Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Birthday flowers!!!

Here's the boquet of roses Brendan bought me. My children made me coffee mugs for work and I adore them. Here's the one that my son painted for me......what great kids I have. I am really blessed and I need to remember that. So often I get hung up on the negative and not being where I want to be in life....I just need to open my eyes and see what i do have. Children who are my everything and a great relationship with a wonderful man. Plus I live by the ocean :) Posted by Picasa

The Perfect Birthday Night...

I got spoiled beyond belief for my birthday last night. Brendan took the whole day off work to spend with me .....we did a great CrossFit workout, had a Zoned breakfast together....trained my kids after school then went out to sushi in Capitola. I got so many gifts it made me feel like a princess all day long. Jewelery, tons of expensive clothing, delicious body butter, flowers, cool work bag, and other amazing gifts....I have an incredible man who really makes me feel special. Turning 38 was much easier with him
making me feel pretty. Thank you baby..... Posted by Picasa

Saturday, January 27, 2007

My main little man....

I know - he's a goofball, but I love him!!!This is my son Brandon fooling around with some crazy thing on his head.....

Tomorrow we go to San Francisco to celebrate my birthday with my kids....I can't wait!!!
 Posted by Picasa

Can I get a muscle up PLEASE!!

Today Brendan coached me on muscle ups. This is the year that I will get them and be good at them. I have lost some strength lately - have no idea why- maybe because I have been coming down with a sickness ? Anyway - I got a few jumping muscle ups today and Brendan told me he was proud of me. That's really all I need to hear - him say he's proud of me :)
Afterwards he had a workout he wanted me to do and I did it half ass and ended up with a spiking fever, nausea, dizziness and crying. Yup - I'm sick alright :(

Ran 6 miles on treadmill 7:45 pace
45 minutes of muscle up practice/ got the form basically down
10 minutes of 10 pullups & 10 deep ring dipps (jumping)

Went home sick and took a nap.....hopefully I'll be better for my birthday!! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Finally get to work out....

I'm a little behind on my blogging the workouts for this week so let me catch up :

Monday:
Ran 5.5 miles easy pace
CrossFit Workout: "Filthy Fifty"
50 box jumps
50 jumping pullups
50 kb swings
50 walking lunges
50 knees 2 elbows
50 push press 33 pounds
50 back extensions
50 wall ball 14 pounds
50 burpees
50 double unders



Tuesday:
Run 6 miles 7:35 pace

CrossFit workout :
500 meter row
21 overhead squats 65 pounds
21 pullups
x3 rounds

Wednesday:
no running
CrossFit workout:
800 meter run
50 double unders
50 ball slams 20 pound ball
50 oh walking lunges
50 glute ham sit ups
50 push ups
50 sdhp 16 pood kettlebell
800 meter run

(sort of a repeat of Monday's workout - but I worked out with the 9am class and this is what Annie was dishing out. Fine with me - met con is always good :) Okay, I'm caught up finally!!! Have a great day all..... Posted by Picasa

Monday, January 22, 2007

Olympic Lifts for your infant....

Dip, drive, press!! Here Eva T. instructs little Dylan on how to perform her first snatch with a PVC pipe. Dylan's got skills - it's in her blood.....just look at her mom Annie!

The seminar was a great success and I had a blast! Can't wait to attend another one and learn even more!! Posted by Picasa

Awww....I miss Nicole!!

Man I miss this girl! Haven't seen her in a while because she's been traveling doing her CrossFit certs and such. She's back in Santa Cruz for a few days untiol she's off again. Maybe we'll find some time to go for a run together before she leaves again. I loved training with her....she's so strong and I can learn a lot from her. Posted by Picasa

New friends

This is Mark, a participant at the seminar and his girlfriend Val. She actually has been writing me and asking for my guidence on CrossFit and running - also nutrition. I was stoked to meet her finally and to put a face with the e mails. She was super cool. And Mark I got to know pretty well during the seminar and I got to nit pick his farm quite a bit. Sorry Mark - but I hope i was helpful. Valerie was geting ready to run a 22 miler in preparation for her first marathon coming up in March. Way to go Val!!! Posted by Picasa

Orange County Fire Academy

All the amazing CrossFit trainers for the cert seminar were super cool. I enjoyed working with them, getting to know them, and learn from them. It was so amazing to be a part of such an incredible family!! I also loved being there this time as a CrossFit trainer and I got to wear the coveted "blue shirt"!! No white shirt this seminar. I got to meet some cool people there for there for their first seminar and help them with their form during the workout portion of the seminar. Posted by Picasa

Orange County Certification Seminar

This past weekend I went to the Orange County CrossFit Certification Seminar to get my Level 2 cert. Coach used me on Saturday for the squat demo, which was a total suprise to me. Guess he thinks I have a good squat - which is awesome! I love coach - he's such a smart man and a sweetheart as well. Listening to him talk and learning from him is incredible - read the journals and you'll see what I mean.

