Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

I feel like I've been complaining a lot lately.This is unnecessary. So instead of posting about how much my pull-ups suck lately, I thought I'd post about good things. 


Harder- When I started Crossfit, I was told it only gets harder. This is true. I still struggle through my workouts, thinking that I can't do what I'm doing. I know I can. All I need to do is finish; it doesn't matter how I compare to everyone else. No matter what day or what time or what weather, I always feel like walking during a 400m run, but I never have. I think that's what keeps me running every time. I've never walked during a 400, so I can't do it now. I think there's a point during every workout when I want to quit. But I don't. It's not getting easier. I'll either move up a resistance band for pull-ups or I'll increase the weight. It will always get harder, but I'm up for the challenge.


Better - I've felt better emotionally. I have other influences in my life that are causing me stress, but otherwise I've been doing all right. I like having something to work towards. I like being challenged. I've told other crossfitters that crossfit is like a vacation from my real world. I'm not quite sure what that says about me, but it works.


Faster - A few years ago, when I moved to Eugene, I decided to be a runner. I could insert a long story here, but I'll just give you the ending: I'm not a runner. I don't like running. I'm determined to do it, and I usually show up when there's a running WOD for Crossfit, but I don't like the physical act. I feel like my body's not built for speed. BUT more than anything else, I can credit Crossfit for greatly increasing my speed. Before I started Crossfit, my last 5K time was in the 36 minute range. My best 5K time, about a month ago, was 29:00. That's a substantial difference. I also feel like my shorter distances are getting a lot faster. We did an 800m run today and I managed to run it in 3:44. I was really happy with that. My 400m runs are getting faster. This feels great. I still need to work on form - we're learning about how the foot should strike the surface and what to do with my arms and all that jazz. I think about it while I'm running. I'm getting there, and I'm getting there fast.


Stronger - After the bridal store lady told me I had a tiny waist last Thursday, I had to flex my arms in the mirror - while in a wedding dress. It's really the perfect backdrop to showcase my strength. It irritates me now to read fitness magazines or blogs and hear women say that they don't want to use heavy weights because they don't want to get bulky. Hey ladies, guess what - you're not going to get bulky! It's not going to happen! You'll burn calories a lot faster, and you'll be a hell of a lot more useful for moving things, but you're not going to get bulky. There are very few, if any, bulky women at Crossfit. There are some damn strong women, and they look amazing. I'm pretty proud of myself and so many people at the gym when we have heavy lifting days. It's one of those things where you go in thinking you can only do so much, but then you realize you can do so much more.


Stuff to work on:

• Pull-ups. They are abysmal right now. So many excuses: my posture, sports bra, form, whatev. They need to get better, and I need to do a real pull-up soon.
• Handstands. I was so close today. So close. I just need to practice and I'll be able to do a handstand. Then I'll do a handstand push up.
• Overhead squats. I don't want to talk about these.
• Speed. This isn't just running. It's box jumps, burpees, wall balls. I need to be able to do these things faster. I can do this.

I'll talk more about the Spring Leaning Challenge next time, but I do have goals. It will be hard, but I can do it. I know I'm getting better. I know I'm getting faster. And I'm definitely getting stronger.

Shape Up for the Big Day!

I've been getting a lot of emails from random companies about my upcoming wedding. Today's email wanted to tell me how to get in shape for it. They obviously don't know who they're emailing. I really wish there was a person on the other end of the email because what I'd really like to do is hit 'Reply' and tell them that I don't need to shape up for my big day. I don't need a pair of 5 pound weights to make my arms look toned - I'll just do some pull-ups! Haven't these people heard of Crossfit?

I've never been one to try really hard to look better for something in the future. I didn't even go to my high school reunion. Whenever I think I have to look better for an event, it all seems so far away and I get bored two weeks after starting something. And this wedding is a pretty good chunk of time in the future - a year and a half. If I started now, I might lose those 10 pounds! I'm going to look awesome for my wedding as long as I keep doing what I'm doing - and I have no intention of stopping. I might even do burpees at the reception just to show off (but not handstands - not like I can do those yet anyways).

And you know what I'd really like to do - arm wrestle someone! I was always really bad at arm wrestling. For some reason, I used to do it quite a bit in college. But now I have some strength in these arms and I might be able to get some money out of them. I'd love to just walk into a bar - like the one on the corner where we turn to go to Crossfit- the bar that's always open - and challenge someone, anyone to an arm wrestling match. Maybe that's the movie I should write. Average girl gets buff and uses arm wrestling as an escape from her boring life. She becomes like the best ever. It'll be like Over the Top meets Saturday Night Fever. That's how I'm going to get in shape for my wedding.

Resolve

My fitness and nutrition have been lackluster through the holidays. I ate a lot of cookies. I can't even remember all I had for Christmas dinner but I know I felt sick afterwards. I'm not used to eating certain foods anymore and I'm not used to eating so much food. I know what I need to do to feel good; I just need to do it.

I did have a lovely holiday too. I spent it with my family. I showed off my muscles to my nephews. My 6 year old nephew and I did as many push-ups as we could in a row. As for workouts, I did one. Yeah, one. It was 10 double unders, 10 push-ups, and 10 squats -as many as possible in 10 minutes. I did it alone in my sisters garage. I tried doing real push-ups. They didn't look great, but I did them.

So in this new year, I have a few goals. We're going gluten free as much as possible. I already try to do that, but I'm going to try harder. I'll do 4 workouts a week, which I usually do. I need to get better at both push-ups and pull-ups. I need to do a handstand. And in May, I'm going to run the Eugene half-marathon. This I know I can do.

And I'm also getting married in the next couple years. This is new. I already have my dress picked out. It'll look awesome. I'm not worried about that.