8 hours left..

..In the Gymnastic Bodies contest and I am down 24-21.. Bummed. There's still time for a miraculous comeback, so I am keeping my fingers crossed, but it's not looking good. Super bummed. Thank you to all my peeps who took the time to register for the forum and vote for me! Your support is MUCH appreciated!!

Did the posted GB WOD from yesterday today with my CrossFit Portland training crew :D Thanks for all your support guys!! I love training with you!

Complete four rounds:
1 minute Wall Runs (I was SUPER stoked that I was actually able to do this for the full minute every round!! Form isn't that great but so much stronger!)
10 Korean Dips (I did 8 each round, also MUCH stronger than the last wod with korean dips.)
20' Arch/Hollow Snaps (Always nervous about the sciatic pain with this one, but did not feel it this time :D )

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

Then went to gymnastics class tonight (at Omega) worked a lot of BASICS, which was great:
Pullovers x5
Arch/Hollow Swings
Leg Lifts
P-Bar Handstands x10 (actually held one by myself for about 4 seconds, progress!)
Various trampoline skills..
Support holds on rings 3x10
Inverted hang to back lever attempt x3

Video: Wall Runs-


I've been reading up on a lot of nutrition stuff this week and will write about it over the next couple of days. I have finally admitted to myself that I have a sugar problem :( It is slight compared to most people, but CrossFitters are not like most people.. so I need to address it. I am going to Robb Wolf's Nutrition Certification in June here in Portland, and I'm fired up to make some changes! More to come...

"Annie"

Today I did a CrossFit wod, some backbend kickover practice, and I went to a Parkour open gym and practiced some Parkour skills.. Fun stuff!

"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10 reps of
Double Unders
Sit-Ups
11:28
Better than my last time, but still pretty slow.. Messed up too many times with the double unders.

16 reps of backbend kickovers (8 each side) with feet landing elevated on stacked panel mats.. Lowered the mats with each rep, down to 2 panels.

Parkour skills:
Precision Jumps- from 1 ft high to 4 ft high
Lazy Vaults
Speed Vaults
Wall Runs- 7 ft wall, got it!
Rail balancing and walking (walked twice across a 20 ft rail, about 3 ft high)
Rope Climb x2 (the rope had knots in it about every 1.5 ft so I was able to do NO FEET for about 5 grips! Never done that before!)

I have to wake up a 4:15am tomorrow morning. At work at 4:50am. That is an OBSCENE time to have to be awake. It's my newly acquired shift at march wellness (waking up that early definitely does NOT equate to "wellness" in my opinion), every Wednesday 4:50am-noon. OMG, this is going to suck. I think I deserve a 12oz soy latte every Wednesday as long as I have to do this.

Monday:Strength

GB WOD:
Perform-
3x5 SLS (Single Leg Squat)- 8kg/18# KB
3x5 Natural Leg Curls

Finish with 3x10 Hip Extensions.

Also did some muscle up strength training:
False Grip Pullups 3x4
Ring Dips 3x4
Band Assisted MU 3x4

And Handstand Press Training:
Headstand Pike Press 2x5
Headstand Straddle Press 2x5

Here is a video of my SLS:


Melissa Byers put me on her blog! Sweet! She is doing a series of postings featuring "Hot Chicks Doing Pull Ups" so I sent her a video of me doing 8 strict pullups.. My max is 9, the video she posted was my second set of the same day I did 9. She has like 150 followers of her blog, so I'm semi-famousish now:) Thanks for the props Melissa!

Sunday is my favorite day..

Cleaned the house.
Ran stairs--- 6 sets, 202 stairs each set= 1,212 steps.
Planted seeds in the garden.
Did laundry.
Visited friends.
Ate non-paleo food.
Got their video camera.
Now we can film our video for The Amazing Race.
Sweet.

*GB Seminar contest: I'm down 12-13 to "Ortprod" (John)... NEED MORE VOTES.

Four Days of Rest

Today was my first training day in four days.. So of course I decide to throw something really hard at myself: CINDY. Here's what Cindy is-

20 minutes for rounds:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

Last time I did her I got 14 rounds plus 6 pushups, in August '08... This time, I was shooting for 15. I figured I was rested and I had the energy. The results= 14 rounds plus 10 pushups. Arg. Better, but not quite 15. I would probably get it if someone else did it with me, someone to compete with, because that's just how I am. Oh well, I can't be disappointed with improvement!

The colonoscopy went well, everything looks normal. They took a biopsy of my colon and I will find out in a couple of weeks that everything is all good. I was a little bothered by the fact that the dr. was talking to me during the procedure when I was all doped up (or down?) on these crazy sedatives that made the whole experience feel like a dream. So, of course I don't remember all of what he said and whether or not it as important. I remember opening my eyes in the middle of the procedure and looking up at the screen and seeing my colon. The dr. was asking me if I use laxatives and I was like "No, but I used to until I found out it was bad for you then I stopped, now I use a fiber supplement" and he said that using laxatives can make your colon appear blotchy and discolored, which is what mine looked like. But I was high and so I fell back asleep until they were done.. And then of course the dr, did not come talk to me when I was leaving. So now I am unsure if it was a bad thing that my colon was discolored and if I should stop using my fiber supplement or WHAT. Frustrating. So I will call the dr. next week to find out more. Other than that, everything was fine.

I am looking forward to the start of my newly re-vamped training schedule. I am picking certain skills to focus on, what days to focus on which ones, what days to do strength and what days to do metcons. The skills I am going to be focusing on are: muscle up, straddle handstand press, front handspring, and back handspring. Also, we are going to start going to a couple of other gymnastics classes and I am going to going to go to a Parkour class on Tuesdays, I am SUPER excited for this one. So this is what my schedule will look like:
Sundays- MetCon, Parkour outside or Climbing
Mondays- MetCon or Strength WOD
Tuesdays- MetCon or Strength WOD, Parkour Class
Wednesdays- Rest
Thursdays- MetCon or Strength WOD, Gymnastics Class
Fridays- MetCon or Strength WOD, Gymnastics Open Gym
Saturdays- Rest
Of course I will be doing the appropriate amount of stretching and icing and massage (when I have the money for it) to ensure proper recovery. I think this schedule will keep me from over training, and it is structured enough so that I will be able to focus on my skills practice and achieve them!

The voting for the Gymnastic Bodies contest is in full swing and I am currently in second place with 9 votes to the other guy's 12. We have until the 1st of May to get people to sign on to the forum and vote, so I am pushing my peeps to get on it for me... We'll see what happens!

SO HUNGRY!

Wednesday = Prep day for colonoscopy on Thursday..

It's 8:19p and I haven't eaten anything in about 22 hours. I have had 3 lemon popsicles today and a half gallon of my laxative drink that is also lemon flavored. Not sick of the popsicles yet, but definitely felt like gagging while drinking the "Golytly". I'm not one to wish myself into the future, but right now I wish it was Thursday afternoon and I had a huge chicken burrito and some tortilla chips with home-made guacamole in front of me.

I do not do well with no food. I could never have an eating disorder. Anorexia? Are you effing kidding me?! No way. I love food and having energy WAY too much. I got through the day pretty easily.. had some tea and a couple popsicles, was able to get through training a few clients just fine. But then I came home and had to start "the drink", and now, four hours later, I am sitting on the couch feeling rather zombi-ish. I feel hungry, but mostly I just feel very fatigued. And a little shaky. I'm supposed to wake up at 8am tomorrow and finish off the remaining half-gallon of nastiness. Brutal. I have to drink one whole cup (8 fl. oz.) every 15 minutes until it is gone and it looks the same coming out as it did going in. Oh man.. I don't know if I can do it..

Or maybe I will just have some chicken pho when I get out of there tomorrow... Mmmm, avocado-coconut milkshake from Pho Jasmine.. That sounds incredible.

Ramman was nice enough to go out to eat tonight after work instead of coming home and cooking a delicious meal right in front of me. What a sweet heart. I think he's eating mexican... lucky.

I just need to watch a movie to take my mind off of feeling hungry, go to sleep, soldier through another intense cleansing session, get to the doctor, get sedated, wake up, be done, and go home to eat and sleep the rest of the day. I can do it.

The past few days Ramman and I have been seriously re-vamping our training program. Since I have had to rest because of my strained neck and my colonoscopy, it has been a perfect time to take a good look at how I am training and how it can be improved so that I can reach my skill and strength goals. I'm super excited to finish putting together my program and get started on it next week. More to come on that.

Parkour & Margaritas

Sunday was the best day. We slept in until about 10, had a balanced and delicious breakfast, and then set out to wander the PSU campus and downtown Portland for places to practice Parkour moves. We were originally going to go to Adapt Training in Beaverton for open gym, but we found out that it wasn't happening. I'm glad we didn't end up going because it was the nicest day of the year thus far and we spent a good chunk of it outside, relishing the sun and climbing all over whatever we could find. After making our way (doing plenty of wall runs, precision jumps, vaults, etc.) to a track and doing a very short, very hard partner workout that included running on all fours and lots of burpees, we set out on a search for a margarita. Our usual Mexican place was closed (lame) so we ended up in the Pearl District at one the best and cheapest Mexican restaurants in town- Cha Cha Cha. Yes, finally! We sat outside and enjoyed each others company in the shade with delicious Mexican chicken salads and margaritas. It was the perfect meal after 3 hours of playing and training in the sun. We got home and, it being a Sunday afternoon and all, crashed into a two hour nap. Perfect.

