Day 1 at Regionals is DONE :)

Hello Loves! Day 1 is in the books at CrossFit Games North East Regionals! Honestly, I had a BLAST today. I meet some amazing people today, got to watch some totally inspiring athletes and make some great contacts incase I ever switch more into social media/marketing/PR. I can't say how many people told me today to switch over -- totally need to check it out. Social media/marketing/PR sounds like something I could do - for CrossFit or Reebok. Totally game for that - or running like Brooks or Saucony ;)

Matt Fraser OHS 305#

Matt Fraser did a set of 3 OHS of 305#! It was amazing. Danielle Horan did 200# - she was amazing! I've never been so inspired to get back to 100% and at it.


Overall -- I'm amazed at how awesome it is in person. I really hope I can do the games sometime! Overall here is who finished top -- I stole it from CFG North East Region twitter








Where you there today?
Or your region's event?

~xoxo
M

Off to Boston

Hello Loves! Hope you're doing well this wonderful Friday evening! I am currently in the car with Rachel, Allie and Kate on our way to North East Regionals for the CrossFit Games!

I am super excited! I know I tell y'all all the time about CrossFit and especially my box - CrossFit Aspire, but this has saved me and given me a whole new outlook on life. Alycia and Justin changed my life and not just fitness. My health has obviously completely changed. I'm in the best shape I've been in since high school. Hell I may weigh more now then I did them by about 25# but I can tell you now I'm WAY stronger. Heck I'm 8 weeks since I broke my ankle and about 5-6 weeks ahead of recovery schedule - just got to get the movement back.


Back to my main point - my healthy, my self confidence, my attention to nutrition (and wanting to learn more/figure out what works for me), and my friendships in New Jersey have all changed. I'm coming up on my one year mark and what better way to celebrate then by volunteering my time to regionals!


We have about two hours to go! Going to be a late arrival and a LONG day tomorrow; however, I'm stoked!! I am volunteering all day tomorrow - so is Jake from my box - Saturday and Sunday am. Plus hanging with some of my box favs at night - and downtown Boston on Saturday night (first time)!

Anyone else going to be here or going to watch/work a regionals event?

~xoxo
M

Great WOD & Back To My Box

Hello Loves! Happy Saturday friends!! Guess who's back in the Dirty Jerz? This girl! I miss my babies - a lot.  Yesterday morning before I flew back I got to keep the Princess.  SIL had to go into work early - so I got up with the baby. Broski had already gotten Tank up and off to school and had left for work.  We had a nice little bonding time.  Mama Dukes came over and hung with us too. Silly me - I must have been SO excited to get back that I told Mama my flight was at 2:30.  LIED! I wasn't flying out till 3:20.  It worked out ok -- getting through security was a mess.  I got totally felt up in my wheelchair and my boot became an issue because of the wire for the pump.  BLAH - whatever. It's over right?!? The AWESOME Nilda from my box came to pick me up from the airport.  I felt bad because it was rush hour when I got in, but we actually got back into Jersey pretty fast!  Woot Woot!  Now my CrossFitting folks know it was the LAST week of the open -- and if you've read my post about Fridays - you know my box does the Open WODs on Fridays SO guess where I had Nilda take me?!? Yep - THE BOX!! Happy happy girl I was! It was good to just be back around the crew.  A lot of people want to know why my life has changed so much in the last 6-7 months -- really, it hasn't.  I've just weeded out people/things/situations that don't support me and my goals. Life is short -- and I have SO much I want to do. If you're not on board with that, then I don't have time.  I'm not changing or being mean -- I'm just focusing on myself, figuring out the DA situation, healing this broken ankle and keeping my fitness/health journey going :)
Anyways - after the WOD - AC came here and we changed and decided to head to La Esperanza with the CrossFit Aspire crew. After dinner - Alycia, Justin, Jim, AC and I went to Kaminskis for a few drinks.  It was a good night! Much needed after a week at home not doing to much.  I was exhausted to say the least by the time I got home.  I knew I was WOD'ing in the morning - which happens to be TODAY!

Started with skill work on pull-ups -- and guess what?!? I got to go down a band!! Woot Woot! I did 6x6. Then I did a mini metcon - 10 regular bicep curls, 10 hammer curls, 6 knee push-ups and 6 reverse DB fly. I got 5 or 6 rounds -- I can't remember haha.  Then I did strict press - sets of 5 -- I got up to 75# -- I got 3 at 80 so I'll take it!!

After my WOD I came home and got ready then did a Costco run with Jilly.  Had fun playing in the wheelchair.  I need one of those bad boys.  After that I just came home and relaxed on the couch.  Had Elevation Burger for dinner with Allie and just chatted for a while.

PS I bought these bad boys at Costco --> DAMN -- they are amazing!! Good thing I'm starting a Whole30 on Monday -- I need this.  I need to get focused again on my body.  Jilly is helping me with my food -- because she loves me! I have my push-up challenge, Whole30 and as much WODs as I can :)

Are you on a Whole30/food challenge right now?
Any fun challenges you're doing?

