Moving Into Heavier Territory

Allright! So today's workout was a Texas-something. We had to do one deadlift at either 20 pounds under body weight or half of our max. I chose 20 lbs under body weight, as it was heavier (and Coach LeClair recommend going with the heavier weight). My bodyweight is 130 and I did 115, so I was a little heavy, but close enough.

The idea was to do 1 deadlift per minute, only each minute you increased the repetitions by one. The game was to see who could last the longest. I made it to 14 deadlifts, but could not manage 15! But, what a cool win to do that many with a fairly heavy load.

But the really cool part of my day began at 10am with the O-lift class. Today we did assessments, which means we found our maximum loads in specific categories. Here were mine:

Deadlift 160
BackSquat 90
Bench Press 75
Shoulder Press 65
Pull Up 0
(Hung from Pole Instead) 1:39:63
Snatch 55
Clean & Jerk 65

I'll be given a program specifically around what I am capable of. I am so excited about this!! I have never had any interest in lifting weights before Crossfit, because I had a fear of looking like one of those puffed out bodybuilder-steroid-weird-women types. But now I know that's not going to happen, as they get that way doing stuff we don't do at Crossfit--like drugs for one. Instead, I am thrilled with the idea of truly BEING strong. My women friends at Crossfit agree, it is EMPOWERING to be a strong woman.

I can't wait to get started!

Surprise 2nd Place Medal

So I ran my first "official" 10K on Sunday, December 13, 2008. It was for the Say No to Drugs Race hosted by Narconon. Earlier in the week, I did a training Time Trial for 60 mins and wound up running over 7 miles for a PR of an average 7.87 minute mile. So I was hopeful.

But I cheated on the Zone. Two days before race, I had sugar. Bad. The night before, I had yogurt...more sugar. Bad.

Then I slept 3 hours because I had the good fortune to do a radio show for KROQ at 6am! That's cool. I'll sleep 3 hours for that anytime.

But as soon as the gun went off, I knew I was in trouble. People were passing me left, right and center, and I just couldn't catch my breath. I had never been in a race with a chip tied to my shoe, so when I rounded the first split, they yelled out 13:10...or so I thought. Certainly I wasn't doing a 6:40 min mile, so that must mean I was doing a 13:10 min mile. I felt so defeated! I was huffing and puffing and yet I was clearly sucking!

But I kept running...hoping and running. When I passed the second split, I don't remember what was said--seems like 27: something. Either way, I felt like I sucked, and like a dope I introverted.

But I kept running as hard as I could.

When I crossed the finish line, my boyfriend was there taking pictures. I told him I thought I'd averaged about an 11 minute mile, a personal worst, and could we just go home now?

So we did. Later that eve, I started to come down with a cold. Whatever.

So imagine my surprise when Monday evening I went to check the race stats. Not only did I NOT average an 11 minute mile, I averaged an 8:22 minute mile--which while not a PR, I thought was decent. And lo and behold, I actually placed 2nd in my age category of 40-44!!!! WOW!! This is like one of the coolest things to happen to me--ever!

Okay, so I'm glad I'm not OLDER, as I wouldn't have placed in that category--but hey, I'll take what I can get, right?

MY FIRST MEDAL!!

Pictures to follow...and my medal's coming in the mail! :O)

Fight Gone Bad....Later

So Crossfit Monrovia had a Fight Gone Bad Competition last Saturday. Most anyone who visits my blog would know what this is.

Here I am doing push-presses--obviously a few rounds in, as is evident from the pain etched on my face. Damn, this was hard!

My score was a respectable 197--not bad for a first timer! Anyway, here's a photo from that.

Water4Gas Water-Fuel Holiday Rally!

You're invited to Our First Annual Water4Gas Holiday Rally!

When: Saturday, December 13, 2008

Time: 12pm to 3pm

Place: 6331 Woodley Avenue, Woodley Park, Van Nuys, CA

Directions: WOODLEY PARK Just off of the 405 fwy. Located between Burbank Blvd & Victory on the west side in front of the golf course, at the entrance to the Model Air Field. Follow the flying model airplanes down the road branching off Woodley nearest Burbank Blvd.

Bring: Family and Friends!

It's permitted and desirable to bring your own water-hybrid car and to show it off.

Come see multiple cars that are using water to create hydrogen fuel! These cars have a minimum average mpg increase of 35%. Additionally, their smog emissions are virtually zero as a result of having Water4Gas technology in place.

This is a great opportunity to see for yourself this amazing technology in action. Bring your friends and family for an enjoyable afternoon learning about something that can truly help our planet.

Call me at my office at 909-581-9744 if you have questions about what we do.
Call my cell at 818-726-5214 if you get lost.

Shannon