HEROS, EVA, and Idaho's lovely weather...

SO in CrossFit there are these special WODs called Hero WODS. They are named after soliders that were killed in the war. Sometimes when you look at the WOD you think oh thats not too bad, but you should never EVER think that. They are ALWAYS bad. ALWAYS. Well they are a good workout, they just are brutal. Last Friday I did one named Eva, which I have done before.

Eva is:
5 rounds
800m run
30 KB swings (53#)
30 pullups

Pretty awesome (this is me being positive!) Actually it was alot easier this go around. I didnt write down my time last time I did it but my time this time was 44:35. It felt a lot better. I think its the pullups. Im a runner so the 800 arent horrible, even though it was only 19 degrees!!! brrrrrr. Mentally Ive struggled with pullups before in other WODS and I think I feel more comfortable doing 10-12 in a row now, and that helped make this WOD go by a lot faster. The 53 lb. Kettlebell swings were great! (once again me being postive....and mabe a tiny bit sarcastic).

Bobby and I started this new thing this month where we are both trying to be positive about CF WODS. As you can read from above it can be difficult to do. When you get done with a WOD, and your lungs are on fire, you have a stitch in your side, your hands are ripped/bleeding from the bar, or you have rope burns on your shins it can be challenging to say something positive about what you just did. I love CrossFit though and I want to keep loving it so I think it's important to associate it with positive thoughts vs. negative ones.

Today I ran 4.76 miles with my running buddy and great friend Jeanette. Boise has an awesome greenbelt that goes forever! . But IT WAS COLD. It was 21 degrees, which isnt THAT cold but I think running along the river makes it feel quite chilly! My face had that burn for about a mile and I never quite settled into the run because I dont think I ever warmed up! hahaha Better get use to it though because Idaho has lonnnng winters. There is this half marathon called Race to Robie Creek that I am doing in April. I ran it two years ago and am gearing up to begin the training again. Jeanette is the best training partner! Robie is 8 miles up hill, 5 miles down. It is a CHALLENGE. Im curious to see if my time improves because I wasnt doing CrossFit last time I trained and ran this race. The most challenging part of doing Robie, I think, is the training. Tons of hill runs, in the dead of winter. Tough stuff. Im curious to see how I feel and will keep posting about my Robie training adventures!

If you are reading this you probably know what CrossFit is or have at least heard of it. Ive been doing CrossFit for almost three years now. I love it! Its the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but also the most rewarding. I decided to start this blog so I can keep track of my WODs and so I can share CrossFit articles, information, and even recipes! :)

So for my first post Ill be posting my WOD from earlier today.

AMRAP in 20 minutes
250 m row
25 push ups

score: 5 rounds plus 100m

Now push ups have always been a challenge for me. Since last spring I made a commitment to myself to always do push ups with full range of motion in every workout no matter how long it takes me to do them. I even get to the point towards the end of the WOD where I have to do one at a time but Ive seen significant improvement over the last 6 months in my push up abilities and now keeping good form and touching my chest on every push up has become easier to do. Its still a little disheartening to look around the gym and see dudes not touching their chest though! HAHA :)

Tonight Ill be back at the gym doing some squats with Bobby (my boyfriend, who is also addicted to CF). We are starting a Russian squat strength program this week. Bobby is very dedicated to CrossFit. Its not just about working out for him. He has a very clean diet, he folows the Paleo diet. He is good about stretching, sleep, and taking care of sore muscles. He has been such a positive influence on me! Doing CrossFit requires a significant amount of protein intake and I dont reallllly like meat much. I didnt eat it for 8 months this year. I started eating it just because I felt like I wasn't getting any stronger. Bobby has been really good about coming up with good paleo recipes and grilling chicken, buffalo, and even salmon on the grill for me! I definitlely didn't eat as clean or healthy as I did before I met Bobby. I don't follow paleo as strictly as he does. I still eat some dairy and grains, like oatmeal and the occcassionalll cookie/cake/chocolate that is placed in front of me :D

The other night we grilled cucumbers (weird, I know) with olive oil and then put fresh mint over top. It was delicious!