Brendan and I traveled with Annie and her sweet little Dylan, which I thought would make the plane ride a little easier for me - NOT! I still cried on take off and freaked the f out during the turbulance. I just can't fight that fear - it is bigger than me. This weekend on both flights I discovered just how deep that fear goes....I was crushed under the sheer terror that gripped me and basically took me over. All I could think about is that planes do crash and people do die. Geoffrey died....and that loss took me years to get over. It's the take off that scares me so much because that's when his plane went down. Couple that with any sort of turbulance and I am in trouble! Poor Annie sat next to me on the flight back to San Jose and on take off we hit some pretty bumpy spots....I almost ripped Brendan's arm out of socket and I would have crawled up into his lap if I could have. I cried outloud, terror was in my eyes and i just could not get a grip. Fuck - i want to get over this so badly but don't know if i ever will realistically. I keep flying in hopes that maybe the next trip will be better - but it just gets worse. I'm really not scared of too many things and nothing compares to this fear - I will keep trying to overcome it. Are any of you scared of flying ? I have a justification for being scared - somebody that i loved very much years ago died in a plane crash. Now what can you say after that huh ? Thank GOD for Brendan and his understanding of my fear - he has learned how to talk me down, help me breathe, and try to help me get "on top of" the fear that builds inside me. That's why i love him so much! Thanks to Annie and Dylan too - for not laughing at my fear, and for being there for me. Even if i made a ass out of myself....:) Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Team workout today....

Today I got to run and it felt great!! Here's my workout for today :

Run: 4.5 miles on treadmill at 7:35 mph
CrossFit:
"Dianne"
21 deadlifts at 115 pounds
21 handstand pushups (assisted by bars)
15 deadlifts
15 HSPU
9 deadlifts
9 HSPU

This is a pic of me and another trainer Michele. We were a team today for the above workout. She started first with the deads, then I did the HSPU, and we staggared like that until we each completed the perscribed reps. We finished first, and I was super DIZZY!!! Great workout!! Posted by Picasa

FINALLY!!!

I did it folks - finally bought a new car. I have only owned 1 new car in my life when I was 18, a Hyundai. I have NEVER owned a car with a CD player - can you believe that ? I had a Honda Oddesy for 9 years and it was falling apart. It had over 135,000 miles on it, a cracked windshield, bald tires, the drivers window didn't work, and it was due for it's $1600.00 service. I added it all up and it was more smart to buy a new car. I have wanted a Nissan Xterra for almost 2 years now - and I HAVE ONE NOW!!! I am in love to say the least. It's an amazing car and I got a great deal....life feels so much better when I know my car is safe for my kids and I, and I'm not scared of it breaking down. My car is a 2006 Xterra SE and it only had 18 miles on it!!! WOO HOO!!!

CrossFit Workout:
front squats
REPS:
10-5-3-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1
WEIGHT USED:
33-43-53-63-73-83-93-103-118-118-118-118-118 Posted by Picasa

Friday, January 12, 2007

An old picture of me and my man.....

I just love this picture! It was a great day back in September. We went to the wine bar in Capitola, and had dinner at a great Italian restaurant down there - I can't remember the name though.....

Today's workout :

Ran outside for 6 miles....no CrossFit.

Time off was definitely needed! Every part of me was sore today!! My knee held up okay. I am beginning to believe that my injury is just a tight IT band. I narrowed the pain to be coming from behind the right knee and when i roll out my IT band it feels much better. THANK GOD!! I rolled it out after my run, iced it and tok some Ibuprofen. It still feels good.

