Thursday, November 30, 2006

Thursday 9am crew....

Man was it cold at CrossFit this morning! I can only imagine what it felt like at 6am - :0
This pic is Eva, Annie, me, Tanya, Michele, Heather, Nicole, Brendan and Zac. Just a few of the 9am trainers and participants.
Todays workout was just what I needed on a taper day :

heavy deadlifts 5x5 - Michele and I used 45 pound dumbells
20 squats
20 sit ups
20 back extensions
max pull ups
max push ups
5 rounds
heavy shoulder presses 5x5 I used 25 pound dbs

I felt extra tired today for some reason, so my maxes were NOT what they should have been, for sure. I think in the back of my mind I was holding back because of the race this weekend. I didn't want to workout hard and feel sore or anything else but rested and ready come Sunday at 5am. I had a great picture to post but accidentally deleted it last night :( B and myself met up with our friends Katy and Scott downtown at Aqua Blue for sushi and a great time. I just LOVE hanging out with them and talking with them about running and what races they have coming up and so forth. Always encouraging to hear about what they are up to. Scott and Katy are training for their first marathon, Big Sur, in April. They are going to do fantastic! I might even meet up with Katy along the course and pull her into to the finish. Either way Brendan and I will be there to share the victory with them! I'll manage to get them on film again and this time I won't be careless!! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

My beautiful children....

The tattoos on my feet are of my children. Sarah on the right, Brandon on the left (flip it for your eyes of course) I put them on my feet because they are the reasons I take every step in my life - they ground me. They are my anchors. When I am out running it's nice to know that they are helping my feet move forward! I chose the Day of the Dead style because it's beautiful to me - Brandon had a beanie on because he LOVES collecting beanies! Sarah has hearts in her eyes because she has the kindest heart - she loves children and has a lot of patience...that's love to me. Brandon has stars in his eyes because that's him - starry eyed! He's always in his own head, daydreaming and playing pretend...out in the stars. These were the most painful of all my tattoos...for sure. Klem at OReilley's Tattoo Parlour in Santa Cruz did all my work - minus a few from Dan....Okay - so Johnny...this post was for you. Now I bet you want more work! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Can I have another 800 please ???

Today I worked speed on my treadmill. I did 800 meter repeats 4 times for negative splits. Total miles were 5 including warm ups strides and cool down. Let me just say 800's HURT!!!
Then I get to CrossFit eagar to do a workout and what do i see on the board : THIS....:

100 over head squats with stick
800 meter run
Tabata squats
800 meter run
100 box jumps
800 meter run

I thought WTF!!?? But being the competitive good spot that I am I decided I would give it my best shot. Plus Zac egged me on.....I felt great, except after the box jumps that 800 hurt like hell!! Thanks Annie and Brendan for the torture...guess I have to get good at those 800's eh ? Now I get to start the tapering process and ease up on speed for the marathon. Tomorrow I will run slow easy pace with my running group which will feel great for a change!!

Thought for the day :
Communication is complicated. Remember that each person is raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word. An agreement is an agreement only if each party knows the conditions for satisfaction and a time is set for satisfaction to occur.
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Monday, November 27, 2006

Suffering on Monday

This was the torture on the board at CrossFit this morning....How many rounds in 20 minutes can u do of :

Run to Fed Ex (440 meters)
max reps of pull ups

I don't do well when I don't have a number to shoot for. Brendan did this workout last week, but the difference was 10 pull ups, not max. So...I decided to do 13 reps....a number that I could sustain for every round. I completed 7 rounds and held the 13 pullups for each. Not bad. It was a great workout, but I wish I would have known ahead of time - I wouldn't have done the interval training this morning before hand. This is what I did at 6am on Lilly, my treadmill :

3/4 mile (3 laps)warm up jog
stretch
2 laps stride straights, jog turns

2x:
400 (1 lap) at 10k pace 7:13 mm with 200 jog recovery

3x:
1 mile (4 laps) at 30 sec/mile faster than marathon goal pace - 7:05
400 jog/walk recovery

1x:
400 (1 lap) at 10k pace with 200 jog recovery

2 laps cool down jog + stretch
Total Distance - 6.75 miles

Have a great day!!!
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Sunday, November 26, 2006

It's Christmas time!!!

Today Brendan and I spent the majority of the day decorating for Christmas and hanging lights on the house. I have to say, he gave me a heart attack when I came outside and saw him on the roof !! All the lights got hung, the garland got strung, and all the Christmas touches were put on the house. The only thing left is cutting down tghe tree and hanging the ornaments. I even wrapped a few presents today!! I was so excited to see my children - it's been since Wednesday that I got to kiss them and squeeze them :(

Tomorrow it's back to CrossFit and running - tapering that is - I have my marathon this weekend in Sacramento...I can't wait!! Posted by Picasa

Friday, November 24, 2006

Sweating gravy workout!!!

Doing a CrossFit workout while being on a food high is difficult to say the least! I ate pretty good yesterday, just more than usual and yams! I had a piece of cherry pie that was delicious!! When you don't eat r a while, your body reacts to it when you do eat it. I felt sluggish, heavy, and sore today. I managed to get through the workout which was :

100 squats holding a 14 pound ball
3 rope climbs(no touching the ground)
3 rounds for time....

Warm up run big loop (just shy of a mile)
cool down run big loop
I also did GH sit ups and back extensions 20 each for 3 rounds and military ab mat sit ups 50 reps.

I will probably go for a run this evening, but after the long run yesterday I really didn't feel like running this morning. I'll see how I feel later.... Posted by Picasa

Father and daughter

My pops and I on Thanksgiving Day. I had a great time hanging out with him and chatting about when I was a kid. He loves to tell stories!! He filled Brendan's ears with all kinds of stuff :)
some good - some bad ;) Posted by Picasa

Thanksgiving at dad's house...

Yesterday Brendan and I went to San Jose to share Thnksgiving dinner with my dad and his girlfriend, Angie, and her family. It was quiet and traditional - huge table with all the good china and silver. We held hands and prayed and everybody said what they were thankful for. Of course I cried, because this was the first year ever that my children weren't with me for Thanksgiving dinner. I missed them terribly. I know they were having a great time with their dad, because I called them all throughout the day...I just wish I could have told them in person that i was thankful for them. This whole "you get them this year, I get them next year" arrangement is difficult for me, and I'm sure for Randy as well. We both want the children with us. I didn't get to have dessert with them as planned because they didn't even eat dinner until later and I didn't want to see anybody but the children - so I was at home missing them. Brandon called me and we talked for a while....I explained that i would see them today and we could have pie together....he said he missed me too. It's the hard part of divorce....missing parts of their lives. I do get them for Christmas though, and I will take them to my families over the hill for Christmas day activities - then Randy will be feeling like I felt last night. It's never fair - one of us will always feel left out. I hope one day we can do holidays together as friends and then neither one of us will feel like I did last night - lonely, missing my children.

I'm off to CrossFit to work off the dinner, drinks and dessert from last night. I was planning on starting my holiday shopping today also.....and get the decorations out of storage and hang lights on the house. Again, I will miss the kids for that. I'll keep the important stuff to do when I have them on Sunday. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Boardwalk....

Yesterday's CrossFit workout looked like this :

Run big loop (just shy of 1 mile) warm up
30 seconds wall ball
30 seconds rest
60 seconds wall ball
60 second rest
120 seconds wall ball
120 seconds rest
all with 14 pound ball....

