Monday, August 31, 2015

Topic 23...

Remember back when I started the 30 Day Blogging Challenge and had 30 topics to blog about? HERE

Man that was way back in October.  I am slacking big time.  But I figured I'd pick back up and try to finish the 30 by October 1. One year to finish 30 topics, kind of pathetic.

Topic 23: If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Um...first I need to know a few things. Is this a hypothetical world where I would not be malnourished? It would sustain my life and I wouldn't end weighing 57,000 pounds (you know, if I chose cake)? Am I stranded on an island? In which case I'd be dying anyway, why not go out with an endless supply of my favorite food? Can I make this item a super food? Packed with vitamins, chia seeds, Omega-3's, healthy fats, just enough carbs, right amount of protein? A food that hits my Macros magically? Now THAT would be awesome!

I guess I will give a few scenarios here...

Stranded on a desert island, no help in sight....cookies.

In the mountains, secluded and sitting by a stream....jerky.

After the zombie apocalypse and I am one of only a few survivors.....pizza.

Lost in the desert, wandering forever trying to find my way home....oranges. (I hate oranges actually but I will never forget just how amazing it was when I was at mile 23 of my first marathon and I grabbed an orange slice...it was SO good...life saver...tasted like heaven might taste if you could lick it....)

Living in the wild wilderness with snow falling all around me....chicken noodle soup and I don't mean the Campbell's kind, I mean thick homemade noodles, shredded chicken, peas, carrots...mmmm.....

And just me normally, today....if you asked me to pick one food to eat for the rest of eternity.... Chipotle chicken burrito with black beans, cheese, and guacamole (yes, I know that's extra)....

Mmmm, yum......


Thursday, August 27, 2015

Decisions decisions...

...I'm terrible at making decisions. That's why I usually just wait until the very last minute and then make a completely impulsive decision. And that is how "racing Amanda Style" came about....an impulsive night-before decision to race based on wether or not the race had Morning Of Registration.

So I was perusing Facebook this morning and a race popped up on my feed, the Do-Wacka-Do . It's a 5 mile trail run next Saturday, or at least the one I would do is 5 miles. There is also a 25k, 50k and 50 Miler to chose from.... My crossfit box will be closed Saturday and it's a long holiday weekend...so why not? I mean other than it's been a while since I've ran 5 miles. But I know I can. But it is a trail run, and trail runs are notoriously difficult. It sounds fun though.

When I have trouble deciding sometimes I make Pro/Con Lists. This very well may be my first EVER Pro/Con of To Race? Or Not To Race? So here it goes....

Pro:
Fun trail race in OK
I haven't done a fun trail race in OK
It's only 5 miles
Looks pretty
I wouldn't be missing out on crossfit
I actually want to do it, feeling a itch to race!
It's only $30
I could meet other local runners who might end up being new Running Buddies!

Con:
It's 2.5 hours away and race start is 7 AM
I'd have to go the night before?
Its in the middle of nowhere....I'd have to camp the night before? Um, say whaaaa???
The "only $30" goes up with orchestration of lodging and travel
My Garmin is tweaked out and I'm not sure my stats would be exact (No stats? No race happened.)
I have no Race Crew or Running Buddies to drag along....

I see there are more Pros than Cons but after writing it out I'm thinking maybe I can find a closer and more convenient trail race or maybe I could just do some training on the trail I found over the weekend.  Maybe I can just take this is a sign that I am ready to start racing again and actually find one, register, and train.

Yesterday we had a fun crossfit workout that consisted of the quintessential tire flips and sled pulls and pushes and tire runs! Flipping tires is surprisingly difficult, much harder than I remember it being as a kid when my siblings and I used to take turns getting inside and being rolled around. I used to do this for fun? As a kid? And now I am old and doing this for a workout. I am definitely sore today in muscles that I haven't felt in quite some time. Speaking of muscles....check out the gun show below!



Today is a much needed rest day. I''m considering making it an active rest day and head to the pool. Or might just sit in my recliner, eat ice cream and play Candy Crush. Decisions decisions.....


Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Summer Recap....

NO!!!! Don't go summer!!! I'm not ready....I love you! Please!!!! Ugh, sigh....here comes the darkness of of fall and winter and the cold and the struggles of delicious pumpkin pie, pecan pie...fudge....

But this is a summer recap, not a future winter dread fest....

I participated in two duathlons, or Splash 'n Dash races. I really enjoyed the swim/run minus the bike! I am such a biking weenie.  My first one I sorely underestimated the playing field and was not prepared mentally for the level of competition that was there. I expected a fun run but these people meant business.



So T was more prepared for my second one and wore my actual tri clothes as opposed to my swim suit and Nike Tempo shorts, which are terrible to run in when wet.


LB spent the summer with his dad in Nicaragua surfing and pretty much living the life. I was able to go out and spend a week for his birthday.  The first day I went on a hike and was not prepared and wore my flip flops. I ended up climbing a mountain barefoot. But I survived and it was beautiful!


 I tried my hand at surfing and let me tell you... it is HARD! I was hoping all my work in the box doing crossfit and burpees would help me get up on the board but it was still very hard.


LB on the other hand became quite the little surfer dude...it was fun to watch him catch waves!


And one of the hazards of surfing and the beach is toe injuries. I stubbed my toe on a tree stump and chopped off the tip of my pinky toe. Good thing I had three med students around to fix me up with duct tape...when in doubt duct tape it.


