My life is a Festivus

I’ve realized: my life is kind of a “FESTIVUS” in itself… including ‘Feats of Strength’ and ‘Airing of Grievances’ on a - pretty much - daily basis.

 

It’s been awhile since my last post, life got in the way. Since then – I’ve been keepin’ on with, well… keepin’ on. More CrossFit, less work – which, in my book is always a good thing. Yes, I am obsessed. Sorry if my being obsessed in making myself awesome annoys you. I’ve come to realize that I piss a lot of people off, only talking about fitness and this awesome new lifestyle I discovered earlier this year. But, it is my life and my choices. I always hope to better myself – in what ever way that may be.

Infact, lately I have been throwing around the idea of becoming Level I Certified. Not sure if I would want to be a trainer immediately… but I’d like to have that card in my back pocket atleast… I have my eye on a certification in Ohio @ ROGUE – can’t go wrong there. Ideally, I would also like to then become CrossFit Kids certified… so when my girls are ready, we can get to training ;) We will see where that goes…

Recently, I ran across an Event I am going to sign up for… in wake of the CrossFit 2012 Games, I’ve been looking for a similar Garage Games type competition for the less insane CrossFit athlete…(me!). I came across the FESTIVUS GAMES. “A festivus for the rest of us”, if you will… umm, yes please! The event takes place throughout several satellite locations in the US, with the closest being Davenport, Iowa in August. 3 WODS on a Crazy Saturday… tune back in to see how that goes.

Also, this weekend at my gym, we’re starting a PALEO Challenge. ASRX 6 weeks… scalable to 30 days. I am shooting for the 6 weeks, myself. I am vowing to kick the disgusting diet I currently have and replace it with one that works FOR (instead of against) my body. I am ready to see the crazy results that come with this way of eating and CrossFitting. Again, tune in for updates. 

Until then… I will keep on living my own Festivus… and being awesome, of course.

CrossFit for Hope

Ok, so I am doing another post for this amazing event! On Saturday, June 9th, I will be getting my W.O.D. on to complete a "fight gone bad" style (3 rounds, 1 min. each exercise) to perform as many reps as possible of the different exercises - to raise money for St.Jude Children's Hospital. It will by no means be an easy task. It is a CrossFit workout, mind you!

“Hope”

Three rounds of:
Burpees
75 pound Power snatch
Box jump, 24" box
75 pound Thruster
Chest to bar Pull-ups

At this point, I am asking... BEGGING... really for donations. I only have a couple of weeks left to meet my donations goal. You can pledge an amount PER REP, or donate a flat amount.  All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of the proceeds go to St.Jude. CrossFitters all over the world are teaming up for this, hoping to be able to pay for St.Jude to run for 1 whole day - $1.7M! 

Please, please... give if you can. Skip that trip to get coffee this morning, don't buy that pack of gum... every little bit helps! Consider donating today... follow the link below to get it done!! Spread the word.. let's DO THIS!!

https://hope.crossfit.com/sponsor?id=U86301

Crossfit for Hope

I am asking for donations for Crossfit for Hope, a colaboation between Crossfit and St. Jude Children's Hospital. This June, I will be completing a workout (shown below) to raise money for this amazing cause! Please, please consider donating, even if only $1. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS! Follow the link at the bottom of the page to reach my donation page.

“Hope”

Three rounds of:
Burpees
75 pound Power snatch
Box jump, 24" box
75 pound Thruster
Chest to bar Pull-ups

"Hope" has the same format as Fight Gone Bad. In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep.

How much of what I donate actually benefits the children?

100% of the proceeds from CrossFit for Hope go directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. During the past five years, 81 cents of every dollar received by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has supported the research and treatment at St. Jude.

Sponsoring

To sponsor a participant or affiliate, use the "Donate or Make a Pledge" block in the right column of the site and search for the athlete or affiliate you would like to sponsor. There are two choices: Performance-based Pledges and Flat Donations.
If you opt for a Performance-based Pledge, you can choose how much you would like to pledge per point (rep) earned by the participant during the workout on June 9, 2012. Once the athlete enters their score for the workout, you will receive an email detailing how you can fulfill your total pledge amount.
If you opt to contribute with a Flat Donation, you can make an immediate contribution payment.
Both forms of sponsorship will contribute to the donations-earned amount of the participant, the affiliate, and the overall event, represented by a thermometer on their respective pages.

