherwise I am home. I am looking forward to the season changing to October. Hopefully it falls over Halloween so we can wear costumes.

For those of you who have not been motivated to become a CrossFitter from reading this blog, the Open has traditionally been the start of the CrossFit Games season. Everyone can participate, from the very new beginner to the most elite CrossFitters in the world. Performing well in the Open got you invited to Regionals, the competition that qualified you for the CrossFit Games. Regionals are gone, the season weirdly started in back in December with the new Sanctionals, and rumor has it that the CrossFit Games will not be broadcasted so unless you are able and willing to travel to Madison, Wisconsin to watch them live, you are out of luck. The Sport of Fitness might be crumbling before our very eyes, but we can still benefit from the magic of the Open.

Some members of the Grey Leopards. Please note that I already owned grey leopard socks.

CrossFit is Better with Friends

The most magical thing happened last week! My friend Erin was in Atlanta and she dropped in at CrossFit Identity. Erin and I went to college together, but we didn't know each other well. Years after we graduated, we both got into CrossFit and rescue dogs and started chatting about our shared interests on Facebook. Erin and her husband are fantastic dog parents. Their dog Chance is the coolest, and he has been a wonderful foster brother to TWENTY-SEVEN foster dogs. I am so thrilled that I got to spend some time with Erin in-person at the box. She's super strong by the way.

To make the day even better, my brand new Endless Summer by Nikki Leonard Fleo shorts arrived! These babies are the 3.25 contour, which have become my favorite Fleo short style. Just long enough to minimize chafing during runs, but still short enough to be cute, sassy, and #teamnopants.

We retested a workout that most people dislike but I kind of secretly love. You pick a heavy odd object and run 1,000 m around the loop. Our gym is located on this random street that has everything from psychologist offices to a tech incubator to 3 different yoga studios to a framing place run by veterans plus a nature preserve. The run route is a mix of parking lot, gravel, and mulch trail. On June 13, I used a 50# dumbbell and finished in 9:32. On August, I used a 50# dumbbell and finished in 8:35. Progress folks.

Tackling the 10K

This year I won a bib in the Peachtree Road Race, which is the biggest 10K and apparently the thing to do in Atlanta on the Fourth of July.

I've got a confession to make - I'm a little scared of the 10K. It's not a distance I've ever felt comfortable in because it's not a distance that feels natural to me. A 5K makes total sense. A half-marathon makes total sense. A 50K is just ten 5Ks. But the 10K has always lurked there. Is it a fast race? Is it a paced race?

My best time was at the Great Cow Harbor 10K back on September 17, 2011. I finished in 46:04.2. Those are 7:25 minute miles. Here are some terribly blurry screenshots I found in an old unfinished blog post.

CrossFit Open 17.2

Dave Castro's making sure we get the most bang for our buck out of those dumbbells. Fuck my life, do I resent dumbbells. I miss my bar. I miss it's weights. Praise the CrossFit gods that we can get a barbell at any weight in 17.3.

So after a work week in Austin that included a fantastic bout of food poisoning, I was finally home in Atlanta. I was so excited for Friday Night Lights and the day couldn't go by fast enough. I made it over to CrossFit Identity around 5:30 PM. Man have I missed that place.

All photos in this post are by my talented friend Elena Pesavento of Spot-on Photo. You can follow her on Instagram at @spotonphotoatlanta and Facebook. She also has started an awesome Women of CrossFit page on Facebook and at @womenofcrossfitatl.

This is our community.

Weight Loss Wednesday 1.18.17

The Fat Loss Accelerator program has been a bit more challenging than I expected. Princess doesn't handle low fat very well. Katiesfitscript, one of my favorite bloggers, has written about how some of her clients do better when she increases their macros because it gets them to stop binging on the weekends. Dude, I made it until Thursday night before I was like fuck this noise, and went to Hacienda for fajitas and margaritas. That guy I've been seeing came home the next morning and I used that as an excuse to keep drinking and eating whatever I wanted... which was apparently lots of dumplings and dan dan noodles. I committed to (and paid for) this program, so I'm getting my ass back on the wagon, but I don't think these are sustainable numbers for me. I mean it's a four week program for a reason, right?

1/18/17 at 143.2

Despite my love for tequila, pinot grigio, and meat wrapped in dough, I otherwise ate pretty well (did I mention that this guy cooks a lot better than I do?) and I got a bunch of workouts in. I went to two different CrossFits on Saturday, made it to Pure Barre on Sunday, and went to CrossFit on Monday and Tuesday.