Have a great night! Brendan and I are going to have a glass of Silver Oak wine - I can't wait, it's my favorite!! B's too! One of his clients got it for him as a "thank you for kicking my butt" gift. We haven't had wine in a long time.....tonight I am stepping out of the Zone and having pizza and wine. I can't wait!! It's good for you to indulge every once in a while - that's why the cheat day is there. I haven't been running too much, and was concerned that i would gain weight - but instead I have been dropping weight. Today I weighed myself and i was 102.5 pounds...2 pounds lighter than I was a few days ago, and I don't like being under 106. Weird - if I eat strict Zone I start to drop weight quick, then I need to eat a little treat and by doing that my body responds great. Don't know why - but it works for me. Brendan said i look better than ever....that's why I love him!! So after weighing myself this morning I knew I could have that treat and had a scone. YUMMY! Tonight I get more treats and it's a full on cheat day!! Tomorrow back to business.... Posted by Picasa

Thursday, January 11, 2007

My CrossFit baby....

This is my favorite baby in the whole world - Dylan. Annie is her mom and the trainer who killed us this morning.....this is the best picture. I can't believe how big she is getting - sitting up alrready, smiling, laughing...her facial expressions are priceless. I remember when my children were this age - it seems so long ago, you almost forget. Next weekend Brendan and I will be traveling with Dylan and Annie to LA for the CrossFit Certification Seminar in OC. I get my level 2 cert and I am excited !!! Posted by Picasa

CrossFit women have balls!!!

Caitlyn, Heather, me, and Michele this morning for the 9am torture that Annie dished out.....
Here is goes :

1,000 meter row
100 sit ups with medicine ball (I used 12 pounds)
Repeat 3 times for time

I finished in 32:48 EXHAUSTED!! Even before the workout every part of me was sore - this has been a hard workout week and every major muscle group has been worked and taxed! I even toyed with the idea of just watching and not doing the workout - but i was so damn COLD, that the standing around part might have frozen me solid! I didn't push myself today, so technically this could have been concidered an "active rest" day....:)
I also ran 2 miles this morning at a moderate pace on Lilly, my treadmill. My knee was acting up a bit, so I didn't want to push it. Brendan had to be at work at 5am this morning and even though I don't need to be awake early today because I don't have a client early - he still likes to wake me up so I can keep him company while he gets ready. I don't mind - but it makes me feel tired the rest of the day. I watched 2 movies in bed after he left and did some paperwork before I decided to get my ass in gear and start running! I love the early morning the best - it's my favorite time of day - when all is still, and quiet. I can think best then...even better when I can run early- my mind gets clear. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately, and am trying to figure them all out and think positive....all I can do is feel the "now".....

Gotta get a 2 block meal in now - hope you al have a great day!!! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Pullups can be beyond painful!!!

Today's CrossFit workout :

sprint 100 meters
12 kettle bell swings
10 pullups

How many rounds can you get in 20 minutes ?

I managed to get in 9 rounds - 7 before my hand split open and blood gushed out. I pushed through it, but after 9 rounds I stopped. I also had to take it easy on the sprints - I ran hard, but didn't sprint. Brendan and I did this workout together, and he got 12 rounds!! He's so amazing!! Anyway - if you get the cuts like I did putting chalk into the ripped skin helps stop the bleeding so you can continue - just a little tidbit!!! I know, gross....:) Posted by Picasa

The Best Zone Recipe....

Here's the best Zone recipe that I make once a week - I LOVE it!! Give it a try and let me know what you think of it.....

Spicy Turkey Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce (I use Trader Joe's)
1 large onion
5 oz. shredded cheese - I use cheddar
5 reduced carb tortillas
hot sause to taste
salsa to taste
sour cream to taste
Directions :

spray skillet with non stick spray. Add onion and meat and cook until browned. Stir in half the can of enchilada sauce, and 2.5 ounces of the cheese. Remove from heat.

Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non stick spray. Divide the meat mixture evenly among the tortillas, and roll tightly placing them side by side in baking dish.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of rolls, then sprinkle with remaining 2.5 ounces of cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and edges of tortillas are browned.

Garnish with sour cream (for fat), salsa and hot sauce.

Recipe makes 5 servings, each with 3 blocks of protein, 3 blocks fat, and 2 blocks carbs. Serve with a side salad and extra sour cream.

ENJOY!!! WE DO!!!
 Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Running again!!!

