Vegmom Moments

First Trip Back to the Mitten State

As mentioned in prior posts, I decided to do a kettlebell competition in Michigan.

Reason 1: Because my kiddo needed to see his grandparents.

Reason 2: Because I wanted to see my friend, after all she's made several trips to see me.

Reason 3: If I'm going to go back to Michigan than it might as well be something I train for, prepare for, and do something completely different. Start a new tradition.

I thought it would be easy, fun, maybe a little nerve wracking. I was told there would be many newbies doing what I was doing at the comp and I would fit in just fine. Then the roster came out and I discovered, I was the ONLY person out of three weight classes doing my event. 90+ people were competing and I was the only newbie. This psyched me out beyond measure. Then I discovered my weight wasn't where the roster said I should be. This made me upset and defeated. As a person who doesn't care about weight, I was incredibly annoyed by that.

Then the travel day arrived, I discovered people weren't going to be there that I thought would be. Conversations with the inlaws and the husband left me bamfoozeled. Traffic came to a standstill so I thought we'd miss the afternoon plans. Driving past my moms exit on the interstate hit me like a ton of bricks AND I had PMS to boot. Then my credit cards wouldn't work at the check in counter. To say my emotions were out of control is an understatement. To say I was embarrassed, is an understatement. But little did I know at the time, this was only the beginning.

I seriously just wanted to turn around and go back home. I wanted to forget the whole thing and began to totally psych myself out about the competition. Then things started to improve. The boy went off with his grandparents, My bestie and I went for a great dinner, my coach arrived, his wife texted me a pep-talk.

The next morning came!! As I was waiting in line for chocolate covered coffee, I noticed a lady with a Kettlebell shirt and asked if she knew where the event was. Next thing I know I'm dragged out of coffee line (but wait, I neeeeeddd that chocolate)

She tells me that she just got back from a competition in Russia where she was on team USA but that she started once too and could tell I was a newbie. She shows me the venue and I about throw up. <coffee. need. coffee> an entire ballroom turned in to seats, judges tables, cameras, platforms, bright lights, and Kettlebells. Signs were everywhere for the "world championship"... People would be filling those seats from all over the world. Seriously what the heck was I doing there. I didn't belong...

I totally freaked, nothing like any competition or event I'd ever done. Then this sweet Kettlebell lady takes me in to the hotel restaurant to meet her "team". She says I'm family now. Turns out the entire flippin restaurant was her team and she announces for all to hear in her loudest voice:

"Everyone, stop eating you need to meet this girl. It is her first time, she is doing the 8kg long cycle and she is a little freaked out, make her comfortable"

Oh My GOD!!!! If you know me at all, you know this was the equivalent of mentally, throwing me under a bus and then pelting me with stones. All I could do was laugh and smile but inside, I wanted to hide. Crawl under a rock and never return.

Need.coffee.Now!!!!

The lobby Starbucks guy ends up taking seriously 45 minutes to move two people through the line and make my drink. He was the sloth from Zootopia! Really, the irony and humor and lessons circling in my head at this point were hilarious. While walking away from that coffee counter, I told myself that I would never ever ever put myself through this again. My hormones now raging, PMS emotions in full force, and I had one hour to be on the stage. To do a ten minute workout that I'd trained for three months to accomplish.

Then I get in the elevator with who happens to be the world champion from Russia. He told me to calm down and remember my training. Apparently my face was showing that I was freaked out.

I didn't like this side of me at all. I'm the happy girl, find the positive girl, feel in control girl. But something about that moment, in that place, left me feeling completely and totally empty. Yet I knew I had to get up on that platform. I had to do this and say I did it. I had to overcome every fear, demon, and annoying thought in my head. I couldn't let Michigan defeat me.

Go time!! I get on the platform, I'm doing great. Every rep is counting, I'm flying through, feeling good. Nothing hurt, my hand didn't go numb like in practice. I'm watching the clock. 3 minutes pass, then 5 minutes. Then six minutes pass. I'm not even sweating, and I realize I'm on pace to finish with a 30rep PR and take first place! It is time to switch arms. I panic and drop the bell.

Yup at six minutes it was over. Three months of training, 24hrs of mental torture, and I drop the Kettlebell in front of all those people. That was that. THE END!

I told myself to go find that rock and hide again. Take me back to my happy CrossFit place. I don't belong here!!

In my life and my concept of Falling in Happy with self, I've put myself out there, done the uncomfortable, stepped out of my bubble for growth, but I try to have my mind right. Remember what really matters. What is the worst can happen? Blah blah blah. If something doesn't bring me joy than it isn't worth my time. If it does, then why not do it again? This one threw me a whammy. I felt it was worth my time, I thought it would bring me joy, I expected a different experience and I challenged myself because I could.

But this sucked! I won't lie, it was horrible. I kept saying, if only there were a do-over. If I could try again. Or if I had signed up for more than one event at least, I could redeem myself in the next one. Coach comes up to me and says: "There's another in Atlanta at a CrossFit box next month. You should come"

Seriously? I can redeem myself, get my head right and be in a CrossFit box where I feel more at home. I could challenge myself with more than one event and not let the Kettlebell destroy me. Why didn't you tell me this before? Why wasn't that my first competition? I realized my coach must have found joy in this whole thing because a week later I get a note asking me if I'm excited for the next one.

Oh heck yes!!!! I mean it isn't even an option at this point. I have to try again. Right?

Okay so back to Michigan... That 24hrs was truly terrible for me. Emotionally, mentally, physically exhausting. And the funniest part was, because I was the only person in my weight class, I got a first place medal.

But then I got my son back from the inlaws, had an amazing day with my bestie at a beautiful park, and got to see family.

<Back up a few hours>

En route to seeing family, I was in a hurry and banged my head on a dresser in the hotel room. As in damaged a nerve, had a bloody gash, black eye, kind of head bang. In that moment as I'm lying on the bed with bloody cloth in hand and my teen by my side, I realized what was truly important in this world. And it certainly wasn't that place, a dropped Kettlebell, or all of the drama leading up to that moment. I realized how grateful and thankful I should be and in that moment of pain, the whole weekend became more clear than any of the three months leading up to it.