New Toys and the Great Blizzard of 2017

Atlanta prepared for an epic snowstorm last Friday. Luckily we all survived.

The gym was open on Saturday morning but all of the scheduled classes were cancelled because some roads were icy. Fortunately the roads I need to take to the box were not icy so I cleaned off Miranda, my Nissan Rogue, and headed on over. 

No, I don't find it odd that I named my car after Miranda Oldroyd.

I did some ankle mobility with Kayte and two of the Abs by Coach Alex workouts I missed. I was really just there to socialize.

Abs by Coach Alex 1.3.17

100 straight leg sit-ups for time

EMOM 5 v-ups. Start with 5 v-ups.

This vicious thing took me 5:16. I had three sit-ups left to do when minute 5 hit and those extra v-ups burned.

Abs by Coach Alex 1.6.17

4 RFT

50 turtles

0:30 side plank, each side

10 GHD sit-ups

This thing was surprisingly much harder than it looks. I subbed straight leg sit-ups because my back can't handle GHDs right now. It took me 9:41. I did the planks unbroken. Thanks Pure Barre!

We got new tires! This one is somewhere between 150# and 200#.

Although we didn't get very much snow, we had a snow day party anyway. Definitely the most fun I've had in a while! I love my CrossFit Identity family.

December 2016 Goals and Some Thoughts for 2017

Pure Barre Goal: 1 time for a total of 53 tucks in 2016.

CrossFit Goal: 160/200 WODs. I went to class 14 times, one of which was a drop-in at CrossFit Downtown Atlanta.

I PR'd my Kelly time at 26:44 Rx while injured on 12/28/16. Kelly is 5RFT 400 m run, 30 box jumps (24/20), and 30 wallballs (20/14). My old time from 1/31/15 is 31:29 Rx and I didn't have a shooting pain up my back. My back is getting better and I have been scaling most of the workouts. I did step ups instead of rebounding on the box jumps. I have been going really light on the weights each day.

We got some brand new Lynx barbells and they are gorgeous.

Mileage Goal: I ran 10.8 miles this month for a total of 154 miles for the year. I chuckle because I used to run this in a month. The other day someone decided to lie to me about our evening plans and so I left my car at his place. When we ended up at the bar DIRECTLY DOWN THE STREET from my apartment, I was pissed. One and a half miles of this total mileage is me running back down the Beltline to pick up my car the next morning. I think this was just his way of making sure I came back.

I Did EVERYTHING This Weekend

I accomplished so much this weekend. After having my ass kicked at Friday's WOD, I powered through a work day that was defined by excessive amounts of coffee and a stupid federal website being down. Fighting with that thing was a true delight. I went out for drinks at the Lawrence, made the poor decision to try multiple selections off of their cocktail menu, and then finished up the night at The Highlander with my neighbors. Saying I was overserved is probably putting it lightly.

I ordered one of these as a road soda on Friday. It was pretty tasty.

Maybe It's Actually Winter

This morning my alarm went off at 5:45 AM again and I was committed to making it to the box. Blaine's my favorite coach. Blaine coaches in the early morning. This is my motivation to get out of my nice warm bed, put on pants (I hate pants), and go out into the frigid Georgia morning. It's been even better since I started having to clean up a crate before I can leave. Poor Daisy Mae.

This morning was not my jam. Snatches are hard. Overhead squats are hard. I don't have muscle-ups and subbed 3 pull-ups and 3 ring-dips for each muscle-up. I have to use a band for ring-dips. It was basically an entire morning of highlighting shit I have to work on. I got 4 rounds plus 10 overhead squats in 12 minutes. I wasn't moving very fast but I did all of the OHS unbroken and never dropped off the pull-up bar between pull-ups. Small victories.

I always feel like a beautiful dalmatian when I wear those leggings and the matching sports bra. That's my new Cashel hoodie, also from Fabletics. Unfortunately it's already sold out, or I would highly recommend it. It's fitted and warm but not bulking or restricting.

I'm 90% sure Trump won the election in response to this bullshit color of the year combo. That caption pretty much sums up how Pepe the Frog started a movement. Let that be a lesson to you Pantone. You should have picked Scuba Blue!

How the Hell is it December?