65 pound clean & jerks 10 reps
2 rope climbs
20 walking lunges
How many rounds in 20 minutes ?
I think I squeezed out 5 rounds..... Posted by Picasa

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Another beautiful picture I took along my running route this morning - this is the Point along East Cliff where my baby surfs sometimes. There were some nice waves out there, and tons of people moving before eatting today! I went out for a 13 mile run from my house to the Boardwalk and back to Capitola Village then home. ...it was a perfect day for it. Brendan went surfing early with his dad when I hit the road - it's nice to have things that you enjoy seperately and even better to have things you enjoy doing together. On my run today I reflected on the past year and what it is that i am thankful for. There are so many things - mainly my children. They have been through so much with the divorce and all, and they have come through it all like champs. I love them so much for who they are. I am thankful for Randy - my x husband of 13 years and the father of my children. He gave me 2 precious people in my life - my kids. He gave us a great life together for all those years, he was an amazing friend to me, and he continues to show me grace even after all the hurt I have caused him. I am thankful for the relationship he shares with my children and how he puts them first...and for him extending forgiveness to me I am beyond thankful for. I am thankful to see Randy trying new things in his life - for stepping out into the world and running, climbing and so much more. I am thankful he has such amazing loving friends, including Catra, who love him and help him to see what an amazing man he is.

I am thankful for Brendan. He has shown me so much about myself that I wouldn't have learned without him. I am thankful that he doesn't let me get away with my moods - he gets me to talk and see that most grief is caused by me making things up in my head. I am thankful for his acceptance of me, for his acceptance of my children and his love for them. I am thankful that he pushes me to reach new heights in this life - to expand my way of thinking out of the box. I am thankful he supported and arranged for me to get certified as a CrossFit trainer, sometjing I have wanted to do for almost a year now. I am thankful I get to look into his eyes and feel his warmth for me. I am most thankful for a second chance to love deeply, and be loved by him. I am thankful for having such an amazing man in my life :)

This is a bitter sweet Thanksgiving for me, the first one since the divorce. I will not be having dinner with my children this year - that will be hard for me. But I am hoping to have dessert with Randy and the children this evening after Brendan and I have dinner with my family over in San Jose. I am thankful that Randy and I love our children so much that we are able to do things that for now seem a little uncomfortable. He has been my friend since 7th grade and I am hopeful that we will again have a friendship that I can be thankful for. This year....I am thankful for the hope of that.

What are you thankful for ? I'd love to hear from you....I am also thankful that I have a place full of people that want me to eat dinner with them - my family.

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving - tell everybody in your life you are thankful for them and that they matter.... Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Another beautiful day in Santa Cruz!

This is the Twin Lakes lighthouse off of East Cliff and the Yaht Harbor where I run every morning. Beautiful, isn't it ? Yup...again I say I live in the best place ever!! Today I am going to workout at Brendan's 9am class then head to Gizdich Ranch to pick apples with my children so we can bake fresh apple pies for tomorrow. Sound fun ? Apple pie is my favorite dessert.
The last few days has been a little rough on me. I can't pinpoint what the problem has been, or why I have been a little distant. I guess I have been searching myself and haven't really liked what I saw inside. I have been feeling needy - and to me, needy means weak. When I feel I'm being weak I am vulnerable to being hurt so in order to avoid that, I get extra clingy. Crazy little circle of emotional garbage really. I have never felt that way in a relationship before - needy that is. This is all new territory to me and I'm not really handling it too well. I'm afraid that i end up creating drama for myself where none is actually there. The mind is a powerful thing. Able to create situations and feelings basically from fear. I read the below this morning in the book "The Mastery of Love" by Miguel Ruiz.....

"What he said is that love is like a drug; it makes you very high, but it creates a strong need. You can become highly addicted to love, but what happens when you don't receive your daily doses of love ? Just like a drug, you need your everyday doses. He used to say that most relationships between lovers are just like a relationship between a drug addict and the one who provides the drugs. The one who has the biggest need is like the drug addict; the one who has a little need is like the provider. The one who has the little need is the one who controls the whole relationship. You can see this dynamic so clearly because usually in every relationship there is one who loves the most and the other who doesn't love, who only takes advantage of the one who gives his or her heart. You can see the way they manipulate eachother, their actions and reactions, and they are just like the provider and the drug addict."

