Get into the Games!

You all know I love the Games Fever, and 'tis the season.
Some of you have jumped into a competition, others are considering participating in their first via the Open.

Lemme tell ya ~ Just Do It!

Bring $10 and show up. Give it your all. Whatever you have that day. It does not matter how prepared you feel, how competitive you will be. Just be there. And get sweaty. CrossFit is an amazing community. Competitions are one more element. You deserve to feel completely involved.

And, just so ya know, it is not just me that is a competition junkie knowing full well that I will not be standing on a podium at the end, read this!

Why I participate in CrossFit Competitions

• You do get a T-Shirt.
  


• I am not a competitor, yet. I am unstoppable! My showing up meant there is no such thing as failure. You just have to do YOUR best!


• I know I can’t if I don’t even try.


• I cannot think of a better reason to do 4 workouts in one day.


• Being last in a group this amazing is FINE by me!
  
• Is there a good reason not to? Ha! As if?!?

• It is a challenge. I happen to like a challenge.


• It makes other WODs easier. Knowing that I participated in the physical goat rodeo of the GLI gives me a boost of confidence at the end of any workout.


• I get to watch a lot of other people get sweaty and learn from them.


• I like knowing you were too scared to even try. Yeah, I just said that.


• The Events are amazing – what else amazes you these days?!?


• The camaraderie of the competitors. Good sportsmanship abounds.


• Seeing CF in action – the physical work output is a mind-gasm!


• Seeing CF in action – Yep! This philosophy does work for everyone, even me!


• Because I have a gym crush on April Garner and you can bet your butt she will be competing in the competition.


• The spectators at the Competition relish hard work. They will do these WOD’s later on their own because they are jealous they have not done it yet. But, I did!


• This guy summarizes it pretty well. So, What He Said!


• The other cool kids are doing it. Other 180 folks are starting to catch the Competition Fever.


• Because Brad Garner is my CrossFit Coach and he told me to live life as Rx’d. He says I have passion. That is pretty damn cool!


• Because Amanda Miller can’t anymore. That is one Epic Fail thanks to Melanoma!
  This list was inspired by a Catalyst Gym Blog Post referenced by CFHQ main page.
  

‘Tis the season for Resolutions

If you spend the slightest amount of time in front of the Televsion, you will notice that it is time to come up with the obligatory list of New Year's Resolutions. It is time to:

Welll... hrmpf! I don’t do Resolutions. To me they are a kissing cousin to a Diet. Kissing a cousin is poor form, and I hate diets. Diets are a short term change from your traditional food plan, that will make adjustment in order for you to hit a goal. I am all for goals. I am big supporter of you hitting your goals. But, that should be a lifestyle. Not a temporary plan. We deserve to consistently succeed. We do not deserve to succeed, go back to our traditional food plan, and then NEED to Diet again. To me, that has FAIL written all over it. I think, instead, your food plan should meet your goals. And your goals should be aligned with the lifestyle you want. And, I bet you want to succeed.

Resolutions, to me at least, are the same as a Diet. Generally they are a flouncy idea built upon some brief thought about the previous year and its disappointments or failures, and then BAM, the list of resolutions is born. Gah! That can’t be good.

I even went to Wikipedia, they agreed with my stance. “Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set, such as, a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends. Despite each goal having its own specific rewards and challenges, there are deep commonalities in the mindsets which start change."

I found a link to an interesting post that applies well to people who are interested in setting good goals rather than temporary New Year’s Resolutions. I liked the point made about not just pondering What you want to accomplish, but also Why you do. And, that we should consider What and Why we have accomplished so far. Hmmm… that IS some smarty pants stuff!

• What did you do in 201o? Why?

• What do you want to do in 2011? Why?

When thinking about those goals, continue to use the SMART acronym that many of us have seen before but add in the Why to the mix.

I hope you enjoy the process of establishing some goals, planning to succeed, and them reaching them! I would like to encourage you to go one step further. Consider how empowering it will be to your 2012 goals when you meet the 2011 goals.

