Hello World!

Tap tap tap, check 1, check 2. Is anyone still out there?

My host domain prompted me to renew or cut ties with ol' chasingthekenyans.com, and I decided to renew for the time being. Why? I don't know. Maybe I'll magically find time to write again.

It seems like blogging in general isn't the same as it used to be. I still follow most of my original "RBFs" like DiscomBoBulated, MissZippy, RunnerLeana, JillWillRun, MarciasHealthySlice, CookTrainEatRace, and others, but many have gotten out of the game. CTK is in desperate need of an update, ie: that header pic is from 2009. Yeah.

So what's new since my last post back in early May?

May

• Back-to-back 5k's (Swamp Rabbit Friday evening, Pump & Run Saturday morning) Swamp Rabbit - unremarkable. Conserving for Saturday morning. CrossFit 864 Pump & Run - Benched 110lbs for 10 reps followed by a 20:53 5k. First female for the run portion, 3rd overall with bench factored in.
• PR'd Fran (21-15-9 thrusters & pullups) - 6:00 flat

June

• 1 Mile PR - 5:50! Woot!
• Also PR'd the Snatch - 100#, not my forte
• Sunrise 8k - 36:04, 1st place AG

Apparently I ran in the same shirt/shorts all year.

July

• PR'd a bunch of things: Push Press 135, Strict Press 105, Front Squat 150, Back Squat 165, OH Squat 105, Deadlift 200
• Soaked up the sun at the beach. Went on a 9-mile run!
• Celebrated the grandparents 80th up in NY.
• Finally moved everything out of the old house (we moved in March, technically).

August

• PR - Power Clean 150
• Michelin 5k - Paced sister to her new 5k PR (last race in my 20's)
• Avoided the ice bucket challenge.

September

• Got "turf toe".
• Turned 30. Celebrated in Turks & Caicos (amazing!).
• Started shopping for retirement communities (just kidding ... sort of).

October

• Got injured. Again.
• Bridesmaid duties for a college friend (complete with my pimp cane).
• Changed my first diaper. Traumatizing. But, it motivated my niece to start taking potty training seriously the next week.

November

• PR -  Bench press 145
• Still injured. Sucks.

December

• Realized my insurance was only $200 from being maxed out, so I went to the doc and had an MRI done.
• Started PT, started being cleared to do some "exercises". Just happy to be moving again.

And how about those 2014 goals? Yeah...

Running
- Run a marathon (it's been almost 3 years!). Probably something in the Fall. FAIL
- Sub-20 min 5k (current PR 20:33 from 2011). I ran a 20:53 in May which I was happy with, but still a FAIL.
- Sub-12 min 2-miler (current PR 12:32 from 2008). Didn't even run the local 2-miler. Went on vacation instead! FAIL/WIN?
- Honestly, a PR in anything would be sufficient... PR'd the mile. WIN.
- Run 1000 miles (I need to get back to this level!). Erm, I logged through 8/23/14. At that point I had 250 miles. Safe to say this one is a FAIL.

CrossFit
- Lift my body weight in 3 lifts (perhaps Back Squat, Bench, & Power Clean). Deadlift doesn't count, I can do that already. This can be achieved by losing weight and/or getting stronger... 1/3 = FAIL. Didn't lose weight or get strong enough.
- 100 unbroken DUs (double unders, with a jump rope). Close, got 98. PARTIAL CREDIT.
- Get a muscle up (since I didn't in 2013)... Yeah. FAIL.

Life
- Dress better for work. No more baggy man khakis! I've started a Pinterest board to 'journal' this in case you're interested in following along. Disclaimer: I'm no fashionista. Well, I didn't wear the "baggy man khakis" all year but there were still some days that were definitely not very stylish. Overall I made more of an effort so I call this one a WIN, although I need to work on my awkward selfies.
- Limit the junk. A bag of cheese poofs is not a lunch. I'm still on the hunt to figure out what's triggering my skin to be so bad. Sucks. I tried to jump-start eating healthy a few times during the year. The current attempt started on 12/7 and is going OK so far. (I'm working with a nutritionist this time around - taking things seriously!). I lost 5# in the first week so I was officially fat enough to be on Biggest Loser. Let's be honest, un-obese people don't lose 5lbs in one week... Currently a WIN.