In my marriage I was the provider and my x was the addict. I was manipulative and controlling. I decided when I would dish out some love and when I would recieve love from him. I see that now.....In my relationship with Brendan i feel like the drug addict. I want to be close to him, spend time with him, hold him, talk to him....all of that. I haven't felt like that in such a long time .. and frankly, it's a little scarey. Weird how tables turn in life sometimes. I want to be a strong woman for myself and for Brendan and our relationship. I have been through so much in the past year that peices of me have been stripped away, ad I am still healing from everything. I am so blessed to have B in my life that I don't want to blow it with him.
Okay, enough mushy stuff. I gotta get ready for CrossFit!! Have a beautiful day and workout so you can eats tons of turkey tomorrow!!! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Get low baby...

Todays CrossFit workout :

row 750 meters
25 squats
10 dead hang pullups
10 ring ring dipps

How many rounds can u do in 20 minutes ?

After yesterday's workout and the run last night and this morning - I was able to push out only 5 rounds...Michele and I groaned the whole time!! Our backs were sore from the KB swings yesterday....

Then we did 50 military sit ups with strict form, thanks Annie ;)

Get out there and move today. I'm getting ready to eat a perfect 2 block meal and lay down for a much needed nap with my man. Posted by Picasa

Speed work SUCKS!!

This morning I headed out the door at 6am to do a 7.5 mile run - at marathon tempo pace. Let me just say.....IT SUCKED! I was just barely awake, so I gave myself 1 mile to warm up before cranking out 7:06 - 7:35 minute miles the entire way. It felt great, but hard. I guess that's exactly how it's supposed to feel ;) Early morning running makes me feel alive, and like I'm doing some secret thing while everybody else is still asleep - especially in my neighboorhood. I think I saw maybe 2 surfers, and a few walkers along the cliffs. Off to CrossFit for a workout..I'll post that next! Posted by Picasa

Monday, November 20, 2006

Another beautiful day in paradise....

This was the view out my bedroom window this morning. Yup - I live in the best place ever! Watching the sunrise and hearing the waves crash makes me smile inside - even when my heart is heavy or I'm introverted in thought. I couldn't go for a run early enough, so I went to CrossFit first - before running. Here's the workout we did :

10 pullups
15 Kettlebell swings (40 pound dumbell)
20 ball slams (20 pound ball)
25 pass throughs on paralettes

5 rounds for time
It was a perfect workoout for me today. Afterwards I went for a massage to get some kinks worked out of my shoulder. That felt great!! Tonight I am going for a distance run. Nothing fast - just time and distance...hopefully 12 - 13. No running partner tonight, but that's okay. Sometimes alone time is just what you need to quiet the noise in your head. The marathon is quickly approaching and I hope my body holds up cuz I plan on running the sucker
fast!!

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Sunday, November 19, 2006

I feel like a human doll!

Okay, my daughter took this pic as I stepped out of the truck I used to dress in. I just love this frilly poofy skirt, and the leather buckle corset Kelly let me wear. So much fun!!!

When the real pics get developed, I'll post one. Check out Kelly Richardson at Strange Angel Studios....she is an amazing artist ! Posted by Picasa

Can a girl have a seat ?

Today was FUN! Kelly and all her posse were awesome to work with today. The location was super cool, the weather was warm....and I had a great time dressing up! This is s shot Teresa took before Kelly took the "real" pictures. Those will turn out WAY better....this is a teaser. Don't you love my boots ? Randy got me them in Japan some years back....I'v enever actually worn them before. This day was made for those boots! The corsets were beautiful on and made me have an even smaller waist - but way hard to breathe in!

It's fun to be a girl!!! ;) Posted by Picasa

Big Hair...

