It's been a week! I got my car fixed but it still needs work...lot's of work.
Diane had a death in the family this past week. Which was a very emotional time for her whole family. I feel so bad for them right now, death is never an easy thing to deal with. It has however made me and her family closer. Which is always a good thing.
Then on my first day back to work I was attacked from behind by a patient. She had to be 180# or so. I was hanging her shirt up so my arms were up and she football tackled me from behind. I flew out of the room onto the floor, hitting both elbows really hard. As I was Turing to get back up and defend myself four or five medics jumped her and took her down. She was later arrested. We have a court date next month. My back is sore and my pride is a bit damaged. It pisses me off that it happened. Now I'm a little jumpy around aggressive patients, Where I used to be very sure of myself. Being attacked from behind is a weak move!
On top of all that I've been menstrual which just adds to the drama.


This photo makes me cry! Victory is so fucking sweat!
Ok, So Fight Gone Bad is in the Morning! Crossfit DC is going to have a blast! We raised a lot of money and have a strong team. I hope my shoulder holds out!
Thank you for your support.

So I've been Tagged by another blogger. Rules: Having been tagged, I have to blog 5 things about myself that mostly no-one knows and then tag three more blogger friends.

1. I'm a cryer. Yup, I cry at lest once a week, at stupid shit. When I watch a sporting even like the Olympics the Tour DE France. I just can't help it. I cry when I watch the Biggest loser. I'm not ashamed...I cry!

2. I started a huge fire in my town when i was a teenager. No one was hurt! It was in the woods behind a convent,in there compost pile. We were smoking and thought it was funny to flick our butts into the leaves. We ran home and then heard the Fire trucks going up to hill. I'm pretty sure my parents knew it was Gene and I. It scared the shit out of me!

3. At 19 I moved to Africa for a while to do Missionary work. For the first week I would not come out of my Hut. I've never felt so scared and homesick. Eating was out of the question. I felt paralyzed by fear. Once I got myself together I had an awesome time.

4. My mother left my father when I was two. My father let my Grand parents take care of me. He got re-married and had my step mother take care of me. They got divorce when I was 16. My father chooses not to have a relationship with me now. Over this last year my former step mother who brought me up decided that she did not want a relationship with me. She feels I don't like her. This is her choice. I have prenatal issues. I think the problem is they all think it's my responsibility to make the relationship work.

5. When I have to pee....I have to pee! Enough said!

The three blogs I tagged Coach Rut, Cheap Appearances, and Tracy's blog. All can be found in my link list.



Today's workout.
Fight Gone Bad style.

Sledge hammer tire 1 min
jump to support on rings 1 min
kettlebell swings 16k 1 min
Three rounds then one min off
Repeat and done!

Today has been a challenge just in a general way. The Clutch in my car went and that means big cash that I don't really have....aaaaagh!

This was my workout
21-15-9
Hang power Cleans
Juming Pull-ups
It was going to be Squat clean and Jump to support on the rings. I hung my rings wrong and on the first jump they slid down. So it was a quick change to Jumping Pull-ups. Because I was in my back yard doing squat cleans was just not working. My second change was to do Hang Power cleans.
What a day.

Don't have time to workout!?!? That's bullshit!
Yesterday
1 minuet intervals
Kettlebell swings
Tuck Jumps
Four rounds no rest. The clock is always running. It's not a beat down workout. Yet, it's enough to fit into my busy day!



Today
1 minuet intervals
Hang Power cleans with 75# Barbell
Kettlebell cleans
1 minuet Right
1 minuet left
Two rounds

Went to store to buy stuff for dinner

1 minuet intervals
Air squats
push-ups
Two rounds of one minuet

Started the grill


Same thing with One handed Kettlebell swings
1 minuet each arm
Two rounds.

What do you think about when your alone?

I found myself thinking about death. I've dealt with alot of it in my life. As a teen I lost a good friend Eddy Green in a car crash. He was my first real boyfriend in 8th grade. Then in high school we lost a few people to DWI's. Later in high school we lost a good friend Tina fonzo in a car crash. She was a very unique women I can only wonder what she would be doing if she was still with us.
In Africa I saw a lot of death. At 19 seeing how death was delt with in another country was scary yet enlightening.
As an adult I was with my Pop when he passed away. It was by far the hardest death to that point. He is why I went back to Castleton for a while. Taking care of him was more important than collage. It was strange to be with him at that last second as he inhaled and exhaled them nothing. He was free from his pain, yet I can say with much certainty that he felt cheated. Russ loved life very much and felt that he had so much more to do. He told me he was angry that his life was being cut short. So was I, since I loved him more than anyone. Russ and I were very much a like. I don't look like the rest of my family nor do I have a lot in common with the rest of my family. Russ was sporty and outgoing. We even look more alike than anyone else.
I wanted to pull him back from death so bad at that time. Now I see that he had a good death. At home with his family no pain just peace.
At work I deal with death all the time. Two strangers meeting at the last seconds of one persons life. They're between life and death...at a crossroads.
You may think this is strange but the lost of my dogs has been as painful as some of the people I have lost. Seeing them go reminds you that it's inevitable we all die and we don't know when or how. That's the part I hate!
Don't read this and think I'm depressed, I'm fine. It's a very real part of living...dying that is. It has taught me a great many things.
"Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying"

"I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau



Every time I enter a workout or ride...I don't know what I will learn. Will I learn a new limit? A new kind of pain or skill. Who knows? Not me. It seems when we push our bodies to limits we find things out good and bad. I want to known myself. As a coach I'm learning to know other peoples fears and limits. Is it failure or pain? Is it ego or confidence? Is it enthusiasm or jealousy?

What represents your woods?

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
Friedrich Nietzsche



It's been a while since I filled you in on my adventures.

Ok, last week at Crossfit Challenge Jerry and I hit some short Fight Gone Bad circuits.
After that in BarBell class we worked the push press. The big news for me was that I got 4 reps of 95lbs!


I took it easy on Friday and Saturday. Since I knew that I was going to do the Virtual power lifting meet on Sat am. Then on Sunday we did a 50 mile ride.


The V-meet went ok. It was fun for sure. Just not the best lifting for me. Todays ride crushed me.
A word to the wise..Don't do 195lb backsquats, 235lb Deadlifts and then go for a ride in the hills of MD. It was so hard on me that I cried at one point. My legs were burning my shoulder was in pain and I just did not have any juice in my body. Not to mention I was VERY grummpy to my riding peeps. Humbling for sure!
Even my ass hurts right now. My pride is hit in it's oh so pretty face..SMACK! I have a long week looking at me. Three days in a row at work and Friday is going to be a landscaping side job after Crossfit Challenge.
Recovery will be intresting. I'm happy to say that I found a Chriopractor close to home. That will be great!
Fight Gone Bad is coming up soon. If you would like to make a donation to this cause follow the links on the right.

It goes without saying that you have to be careful if you lift or workout barefoot.
Let's start this interesting topic with some photos.




Ok so we know people do it and that it works for some. Are there reasons other than being in a martial arts studio? I have found personal that I like the feel. I can really feel the weight going into my feet.

It's taking me some time to find a well written article on this topic. So if you know of some lead the way.

"Fight Gone Bad," originally designed for a professional fighter, is a combination of five different exercises done in three rounds of one minute each. CrossFit takes basic fitness exercises — squats, push-ups, pull-ups, dips, dead-lifts, medicine ball throws and more — to emphasize a full range of motion and adds short bursts of cardiovascular elements. The mix is different day-to-day and engages every muscle in your body while providing adequate recovery time for growth.




The next video you see of this will be from Crossfit DC's Fight gone bad fundraiser. Please Make a donation at
http://athletes.kintera.org/crossfit07/crossfitdc


Thanks so much for your support!
Jen

Yesterday was my first Soccer game with the FEDs. We won! My feet hurt like hell today. It was so hot my feet were sweating like mad and now I have huge blisters on the balls of my feet! Yikes!
Todays workout 10 rounds of...
3 reps Power Clean with 75#
3 reps Box Jump 20"
3 reps Power Clean 75#
3 reps Box Jump 20"


This workout is curtiosy of Coach Rut! See the links on the right to go to his blog.

Keeping the child within alive.
Watched Bridge to Terabithia tonight and bald my eyes out. I love adventure and creative journeys, going to a place only you can see in your own mind. It's that best place on earth.

Today's Pain


One minuet each 3 rounds one minute rest between each round.
Box Jumps
45# KB swings
Lunges with two 30# DB's


Then Front Squats
5 x 45# bar
5 x 55#
5 x 75#
5 x 95#
5 x 105#


Push Press
5x 45#
5x 65#
5x 75#
Could have done more but stopped do to shoulder. Total weight moved 2800#.

Also, on a personal note. I finished Harry Potter this past week. It was great and I'm so sad the journey is over!
Today I will be at Brew in the Zoo, tasting beers....in moderation! LOL! At lest that's the plan.

Over the last few days I took it easy. Played some soccer on Sunday which was really fun. It's always been my sport of choice since I was 7.
Today I was at Crossfit Challenge with Jerry. So the opener for my day was Tabata. My line up was Swings, Sit-ups, Squats and lunges. Since I'm still keeping away from overhead stuff like pull-ups. Which kills me, I love pull ups and work on the rings!
So anyway it was 8 sets of 20 seconds work 10 seconds rest for each of the four movements. Sweat Jesus! My legs were blowing up!
Then the 6am class showed up and worked it hard. It's great to see people improve and become more aware of there bodies. Jerry had some new people in class, I hope they keep coming so that in a month or so I can see how far they've come! The first day is always a killer!


Then Jerry has his lifting class. Deadlift and Strict press singles. That's a max weight for one rep. On the deadlift I got 235# Whew! My lower back did rounded a bit so I have to watch that. Which is a strength thing but it's also a focus deal for me. My goal has been 270# in December.
update some things I forgot!
Later in the afternoon on my way to Personal Train a client I went to a soccer field and did some sprints and power skips with a few suicides mixed in. To warm up as Mai says I did 100 "rope turns" and then repeated for a cool down.

Deadlift form. The two left photos are of good form and the two right of bad form.

It was a 4am morning. Got out of bed grabbed Sophie and out the door as we headed for Arlington, VA. Handed Sophie over to my senior friend Otto so that they could hang out. Then I was off to Crossfit Challenge. I was feeling lest then motivated to workout this AM. When I got to the parking lot I decided to do some sprints and a run around the block. Jerry told me the distance but I've forgotten now. After a few sprints and some side shuffles we headed in. First I warmed up with some arm bars with the 12k KB 4 each side, same with TGU's but failed with my left arm on the second one. In that time Jerry decided to do some Tabata Muscle ups and squats. Since he had his watch going with the tabata alarm I thought sure do a few KB swings with the 45# KB. I kept it at 10 each time! Nice, I love that 45# KB! Then since I'm weak in the sit-up department I did Tabata sit-ups, I'm sure to feel that for a few days.
Crossfit Challenges second class is a lifting class. Today was Deadlifts and Strict press, 3 reps with max weight. I jumped in to see what I had. With the 205# deadlift I was able to get 3 reps. Sweet! My strict press was a mess. With my shoulder feeling shitty it was just not good, So I dropped it. I'll work on them soon.

A side note about my cycling. I've noticed I never get any better at climbing hills. I'm always last and struggling. Actually I think I'm a bit better than in the past but no huge gains. I wonder why? It's not like I'm racing or anything just seems I'm not a good climber, I just blow up on the climbs.

These Photos are of the 205x3





Here we have my new Friend in competition Keturah


Willie is the only one besides Jerry in class that can add! The rest of us were having a really hard time figuring out how much weight we had on the bar. Willie we sure will miss you!

You gotta love the crew at Crossfit Old Town Challenge! They make me want to work hard when I don't feel like working!

Last but not lest we have Andrea who kicked my ass with the Strict Press. She was build for this lift! Watch out girl...I'm coming up behind you!


I'm learning about short people and squatting their deadlift. I noticed it with Mike from Crossfit DC as well. Being that they have short arms and legs they tend to not go back with there butt on the Deadlift, They simply squat. Maybe by putting a pole behind them that they have to touch with there butt as they go down would help. Next time I see Andrea at CF Challenge I'll give it a go with her.

Ok, update on todays workout. I had all kinds of plans but decided to go easy on my shoulder.
10 Side press with 15# KB
10 side presses with 12k KB
Windmills top 16k bottom 12k 10 each side
Strict press 10 each side with 12k KB
Jerks 5 with 16k on right
3 on left.
Then 5 on left with 12k KB
2 sets of 10 front squats with 45# bar
1 set of 10 back squats with 45# bar
1 set of 10 back squats with 75#
1 set of 7 front squats with #75
2 sets of 5 front squats 75#
1 set of 5 back squats with 75#
My numbers are kinda crazy since I kept losing focus. Louie's ashes got delivered to the house today and it really hit me hard. At lest I did a workout.




Over the last few days I've been out on two short rides. One was at a speedy pace with Di and Ernesto. The ride I did this Am was short and slow. Spinning, no climbing to speak of just recovery. If I felt the L-acid starting to burn in my legs I would back off either in speed or via gears.
I plan on doing another workout today. So I'll have to get back to you on that one. Yesterday I did 30 cleans to Jerks with 65#. My left shoulder is really weak which made this very hard.

It's been almost a week since we put Louie to sleep. I've not made it one day with out crying. Crying really can take it out of you! At lest I made it through CFDC with out bursting out in tears!


On Saturday Di and I took Sophie into rock Creek park for a walk and I put my KB in a back pack to play with it on the rocks. Two miles with a 12k KB hitting me in the back was not the greatest thing for my shoulder and upper back but oh well. It was fun to play out on the rocks and see how hard it is to swing without proper footing!

Some Like it Hot. Yup, that's me. I would rather it be 100* and humid than snowing!

Today I went to Crossfit Old town to continue to learn from Jerry's coaching. Some may call me crazy for doing something I don't get paid for. Look at it this way. Jerry has been coaching for a long ass time. He was coaching when I was playing soccer and hockey. He was looking at sports in a different way. Jerry developed his coaching as an athlete. While I was just in it for me. Now I'm seeing both sides of the field! Which means I have a lot to learn and not of money to pay people to teach me. That's why I go and watch how he handles different situations. Also, it's fun. It's fun to be with his crew of people and to workout with him before class. That's payment in it's self.

It was a tabata day.
Six rounds of 20 seconds work with 10 seconds rest.
Squats
Situps
Pushups
Ring Rows
KB swings
Box Jumps
Lunges
Killer!
The Situps killed me. I hate them! I went for ring rows instead of Pullups do to should pain.

Thought of the day
Why would we cheer or idolize any athlete who we know uses Steroids or we even think uses them? What kind of an athlete are they if they need to use something to make them stronger? That's like saying I can deadlift 500# when your only lifting 150#...it's a lie. You can't do shit if your using Steroids...your not doing it the drug is!


Missing Louie! Feeling like I cut his life short. It's hard to deal with this.

Today:
Angry ride about 15 miles with loud music and sprints
Held a few sprints at 30mphs for about 20 seconds.
I few days ago before Louies passing I did
50 slamballs
50 pushpress
50 swings.
Then the next day was 50 pushpress and 50 slamballs.....really hard!

This above song is for my Louie. Sing it cheer it have a beer with it!

Yesterday I had to put my Dog Louie to sleep. My healthy, young, Fun and devoted dog.
Why, well not because I wanted to. Because he was acting aggressive tord others, more and more. He was very strong and for him to be lunging at people was just not a good thing living in a city area. He found that he could jump fences and chase people away from us. That had not happened in our yard yet. We had been taking him to a playground that was fenced in so he could run. Then while I was at work Di took him and he saw a guy walking passed....off he went. We've seen the symptoms since we got him. I guess at first we just thought he would get over it with training and with being around people. We were wrong it just got worse. His life was coming down to our yard and house. We in good conscious were going to have to avoid people or muzzle him. Not take him any place because he was so cute that people always wanted to pet him. Most of the time he would be alright with others, then there would be that one person that I could tell he did not like. From time to time I would see that look on his face and know that he was near the edge. It only takes one small nip to send someone to the ER for stitches and then it's off to the kennel or be put down.
As for kennels he got sent home the last time I tried to board him. When I left he freaked out and snapped at the worker who was trying to take off his collar.
Louie was scared of people and loud places. When walking him around our area if I went out of my house and headed right down the block he was fine(excerpt if we met people)if I took a left he was a bag of nerves. His head going back and forth, looking behind him making sure no one was coming up on him. It was sad to watch.
That being said, at home he was sweet and loving! He never did anything wrong in the house. He let Sophie our 8 year old boxer rule the house and all the toys. He was kind to the cats from the first day. Louie loved Diane but was my right hand man. At my side for everything. Workouts, sleeping, cooking, he was there with a little kiss. Every time I would leave and come home he would be in the window, I could see his little white face as I pulled into our drive. Yet, he was his own man and would sleep half the nite down stairs and come up in the moring to get me up for a walk.
I was taking Louie for trail runs, He was awesome at it! He never went around the trees the wrong way. Man he could jump and climb fallen trees like a champ. When he would run free his body was all grace, you just had to love it. He looked so happy.
Louie was a what is called a fear biter. We trained him, sit, stay, come, down and hold. He would let me take his toys and toss them and wait to go get them. Awesome dog, just awesome to me.
I miss him and feel bad, really bad. Yet, I know under the pain that we did the right thing. It's just right now I just feel so awful I can't explain it. We gave Louie the best year and 1/2 of his life. Before that he was closed up in a room and not feed.
Anyhow, I love you Louie. Rest in Peace big man!

My Louie. My little wiggle butt man...I will miss you sooooo much!

Over the last month I've been pretty upset about my dog louie. He has decided that he does not feel safe with anyone but Di and I. He has been lunging at people, I just can't trust him right now. We are getting some trainer to come in and work with us. I feel kind of hopless about it at this point. At home he is sweet and fun as can be. He and I have a bond. But he has to like others for me to keep him. So this journey is a tough one. We will see. So yesterday no workout I just had to go someplace and chill.



I'm not a church goer. This is the National Cathedral. (www.cathedral.org)
One of the most beautiful places in DC. This is a church but it serves all faiths. Everyone is welcome there. American Indians, Wickens, and all the other Known faiths. The building is the most awesome thing in DC. It has carvings from all faiths and backgrounds on it in the form of gargoyles. I say it's the number one place to take your guests who come to town, not to mention it's free. For me it's the landscaping. Which is open and free to all. You can sit and drink and eat in the beautiful bishops garden. Someday Di and I hope to have our commitment ceremony there. Ok off to work!