So there it is. 2014. A good year, minus getting injured. I intend to write again soon, but just in case, please follow me on Instagram (and let me know your IG name if I don't already follow you) as I am much better at posting filtered pictures!

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The Kitchen Sink

Wow. I think I'm in the lead for the 2014 Worst Blogger award. Three months with no update? Solid. It's been a busy few months of working out (not as many running miles as I would have liked though) and we also bought new house (come visit k?).

Here are the highlights of Q1:

February

• Total miles - 5.70 ...yep (it was cold/I'm a wimpy runner now)
• Overhead Squat 3 rep max - 85#

It was a lazy month in general. Not much achieving going on.

March

• Total miles - 10.0 ...yep (still cold/"cold")
• Did a "Jus by Julie" 3-day cleanse and survived
• CrossFit Open (it's what leads to the "Games" that you might have heard about/seen on TV; this is the first round of qualifying) - I finished in 1,912th place out of 11,261 (in the SouthEast region). Woo! Top 60 (I think) move on to Regionals, in case you want some perspective as to how "good" I am, haha.
• Deadlift PR - 185# (15# gain)

April

• Total miles - 52.4 (10% rule?)
• 2 - 10k's (Cooper River Bridge Run 48:31, Charlotte RaceFest 46:23). Not PR's but happy with them considering the lack of running thus far (see above).
• Attended local running club track workout for the first time - PR'd 400m at 1:21
• Snatch PR - 95# (10# gain)
• Back Squat PR - 145# (10# gain)
• Push Press PR - 125# (5# gain)
• "Grace" PR - 3:28 (30 clean & jerk for time, 95#)
• "Fight Gone Bad" PR - 296
• "Annie" PR - 7:44 (50-40-30-20-10 reps of double unders and situps)

Sister's first half-marathon. Ran about 8 miles with her.

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2014 Goals: Better Late Than Never

January 21st, Happy New Year!?

I've had a pretty busy start to the year with two races and a trip to Buffalo, NY (wedding).

Friend's of Josh's conveniently planned their wedding in early January when it's nice and warm. When I landed, I collected my luggage from baggage claim and immediately put on another layer of clothing. I squeezed in a great workout a CrossFit Buffalo (uhh, there was no way I was going running in -2483°) and otherwise stayed inside as much as possible. Other than the freezing temps, the wedding weekend was fun.

The following weekend I ran a half marathon here in town with Ginny! She drove up with some friends as one needed South Carolina for her "half marathon in half the states" goal. I had a blast hanging out with them before/during/after the race. Ginny and I ran together for a few miles, including during a downpour with swirling winds and through a shin-deep chilly puddle (twice) caused by the rains. Race-wise, I ran easy. I hadn't ran since New Year's Day (erm... yeah still suck at that) and my glutes/quads were sore from 100 jumping lunges 3 days prior. I felt fine from a cardiovascular standpoint, but my legs were definitely a little stiff and heavy.

Resolution Half-Marathon - 1:57:17

2nd place age group

A week later, I ran one of the larger area 5k's (~1500 runners) on a chilly morning. Ok, it was 28°, chilly is relative! I started too far back, it took me :25 to cross the start line, and as a result my first mile was 8:00. The crowd thinned a little but I still had to weave here and there. I had hoped for a 21:xx going into the race (again, hadn't ran since the half marathon the weekend before) and after the first mile I knew I needed to pick it up. Miles 2 and 3 came in at 6:53 and 6:44. Luckily the race was fully chip timed and I met my goal! I felt great running - from a cardio standpoint I thought I could have gone faster, perhaps if I hadn't been held up at the start. My low-calves were hurting in the last mile on a hill but feel fine after a day off.