Way overdone is the look we were going for, and I think we achieved it! Now I'm ready and going tot he junkyard. Posted by Picasa

Girlie Girl Eyes!!

Today my old friend Angie came over to get my makeup done for the photo shoot. I have to admit - i have NEVER had my makeup done before...nor have I ever wore fake lashes. I LOVED IT!!! Angie did incredible and made me look very girlie. I then took off to get my hair teased into a mohawk and out to the location for pics. More to come.... Posted by Picasa

It's all in the Zone....

Okay, so this picture might be a little risky, but I wanted to show how eating in the Zone helps you lean out and look stronger. If I stick with it and be pretty strict, I definitely notice a change in my performance and how I look.
Today I get to get photographed by a local artist, Kelly Richardson. We're going to do a Tank Girl meets Mad Max style photo shoot out at some junk yards near Monterey. I can't wait to play dress up! I have a makeup artist, who is also an old friend coming over to do makeup - then my hair gets done at Miss Mae's salon....hook up with the stylist and Kelly at noon and then head to the location and start the fun! I'll be sure to post some pics....

First things first.....gotta get some running done!!!


From CrossFit Website :
World-Class Fitness in 100 Words:
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

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Friday, November 17, 2006

Fun with friends!!

Well, I was having fun because I was already finished! I got to capture some of the 9am group at CrossFit performing their pass throughs, which is a progression to learning the L sit. It's one the 'Queens of the Core' exercises. Here is what torture Brendan put us through :

warm up:
tabata jump rope/squats
shoulder dislocates 7
over head squats 7
good mornings 7
repeated 3 times

Run big loop (approximately 1074 meters)
21 thrusters 25 pounds
9 pullups
run alley loop (approximately 800 meters)
15 thrusters 25 pounds
21 pullups
run to fed ex and back (approximately 420 meters)
9 thrusters 25 pounds
15 pullups

21 - 15 - 9 pass through to L hold and ab mat sit ups to finish off the workout.

I finished first woman, 3rd overall. Can't remember the time - but there was a ton of people in class today. Thanks to Zac who yelled at me to "catch those boys!" I managed to put the gas on and catch up to and pass 3 men in the second round. Who said I was competitive ? ;) Maybe I can talk somebody into going for a little run tonight with me. I ran with Nicole last night and had a great time. We actually ran it pretty fast! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Killer workout today!!!

CrossFit kicked my ass today!! Brendan made us in the 9am class squeal like babies! Here it is :

shoulder press
push press
push jerk

5 reps of each at 53 pounds
row 250 meters sprint
10 rounds for time....

The first to fail was the shoulder presses - good exercise, but man do they get hard! You want to use those hips, but can't. When the push press and jerk come it's way easier....Just what i needed after my long run yesterday. I managed to talk Nicole into running an easy 6-7 miler tonight at 5ish along the cliffs. It's a great night for a run with a friend. I love having running partners :) I feel great today after a visit to the chiropractor - I had a few ribs outta place and was in some discomfort. He managed to slip one back in and put my neck back in alignment, but one rib is still noticeably prominant in the front of my chest - inflamation has set in I guess. Maybe I'll ice it after the run and take some anti inflammatories - I dunno...It sucks though!! Hope you all are having a great day!!

Thought for the day : "Let sweat flow from your pores once a day to regenerate your skin."

I'm getting ready to do this for the second time today. What are YOU doing ???
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Hitting the road....

Beautiful running day in Santa Cruz this morning ! The WOD was listed at a 5k - I'm running 13 miles instead. I just feel like running for distance today. I'll get some CrossFit training in this evening, hopefully Brendan will get to workout with me, instead of just coaching me. I have a feeling it'll be hard and heavy!! Good thing I'm totally in the Zone!! Yesterday I had my MRI finally done at the Pain Institute. My L5 disk has been diagnosed as "bulging" - have a lot of discomfort in my right side when I run now...from shoulder all the way to foot. Why don't i stop running you ask ? Well it's simple really - I CAN'T!!! I even started running with ice bags when the pain first manifested. I'm just glad I don't have too much pain anymore - just aches. Hopefully the MRI will come back with good news, and I will be cleared to run the many marathons I have planned - including Boston in April where i hope to run my fastest time yet. I tell the docs "fix me and get me back on the road!" Well - hope you all get out there and have a great day. Hopefully it includes running!!!

