When My Body Goes, My Mind Goes With It…

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Now, my left knee hurts.

I must have tweaked it.

“All Sunshine and Rainbows,” I tell myself.

Somehow.

My mind follows where my body leads.

When I’m pissed off that my body is aging, my day sucks.  It just does.  It’s cloudy and murky and hard to concentrate on anything.

Rest.  Again.  That’s all I can do.  And it’s extremely frustrating…

Throw in the fact I’m restless again about the path I’m on (which means something has to change) and this week has been dismal.

I try to look on the positive.  The good things in life.  God.  That gets me through…

But it won’t be the same until my knee heals.  And time is in control…

My Bruises are Badges of Honor…

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In the Comp on Saturday, we had dumbbell cleans, dumbbell presses, & dumbbell thrusters at 35 lbs. Needless to say, I have pretty sieable bruises on each shoulder. They hurt. Bad.

Dumbbell Bruises

Dumbbell Bruises

But to me they are Badges of Honor. Proof that I did something only a very small percentage of people do–even smaller than those who CrossFit.

My mom came and watched and her husband. They were blown away by what Cross Fit actually was. They couldn’t believe what some people chose to do. Nor could they imagine themselves doing it

CrossFitters are a special breed. They push their bodies to the limit day in and day out and keep coming back for more.

I live and breathe CrossFit. And when I’m so sore I can’t lift my arms the next day I’m driven to improve my weaknesses and get stronger. I can’t explain why. It’s innate. It’s the drive in me to be the best.

My First Comp…

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I had my first CrossFit competition (comp) yesterday.  It was a two-person team (same sex) to raise money for KidsatHeart, a non-profit organization that sponsors foster children.

I had only met my partner once.  At my box, there just aren’t that many women who can RX so I had to find a partner.  She was very nice and we got along great and worked great together.

Toes to Bar

Toes to Bar

The first WOD was a chipper that involved dumbbell cleans, dumbbell presses, and dumbbell thrusters, which we both struggled on.  I hate these so I don’t work them, but I need to.

The Row

The Row

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We won the second WOD, which consisted of 7 deadlifts, 7 kettlebell swings, and 7 cal row for 7 rounds.  We were both strong there.

 

 

 

Me and the Girls

Me and the Girls

Me Getting Ready

Me Getting Ready

The State of My Arms…

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When I first started CrossFit, I would get bicep tendonitis.

I’d back off, and it would go away.

The last six months I’ve had perpetual uncomfortableness in my arms, meaning one or the other feels off (usually my right arm).

In the last 6 months, all of my PR’s have increased.  Dramatically.  I’m lifting heavier and heavier weights.  Doing more pull-ups and bar muscle ups.  Overall, training and lifting at a more competitive level.

I’m wondering if my arm pain is just normal for this stage in my weight lifting career. Like growing pains with kids.  My muscles are growing and adapting and healing in a perpetual cycle.  With the normal muscle soreness and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Or is it something more?

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It’s so hard to tell with soft tissue.

All I know is it’s something I’m aware of.  I manage it.  I back off when I need to.  Take a week off when I need to.  Scale when needed.

I’m seeing a massage therapist.  And a muscle activation specialist.

There’s only so much one can do.

And I feel like I’m doing everything humanly possible while still maintaining my training regimen.  Other thoughts?

The Perpetual, Horrendous Condition of CrossFit Hands…

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I ripped again on Saturday.

I did GI Jane (100 burpee pull-ups) and was wearing brand-new grips.  Not a good idea.

I was showing my sister-in-law my hands later that day, and for the first time in a long time I really looked at my hands.

I have callouses under every finger.  I have callouses on my fingers.shutterstock_10911802

Where I’ve ripped previously on my palms the skin is a different shade of pink.

My thumbs are discolored I presume from the constant turning over of the bar due to Olympic lifts.

I have an interesting curve mark in-between my thumb and first finger on my palm that I presume is from the bar as well.

My hands definitely wouldn’t win any beauty contests.

She thought they were gross.

To me, it’s something I don’t even think about.  It’s a part of CrossFit I’ve accepted like bruises and soreness.

Later, I wondered if this is one of the reasons there are more men than women who do CrossFit.

I know of one woman who quit doing CrossFit because she doesn’t like the look of her body (all muscular).

Women care more about these things.

Men like soft hands I think.  And with CrossFit they are far from soft.  The exact opposite.

What are your thoughts?  Ladies?  Do you like the look of your body from CrossFit? What about your hands?  Is that a concern?

This Thing Called ‘Push’

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In the depths

Of the dark

When all sleep

I make my mark.early_morning_motivational_sticker-r28fa9eb8c2aa44a9998a8363238f0684_v9i40_8byvr_324

Silence clings

Like a diamond ring

Sparkle and shine

All within.

Determination…

Just you and the bar

Concentration…

“Wow, I’ve come far.”

Rack and crash

Sweat rolls…

Each rep moves you

Closer to your goals.

“You working out?”

Puzzled, I reply, “What’s that?”

“I train,” I say.

A simple fact.

Dedication and persistence

Soreness, tape, and aches

Characteristics and symptoms

Attached to your wake.

The Sun rises

Shimmers crease the sky

You’re still going strong

And beating the guys.

The question is:

Who wants it more?

Believe in yourself

There’s power in the roar!

WOD is done

“God, am I blessed?”

Tomorrow comes

Another test.

For what it’s worth

My sincere advice:

Single-mindedness

That’s the price.

 

When you Take Training Seriously, Amazing Things Happen

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Yesterday, we did Grace, which is a girl workout in CrossFit of 30 clean and jerks.

I’m just coming off of a forced rest due to injury so I didn’t want to push my arm/shoulder too much.  So I decide to just do 105 lbs on the bar when the RX (or prescribed weight) is 135 lbs.

I do this in 6 min and 10 seconds.

Not bad, I think.  Could have been faster.  Could have gone heavier too.

I go to log my time and notice the last time I did Grace was May 22nd and I only did it at 88 lbs.  That triggers the memory of doing it and I remember I thought that was heavy and my shoulders were trashed all weekend from doing it.

So, in less than 3 months, I upped my weight by 17 lbs.  And I still had some in the tank!

“I’ve come a long way,” I tell my coach at the end.

“You sure have!” he agrees.

All because I started training.

Other notables:

I’ve beaten the boys several times–the number of times has increased dramatically in the last two weeks.

I usually beat all the girls in my box.  Not always.  Depends on the workout.

All my lifts have reached PR’s.

I can do 50 unbroken double unders almost every time I grab a rope.

I have a bar muscle up.

My hspu’s are consistent.

My form on butterfly pull-ups has improved, and I can now string multiples together regularly.  Same with toes-to-bar.

These are just some of the things that pop to mind.

Don’t get me wrong:  I still have work to do.

Bar muscle up work.  I want to have better form and string multiples together.

Chest to bar pull-ups.  All I can do is strict.  Kipping these are challenging and I really want to be able to butterfly them.

Toes to bar needs more work for stamina.

Always working double unders and hspu’s.5d0210cd1439540456042513589d7ee0-reaching-goals-quotes-church-quotes

These areas are my goals for the next few months or so.

I’m reading self-help books about how to reach your financial goals and the principles in there apply to strength training.  Stick to it.  Small steps.  Believe in yourself.  And you will reach your dreams.