Brian MacKenzie, Mike Collins me and Carl.....all from Genetic Potential and Orange County Multi Sport. Wish me luck as I give my training to Brian and develop correct running form. Boston - here I come!!! Thanks guys for getting me back out on the road that I love so much.....it's like I was born again or something - silly I know - but it sure feels like I was asleep for a year and just came out of that.....
Turns out I run like SHIT! This weekend was life changing for me. I have been suffering from pain and because of that pain can't compete - which I love to do. After just one weekend at Genetic Potential with Brian MacKenzie and Mike Collins - I have learned the proper running form and in turn can run with ZERO pain. I'm telling you - these men are amazing ! What they teach will make you a faster runner and it feels effortless! Check out Brian at Cross Fit Newport Beach or google Genetic Potential...I'm now his athlete and am learning what he knows......so I can bring it to you!!!
My kids are the best things I have on Earth (besides Brendan of course) We have gone through so much and our relationships get stronger and stronger. They were amazing in Newport. They saw how excited I was to learn and to try the new techniques and they cheered me on each day.....love you guys!
My daughter and son went to the endurance cert with me this past weekend. I was excited to take them along....we were going to drive, but at the last minute flew there....I HATE to fly, but with my kids with me it was easy :)
This is me and my running partner Emily at the Spirit of the Marathon movie. man talk about inspiring!! We had some great laughs and remembered our marathon experience together....I walked away from that movie excited to start up racing again.....to get healthy, injury free and to train hard to reach my goals. I knew the Endurance & Running Certification in Newport Beach was the following weekend and perfect timing. I can't wait to see what's in store for me in Newport !! I have a special bond with Emily. We met at 24 hour Fitness in like the year 2000 I think ? I was getting ready to run the 199 mile Providian Relay with my team and needed another runner. Emily looked like she was a runner and so I walked up to her and asked her if she wanted to race with my team - the rest is history! No matter how much time goes by until we see eachother - it's always as though time stood still and we start up where we left off. That's what a real friend is. She is now a lawyer - and we plan to start up our runs together again :)
Last week we all went to dinner with Mads, his wife Jeni their son Rasmus, Annie, Jake and Dylan (my favorite baby in the whole world). It was a fun night! Mads and Jen came all the way from sweden to train with Annie and Brendan. Some people vacation to see places - CrossFitters vacation to see other CrossFit boxes and train with HQ trainers. I think that's incredible! Bacl to eating good - training hard - and starting this year off right.
Taking Tracy's lead I have been getting my food prepared for the day when given the time. It's a challenge to find the time. I find that I can pack my kids' lunches, my man's lunch but when it comes to me - it's harder for me to do. I know - I need to make myself FIRST - that's one of my things to change for this year.
Thursday while I taught the young kids 3:30 class - my kids and their friends practiced their handstands, rop climbs and boxing techniques. They got pretty good! The hard part was trying to snap a pic while they were all locked out! That's my son Brandon on the end trying to get back into a handstand - this was the best pic where they were almost up at the same time....sorry B! Check out how ripped Jacob's abs are! He did a dual rope climb with no legs....using his arms he alternated pulls while being between 2 ropes....got almost all the way to the top too!! Talk about a Kick ass CrossFitter in the near future. He even almost got a muscle up first day on the rings. Nice job!!
My question today to you is ....do you believe in Karma ? Or what about what goes around comes around ? Or more like what Jesus taught ...do unto others as you'd have done to you ? I never used to believe in Karma - I thought if you were a nice person with a good loving heart that's all that mattered. But I am starting to think that if you put negative things out into the universe - somehow they find their way back to you. Maybe in order to teach you the lesson of what it felt like when you did it, or said it to another human being. WOW...that was a little deep, I know. I am learning. Learning lessons that my eyes used to be completely closed to a few years ago. I define myself as a nice person, with a loving heart. If you are sad I want to help. I am always there for my friends to listen to or help any way I possibly can. I've been know to open my wallet, my house everything I own to somebody in need. But I haven't always been the nicest warmest human I should be or can be to those closest to me. Make sense ? I have heard that you are always harder on those you love.....I guess this rang true in my life. The past 2 years I have been working hard on correcting that - and at the same time grow as a person by learning from my mistakes. My fault is that in my learning and growing I tend to shut down and close off. I don't know any other way. This is the number one personality trait that I absolutley loathe in myself. The prison I lock myself in when I feel faced with the pain that I once dished out. This is a little personal, but hey - maybe this will touch somebody out there who is feeling the same way. I know God is refining me. Being refined in fire - BURNS. It hurts, stings, and is uncomfortable. I have studied the Bible enough years to know when it is happening to me - even when like I said the other day - we ignore what's happening and look the other way. God's the potter and I am the clay. He's molding me shaping me - stretching me. It's painful and I have never cried so much in my entire life as I have the past 2 years. I hold on to the knowlesge that HE knows what he's doing - I have to be strong and open up to the lessons - the stretching. Breathe - shari - Breathe....... Oh...I thinnk I should say that everything is fine in my relationship with Brendan. We are together, in love just like always. I'm just thinking about me and learning is all. It's good to take personal inventory every year and learn from mistakes.
Since deciding to eat more veggies in my diet it's been great! I love veggies anyway - but now I am making sure to get more during the day and not just at my dinner meal. This salad was for lunch and it's a 4 block (This was the one I prepared for Brendan. Mine was a 2 blocker) and had spinach, romaine, white beans, red peppers, tomatoes, grilled chicken and marcona almonds. YUMMY!! Oh yea, also celery and avocado. I feel better, leaner, stronger and just know that I am doing my body good eating this way.
So yesterday I had something kinda cool and kinda strange at the same time happen to me.... First off I believe there is a God and that He has a plan for each of us. I also believe that He talks to us even when we try to close our ears to His voice and go our own way and make our own decisions based on what WE want. I hear Him as a whisper or a feeling - left ignored the whispers turn to yells and He usually will put me in uncomfortable situations to face whatever it is I am avoiding or ignoring. So - that being said I have been trying to think of a way to get back to church and to get back ultimately to faith. Yesterday I ran into a friend from church who I was not really looking forard to seeing because I feared judgement, cold shoulder...whatever you want to say. I ran into this person in a doctors office so I couldn't really just leave .....and all I saw in her eyes for me was love. It really struck my heart because i didn't think her, of all people, would treat me warmly. Anyway- it felt really nice and I know God put her in my path as a sort of sign that I am loved. Who doesn't like to feel that ?
Happy 2008 to everybody. Brendan and I woke up New Years Day and took a walk down the street to the beach. It was gorgeous outside! When we got back I made us a great healthy breakfast with plenty of fresh veggies. We decided to take the day off of working out since we were still pretty sore from the workout the day before.....