I spent a lot of time in the hammock and loved sipping my morning coffee, listening to the waves and just soaking up the beauty and serenity around me. I think I found a place to live my simple life, in a hut, on a beach....




We went out on a fun boat ride and fishing trip.  LB caught two Spanish Mackerel that we cooked up for dinner. 


 And luckily there was a weight bench so I could work out!


It was a fun summer and I had lots of time to do Me Things. But it is so great to have LB home! 


 I found my crew at Landrush CrossFit and have been doing crossfit now since June 1st. It has been so great and I am finally seeing muscles!




So there you have it. My summer in a quick recap! It was fun and I'm not ready for it to end...but here comes fall and then winter and then spring and the SUMMER again!!! 



Monday, August 17, 2015

Life Changing Things...

Recently I was looking back over my older blog posts. I kind of refer to that time as My Glory Days.  I wonder if it ever will be the same? If it can be the same. How can I get back to where I was? Short of packing up and moving back to the beautiful PNW I don't think it can ever be just the same. But I realized I have been chasing that Runner's High, I have been searching for it, longing for it...thinking about it. And it eludes me.  But I have also found that the Runner's High can be accomplished via other forms of exercise too.

I have been doing different kinds of workouts the past year. After my knee injury at Big Sur running became more difficult and I realized I needed to give my body a chance to heal, not only physically but emotionally too. Divorce can take a toll on a person in many different ways. My weight was below what it had been in years but I was having a hard time eating healthy. I wasn't sleeping well. I was anxious and depressed and often didn't know which way was up. Transition is hard and my life has been in transition since 2002 when I joined the Air Force and moved away from Oklahoma. But isn't that the same for all of us? We are all constantly changing? Growing? Evolving? Healing? So I decided to take the pressure off myself and just do whatever. 

After my shoulder surgery just over a year ago I struggled to find a way to get fit. As soon as I could I joined the Master's Swim Team and that has been amazing. My cardiovascular endurance is beyond what it has ever been. I swam only for months. Finally around December I decided to do a little bit of weights but it proved to be too much. So I kept swimming and only ran a little bitty bit.

Then finally in May I decided it was time. My shoulder felt strong. I felt good emotionally. I was starting to settle in after my transition from North Carolina to Oklahoma.  But some things were missing; friends, community, accountability. So I went WAY outside of my comfort zone and signed up for a free week of CrossFit at CrossFit Landrush. I signed up on line and decided I would go to the Saturday morning class. When I got there I was greeted and introduced to everyone. The coaches and other members were so nice and I felt right at home . 

I've been an athlete all my life. I am no stranger to hard work, dedication, training, pain, and pushing the limits. Crossfit is no different. When I played basketball there were days I wanted to quit, I wanted to lay down and just put my feet into a bucket of ice water. I played on sprained ankles and cracked knee caps, bloody noses, and a chipped elbow. I had no limits. I played. I endured. I had no choice. When I ran cross country there were miles I wanted to die, times I wanted to fall into the ditch and curl up in a ball and just wait for the next car to roll by and pick me up. Oh and then there was that one time in the Portland Marathon when I really thought about jumping off that big beautiful bridge around mile 20 or so. Whose idea was it to put thousands of runners on a bridge that far into a marathon? I can't be the only one who had that thought? But yet here I am, putting myself out there to once again test my limits, push myself. 

Once I finished my first marathon there was nothing in this world that could stop me from achieving whatever goal I set for myself. I believed that the very moment I crossed the finish line and I still believe that today. Finishing my first marathon gave me a secret super hero cape and powers that are hidden from sight. So this past Saturday when we were 25 minutes into a grueling four person WOD  (work out of the day) it was my turn to do the tire run, I was the last one on our team to do it. Our team was in second place and I wanted to beat the other team. So I strapped on that tire and began to run while my teammates ran alongside me carrying the weighted bars. I ran. I drug the tire. I saw the guy in front of me, my fellow cross fitter, fellow "Rushlete"as we refer to ourselves. And I wanted to pass him. And I did. It was hard and I wanted to cry but I also knew I just had to finish. I just had to get it done. So I finished my tire run and brought our team in first. It was awesome....

It reminded me of High School when I was the last leg, the anchor leg, of relays in track. I would run my fastest to try to catch up, or to make sure we wouldn't get caught.  I kind of joke and say I just don't know any better, but really I know that physical fitness and performance is so mental, the psychological aspect of sports is so important and a huge component of success. My first swim with the Master's Team after my shoulder surgery I jumped right in and swam 2300 meters. If you aren't familiar with swim workouts that is far...I mean FAR, 1.42 miles to be exact. And I did it. So I think I just didn't know better. Same goes with CrossFit. I know it's hard, but I don't know it's supposed to be really hard.  So I do it. I kind of wine about it, but I do it...


Tire Pull....surprisingly difficult! And the Signature Pose!

Fellow Rushletes!
So I have been doing CrossFit now for about 2.5 months and I feel stronger. I feel great! And I feel like I belong to a community of people like me....much like my running crew. I still miss my running buddies, more than I care to allow myself to think about. But for now I am here, pushing myself and accomplishing more and more each day. I hope to run the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in April 2016 and I look forward to seeing just how swimming and crossfit compliment my run. Who knows? Maybe there is a BQ just around the corner!?  

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails