What a Summer of CrossFit Taught Me

1. If you believe you can do it, you can do it. Everything is in your head. I used to be so intimidated by any lift that involved having heavy weight above my head. But I've learned that if I believe I can do it, I will. No ifs ands or buts. Don't doubt yourself, because you're capable of so much more than you think you are.
2. Good coaches make all the difference in the world. I can't tell you how many things I learned from my coaches this summer. My lifting technique has improved so much in just a few months. They also taught me to attempt that lift with 5 more pounds and push myself that much faster in a WOD. Because so what if you fail? You tried, and now you have something to work toward.
3. Speaking of which, there's always something to improve. You look around in the box, and everyone has different weaknesses. Someone that's killing those double unders may not be able to bang out those burpees as fast as you. And that's what's really cool. You learn what you're weak at, and you can work at it until you get better. 
4. Practice makes perfect. You may fail 1,000 times, but on that 1,001st rep, you'll get it. At the beginning of the summer, I couldn't do kipping pull-ups, double unders, rope climbs, kipping handstand pushups, and more that I'm probably forgetting. Now? After trying time and time again, I finally can say that I can do all of those things. Doesn't mean I'm good at them or don't have to work at them, but I finally can do them. 
5. I love how physically challenging it is. I walked out of that box every single day completely exhausted. I've never done harder workouts in my life. And yet, somehow, the next day, I'd be walking back in, ready for more.
6. You have to get over your fear to get anywhere. I was nervous and afraid to start CrossFit this summer. What if I wasn't good at it? What if I didn't get along with the people at the box? What if, what if, what if. But I got over it, and the day after I got home I walked in and did an intro class. And after that, I nervously showed up to a regular class. I had to make myself go, because I didn't really want to. But I knew that if I didn't get over any of those fears, I was going to live with regret and always wondering if it was something I was capable of. And because I got over my fear, I had one of the most incredible summers.
7. The scale doesn't tell you anything. I haven't weighed myself in months, but I know that I've gained weight. Do I care? Not at all. If you'd asked me that a year ago, my answer would've been different. But CrossFit has taught me so much about what my body can do. My body is an incredible machine, and now the only numbers that matter to me are how much I'm lifting or how fast I can finish a WOD. Because in the end, that's all I care about. I'm in the best shape of my life and could care less if that means that I'm xx pounds heavier. Because those pounds of muscle help me get stronger each and every day. 
8. Sometimes, you have to swallow your pride. Pride gets you nowhere. If you have to scale a workout, scale it. And sometimes, that really sucks, because there's something that you really want to be able to do, and you just can't do it yet. Sometimes, you're just not that good at something and you're going to have to work at it a lot harder than everyone else. At that's okay. 
9. Respect. There are so many incredible athletes at my box. There are people who can do so much more than me, finish a WOD twice as fast as me, and lift three times as much as me. And there are people who can't do as much as I can. I respect them all. Everyone shows up every day and works as hard, or harder, than I do. 
10. I still love competition. I had so much fun at the comp I did last month -- the spirit in me that's a fighter is still there, even after not playing competitive sports for a few years. I also love that there's people at my box that are just one step ahead of me on every WOD, because it gives me someone to keep up with and really push myself. It's my competitive spirit that makes me want to keep improving, and getting stronger. 

I could go on and on about how much CrossFit has changed me and my outlook on fitness. But for now, I'll leave it at that. I love it so much, and it was so hard to leave my box today knowing that it was my last WOD there for awhile. I'm going to miss having a coach, having people cheer me on and encourage me, and so much more. 

I also left today feeling extremely motivated to prove to myself that I can do it on my own, when I'm busy in school. I have a lot of knowledge, and access to most of the equipment that I need. All I need was the drive and motivation, and I know I've got it in me.

I am so excited to see what this school year has in store for me. I can't wait to see how far I've come and set some fun goals for the future! 

