WOD: 20 min AMRAP
           Run 600
           1 Bear Complex (95#)
           5 pull ups
           10 push ups
           15 sqauts
            x2
           Run 600 ......

I'd be lying if I told you I'm not enjoying the garage gym. I was able to squeeze in a decent run Friday evening and then go straight into a WOD with a little strength training at the end. It was wonderful!

I have also had my share of Easter candy. AHHHH! I am so glad it is out of my house. I resisted for over two weeks and then the last jar was standing....I went in for a taste, the next thing I knew the jar was almost empty. I threw away the last few pieces and went for a run.

My goal is to get at least 50 miles in this month. I realize that this is a pretty low number compared the months that I used to get 127 or higher. Life changes. Baby steps.

WOD: 100 pull ups, push ups, sit ups, squats

I have been MIA for a couple weeks now. I have been working out and trying to stay on track with my eating. I just haven't felt like I've had anything to say or share. Every time I think it's time for an update, I go blank. What am I thinking? What is on my mind? and then....NOTHING!

Last week I was making eggs for dinner. I pulled an egg out of the refrigerator and SPLAT! The egg was running down the side of the fridge, on to the freezer, before finally dripping into a puddle on the floor. Maggie ran over and attempted to lick it up. I grabbed the dish towel and cleaned it up. Within a few quick moments, the mess was cleaned up and I was back to getting a fresh egg for the skillet.

My life should be like the egg incident. When I go off track with my eating or "drop the egg" I should clean it up and move on. One dropped egg shouldn't lead to a dropped meal, dropped day, dropped week, etc.

It's not the end of the world. I need to just keep moving forward!

this my friends...is what beautiful looks like

3 mile run

We have all heard the saying, "Strong is the new skinny" but that is a tad over used and not necessarily true. I hate the word skinny. Besides bringing negative self talk into my own head, to me "skinny" is a word used to describe a small-boned, petite framed, bony woman who doesn't exercise and has been little her entire life. Are people starting to come to your mind as you read that? Sure. We all know people like that. We see them at the pool, grocery stores, sporting events, school, etc.

Skinny isn't necessarily a word that I associate as a compliment. I wouldn't be offended if someone said it, I would just know that it's not really what they mean. (No part of my body is technically "skinny" unless you are referring to a particle of hair on my head.)

Now, the word "Strong" is a compliment. In my opinion, strong is a very powerful word. Being "strong" requires dedication, practice, persistence, failure, repetition, control, discipline and hard work. To me, THAT is what is beautiful. You don't wake up one day and just become strong. It's work. A lot of work and everything I described above.

I was browsing Facebook last night and found this picture with the caption below:

"I debated on whether to share this or not because of how terrible I look. But, hey, it's a huge PR for me and I'm pretty darn proud of it:"

 I stopped. Looked at it again. Did the math. A 70 pound PR. Seventy freaking pounds. STOP RIGHT THERE. You just lifted 305 pounds and you hesitated to post the picture because of how you looked?!

Why do we do this to ourselves? I looked at this picture and was so proud of Jen. She is such a smart, intelligent, woman who  has a full time career, raising two children, and is in the gym regularly. She not only shows up, she shows up to do the work....and the results are proof. To me, those are characteristics of an excellent role model.

We are all guilty of these thoughts. After all, people don't take a million selfies only to post the ones we don't like, right? After about eight attempts, the best angled picture with the most flawless looking filter is the one that is posted. When others take photos of us, we don't get to choose all of that.  And most importantly, we don't choose what others will think. I (along with every other follower on Jen's page) don't see what she sees. We see something totally different. Something that she is over shadowing because of society and the images we think are "perfect".

Strong isn't the new skinny. If you want to be skinny, good for you. Skinny leads to a life full of disappoints and curve balls that you can't plan....you want to be skinny? Have a baby. Have a period. Have a family where your life isn't always your number one priority.

Strong is beautiful. Beautiful is inside and outside. Strong is a reflection of your choices inside and outside of the gym.

And Jen, I can't wait to see the next picture of you with a new PR. You are beautiful!

worth watching

Take the time to watch this video:

If you are going to the gym but not eating properly, you only have one oar in the water.