Life is short, the unexpected happens, challenges happen, and if you are a woman, PMS will creep at the worst times but what really matters is the people you spend time with and how you live while doing so. That weekend, I didn't shine my happy light, but this is a new weekend and I'll shine with everything I've got because I need it. The world needs it. And life isn't defined by what goes wrong, it is defined by what you do about it.

~Onward

A Bike Ride

What?
Another adventure you ask?
Why yes! Yes indeed!
It is the year for trying new things after all, so why not hop on over to Virginia and rent a bike to ride down a mountain? Sure! Let's do that!

Funniest part is neither the hubs nor I have been on a bike since the Vegkid was little. And even then, it was 5 miles max with a toddler trailer in tow.

But the Virginia Creeper is a trail that is mostly downhill. So you shuttle to the top and go zoom zoom. (Or chug chug in my case) down the trail on your bike. We did the 17 mile stretch because that is all we had time for as we got up there late and had to return the rental bikes. But next time, I'm going for the 34 miles. Oh yes I am!

The husband said that was the most fun he's had since he can remember. <Of course he has trouble remembering this morning's breakfast, so there is that>

But seriously. It was great and then we got a last minute room at a bed and breakfast which was simply AMAZING!!

We snuck in to town for dinner, watched the sunset and the moon rise. Then in the morning, we were up at 6am. So we sat on the porch to watch the sun come up over their farm. I decided I could live on that porch if food was delivered.

Needless to say, while the teen was away, we had a pretty awesome weekend including hikes, bikes, scenery, and some pretty great food too!

Trying new things in '16 marches on.....

 

 

Them Shoulders

So I love this picture because of the following:

 

1. Getting Stronger is fun.
2. Being in the woods on an obstacle course trying not to fall in the "lava" with my teen is fun.
3. My arms growing are representative of the amount of work I'm able to put in doing something I love.
4. Learning to love something that you never liked before is fun.
5. Sharing incredible laughter while the teen tried not to fall in the "lava" was fun.
6. Adventure days with my teen are still fun.
7. The fact that I can continue to build muscle while feeling amazing and eating only plants is fun.

But the funniest part of this picture, is that the husband suggested I start doing exercise that stopped making my arms/shoulders/traps look so big.  When I saw this one on my phone, it made me think of that conversation and how much I listened!  TeeHee.... Strong is fun!

Now, what I don't like about this picture?  Is the proof that if I don't wear tank tops, than NONE of my shirts fit anymore. But it is almost Fall and then Winter.  I'm sure walking around with tank tops is going to be frowned upon soon. This is a problem when you specifically purchased shirts <even had them monogrammed> to wear at business events.  But thankfully they make tank tops that look a little dressier these days.   Hopefully, I can pull them off for the next six months. 

Kettlebell Fun

When I first started CrossFit, Kettlebells were one of my many nemesises. I had poor shoulder stability, lack of coordination, and the dang things were just awkward.

There was one movement called Turkish Get-Ups that I could only do with a light dumbbell and eventually got to the pink Kettlebell. We also had Kettlebell swings in our workouts and I would always go for the lighter weights. I've worked a lot on stability and strength since then and moved up in weight. I've also learned to appreciate the Kettlebell and actually enjoy it.

Well here I am four years later signed up for my first Kettlebell Championship competition and training to actually achieve something that I wouldn't have even wanted to attempt before.

Why?

Well heck, why not?

So I'm training 3 days per week Kettlebell while still doing 4-5 CrossFit workouts and let me tell ya, I feel stronger this month than I have in all four years. I've PR'd 4 CrossFit lifts. Am using a 70lb Kettlebell for swings in workouts, and those Turkish Get'ups, I PR'd that too with a great try yesterday.

Needless to say, trying something new because it is the year I say yes to more has allowed me to not only appreciate but enjoy the sport of Kettlebell. I've seriously had so much fun and still have two months left to train for the big event.

When I first started this blog to make my mom laugh; I joked about learning to run, training for races, and the aging female mom-bod... Ha, if I only knew then what I know now!

Message:
Say yes to yourself more!
Try new things!
Find your strength in something you enjoy!
And never ever ever give up on YOU!

Team of Four

A few months ago I learned about a CrossFit competition in North Carolina.  Sticking with my lack of desire to compete this year, especially since I hadn't been training to compete... and well... I kind of suck at it... My thoughts were to avoid it like the plague.  This particular event is also outside.  That means the weather can be iffy and if the weather is bad, than how in the world could your body do what is asked of it.  My thoughts were pretty strong against this one.   But what I've noticed is by getting in less workouts since I'm not training for competing, and switching priorities; my body has shifted in a way that I'd rather not have happen.  Mentally I don't do as well without short term goals and I started to loose focus.  

Then I finished the Open doing every workout almost twice.  Then I took 1st place in my division at our Gym's Open Finale.   And then realized, I still have a little bit of Oomph that I don't want to let squash.  Which means I need to get back in the gym more, so training for a competition may not be so bad.  Making the time for said training may be tricky however. 

Then two little people that I coach were signed up by their father to compete at said outdoor event and I thought... "Well Krikey, now I have to go.... if I'm going to go, than I might as well compete"....  then I saw the workouts, remembered it was outside and realized, OH Heck NO!!!

Soooo to make this story shorter... here is the point.. I ended up competing!

But not alone... a few weeks before the event, I was asked to be on a team of four... Pretty sure I said... "Are you sure you want me?"..... I'm like the girl in the corner that nobody would pick for sports.  I'm not good at sports, never have been!  

I'm good at making myself be better at being me, and improving every day from yesterday, that is why I love CrossFit.  But having a team depend on me to be beastly... Ummm No!   Especially when I'm the oldest, shortest, slowest and weakest.  But I did end up being on their team.  And well, it was the best competition day EVER!!!  

Oh my KALE, I had sooo much fun!   We had a HUGE showing from our box, with so much support, a tent village, and everything you could ever imagine needing.  I think we had 40ish athletes competing and they all brought people.  We also had a bunch who weren't competing just come to watch.  The weather was PERFECT, even a little sunburn worthy... Yes the Vitamin D was in full swing.  The mountains were gorgeous with spring flowers blooming and I ended up getting the last room at the Inn.  

For real... I got to stay at a Bed and Breakfast all by myself in a beautiful room, for cheaper than any hotel but only because all of the hotels were booked and the B&B hooked me up!  I found some Vegan food, that rocked, and an Earthfare to shop in that was glorious. Needless to say I'm so glad I said yes and that they wanted me on their team.

