CrossFit One World WOD

Freddy posted this a few days ago and I thought I'd share it since I did this particular hero WOD today. Condolences to the family and friends of Officer Brad Moody.

Richmond Police Officer Brad Moody, 29 years of age and an 8 year employee with the Richmond Police Department, was involved in a single patrol-car accident Saturday morning (Oct. 4), shortly before 8 a.m. on Marina Bay Parkway just north of Regatta Blvd. in the City of Richmond. Officer Moody's vehicle struck a utility pole in the median while responding to a call that involved a felony assault with injuries. It had been raining a short time before the call and roads were slick.

After heroic efforts at the accident scene involving several members of the Richmond Police and Fire Department, as well as several PG&E employees, Officer Moody was transported to John Muir Trauma Center in Walnut Creek , where it was determined that his injuries were not life-survivable. At 2:45am on October 7, 2008, Officer Moody was removed from life support and passed away.

Officer Moody is survived by his wife, Susan, and his two young daughters. Officer Moody was a K-9 officer with the department and his dog "Rico" survived the accident and is recovering from minor injuries. Officer Moody was also a member of the RPD SWAT Team. Brad was held in the highest regard by his peers.

Brad was a great friend to One World members Mike Mahaney and Silvia Haro. They have purchased wristbands that we will be selling at One World for $5 each. All proceeds will go to the family. Please feel free to sell wristbands to your family and friends.

A fund to benefit the Moody family has been established at Mechanic’s Bank. Donations may be made to the “The Memorial Fund for Officer Brad Moody” and dropped off at any Mechanics Bank location. They can also be mailed to:

Mechanics Bank
3170 Hilltop Mall Rd.
Richmond,CA 94806

It's time to step up to the plate One World and all who visit this website! Dig deep and help this family out.

Warm-up
Run 1.1 miles (my time was 11:36, a new PR!)
Three rounds of:
10 Shoulder rolls
10 Overhead squats
Samson Stretch
10 hanging knees-to-elbows

WOD:Moody
Complete the following for time:
Row 500m
50 push-ups
Row 500m
50 squats
Row 500m
50 burpees
Row 500m

Joanne's Final Time - 27:00

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I've been out of commission for three days, so this was a hard one to come back to. It was either this or "virtual shoveling" which didn't make it any better. I've been wanting to do this since Freddy posted because doing a hero workout in honor of someone local is just a little more meaningful. Granted, I don't know Officer Moody, but I did see the news coverage of this accident.

I'm not sure what was wrong with me tonight, but I couldn't row for the life of me. I really need some rowing tips because I feel like the harder I work, the slower I go. It sucks! I thought I was doing good time. In fact, I was at about 14 minutes up until the burpees. Oh those damn burpees! I hate those damn burpees! I ever had a signature WOD, (which I actually did have!), I'd never do burpees! EVER! I think the burpees took me a good ten minutes, which is why my final time was exactly 27 minutes. I hate you burpees. I hate you so much!

On a lighter note, I did do a new PR with my 1.1 run. Wa-hoo! Eric wants me to time every warm-up run. Personally, I don't like doing that because it takes the joy out of running and warming up for me. I think I'll time myself every Monday. I'm also working on my kipping pull-up and am the very baby stages of it. Currently, I'm just trying to hang on the bar to support my body weight. Um, I'm lucky if I can get five to ten seconds of that. I'm developing the ugly CrossFit hands even with gloves! Sucks! But I can manage my personal version of a hanging knees-to-elbows, something I couldn't even think of doing a few months ago. I'll get there. Pull-ups here I come!

CrossFit One World WOD

Sick Abs! This is Laura and was taken when she first started at One World a few years ago. As mentioned before, I don't get to see her much because she doesn't train as much at One World anymore. I do get to run into her during our events and things, which is nice. Okay. So I don't aspire to have abs like these. However, I would like to have less jelly in the mid section!


SPORTS BRA SALE! If you're anything like me, you understand the importance of a good sports bra. However, if you're anything like me and are a little on the busty side, you also know that a good sports bra can cost a fortune (I'm talking at least $40 and up). As someone who needs a full support bra at least 3-5 times a week, we're talkin' a lot of sports bras! If you're wondering what my super sports bra secret is, it's all about Champion! In my humble opinion, they make some of the best sports bras and have an incredibly wide range of sizes - anything from a modest A-cup to a voluptuous DDD-cup. They also have a great range of support from light (for yoga) to high (for running). A few times a year they have their $19.99 sports bra sale and ladies, it's that time of year! If you haven't discovered this gem yet, do check it out! They have a bra finder function that customizes your search. If you sign up on their email list and open a free account, they ship to you for free. I find that their bras are pretty true to size. But if you order and find you need to return or exchange, it's a really easy process. So if you need your sports bras, stock up now! I don't know when the sale ends, but stock runs out (and you'll end up on a waiting list and will have to wait up to a month for your support supplies). *End my spiel on sports bras.*

And now on to todays' WOD....

Warm-up
Run 1.1 miles

WOD: Timed Rows
Row 500 meters four times. Rest two minutes between efforts.

Row 1 - 2:16
Row 2 - 2:16
Row 3 - 2:15
Row 4 - 2:15
Row 5 - 2:16

Total Time - 11:18

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I modified this WOD slightly. The original WOD was timed 400 meter runs. Truth be told, I can't stand timed short distance runs. I'm a distance runner and I have trouble adjusting. Also, for me, running isn't about fast times. It's about completing the distance. I guess this is where I have trouble with the CrossFit system. I completely understand why we have to time the workouts because it totally ups the intensity. However, I prefer to take a little extra time to nail form. Once the form is right, then we can speed things up for time. Right now, I'm still trying to nail my form. In EVERYTHING. Patience. I just need patience.

My fastest recorded row was during my last time trials where I clocked in at 2:14. I was slightly slower tonight, but I think I made a decent showing. I realize I approach my WODs the way I run. I aim for form and consistency. There's not a lot of difference in each round of rows. If you look at other people's times (well, they ran so it's a different story I guess), the rounds are pretty different. Like they say, different strokes for different folks and I'm now finding my groove. Wa-hoo!

CrossFit One World WOD

This is another old photo circa 2006 or early 2007. Something like that. This is what I looked like during today's WOD. I was praying for those damn squats to end. Boo!

Warm-up
One hour of yoga
Run 1.1 miles

WOD: Barbara
Complete five individual rounds for time of:
20 jumping pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 Abmat sit-ups (I weighted my feet down)
50 squats
Rest 3 minutes between rounds and post a time for each round.

Round 1 - 6:36
Round 2 - 6:50
Round 3 - 7:28
Round 4 - 7:22
Round 5 - 8:02

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Everyone I know who did this WOD says they were sore for the next few days. Apparently, Eric did this WOD and is still sore. Hence, why he was a no-show again. No worries. It's hard working out on your own, but I also need to just suck it up and do it. This WOD is as hard as it looks. By the fifth round I didn't give a shit. That's why the time was so bad. UGH! It's done.