~xoxo
M

Relaxing Sunday + Fitness Recap

Hello Lovebugs!! How's your weekend been? Good I hope.  Saturday I updated ya'll on how the 13.2 workout went (check it out here). Saturday was filled with Saturday school at school -- I have to say, I am SO lucky to love my job and my coworkers.  I really don't mind coming in on Saturdays to work with the kids because they are really good and my coworkers are really fabulous.  We ended with a game of kickball.  I have a nice little bruise on my knee from catching a ball and falling all at the same time.  It was fun. After school I went and meet up with my girlfriend Ashley for lunch at Red Robin. I love that place.  Lettuce wrapped burgers are my thing!
Anyways - it was the first time I got to see her since her & TB got engaged.  It was great to catch up and talk.  I really love our time together. I came home from lunch and took a 2.5 hour nap.  It was glorious haha. Then I got some stuff done around the house and headed over to Ali's house to have a girls night with her, Rachel & my Jilly. It was great! These awesome "Dirty Green Smoothies" happened -- same as last time except instead of Loopy vodka, we used one that tasted like Swedish Fish.  They were good.  I also had a small glass of wine.  Plus lots of talking, giggles, stories, updates and love.  I seriously LOVE these girls and our nights!! We always go to Ali's because her hubs is typically working and the kids are down so it makes it easy for her.  I was there WAY later then I thought.  I think it was a little after 1:30 when I finally got home and into bed.
Today I slept in till 8:30.  It was fabulous! My body never lets me do that.  I laid around until the very last minute to get up and going for run club too.  It was fun today - we did some drills on the GHD sit ups/ball throws + grip/pull-up work, then some fun burpee relays and an army crawl relay.  After that we headed out for a 4.5 mile run.  I was the caboose. I'm always the caboose.  One day I'm going to figure out how to go faster.  People don't believe me because I run a lot of races and stuff that I am SLOW. I don't really mind it -- I mean don't get me wrong....I'd LOVE to go faster, but slow is better then stopped right?!? I'll get there. After run club I hit up Whole Foods with Jilly. I love Whole Foods. Not a lot to get this week (PS it's 9:30 and I still haven't started cooking -- going to be a late night haha).
I came home -- talked to DA (yes, we are talking again....one day we will get it together and figure everything out...not much to update except we are talking and still figuring things out). I watched my BUCKEYES do work!! Can't wait for March Madness! I also took another nap -- 3 hours.  I was a napping machine this weekend - guess my body needed it!

This weeks Fitness

Monday: CrossFit - Back Squat PR
Tuesday: CrossFit
Wednesday: CrossFit + Run - 4x5min quick pace 2 min recover & 50 hollow rocks
Thursday: Rest
Friday: CrossFit 13.2
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run Club - 4.5 miles

Now I'm off wake up this big baby and to prep some grub for this week and finish my laundry! Hope you've had a fabulous weekend :)
~xx
M

13.2 Recap

Hello LOVES! How was your Friday night?!? Mine was FABULOUS.  As ya'll already know -- I have an obsession (I'd like to think a healthy obsession haha) with CrossFit.  We are in the fun season known as the Open.  Yesterday at my box it was 13.2 day aka the second workout of the 2013 Open :) The work out was received with mixed feelings in the CF community -- some where complaining about the box jumps for risks of injury, some people were complaining about the weight being to light, etc.  I think it's funny so many people complain and critique.  Just do the damn workout to the best of your ability! Now people alos were complaining after their attempts. Give your best and there is nothingnto complain about. Why can't you just be happy and positive about things?  Remember that sometimes saying "I suck because...." is hard because for someone else that may be the best they have EVER done up to this point.  Your best is all that counts, but make sure to remember that everyone starts at different points and progresses at different speeds :)

Ok - rant done ha Sorry -- This is Beth. She is 8 months preggo.  She is a coach at my box and she honestly is my major inspiration.  8 months preggo and ROCKING the 13.2 workout.  I just point this out because I think some people are scared to try CrossFit, but let me say this -- CrossFit is for EVERYONE! That is the beauty of CrossFit.  Everything is able to be scaled to wherever you are in your fitness journey.  You do not have to be in shape to join.  You don't have to be strong -- you can do ANYTHING at the box.  Even with existing injuries you can rock right along with us -- if you have a good coach (insert Justin & Alycia, Beth, Bonnie & Alex) you're good to go.  Now a days I really just have Justin & Alycia and they are super fabulous! They know about my past issues with my achilles and were helpful after my marathon dealing with my hip.

Now...let's chat 13.2 -- I wish we could have a set workout EVERY Friday of the year. Like a big fun competitive one.   I really enjoy spending my Friday evenings at the box.  I love getting to cheer everyone on and blast a really hard WOD.  I love getting to see the folks who train in the mornings and afternoons that I don't get to see at night when I go.  My box CRUSHED it.  Brooke got 2 rounds in the last 2:07 --- at the end after everything she did she got 2 rounds still....AMAZING! Her hubs got a super duper high amount too -- the highest in the box for the boys! Brooke was my judge -- and made sure the minute I got off the box, I was RIGHT BACK ON THE BAR!! It was hard.  My achilles has been rough the past couple days/weeks so I knew the box jumps would be hard.  Since I could still do step up/downs and count -- that is what I did. I hurt a lot. I cried when I was done.  My achilles hasn't hurt like that in a long time, but it is what it is. It was worth it to me. I did WAY better then I thought I would.  I really have a bad gauge at how I will do at WODs.  I underestimated myself on both WODs. I judge my girl Allie again - she did FABULOUS! I seriously LOVE getting to watch everyone go -- gives me SUCH motivation. My girls at my box -- I can't say it enough -- I don't know where I'd be without them.  Allie, Nilda, Jilly, Ali, Brooke, Jordanna, Tricia, Rachel, Tara, Alycia, etc.  Plus the boys, I love them and they are great but my girls are FABULOUS! AND Jilly came to cheer me on yesterday -- that made my day!  Boot and all she was there -- her and Sharon -- they were boot twins haha!

There's a mix of video from without the WOD.  ha I look so happy -- if you watch to the end you can see my curled up on the floor with tears starting.  I wanted my shoe off my achilles and it could come off. Jilly stopped recording to help me get it off. I'm glad it's done and over haha :)

How did you do with 13.2?!? Are you doing it again??

~xoxo
M