Seriously, how is it December? I still have shit on my to-do list from August.

It's a beautiful day in Atlanta and I had a blast at Country Cardio Thursday this morning. It's an actual thing on Thursdays at CrossFit Identity. Apparently none of us can be trusted to take rest days on our own, so Brandon programs active recovery stuff and we listen to country music. A lot of people don't show up on Thursdays. Might be the cardio or the country.

Today was my jam - 4 rounds for time of a 400 m run, 20 American kettlebell swings (32/16 kg), and 10 burpee box jumps (24/20"). It took me 15:28. It was so cold this morning that I almost kept my clothes on during the workout, but I took of my shirts (a tank and a longsleeve, I told you it was cold!) after the last run. I just can't do burpees efficiently if I'm wearing a shirt.

I practiced strict pull-ups today for skill work and got 3 singles. I also tried to boulder the bench and I am so fucking close. I just about had it yesterday and I'm going to get it this month.

In other good news, it looks like my appetite is back. I came home, made eggs, heated up some veggies, and I cleaned my plate. I'm not dying after all.

October 2016 Goals

Pure Barre Goal: Zero, but I went to something called [solidcore]. It is really hard but a lot of fun.

CrossFit Goal: 128/200 WODs. I went to CrossFit Identity for 13 WODs this month. I didn't drop in during my travels to save some money and to make myself go running instead.

Mileage: I ran 38 miles, including the Marine Corps Marathon. MCM 41 is my fastest marathon to date. I swore I would never run another one as I crossed the finish line, but then I found myself googling best Boston Qualifier courses in Georgia a few hours later.

Memorial Day Murph

On Memorial Day, CrossFitters around the country perform the hero WOD Murph to honor and remember the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.

This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it "Body Armor". From here on it will be referred to as "Murph" in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it. - CrossFit main site 

photo courtesy of Elena Pesavento

The start of the first mile run.

Grid Sunday

About a year ago I got roped into participating in a Grid match and I never published the post. I think I was waiting for my friend and very talented photographer, Kristen Alexander, to post her fantastic photos. All the images in this blog post are hers.

We no longer have the grid rig (thankfully), but this was a cool experience and I'm glad I got to participate. The italicized text is from the original post.

My coach Victor Pellegrino is an athlete on the National Pro Grid League's Phoenix Rise. He is a gymnastics specialist and super badass and if you don't follow him on Instagram @buffyoda, you should totally get on that. Earlier this year, we installed a grid rig at the box, and by we, I mean we, since about 20 members came to install the thing and I held up part of it and it was bolted into place. We've been doing team Tuesday WODs using the quadrants but yesterday we finally put it to it's true use when Victor and his wife Wendy hosted a friendly Grid match at the box.

This was my team. Omar and I go to CrossFit Identity. I knew a few of the other athletes from Faith Rx, which I totally should start going to again now that it's at a closer gym and on Wednesdays. Quite a few of those beasts compete(d) in the Southern Amateur Grid League.

The Southern Amateur Grid League (SAGL) is just what it sounds like - an amateur grid league here in the South. Some of the best CrossFit athletes from around Atlanta are in the SAGL, some of whom I've been blessed to meet at Faith Rx'd. Most of the people participating in yesterday's match were SAGL athletes. And then there were a few of us from CrossFit Identity.

CrossFit Open 16.5

One of CrossFit's biggest selling points for me is measurable fitness. You can track your improvements over time and compare performance the same way you can for running, except you get to do things other than race the same distance over and over again. Don't get me wrong - I love running, but racing the same distances slowly turned me a little insane and I started resenting running in general. In CrossFit, we retest workouts to measure our growth and some of those workouts are evil. One such evil workout was 14.5 - a descending ladder of thrusters* and burpees over the bar. We got to do it all over again as 16.5.

*A thruster combines a front squat with a push press. Most people hate them.

Workout 16.5

21-18-15-12-9-6-3:

Thrusters

Burpees

M 95 lb.      F 65 lb.

This is me doing 14.5. I had never done thrusters at 65# before. It was really heavy and I got a lot of no reps. I completed the workout in 20:23, which was actually kind of a good time I learned afterwards. Two years later, I finished the same workout in 14:44. That's 5 minutes and 39 seconds less. It was still a vicious workout, and it should never get any easier because the fitter you get, the faster you go.