For now, back to packing I go. LA bound tomorrow! :)

Virtual Coffee Date 9.14.13

if we were having coffee this morning, i would be drinking my second pumpkin spice latte of the season. i'm so happy pumpkin everything is here!

if we were having coffee this morning, i'd tell you how excited i am to have my brother at home! he has been at school for most of the summer and it never feels quite right living at home without him. i think my mom is also super happy to have him home because, aside from the fact that her son is home, she finally has someone to bake for her! this entire summer i haven't baked any 'normal' things (according to her), and i apparently am always adding in weird stuff, hahaha. so now she has someone to bake for her that she knows won't try to sneak any extra nutrients in ;)

if we were having coffee this morning, i'd be telling you how much more unprepared for the school year i am this year than i was last year. last year i was on top of everything and probably was almost packed by this point. this year, i've only just gotten around to unpacking those few boxes left from last year, and only have my bedding and food packed (priorities, people). i also only just ordered my textbooks (holy poop they're expensive) and ordered some photo prints for my room. i still don't have many room decorations though, since most of my posters and photos from last year are pretty worn. so i probably would be asking you for some dorm room crafty suggestions.

if we were having coffee this morning, i probably wouldn't shut up about vampire diaries. i started the show about two weeks ago because i literally had nothing else to watch and a friend recommended it, but i actually didn't like the first episode much. but, the next night, i didn't have anything to do after work yet again, so i found myself watching the second episode. and then i got hooked. the end of every darn episode has a huge cliffhanger and i always find myself watching just one more episode. i blame netflix for that one. and i blame the actors for being so freaking attractive. i'm currently on season 3 but kind of need to make it through season 4 before i go back to school otherwise my ochem is going to lose the battle to stefan salvatore (aka paul wesley who i just googled who is 12 years older than me?!? how is this possible?!).

if we were having coffee this morning, i'd tell you how sad i am that i only have a few more days to go to CrossFit. i didn't expect that place to feel like home as much as it does, and i certainly didn't expect the community that my box has. i'm going to miss all the people so much, and i'm not sure what i'm going to do when i don't have anyone to talk everything CrossFit with. because i can't exactly just go on and on about my snatch technique or hitting my clean and jerk PR without getting really weird looks from non CrossFitters. it's kind of a problem.

What I Packed For My First CrossFit Competition

i have been meaning to share with you guys what i brought to my first crossfit competition for quite some time now, but finally got my act together!  while i'm not a crossfit expert in any way or form, i thought it would be fun to share what worked for me. and hopefully at least a few people who come across this post will find it helpful!

this is what i packed for day 2 of the comp - it differs from what i brought day 1 just a little bit, but i felt more prepared on day 2.

Food 

• 2 packets of Vega one nutritional shake
• 2 kit's organic clif bars
• 2 chia bars
• 1 packet clif shot blocks (which i forgot to bring on day 1) 
• 2 packets crystal lite energy (each packet has 120mg caffeine which was much needed. i took one packet before each WOD.)
• 2 baggies of almonds (unpictured)

both days i should have brought a bit more food with me than i did, but i didn't feel like lugging around a big cooler (if i had brought a cooler, #1 thing i would've packed would have been fresh fruit!). luckily i remembered to bring cash and was able to buy chicken + veggies while i was there. 

Drinks

• a huge water jug - this is a MUST if your comp is outside/hot! i had ice cold water the entire day and was easily able to keep hydrated. 
• my blender bottle to blend protein shakes & crystal lite
• pineapple coconut water x2
• FitAid (they were passing them out on both days of the comp, so i saved one from day 1 to bring for day 2)
• almond milk to make protein shakes

Equipment

• The Stick
• gloves (fingerless were all i had, if i had ones with fingers i would've brought those)
• myofascial release ball 
• athletic tape (to tape hands) and scissors
• my Strength Wraps
• my jump rope (most likely, they won't be provided!) 

Clothes

what I wore:

• lululemon speed short
• nike sports bra
• my box's tank
• reebok crossfit nanos

what I brought as spares:

• extra pair of lulu speed shorts
• lululemon capris
• 2 extra tanks
• extra sports bras/underwear <-- lifesaver!
• 3 pairs extra socks

Other Stuff:

• facial towlettes
• deodorant 
• hand sanitizer
• sport sunscreen
• chapstick
• advil
• bobby pins + hair ties
• junk headbands

and... my cat. 

totally kidding. she obviously wanted to come with all of my food though! hah. 

have you ever done a crossfit comp before? what did you bring?

favorite protein powder?