In practice, we didn't finish a single WOD!  None of us (except one beast) was very good at any one workout, as a team we struggled.  The workouts were crazy hard and we were all exhausted after long days when we finally met at 7:30 to train.  But up comes competition, and it was GO TIME!  Holy fast batman, those girls rocked.  I surprised myself too in every single WOD, PR'ed a lift, and took over one of the bars to finish before the time cap.

While the others took over other things when I struggled.   We ended up finishing all except two of the workouts. (there were 6 separately scored wods although three were combined in to one)  And one of them we only missed by two reps.  Another, we finished more reps in less time and made it back to the final stretch.  Which we weren't even close during practice.   I was soooo proud of us!!  As a team, we worked incredibly well together, even got shirts and pictures so it is official.  

My face hurt from smiling so much but my body handled the beating pretty well.  

I'm not posting their faces because, well, they don't know I have this blog and that would be rude.  But let me tell ya, they were beasts!!!!   Beautiful beasts at that! 

Another great weekend to add to my 2016 awesome memories!!   Moving right along and this year is Rockin!

 

 

 

 

 

Finally a Medal

Look look look...I finally got a medal from an all day competition and first place to boot!

Granted, only two of us showed up from my division, but still. It is a medal and I worked dang hard for it. The day was so fun with incredibly challenging workouts, tons of athletes, and supportive friends.

This event is our local finale to the five week open so my total score from those five weeks is my starting score on this day. With a bunch of ladies in my division, I was coming in to the day with a pretty big deficit, however none of them showed up. So I started only one point behind.

But even one point would be hard for me to catch up since the other the lady has always been faster than me. However something happened with my engine and I went in to beast mode. (Teehee, As beast mode as my body goes) and I took the lead in the first three scored events. <Woot!! plants for the win>.

She took the last event, so it wasn't a clean sweep but in the end, it was all in good fun and we both got medals. We were cheering for each other, strategizing, laughing, and putting on the game face all day long.

Another first for 2016 and a great way to end the Open season. Until next year....

Sneaky Snake

Saw this guy hiding in a tree on the Greenway.

Very sneaky little fella!

Top FIVE

In all the CF events that I have competed in locally, I've come in pretty close to last if not last.  Nationally, I tend to fall in the middle of the global community and get a little better each year.  But when our box puts on an event, I'm pretty close to the bottom.  Most of the time, I'm out of my league but attempt the workouts anyway.  I finish, don't give up, and keep pushing.  My plan is not to win against anyone but myself and with each event, I see progress!  Progress is GOOD!

For many of them, my goal is to just not finish last, and sometimes that goal is achieved.  Well last week, I competed and decided to raise my standards for myself.  My plan was to get in the top five.  In order to active that plan, EIGHT people would have had to not show up.  I put out a request the night before, telling all of my friends that it would be a beautiful day for a hike and maybe they should do that instead.  

If only five people showed up, there was a possibility that I would make it in to the top five!   <yup, I'm THAT bad>

Well Everyone showed up including people from other boxes.  It was a big deal with a LOT of people.  I didn't finish last but let's just say I was far from the top five.  And so when this week's competition popped up and the coach offered to add a Master's division for 5 people, I was all over that one.

Five people means I'm top five by default.  <Yeah, I'm really THAT bad>   Top five means I get an extra shot  in the bonus round to move up in the ranks.  Sign - ME - UP!

And then...a note came saying they didn't get enough interest, so all of us masters would fall in to the regular divisions based on skill set.   Phooey!!

Well today was that competition, and it was honestly the best one I've ever done.  The people were amazing and the WODs were so fun.  They were all things I could do, and I was able to push myself for speed. 

**Note** Even pushing myself for speed is kind of like a turtle deciding to run... through glue...

But, I did it, and had a complete blast!!   I put everything out there, kept moving, didn't stop and didn't give up.  It was probably one of the best Comp days for me by way of performance!

After the first WOD, I was in third place... WHAT???

By the second WOD, I was in fifth place... YES Top FIVE!

The last WOD was divided in to three scores and would make or break the placements on the Leaderboard. 

Some how, some way, I ended up Fourth overall.   BUT, so did two other people.  YES, a three way tie for fourth place.  What are the odds of something like that occurring on the first event that I made the "Top Five"?

This means that technically, I made it in the top Five but guess what?  There was no bonus round in this event, so it didn't really apply to anything except saying I wasn't last nor next to last.  And to sit in 4th place with those ladies was such an honor.  

One of them is fast as lightening and took the running WOD by storm.  The other is strong as an Ox and lifted super heavy when required.  I'm neither and somehow managed to get the same exact amount of points as them overall.  

However, out of all the ladies on that board in my division, only two of us were masters (over 40).  And so for us to sit in the top five with all the younger athletes, I'm not going to complain.  The funniest part is that both of us that were over 40 were in 4th place.  Which technically means we were tied for first place in the pretend masters division that didn't happen. 

So there ya go!  The last competition of a very long season and I placed first at something... (well, sorta kinda but not really) My goal this year was to improve from last year and that definitely happened!  We had way more events this year so just finishing all of them was a PR. (personal record)

Our competition season is over for a bit and I'll have to decide if I want to do this stuff again in the fall.  But for now, it is just normal workouts and a little bit of running.  I need to start running again, so I shall. 

I kind of feel like the little engine that could...  I think I can I think I can I think I can......

The Georgia Strength Event Part 3

First I posted about this crazy strength competition that I participated in.  You can see that here!

Then I posted about the interesting chance encounter with a friend.  You can see that here!

And now it is time to share the last hilarious detail of that day.  Arm Wrestling!

Yes, I said Arm Wrestling!   

The event after our strength competition was an Arm Wrestling one and we happened to be there in the same building.  They had set up the table early for people to practice and a lot of our girls from the gym were pretending to arm wrestle when a man came up and said:

"Hey, there is $300 dollars on the line and we only have one female signed up for the competition today, if any of you want to compete against her, you could win $300"

Well our little fun at the table turned serious when we all tried to figure out how to arm wrestle properly.  Every one of the ladies took me down so I decided not to enter.  I knew if I didn't have a chance against them, I wouldn't have a chance against the master.  But it was so fun!

Four of the ladies on our team said why the heck not?  They signed up against the one lady that knew what she was doing.  