Instead of struggling to get three thrusters in a row, I managed to complete the entire workout without a no rep. My coach Eric was my judge and we discussed pacing before my heat. We decided that I should break up the reps as follows: 7-7-7 thrusters & burpees, 6-6-6 thrusters & burpees, 5-5-5 thrusters & burpees, 4-4-4 thrusters 6-6 burpees, 5-4 thrusters 9 burpees, 6 thrusters & burpees, 3 thrusters & burpees.

I would say that the hardest set was the 5-5-5 and I got sloppy on the thrusters. I had to get my head out of my ass, refocus, and was able to complete the remaining thrusters with a lot better form. Once I got through the 12s, I knew I was so close to finishing and had to just get through it. I used my motivational phrases (I like to scream HUNT and MURICA) to knock out the remaining reps.

Today marks the end of the 2016 CrossFit Open. The best CrossFitters will go onto Regionals and compete for a chance at the Games, but most of us end our season today. I'm proud of my performance this year because I got chest 2 bar pull ups for the first time and I proved to myself that I am in fact fitter today than I was in 2014. The Open reveals your weaknesses, affirms your hard work, and best of all - brings the community together for 5 weeks.

CrossFit Open 16.4

If you're wondering what happened to 16.3 - I completed my 10 snatches at 55# and took my Rx score. 2017 will be my year for bar muscle ups.

Workout 16.4

13-min. AMRAP:

55 deadlifts

55 wall-ball shots

55-calorie row

55 handstand push-ups

M 225 lb. / 20-lb. ball

F  155 lb. / 14-lb. ball

I didn't watch the 16.4 announcement because I was drinking margaritas in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. (I don't care what day it is - every celebration should have margaritas.) I did check the workout and decided that I shouldn't stay out past 1 AM. Dare I say that I may actually be adulting?

So Tuesday's WOD was 17 minutes to run a mile followed by an ascending later of body weight deadlifts and burpee box jumps (2,4,6,8...) My mile took 7:04 minutes and I was able to get through the set of 10s plus 3 deadlifts using 145#. This told me that I was going to at least complete the deadlifts in 16.4 because I didn't need to sprint a mile before picking up the barbell. I was most worried about the wallballs because those are not my strength. Women and men all practice with a 10 ft target at CrossFit Identity, but the Open requires women to only hit a 9 ft target, which feels glorious. I didn't receive a single no rep during the 55 wallballs. I did sets of 10, 10, 10, 15, 10. I like to break them up before I start getting sloppy and discouraged. I was happy that I got to the row and I heard from my CFID family's cheers that I was doing well. At that point I was feeling good and knew that I could just churn it out. My coach Eric showed me that you can take the cap off the side of a C2 rower and watch the flywheel nob rotate. It's very relaxing. I finished the row at 11:29 (my official tiebreak score) and had 91 seconds to attempt handstand push-ups. You might remember that I briefly had handstand push-ups before last year's open but I failed to get a single rep during 15.3 and I haven't gotten one since. I wasn't able to lock out during 16.4 but I have a feeling those HSPUs will return shortly.

Overall, I am happy with my score of 165 (11:29 tiebreak.) Could I have gotten a HSPU? Maybe if I had practiced beforehand. I went into the workout with no expectations and only the desire to work hard and consistently for the 13 minutes. Mission accomplished.

My Thighs are Hungover

This month I'm focusing on Pure Barre because our studio is having a challenge. The goal is complete 16 classes in the 31 days of January. I have two work trips this month but I'm on track to finish my 16th class on the 31st. I really like filling in the circles on the studio tracker chart. Clients who complete the challenge receive a special tank top. I'm not sure if I get one because I'm a team member, but I did use 8 or 9 of my paid classes towards the challenge, so maybe I do. I at least deserve half a tank top, right?

Sometimes I feel like I should wear a tank top to class that says, "Disclaimer: These thighs came from CrossFit." I know I look bulkier than many of the other girls who take class as often as I do. Some of the language that gets used in class includes describing movements as something that will trim your thighs or side seat, and I get that trimming lower body parts is a goal for many women. It is not a goal of mine. I actually work very hard to have thighs and a butt as large as I do. My goal is to make these muscles more defined and that's something I'm working on through my diet. In my head, I imagine some of these women thinking, "Oh that poor girl. She's here all the time and her thighs are still so big." Mission accomplished, ladies.