Greenville News Downtown 5k - 21:49

5th place age group

Since my last "first race back" (August 2013 5k - 25:25) I've made steady improvements and I hope to continue to build on this in 2014. As for those 2014 goals and aspirations...

Running
- Run a marathon (it's been almost 3 years!). Probably something in the Fall.
- Sub-20 min 5k (current PR 20:33 from 2011)
- Sub-12 min 2-miler (current PR 12:32 from 2008)
- Honestly, a PR in anything would be sufficient...
- Run 1000 miles (I need to get back to this level!)

CrossFit
- Lift my body weight in 3 lifts (perhaps Back Squat, Bench, & Power Clean). Deadlift doesn't count, I can do that already. This can be achieved by losing weight and/or getting stronger...
- 100 unbroken DUs
- Get a muscle up (since I didn't in 2013)...

Life
- Dress better for work. No more baggy man khakis! I've started a Pinterest board to 'journal' this in case you're interested in following along. Disclaimer: I'm no fashionista.
- Limit the junk. A bag of cheese poofs is not a lunch. I'm still on the hunt to figure out what's triggering my skin to be so bad. Sucks.

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That's a Wrap 2013

It's official. Chasing the Kenyans = girl eating cookie off shoulder.*

December 2013
Run Stats:
- 12 days
- 56.25 miles
- 8:49 average pace
- No races
- Longest run: 9 miles

CrossFit Notables:
- Power Clean 1RM: 135# (up another 5# from Nov)
- Squat Clean: 105# (squat needs work... lots of work)
- Thruster 2RM: 95# (front squat + press overhead)
- Fran: 7:42 (21-15-9 reps of 65# thrusters and pull-ups); a 0:40 PR
- Max Unbroken Double Unders: 59

2013 Mileage: 255.10 - yeah, needs improvement.

Well 2013 has come to a close and (once again) it was not a stellar year for me in the running world. Some days I accept where I am with my running fitness, others I don't - it's a constant battle. Though injury and my ongoing health troubles threatened to keep me down, there were still victories to be had.

After 6 months off from running, I got to start running again in July! While I was thrilled to run again, my motivation was (is) still lacking. Perhaps it knew I needed to ease back into it. I've built up to 9 miles since July; taking the "slow and steady" approach to getting back into things.

Got back to CrossFit too! I did all-upper-body exercises from January to early May when I thought my high-hamstring was injured. I took off all-exercise for about 8 weeks in May-June-July when I learned it was my L4/L5 vertebrae. I got back into the gym in mid-July and took things slow, but happily saw consistent strength gains as the fall and winter months passed.

Dabbled in a few short races - mostly 5k's and one 2-miler. No PR's, but improved little by little over these past few months and can't complain about that.

Ran another Ragnar! Met up with good friends in Vegas and survived 17+ miles. Hopefully this will translate to good distance running in 2014!

Happy New Year! Here's to many miles and PRs for us all.

*Sorry, no music video this year. Let's face it, I can't sing anyway.

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The Great Marathon Debate

November 2013
Run Stats:
- 18 days
- 70.6 miles
- 8:42 average pace
- 2 races (Ragnar & local Turkey trot)
- Longest run: 8 miles
- Trimmed another 1:44 off my 5k time from September!

CrossFit Notables:
- Power Clean 1RM: 130# (up 5# from September)
- Squat Clean: 95# (squat needs work... lots of work.)
- Isabel (not Rx): 2:51 (30 snatches for time, 65#)

---

So in my last post I admitted that I signed up for a half-marathon and though I'm not expecting a PR (hello rolling hills) I think it should go well. What I failed to admit was that I was still hemming and hawing over a full marathon too. I've been wanting to run the Mercedes marathon for years - solely because I think the medal is cool and unique - which is held in February. I was am afraid that I won't be in shape in time (even though I did survive 17+ miles of a Ragnar last month, for what that's worth).