Here's a picture of me doing quadrupedal movement over the "Walk of Heroines" memorial on the PSU campus, a great wall to practice tricks on, and appropriately named:)

Today is an even nicer day here in Portland.. It feels so good when spring FINALLY arrives. I know that we have some more stretches of rainy days coming, but just to be out of the winter darkness is so refreshing.

We went up to CrossFit Portland today to do the Gymnastic Bodies WOD with the guys there and lo and behold: I tweaked my neck. Half way through the first round of a four round WOD I had to stop. Major bummer. So now I'm at home, icing and massaging myself so that I can make it to work in a little bit. Part of me just wants to call in sick, but I know that I could put those sick hours to better use another time, so I will go, reluctantly.

Supposedly, last Wednesday was the day to vote on the Gymnastic Bodies forum for who should get to go to the seminar for free. Nothing was posted until Friday, so hopefully this week we will find out the results. It would be pretty cool to win and go on a little adventure down to California with Ramman and our friends from CrossFit Portland.

It looks like I'm going to have to take it easy for the next few days.. Tomorrow I will force myself to not even think about training so that this stupid neck spasm will go away.. and Wednesday I have to fast all day to prep for my colonoscopy on Thursday, so no training either of those days. The competitive athlete/addicted to exercise part of me is screaming inside about having to rest four days in a row, but the logical trainer/more evolved, smarter athlete in me is okay with it. I'll feel even better when I get back to it this weekend.

Stupid Men Piss Me Off

I have a client who's boyfriend is a complete douche bag. In fact, he used to be my client. I used to like him, I thought he was a good guy. But then he had me train his new girlfriend and stopped training with me- big mistake on his part. He trains with me once in a while and when he does, he is certainly in for an unbelievable ass-kicking. See, when I first met his girlfriend, I honestly couldn't stand her. I saw (er, judged) her as a drama queen, hella tan, unintelligent, superficial airhead. I was wrong. While there are some aspects to her personality that definitely puzzle me, after almost a year of training her, I really like her now. She has gone through a lot to get to where she is now. When we met, she was pretty insecure (although, she wouldn't admit it), and had way effed up eating habits. She was a bit of a wild-child. She's had a sketchy history with dating some total assholes who treated her like crap, but now she is realizing her own self-worth. She still takes some shit though. Yesterday she told me that "he" said her arms were getting too big. I could literally feel my blood start to boil. This woman is about 5'7"-5'8" no more than 135, and between 19-21% body fat. Not that any of that matters in relation to his comment.. but, really? 'He is intimidated by strong women' I tell her.. 'He needs you to be completely dependent on him to make him feel like a man'. It makes me want to vomit, all over HIM. Up until recently, she has depended on him for money. Pretty sure this is how some of her past relationships were too. Now she's starting a career so that she can be more independent, which is awesome. Imagine what this is doing to her 'my money = my worth' boyfriend. He is threatened by the possibility of her independence, and he should be because during all of the self-realization she has been going through, she's also realizing (hopefully) that he is manipulative and emotionally abusive (to me, they are the same thing). I ask her why she is with him when she tells me some of the things that he says to her (like: My money is appreciating, therefore I am appreciating. You- your looks are depreciating, so you're depreciating. --- OhMyFuckingGod), and she says that she really thinks that he is just stupid, that he doesn't realize the mean things he says or does. OH PLEASE. And she loves him, he's not like that all the time. Sounds like an abusive relationship if I've ever heard of one. Now, I know that she exaggerates a little. But what she talks to me about has to come from somewhere, she can't possibly be making all of it up. I just pray to the Goddesses that once she feels like she can leave him financially, she will. Otherwise I throw my arms in the air. What a pathetic, sorry excuse for a man.

Today is a rest day, hallelujah. We are having our friends Ben and Lorraine over for dinner tonight after we both get off work. They are the first dinner guests we've had since we moved, we still don't have a table so it looks like we'll be going Japanese style:) It's not as nice of a day as I thought it was going to be today, which is okay, because I'm stuck inside all day. As the summer approaches, I may have to tell march wellness that this Saturday thing isn't working out! I'll give it a couple more months and see where things go, because after all, change always happens in life. Health insurance is nice, however. I went to the digestive doc on Tuesday and I am getting a colonoscopy next week. It's weird to say that I actually WANT to get a colonoscopy, it's such a dreadful experience. The worst part isn't the colonoscopy itself, it's the day before. I can't eat and I have to drink this gallon jug of salty, sort of gelatinous liquid that causes the gag reflex. One cup every 15 minutes or something horrendous like that. We all know how empty you need to be for this procedure, so you can imagine what this juice does. Needless to say, I'll be out of commission on Wednesday and Thursday. But, in spite of going through the unpleasantness of it all, I am glad that I have the insurance to cover getting this done. Then I will know that I am okay and how to proceed treating my symptoms. You better believe I'm eating whatever I want to eat on Thursday when I'm all done and the sedatives wear off.

Peep this insanely strong dude doing Parkour tricks. It is unreal what he can do!

Handstand Wall Runs Suck..

This picture is from last summer on the beach in California, trying to learn the macaco (a capoeira move).

GB WOD + Stairs:

Perform:
10 minutes of HS Wall Runs (5 minutes total, sets of 30-38 seconds, SUPER HARD)
rest 5 minutes
2x6 Wall Pike Press HS (2x6 Straddle Negatives)

Finish the workout with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

notes:
1) Spend 10 minutes performing HS Wall runs. Time spent resting DOES NOT count toward the 10 minute total. Ideally the 10 minutes of HS Wall Runs should be performed in a single set. (UM, YEAH RIGHT..)
2) Rest as necessary, but strive to keep rest to an absolute minimum. (HAD TO REST A LOT.)
3) Alternate one straight arm repetition and one 90 degree bent arm repetition during the Wall Pike Press HS sets.

ALSO:
Ran 5 sets of stairs = 1,010 steps
Stretch

Tomorrow we are having some friends over for dinner so today I made this chocolate cake (awesome website, btw) for them (of course we had some tonight with Coconut Bliss, vanilla flavor= YUM). It's not paleo, it has whole wheat pastry flour in it. I thought about changing the recipe myself and substituting almond flour instead, but I didn't want to risk messing up anything involving chocolate and real maple syrup, so I said screw it, we're cheating. It is UNREAL delicious. Instead of the frosting recipe she uses, which I'm sure is equally amazing, I opted for a non-dairy chocolate frosting (another awesome website) and subbed maple syrup for the agave nectar just to keep it consistent with the cake. HEAVEN. Good thing I ran stairs today.

Helen rocks my world

GB WOD-
Perform the following:

3x5 Weighted Box Jumps (28 inches, 17# weight vest)

3x5 Half GHR (band assisted, these are brutal on the hammys)

Finish with 60 seconds total aggregate work of your most challenging straddle L variation.
(straddle L hold, 7 sets of 10 seconds on parallettes, legs were not up very high as you can see in the picture)

Helen-
3 Rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
21 KB Swings (16kg)
12 Pullups

PR=11:25

Last night I was feeling a little lost. You see, my entire life I have had a team sport to train for, a season to look forward to, and specific goals in relation to my team, my season, and my own performance. That was my identity. For the last year or so I have been away from team sports and focusing more on individual sports like gymnastics, rock climbing, and parkour. And sometimes I momentarily lose sight of why I am doing all of this, I wonder what my identity is. Why do I train? Well, after it's all said and done- I train for LIFE, that is the main focus, everything else just comes with it. Being healthy, fit, and able to do extraordinary things throughout my life is the ultimate goal. Whatever I choose to do to make this happen is just a vehicle. I can set goals to acheive certain skill goals, make that team, win that contest, get that certification, learn that move.. But it is all for the same purpose: to live my life to it's fullest physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity. My identity is not dependent on any one thing I do. I am all of it.

Just a regular Wednesday..

This is Monday's GB WOD:

Perform 3 sets each of:
1 Embedded BL (tuck) + 5 XR Bulgarian Rows
1 Embedded PL (frogstand) + 5 XR Bulgarian Pushups
1 Embedded FL (tuck) + 4 Circular HLL (5 leg lifts)

30-20-10
Arch-Ups
V-Ups

Plus Gymnastics Class:
Cartwheels x10
Round Offs x10+
Front HS onto port-a-pit x10+
Front Tuck practice on mini-tramp into pit/mat x10+
Pullovers x3
Beam QM* forward and backward
Rail QM* Balance
Rope Climb x1
*The pic above is of a girl doing a QM (quadrupedal movement) on a rail- this is very hard.

I was pretty stoked to practice some front tuck(ish) things into the pit today. The first time I practiced these I was super scared and now I'm totally over it and think that flipping through the air is super fun. Now, I just need to learn how to land on my feet. With summer approaching, Ramman and I are both shifting our training focus a bit more towards Parkour training. This Sunday we are going to a place in Beaverton called Adapt Training where they have a Parkour open gym. I'm psyched!

Time To Vote!

Today is the last day before everyone on the Gymnastic Bodies forum votes for who they think should win free tuition to the Seminar in May. I hope I win. I've been working really hard with these workouts that are pretty much meant for male gymnasts. It's a difficult program and at times I just want to stop doing it because I feel like I'm not making very many strength gains (and because I haven't gotten my muscle up yet). But then, I'll have a good day and I'll see how much stronger I have gotten in other areas (like the ring handstands), and I keep going. Why? Mostly to be able to achieve certain gymnastic and parkour skills, and partly just because it's a challenge.

Here's today's WOD..

Complete four rounds:
30 Bucket Circles
20 Wheels
30' Ag Walks

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

notes:
1) Go directly from Bucket Circles to Wheels to Ag Walks.
2) Rest 2-3 minutes between rounds.

My Bucket Circles:

What a fun weekend..

This weekend I went to Bend, Oregon with some of the most fun people I have in my life. Every year we go to this frisbee tournament called Gandy Goose and every year we lose in the final and come in second. But every year it is an EPIC weekend. We always pick a theme so that we can dress and act accordingly.. two years ago we all dressed as WHAM! and wore as many florescent colors as we could. We showed up at the party on Saturday night wearing all white and singing "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go!". We definitely won the party that year. Last year our theme was "onesies", so what we wore on the field had to be one piece. Mary brought this amazing skin tight denim jumpsuit with a zipper down the front that was so tight it kind of sling-shotted my legs forward as I ran. I think it may have made me run faster. All the women on the team passed that baby around. This year we were "The Outsiders" fully equipped with Greaser outfits that consisted of switch-blade combs and cigarettes (which were lit and "pretend smoked" by some, but even that is too disgusting for me so I just posed with an unlit cigarette behind my ear), bandanas, jean skirts, and jeans. And Soc outfits of polo shirts and pink lipstick. It was awesome. Our team name this year was "Stay Silver" since that's what we do every year. It's not that we don't want to win, or don't try to win. We all are competitive athletes. But somehow, we just never win the final.. and it's always against the same freakin' team. So, inevitably with this group of people, even thinking about actually winning has turned into a huge joke. But, at the same time, it's pretty aggrivating to lose to the same assholes every year. Oh well, maybe next year..?

So after a weekend of debauchery and lots of running, I am completely wiped out. It's hard to eat well and not party at these tournaments, sonce partying is one of the major aspects. But a couple of cheat meals and having some beers with good friends is worth it. Besides, we run our asses off too.

Today I didn't do anything but get an hour long massage from my new favorite person, Amy. She worked the sh*t out of my back and it hurt like hell. A good hurt, a hurt that needed and still needs to happen. I would like to get to the point financially where I can afford a massage once a week, because my body needs it for sure.

This week I'll back on the good eating and smart training. Today my waking pulse was 66 beats per minute, about 10 beats per minute higher than normal (a sign of over training), hopefully that will go down tomorrow because I don't feel like taking a break. I think today was a good recovery day so we'll see.

Tired Today..

GB WOD-
Complete four rounds:
10 Hopping HeSPUs (not very good at these)
40' Senders
30 seconds of Arch/Hollow Snaps (I thought these would hurt my back and sciatic nerve, but as long as I focused on my deep ab muscles, it was alright.. these are hard!)

notes:
1) Rest 20-30 seconds each between each movement.
2) You may rest 2-3 minutes between rounds.
3) Do not pause during the 30 seconds of Arch/Hollow Snaps. (um, yeah right)

I felt super tired when I woke up this morning and was NOT motivated to do a WOD.. But a few hours later I was at CrossFit Portland jumping over tall obstacles and trying to bounce on my hands. And then I felt better. It was the fourth training day in a row for me today, tomorrow is a rest day and then this weekend is another long weekend of ultimate. Monday, I'm looking forward to a massage........

Gymnastics Day

Today I stretched and rolled for about 45 minutes and then I did some back bend kick over work using the panel mat to elevate my feet about 8-10 inches off of the ground. I still have yet to be able to do a full back bend kick over from the ground but I have gotten very close in the recent past. A big set back right now for me is this sciatic pain in my low back and legs. It only happens during certain movements but it is enough for me to stop what I'm doing a stretch. And it's getting worse. Bummer. Serious bummer. Sciatic pain (I refuse to call it sciatica, because it's not that bad and I won't let it get to that point) does not usually just go away on it's own, and it can get to be debilitating very quickly if not addressed. So on Monday I am getting a massage by a woman who knows how to help with athletic injuries. I'll start with that and tons of stretching (like I did today) and go from there.

Gymnastics Class:
Warmup 30 minutes- lots of stretching
Roundoffs x8 (felt good)
Front Handsprings x1o (mediocre)
Precision Jumps x10 on high beams (these were okay, still scared of the last one)
Monkey Vault (these are awesome)
Muscle Up Attempts x5 (still not there)
20' Rope Climb x2 (rope climbs suck)
30-20-10 Pushups (felt weak after the rope climbs)
15-12-10 Squat Throughs (I hate these, I wish I had a video so you could see how much they suck.. next time)
10-10 Reverse Leg Lifts (felt the nerve so I stopped)

Overall, it was a pretty good gymnastics session. However, I feel like I am going nowhere with my front handsprings and I don't practice back handsprings enough (with a spotter) to even think about doing them on my own... I wish I could go to gymnastics class like 3 days a week. I do feel more confident with the monkey vault, which is huge, and I have faith in myself as far as the muscle up goes- I didn't allow myself to get frustrated with it tonight. I know I can get it, I'm just not obsessing over it. Tomorrow will be training day #4 in row, risky, but I will rest Friday and play frisbee this weekend. Good stuff.

Strength Gains!

GB WOD-
Perform:
12 cycles of XR Strap HS (Ring Handstands)

Finish the workout with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

notes:
1) Each cycle consists of 30 work followed by 45 seconds of rest. Go directly from one cycle to the next with no additional rest.
2) Do not come down during the 30 seconds of HS.
3) To perform XR Strap HS drop your Xtreme Rings down to 6”-8” from the ground. Now kick up into a handstand widely straddling your legs so that they wrap around the straps. Straighten and lock your arms as much as possible and begin timing your HS.
4) If XR Strap HSs are currently too demanding, perform Wall HS instead; although every effort should be made to complete the workout with XR Strap HS.

Just when I thought that I would end up on the wall for this workout, I was pleasantly surprised that I have made enough strength gains to complete it pretty much as rx'd. The last XR strap HS WOD that I did was BRUTAL. It took me over an hour to accumulate just under 7 minutes of being in the handstand. I was able to hold each attempt for about 37-45 second, but I needed several minutes of recovery in between attempts. This time was much different. I needed some spotting getting up into the handstand but I was able to complete each of the 12 cycles with the prescribed amount of rest (give or take a few seconds on the first few attempts). Today I saw and felt how much stronger I am now compared to just a few weeks ago. Awesome.

This is obviously the tale end of one of the reps. My hands are supposed to be facing the other direction- not there yet.

Worship the SUN

GB WOD:
Perform:
3x5 SLS-single leg squat (plus 15# medicine ball)
3x5 Single Leg Archups (used a GHD)

Finish with 3x10 Hip Extensions
4x10 GHD Situps

RCF WOD:
4 Rounds for time-
15 KB Thrusters (12kg)
15 Pullups
15 KB Swings (16kg)

On Sunday (yesterday) I held true to my two main goals for the day. I spent some time on the Park Blocks practicing some VERY basic Parkour skills while passersby looked at me, intrigued. It took me a little while to get over the whole 'people are watching me' thing. But when I realized I was holding back for fear of what other people would think, I quickly set myself straight and let them look. It felt great to get out there and take a step toward being good at Parkour. A small step, but a step none the less. I practiced some speed vaults, cat leaps, precision jumps, and quadrupedal movement on ledges (low ledges!). Soon, I will be that bad ass Parkour chick in the videos:) I also got out in our garden and pulled up all of the old stuff. I didn't get anything planted yet because I don't exactly know how to get the soil ready, hopefully this week Ramman and I will get those seeds in the ground.

Yesterday and today have been like the nicest days Portland has seen in MONTHS. Sunny, 70+ degrees, pretty much my perfect kind of weather. I said to Ramman that today makes me so excited for summer and he quickly reminded me of how miserable I get when the temperature is above 85 degrees. I'm a wuss when it comes to the heat. Especially when there isn't a sanitary body of water within 10 miles to leap into for relief. That's what I miss about Seattle. There's so much water up there that even when it's hot, it's not too bad because the breeze cools you off a bit. And when you just can't stand it, you just jump into Lake Washington (which at this point, sadly, is not terribly clean either). I think even just having the option of water to jump into makes me handle the heat a little better. In Portland there's nothing close (except the Willamette, which is all sorts of polluted) to give some sort of respite from the hot summer air that seems to sit still in this city.

It's always a bit amusing when the first warm, sunny spring day arrives in the Pacific Northwest. All of the sudden people are everywhere, in tank tops and shorts, laying out on blankets in the grass, blinding everyone with their pasty skin. And their moods! Everyone emerges out of their deep, dark, seasonal depression and exclaims at how wonderful life is! I admit, part of me is one of these people. Seeing the sun and feeling it's warmth makes me feel great. In the spring and summer I wake up earlier and usually just feel better about life in general. But who wouldn't. We spend so many months of the fall and winter with sloped shoulders and down turned heads simply as a natural defense against the rain and cold wind. We plod through our winter days almost forgetting what it's like to feel warm, what our own legs look like. People who aren't from here don't understand how we north westerners do it. Honestly I don't really know either. I think we are just so used to it that we don't even realize the effect it has on us.

I need a tropical vacation.

Sunny Saturday...

...And I'm stuck inside!! Everyone in Portland is praising the heavens because we finally have some sun, and of course it happens on a day when I am at work from 10am to 7pm. LAME. It's okay though, because tomorrow is supposed to be even better and I am determined to do AT LEAST these two things: spend some time in our new garden plot getting it ready to plant some seeds for veggies(!) and jog down to the Park Blocks and practice some Parkour. If I don't do anything else with my Sunday, I will be thrilled. However, being that Sunday is my only TRUE day off, I inevitably have TONS of things to do.. But I am determined to enjoy it however I choose.

I have never gardened before but this year we managed to grab a plot in the community garden at our apartment. After we signed up for it we had a moment of 'Oh crap, when the hell are we going to have time for this?!' But, like I said, I am determined (by nature) and this is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Now that I have the opportunity, I'm going to make it happen. So, we are going to plant some zucchini, cucumber, peas, peppers, tomatoes, green onion, and a few other things... The trick is getting them planted at the right time. Some of them should be planted now and others should wait a few months until it's warmer. I'll be so pleased when my little seeds start yielding beautiful vegetables for us to enjoy:)

I am obsessed with becoming a Tracuese (a female Parkour practitioner). Here is a link to the definition of Parkour, it is basically the "art of movement", moving from one place to another as quickly as possible, overcoming obstacles and using just your own body. I have been dreaming of becoming this bad-ass Parkourista (I like this name, it's kind of like Capoierista) for over a year now and I have done very little to become comfortable practicing these skills outside. I have been doing gymnastics and Parkour skills inside with the safety of soft mats and spring floors, which is great, but I want to take it outside. Part of me has been waiting for Ramman and I to have time to go do it together, but that time rarely comes. We have had a few training sessions outside in the parks, but a few times a year isn't going to cut it. Ramman started teaching a Parkour class which is so great, the only downfall is that it is on a day that I can't go. So, it has come down to me getting out there, Ramman or not, and practicing it on my own. I feel more comfortable with him there because he knows more about the skills than I do and he can help me get it right, but at this point I am still such a beginner that I just need to get out there and run through the basics. So tomorrow my challenge to myself is on. Just make it happen!

Rip City Fitness is coming along. We hit a speed bump last week with our logo and the process of getting business cards and fliers (and possibly some other paraphernalia) printed, thus prolonging our marketing efforts which of course delays the amount of business we can get right now. A bit frustrating, but I know we will be able to make it happen soon. Other than that, things are going very well. We have a few people coming to group workouts and even more on a list of those who are interested. The main focus now is just to get people in there for a free session so that we can get the word out! Plus we have a few things that we have been lusting after: a video camera (so we can film our gymnastics tricks and hard workouts) and a GHD (Glute-Ham Developer), among other things. Yes we are true fitness NERDS. Two peas in a pod!

So, back to being stuck at work on this gorgeous day in Portland.. I work at a Globo-Gym. It drives me nuts. I feel silly complaining about my job when a) a lot of people don't have jobs right now and b) I get paid pretty damn well to do next to nothing (especially on Saturdays, I mean- I'm writing on my blog while I'm here, not bad..). The problem is that this "gym" hardly entails anything that I believe a gym or wellness facility should be. We don't have any music and we have a shit-ton of Life Fitness machines worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (yes, they cost that much!) that when potential members see, lure them in with their whirring motors and sleek and shiny appearance. Little do these people know that these machines are WORTHLESS. What the mainstream fitness industry has become is a disgrace, and March Wellness contributes to it. My responsibilities include the following: I give new members "Health Assessments" that in actuality are a JOKE. We use the BMI (which was originally developed for an obesity study in the late 19th century!) which measures your height to weight ratio and takes into account absolutely zero of your lean muscle tissue. We also use a 3-site skin fold body fat percentage test with a margin for error of like 4 to a gazillion percent depending on who's administering it. What else, oh my favorite- the grip strength test. REALLY? So, I'm supposed to tell this person that they're total upper body strength is determined by the GRIP STRENGTH TEST?! Um, I don't think I can do that.. so I don't. And finally, we have the sub-maximal VO2 max estimation (could we be any more vague about the results you get?) on the bike. Oh one more! Let us not forget the one we all remember from the Presidential Fitness Challenge, the sit-and-reach test.. Give me a break! Now, I realize that if you aren't a totally jaded because of what corporate America has done to fitness, cynical, know it all trainer, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about, but trust me- this entire "Health Assessment" is CRAP. So, I usually end up telling people just that when their BMI says they're obese and there estimated VO2 says they have the lung capacity of our dead grandparents. It's actually quite embarrassing. People come to our "wellness" center for guidance, for help in achieving their, in some cases daunting, fitness goals, and we give them a worthless assessment and pass them off to someone else to give them a free session and a cookie-cutter workout routine. THIS IS NOT FITNESS. Nor is it wellness. Another responsibility: free sessions. When I have to give these I can't help but feel like a rogue. What we are "supposed" to do is fill out a nice little workout sheet using the pretty Life Fitness machines and hand over a routine for the member to do "3 days a week". What do I do? I try to tell the person as much about CrossFit, functional fitness, constantly varied, high intensity, body weight exercises, metabolic conditioning, etc. as I can in an hour. The response? Most people get a glazed over look in their eyes because 'I thought I was just going to learn how to use the machines' and will usually be seen over the next couple of weeks doing what every body else is doing in the gym. And then they'll disappear. Oh well, at least I tried. But some, SOME people LOVE it and it lights the fire inside them. It's times like this when I really love teaching people about fitness and about themselves. THIS is why I wanted to open my own place with Ramman. THIS is why I love training people. THESE are the kind of people I want to train. And I want to train them in my own place, with my own rules, and lots of loud music. I want to get OUT of here. People like me aren't meant to work under other people. Me and bureaucracies don't get along.

