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)

Weekly Workouts 7.20.13

last friday i injured my hip - i'm not sure how but i woke up on saturday morning and was hobbling around like an old person. i've always had hip issues (most of the time they never got in the way of anything) but i have a hunch that this was caused by overuse & nowhere near enough stretching and foam rolling. i think i just strained a muscle in my hip joint.

after taking 3 full days off, doing no workouts whatsoever, icing, applying icy hot, and doing light foam rolling, i felt good as new on monday. but i took it as a wakeup call that i NEED to stretch and foam roll every day (and ice if necessary). crossfit and running put a lot of strain on the body and i need to make sure that i take care of myself. my injury could've been a lot worse and i'm really grateful that it wasn't.

with that said, here's this week's workouts! i had almost no hip pain, foam rolled and stretched before/after my workouts, and have been feeling a lot better. i also think that having the proper shoes for CrossFit (finally!) helped a ton.

foam rolling = OW.

Sunday: off
Monday: CrossFit

spend 10 min working on kipping or butterfly pull-ups.
i haven't done kipping pull-ups yet so i worked on those. and DANG they're hard! i have a long ways to go, the technique just hasn't clicked yet.
+
back squat 6x5 at 75%
i hadn't found my 1 rep max for back squat yet so i did that instead, and got to 153 pounds.
+
against 15 min clock:
run 800m
50 pull-ups
60 burpees
70 KB swings (53/35)
max reps toes to bar

i got through 45 kettlebell swings before hitting 15 minutes. that one was tough, the pull-ups definitely got me from the start!

Tuesday: CrossFit

warm-up: 3 rounds of
5-10 ring dips
5-10 strict toes to bar
5-10 L sits

this warmup was freakin' hard. i used a thin blue band on the ring dips and even then my arms were ridiculously sore the next day! and i can barely do strict toes to bar and only lasted like 20 seconds on each L sit. so much room for improvement!
+
3x5 push jerk (on my last set i used 93#!)
+
Metcon
3 power cleans
3 pistols
6 power cleans
6 pistols
9 power cleans
9 pistols
... continue pattern until 7 minutes is up and add up total reps.

i used a 73# bar for the power cleans (RX was 95) and used a pole to help balance on the pistols. i got through 75 total reps (i made it to 15 power cleans).

Wednesday: off

Thursday: 7.1 mile run
this is my longest run so far for my half marathon training and i was really happy with it! kept a solid 8:45 pace, my hip didn't bother me, and the next day i wasn't super sore.

Friday: 2.5 mile run
i just wanted to shake out my legs and see how they were feeling. i actually felt like i could've done more, which was great, but i kept it short because it was really hot outside and didn't want to push my hip too much.

post run smoothie with vanilla greek yogurt, spinach, frozen blueberries & raspberries, and almond milk

Saturday: CrossFit

Bruck
4 rounds for time:
run 400m
24 back squats (RX 115)
24 jerks (RX 95)

i used 83# for the squats and 63# for the jerks, and finished in 36:13. i could've done a bit more, i think, but we didn't use the racks since there weren't enough for everyone in class. that meant that we had to clean the bar for both movements and i don't think i could've gotten more than 90 pounds cleaned and over my head for the back squats. overall this WOD was a rough one, but i got my butt to the box and finished and that's what counts.

all in all, a great week of workouts! i'm feeling much more confident about the half marathon and couldn't be happier with how much progress i've made in crossfit. i'm in the best shape of my life and can't wait to see more progress in the future!

best workout you had this week?

home sweet home (& my first CrossFit class!)

i finally came home for the first time in 5 months yesterday!

moving out was bittersweet because the last year has been the best year of my life, hands down. i made the most amazing friends, was incredibly challenged academically, became even more of an independent person than i already was, and so much more. UCLA is the best thing that's ever happened to me. & there's a whole post on that coming later!

one of the last sunsets of my first year! 

anyway, coming home was seriously like discovering a whole new wardrobe. after the long drive i started unpacking right away and then discovered how much crap i have. there were a lot of things that i left at home that i completely forgot i had - so i went through it all and threw away and donated most of it. it felt so good! i still have some more unpacking to do (and a lot of stuff is staying in boxes for moving back in in the fall) but it's so, so, so good to be home. 