Cheers!

From fat to fit ~ it is so much more than physical

January 2009 I decided to lose weight. I knew I was unhealthy. The litany of health concerns were strikingly like that of an unaware 68 year old woman and no longer something I could ignore or excuse.

Elevated blood pressure – to the extent that Emergency Room visits occurred at least twice.

Elevated Triglycerides and Cholesterol. My blood literally appeared fatty

instead of clear and fluid. Gross!

Chronic dizziness. 2 car wrecks, walking into walls, multiple stops by police, and falling down at work. Not fun.

Chronic ankle swelling controlled by medication

Insomnia

Elevated blood sugar Decreased self esteem a generally crappy attitude and a self imposed level of stress that was sad.

For me to even spend the night out of town for one evening required an entire bag of medications that could have competed with most drug stores.

My doctors were polite enough about it. Not one of them ever said, “if you would just loose the weight” about resolving any of the concerns. No, they never said anything all that helpful. Instead, they prescribed medications and made more appointments. That was not really working, so instead I made appointments for myself at the gym.

The group I was working out with was varied. Some had physical injuries to tend to, some had emotional fears to get past, some were just trying to figure it all out. I was one of them. How had this happened? How had I gone from a spry 16 year old that played volleyball with enthusiasm, dated and had a fun circle of friends; to a wandering 20 something, US Amy Reservist, curious about what life would have in store for me; to a scared 30 something, knowing that I had somehow lost track of my strong suits and now literally wore very large suits.

From January 2009 – May 2009 I worked out as if my life depended on it, and I do think that it did. I was on a mission. I even had family come into town on surprise visits and would simply NOT skip a workout while they were here to share time with me. They were gracious; they respected that I had a lot going on with school, work, and my dedication to get healthy. But, the fact that I had gotten myself into such a mess spoke volumes, and still no one really said how far I had gone off track.

May 2009 came and the folks I had been working out with were faced with the opportunity to make one amazing change. We had the chance to stop working out and instead get CrossFit. Huh?

By then I was no longer taking the medication for blood pressure or for fluid retention. I had not yet learned a thing about my food choices, but I had gained a return to joy in JamieLand. I was finding that sweat was actually good for you, injuries were not a reason to not work out, and a committment to yourself is incredibly important.

So, this CrossFit thing came up. And I jumped in. I learned that being strong is not really impressive to me. Nor is the ability to run and run and run and run long distances. But, being fit is amazing! The chance to be strong AND be able to run long distances would prove to be invaluable. Turns out that CrossFit would rehab me right out of the majority of the dizzy spells far better than the drugs or therapy had done.

But, still, I had this thing with food. Ok, I have a big thing with food. When I am bored, or lonely, or stressed, or happy, or sleepy, I eat. Nachos are the best thing ever intented. They fill my tummy and my heart. While I was happier and healthier, the next key for me to turn would be my relationship with food.

And so, since September 2009 I have been working on that. Nachos will always have a place in my heart, but not in my hands. At least not every other day. It turns out that, at least for me, being fat was not the worst thing in the world. The worst thing was NOT being fit, not having my own self respect, not understanding why I chose the foods that I did, why I sometimes ate without even making that action a choice, and not knowing how foods impact my mood, and my health. It is amazing to me that I could actually lose 40 pounds, and then when hit with one too many life challenges, actually permit myself to gain all of that back. Clearly, I had had successes or I would not have lost that 40, but had missed out on something key. Food. It is a key, for me. Some people battle alcohol, some people battle with faith, I battle with food.

We all have a burden. Not everyone has CrossFit. For me, CrossFit has been more than just physical. It has been an amazing learning curve. It has taught me about measuring successes, being honest about your efforts, and that working out is better for us than just well defined abs or biceps popping out of your short sleeved shirt. It is about community, and team work, and change. We may all be seeking different changes - increased strength, decreased body fat, increased cardio capacity, etc. I am looking for all of that, and more. And, because I am looking for it within the CrossFit community, I will find it. And in the mean time I will continue to learn more about food, how it impacts me and my health, and I will continue to post recipes for you to try.