Soon it was time for the Ref to announce the rules.  DANG, who knew there were so many rules in arm wrestling.  What seemed like an hour later, our girls were up.  One by one the master took them down in seconds as if their arms were made of rubber.  Until our strongest lady stepped up to the table and gave the master lady a run for her money.  In fact she had to work so hard that she pulled her groin and hurt her shoulder but alas, she took the prize and all our girls took second, third, fourth and fifth. 

Since they were the only females to compete, they all got metals and we had the best laugh out of it.  Not sure I'd been that entertained in a long time.  

As for the men?  There seemed to be 100's and WOW did they have some gigantic arms.  Pretty sure my entire body could find inside one of their arms.  We didn't see them compete because it was time for lunch by then but I bet it was a great show.  

And that rounds out the three part series of my Crazy Georgia Strength day. 

Chain Of Events

And so that day that I ended up in the boonies of Georgia in a place that I'd never been for a competition that was totally outside of my comfort zone and something I never would have done any other time, something equally crazy happened.

<Cue insanely long run-on sentence>

I got down to the wire and registered at the last minute then attended and completed the competition. After our portion was over, the arm wrestling competition started (for another post) and several of our girls signed up for it. (Not me). Which lead to a delay in our lunch plans. As in a really long delay!

When it was time for lunch, I suggested our coach ask the event organizers for a good local spot to eat. Coach ended up asking for them to join us. Which was super exciting. Not only for their dining company but knowing the guy was Vegan I figured he would pick a great spot.

Turns out he picked a Mexican restaurant and told everyone where to go. I followed his truck so I didn't get lost and we ended up at a different Mexican place than half our group. It seems there were two near by with similar names. After much debate, it was decided to stay at the nicely decorated restaurant where we had parked and everyone else joined a few minutes later.

Upon waiting quite a bit for a table we ended up in the very back of the restaurant.
Note: The place was divided in to separate rooms so that if you were in one section, you may not see people in other sections.

Now, why is all of that important to this post? Because in this strange restaurant in a strange town that I wasn't even supposed to be at in the exact section also eating a very late meal was a vegan CrossFitting Facebook friend that I'd never met who'd also been in that distant town running a race that day and eating lunch with her friends.

<cue another very long sentence>

She recognized me amongst our big CrossFit group and came over to say HI!!!

Seriously, how cool is that???

Sometimes life is just supposed to happen and this was one of those reminders that every moment, every decision, every thought has a purpose.

Things are happening every minute of every day that we may not understand but they are as real as a chance meeting in an odd location.

Or was it chance at all? Hmmmm!

Strength Sorta

Last year'ish, a coach from the CF Box I go to said: "Hey, I know this guy. He's Veg like you and is taking contributors for his book about plant based athletes, you should contact him"

And so I did... Fast forward to my first real book experience and my mug on the cover next to some "real" athletes. The book provided donations to animal welfare groups and that was pretty darn cool.

Later I'd talk on the phone with this Veg athlete guy and we'd connect via social media which was great. Because by now he was on podcasts, videos, part of a plant based sponsored strength team and making quite the name for plant based performance. Which I completely support. He was also a coach, gym owner and kettlebell pro.

So when he and a friend put on a strength event, I was intrigued to give it a try.

Except one little caveat... I'm not strong. Nor at any point in my life would I call myself a badass and the little detail of never trying a five minute Max effort kettlebell WOD.

So I made a comment on the event's page that went something like this:

"Hey (insert name of another athlete that is strong) you should try this event"

Which followed with those I know saying:

"Oh great so we'll see you there" <directed at me>

What?? How did that happen?

Well a week or two before the event, I decided to sign up. It would be a nice drive, good weather and great people. How could I turn that down???

Which meant I had a week to learn the KB work, get a heavier deadlift and improve my strength at the top of a pull-up bar.

Going in to the KB workout, I'd never done more than a single minute's worth so five minutes seemed out of reach. Somehow, not only did I get the movement down but I pulled 91 of them. I also held the top of a pull-up for 44.6 seconds and let's just say my deadlift was pretty week at only 180#'s. But there was an audience and it was my first ever platform event.

Basically you are the only one up there and everyone is watching YOU!! Probably ranks up there with one of the most embarrassing things I've done. Completely out of my comfort zone and I even got a metal.

Last place of course but then what else is new.  The words on this little charm make me laugh every time I see it!

The day was so incredibly fun!! More to share later.... Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Team Competition

November was full of firsts and it started with my first team competition and a 2hr drive through a snowy mountain.

This competition was like nothing I'd ever done before with stadium seating,1000's of people, fancy announcers, an athlete holding area and a great partner.

We called ourselves the Sweat Angels and had the best time. I was so worried about doing a partner competition because I've never had anyone counting on me to do well in the fitness realm and my teammate was way stronger and faster.

But when it was go time, we both discovered our strengths and weaknesses and I was able to hold my own. We came in 22nd overall but 10th in the hardest, last and longest programmed workout. It was soo fun being able to compete at that level, hold my own and watch everyone else from our gym kick booty.

It was such a great day and I'm very very happy that I didn't let my fears keep me from participating. As for the snowy mountain drive... It was beautiful but I was glad to be home safe!

Lesson learned: Don't let fear stand in the way of trying something new!

Oktoberfest Competition Recap

Another competition is in the books and this one with way more advanced movements than anything I'd ever done before.

But the struggle in my head of why I do them is an ongoing one and hasn't gotten easier.

You see, I don't train, live, eat or supplement like an elite athlete. I've never been competitive in my life and don't have that natural engine inside me that creates a competitive drive. Yet I train hard, eat clean and when I show up to compete, I expect more of myself than an average day and I get embarrassed by the spectators as I struggle for every rep.

I secretly hope there will be people at my level so I'm not the only one shaking out a rep. I always feel like I need to tell my judge that I suck and am sorry he/she got stuck with me. I feel like I need to explain to my fellow competitors and spectators that while it is true I've been doing CF for two years that there are some things I've just never excelled at and that I probably shouldn't be in a competition that has those movements, yet when you sign up, you don't always know what the movements will be. So you suck it up and do what you can.

And so this competition was no different. My coach wouldn't let me back out. My team mates would encourage me to keep going. I PR'd every single lift, time and skill.

When I signed up for this year's competition, my plan was to compare myself to last year but there was no comparison.

The movements were triplicate of last years. Heavier weight, longer distances, more reps, more WODs.

Yet I did them. While I came in last place (again), this little non-athlete lifted, pulled, pushed, rowed, ran, and jumped more than ever in my life.

And while I don't feel like I should be competing on the same floor as some of those beasts, it makes me thankful to finish and know that I was on the floor with those beasts.

When others were too afraid to sign up, or didn't show up after registering or weren't able to for any reason, I did it. And survived....

It was good to show the Vegkid that working hard and finishing something you started is more important than winning. That you can struggle, shake, push, sweat, be embarrassed, and feel 1000 emotions but getting through something challenging even with people watching is a success. That you should always try because you don't know what you are capable of if you don't.

And most importantly that life isn't always easy. Things don't always come naturally and sometimes it takes everything you have just to finish a task but you do it anyway.

So that is what I did! Number 400 with a smile and I signed up for another....

Smack my head!!'

A New Skill

A few weeks ago, I finally mastered the one legged squat or "pistol". And I say mastered with a snicker because that isn't so true.

I finally found myself able to do them but only with my right leg and only if the wind is just right.

This means that my handstand pics (one in every city) have been replaced with pistols in cool locations.

Then a friend told me that pistols were easier to learn while holding an object which of course presented a new challenge.

So here are 4 silly pics as I begin to truly master the one-legged-squat!!

Beast or Beauty

When I started CrossFit 2yrs ago, I never expected to get muscles, feel toned or see definition.  I mean I'd been running for several years at that point and finally learned to like the body that I had.  Sure, it still needed some help, but I was feeling confident and strong.  Ha... so I thought....

Then after some workouts, I realized I would lean out or die.  Leaning out seemed like a much better option.  But to my surprise, parts of my body began to change.  And eventually my whole body began to shift in a positive way as mentioned in prior Vegmom posts.

Well a couple of weeks ago, my brother sent me a tank top and asked if it fit:

I took that selfie and sent it to him.  Said "Yup, it is snug but fits".... While loading it on to my computer the picture app tried to tag my shoulder as a second person.   Made me laugh so hard that I suddenly had this body.  But I wasn't the only one laughing.  My brother, showed the picture to my dad.  

And he said "If you are going to have muscles like that, you need a tattoo"

In order to keep things light and fun, I had my hubs draw me an anchor and "tattoo" my arm.

The top says "On Shore" which was a joke only my dad would understand.  Needless to say, we all got a good laugh out of my Dad's response.  (You kind of have to know my dad)

In the past couple of months, I've had people call me a beast (which is a compliment by the way), I've had a guy pull up at a red light in the car next to me and say "You sure are Pretty" through the car window (which was kind of creepy), I had someone mention that CrossFitters are too bulky, and told that girls aren't supposed to lift.    I had someone suggest that I was getting leaner and looked stronger, while someone else mentioned I could get better if I ate a steak.  I even had a stranger hand me a tootsie roll in the grocery store saying that they needed to keep me sweet (yup that was odd too). 

But in all of the muscles forming, nice and not-so-nice comments that I have received, the best came from ME!  And not how you would think!!

You see, in spite of all the body changes, my belly is still a squishy, scarred up mess from all the weight and scarring I gained while pregnant.  No matter how small my pant sizes get, how great I feel, or how many muscles I build, that yucky stomach is still there.  I like to call it my tiger stripes or battle scars.  I earned them and they are mine.  No matter how icky they would look to someone else (hence the reason I keep my shirt on at the gym)  They are still a part of me.  They are a part of my life.  The part that helped define who I am today.

They are the lines that created my most important title of MOM.

So when my husband noticed my belly the other day and said "You know a doctor could fix that for you.  All you need is this and this cut, and that pulled, then tightened here and here, it would be a simple procedure"

SERIOUSLY???????   After all the hours I have put in to redefining myself, THIS is the part he notices??Yeah, the old me would have felt so ashamed and hurt by those comments.  My self esteem and body image pretty non-existent once upon a time, and that would have CRUSHED me.  But the new me pushed his hand away from my beautiful squishy striped belly and said "Why would I need a doctor to fix it for me, my belly is perfect just the way it is!!!"  I smiled and carried on with my day.  IT WAS AWESOME!!!

I felt so amazing in that moment, so empowered by my response, it made me wish even more that every woman could look in the mirror and be happy with who is looking back.  Squishy tiger stripes and all.

My brother once said to me, "You'll never be pretty, because you inherited our long foreheads, noses and you got Mom's odd shaped body"  

But that is all what makes me ME... Just like everyone else has what makes them THEM...  

What I have learned upon this journey is that some people will think I'm a beast, some will find beauty, some will find both but all that really matters is that when I look in the mirror, I'm happy with who is looking back.

And for me, that has been the absolute best part of this journey!!

So if you are a male reading this... Don't ever tell a woman she needs plastic surgery.. Trust me, that is the WRONG answer!

If you are a female reading this....NOTE:  Don't ever let someone tell you that your body isn't good enough.  If you don't like your body, do the work to change it, but don't ever ever ever let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough, EVER!!!  Oh did I say EVER?

 

 

Life Upside Down

Well I signed up for our CrossFit Team training again this year and with that comes some new skill work and double the amount of competitions.  WOAH!  Can you say "Crazy"?   Yes you can, go ahead... say it with me.... C-RAZY!!!

And with the new skill work comes being comfortable upside down.  

Well I have no trouble flipping in to handstands, but holding on to rings and flipping up is a whole other world.  I'm still working on my grip strength and my body is still learning to trust my brain which doesn't trust my hands.  So when someone says "Grab the rings and flip"... 

I usually would reply with "Yeah right!"...  Until last Saturday.  I grabbed those rings and I flipped and kicked with all my might but nothing happened.   Heck I've been standing upright for the better part of 41yrs.  The thought of doing this bamfoozled me.  The coaches were like "Just kick".... I'm kicking... nothing happening..  <help>

Well then a kind lady saved me from embarrassment and said "If you are flexible, just kind of put one leg up on the rope and pull the other one up"  Then put your legs back together in a straight line and don't let go with your hands.

YES, because letting go would mean falling to the ground on my noggin and this I do not want...  Well I did it her way, and it worked.  Again and again, I trusted my grip and held on for dear life while I put one leg up at a time.

The next day I tried again... By golly, I got this upside down thing....  Granted I still have to figure out the flip and kick part that they all make look so easy.  BUT at least I'm partial way there. 

Sorta... 

 

5K Eighteen Months Later

1st half marathon goal - Finish without dying

2nd half marathon goal - Finish with improved time and not dying

1st full marathon goal - Finish without dying BEFORE the finish line closed

3rd half marathon goal - Finish with improved time for all prior years and close that chapter for good

All of those goals were met... Even if I had to walk, I finished, didn't die and improved my time at the 13 mile mark each year.   With my final improved time, I was able to close that chapter of my fitness life and decided not to run long distance ever again... unless....

The Vegkid someday needed a running partner or my life changed that drastically that I would want to run that far ever again like maybe a bear was chasing me... Neither of those have happened.   However, I also thought to myself:

"With my challenged running/jogging legs I should continue running 3 miles in case a 5K race ever came up, I would always be prepared"

Well... I didn't really do that.  In fact my endurance training from last year didn't go past two miles, and I continued to learn how to run until my one mile time consistently has stayed under nine minutes (8:13 being my best try).   This isn't much for some, but considering my old average was 10-12 minute miles, I was pretty excited to get under nine minutes by that much.

So my new plan was just to work on my mile and increase the pace until a mile felt "comfortable" mixed in with my CrossFit training... No 2 miles or 3 miles, no races...  Then a big group at my gym decided to do a 5K.  It was for a great cause and something dear to a friend, and so the race we did run!   More than half of us who ran didn't train, and had no desire to complete a 5K that day but we all did. 

Well I thought if I'm going to do this thing than I would put a time on my self, a goal...  At the three mile mark I hit my goal and realized I wouldn't finish the 5K under that.  But I DID finish 3 miles faster than I ever had, with no training and no preparedness.  Only my strength and endurance from CrossFit.  That felt good.. So I just ran as fast as I could at the end to the finish line and left it all out there with no regrets.

Then I looked at the clock and realized I was 2 minutes from where I wanted to be... "DANG, I could totally have taken off two minutes at the beginning"  I thought....  Getting stuck behind all those people... phooey... Then I looked up some of my old races.  My last 5K was 18 months ago and I finished this one 50 seconds faster than that one.   But the time I did my last 5K pre-CrossFit when I was doing all that so called "training" was 2 minutes slower than my time for this race. And so for that I call it a success... 

A new Personal Record regardless of the time I thought I should get.  And I learned that I definitely can't maintain that 8 Minute mile when I go over the two mile mark.  But that is OK...  I'm getting faster without trying which is pretty awesome!

But the best part of that race was the people.  Running with a large group was new to me.  Having a huge cheering section at the finish line was also new to me.  Passing people I knew, being passed and inspiring eachother to finish was such a joy. 

So at the end of that race I realized that I can still run a 5K whenever I feel like it, without training and without worry but just to have fun with a group of people.  Regardless of the time it takes me to finish. 

I also learned that I should start closer to the front of the pack if I want to get rid of that extra two minutes.  *wink*

 

 

 

 

Waterfall Climb

The last month or so my hubs has decided to forego his Xbox in place of real life adventures. One of those was a "till bankrupt match" of Monopoly. It was serious, let me tell ya. (I won by the way)

But more exciting has been our outdoor adventures. Lots of them.... Last weekend, we were supposed to go for a nice drive to see a waterfall.

I had just finished a 5k race and my body was pretty spent after a hard week of workouts and coaching. Vegkid had a challenging athletic week as well including a hike the day before with a hurt toe at school.

So a nice drive with a calm walk to see something pretty was just what we all needed.

But then we arrived.... We walked around at the top of the waterfall and couldn't see too much. It was beautiful don't get me wrong, but the water where we were was low and pretty dried up that lead to the falls. That is when a man said "hey, have you been to the bottom?"

Well no... Hubs took this as a challenge and off we went to find the bottom. To some it may have been no big deal. But I was wearing slip on shoes and did I mention had just completed a 5k race so my legs were wobbly. I was hungry and thirsty and not prepared.

Veg to my surprise was all over this adventure and lead the way, which had my nerves completely unwound.

You see, it wasn't a trail with gravel or mulch or dirt.... Oh no!! It was ROCKS. Lots and lots of rocks with an incline of straight down. One missed step, one slip, one rock moving under foot and off you go down the side of a mountain. I was FREAKED out to say the least. Or as Veg said 1000 times. "Come on Mom, stop being a wuss"

There were points that I was climbing with both my hands and feet. It was pretty funny and thankfully we do not have that on video.

But at the bottom it was beautiful. Stopping in the middle was beautiful. Looking at the sky was beautiful.

It was such an awesome family. adventure. The pictures don't do justice but you can see the top, middle and bottom.

I'm glad we ran in to the man who challenged us to try the hike and I'm so thankful that my boys were up for the challenge even amongst my whining.

 

 

 

How They Make Me Smile

There is one young man in my class that started this CF thing against his better judgement. He is at that awkward stage where you're growing but don't really know what your body is doing. His Mom told him to try it and he clearly was NOT interested.

He struggles with coordination and even strength elements as he has been part of the video game generation that hasn't had to move much. His posture was poor and his confidence was worse when his Mom brought him to me.

I push, but not too much. I keep him moving and show that working out can be fun. Somedays he looks at me like I'm the she-devil for asking him to do a sit-up and I just want to give him a hug but instead he gets a high-five and encouragement to keep moving.

Sometimes he flops on the ground instead of a push-up. Other days he tries with all his might just to get through a beginner class but at the end of every class he succeeds at his level of accomplishment. Not compared to anyone else, just what HE can do is enough. And that is the awesomeness of CF.

After a few classes, I get to watch his posture begin to shift, his coordination begin to improve, his smile begin to shine and his excitement to get to class take over his fear. That is when I know we did it!

We made a difference in the life a child that will last far in to adulthood. It doesn't always happen on the first class. Sometimes it takes a couple weeks. But now this young man is forever changed like they all are and I'm reminded why I do what I do.

Well this past week, he said he loved a class and that it was the most fun he'd ever had.

I said "you know I pushed you a little bit to try harder?" he agreed. Then I asked "And you're not mad"...

His reply?

"How could I ever get mad at you, you're the best coach I could have"

Trying not to melt, I then asked if he would keep coming back.