The Mercedes marathon is now 9-10 weeks away, and my "long" runs have been a whopping 8 and 6 miles. I don't need another 4-hour marathon, I have plenty of those already. I want to train consistently for one and be able to run it well. I suppose this is me talking myself out of it...

I'm eyeing another full in late March, which seems much more feasible to get in shape for as long as I can be more diligent with those weekend long runs. With this in mind, my internal debate switches to considering running Mercedes easy to remind myself that I can still survive the distance, and then continue to train for a (hopefully) faster late-March marathon.

Overanalyzing, I know. Thoughts?

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Vegas & Turkey

October 2013
A very belated (and abbreviated) month recap.

Run Stats:
- 19 days
- 57.80 miles
- 9:09 average pace
- 0 races
- Longest run: 7.5 miles
- Cut 44 seconds off my two-mile time from September (now 13:52)

CrossFit Notables:
- CF Total: 400 lbs (sum of back squat, strict press, deadlift - 3 attempts per lift)
- Clean & Jerk 1RM: 120#
- Grace: 5:49 (30 clean & jerks for time, 95#)

Can't say I remember any other worthy details from October, but I have been doing some fun running things so far in November!

Earlier in the month I flew out to Vegas to run my second Ragnar. This time with a new group of strangers including Chris, Jill and Lisa. I had a blast with my teammates ("My Little Ponies") and many other teams seemed to want our van tags (magnets) with our sweet logo - a fierce pony with a Ragnar tramp stamp (designed by Alissa). In true form I did not exactly train as well as I should have, my longest training run was 7.5 miles knowing that I was going to have 17+ miles total. Overall I ran well, averaging an 8:17 pace and passing a bunch of people along the way (chicked lots of dudes in my final 7+ mile leg). It was a great weekend and the views were gorgeous all weekend long!

Handoff before my 3rd leg (the first two were in the dark).

My view of Lake Mead for 7+ miles

The Ponies

I ran another 5k (turkey trot) this past weekend. I last ran this race in 2006 and this year it was at a new location although I'd run the course before. I was the first female finisher (11th overall), cut another 1:34 off my 5k time from September, and brought home a turkey.

Floating in to the finish.

My 10 pound prize!

After much hemming and hawing (and FB messaging Jason & MaUrlene), I put on my big girl pants and signed up for a half marathon. Who'd have thought I'd be so nervous! I survived 17 Ragnar miles, hopefully my fitness will only continue to improve between now and the race (in January). Ginny is coming up for it and I think Katie is thinking about coming down the mountain for it. Should be fun times!

Sidenote: Follow me on Instagram (@chasingkenyans) for mini-updates and to see more pics from Vegas and such!

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September 2013

In the month of September I RAN!
- 13 days
- 31.5 miles
- 9:09 average pace
- 3 races

I also did some crossfitting, of course.
- PR'd my power clean, push press, and snatch
- Helen*: 13:45 (3 rounds of 400m run, 21 kb swings (35#), 12 pullups)

A Running PR
On Wednesday the workout was 1 mile run, 5 minutes rest, 1 mile run. The last time I ran a mile for speed was September of 2010. I wasn't in my best shape then either, coming back from a few months off (argh story of my life) due to health issues, but I signed up for a 1-mile road race that was held in conjunction with a 5k and 10k (aka: the 1-mile is what all the kids sign up for). I finished in 6:12, barreling over all the kids. (...kidding)

Being in the midst of yet another "get back in shape" quest, I was anxious to see what I could do a mile in and hopeful that I could at least run something in the 7's. The first mile clocked in at 6:10 (a PR!) and the second a 6:35. Absolutely no consistency, but man I had to fight in that second mile. It's definitely nice to know there's some speed in me somewhere and I'm excited to work for more improvements! (Now if only I could be excited to focus on my diet...)