So this morning I decided to give running a try since I have laid off all last week. IT FELT GREAT TO RUN AGAIN!!! I had a touch of discomfort, but ran slow on the treadmill and with my miniscus brace on. I went for 4.5 miles at a slooow 8 minute per mile pace. I was excited to be running and sweating. What a way to start the day off right for me!! After my run I iced and took some ibuprofen and rolled on the foam roller paying special attention to my right IT band.




Here's the CrossFit workout for the day :
Warm up run big loop (3/4 of a mile)
Burgner warm up with stick x3

How many rounds can you get in 20 minutes of :
12 power snatches (I used 38 pounds)
10 pushups

I got 8 rounds and it felt pretty hard. I started to loose my grip before I lost my strength.
Then I did weighted sit ups (see above picture) 10 reps x3 rounds. These are very challenging - give them a try!!

Overall, today's workout was great
Run 4.5 miles
96 power snatches at 38 pounds
80 push ups
30 weighted sit ups
 Posted by Picasa

Monday, January 08, 2007

Movin' on Monday...

So I still haven't run, and won't until maybe the end of this week, just to be safe. Yesterday I talked with Eva T (an awesome Xfit trainer here in SC) and she thinks I may just have a tight IT band from over training or over usage. She gave me some stretching/massaging exercises to do on the "tootsie roll" as i call it....or the torture roll is a better description! It really loosened up my IT band and I was able to walk without my knee getting "stuck"....so off to Play It Again Sports with my baby to buy one for home. I was told to repeat the exercises and ice every day...also take Ibuprofin and see if it helps. I am praying that it does :)

Here's the workout for today :
Row 1,000 meters warm up
stretches with the stick

Back squat 3x5
3 @ 95 pounds
3 @ 105 pounds
3 @ 115 pounds
3 @ 120 pounds
3 @ 125 pounds

Then I got to workout with my man after the above lifting phase. I weigh 106 pounds, so the 125 felt a little hard, but I could have kept adding weight - but still need to take it easy on the knee.
Here's the workout B and I did :
"Barbara"
20 pullups
30 pushups
40 situps
50 squats
5 rounds for time
I finished in a slow 21:45. I got all the pullups in a row without pausing until round 4. I felt a little fatigued after the back squats, but now I have a time to beat next time I do Barbara.
Have a great day !!! Posted by Picasa

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Suffering Together....

Todays workout at 9am was a tough one, but totally fun to suffer with everybody. I had to take it easy on the weight because of my knee, so I used body weight, 105 pounds, for the deadlifts. Here's the workout :
Warm Up:
Row 1,000 meters
stretches with pole...

Workout :
10 rounds 30 seconds of deadlifts followed by 30 seconds of push ups - 1 minute rest in between each round.

Rounds # deadlift + pushups held
1 26
2 25
3 25
4 23
5 24
6 24
7 24
8 24
9 25
10 25
TOTAL 245

Can U find me in the picture ??
Have a great day everybody.....go out and MOVE!!!
 Posted by Picasa

Friday, January 05, 2007

Back when I could run and SWEAT!!!

This pic was taken after a LONG hard run on Lilly. Man I miss running. BUT, I will run again soon and until then here's what I did today :

Warm up
row 1,000 meters
(warm up to find max at shoulder presses)
10 reps at 33 pounds
5 reps at 43 pounds
3 reps at 48 pounds
2 reps at 53 pounds
2 reps at 63 pounds
1 rep at 68 pounds (got it up with good form, but that was a max effort)

Workout :
WOD shoulder presses
5-5-5-5-5
used 53 pounds

Then later I did "Elizabeth" which was
21-15-9 reps of
cleans and ring dipps

I used 53 pounds (should have gone heavier, but am taking it easy on my knee)
did all legit ring dipps

TIME: 10:43
Tabata L sits alternated with pass throughs to hold

And then I called it a day!!!
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Dad in Training...

My man is so good with Dylan it makes my heart happy!! This is my favorite baby in the whole world, Dylan Kioko - her mom is a CrossFit trainer and teaches the 9am class with Brendan. She has started laughing out loud, and is almost sitting up by herself. She is awesome!!! Brendan loves to hold her and is so sweet with her :) It makes me love him even more (if that is possible) Posted by Picasa

CrossFit workout today....