Here's to a rest day and getting some thoughts out of my system!
Peep this all girl Parkour video:

I Love Kettlebells

My WOD:

50 KB Swings- 16kg
50 KB Snatched- 16kg (25 each arm)
50 KB Clean & Press- 12kg (25 each side)
50 Double Unders
50 Box Jumps (24 inches)
50 V-Ups
50 Arch Ups
For Time: 23:58

I warmed up with some TGUs.. Haven't done those in a while so it felt good- it's such a unique movement.

Good WOD, Tough Day.

Yesterday was a well-deserved and much needed rest day. I did absolutely nothing (except for ride my bike into work to train one client who didn't even show up, arg!). I slept a lot. Today I was back at the Gymnastic Bodies WOD with the GB crew up at CrossFit Portland and it was, as Jason would say, a "bear" of a WOD. It was great walking in and immediately forgetting what was making us (me and Ramman) angry just a few minutes before (I'll get into that in a minute). We got there and couldn't help but feel good doing something we love with some really cool people, it was awesome. Not to mention I felt super strong in just about every movement. Finally I felt like all these workouts are making a difference in my strength level. Here's the workout and what I did in parenthesis: Peep the videos too!

GB WOD-

Complete 3 sets each of:
1 Embedded Back Lever + 3 assisted OAC
(tucked BL) + 3 Rope assisted OAC (One Arm Chinup)
1 Embedded Planche + 5 elevated HeSPUs
(frogstand) + 5 elevated (about 1.5 inches) HeSPUs (couldn't do 5 in a row but was stoked with the elevation!)
1 Embedded Front Lever + 5 L-sit Lifts
(tucked FL) + 5 L-sit Lifts (using parallettes)

Finish with 10 Bridge Wall Walks
(still can't go all the way down, mostly for fear of falling on my head)
Also 3x10 GHD Situps and Back Extensions

My HeDSPUs:


My Assisted OAC:


Now, about the thing that Ramman and I were so mad about, never mind. I wrote this big ol' long post about how shitty my day was but then I decided to delete it. I vented in writing, and even though I was the only person to read it, I feel better. There's no point in dwelling on the bad things that happened today, they are not world ending problems, there will be solutions. So instead I will continue manifesting greatness. These things are just speed bumps on my road to success and freedom. Soon I will look back, as I lay in a hammock on the beach in Belize with my sail boat waiting to taking me on another adventure, on my 20's and exclaim at how far I've come.

Foolish Me

First sign that I needed a rest day: I woke up at 9am and couldn't drag my ass out of bed until 11.
Second sign I needed a rest day: Digestive symptoms flared up.
Third sign I needed a rest day: Gymnastics class didn't even sound fun.

I am exhausted. I went too many days in a row with out a rest day. I need to be more disciplined with 3 days on 1 day off, and maybe even 2 on 1 off when I'm tired. I also need to pick better days to try and do 2 WODs... Monday was not the right day to do a double because both workouts were super intense. Even though I KNOW that it's better to train SMARTER than HARDER, I still strap myself up once in a while trying to be super woman or something. So today, mad chillin' is in order since I only have 2 clients all day. Watching "The Biggest Loser", drinking lots of water, and eating plenty. Sounds like a good day to me.