Race for the Cure
I went a little 'crazy' and ran another 5k at the end of September. I was asked to be on the Komen Race for the Cure committee as the "Competitive Runner Recruitment Chair" so naturally I signed up to run the race as well. I even fundraised a few bucks for the cause!** It was a beautiful morning for a run and a well-run event. The timing company had some issues as apparently I'm a 99 year old male, but I was a pretty spry 99-year old running a 23:50. Good enough for 9th overall female (not sure about age group since quite a few people were also "99").

Probably the best race photo you've ever seen.

(and more knocky knees)

Spandits! Ambassador
I'm excited to announce I was selected to be a brand ambassador for Spandits! We're a 'team' of some pretty fantastic people including B.o.B and The Happy Runner, two long-time blog friends of mine. Details are still forthcoming about this awesome opportunity but I'm excited and honored. Spandits! makes some funky printed workout gear which is right up my "fashion" alley. I had the hardest time picking out my fave print!

*Helen is another benchmark workout like Fran. 
**If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation to Susan G Komen please go here!

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Summer Rewind

Man, time flies. Two+ months since my last post? Slack!

Thankfully, I've been busy - both at work and at sweating. Hooray for being able to workout! Things have gone well since testing the waters in July and though I'm still not 100% (you should see my down dog), I'm glad to be moving again.

I've run a few races this summer and it's about time I posted the race recaps. No stellar performances but considering I had to take of 6 months this year and I'm having to start back at square one, they haven't been too shabby either. I haven't been good at sticking to my schedule and am only running 3-miles or less at a 10:00-ish/mile pace  not quite putting forth an effort to increase my mileage). I'm also only logging 9-miles a week ...or less. My motivation has returned and I'm ready to get back in the training groove and (hopefully) get better at running again.

August

Prediction 5k (trail) - No watches allowed. Ran with my sister; she predicted a 33:37 for us and we finished in 34:xx (got held up trying to cross slippery planks of wood over pluffy mud). I believe the winner was within seconds of their predicted time.

Entrance to the trails

Michelin 5k (for the work team/Corporate Shield series) - A couple years ago this was a "return to running" 5k for me when I had to take some time off for health reasons (non-injury). Being a mere one-month into attempting (slackingly) to get back in shape I didn't know what to expect. I chased down a co-worker and finished in 25:25 (8:09/mile).

Post-race sunset at BMW performance track

September
BMW 2-miler (again for the work team) - I last ran this race in 2008 (!!) and I was in much better shape back then. Two minutes slower this year at 14:36 BUT all my training runs have been at ~10:00/mile pace so I'll take it. I should also note that I dropped a 45# weight on my big toe in the morning and it took all day to quit throbbing. I was nervous about running on it or it being broken but it seems to be ok. I may lose the nail, but I am a runner, it wouldn't be the first.

My first stopping-the-watch finish photo

Troad 5k (trail) - This race was the morning after the BMW run. I had a free entry because work sponsored the race and offered the complimentary entries to the running team. I almost missed this race by sleeping through two alarms and shot up at 8:08am (the race was at 8:30). I threw on my clothes, ran my toothbrush over my teeth, and put my contacts in during the drive. The trail was very runnable (save for a few long climbs for these tired, unconditioned legs) and I finished in 28:48 (9:27/mile), good enough for 6th place female and 1st in my age group! Took home a beautiful toad trophy.

Start of the Troad (uphill) before heading into the woods

Troad finish. Note backwards banner?

CrossFit is still going too (don't worry my true love is still running). Over the summer I set some PRs on the power clean (125#), push press (120#), snatch (85#), and benchmark workout "Fran"* (8:22).

Back in February I sat for my Level 1 CrossFit certification and recently started teaching Kids class on Saturdays - so adorable! These kids get to do fun things like burpees, pushups, play dodgeball, and of course, run. They love to run! Also, they climb the 15' ropes faster than I can.

September also brought around my birthday and friends from the gym got me a big bag of M&M's, lottery ticket, and some gift cards. Unfortunately I was not the lucky lotto winner from SC you may have heard about (boo) and believe it or not it took me 5 days to eat the bag of M&M's! Must be this old age...

