Hurts So Good.

I finished my first full CrossFit workout tonight.

I knew I was in for a crazy hurt when our "warmup" was a workout. Start with 3 rounds of Cindy.

See, CrossFit names their workouts like we name hurricanes. I guess cause they hit you like a storm, or something. Cindy consists of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 squats. She's a mini-hurricane, but enough to get the blood flowing and wondering what the real thing will be like.

Our coach further entertained herself by making us do 2 rounds of side-side jumps and something called "quick hands" which is sorta like a pushup, but isolating the work to each side of your body at a time, so much harder and not something I would look forward to doing again. I'm sure we'll be doing it again, though.

Then... on to the real Work.

5 rounds (for time, which means you gotta find your Hustle)

20 Kettlebell Swings (25 lbs)
10 Box Jumps (24" height)
10 Push Press (45 lbs)

I loved it and I hated it.

I was the only one of our group that actually did the box jumps. Everyone else modified to step-ups on shorter boxes. And I am proud of myself for that. Not only did it make the workout hugely more difficult but it was a total Head Thing for me that I overcame. I've always felt that I was a bit "vertically challenged", so to speak. And attempting and MISSING a box jump? Is an immediate ticket to Bloodied, Messed Up Shin World. So yeah, it was a big deal for me to clear that box for all five rounds. And the Push Press is just one of those things that feels so super hardcore when you do it, so that was pretty cool, too. I mean, you have to love it when your workout makes you feel like a powerlifter. Even when you're clearly not one.

p.s. This was my 100th post on this second incarnation of my lil blog. I really couldn't come up with anything better... sad, I know.

Fifteen.

Fifteen days until my first roller derby bout.

I have butterflies already.

They're sitting on top of some pretty sore Crossfittin muscles and a wrecked up C3 vertabrae that I need to get chased back into place real freakin soon.

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Crossfit. Loving it. Completed two Foundations classes this week and they totally blew my mind. Worked on some Olympic lifts which has been a long time goal of mine and generally felt pain in every part of my body. Thankfully, I get along with pain just fine and come back for more. Crossfit's mascot is Pukey the Clown. I have a feeling I may just meet him, yet, despite my cautious pre-workout meals.

Some highlights:
* Getting rid of a persistent "butt wink" at the bottom of my Squat. I could always Feel it, but never knew what to do to get rid of it.
* OLifting! Squats, Front Squats, Overhead Squats, Deadlifts, Sumo-Deadlift Highpulls, Push Press, Push Jerk, Thrusters. All surprisingly technical and so very effective.
* ZooWalking. Sweet zombies! Bear, duck, frog, crab, chicken... the list kept going and going and we kept going and going... length after length of contorting, balanced movements that seemed simple but brought the pain.
* Pull-Ups. New goal: to do these badboys unassisted.
* Turkish Get-Ups. Like lyrical dance with a 30 lb iron kettlebell lifted overhead. Full body workout in one movement.
* Kettlebell swings. Hell for the glutes and way too much fun.


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Finally decided to see a chiropractor today about this neck issue. Took a crazy hit a couple weeks ago in a scrimmage and when I hit the ground I felt pretty much every bone in my spine crunch, ending with that icky little tippy top place under my skull. It was bothering me, some days more than others, and my usual "wait and see" game seemed to be the best bet. Sometimes my body just flicks things back where they should be. Or else... it totally doesn't and I end up locked up like Alcatraz. We got jail time this go around.

My regular chiro couldn't see me, so I went to see Mr. F's chiro and was pretty impressed. He totally did an electrical assessment and reading of impulse activity and range of motion and diagnosed some long-term strains and issues in my SI joint. And then he worked on all the crunchy bits in my neck and actually got somewhere with them. I'm currently icing and heating and feeling a lot better than I did this morning. Follow up on Wednesday and then I'm hopefully good until the bout.


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So yeah, fifteen days. Just five more practices and about as many workouts planned. We may get our butts kicked in the worst way at the bout, but it won't be for lack of trying!

If Anyone Sees My Pride Walking By, Could You Please Send It Back Home to Me?

First time back at the gym in for-freaking-ever and I was so not prepared.

I was not prepared for the fact that my favorite little pair of low-rise grey yoga sweats hugged my booty more than before. It appears that when you sit on your arse for three months and eat more than you should... the booty? It grows. Really, should not be a surprise and yet, strangely? It was.

I was not prepared for being nervous to go to a co-ed gym. My last gym was a Ladies Only thing-ey and while Krav was co-ed... it was just Different. Thankfully it was not a busy night and I was only moderately shamed by the sexy skinny girlies in their workout gear and just slightly intimidated by the buff college dudes lifting ridiculous amounts of weight.

I was not prepared and forgot my water bottle in the car. Which might not be bad if I wasn't such a mouth-breather during sprints. Seriously, a mouth full of desert sand would feel better than that parched mess of lips and tongue I called my own after sprint intervals. Yuck.

I was not prepared to open my gym bag in the change room and have my eyes well up with tears... really, real TEARS at the sight and smell of my leather sparring gloves. I wanted so bad to put them on, but knew that for sure I'd be a blathering mess if I did. So I just held them to my nose like a freaky little freak and wondered what the HECK was going on with me that I'd be so messed up by this.

I was not prepared to be so disgusted with myself about how much progress I'd lost. Strength, cardio, flexibility. Gone. Tonight I only tackled about 25 mins of interval training and some ab/core work (about 1/4 of what I previously did) and, while I can't say that it Finished me... I do think I'll feel it a bit tomorrow, which really sucks and shows just how far things have regressed.

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Right then. So, what I'm going to do is take this awful, negative experience and channel it into some good, old fashioned FUEL for CHANGE. Also known as Crazy Attitude that will keep me working and pushing and smiling through all manner of bodily punishment. *wink* That's me... the hard-core chiquita with the regrettably snug yoga sweats.