CrossFit One World WOD

Old Skool Style. This is me sometime in 2006 doing box jumps. I'm happy to say that I've recently graduated to the red 18" box. It's a struggle, but I'm trying to manage. Yea me.

Warm-up
Run 1.1 miles

WOD
Complete ten rounds of the following for time:
Run 200m
10 burpees

Joanne's Final Time - 27:47

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Any WOD that includes burpees sucks. Period. It's getting darker earlier and the weather is getting colder and it's been harder to want to workout. I didn't confirm meeting with Eric and it looks like he took the night off because of extreme soreness from James's class. Yeah. Rest is always in order. That's what last week felt like to me.

So yes, tonight's WOD simply sucked. But I finished. It's not fun doing the stuff alone, but I don't know. I can't seem to get myself into a class. I just hate the competitiveness of it all. I need to think about it. Hmph.

almost 13 miles

This is a photo of JD that was taken during the infamous century game. Yeah. This is what my trial half marathon felt like. after mile 9, I just wanted to kneel down and pray and hope I'd make it today. (ha ha ha)

I've been sick for the past week and the last thing on my mind was the trial half marathon. Meaning, I didn't carbo-load the days before and I didn't pay attention to proper hydration (but I was properly hydrated because I'm trying to shake whatever this thing is I've got). I worked a long day on Saturday and when I got up on Sunday I didn't eat a proper pre-run meal. In short, I did all the stuff you shouldn't do before running higher mileage. I was good up until mile nine, heading into mile ten. In fact, miles six to nine were great. I was really energized. But by the time I took the break at my car, I could hear my stomach growling. I should have listened to my spider senses and stopped right there or opted to go for lower mileage. But I really wanted to get as close to 13 miles as possible. Big mistake. I ended up walking a great deal those last four miles. When I finally ended at 12.9 miles, I did it because I could feel some major leg cramps coming on.

My pace was 13:59 (way slower than all my past runs. It was all the walking I did at the tail end that slowed me down.)

I was exhausted, hungry and wanted my mommy! Lesson learned.

I spent the rest of the day resting my legs. My knees hurt and am currently icing them. I'm so going to pay for this!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

I lifted this image from the main site. Yeah. Across the nation there are some crazy CrossFitters out there! Beware!

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga

WOD
Run 5K

Pace - 12:08
Time - 37:49

Work on 18" box jumps and kipping pull-ups

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I'm glad we got to run today because I haven't done a long run in two weeks. Yeah. Terrible. I'm training for a half marathon and I haven't run in two weeks. I'm not worried because it's normal for people to slack and come back strong. But I really should be on it. This weekend is the trial half marathon which I plan on running in San Francisco with my trusty friend Margaret.

The run felt good. I clocked in at a 12:08 pace which is nice. I was hoping I'd be faster, but not bad considering I haven't run long distances. Also, please note that I interval run: 4 minute run, 1 minute walk, which makes this a pretty decent showing. I started the run before 6:30pm and had to beat the dark. There was a lot of wind and I forget how that can slow you down. Oh well.

After the run, I headed to One World because Eric said we'd work on me having a higher box jump and we'd start on my pull-ups. I'm happy to say that I can do an 18 inch box jump. It's hard and requires more concentration and I'm slower at it than when I do the 12 inch jump. But I'm glad to graduate from the blue to the red box. Yea for me.

The pull-up was a different story. For now, I just need to hang. Hanging from a bar like a monkey isn't so bad. I just have to hang and get used to supporting my body weight (though not as heavy as before, it's still pretty damn heavy). I can hang for maybe five seconds. From there, I have to work on swinging and then move on to trying to do the pull-up. It will take a while (like MONTHS), but I hope to do at least one by Valentine's day. At least that's my goal for now. I may have to push it back to Easter. Hmph.

My least favorite part of the pull-ups are the callouses that form on your hands. Ew! I usually wear gloves, but I can see how your grip is better without them. I need to come up with a solution to having callous-free hands. Suggestions? (I know. Don't do pull-ups. Nice try.)

Special thanks to my coach Eric for pulling me through the box jumps. Yea. I did it!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

In honor of Fight Gone Bad, here's a photo of this past Saturday's event that we hosted at One World. Congratulations to the athletes who competed. You all did a great job. (Ahem. Austin, you pulled a 382? That's so damn sick! If that's your PR, then I think you should say thank you for the red rice and kelaguen because that's what did the trick. Are you listening, you CrossFitters?)

Warm-up
Run 1.1 miles

WOD: Fight Gone Bad
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The athlete performs three rounds total. The stations are:

Wall-ball: 14 pound ball, 8 ft target. (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull: 55 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump: 12" box (Reps)
Push-press: 55 pounds (Reps)
Row: calories (Calories)
The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Joanne's Final Score: 198

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I want to start off by posting my previous Fight Gone Bad times. I've done this WOD only twice before. The first time is here where I scored 193. I think I recorded some things wrong because I'm sure if I did high box step-ups, it was either 12" or 20". I'm almost positive it was 12". I also did 45# weights at the time. Note that this first attempt was nowhere near RX'd.

The second time I did FGB was here. It's important to note that I did 257 reps, a great improvement. However, the wall ball was 10# and the weight was only 35#.

I mention this because I'm currently kicking myself at how much I cheated myself during my workouts for the past few years. In my current state of mind, I feel like, if you're not going to work hard, don't go to the gym. It's the mindset that works for me at this moment. When I looked at my past FGB results, I realized how much I really cheated myself and how much I didn't push myself. As Eric says, go RX'd or as close as you can to it every time. I try to push as much as I can because i feel like if I don't, I'm wasting my time. I was hoping to break 200 and I came close. I learned that FGB is about planning, pacing and pushing. I now know what my limits are and where I can push. I think I could have broken 200 if I just pushed harder and hand a clearer mindset. No big deal. I RX'd everything except the box jumps, so I'm happy with my performance today.

allergies

I'm afraid that I'm going to be cranky for tomorrow's WOD. I haven't been worked out since Thursday. Bad Joanne! I currently have allergies. Personally, I blame all the f--kin' pot smokers at the Journey concert. My system doesn't react well to large dosages of pot smoke. I get totally congested and my throat hurts. I sound a lot worse than I feel.

I had a totally busy weekend working, going to events, spending time with friends, sorting out my project, etc. I decided to take today off because I really need to recover. I will say that I feel a hell of a lot better now than I did this morning. Back to the grind tomorrow!

The video below is of the "Century" game at One World that happened a few Fridays ago. You remember the drunken photos I posted. Anyway, here's live footage. Warning: there are images of Freddy and Will B. battling it with our friend pukie. This is why you just say no to beer... and pull-ups!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

This is Josh "Schoolboy" doing a 370# deadlift. Amazing. He's 16 years old and weighs 140#. Sick. So sick! Great job Schoolboy!

Warm-up
Run 1.1 miles

WOD: Deadlift
Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

How Joanne's lifts panned out: 95/105/115/120/140/145/150/155/160/170/175/180

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I was tired today. I didn't get enough sleep and when I was driving to the studio, I cold feel myself dozing off. I arrived at around 5:30pm and just took a half hour nap in my car. When I got up, I was still a little groggy. I decided to take an un-timed run around the block to warm up and wake me up. Lesson learned. Sleep is important. Food is important. I'm feeling how important they are in my not-so-old age. Luckily, today's WOD wasn't too bad. Heavy lifting, but it doesn't suck the life out of you. It's a different kind of intensity.

Before I started training with Eric, I had never done more than a 95# deadlift. A few months ago, I did a WOD that had a deadlift and did 135#. Today, I was happy to do 180#. With better form and such, I think I can lift more. But 180# isn't bad. Hell, it's like I deadlifted Brad!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

More fun with pukie. I couldn't resist. This is the corresponding photo of Will B. from the century game. Kids, this is reason #4036 why one should just say NO!

Warm-up
Run 1.1 miles (Time - 11:46 new PR!)

WOD: The Filthy Fifty!
Complete the following for time:
50 box jumps 12"
50 jumping pull-ups
50 kettlebell swings 25#
50 lunge steps
50 knees to elbows (on bench)
50 push press 33#
50 GHD back extensions
50 wall balls 14#
50 burpees
100 jump rope rotations

Joanne's Final Time - 47:31

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
This WOD sucked. Granted, they all suck, but this one sucked in particular. When you get to the burpees, you just want to die right then and there. The last time I did this, I had a faster time. However, pay close attention to how I did less modifications today. I RX'd all the weights. The only modifications I did were the box jumps, knees to elbows and jump ropes. In all, I'm pretty proud of myself. Yeah. Burpees suck. I had to do them five at a time. Boo!

I also PR'd my 1.1 mile run. I just felt good running today. I beat my fastest time by 34 seconds! Yea me!

pissy, pissy b**ch!

I haven't posted since Wednesday because I haven't worked out since Wednesday! Four days in a row of not working out is pretty rare for me these days. I needed Thursday off, Friday and Saturday I was working fairly long days and on Sunday, I was just beat because working on your feet just sucks. I'll admit that I was also part lazy and was pushing a deadline. It's the first time I've missed a long run. It's a recovery week, so I'll forgive myself.

Lesson learned. When I don't work out for an extended period of time, I get pissy. Enough said.

On a lighter note, I did go to the One World Fish Tournament and social on Friday night. I arrived late because of work, so I missed the Fish Tournament. However, I did make it for the Century game, where athletes competed to do 100 one-minute rounds of drinking one ounce of beer and doing one pull-up. Um. Yeah. This was interesting. I was part of the "bar-tending" team who so graciously filled the athletes' cups with a shot of beer. Here are some highlights from Freddy's post:


Champion! Congrats to Annie, the reigning queen of the fish game! Honorable mentioned are Austin from CrossFit Unlimited and our very own Chris S.


Where's J-Ro? This is the beginning of "Century" when the athletes were still sober and peppy. Can you spot me? I'm in this photo. Really. I am! Look closely!


Don't try this at home. Our very own Freddy and his date with pukie. Consider yourselves lucky because I had to watch video footage of Freddy on his date. Sick. I don't get those three minutes back, you know?! Thanks to Chris S. for sharing the Kodak moment in reel time.


Designated Driver. This is Will B. during round 90-something. He almost made it to the 100th round, but after round 99, he puked all over the floor. That wasn't fun. Since I poured the drinks, I felt bad and decided to drive Will safely home to his wife and kid. Um. I'm pretty sure Will still has no idea what my name is! ha ha!


This is JD sporting his new t-shirt. Yes, he was one of the century athletes too. So how did we get JD to sport this brand spankin' new tee? Easy. His wife made him wear it! (You should have been there when he realized that he was wearing this t-shirt!) Yes JD, I really am 32. Really. I am.

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga
Run 1.1 miles (Time - 12:20, four seconds faster than my last PR!)

WOD
Complete five rounds for time of:
Row 500m
20 medicine ball cleans 14#

Joanne's Final Time - 27:27

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Kudos to Eric for dealing with my bitchiness. I can't even say it's that time of the month, cuz it's not. I was just pissy and I think it's because of the lack of work out. I guess my body craves endorphins and when it doesn't get any, it gets pissy. End story. This WOD (as with most WODs, was much harder than it looked like it was going to be). I definitely need to work on those medicine ball cleans. Eric says that last week was my best week to date. This tells me that eating cottage cheese and fruit 45 minutes before working out helps me perform better because it gives me the energy I need. I'll try doing this again and see what happens.

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

The One World site posted it. The main site posted it. So I figured I would post it too. This photo is from Urban Shield. Pictured here are our very own One World athletes: (standing) Kirk Wu (Union City PD), Nick Corti (San Leandro PD), Ken Gemmel (Alameda County SO), Roman Macias (Alameda County SO), Jolie Gentry (Newark PD), David Lee (Newark PD); (kneeling) Freddy Camacho (Union City PD), J.D. Stewart (Alameda County SO), Stan Rodrigues (Union City PD), and Darryl Manrique (Newark PD).

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga
Run 1.1 miles

WOD: "Michael"
Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
50 GHD Back Extensions
50 AbMat Sit-ups

Joanne's Final Time - 38:54

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Eric was tired and decided to take a day off. I was happy because nothing is worse than training with someone who just doesn't feel like being at the gym. Also, rest days are important. In truth, I've been spoiled having him train me because I don't have to think about what I'm doing. He leads, I follow. That's it. So training on your own requires a little more discipline. I could train with the class, but I don't get there early enough. Also, I admit that I'm afraid of sucking in the group session. So there's my dilemma. I decided to do "Michael" because since it was technically a rest day, I was making up a WOD from the main site.

Working out at night has been challenging because it gets colder and colder. I need to bring a jacket to the floor just to keep me warm during the runs. UGH. Gear issues. Michael is pretty tough and the last time I did it, I had a hellish time because I did everything on the GHD machine. This time I decided to do the sit-ups on the AbMat because I needed the practice. Plus, they don't annoy me as much as the GHD. I think my back extensions are getting better, but still need work. Right now, my butt is sore from all the damn squats, running and now the back extensions. I'm giving my ass a break tomorrow. Literally!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

This is Nicole from CrossFit headquarters demonstrating the overhead squat. Yes, that's Queen Jolie in the background. I'm always amazed at how much One World gets kudos on the main site.

Warm-up
Run 1.1 miles

WOD: Nancy
Complete five rounds for time of:
Run 400m
15 overhead squats 45#

Joanne's final time - around 26 minutes?

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
As predicted, after a ten mile run on Sunday and a tough workout on Monday, I'm simply tired today. Eric showed up really late, so I started the WOD without him. I took advantage of not having him by not Rx-ing the WOD and going slower on the run. Yeah. He showed up at the end of round three and I didn't hear the end of it. Yes, I could have pushed harder today. But I'm not disappointed because my other days have been pretty intense. Also, it's the first time I've ever timed my Nancy.