Healthy "Paleo" Peanut Butter Cups

i was supposed to go to my cpr/first aid class (for my sports med internship) today, but google maps decided it would be a good day to trick me and take me to some super sketch area that was a good 30 minutes away from where i needed to be. i was completely lost in this random sketch place and realized i wasn't going to make it to my class in time, so i proceeded to have a total meltdown. after calling my madre and trying to figure out what to do, i ended up driving home and eating lots of these peanut butter cups. they really do make you feel better, i swear.

and as i was eating my little peanut butter cups, i managed to find another cpr/first aid class this saturday and get my work schedule switched around for the weekend, so all was well in the world again. lesson learned: don't trust google maps. like, ever. lesson #2 learned: chocolate and peanut butter fix everything.

i also realized today that these so called paleo peanut butter cups aren't exactly paleo. because peanut butter isn't paleo. major faileo. oh well, good thing i don't eat paleo! and i just said paleo like 5,000 times. i should probably shut up soon. 

except if you really are one of those hardcore paleo peeps, you might want to know that almond butter works just as well in this recipe. they're still just as (if not more) delicious!

oh and one more thing: if you make these, all of your life's problems will be temporarily solved. promise. 

Healthy "Paleo" Peanut Butter Cups

by Julianna Foster

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Keywords: dessert snack gluten-free paleo vegetarian

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Ingredients (12 mini cups)

For the Chocolate Shell

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp coconut flour

For the Filling

• 1/3 cup all natural unsalted peanut or almond butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Melt the coconut oil in a small bowl, then whisk in cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and coconut flour.

Spray a mini muffin tin with coconut oil, then pour about a teaspoon of the chocolate mixture into each cup. Place pan in freezer.

While the bottom layer is freezing for about 5 minutes, mix together peanut butter (or almond butter), honey, coconut sugar, and salt in a separate small bowl.

Take pan out of freezer, and spoon peanut butter mixture into each cup. Flatten out the mixture with the back of a spoon, then pour about a teaspoon of the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter mixture.

Place pan back in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

To take the cups out of the pan, simply turn it upside down on a clean countertop.

Store these cups in the freezer and serve immediately (the coconut oil will melt quickly at room temperature).

Enjoy!

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MIMM 9.9.13

thanks to Katie for hosting!

marvelous is... this album by Bastille. i'm obsessed. it's soooo good, and only 6.99 on iTunes (yep, i still buy my music. i'm crazy, i know). but really though, do yourself a favor and listen to this! 

marvelous is... a vitality bowl while shopping with my momma. 

marvelous is... finally getting a much needed haircut! 

marvelous is... going into GNC for some quest bars and getting a free extra bar, a free baby blender bottle (i can't get over how cute it is), and a free gold card membership. score!

marvelous is... brunch dates with friends (because even when your egg scramble isn't that good, at least the company is!) 

marvelous is... snuggles with my baby girl. i'm gonna miss this pumpkin soon!

marvelous is... getting whole foods hot bar and coffee after a killer Saturday WOD. we did "donny" which was 21-15-9-9-15-21 of deadlifts and burpees. i used 113 pounds and am still sore today! 

marvelous is... my Junk Brands headbands that i bought a few weeks ago. they're by far the best headband i've bought! they keep all my hair and sweat out of my face and don't move at all when i'm working out. highly recommended.

marvelous is... these Paleo peanut butter cups that i made yesterday. guys, not even kidding, these are probably the best thing i've ever created in my kitchen. the recipe will be up soon (promise!) so stay tuned! 

what's marvelous in your monday?

Link Love 9.7.13

i've been doing a little bit of blog redesign lately; it's still a work in progress but let me know what you think!

before i get the link love going i wanted to thank you all for your kind words on my last post! i absolutely loved competing last weekend and your support means so much.

anyway, here's a few links that i thought were worth clicking this week. enjoy!

Food

• Triple Layer Cookie Bars with Chocolate Caramel Topping via Taylor Made It Paleo 
• Frozen Coconut Macadamia Bars via Mark's Daily Apple
• Egg White and Oatmeal Protein Pancake via Peanut Butter Fingers
• Bulletproof Coffee Ice Cream via Grassfed Geek
• Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie via lululemon

Fitness

• Can CrossFit Improve Running? via Huffington Post // i completely agree with this article. i think that CrossFit is the reason that i was able to PR my half marathon time by 20 minutes this summer. 
• Strong is the New Shut the F^&% Up via exercising for points // good read. 
• 5 Smart Tips for Getting Fit on a Budget via Babble
• Yeah But... // on scaling WODs.
• Video Blog: Balancing Workout Types, At Home Workouts, College Meal Planning, and More via Peanut Butter Runner 

Life

• The Perfect Nap: Sleeping is a Mix of Art and Science via Physical Culturist // thought this was an interesting read! cool infographic at the end too.
• It's Okay, 2 via Girl Meets Life
• Afghan Vets Reunited in NY with 8 Battlefield Dogs // this made me smile :)
• How To Write Your 10 Year Vision via lululemon 
• #INeedAfrica via Eat, Live, Run

happy Saturday, everyone!