Given the way food impacts me, the recipes I try out are foods that serve me well. They do not generally include sugars or dairy. Until I get my blood lipds and sugars under control and my wishy washy relationship with food is more consistent, I am going to enjoy learning about what the alternatives are that leave me feeling full and proud of what I just ate.

What are you hungry for? Don't think just food, think about what fuels you, your inner athlete, your level of satisfaction with yourself. I am willing to bet that for each of us, getting fit involves far more than just NOT being fat and are not solely related to the amount of time we spend in the gym.

When it comes to CrossFit, there is nothing ‘mini’ about it…

So, many of us 180 gals did the 2010 Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon. Other than the fact that I am still very curious about why none of our tough guys did it, I was curious about some other things.

Why did those girls go for it?

What did they have to gain from the experience?

What did they sacrifice along the way?

I went into the challenge knowing full well that my body was not ready and that I hate running. That was exactly why I wanted to do it. Some would say that is backwards. CrossFit says otherwise. We intentionally do things that others wouldn’t do. And, in my opinion, that IS what makes CrossFit folks ‘better’. We ARE fitter than most folks because we do not look at physical fitness on a single level. To us, it is about the ability to do all of the following:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As it stands now, I don’t have all of those things down pat, so I did that half marathon thing. But, just finishing the event does not mean I am done. I have to keep trying to be a better runner. It improves many of my weak points. It makes me fitter. The idea was to take myself completely out of my comfort zone and finish the darned thing. And, I can tell ya, I don’t think there is anything MINI about a half marathon. No matter how miserable it was running in the evenings after CF180 wods, no matter how windy it was that morning of the actual mini marathon, etc... I am really glad I have the sense of accomplishment that came from crossing the Finish Line.

CrossFit folks do other things to improve their overall fitness. CrossFit even encourages this via other ‘branches’ (CrossFit Endurance and CrossFit Football). I think most CrossFit coaches believes you should not focus solely on CrossFit. The idea is for that your workouts be constantly varied after all. Participate in a volleyball league, run around town, go hiking, whatever. Just Get Fit.

Get Completely Fit. There are two questions to ask yourself. What are your weak points and then how can you beat them down? Go over that list above and see what you are weakest on. You might think you have a good handle on all of them. Hey, Congrats! But, there is probably something on that list that either you hate or are not as good at. Now you have identified the weakness. Now, get to work.

The amazing competitors of the CrossFit Games understand the benefits of overall fitness - people like April Garner. More on her and the competition later... It was amazing!

Posts coming up: CrossFit Regionals wrap up, Food Labels, another visit to the important idea of Rest and Rest Days, being in The Zone, and why Peanuts should only be consumed as a Comic Strip and not your mouth. What else do ya want to hear about?

2010 CrossFit Sectionals Qualifier for the Central East Regionals

Some people do not realize that CrossFit can also be defined as a sport. Outside of our daily WOD’s, rest, injury management, and Food Plans, there is this amazing thing that happens in July in Aramos, Californa called the CrossFit Games. Each year the Games get bigger and better, and the winner is crowned the Fittest Person on Earth. They actually have two crowns, one for women and one for men.

CrossFit 180 has their own little queen, as if you did not know. April Garner has been busy preparing her body for the Sectionals and I got to watch her compete at the Central East Sectional Qualifier against athletes from Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Ohio at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH on Sunday, March 7. I did not get to walk around and see much of what was going on at the Classic, I just focused on the CrossFit piece. That was cool enough, I did not need anything else to try to keep track of.

Saturday, March 6 was the morning of the Indy 500 Festival Mini Marathon 10k training run. So, I did that run, dashed home to shower and pack an overnight bag and headed East to grab some sleep before April’s big day. The day was huge, on so many levels. Pretty much anyone was welcome to register and participate in the first three workouts. If you had physically survived and done well enough you got to participate in the fourth workout. The TOP 20 ladies TOP 20 men get to go to Regionals.

I got to the facility just in time to see the area with the equipment set up and give April a big ole hug. The place was amazing. The spectator set up was not perfect, but the equipment that the athletes were going to be using was awesome, and that is the part that counted the most. Rogue Fitness provided a snappy set up.


WOD 1 - Sandbag Relay Sprint, for Time!
Ok, that title really does not do the work justice.
Start facing forward, turn around, pick up the first Sandbag, sprint to the other side, sprint back, pick up the sandbag and sprint to drop it off, etc. Each sandbag got heavier as they worked through the pile, as their legs became more and more fatigued. They had to shoulder the sandbag prior to starting their sprint. It was more than ‘keep moving’, they had to work smart and not make mistakes with their feet.
I was so nervous for her. The first workout heat was to start at about 8 am, but the men went first, so the ladies had to wait for what felt like forever to get going. They had a little area off to the side where the athletes could warm up. They had weights and Concept 2 Rowers and some elbow room to do some air squats and stretch. Many athletes were running warm up sprints in the convention center lobby.



During the workout many tripped, in fact many tripped multiple times. Some were so destroyed by this first workout, they just could not continue through the day. Groin pulls and hamstring tears were just a few of the injuries. April did not like her score after this workout. She walked it off, talked it out, and kept going like the machine we know that she is.



Event First place finisher time – 01:13
April’s time – 1:27

WOD 2 - Burpee, Deadlift.
7 Reps - Deadlift #155 - 11 Reps - Weighted Vest Burpees 15LB - 5 Rounds For Time!
We all know that April loves a Burpee and she is fond of a DeadLift too. But, try doing the Burpee with a weight vest. Holy cow, and Wow! Again, aside from the fatigue they were fighting, the weight vest is tricky. You can get it tight so that it does not flop into your head each time you drop for the Burpee, but then you cannot breathe to do the DeadLift.
Of course, April did really well in this. As strange as it sounds, I think she started to feel better with this one out of the way.



Event First place finisher time – 03:48
April’s time – 06:01
Her time was so competitive she moved up in the overall standings. Nice Job April!!


At some point before the third Workout Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up. It was pretty cool and funny when someone in the crowd yelled “You can DO IT!”. Sorry 'bout the phone in the pic... you take what you can get. ;)

WOD 3
Row 500M - 15 Reps OHS 65LB - Row 500M - 15 Reps Toes to Bar - 2 Rounds for Time!

April found a great rhythm for this one. She seemed to be in a zone and nothing was going to stop her. Obviously, she does not get to Row very often so this was a huge challenge for her. But, she toughed it out, did her very best and did well enough to continue progressing up in the standings so she was In for WOD 4!

Event First place finisher time –11:43
April’s time – 14:53

WOD 4 – The Final WOD
15-12-9 of Clean & Jerk (105#) / Pullup, Chest to Bar / Box Jump / Followed by one Sled Pull

Seriously, this had to suck on an epic level. April was wore out. She was sweating wet, but shivering because of the craziness of the day. Everyone was exhausted by then. 3 workouts already in one day, then this?!? Even the Event Judges seemed to be on edge. The crowd had thinned out as some competitors took their toys and went home since they did not get to proceed to the final WOD. Worked out great for us, that got us in better position to cheer on April.

My goodness, she rocked it. We yelled, we screamed and remembered to breathe once in a while. We jumped up and down and stood in awe when it was over. I cannot imagine doing that Sled Pull after all of the work she had done, but of course she pulled with all of her might and secured her slot at CrossFit Games Central East Regional.

Event First place finisher time –8:52
April’s time – 13:25

I have a cool video of April's final workout, but I cannot get it to upload now. If I can figure out what this techno tard is doing wrong, I will upload it for you all.

It was a long ride home that night; there was so much to think about. The idea that someone can accomplish completing all of those workouts in just one day was amazing. Add to that the idea that you are competing and so completing is not enough. But, it was not even that simple. Sure, you had your Heat to compete against and maybe that adrenaline would push you through. But, there were other Heats. To sit and watch others compete was a blessing and a curse. There was no way to control that outcome. What if your Heat was relatively slow? Then maybe you had less of a competitive advantage. April found a way to get this done on her own. Yeah, we cheered and we screamed and we wanted the best for her. Not just the few of us that got to travel over, but all of you who knew what was going on. But, in all reality, April did this amazing thing with her own strength and guts. And, she did it really well.

Thanks to Brad, April, and Brent B. for including me in on the fun. Next up for April is the Central East Regional. I think that you should all take the weekend of May 8 and 9, head to Logan, OH, and get your scream on. I know April would love to see more familiar faces in the crowd, and I am certain the experience will amaze you! I will be running the Mini Marathon in downtown Indy that morning, so I figure I better run quick so I don’t miss out any of the fun at Regionals!

I hate that I did not get better pictures of April, but the spectator area just did not lend itself well for that and she is too darned fast for my camera. I can only hope that this blog post somehow described how incredibly cool it was see what these athletes did, what CrossFit 180 April Garner did, and how hard she worked mentally and physically to make it Regionals. You go girl! The next time you see April wearing her Sectionals T Shirt, give her a pat on the back. That thing might not have diamonds on it, but it is prettier than any crown ever worn!

The only way to win is to do more work faster. Oh yeah, that's April!

For those who do not get to watch at Regionals, be sure to become a Fan of CrossFit 180 and Friend Jamie on FaceBook. I will keep the updates coming as best I can like I did for Sectionals. If I do get to talk to April, I will forward along all of your well wishes until you get to see her again.

2010 CrossFit Road Trip ~ 1385 Miles of Smiles

When two gals spend 6 days in one car with 4 pieces of luggage, 2 lap top bags, 2 coolers, countless bags of groceries and attempt 8 workouts, stuff happens. Most of it is good, some of does not go as planned, and with the right attitude it all turns out funny. While our plan was to get through the workouts, it turned out we had fun getting lost, getting frustrated, getting stuck in car washes, and getting stuck in traffic. Here are just some of the things that happened along the way, in no particular order:

Hotel Location?
The maps were printed, hotel location identified, and nesting was definitely needed before the next workout. So, we arrived at said location. But, hmm… it had a different name than the one in memory. Umm… Oh, wait! Well, yeah. See, we wanted to stay at that hotel, but they had no open rooms. So, the reservation was for a room 20 miles away. But, the maps had not been updated. Whoops! Got cell phone navigation?

Car Wash
Ok, really? It is not the first time at this rodeo. But this time, it took three trips through the car wash to actually complete a wash rinse and dry cycle. For pity sake. We both just wanted to be in the hotel, use the bathroom and get ready for the next work out, but no… it just could not be quite as easy as entering the Wash Code and proceeding into the automatic car wash. I get it, this was a CrossFit Road Trip. We were supposed to do this by hand, and for time. Yeah, that’s it.

CannonBall!
The hotel that we did have a reservation for and did end up finding after the car wash fiasco had a hot tub. Halelujah! And, it was warm and bubbly. And, there was an indoor pool. Hmm… wonder how cold the indoor pool would feel compared to the hot tub? I dare ya. Cannonball. On 3. or just after you say 3? I still did not believe Amanda would actually go for it. I figured she was pranking me, ‘cause she would. But, apparently not when it comes to a cannonball. Woot! I did jump, just a second late, when I saw how big her splash was, I had to make mine even better. I think she won.

De Pants-ing
Jamie’s mom and dad’s house is always fun.

This time was Amanda’s first time there, and we are pretty sure she will be invited back. And, Jamie’s twin sister was there too. John and Jeanne named her Christi when she was born. But, all in fun, she has been called many other things. She is a prankster. We were all standing in the kitchen while mom cooked up some sort of yummy vittles. Christi, thinking she is all cool, decides she should de pants Jamie. It did not work. Ha! I keep those gym pants tied when around Christi, I am wise to her shenanagins. Of course, Christi being the persistent one, and not caring that she has just met Amanda, goes in for a second attempt. With a shuffle and a sashe she strikes. But, FAIL. Instead of landing a successful tug, Christi landed flat on her back, with Amanda’s pants still in place. Sock feet and a hard wood floor make for slippery slope. It had the makings of a Saturday Night Live Skit ending with “Super Star!”

Snotty Communication
Both Amanda and Jamie had some nasty head cold going on. Sniffle and snort, bless you, cough, ugh, and blehk were a constant piece of our communication. But, we laughed a lot too. We were sick, but we had a sense of humor about it all. Good thing. At some point along the way, one was driving and the other was adjusting in the seat while trying to say something. But, instead the driver got snotted on. Ok, good that we are friends! Driver, "Here honey, need a tissue?" Passenger, "No, not now. But, now you do!" Driver, "Oh my gosh, you snotted me!"

Jamie Cheats on her Food Plan, and has some seriously ugly hair
Jamie had just told Amanda that she should NOT eat any of those pastries. The picture of the cinnamon roll enterring her mouth with that stellar hair do on her head says it all. Busted!

Maybe the new hair dryer will come in handy...


Dog Barking = Cheerleading
Jamie is scare of dogs. It comes from a dog incident years ago, and she makes it worse than it is. But, that is Jamie. Jamie has a brother who is engaged. The couple has a dog. Molly is a pit bull. Molly is a pretty girl.

Jamie is a scaredy cat. Literally, there were not enough furniture or floor space that could separate us. But, Jamie did try. Matt and Jamie found some quiet time and introduced Molly to Jamie and Jamie did not have a full on melt down.

When we could not find an open gym on Sunday, we headed to mom and dad’s basement. Matt’s fiancée, Jo Ellen, joined us. Yay! Molly came too. Molly was so concerned for Jo. Tabata is tough. Jo is tougher. Molly was vocal. Very vocal. It was loud and proud. At first, Jamie was scared to death and just kept working. Jamie eventually realized that the dog was cheering on Jo.


Beer Trucks and Steak Trucks
After workout 5, nothing sounded better than a hearty meal, a cold beer, and a massage. Driving down the road, still panting from the previous workout, it was there… right in front of us. A truck full of steaks.


And, then, the Beer Truck. It was like a mirage. Sort of. It was real, but not to be. No matter if we honked, or flashed our lights, we were surely not gonna get served. At the time, licking the side of either truck sounded like a good idea.


Stinky feet
There is something to be said for the land of lotions and potions that girls emerge from smelling like the wonderful women that we are. Then, there is the other side of the coin. Well, the other side of the foot maybe.

And, it is awful. When the phrase was exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, Febreeze your feet!” it was a fair statement. Given that the moment occurred in the car, it was just not fair. “Is that really your feet!?!”. I think we had about two more hours to drive. While the situation was certainly naturally occurring, the only solution was a shower and the disposal of those shoes, never to be worn again.

John Mayer ~ Off tune, too
You know how John Mayer makes funny faces while he sings, but we try to ignore it ‘cause he is a talented musician? Well, the same thing goes for what your face does while picking up heavy stuff. That is what full on effort looks like, baby!

We are both pretty glad that no one caught our renditions of Girl Scout Camp Songs or the Colbie Caillait Concert.

And, all the while the car told the tale of our journey.

Next blog post will include Jamie’s summary of the CrossFit Sectionals. I know that there is just no way I can put into words the coolness that it was, but I am willing to give it a shot. Posts that are coming up after that one: The importance of rest and sleep, Peanuts, Food Labels, and Where I get my Info From. What else do you want to read about?

CrossFit Road Trip ~ WOD 8, The Final WOD

For those of you not in the know, WOD is workout of the day. It was only fitting that this gem of a trip would end where it all began for Amanda and I - with CrossFit 180 at Lebanon Sports and Fitness. This trip was about so much more than the number of air squats or total pounds picked up. It was mentally draining, physically fatiguing and down right crazy.