Is my pledge/donation tax-deductible?

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is exempt from federal income taxes under Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, therefore your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law. St. Jude is a nonprofit charity operating since 1962. Our federal tax identification number is 62-0646012. You should consult your financial planner or tax adviser to determine the exact tax advantages of any gift you are considering. We provide a receipt for all online gifts that can be used to claim a tax deduction. If you need a copy of the receipt or need a receipt for your annual giving please call 1-800-822-6344.

http://hope.crossfit.com/athlete?id=86301

I'm a BETTY :)

As many of you know, I am a triathlete. I have searched each year for an awesome "different" tri jersey, as I was tired of matching other racers at events. This year it is even more important, as I am rocking a 1/2 IM in Benton Harbor this summer.

There have been a couple companies that have impressed me, and today I found yet another.Featured in the monthly column "CHICKED" in Lava Magazine, the company BETTY DESIGNS is profiled and critiqued.

Photo courtesy of Bettydesigns.com

Run by triathlete Kristin Mayer, Betty Designs strives to be the company selling race apparel that sticks out from the norm. She writes that her apparel isn't for EVERYONE... but that's the point. Her skull and butterfly design captures the bad ass in the girly girl. Not only does she sell tri suits, cycling clothing, tees and tanks, she also sells hats, water bottles and a line of specially branded Kestrel bikes. Pretty amazing stuff she's done.

I am always up to support women-run businesses. I find it especially awesome knowing she is a triathlete as well and knows what you need in a tri top - performance wise. Her clothing wasn't the only thing that stuck out in my mind, so did her mantra.

You can order her items or read more about her designs by visiting her website www.bettydesigns.com

Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon Recap

So, this past weekend I ran in the 48th Annual Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon in Springfield. This was my second consecutive year running this race. Last year, I was pretty proud of my time, 2:03 - but this year I wanted to complete my first half sub-2 hours.

Let me start by saying, I have NOT been training very well this year... at ALL!! I have only run a handful of times, and it was reasonable to say I was NUTS for signing up for this race. I arrived about 7:30 - thinking it started at 8am - and my friend, Jessica, commented that I was in no hurry and totally calm... so I was baffled that at 7:45 the guns fired and we were off. Whoops! No wonder she thought I was acting laid back... ha!

 Pre-Race with fellow Sole Sisters: Anna, Jessica and Me!

The first couple miles I started out faster than I was hoping, but I got warm quick. By mile 5 I was feeling pretty awesome, just coasting along, then they came... the HILLS. Yikes. I don't remember this course being so hilly last year. My pace began to slow and my inner negative talker came out in full force. I started getting mad. My split halfway through was :50 minutes. Damn. I was flying. So, when the hills began to slow me down, I wasn't happy.

My legs started to fatigue...and it seemed like there wasn't any flat road in site. My head kept talking and I began to get even more mad... I started thinking... "this isn't even any fun, why do I do this to myself"... "you can't run, you're tired"... No, shut up I told myself... just keep your feet moving. They moved... slowly... but they moved. . .

About 2 miles to go and a woman shouted at me "you're doing awesome, almost there, empty the tank"... to said to her, "thanks, but the tank is bone dry... " We both laughed. A half mile to the finish and spectators began to emerge... the finish was in site. Usually I crank it up, but seriously, my legs REFUSED to move any faster. Fine.

I finished with 1:54. Mad, knowing I could have done better, but happy that I did finish sub-2 hours. I have to be happy with this, for the lack of training I had going in to the race. I saw my wonderful husband and beautiful daughters waiting for me at the finish. It made the hard run all worth it, seeing them so proud of me. I received my giant penny medal at the finish.

Post Race with Abe!

All in all, it was a BEAUTIFUL day for a run. Looking back, there are several things I could have improved on, but I am happy with how I did. There's always going to be something you find that you can improve on... I am blessed to have been able to run the race and finish under my goal. I'll be back next year with something to prove... we're going for sub 1:45!!!! 

I've realized... skinny does not equal fit.