Moxie Madness {My First CrossFit Competition}

i don't even know where to begin! last weekend at Moxie Madness was absolutely incredible. instead of trying to recap everything, i figured i'd share some tidbits and thoughts about the weekend. here comes a random post!

(if you're curious, you can check out the WODs we did here: Day 1 and Day 2)

the workouts were ridiculous.

the people at my box are awesome.

i drank a lot of vega protein shakes. ate a lot of kit's organic clif bars. took a lot of advil. drank a lot of caffeine.

i figured out that i can drink coconut water if i chug it down in one gulp (otherwise, it's totally gross).

i learned that rocktape is one of the best inventions on the planet ever.

i also learned that rocktape gives you really, really nice tan lines. my upper back looks wonderful right now.

i found a magic potion. okay, not really magic, but still. WOD repair lotion is the best thing that ever happened to my hands (especially after the last WOD on Sunday, when my hands ripped on the first pull-up i did and i still had 4 more rounds of AMRAP pull-ups to go).

i discovered that everything really is in your head. you can do anything you set your mind to.

i got to be a kid again (hello, partner wheelbarrows! those were fun. and painful).

FitAid is a pretty freakin' awesome drink.

prowler pushes suck. they especially suck after a relay WOD with a 600 yard 45# sandbag carry, 400 yard overhead wallball carry, and 50 yard lunges with a 25# plate. my legs were jello. and i mean, jello. pretty sure i almost fell on my face five times. did i mention that this was the first WOD?

i realized that rowing is a lot more painful that i thought. either that or my legs were just really sore.

it really hurts when you whack your leg doing box jumps.

i learned that my arms don't fit in tshirts anymore. for real though. and this makes me excited.

26 pound kettlebell snatches are a piece of cake now. when did that happen?

i really, really, really suck at double unders. really.

i loved being on a team again.

i love that everyone cheers each other on, no matter what team they're on or what box they're from. CrossFit is truly something else.

burpees. ow.

i realized just how much i'm going to miss my box when i leave for school. (hint: a LOT).

my coaches are freakin' beast.

there's nothing quite like having a ton of people watching and cheering you on as you're competing. all of the people that came out to support us were incredible.

i got a new nickname: the silent killer. LOL!

assume the crossfit recovery position (read: look like you're dead. cause you feel dead).

i have never been so sore in my life. being this sore makes the simplest things super duper hard. like sitting on the toilet or putting your shirt on. let's just say monday was really fun.

i'm actually not half bad at overhead squats!

i'm in the top right corner

i saw just how much progress i've made in the two months that i've been CrossFit-ting and almost a year that i've been lifting. two months ago, i wouldn't have made it through the 2 days and 5 WODs. last weekend, i killed it.

i don't think i've ever had a better weekend! there was a smile on my face the entire time (except when, you know, working out. my face is just hilarious when i'm in pain. it's highly attractive. see below.), and i am proud of how well i did. i'm so glad i got over my fear of letting people down or messing up or whatever and just went for it. best decision ever.

this competition made me realize just how much i love CrossFit. not that i didn't before or anything, but now i don't even know if i can explain how much i love it. i get my ass kicked every single day, yet i come back for more. and i have so much fun doing it.

i can't wait to do another competition! thank you all so much for your kind words and support :) and a huge thanks to my box, my teammates, and especially my coaches. and my parents for coming out on day 1 to support me!

p.s. i PR'd my clean and jerk today! AAAH so excited. and this was when i was still a little sore. can't wait to see how much progress i've made on other lifts too!

p.p.s. stay tuned for a post on everything i packed for the comp! (edit: you can find that post HERE)

Link Love 8.21.13

i haven't done a link love post in forever & have been reading some great stuff lately, so i figured it was about time to share! <3

Life

• 18 Apps Every College Student Should Have // i agree with a lot of these
• Tips on How To Save $$ from Kaila @ Healthy Helper // love these tips!
• Merging Blogs From Blogger to Wordpress // seriously considering this. i've been using blogger for over two years, but have yet to move over to self hosted. it seems like such a big task!
• What Ethiopia Taught Me via Eat, Live, Run
• My Version of Healthy via Fitting it All In // healthy is something different for everyone.

Food

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls // healthy & delicious looking!
• Vanilla Sugar Almond Butter via PaleoOMG 
• Blueberry Pie for One via Carrots n Cake // paleo friendly and easy to make
• The World is F*%#ing Insane // one of the best things i've read in a long time. 

Fitness

• 7 Things You May Be Doing That Impair Workout Recovery
• 5 Tips For Spartan Race Beginners // my favorite race to date!
• Functional Training Workout from Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers // i can't wait to try this one! 
• Lululemon Admits that Plus Size Clothing Is Not Part of its 'Formula' // in a much more tasteful way than abercrombie did, in my opinion.
• 9 Rules For Mastering the Squat

what have you been reading lately?

WIAW: Guacamole.

apparently, i really like guacamole. and eggs. and sriracha.

that is all. happy WIAW! 

cheerios, kashi golean, strawberries, blueberries, almond butter, almond milk

dinner packed for work: carrots with guac, blueberries, almonds, string cheese, and a paleoish brownie

breakfast burrito with eggs, laughing cow, and guacamole

coconut oil roasted brussel sprouts (one of my favorite foods ever!)

sweet potato fries, chicken with guacamole

an open face sandwich on california black bread with guacamole and eggs

a salad at the counter, with mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, pickles, onions, a 1/3 pound beef burger with cheddar cheese, and avocado

only the best pizza in the entire world: golden boy pizza.

post run smoothie with berries, vanilla protein powder, lemon juice, and almond milk

eggs with spinach, goat cheese, sriracha, and a trader joe's chicken sausage (i love the spicy jalepeno kind!)

a green chocolate protein smoothie

eggs with spinach, chicken sausage, laughing cow wedge, and sriracha

a brunch at Denica's: an egg scramble with mushrooms, green onion, andouille sausage, and pepperjack cheese, with a side of toast and fruit 

a bowl of grilled chicken, spinach, shredded cheese, guacamole, and sriracha 

what food are you currently loving right now?

Monterey Spartan Beast 2013

hi guys- hope you're all having a wonderful week! i got some photos from my Spartan Race today so i finally get to share my experience with you guys. i did the Spartan Beast in Monterey last Saturday with my good buddy Ryan. the Beast is the longest of the 3 Spartan Race distances, aside from the Death Race. it's 10-12 miles (ours ended up being 12.49), over 25 obstacles, and some of the steepest hills i've climbed up/down in my life.

the net obstacle/the entrance to the race!

on race day, my start time wasn't until 2:00pm, which was perfect because i still got enough sleep and had time to put together my stuff in the morning.

here's what i packed:

• towel
• sweatpants
• sweatshirt
• spare shorts
• spare shirt
• spare bra/underwear/socks
• face wipes
• advil
• blister bandaids
• sunscreen
• water and vitamin water
• 2 clif mojo bars, blueberries, cashews

and here's what i wore and what i had with me:

• older pair of Nike Lunarglides
• sweat wicking socks (from my cross country days, actually)
• nike capris
• nike sports bra
• an old nike pro combat shirt 
• a plastic bag with my driver's license, $25, and my headlamp
• 2 hammer gels

i probably brought other stuff, too, but i think that's most of it! i'm actually really happy with what i brought along to this race. i also was concerned about my outfit and debated back and forth between wearing capris and shorts, but in the end i'm glad i went with the capris. more coverage on the rocky/muddy terrain! i ended up ditching my shirt about 1/3 of the way into the race after the first barbed wire mud obstacle, and i felt a lot better after i did. running in a muddy, rock filled, wet shirt is never fun!

tip: BRING money if you do a spartan race. you will be absolutely starving at the end and half a banana is not going to cut it, so i was really grateful to have the money to buy some food. they also were having major sales on reebok apparel so i got a couple of cool shirts for super cheap.

anyway, onto the race! we got to the parking lot about an hour and a half before the start time (running a little behind, the spartan race website suggested being there two hours beforehand), and had no problems getting onto the shuttle that took us the 40 minutes to the race course. when we got there, there wasn't any line for getting our bibs which was really nice - i think it was because we had such a late start time! with our bibs came a timing chip wristband, and a headband with our bib number on it. i think the headband is a genius idea, since a lot of people ended up losing their bibs along the course.

after using the restroom and walking around a bit, it was almost time to go! i was getting really pumped up at this point - i love obstacle course races! and then right around 2:00pm we set off. the first mile or so was nice and flat and the obstacles weren't too bad - a few smaller walls to climb over and under, some mud hills and mud pits, and then we hit the trails.

the entire race was one big HILL! if we weren't going up, we were going down. my friend Ryan and i tried to run as much as we could, but on some of the uphills it just wasn't possible. for the most part we ran all of the downhills though! it was kind of cool because we had a lot of people - mostly these huge buff 20-30 year old men - tell us that they were just trying to keep up with us. it was also pretty funny because we were all swearing and asking why we paid $200 to have someone torture us (but really, you knew that we were all secretly loving it, haha).

as for the obstacles, i absolutely loved them. here's a list of some of the ones that i can remember!

• 6 foot wall 
• bench jumps 
• dragging a rock attached to a chain down and up a hill 
• carrying a sandbag for a little loop
• dragging a tire back and forth
• monkey bars 
• a VERY long mud section with barbed wire. we found the easiest way to handle this was to roll, since you had less chance of getting hit by the wire. however, this section was also uphill, so sometimes it was really difficult! the people spraying water on the mud had a lot of fun soaking us, too. 
• filling a bucket (that didn't have a handle) up with sand and carrying it up a super steep hill and back down <-- HARDEST obstacle of the race. everyone died. 

check out that face.. LOL!

• an inverted wall 
• mud hills/pits with a rope climb at the end - i was pissed about this one because i know i can do rope climbs, but my shoes were super muddy and i just couldn't get a grip, and only made it halfway up the rope. since i couldn't complete the obstacle, i did my first set of 30 burpees. 
• traverse wall - basically a wall with sparse footholds and handholds that you had to make your way across, and it was after the mud pits so of course i slipped right off. second set of 30 burpees! 
• a huge net that you climbed up, rolled across, and climbed down. this one was cool because under the net bridge was the entry/exit for the race so everyone below could see you and was cheering you on! i ended up getting a huge leg cramp in the middle of this obstacle so i'm sure i looked ridiculous to those below because i was practically hitting my leg trying to get it to stop cramping. should have taken that salt that they had at the aid stations!
• a second mud and barbed wire obstacle
• tire flips
• a spear throw - which, of course i missed! third set of 30 burpees.
• carrying a heavy block of cement about 25m, doing 5 burpees, and carrying it back
• a bucket/pulley obstacle where you pulled up a bucket filled with concrete using a rope. my friend wasn't able to do this one, so i did about half of his burpees with him!
• the spartans at the end of the race with this huge toothpick looking like things that were hitting as many people as they could! 

i know i'm definitely forgetting some obstacles but you guys get the idea! i also have to say that the hills in and of themselves were a huge obstacle. i didn't do much trail running and didn't run very many hills before the race, but was surprised at how well i handled them. it was also really fun because we had to go down all the hills we went up, and some of them were super steep - so steep that you couldn't walk down them. everyone was sliding down and it was so much fun! it actually didn't hurt at all - we just put our feet first, hands out to the sides, and kept our butts off the ground a little bit. most of the time these downhills were pretty sandy, which was nice because my hands didn't get too cut up. 

overall, i have to say this is my all time favorite race to date! it was like a combination of a cross country race, a super steep hike, and a bunch of CrossFit style obstacles - some of my favorite things all in one. also, the aid stations were well placed (and they never ran out of water - hallelujah!), and i'm so grateful for the volunteers out there helping the racers out!

we ended up finishing with a time of 3:50:06, which i am really proud of. i was expecting to take around 5 hours to finish this race, and we completely crushed that goal! i also got 3rd place out of 17 girls in my age group, got 77th out of 973 women, and overall finished 721 out of 3697 racers. 

even almost a week later i'm still on a high from this race! i would do one again in a heartbeat. being surrounded by that many people just as insane as i am about doing crazy stuff like this was awesome. it was so incredibly inspiring!

and a huge thanks to my buddy Ryan, who took most of the photos in this post. he was the only person insane enough to do a half marathon and a Spartan Beast less than a week apart with me!

have you ever done a Spartan Race before?