*For those who are curious, Fran is 21-15-9 reps of thrusters (front squat to overhead press) and pullups.

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Waving My Banner All Over the Place

I'm back!

Ok well sorta... Only a few days a week and for verrrrry short distances, but nonetheless I'm getting out for a few miles a week. It's wayyy better than staring longingly at my shoes all day!

I did a test run at the beach (1 mile in about 10 minutes) and though things didn't feel perfect they didn't feel bad either. I did a 2-miler the next day (with one at 8:40! not bad for 6-months off) and another 1-mile run later in the week. The glute/hip/whatever is a little achey at first but warms/loosens up/I stop thinking about it after a little while. Striding with my right leg feels less-natural and I have to make a conscious effort to drive the leg forward. Not sure if that's super weakness from favoring that side of my body this whole time or what. Any ideas or suggestions on making this feel/be natural again? Both of my chiropractors said if it doesn't feel any worse during/after running that I can/should keep at it - slowly.

In other news - I was contacted by BuildASign (www.buildasign.com) about partnering up and decided to get a banner for my beloved CrossFit gym. We have the perfect spot to hang it in at our new facility (we're moving from 1600sq ft to 6000+ sq ft) and the owner/other members are excited to hang it from our team tent at local competitions we attend.

I ordered a 3x6 ft banner. The process was simple - you can upload your image to their site or use some of their "clipart" type stuff. They assured me the image looked good on their end before printing (I was worried it would be fuzzy when enlarged to 3x6 feet) and it shipped in a timely manner.

BuildASign is a true sign and banner maker business and the banner turned out great. The vinyl seems to be of decent quality and there is a grommet hole in each corner for reinforced hanging. My only complaint is that the side edges were not 'doubled up'/folded over the same way the top/bottom ones were for extra reinforcement. Overall it's a good quality banner and looks sharp in the new gym and will look awesome at upcoming competitions (including one this weekend!).

Disclaimer: The banner was provided to me free of charge in exchange for this product review. A 3x6ft banner would normally cost about $45, which seems reasonable to me. The opinions of the service and product received are my own.

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CrossFit Games: Gimpy Style

Although I've been dealing with my OI injury/gluteal bursitis and avoiding lower-body activity, I was still easily convinced to sign up for the CrossFit Games. It's not like I'll even get a good idea as to where I stand amongst the CrossFitters of the world because I can't (/shouldn't) do the workouts as prescribed.

Nevertheless, I paid the $20 and signed up. Then I paid another $20 to buy the t-shirt...

Bathroom selfie for the win

The "main" part of the Games is the Open. These are the first 5 weeks (held March-April) with 1 workout each week. Anyone who wants to participate can. The top 60 in each Region move on to more advanced stages of the Games but with 4,000+ ladies in my Region it's safe to say I won't need to worry about that level. The workout is announced each Wednesday evening and you can submit your score (typically # of reps) by Sunday evening.

13.1 - No, not a half marathon. As many reps as possible (AMRAP) in 17 minutes of:
40 burpees
30 snatches (45 lbs for women)
30 burpees
30 snatches (75 lbs for women)
20 burpees
30 snatches (100 lbs for women)
10 burpees
AMRAP snatches in time remaining (120 lbs for women)

My score: 2 (burpees)

I was smart and didn't push it. Technically I could have gotten at least 100 reps but loading up my glute/hammy in all those burpees and snatches would not have been wise.

In the days following I was envious of my friends who got to fully attempt the workout and see their ranking. (Insert suspenseful music) When the next workout was announced I was ecstatic - the first exercise was upper-body (the rest was stuff I shouldn't be doing). You can probably guess what happened next...

13.2 - AMRAP in 10 minutes of:
5 shoulder to overhead (75 lbs for women)
10 deadlift (75 lbs)
15 box jumps (step ups were allowed thanks to one of the top competitors breaking her foot)

My score: 209 (not smart)

one-legged rainbow bright

I probably irritated some of my friends by scoring just as well as they did with my one-legged deadlifts and step ups, but my left leg was spaghetti at the end of those 10 minutes. I've been in some new kinds of pain these past few days. 70 one-leg deadlifts when you haven't worked out your legs in 3 months? Not the brightest idea.