But I will say that Eric won't always be there and I need to not be such a panty when it comes to doing the WOD. I forgive myself for today's slip. Really, I needed the rest. Besides, I'm still a little sore. Cheers to tomorrow's WOD, which Eric says will "kick my ass." Boo!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

I can't remember when this was taken. I want to say it was taken sometime in 2006 when CrossFit was still new and not a lot of people took the classes. I'm glad it's grown so much. But sometimes I miss the days of the old Breakfast Club. Um. I've been told I don't look like this these days. I'm hoping these same people are right. I can tell I've leaned out a little bit because I need new gym pants. My Nike pants are on the verge of falling off when I workout. Though nice, I really like my Nike pants and don't want to buy a new pair. Don't mind me. I'm not bitching. I love my workouts now. I love feeling stronger. They work for me now.

Warm-up
One hour of yoga
Run 800 meters

WOD: "Rubber Legs"
Complete the following for time:
Run 200m
50 squats
Row 250m
30 lunge steps (total steps)
Run 200m
25 squat jumps
Row 250m
30 lunge steps
Run 200m
50 squats
Row 250m

Joanne's Final Time - 17:09

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Today's yoga was really hard, but I pulled through. I can feel myself getting stronger because I no longer need to do the main vinyasa on my knees. I could also feel how weak I felt today because after a ten mile run, I'm just tired. Also, I sweat like a motherf--ker. I just need to own that about myself.

CrossFit Mondays are always hard. I'm always exhausted after the long runs. But I workout for the sake of toughing it out. Today's WOD seemed light, but it wasn't. It was short, but intense. I was glad it was over. I'm also trying to alter the way I eat after the WOD. It's sort of working. I'm kind of hungry, but I fueled up on protein and such. Also, I just don't think late night eating is smart. I'll rough it out 'til the morning when I dive into my lox and wasa crackers. Yummy!

conquering another ten miles

This is the Golden Gate from my car on a good day. The past two weekends, I've been starting my runs at Crissy Field, toward the Golden Gate Bridge, across it to the visitor center and then back. That runs about nine miles depending on the route you take. From there, I stop at the car, re-fuel, take off the long sleeves and conquer the last mile or so along the Marina. My past two ten mile runs haven't looked like this. The bridge has been foggy and I really don't mind because the colder, the better for me. I get warm really quickly.

Margaret didn't join me for the ten mile run. As with last week, we had a sleep over at Diana's and headed to Crissy first thing on Sunday. We usually head out really early, but we stayed up late watching Samoan Wedding, which meant we got to Crissy at 10am. It was fine because it's the city. It's still cold and though I hate crowds, it was kind of nice to be out and about when there are a lot of other people there. I'm glad that Diana and Jen got to get in a good workout too. I stupidly forgot some essential things such as my headphones and had to buy a set at the local Safeway. (Can you believe that the Sports Basement doesn't sell headphones?!) I also forgot my hydration belt and hat. I had to improvise by carrying my water bottle and run without my hat (which made my face suffer from the UVA/UVB rays). Lesson learned: make a checklist and pack your shit!

This week's ten miler was much better than last week. I clocked in at a 12:45 pace, 30 seconds faster than last week. I'll say that the reason why this run was better is because I got smarter about nutrition. I made sure to eat some hearty proteins in the early morning with some carbs. I also stuffed a Cliff Bar in my pocket to snack on. Last week I was feeling like I was running out of gas in the middle of the run. I figured some food fuel would do the trick and it did. I felt a lot better. When I would pause, I noticed that my pure running pace clocked in at under 12 minutes. This was great. I'm still looking for a good nutrition bar to take with me because I'm not sure the Cliff Bars are the best. I'm experimenting with the Luna Bars and the Lara Bars. I'll let you know what happens.

Next week is a recovery week. So all we have to do is six miles. I'll do that here in Fremont. After that, it's the trial half. The schedule says to do just 12 miles, but I'm going to push it to 13.1 because I like having a practice run before the actual race.

light day

This photo was taken when I went to Stinson Beach a few weekends ago. I don't know if you know this about me, but I take photos of my feet a lot - especially at the beach. I just love the way the ocean speaks to me - the way it makes its way through my feet when I'm walking across wet sand. I can never understand why people run way from the water. I feel like if the water runs after you, you should just surrender and let her catch you. She's just trying to talk to you after all.

Today was a light day. Can you believe how many years it's been since 9-11?! My only workout today was an hour of belly dance. Jen T. made her way to my neck of the woods to take a class with me. It was fun. Light. And what I needed after such a rough week (which included getting my car towed!). Ten miles this Sunday! Wish me luck!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

This past weekend, One World hosted a Level 1 and Level 2 CrossFit certification. Congrats to all the people who participated and received their certs. Nice job!

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga
Run 1.1 miles

WOD: "Time Trials"
Complete each of the following five exercises individually for time. You may go in any order and you may rest as long as you want between efforts.

Exercise / Previous Time / Today's Time
100 jumping pull-ups / 6:03 / 3:26
100 (fully planked) push-ups / 15:17 / 11:05
100 Abmat sit-ups / 10:18 / 7:32
Row 500m / 2:23 / 2:14
Run 400m / 2:12 / 2:09

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I hate time trials. But it was better than Fight Gone Bad. Also, I was curious to see how much improvement (if there was any) I would have. Overall, I'm really happy because I beat all my previous times. This was the last time I did time trials. Not bad considering it's been six weeks. For our next trials, I want to focus more on form. I don't mind slower times as long as the form is better. I'm glad that today my times and my form were better.

Big thanks to Eric for sticking through with this. These things are such a bitch!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

He cleans too! This is the magnificent Agent Bradass making sure the women's bathroom is nice and clean. Such a great guy! I hope he gives his lovely wife Carmella a break by taking over the cleaning duties. But knowing Agent Bradass (who I also call Bradley Stewart, cousin of Martha), I'm sure he does his share of house chores. Um... I think he needs a cute French maid outfit. What do you think?

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga
Run 1.1 miles
(Note: my time was 12:24)

WOD: Kelly
Complete five rounds of the following for time:
Run 400m
30 box jumps 12"
30 wall balls 14#

Joanne's Final Time - 46:44

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
This is how I know I'm crazy... I ran ten miles yesterday. TEN MILES! One would think I would opt to take it easy today. And I did by taking a yoga class. My body really needed the stretching. Coming in to the WOD, I knew it would be tough, but I was ready. For my warm-up, I initially thought I would do a simple 800 meter run. But Eric suggested I just do the full run around the block to see if my time would improve. Stupid me said OKAY! So I did. I got a new PR. But I also had the WOD to do which entailed a lot of running as well. Um. Did I mention that I ran TEN MILES! yesterday? Yeah. Uh-huh. Stupid me.

Kelly was hard and I did it as close to RX as possible - the wall balls were RX'd, but the box jumps weren't. It's been a while since I've done wall balls and the last time I did them I used a 4# ball. To use the 14# ball was a total jump. The good thing is that I now know I can RX the wall ball WODs. It's just a matter of finding your rhythm and nailing your technique. I can't believe we had to do five rounds of this shit! Boo! Tomorrow I'm getting as much rest as I can. I deserve it.

in double digits now!

Today I ran ten miles. Ten miles is a long stretch to run.To mark the occasion, Margaret and I ran the ten miler in San Francisco. This is where I used to run when I was training for the marathon. I didn't realize how long it's been. The marathon was three years ago. Wow. It took me this long to go back. It's good to change it up a little bit. The terrain was different - the weather, the hills, it was different. But I loved the run. Though foggy, it was beautiful. I loved it.


In true San Francisco style, you never know what to expect. When we arrived at Crissy Field, there was a slew of people (mostly women) doing a breast cancer walk. Though it was 7am, there were people everywhere. On the way to the Warming Hut there are all these cool globes to look at. And yes, even the strange guy who tried to run with me to start a conversation on the bridge was slightly amusing. I love the city and I can't wait to get to know it better.

The 10 mile run took me over two hours to finish. My pace was 13:17 per mile, faster than I was anticipating because it felt so slow - especially with all the hills and things. It was cold, but I have to remember that no matter how cold it is, I need to just wear a long sleeve top because I get warm so easily. I hated having to wear a jacket around my waist for the run. That, along with the hydration belt felt like there was too much to carry. I firmly believe that when running these long miles, it's best to wear as little as possible. Overall, it was a great run.

basic weight loss mistakes

The original article can be found here. I'm a fan of Gabrielle Reece because she's a vball player. Wa-hoo! Here's how the article starts.

Gabby's Guide to Health & Fitness

Basic Weight Loss Mistakes

Posted Wed, Sep 03, 2008, 4:12 pm PDT

A lot of us are out there watching what we eat and exercising, but still not making a dent in our bellies and body weight. There are a few things we are probably not doing, or doing too much of, that would mean major improvements in our health.

Get more sleep. After a very short period of time (about 6 nights), studies show that your glucose levels can rise if you get only 4 to 7 hours of sleep each night. New parents are excluded, but everyone else should try to hit the 8 hour mark as often as you can and get to bed BEFORE midnight....

a few shout-outs

I forget where I lifted this photo. It must have been on the One World site or the main CrossFit site. Anyway.... This is Jolie demonstrating proper form while doing an air squat. In this photo, they're talking about proper knee alignment. I wanted to bring this photo to your attention because today I had the pleasure of going to the CrossFit Level II certification that One World hosted. When there's a level II cert, the studio needs volunteers to come in so that hopeful level II instructors can show how well they can teach some of the basic weight lifting movements.

I must say that I am so glad that I went. Before I go off on how great the sessions were, I want to send a few shout outs to the folks I got to meet today. First off, a big HELLO AND GREAT TO SEE YOU to Laura K. and Eric T. I miss you guys and it was great to see you there. Yea for us cool volunteers!

My group I shout outs go to: Laura from Hotlanta, Mike from San Diego, Dave and Kimberly from Texas, and of course, the totally awesome CrossFit goddess Nicole. My group II shout outs go to: Brett, Dave, Craig, Ernesto and Mike. (I think I got everyone. If not, big apologies.)

So what do they make you do for these certs? Basically, as a volunteer, you're a crash test dummy. Each hopeful level II instructor has to illustrate that she/he can teach a specific movement which is assigned to them by the grader (the grader is usually a CrossFit God/Goddess like Nicole). So your job as a volunteer is to just be there and learn. It's a great thing to go to because you get to work on the movements in a no-pressure environment. You don't even have to lift anything heavier than a wooden dowel. Granted, it's tiring because you are doing the movements over and over again. But you have people watching you, correcting your form and explaining step by step exactly what you should do. Every now and again, you'll be asked to stand in the center of the circle and do the movement. Again, the hopeful level II instructor will be there to tell you what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong. (I think I was called to the center circle about four times). I learned a lot and hope to go to the next level II cert we host. I was there for about 2.5 hours and I did work up a sweat. Also, I met some great CrossFitters. It was fantastic.

In the spirit of fathleticism, I'm trying to be kinder to my body. I admit that I sometimes fail. While in LA recently, Mae said that other than One World, she most likely wouldn't go to a CrossFit studio because 1) CrossFit is like a cult (which I won't deny) and 2) it seems a little "hard core" and intimidating. I totally understand. It can be and it is. I felt that way when I walked on to the floor today. For a moment, I felt like the fat kid who was picked last for dodge ball. When we separated into groups, I jokingly said, "Oh no. My group is going to plead, 'I don't want to train the fat girl!'" Then Laura turned around and gave me a scolding. I know. I shouldn't have done that. It was my defense mechanism.

Turns out, everyone was really cool. I got to understand what I'm good at (such as my flexibility) and learned how to tweak and improve my weaknesses (like my hip extensions and explosiveness, making sure to create a "violent" movement during the heavier lifting). CrossFit is hard and intimidating. But I think if you learn to own your time in the studio and understand that you're there just for you, then things aren't so bad. Especially today, I learned that the instructors really want you to do well and push yourself. That's why the system has so many cert levels. They care about producing quality instructors. Another humbling thing was realizing that these uber-CrossFitters are still learning everyday. They all have their strengths and their weaknesses. CrossFit is a process and like any process, progress takes time and patience - even in for the Gods and Goddesses.

Before doing the volunteer work, I did an hour of yoga. I missed my maintenance run yesterday. I'm debating on whether I should do a 4 miler today. Hmph. We'll see. I'm up for ten miles this weekend. Wish me luck!

health check

During one of my doctor appointments sometime in June, I discovered that I gained 10 pounds. Ew! It was the heaviest I had been in a long time and I just felt gross. Yesterday I had my usual diabetes check up and everything was fine. My HA1C was 6.6, a bit higher from the 6.2 is was about six months ago. The doctor wants it as close to 6.0 as much as possible. So yes, I hate being a diabetic because it takes so much damn work - even with the meds. Ultimately, I'd like to get off the meds. But it's a slow process that may or may not happen. I don't mind taking meds. I hate paying for them. Plus, having to "shoot up" Byetta is just annoying.

The good news is that I lost the ten pounds I gained when I came back to the country. Now, I'm back to where I was when I was in the Philippines. But even better than that, my body feels better. I feel more solid and strong. My next check is after the new year. I'm hoping to lose another 10-15 pounds by then. I think I can do it!

a dress story (for mae) II

I spent Labor Day with Margaret, Jen and Diana at Stinson Beach. It's become a "thing" to go to Stinson Beach with the gals lately. I'm not sure why. So here's the second dress I bought in honor of the lovely Mae. This dress was a total steal at only $16 from Old Navy. I loved how it was cut and it was a very comfy dress. If it came with pockets, it would have been absolutely perfect! I'm not one to prance on a beach in a bathing suit (yet). So to stroll along the beach in a summer dress was just fine.


It takes a really secure person to stand anywhere near Jen! She's this drop dead gorgeous six foot tall Pinay. Let's just say that when we walk down the street, no one is looking my way. I forgive her though. I can't hate on someone as kind and fabulous as Jen!


And here's my most expensive virtual roomie Margaret joining me in the sun dress craze.


There's nothing better than spending a chill holiday with your good gal pals. In all, I adore the dresses I bought and pledged to wear this past weekend. Next year I'm headed to Hawai`i for a conference. I'm hoping by then I'll be able to muster up the courage to hang at the beach in a bona fide bathing suit. Baby steps, folks. Perhaps I'll share those adventures too. Photos? No photos? Who knows? (Ahem. Diana, we're gonna get you bearing more skin soon enough!)

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

This is why Brad is known as Bradass (or as I like to call him, Agent Bradass!). Personally, if I had to choose, I'd rather take Maestra Pleasure's class way before I'd ever take Senor Pain's class. But that's just me. Heh! Much love from your Manila Wafer!

Warm-up
2.2 mile run

WOD
Back Squat 3/3/3/3/3 reps

Joanne's Final Weight - 95#/105#/110#/115# x 2/115# (with assistance)

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
It's official. I can't stand max weight WODs. I know that you're supposed to change it up and stuff. I don't mind the weight lifting. I just don't like max weight lifting. It's not that it bores me, it just doesn't interest me. Make sense? I struggled with the last two rounds and needed Eric to spot me. UGH! So not looking forward to these WODs again.

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

This is the lovely Lara. I haven't seen her in ages and have no idea if she's even at the gym anymore or not. Lara kicks ass and has abs of steel. Sick! I hope to see her again one day. She's such an awesome instructor!

Warm-up
N/A I had to skip the warm-up because according to Eric, I was running late. Whatever. He was just being pissy!

WOD
Complete four rounds for time of:
Run 200m with weight 25#
30 kettlebell swings 35#
30 kettlebell sumo deadlift high pulls 35#

Joanne's Final Time - 25:52

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
This was one of those WODs that didn't seem too bad until you had to actually do it. Then it turned totally miserable. UGH! To my credit, I did it RX'd! I never RX the the WODs, so to do it as prescribed was great! Yea for me.

a dress story (for mae)

I have a lot on my mind lately. A lot of it personal. A lot of it painful. Some of it hopeful. That's just me, though. I'm a deep thinker. One thing I will say is that I never need a special occasion to wear a dress. I like dresses. It's one of those things in my closet that I'm happy to reclaim because for years I completely avoided wearing dresses. I wrote about my dress reclamation here. So yes, I love dresses. However, after a recent visit to LA, the lovely Mae gave me a mild scolding about the dresses I wore for my best friend's wedding and my brother's wedding. She said that as much as she loved the photos, the most frustrating thing about them was seeing me so covered up. Not too long before that, my friend "Mr. Dukes" wrote me an email declaring that I needed to "show some pride, for real!" I get Mae and Mr. Dukes's point. I'm not one to wear sleeveless anything. It's just me. Somewhere down the line, I was taught that unless you're a skinny bitch with cut arms, you have no business showing your arms to the world.

And then I got to thinking... who the f--k fed me this bullshit?! So in the name of re-vamping the Fierce Runner blog and trying my best to dig deep, deep inside, I decided to take the plunge and purchase and wear those dresses I've been forbidden to wear because of some stupid familial/societal standard. So here it is. My adventures in my two new dresses.


This past Saturday, Margaret, Diana and I decided to "dress nice" and head to Valley Fair to run errands and go on a lovely stroll at Santana Row.


A solo shot with Diana in her lovely orange dress.


This is me with Margaret in her usual lovely sun dress and shawl fare.


Before we left the mall, we stopped by Nordstrom and Margaret insisted I try on this Maggie London dress. We were thinking of possible graduation dresses for me (it's a year from now, but it's never too early to plan) and Margaret picked this one. I liked the color. Unfortunately, my body is a little too curvy for the straight cuts of designer dresses. If you look closely, Diana is actually behind me holding the dress:)


Unfortunately, the dressing room door automatically closed behind me and I was locked out. Since the saleslady wasn't around, I had to crawl under the door to get back into the room and change into my new swirly dress (not bad for $28, huh?). It was pretty funny. Lesson learned. Be sure to keep the dressing room door open to avoid a mishap like this.

And this was day one of my adventures in wearing sleeveless dresses. Any thoughts?

the human race

I ran 8 miles today. My pace was 13:05 per mile and I ran it in Fremont. As mentioned before, I am training for a half marathon. Though the Human Race was only 6.2 miles, Margaret and I had to log in 8 miles to be on par with our training schedule. Next week we hit 10 miles!

As with all the long runs, they were fine. We signed up to do the race at Valley Fair, but the south bay heat is a little too much for Margaret who usually trains in the early morning. No biggie. It was less driving anyway. Also, I'm not familiar with the route at Valley Fair yet. By the time the Nike Women's Half Marathon rolls around, it will be colder, so running in the south bay should be fine. Besides, I'm looking forward to the water stations and DJs they have set up.

The only thing that irked me was that when I plugged in my SportBand to log my run, it completely died. The online reviews mentioned that for people who sweat a lot, they've had issues with the band short circuiting. Unfortunately, that happened on race day. So according to the computer program, I didn't even run the human race. Boo!

I immediately called the people at Nike and they sent me the appropriate labels to return the band. I told them I was going to the nearest store to replace the one that broke and they were fine with that. Yea for Nike!

The good thing was that while I was running, I saw two women running together and one of them was wearing the Human Race t-shirt. It was nice to be in good company.

We didn't take photos of us running, but here are some photos from the post-run meal. Enjoy!


Eight miles ain't no joke. You definitely build up your appetite. Here's Margaret feasting on palabok and empanada from Red Ribbon. Oooh! Which to bite in to first?!


Puh-lease. No doubt about it. Empanada for appetizer. Palabok for the main course. Any questions? Good!


The ecstatic Diana (and esteemed member of our ground crew) cheers for good food!

running for the human race

This is the Amazing Caroline Barnes (ACB). Unfortunately, she no longer trains at One World because she lives pretty far from here. I miss her energy and her laughter. My most memorable ACB moment was when I was struggling with a WOD and she came out looking for me during the final 800 meter run. She ran the rest of the way with me to keep me company. Now that's how a trooper helps a fathlete finish!

I know I said I was going to run four miles yesterday. Thing is, I was just tired. These days, I'm trying to give my body what it needs. If it needs rest, then so be it. I was extremely productive though, devouring two books and getting some transcribing done. Even I amaze myself sometimes!

Today I skipped yoga and belly dance to get in the 4 miles I missed. It was a hard run and I had a 12:50 pace. This is the part of the training that gets hard. Though the Human Race is only 6.2 miles, I have to complete 8 miles to be on par with my half marathon training. I'll do it because that's just the trooper I am.

Today's run was hard because the weather was so damn hot. I started to walk it, but when Margaret decided to run it, I thought I'd suck it up and do it. It was hard, but I did it. And I'm glad I did it.

You may have noticed that I re-vamped the blog. After some deep thought and conversation, I decided to reclaim my identity as a fathlete (yeah, read the side bar). At this age and point in my life, I'm just tired of hating my body - especially considering what I put it through day in and day out. (Do I really need to loathe a body that will do 112 burpees one day and 70 burpees the next? NO!) So here's to my new quest to, as Don Miguel Ruiz would say, honor my physical body. Cheers to those who are brave enough to join me in this quest.

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

This is an old photo of Chong doing a modified handstand push-up. There are several variations to doing this. Today's WOD required a handstand push-up and the one I did was similar to this one in that I used the white bars for the dip. The difference was that instead of having my feet up like Chong, I had my knees on two wooden boxes. I liked today's variation much better than this one.

Warm-up
Run 800 meters
Three rounds of:
10 Shoulder Rolls
Samson Stretch
Quad Stretches

WOD: This shit sucks!
For time:
30 Modified Handstand push-ups
40 Jumping Pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 35#
60 Assisted Abmat Sit-ups
70 Burpees

Joanne's Final Time - 31:02

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
One would think that after yesterday's hellish "Death By Burpee" WOD that I would opt to skip this one. Wrong. I decided to do the CrossFit dot com WOD because I thought it would be good for me. Whatever. This sucked. I got through it, but it sucked! I got through the first four exercises in under 14 minutes. The rest of the time I was doing burpees. BOO! It took most people about 17-20 minutes to finish. I was aiming for 35 minutes, so to get done in over 31 minutes was a gift. I wish the WOD didn't feel like such a struggle. But they all do.

After four days in a row of tough exercise, I'm taking advantage of the CrossFit rest day by just doing a 4 mile maintenance run tomorrow. Yea for me.

Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

I found this article and thought it would be helpful for my and anyone else's health choices. I'm not big on counting calories, so to have simple suggestions is nice. Lazy clickers, you know your cue! Enjoy!

Lose Weight Without Counting Calories
Posted Wed, Aug 20, 2008, 10:20 am PDT
Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief

I've never been a big fan of counting calories. In fact, in the past year, I have lost about 30 pounds without counting a single dietary digit. Sure, I know recording everything you put in your mouth can help peel off pounds, but I also know that obsessing over calories makes you more likely to eat lowfat, low-fiber foods that wouldn't satiate a starling.

Instead of crunching numbers, I munched on healthy food to become a weight loss success. If a food lover like me can do it, you can, too! Try these tips:

• Pick up produce. Have at least one fruit and veggie at every meal. On busy days when I know my lunch won't have a smidge of green in it, I have two fruits at breakfast; I toss berries or peaches into my nonfat Greek yogurt and sprinkle it with granola. I love asparagus, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, sprouts, endive and more. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which staves off hunger. Shoot for nine servings daily. It sounds like a lot, but if you don't have to be a rabbit to reach that goal. Eat a salad at lunch or dinner, and you're there.

• Snack smart. Add protein (such as a stick of lowfat string cheese or Parmesan) to your between-meal bites. Research suggests protein may enhance the effect of leptin, a hormone that reins in appetite. I love hummus and dip veggies into it instead of pita bread or crackers. Protein is also filling and can help curb cravings for chips, cookies and the like.

• Sip more water. Dieters who swapped sugary drinks for water lose weight, but those who gulped the most H20 peeled off the most pounds, according to a study at the meeting of Obesity Society in Boston. Don’t love agua? Try the flavored kind but check the label for sugar content (it should be below 8 grams per serving).

• Map out your meals. A little attention to portions can help you eat less and still stay satisfied. Start by using a salad dish (8 inches in diameter) and divide it into quarters to help keep helpings healthy. Half the plate should get veggies, top another quarter with lean protein (3 to 6 ounces of fish, chicken or tofu) and the last quarter with whole grains (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta).

• Eat every meal. When you wait longer than five hours between bites, your body may release extra cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite. I call it "hangry." I get hungry and angry: My stomach starts to burn and my brain gets annoyed at every little thing. Then I eat whatever is in front of me, usually a cookie or other sweet, empty-calorie treat. I realize I'm putting out the "hangry" fires, but it is better not to get there in the first place!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Warm-up
800 meter run

WOD: Death By Burpees
Complete as may burpees as you can in 20 minutes

Joanne's Final Count - 112 burpees

For an example of what a standard burpee is, check out the following video:


Notes (to myself) about this workout:
There's a reason why this is called "Death By Burpees." At the end of the twenty minutes, I wanted to die! Literally. I've discovered that when you do something like this, you really have to strategize. My goal was to reach 100 burpees, so I averaged 5 burpees per minute. It doesn't sound like a lot. But 20 minutes of it really gets to you. I averaged 5 burpees in about 20 seconds and had 40 seconds to rest. I could feel it in my legs as the time clock kept running. At the last few rounds, Eric had me push and do more. That's how I got to 112 burpees. I'm glad that I went over my goal. It was tough. I think next time I'll aim for 6 per minute to build up to 120 burpees. The rest is important. I want to say it's even more important than the burpees themselves. For the record, this is my least favorite WOD and my least favorite exercise. UGH. The dot com WOD includes doing 70 burpees tomorrow. Lord help me with this one.

After the WOD, I did a nice long stretch. That was awesome!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

This is Jolie and Darryl workin' the Fit as F**k shirts. I used to have one, but I passed it on to my nephew who is now on Guam. I hope he's putting it to good use. I'd wear this shirt more often just to be funny. But oh well. Jolie and Darryl are definitely Fit as F**k. I'd be happy with just being remotely fit.

Warm-up
One hour of yoga

WOD: Murph
For time:
1.1 mile Run
100 Jumping Pull-ups
200 Push-ups (on knees)
300 Squats
1.1 mile Run

Joanne's Final Time - 1:08:40

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
As you can already tell, this WOD sucked! I didn't want to do it because technically, I should be resting from yesterday's run. I saw the chiropractor today and talked about my knee issue. He said that given the area where I'm sore, I really need to make it a point to stretch and ice my knees. Again, another thing I forget to do. When I did the marathon in 2005, I always took ice baths after the long run. They were a pain, but it helped. So now I need to ice. In fact, I'm sitting in my room with an ice pack on one knee and in ten minutes I'll be switching over to the other knee.

To make this WOD more bearable, I broke up the middle part. This was per Brad and Raz's suggestion. I did 20 rounds of: 5 jumping pull-ups, 10 push-ups on knees and 15 squats. I have to say that it did make it more bearable. But the WOD sucked anyway. Brad finished in about 44 minutes, which made me realize that this was going to take me about twice that time. I was hoping to do it under 90 minutes, 75 minutes being optimal. I ended up finishing the WOD in 68 minutes and 40 seconds. Yea for me. The truly hardcore do this WOD with a 20# vest. I don't ever plan on being psycho.