"Of course, what do you think? This is the favorite part of my whole week, Silly"

Ahhh, sometimes I'm not sure who is coaching who, but they sure do make me smile!!

Tried Something New

This was a fun spur of the moment outing!!

Hubs ended up in the water a couple of times which I will admit made me giggle (just a tad).

I however stayed on the board all four of my tries. Which I was quite happy about.

What I did NOT do well was steer and/or move forward when the wind/current decided I should move backwards. This was quite comical.

Towards my last try, I actually got a little better and the first thing hubs said was:

"Wow that CrossFit stuff really helps your balance"

Yes Sir, it does!! *smile*

Another Generation

I'm having so much fun coaching our local youth performance classes that I can't tell who is enjoying it more. Me or the young people.

What I do know is that my Vegman is LOVING it. He has worked out every week for 6 weeks and has seen huge improvement in his form, coordination, strength, agility and endurance.

But even better is his confidence as related to his own abilities have improved and his favorite thing before class is practicing pull-ups. The boys in his class definitely click and are hilarious together.

What a great environment for children to utilize as their sport of choice. But having my own child begin to love classes as much as others that are attending is a wonderful thing.

Well today was "bring your child to workout day" in honor of a baby that has cancer. And for the first time, Veg and I were to do a workout together. Not as child/parent/coach. But as partners!!!

He did NOT want to go... I was so bummed!! But eventually he caved to my charm. (Sorta??) and came along.

We had so much fun with the other teams and he did great to keep moving.

I'm pretty sure this isn't the end of our workouts together which makes me pretty happy!

Lifting

Starting to lift heavy and it feels Great!!!

Jun 14, 2014

No words necessary for this one *smile*

Jun 14, 2014

Wow, life sure does change with just little bits of time passing.

Since I last posted:
Veg officially became a Middle Schooler, I've completed two corporate wellness initiatives, Turned 41, learned to play golf (she says with a snicker), went on two hikes, completed an insane Memorial workout, got a new car and started a youth program that has been AMAZING!!!

And it has only been a couple of weeks since I last posted.

"Life happens pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it" ~Ferris Bueller

I've had so many people tell me what I should or shouldn't feel since my Mom took her ride on the Angel train. But I'll tell you what I feel....ALIVE!!!!

And she would be too happy about that!!

Memorial WOD

Can't believe I did this... But Yeah, I did!!
I love how CrossFit pushes me to do new things. Never would I have done this workout in the grass let alone after a 2.6 mile run.

And to allow people in my space bubble for the partner carries. Oh Snap!! But I did it and had a BLAST!!

Not to mention for a good cause! It was a great day!

My Open Recap

As I said the other day, I made it to the end of the CF Open this year.

What I have learned to love about competing in a sport like CrossFit is that no matter how many people are doing the same workout or how many amazing scores go up on the board, you are really only competing against yourself.

Yes, if you are a top athlete, you want to win. But people like me? We just want to get through the WOD and improve from the time before.

Even better is watching people succeed that didn't think they could. Some of my favorite moments in the Open was watching friends and strangers do movements that they had never done before and that look on their face. That surprise in their eyes. Best-Feeling-Ever!!

As for me? Well I surprised myself A LOT!!

This year I had Double-unders, Toes to Bar, Chest to Bar, and 3 lifts that I couldn't have done the weight a year ago.

Last year, I only made it to the third round, this year I made it through all five.

Last year, I was in a different place mentally, while this year, I had some struggles built in. At no point did I not try, at no point did I give up and at no point did my coaches or community give up on me.

Every week my son and I would watch the WOD Announcement together. And each week he would cheer and wait patiently for my results. His support of me and the lessons I realize I'm teaching him are worth every bruise, sweat and tear.

The first WOD was Double Unders and Snatches. (Still don't like to say that word). I got through 168 reps and was super excited.

14.2 was Overhead Squats at a weight I'd never done before. My goal was to get ONE in the allowed time. I got TWO!!
Then I did a C2B just because I could even though it didn't count.

Knowing I was already having a hard time with weight amounts, 14.3 had me a little nervous. But it turned out to be a Deadlift and box jump WOD that I got through several rounds.

Happiness happened and then it was time for 14.4! This one was Rowing, toes to bar and a bunch of other stuff if you made it that far (which I did not). Good news, the rowing counted for 60 reps. Better news, I PR'd three of my rowing times.

Then I was hoping for TWO T2B in the allotted time. I tried for the entire 10 minutes and got THREE which was better than two! And I got points on the leaderboard.....moving on!

14.5 the kryptonite of CrossFit athletes everywhere! Vegkid was so proud of how far I'd come and said "Mom, you HAVE to finish"

The workout was Thrusters & Burpees while jumping over the bar.

The crazy part was to finish this workout and get a score on the leaderboard (to finish the Open). You HAD to complete the amount of reps (168) in unlimited time. Which means you had to finish all reps no matter how long it took you.

I brought food and figured it would take me all night. Seriously! I'd never done a Thruster over 75#'s and suddenly I was going to do 84 of them at 65#'s.

Knowing I couldn't let myself or my Vegkid down, I pushed forward expecting no better finish than an hour. Having all my CF community cheering, an amazing coach, and an awesome judge, I finished that thing in 41 Minutes.

Took me longer than anyone in our Gym, but I finished and didn't quit. My longest WOD EVER and seriously thought I would pass out. But I finished!!

After I caught my breath from 14.5, ate and hydrated, I watched a few more people and than went to the car where I found a message from my kiddo. A phone message telling me how proud he was and I cried like a baby.

After the emotional roller coaster of the last few months, those little words made my whole life better!!

What I neglected to share in the rest of this story is that I never expected to make it that far in the Open so I signed up for our local competition scaled version. This way, when I missed a week for RX, I could pick up the scaled version and keep going.

Since I finished the RX version, I also had to do the scaled each week. So every WOD above was done twice. Some with adjustments and way more reps all culminating in a friendly competition that will go down this weekend.

At the end of all this, I'm pretty much at the bottom of all the leaderboards. But I finished and my son is proud.

I'm feeling really good about that!!

Another Shirt

I've mentioned this before but worth repeating to segway in to the rest of this story....When I first started running, I didn't call myself a runner.  In fact I still don't call myself a runner because well, I half heatedly scoot my feet while trying to get from point A to point B.  It would be like calling myself a laundry expert because I do laundry.