Here's hoping there are upper body moves in the three workouts to come!

I know Kovas and Bob Harper are also trying their hand at the Games, anyone else?

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Cleaning My Plate (Again)

January has come and gone and the ol' glute/lower back pain still persists. I've committed myself to 'suffer' through this layoff as my stubbornness to continue working out at my normal intensity is what (I believe) got me here in the first place. The good news is it's a little less painful when I stand up from sitting, so I take that as improvement. I'm still going to the chiro 1-2x/week, getting massages, rolling out, doing stretches and (sometimes) doing the Jane Fonda-style lower back/glute strengthening exercises. Admittedly I've slacked on those a bit.

After 4-weeks of upper-body-only workouts you'd think my arms and back muscles would be ripped, but they're not. I'm know that's because of the less-than-stellar eating habits I can't seem to shake even though I'm $10 and 1-month into a friendly weight loss competition. I want to eat healthy and clean, but danggit those m&m's, chips, and cookies keep jumping into my shopping cart while I'm not looking.

As of today I'm starting back up on my clean-eating rules. (Because you can't start anything unless it's a Monday, right?). When I did this in the summer/early fall my punishment was 100 burpees if I 'cheated'. Since I can't do burpees right now my punishment is 100 calories on the airdyne bike.

No - "Processed foods" (oreos, cheesy poofs, cereal, etc), Dairy (because it's an "inflammatory food" and I have more than my share of allergy problems), Refined sugar (this should be mostly eliminated by avoiding store-bought snacks as I already use agave/honey at home). 

Yes - Real food (vegetables, sweet potatoes, eggs, chicken, turkey, fish...), More water

Random January Numbers:
miles run - 7.3 (very early in the month before deciding to take time off)
pushups - 856
pullups - 354 (some with band assistance, some without)
ring dips - 150
bench press - 115 lbs (3 rep max)
rope climbs - 5
m&m's - (1) 56 oz bag

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a tale of two marathons

new york marathon
no, not for me - josh made it in the nyc marathon via the lottery. when the nyrr said the race would go on, we kept our travel arrangements. friday late afternoon we were at the expo and overheard a girl say "oh my gosh they just cancelled the race". josh returned the $140 jacket he had just purchased (who wants apparel from a race you didn't run) and we hightailed it out of there.

don't get me wrong, i agree with the decision to cancel the race. however, what was up with the numerous people on facebook, twitter, etc calling the runners "selfish" for being disappointed in the handling of the decision-making or later for wanting a refund? and those same people saying that runners should "do something useful with their time" and go volunteer/buy things for sandy victims? i'm curious how much time and money the people making these comments donated to the hurricane relief...

the french (i assume) new york marathon on saturday

my first time "banditing" a race
on sunday morning we ventured over to central park to get a run in and found ourselves in the midst of the "run anyway marathon". there were tons of runners (mostly foreign and charity runners it seemed) and spectators - it was great to see the community come together and not let their spirits be crushed by all the negative people. some spectators were even handing out bottled water, gatorade and candy. it was a very upbeat atmosphere and josh and i ran an easy 7.5 miles. note: we did not take refreshments from anyone.

my first (and second) box visits
while in nyc i took advantage of visiting other crossfit boxes for workouts. if you are a member at another crossfit affiliate you can drop-in for a class at another box without having to undergo the "elements" (fundamentals) again. i went to crossfit nyc: the black box ($25) and reebok crossfit 5th ave ($40). i was intimidated walking in to each workout but left feeling great (it helped seeing i could hold my own with nyc crossfitters!).