One of our front desk associates, Michelle, was wearing this tank the other day.

Even though I've been going to Pure Barre more often that CrossFit, my lifts are improving. I credit the isometric holds and increased body awareness I've gained from regularly tucking, shaking, and pulsing at Pure Barre Virginia Highland*. Yesterday I went to CrossFit in the morning and Pure Barre in the evening. The strength portion was 5x3 tempo squats (3-3-1-3) at 65% of your 1RM. My 1RM is 200 lbs but I haven't hit that since November 2014. I've been struggling to hit my percentages since before tour and dropped all of my numbers down. It was disheartening, but I knew I had lost strength and needed to check my pride before getting hurt. Sixty-five percent of 200 is about 130 and I used 135#. I was over the moon excited that I was able to move that kind of weight and it felt easy. I credit Pure Barre for teaching me how to active my glutes and hold uncomfortable positions for a long period of time comfortably. I got down into my squats and hung out in the hole for 3 seconds without panicking that I would get stuck. I will say that I should have switched my workouts because tucking in a squat on high tip toes felt like the devil later that evening.

*I live in a neighborhood called Virginia Highland. It is named after the intersection of Virginia Avenue NE and North Highland Avenue NE. Some people call it Virginia Highlands, even though we're not named after any highlands and the street does haven't an S. I've seen our studio written as both.

CrossFit Golden Gate and the Start of the HeritageBBQ Tour

This past month has been a whirlwind. I left Atlanta on September 11 for the first stop of Cochon555's HeritageBBQ tour in San Francisco. Our event was held at Magnolia Brewing in Dogpatch and the light of my life Colton came to help us sell merchandise. 

I fucking love this kid.

We had incredible dinners at The Battery, Dirty Habit, and at our own event. By Tuesday I was dying to do a WOD and was able to drop in at CrossFit Golden Gate for the noon class before my redeye to Toronto for stop two.

Addicted to CrossFit

I really didn't think that I was going to make it to 5:30 AM CrossFit today.

But then I couldn't sleep.

5:30 Club - So Blessed

I was in class with Gina Gallo at Bikram Yoga Roslyn in June, and she closed out the 90 minutes by sharing a little wisdom about being busy. She told us that when our days are really full and we have so many things we need to do and want to do, we should be thankful to have such rich lives and feel grateful for the opportunities instead of stressed out or resentful. At that point I was being paid to not really have a job, no one was offering me a job I actually wanted, and I was so exhausted from not sleeping that I acted like a zombie with an exceptionally short fuse. I swore I would be so grateful the next time I had a rich full life.

Well guys, I am super fucking thankful.

So fucking thankful that I had to start working out at 5:30 in the morning.

Rivka and I so happy after 3 RFT 100 doubleunders, 20 sumo deadlift high pulls @65#

Front Squats and Reflections on Life

Things have been really hard for me lately. I was hoping that I'd bounce back quickly after my attack in May, but it's been much slower progress than I had hoped. Just now I took Frank out to the grass directly in front of my apartment and I was genuinely scared. I stood out there, standing as tall as possible, and repeating, "I have a 165# front squat and a taser - no one is fucking with me ever again." I keep my taser on and ready and I don't go out after dark without it. Today I ran errands alone in Atlanta for the first time since early June and I was scared to walk across parking lots in broad daylight. It makes me so angry because I feel so weak.

I was laid off (again) and my last day on the job is July 31. Thankfully my role was extended past the last day of the fiscal year (May 29), but I've been rejected from internal positions that I really thought I had a strong chance of getting. It's been frustrating because the feedback I've received has been basically, "We think you're great, but since so many people got laid off this year, the applicant pools are huge and competitive and you just weren't the best, but you were totally number 2." I've been getting pissed off because after defining myself by my work for so long, I now feel that another thing has been taken away from me and it's out of my control. 

I've been acting really negative and taking it out on my wonderful boyfriend, who is a saint to put up with me. Today's his birthday so you should wish him a happy birthday if you know him and haven't done so yet. Even going back up to NY for two weeks didn't help make me feel better. It's like the joy has been sucked right out of my life and I'm stuck in this cycle of feeling and acting like a victim. Even after being beaten and losing my job, this year is actually much better than 2009-2012, and I made it through all that. I feel like I've lost perspective.

My blog photographer, aka my mom, did not return to Atlanta with me, so I'm experimenting with the iPhone timer.