This part you also know...Then I started CrossFit and people called me an athlete.  Just because I was there.  I didn't consider myself an "Athlete"  but then I joined my first real competition.  The shirt said "ATHLETE" on the back.  Something about seeing it on a shirt made it real.  That is when I realized that I don't just workout every day, I train hard to be the best me in what ever I do.  So yeah, it was on a shirt and for that day, I was an Athlete.  Maybe I still am.

But now people are calling me a coach.  This I will not deny and think it is my life's calling to help others become their best versions of themselves.  Some don't like the term coach or don't put a lot of credibility in that term but to me it has become part of my identity.  I'm a Wellness Educator by trade and passion but when someone calls me their coach it always feels extra special.

Today, I received a new shirt from people that inspire me every day.  My coaches... and on the back it says simply this:

Something about seeing that on the back of a shirt makes everything I've been doing official.

Who would have thunk shirts could mean so much!

Love it!!   

 

 

My Christmas Presents

The husband did his usual pass the buck regarding Christmas presents and really I don't need presents as my life is so full.  Not to mention Christmas isn't about presents but at the end of the day I want my son to learn the spirit of giving.

I want him to want to do for others and he is so filled with happiness when he sees me opening presents.  The only way he can see that is if someone buys me something.  This year the hubs said, "make me a list"...

So I made him a list pricing from $2 to $100, he could pick out anything he wanted.  Or just draw a picture.  I told him a card would be nice... ANYTHING... would - be - nice...

Well apparently he doesn't like shopping via the internet and wasn't feeling crafty to draw, so he told me to do this task myself.  

 "Just get what ever you want".. he said, and so I DID!

The packages came one by one, and I saved them till Christmas.  This way, Veg would see me opening presents and the morning would go well.

However the surprise for me, would be seeing if any of it fit.  I rarely order clothes and shoes online.  But really that was all I wanted.  CrossFit clothes and shoes that is!  Muah ha hahahaha!!!

Turned out EVERYTHING Fit!   I loved trying them on and being silly with the camera.

 

The shorts above are not for CrossFit of course, but I was trying a new size.  They are a tad shorter than I'm used to (kind of show my giant legs)  but super comfortable.  Still not sure I like them yet though.  They will have to grow on me.  I also grabbed a pair of jeans in the same size, a head band, some boulder holders and a recipe book that I had been wanting.  Kept things simple and low price this year but super happy.

As for the shoes.... Oh, those are magical shoes.  Not only did I get them for a heck of a deal, AND they fit, but I don't want to take them off. I never thought I could love a pair of shoes.  But seriously, after not buying a new pair in several years my feet were thanking me x1000 to slip these bad boys on.

Turned out, Santa brought me everything I wanted (including a little cash) so I'll be ready for the Garage Games in February!!!

Not sure my inlaws planned for me to use their gift toward funding a CrossFit competition, but sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do and the timing couldn't be more perfect!

I may not be fast or strong but I'm going to have some fun shirts and shoes to wear on competition day *smile*

 

 

 

 

Oh That Turkey Trot

Catching up on posting since I missed much of November and one thing I meant to do in that month was the local Turkey Trot.

Last year I signed up to do the 5k with a friend.  With no training, only a little CrossFit under our belts we were going to hit the chilly road and give it a try. But then they closed registration early and he missed it.  I however got my registration done just in time.  Picked up the race packet and everything...  BUT...
Then I got sick.  Yup, the night before the race, I was running a fever.  My first fever in years.  Woke up feeling worse and decided to nix the whole race idea.

Fast forward to this year.  A bunch of my CrossFit gals were going to run the 10k Turkey Trot.  I told them that I would absolutely do it with them.  My plan was to start training after Oktoberfest and be able to complete the race on Thanksgiving Day.

The girls trained, and were ready.  They trained hard, but I never got the chance.  New plan was to just show up and do it anyway.  I didn't want to miss the registration, knowing what happened last year, so I registered extra early.   

Yup, I was going to do this thing with or without being able to run all six miles.

Just before the race, we get a call from Michigan that NeeNee's cancer had spread.  A visit was necessary in quick order!  Which happened to be ON Thanksgiving.  Ended up being an amazing visit with our favorite lady on the planet, and I'm not sorry for missing the race.

Although I did feel bad to not follow through, I think they understood.

But if you are counting, that is TWO registration fees paid for two races that I didn't complete.

I'm thinking that next year... I'll sit out for what has become my annual non-race and just go for a run by myself. *smile*

 

Accomplishments, Messes and Leaf Jumping

Today started with a CrossFit workout where I got my first real Chin-up.  Was pretty excited about that as a real pull-up still seems miles away.  I also tried pull-up negatives with a weight between my legs.  One of those things that I always saw others do and thought "Ummm, NO"... but today I tried and well... I did NOT like that one bit.  However, I did like getting 32 Double-unders unbroken.  THAT was fun!

Then it was off to Vegkid's school where I volunteered to help the art teacher with something messy.  Although I didn't know what "messy" thing this was until arriving and found out my task.  YEAH it was MESSY!!!  Our job was to help three different grades at three different times create paper mache pumpkins.

I'm not sure who got messier, me or the kids but I had a blast and got a HUGE thank you from my Vegkid for helping out.  Think I will be picking dried flour contents off every bit of my being until next year.

A quick detour after school for dinner & veg friendly treats, then it was home to a yard FULLLLL of leaves!

I asked Veg if he felt the need for some jumping and was sort of hoping he'd say no.  But he said yes!

After more than an hour of CrossFit and three hours of working with children in an art-like capacity, raking the yard did NOT seem fun for my arms.  So I had the brilliant idea to grab the leaf blower...

However, I realized quickly that the leaf blower gets heavy with arms that already feel heavy and was competing against the wind to keep my pile in check.  This was quite comical actually...  Leaf blower goes "zoom", and the wind goes... "Whoooooosh"... 

Finally I gave in and grabbed the rake.  

The picture above was after he had destroyed the pile, buried himself and shot out like a zombie... We took videos, it was spooky, trust me!  *wink*

We still have a LOT of leaves on our trees, so if the rain doesn't get too bad, there will be more jumping before the season ends.

I do love the Fall, what a wonderful time of year!!!