charlotte thunder road marathon
unlike some people (*cough*), josh actually trained for his marathon with the pre-requisite long runs and wanted to cash in on all those saturday morning runs. when we returned from nyc he took advantage of the "displaced runner discount" offered by the charlotte thunder road marathon and we headed up for the race. i was tempted to sign up for the half-marathon at the expo (you know, since i did that one 12-mile run...) but since "i didn't pack running clothes for racing", and the fact registration was $105, i decided not to. i also briefly contemplated banditing the race.

it was chilly and windy race morning and josh forgot a long sleeve shirt. i offered to meet him around mile 10 to get his running jacket from him (due to the course i did not think i would see him before mile 10). i saw him off at the start and walked back to the car while re-consulting the course map. i decided if i hustled i could surprise him at mile 3.5-ish so he could ditch his jacket sooner.

my second time "banditing" a race
i tried to hustle, but arrived at mile 3.5 too late - just before the 4:15 pace group. i assumed he was running ahead of them, so i hopped in the race. i knew he was aiming for a 9:00/mile pace (sub-4:00 marathon) and when i got to the 4-mile split clock i saw i had some serious catching up to do, i was 4 minutes off a 9:00/pace. ouch.

i chased down red shirt after red shirt for the next 6+ miles (while avoiding the water stops of course). i was impressed by the splits my garmin flashed at me (7:30's), and at some point between miles 3.5 and 10 i managed to sprint right past josh. i caught up to the 3:45 pace group and hoped he was not running that fast because i was quite tired from the 7 mile sprint. i pulled over at mile 10 to wait, much to the confusion of the runners i'd just passed. sure enough, he came running up 1-2 minutes later and i hopped back in to run with him for a bit. eventually i peeled off and headed back to the car to try and find food/water. i hadn't fueled before or during my 11-mile run and i was hungry.

my attempts to find food failed but i did see josh at mile 18, still hanging on to the sub-4:00 pace. i anxiously waited for him near the finish as the clock ticked through the 3:50's. i yelled 'inspirationally' to him "only a quarter-mile to go, go get it!". he looked mad at me but later claimed he wasn't. he cruised in at 3:56 and i was relieved i wouldn't have to hear him complain about not running a sub-4:00. later in the afternoon he started to analyze if he would have run faster in nyc because it's less hilly and he wouldn't have had an awkward extended taper; sign of a true runner.

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fight gone bad

i competed in my first crossfit "competition"* last weekend and it's taken me this long to recover enough to type out an update. kidding, of course, but it was quite the beating. let's just say you won't be seeing me in the crossfit games anytime soon. these people are crazy!

the competition was really a fundraiser for a sick baby and sooo much fun. my soon-to-be-official crossfit coach had shirts made for us and it was cool to be part of a team again (even though crossfit isn't a team sport).

fight gone bad is one of crossfit's benchmark workouts. it's 17 minutes of work, and it's hard.

3 rounds of 1-min each:

• wall balls
• box jumps
• push press (45lbs women/75lbs men)
• sumo deadlift high pulls (55lbs women/75lbs men)
• row

rest 1-min between rounds; every rep is a point except the row is for calories. bad form will get you no-repped, which is the worst. the clock doesn't stop as you move from one apparatus to the next so you must keep moving.

still don't follow? luckily i have prepared some visual aides:

wall ball: squat, stand up, hurl medball 10 feet in the air

box jumps: self explanatory. try to be graceful.

push press: push bar overhead and try not to drop on yourself.

sumo deadlift high pull: don't throw your back out. 

rower: it's completely degrading how slow the calories tick.

how you might feel after round 1

after round 2

round 3

we did a trial run of the workout earlier in the week, i scored 241. on game day i tallied up 222. the women who won scored over 300... out of my league!

fellow upstate bloggers - my gym officially becomes crossfit-affiliated in october and i would love to have you come as a guest to a workout!

*while i am totally loving my crossfit workouts, running is still my true love. i definitely think the cf'ing has helped with my running (yes, i am running i just never have time to blog about it). the day after fight gone bad (sunday) i went out for a run and didn't come back for 8 miles! i can't complain about the beastly chin ups i can do now either.

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