i get to hang out with my babies and smother them in kisses. 

and sit on a couch and watch TV on a big screen.

and drive my CAR! (while blasting imagine dragons, of course!) 

and make pancakes & eat loads of berries. 

and, try out my first CrossFit class!

i knew that i was going to miss my IFT barbell class like crazy when i came home this summer, so i looked into crossfit. i found a box that's 10 minutes away from my house and  emailed one of the coaches about a week ago asking how to get started. he told me about the free intro class they have on saturdays so i decided to go to that this morning (even though getting out of bed was reeeallyy hard. i was wiped from yesterday!). 

i was super nervous beforehand because it's really easy to get intimidated by crossfit, for many reasons! i almost bailed out like 10 minutes before i was supposed to leave, but then i realized how stupid i was being. lifting and doing intense workouts is something that i absolutely love, so why not try it? 

so i went! the box is reeeeally cool, especially compared to the room we use at school for IFT. i felt like a little kid at a playground! and the coach that i met was really nice. it was just me and this other girl there for the intro class, and the coach told us about what crossfit is and what a typical class looks like. then he went over some of the movements with us, and had us do a 12 minute AMRAP workout of jump rope, thrusters, kettlebell swings, and burpees. 

guys, i absolutely LOVED it. i knew how to do most of the stuff he went over today, and he told me i had a perfect front squat (using a PVC pipe, haha). this kind of stuff is my favorite kind of workout!! i know there's so much potential for me to really challenge myself, learn a lot, and have a lot of fun. 

after the intro class i was stretching and the coach came and talked to me a little bit - he asked about my IFT class, if we lifted heavy, and if i could a couple of things (like snatches). and then he told me that i could skip the fundamentals class (which is where they teach you most of the movements you do in crossfit)!! the other coach that i'd already emailed had told me that there was a possibility to skip the fundamentals class depending on how much experience i'd had, but i was fully planning on taking the class unless after the intro class a coach told me otherwise. 

i left with the biggest smile on my face! i am so grateful that i took the plunge fall quarter last year and signed up for my barbell class, because if i hadn't, i don't know if i would've been able to get myself to go to that intro class today. i was so nervous, but i'm incredibly glad that i went. i know that there's so much for me to learn and improve on, but i love a challenge. 

here's to a freakin' awesome summer! 

have you ever tried crossfit?

recent loves.

hi guys!

i'm finally back to writing on my own blog again... at least for today! i miss you guys :) i've been busy studying for midterms, writing papers, and writing my Mojo posts. i really love the internship so far - it's been a lot of work but i'm having a lot of fun writing!

anyway, i wanted to pop in and share some of my favorite things as of late (aka the last week):

favorite meal:
this roasted turkey, bacon, avocado, and tomato sandwich on fresh wheat bread at a place on campus. mmmmmm bacon.

runner up: apples n greens smoothie from jamba juice. i had a gift card which made it all the better! i do really miss making my own green smoothies, though.

 

new favorite website:
The WOD Shop - it's basically a CrossFit WOD generator, but there's tons of categories to choose from. you pick whatever type of workout you want to do and it pops up with a random one. i've been loving the bodyweight workouts (one of my recent workouts had pistols and my legs died. it was great) for days that i don't go to barbell, since i do workouts with olympic lifts there.

favorite music:
i've recently become obsessed with imagine dragons and mumford & sons. i can't get enough! i also bought the afters new album recently which is really awesome - i highly recommend it.

favorite workout:
a 6-mile run without looking at pace/time. it was so relaxing and reminded why i fell in love with running.

favorite bible verse:
last week i came across this verse and it definitely helped me get through the week. it's so easy to feel lost.. but sometimes, that's okay!
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."|| Luke 19:10

favorite new app:
so i have no idea how long vine has been around, but i downloaded it the other day and it's really interesting! i'm horrible at making videos/figuring it out, but it was really fun to play around with.

favorite text from home:
my mom sent me this picture of me like a week ago and it totally made my day. i'd never seen it before! even at four years old i was itching to get out the door, haha.

tell me: what's your 'favorite' of the week?

weekend countdown returns!

a bajillion food pics that i haven't shared with you guys yet:

 

greek yogurt bowl with blueberry muesli, frozen raspberries, banana, almond butter, and honey bunches of oats

 

sweet potato with vanilla CHO and honey

 

oatmeal with banana and almonds

 

rice cake with peanut butter and almond m&ms

 

a huge pile of roasted brussels sprouts. i got SO excited when i saw these in the dining hall! #foodiealert

 

another bowl of greek yogurt, muesli, banana, raspberries, and almond butter

 

quinoa(!!) with steak and butternut squash

 

lentils with butternut squash and steak 

 

turkey, avocado, and veggie sub

 

yet another greek yogurt bowl with muesli, banana, honey, and granola

5 workouts of the week: 

sunday: 6 mile run
monday: IFT class
tuesday: 4.4 mile run
thursday: late night circuit workout to wake me up before my graveyard shift. super proud that i actually got this one in!

friday: 3.5 mile run

today i'm hopefully going to head out for a run later or do a quick speed session on the treadmill!

4 photos from my 3-hour adventure trying to find sprinkles cupcakes last night:

PSI: the metro is very, very confusing. thank goodness for unlimited ride cards!

3 favorite pins of the week:

 

2 things making me smile:

-that i get to facetime my parents today!

-the #SheReadsTruth soul detox plan. i am loving it so far even though i'm really behind!

 

1 question for ya'll: what's the best thing you ate/did/sweated out this week?

Recent Eats & Workouts.

my life lately = class + study + work + eat + sweat + sleep.

needless to say i'm so happy it's the weekend! even though all i'll be doing for the rest of the weekend is working and studying, it's a nice break from going to class.

i thought i'd stop in and share some recent eats (since i missed WIAW), and all of the awesome workouts i did the past week!

the friday special sushi bowl - sticky rice with carrots, cucumber, edamame, shrimp w/ spicy mayo, and AVOCADO! this bowl was so good - i wish it was offered on more days than friday!

obligatory friday froyo. peach & tart flavors with lots of strawberries, cheesecake bites, walnuts, almonds, pink & white cookies, and graham cracker crumbs.

tortilla with crunchy almond butter, banana, chia seeds, and honey

plain greek yogurt with TJ's blueberry muesli, a little honey, and frozen berries

lots of sweet potatoes with nut butter & honey! i bought a couple of sweet potatoes at trader joes last week - best decision ever :-) and they're really really cheap, too!

my favorite shrimp & corn chowder

whole wheat turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and dijonaise. 

another bowl of plain greek yogurt with muesli, frozen berries, and honey

an oatmeal bowl - i made it with a packet of maple TJ's oatmeal, milk, and chia seeds and then topped it with almond butter, banana slices, shredded coconut, & a few crushed up coconut cookie thins (from TJ's, best things ever!)  

workouts this week:

sunday: 6 mile run (longest distance i've run in who knows how long!)
monday: 20 minutes of elliptical, 1 round of kaila's workout, 1 mile treadmill run, stretches
tuesday: 2 mile treadmill run + 10 mins elliptical
wednesday: 30 minutes elliptical intervals (i was a sweaty mess by the end!) + abs in between classes
thursday: 3.4 mile run before class
friday: IFT WOD that looked like this:

warm up: 4 laps of farmers' carry around the gym with a 26# kettlebell
WOD:
complete each exercise for one minute before moving onto the next. rest for one minute in between rounds.
-slam balls
-KB thrusters
-double unders
-push-ups

i used a 16# slam ball and a 26# kettlebell for the thrusters. by the end of the workout i was DEAD. but super proud of myself because i did my first double under!! and managed to get four in a row in the last round!

all in all it was a great week for workouts considering that most days i didn't have much time to squeeze one in (but was always glad that i did!). today i'm SUPER sore in my legs from yesterday's workout so it's definitely a rest day. i might take tomorrow off, too, or do a yoga video on hulu or something.

oh & a random outfit pic before i go - it was raining a little bit this week but it was still warm so i went with leggings, a tank, a scarf, and boots!

and i'll leave you with this:

tell me: best thing you've eaten / best workout you've done this past week!