After the WOD, I did a good, self-guided 20 minute stretch session. Also, yoga rocked today. Because of today's run, I'm taking a running break tomorrow. CrossFit only. Yea.

sunday run

Today was another long run day. I did the prescribed 8 miles. Much to my surprise, my pace was 12:37 per mile. The entire run took me 1:41:41. I was surprised that I hit under 13 minutes per mile. A part of me wonders if my Nike band was faulty. Hmph. When you've trained for a full marathon, a half marathon seems to be not as serious. However, I'm realizing that I have to start all over and I have to take the training as seriously as I did for the full marathon. Besides, it's still 13.1 miles and that still ain't no joke! So I have to be mindful of a few things:

1) carbo-loading two days before the long run
2) getting up early enough on the long run to eat and prep for the run
3) stretching after the run

I'm generally good on the third point. However, my knees have been slightly sore. Actually, it's not so much my knees than it is the area above my knees. I'm not sure why it is. I'll have the chiropractor look at it tomorrow. Also, my hamstrings have been really sore and sometimes I feel like a cramp is coming along. I think I need to eat bananas.

Today's run was okay. The first half was great. The last mile was a bit of a struggle. I'm training at the mileage where I'm going to need some ground support because one bottled water isn't enough to carry me. Hmph. See? This is why you train with organizations such as Team In Training. They provide that support for you. These days I'm really tired. I'm not sure what's going on with me. I think it's my eating. I need to be better at it.

Right now I'm taking lots of notes and working on upping my energy levels. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

friday light

As mentioned, I've been tired and have been off CrossFit because of other engagements. Today I worked so I just did an hour of yoga. I needed it. It felt good. Yoga isn't for everyone and on some days it isn't for me. But I'm in there now and it feels good. I enjoy the challenge and the stretch. CrossFit humbles you, but not in the way yoga does. I suggest you all try a little yoga. It's like biting into a piece of humble pie.

slow run

Today's CrossFit Games athlete is Josh. Believe it or not, the kid is only sixteen years old and is built like one of those Under Armor mannequins you see at the store. It's sick how fit and talented this kid is. He's going to have a great future in CrossFit! Congrats on the games, kid!

Again, I'm not sure what's going on with my body, but it's just damn sore. I couldn't make it to CrossFit because of some plans I had previously made. (They were cancelled at the last minute, but then replaced with a new set of plans. Go figure!) Anyway... so no CrossFit today. I did manage to squeeze in a run which was great. The only thing was it was a slow and hard run. My goal was to do 4 miles, but my body wanted to cut it short. When this happens, I never know if it's because my body can't do it or if my body just doesn't want to do it. It's a tough call. But I pulled through with the four miles. I was at my slowest pace at 13: 07 per mile. I didn't care. I just wanted it done.

I so need a good, long deep tissue massage.

rest day

I missed my workouts because my mentor is in town and we really needed to meet. It was fate because I am exhausted. I think it's my eating. I'm not getting enough nutrients and am in the market for a good vitamin supplement. Liquid preferably, and one that doesn't break the bank. I haven't taken vitamins in about a month because none are suitable to my body's needs. I'd share details, but you really don't want to know.

Anyway... this brings me to my main point. If you're training for something and your body is simply tired, just rest. On a rare occasion, I tend to feel guilty for resting. These days, I've been better at letting go of that guilt. Granted, I didn't workout much when I was in LA, so I should be fresh and ready to go. But I think the seven mile run wiped me out. Again, odd because it was only seven miles. Oh well... In the spirit of resting, Freddy posted the following thoughts about rest days. Enjoy and I'll see you all at the gym or trail tomorrow!

YESSSS! It's rest day! Why is the rest day important? Rest is important to muscle repair, as discussed in yesterday's post. More importantly (and in my very humble opinion) rest is important for the mind! When you become more acclimated to the Crossfit workout , you will throw yourself at it harder and harder each time. The mental fortitude needed to give yourself up physically for three days straight is just as draining as the workout itself. The rest day is your day to get your mind fresh again. Think about that anxiety you get when you first read what the workout is. We often experience what I like to call "The Dread"." Nervousness, anxiety, making up excuses on why you don't need to workout that day.... "The Dread" can kick your ass. We need that rest day to get a break from "The Dread." I don't know about you, but I never experience "The Dread" while I am contemplating sitting on my couch and watching "So You Think You Can Dance" reruns on my TIVO.

You may be asking, "What about making up the workout I missed?" No worries. You can throw yourself at the WODs for four days straight. I have cycles like that myself sometimes. It happens. I have been Crossfitting for awhile now and I am at a comfortable spot physically where lately if I miss a workout, sometimes I don't even bother to make it up. Trying to maintain the 3 on/1 off cycle can take over your life. Work with it. Everyone is different both mentally and physically. Play around with your workout cycles and learn what works best for you!

World-Class Fitness in 100 Words

Pictured above is Jason Khalipa of CrossFit Santa Clara. Um. It doesn't take a genius to figure out which one is Jason. He's the guy who won first place at the CrossFit games this year. I don't know Jason. I'm sure I've seen him milling around One World at one point. But we've never formally met. I do give the guy props for being #1 at the games and of course, being an informal part of the One World family. Jason just opened up a new facility called CrossFit Santa Clara. Though new, it seems to be doing well. I haven't had the chance to visit the box, but I really like checking out their site because they do CrossFit "celebrity" features and it totally cracks me up because these "celebrities" are often everyday folk who do CrossFit in other places. Congrats to Jason and much success to the new facility!

I lifted this from the One World site a few days ago. I think it's sound fitness advice. Enjoy.

World-Class Fitness in 100 Words:
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds,some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, clean & jerk, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.

Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense.

Regularly learn and play new sports.

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Here she is again. Queen Jolie at last year's CrossFit Games where she won first place as the best all around female (or something like that). We all know that Jolie rocks. And here are the photos from the main CrossFit site to prove it. So glad to have you at One World!

Warm-up
Chatting away with near and dear friends.

WOD: "J-Ro's Running Angel"
Four rounds of:
Run 800 meters
25 push-ups
25 sit-ups
25 squats

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Today was an Eric -free day. This was good because my body was just a bit tired. I really need to tweak my eating because I don't think I'm getting enough protein. Maybe that's why I was a little out of it. Also, I was still sore from Sunday's run. The One World WOD was "Angie" which consisted of: 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats for time. I've never done Angie as listed because I usually break it up into 4 sets of 25 of each exercise. I guess it's best to do the WOD as listed. But I don't do it that way because 100 reps of anything just bores the shit out of me. I wanted to take advantage of my Eric-free day and still recover properly, which is why I created my "J-Ro's Running Angel" WOD. It combined the running I needed to do for my half marathon training and the movements from "Angie" sans the jumping pull-ups. I opted out of the jumping pull-ups just because I didn't want to. Is it so terrible that I wanted to bounce as little as possible? So anyway...

I didn't time my signature WOD. I just wanted to finish. There was a lot of running, so I didn't warm up either. I did the WOD sanely and finished nicely. I did take a small conversation break after the second round because people near and dear that I haven't seen in ages popped into the studio. I just had to say hello. So yes, I worked, but I took it a little easy because my body needed the rest. As always, I ended with a 10 minute stretch. It was nice.