Day 52

I planned to do this wonderful Day 50 post where I went on and on about how wonderful my last 50 days have been and how great I feel. But guess what? I had dessert. Not one dessert, but two. On my celebratory day 50, I indulged in an ice cream brownie sundae. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I deserve it? Probably. Do I regret it? Every second after I finished the licking the bowl.

It's crazy.

I shouldn't get caught up in two desserts in 50 days. That's NOTHING compared to my old eating habits. It wasn't unusual for me to eat ice cream every night last summer. But, the moment after I finished my dessert I felt all those inadequate feelings flood my mind. Minus the fact that I already clocked 10 miles on my feet or my meals for the last two weeks were perfect. I focused on that stupid ice cream. Why didn't I have the control to not eat it?

Is it the end of the world? Probably not. Will I dwell on it and obsess about it? Not out loud where others can hear, but honestly, probably yes.

My work vacation is over. My drive to continue to improve and see results is greater than ever.

Drive on.

Good news? I clocked over 20 miles last week!

Rubber meets the road

No workout yesterday but plenty of walking. We walked and walked and walked. California is a beautiful place. I am in Anaheim about one block from Disneyland.  The city is cleans anywhere I walk, there are palm trees lining the road. When I was dropped off at the hotel I felt like Fresh Prince!

I ate a TON of food yesterday. I even had an ice cream sundae! It was totally worth it. Every single bite.

Today I'm headed to the beach to check things out. I can't wait. Another post coming soon....

I'm a crossfitter

WOD: 3 mile intervals on elliptical
             Free weights- pumpin' iron yo!

It is a stretch to even call the above workout a "wod"- it's more like a desperate plea to burn some calories while at a hotel gym.

The conference I'm attending has been very informative. It's an overwhelming amount of information that I need to digest in a short amount of time. BUT, one thing that I keep talking about is the food here. Ahhhh-mazing. The breakfast buffet has a huge array of fresh fruit. It's totally worth waking up early. Lunch yesterday was also great.  I had a spinach, walnut and cranberry salad topped with prime rib and shrimp! Here's the cheat: Brie and smoked Gouda cheese....YUMMY! Dinner was also great, I had a fillet mignon and lobster tail from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I'm spoiled. To love my job, be in California and great food!

On my 6 hour plane ride here're I was thinking about my crossfit journey. It's now been four years. It started out as a birthday present for Nick. We we're only going to do it for three months. It was just so expensive and there was no way we could afford to this long term! Sounds familiar? When I started meeting other members, I also introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Jenn, and I'm a runner. This is new and exciting but my passion is running." Blah blah blah. Running had been my identity. Running was my life, my mental break, my time with God and my FREE exercise.

Fast forward to today. Crossift is my family. Crossfit is my mental break. It is not my time with God or my free exercise. This remains to be my running I time. What I found was it was safe to say I was a runner. It wasn't until I pushed the boundaries and challenged myself that I found that crossfit was fulfilling my needs, both mentally and physically.

Hi, I'm Jenn and I'm a crossfiter who just so happens to have killer endurance for marathon running :)

Day 48

WOD: .25 mi on/off
             Gym equipment

Today is the 48th away since I decided to make some major life changes and finally take control. I'm happy to report that I am feeling great, I have been empowered to make choices, and I have enough energy to probably go non stop for about 3 days! I had a minor set back when I was sick on and off for three weeks but I just attribute that to the germs finally catching up to my body. I have been very fortunate to avoid any illness for over 5 years, I was due.

As far as my progress report, I ran more miles last month than I have in the past year. (I track miles and crossfit workouts every month.) and {drum roll........} I have lost 9.8 pounds! I wish I was confident enough to post those pictures because the transformation is amazing. Maybe once my abs are defined I'll share, haha.

I'm in California for a conference for five days. I had walked over 5 miles yesterday before I even made it to the gym. With the three hour time difference, I was running on fumes. I went into the gym and felt like a fish out of utter. Instantly, I ran to the treadmill. It's my safe place. As I started running, I talked myself into getting down on the floor and trying to use the equipment to do some sort of weight training. I'm sure I looked ridiculous. Good thing that doesn't bother me.

I miss the boys and wish they were here. I felt guilty enjoying Disneyland without them! By the end of the day, we had logged 10 miles of walking/running. I had fabulous meals and even contemplated a dessert reform I opted against it. I'm not there yet. I've worked too hard.

I'll have more time to write over the next several days. Stay tuned. A lot runs through this brain.