Thought for the day : "A daily hit of athletic induced endorphins will give you the power to make better decisions and help you be at peace with yourself." - GREAT advice!!! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

THE perfect 2 block meal!!

Eating in the Zone is something I have been doing since 3 months after starting CrossFit. When Brendan told me that eating this way would improve my performance i was very sceptical. Being an endurance athlete means mostly carbs, low fat, some protein - duh- everybody knows that way of thinking if you are considered any type of endurance person. So..I took on the challenge, eagar to find out if this "Zone" way of eatting would really improve my race times, muscle recovery, strength and everything else B claimed it would do for me. I started 6 weeks before the Silicon Valley Marathon in October of 2005 and the withdrawals from sugar began. I swore I was going to starve if i didn't have more food - or my stamina was going to disappear if i didn't "carb load" before my long run training days. But I stuck with it and eventually the feelings of starvation subsided, and I started feeling better than I have in a while. I was now eating the food my body needed, not what i wanted to give it, or what I have been told it needed. Marathon day quickly approached and I was now eatting 3 eggs, 1 english muffin and avocado at 5am instead of my signature huge bowl of instant oatmeal, brown sugar and bananas. I ended up running the first 18 miles faster than I ever have, and finished in 3:30:31 - first in my age division and 5th woman overall. I recovered faster even though I had severe muscle cramps after finishing - I think just from running so fast at first. All this to say I believe eating the Zone way is amazing and it has proven itself to me in my life. When I step out of the Zone I definitely notice a difference in the way I look, feel, and perform. So here is goes - the way we should eat is : meat & vegetables, nuts & seeds, little fruit, some starch, no sugar. Check out CrossFit Journal Issue #21 where coach breaks it all down for you in an easy way to understand and follow.

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Monday, November 13, 2006

What is this white stuff falling from the sky ???

Sunday we woke up to snow in Colorado. Some people from Florida and us Californians were outside taking it in and capturing it on film. What a crack up !! Sunday's lecture was on nutrition and how it can affect performance. I have been doing the Zone for a while now - but cheat a lot. :( I am making a committment to get back on the diet and do it perfectly and watch what happens. Also I felt convicted as far as how my son eats. He is extremely picky and only eats 5 things - all sugar (carbs)...with the exception of turkey bacon. I have been at a loss for years on what to do and how to get him to actually EAT. I am going to try with all that I can to persuade him to start trying. I do not want to be responsible for him developing heart disease or obesity in his later years. i want him to thrive, be healthy, active - a whole energetic happy man. We also learned on to program workouts for clients - very informative and I look forward to making up my own workouts soon. The plane ride home SUCKED!!! There was much turbulance and at one point i swore we were all goners! I was crying and am sure the people around me thought I was crazy....I couldn't control my fear or the fact that it was paralyzing me. I need help. I am proud of myself for getting on the plane in the first place, but now i have to work on calming myself down and relaxing. We didn't die - I'm alive....so I guess planes are a little safe :) Looks like I may be traveling to some of these certs, so i better get over the fear real quick!!
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Another one of my heros...

There are lots of people in my life that I observe and learn from - Eva is one of the strong women that I admire. She is an x Olympic skiier, incredible Olympic lifter and much more. Anyway, I enjoyed hanging out with her in Colorado, and being coached by her and B while doing Fran. She's beautiful and powerful at the same time....what a combination these CrossFit women have, huh ? I can't wait to watch her train some of her lifts hopefully soon. Posted by Picasa