Today I listened to all of my awesome readers and didn't run. It was hard, but I managed to do it. I headed to CrossFit to do a hard workout -

Warm up:
Row 750 meters
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
repeat 3 rounds

Workout:
50-40-30-20-10
double unders
kettlebell swings
box jumps
sit ups

I altered it a little by doing double unders with mainly my left leg, and stepping on the box instead of jumping. I went as fast as I could and finished first. I wanted to keep the pace quick since I couldn't run. Hope you all are having a great day!!! Posted by Picasa

What is Fit ???

This is from the CrossFit Journal....are you as fit as you think you are ????

GENERAL PHYSICAL SKILLS
If your goal is optimum physical competence
then all the general physical
skills must be considered:

1. Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance
- The ability of body systems to
gather, process, and deliver oxygen.

2. Stamina - The ability of body systems
to process, deliver, store, and
utilize energy.

3. Strength - The ability of a muscular
unit, or combination of muscular units,
to apply force.

4. Flexibility - the ability to maximize
the range of motion at a given joint.

5. Power - The ability of a muscular
unit, or combination of muscular units,
to apply maximum force in minimum
time.

6. Speed - The ability to minimize the
time cycle of a repeated movement.

7. Coordination - The ability to combine
several distinct movement patterns
into a singular distinct movement.

8. Agility - The ability to minimize
transition time from one movement
pattern to another.

9. Balance - The ability to control the
placement of the bodies center of
gravity in relation to its support base.

10. Accuracy - The ability to control
movement in a given direction or at a
given intensity.

(Ed. - Thanks to Jim Crawley
and Bruce Evans of Dynamax,
www.medicineballs.com\)

I HATE NOT RUNNING!!!

I took this picture yesterday so I could see what i look like. I have a problem sometimes with the way that I see myself. I think I'm WAY larger than I really am....and when I can't run my view of myself gets worse. It's been 4 days since I was able to run....really run....and my heart is breaking. Went to the doctors yesterday and he thinks I have a miniscus tear on my right knee - if he's right, I will need surgery to repair it. That means crutches, and out of running for at least 4 weeks. 4 WEEKS!!!! You've got to be fucking kidding me!!! Obviously he doesn't know what those words did to me - I broke down and cried in his office. Without running - I don't know what i am. I already have been struggling with the fact that I haven't been competing like I normally do because of all the events of the past year made it hard for me to focus on those things. My pace has slowed, and I have been having aches and pains that made it hard to really push myself like I used to. If I need surgery that means another Boston will pass me by. I've missed going to Boston 2 years in a row - even though I have qualified. My heart was set on running it this year as fast as I could with a new PR....3 hours. Unless you run with your heart I don't think you understand what that means to me. A large part of what makes me me is the fact that I run....it's a spiritual thing for me. I run with a huge smile on my face - I feel free. I work things out in my mind while passing miles, I breathe in the ocean air, I push myself and it makes me feel good about who I am. Nothing makes me feel like running does .......nothing. I am trying to remain positive and see the good side of it. But nothing jumps out at me at the moment. Today I am tempted to get on Lilly and "jog" for a while just so that I can feel like me again, but I know that will ultimately make it worse for me. Besides, the doctor could be wrong, right ? I get another MRI done hopefully next week so he can have a look at my knee and with good luck maybe I won't need surgery - just a little break. I'm going to CrossFit today to do a hard workout and maybe that will make me feel better. Brendan and I were supposed to be filmed doing a workut against eachother this Sunday at the track - we had to cancel. PLEASE SEND YOUR PRAYERS TO ME TO GET BETTER - I really want to race against him :) Anyways, that's my sob story for today....I will keep you posted. Oh, I can control what I eat, right ? So if I can't run like normal then I will stick to the Zone even more strictly so I don't get large. :) Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Training Jacob....

I planned on working out with my man today at 10:00, but he had a client at the last minute, so I ended up torturing Jacob and myself instead....here's the workout :

row 1,000 meters
rest 2 minutes
50 thrusters (45# 1st round, 35# last 2 rounds)
rest 2 minutes
30 pullups
rest 2 minutes

*times 3 rounds*
Man it was an ass kicker and super hard when I am using mainly my left leg since my right hurts. Thanks to Jacob who helped me get through the last round of thrusters when I was obviously done....and all the other times he screamed at me ;) I managed to scream back at him and helped him get the bitch done. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to train with B - I hope so- it's my ultimate favorite thing to do :) Oh - Annie jumped in and tortured herself with the workout as well.....she kicked ass like usual. Posted by Picasa