more birthday news...

I just wanted to send a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big sister Tina (Cristina to all of you). She's pictured here with her sons Brendan (on the left) and Theo (on the right). I took this photo when we were on vacation in Banff. The rocky mountains are amazing! I'd tell you how old she is, but she'd kill me. I will say that we're 9.5 years apart, so you do the math. My sister is the nicest person you'll ever meet and in my opinion, is really mellow considering she's a fire sign (wa-hoo leos!). When most people meet us, they can tell right away that we're sisters. I guess it's 'cuz we have that sisterly vibe. People also assume that she's the younger one (yes, this totally bruises my ego). I tell myself that people assume she's younger than me because I have that bitchy/protective/assertiveness that only an older sister can possess. ha ha! Happy Birthday sis! I hope you have an amazing bday!

In other birthday news, I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend John W. He turns the big 3-5 today. That he shares the same birthday as my sister is probably the only reason why I could even remember his birthday. ha ha! Okay. I'll be nice. This photo was taken last week at his bday "almost-didn't-happen" shindig last week. (Note: I stole this photo from Alison.) Happy Birthday John! I hope you're having a great time back home in Tennessee. I'm sure your mom still loves you:)

Finally, my sister likes to remind me that the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is also a July 28th baby. Yes, lots of cool people were born today. Happy Birthday!

Warm-up
Stretching Clinic

CrossFit One World WOD
Complete five rounds for time of:
Row 500m
Run 400m

Joanne's Final Time -26:27

Notes (to myself) about this workout: My best time on this was 28:31 as posted here. That means I beat my PR by over two minutes. Yup. I'm doing a little victory dance as we speak. As usual, this WOD sucked. I will say that while doing the WOD, I felt good about it. For rounds 1 and 2 I tried to keep the row below 2:15. For the rest of the rounds, I tried to keep in in the 2:20s, with some slippage into 2:30. When strategizing for this, the row (for me) is the only thing I have actual control over. Today I felt my transitions were better. I'm notorious for taking a break after each round to have water and just take a breath. Not that these things are bad. But I was more conscious about going from the row straight to the run. I also learned (per Jamie P.'s advice) that it's best to relax instead of tensing up during the WOD. It makes the process much more manageable.

Finally, I wore my skins socks today. I really liked them because my legs feel good. I actually wished I could afford the tights because my thighs feel a little sore. My calves feel awesome, though. I don't think they had anything to do with hitting a new PR, but I do feel good.

Finally, am I the only person who finds this new show remotely interesting?! As a CrossFitter, I completely understand that being anti-fat kind of comes with the territory. However, you're talking to a self-proclaimed fathlete here. I own every ounce of fat on my body. (More on this another day.) I will say that I find this show intriguing because for the first time, I get to see normal sized women. In case you didn't get the memo, the average woman in the U.S. is a size 14/16. Yes, roughly my size. I think health and beauty come in every size, shape, and color. With that, I'm curious to see how this show handles itself.