Let me just begin by saying, this week, I feel like I have turned over an entire new leaf! The past few months have been hard for me. I’ve been stuck in a deep rut, wondering how I was going to get out. This past weekend, I made some critical decisions on where I want to be in life… no matter what people say about me, or how stupid or crazy they think I am. This is my life - to hell with them if they don’t support or agree with me, I definitely do not need their approval - I am going to LIVE IT OUTLOUD!

Since making several decisions, I now realize I have a lot of AWESOME things about to happen in my life - which I am so excited about, but can't share just yet. I've had this sense of positive-calm-happiness come over me. I think this is finally myself telling me that, I've finally made up my mind that my life HAS to change. I have a plan in place, and, God willing, I am RUNNING IT DOWN!

The past couple of days I have been doing something thinking. Did I gain a few pounds over the holidays yes. Frustrating yes. Devastating, NO! I am still able to do everything I could before, and MORE, at the gym. Those pounds will come off, and I will feel skinny again. I am STILL FIT... I did not gain "un-fitness". Which brings me to an important point. The typical stigma is skinny = fit, "she is so skinny I wish I was her". But that is soooo far from the truth!!! 

Realize, before you read on, I know that not everyone cares about muscles, and being fit… and that’s totally cool. There are skinny people, that don’t care about muscle endurance… they don’t care about working out, or doing anything athletic. Again, that’s totally cool. To each his own. I am talking about the people at the gym who make everyone believe they are the way they are from hard work and dedication – not just their genes. For all of the people that “I go to the gym all the time” but don’t see any gains…

I have made that "wish" in the past. Until, one day, I realized, Skinny Suzy, while she looked good in her tight yoga pants and skin-tight tank top prancing around the gym, couldn't hold a candle to what I was doing in my workouts. What good is being skinny, if you can’t actually do anything? What satisfaction does that have? None- to me anyway.

I don’t want to be “skinny”… I want to be fit and jacked. I don’t want to look hot in a mini-skirt. I want to “don’t mess with me, these guns can kick your ass” in a mini skirt. I cannot tell you how many close friends I have who aren't total skinny mini's, but they'll out run, out lift, out cardio perform that "skinny bitch" any day of the week. (I sooo love all of the strong women I have as friends in my life right now – they’re such an inspiration!) They're FIT. There is a difference.

Most skinny people eat whatever they want. They don’t “have to” watch what they eat – or do they? Fun fact from a recent study at Mayo Clinic…

“After comparing various health markers with the weights and body mass index numbers of thousands of adults, they found that more than half of those with normal weights and BMIs actually had "high body-fat percentages as well as heart and metabolic disturbances." In other words, they had the same risks of coronary disease, diabetes, and other chronic illness as people who weighed much more.” - Active.com

So, Skinny Suzy, I don’t envy you being 100 lbs, going to BWW and eating a dozen wings, cheese fries and 3 beers, not gaining an ounce – while I stay home and eat healthy meals, skipping dessert to look like this.

Skinny Suzy, I don’t envy you in your size 4 jeans, when I put them on and have to get a bigger size because my thigh isn’t skin and bone – but instead defined muscle – so they don’t fit. You can have all that.

Skinny Suzy… meet me this weekend, 5am… let’s run a marathon. Let’s do an Ironman. NO? Yeah. That’s what I thought. You can cheer for me on the sidelines, looking pretty, wearing your size 4 mini-skirt, munching on some Doritos, not gaining an ounce... and not doing much else. 

on a quest... to make a difference

Over the past couple of years, I have been struggling to find my purpose. Stuck in the monotony of the corporate world, I have realized it's not for me. I sit looking at a computer screen all day thinking... I can't wait to get to the gym at lunch then after work, I think I am going to go back and do more. While at the gym I think... this is pretty awesome.. why can't I get paid to do this. HELLO?! 

So, I have decided to persue becoming a Personal Trainer. I have always been a competitive athlete and enjoyed fitness. Since having my second daughter, I have been very dedicated and passionate about living a healthy life - so, why not share that with others? So, the date is set... FEBRUARY 10th - 12th, I will be testing for my Personal Training Certification. After that, I hope to start making a difference in the lives of others. Until then, each day I am going to post a motivational quote.. something to think about... something that has gotten me through in a tough time. I would say wish me luck - but, I don't need it... I  know this is what I was meant to do... so, I GOT THIS! :)

Quote for today:

"You want me to do something… tell me I can’t do it".