We showed up, just in the nick of time for the final workout of the trip. We were exhausted and scared to death that we would not be able to finish it, no matter what it was.

With one final slam of the brakes and set of air squats to warm up, it was on.

180 WOD, 03-01-10

30 seconds Wall Ball

30 seconds Box Jump

Rest One Minute

10 Rounds, track your total.

Jamie:

Wall Ball, 10 lb for first 5 Rounds, 12 lb for last 5 Rounds - 130

Bleacher Step Ups - 131

Amanda:

Wall Ball, 10 lb - 143

Bleacher Step Ups - 131

And then, Let The Bodies Hit the Floor!

Lessons Learned:

It is time for a great big shout out to CrossFit 180. We don't know how you guys have done it, but the formula here is perfect. We saw alot of cool equipment while out on the road and we got some amazing feedback. But, with all of that said, we like our home gym the best. One thing that no gym has got on the 180 is the people. We missed you all terribly. Working out with each of you is an honor, and we just can't wait to sweat with ya again.

We went into this workout thinking it was the Final WOD. But, we realize now that it certainly is not. Life continues, WOD's will continue to face us, and we will continue to do our very best with each and every one.

The funny thing is, after it was all said and done, we both just want to do it again, Harder. And so, we will. Who is up for a 2011 CrossFit 180 RoadTrip? Sound off peeps, let me know what you would want to do, and why. What motivates you to take on the next challenge?

Please stay tuned for one more 2010 Road Trip blog post. We gotta share the funny stuff that happened along the way. I promise pics to tell the story well.

CrossFit Road Trip ~ WOD 7, The Total Package

Oh yeah, we are on the home stretch, and we were ready for a big ole Challenge. Amanda is new enough to CrossFit that she had not yet had the chance to do CrossFit Total. And, since she had gotten so much one on one coaching over the course of this trip, it just made sense to see how far she had really come. And, for Jamie – it was time to get over that 215 DeadLift.

CrossFit Old School @ Bowling Green, KY was the place to be on Monday morning. This place is 100% awesome.

The is a new Box that has just opened for business, and they are off to a stellar start.

We arrived on time and without any mapping or address issues (Finally. Ha!) and got a welcome from Erin. This gal just returned from the Arkansas Olympic Lift Certification the night before, and was surely a bit whipped. But, like all folks at the gym, could not have been nicer to us. Bob helped us onto the Concept 2 Rowers and showed us around the equipment. Amanda had rowed before, but Jamie had not. OK, I need to row more often. Those things are way cool.


CrossFit Total
Maximum weight on each:

Strict Shoulder Press
Dead Lift
Back Squat – done with free weights, not Smith Machine.

I went into the workout knowing it would either be a really cool idea, or it might lack a little luster. Amanda and I had already pushed ourselves further than we had before during this adventure. We were determined to find the energy to have some fun picking up heavy stuff, but I was not sure our bodies would let us put big numbers on the board. But, check this out, WE DID!

Shoulder Press
Jamie – 45, 65, 75
Amanda – 45, 65

Dead Lift
Jamie – Previous PR was 215.
145, 165, 195, 215, 235

Amanda – Previous PR was 95
65, 95, 115, 135, 145, 165, 175

Back Squat
Jamie – Previous PR was 130 on a Smith Machine
95, 105, 115, 125

Amanda – Previous PR was 95
95, 105, 115, 125

And so, there ya have it. You can't if ya don't even try. Go For It!

WOD 7, DONE, Well!!


CrossFit Old School is a place you should all stop by to visit! When ya do, tell 'em we said hello!!

Lessons Learned: Take more pictures! As Amanda and I have looked back on this trip, the pictures have been a source of giggles. Lots of giggles. (We will be posting an Out Takes blog later – you guys gotta see some the shenanigans!) But, in all seriousness, we learned a lot from the pictures that showed form mistakes.

Next Post will be all about our HomeComing WOD back at the 180. And, I do think it is fair to say that both Amanda and I have truly done a mental 180. This has been one crazy ride. Thanks CrossFit, you make us Rock!