When I saw today's WOD, I was skeptical. I figured I COULD do it.. But wasn't sure I really wanted to, it looked tough, but I secretly knew I wanted to try. We even flipped a coin that indicated we wouldn't go, and we went to Crossfit anyways!! I ran a little earlier as well.

7's:

7 rounds for time

7 dead lifts -85 I thought it was 135, but now that I think back it was only 85.

7 thrusters-45

7 kb swings-31kg

7 burpees

7 knees to elbows(can't quite pull all the way up yet)

7 handstand pushups(had to do mine on knees from a box)

7 ring pull ups

Took me 30:39 minutes of sweaty hell.

But, I'm glad I went!!

In my outings today, I got some fab St.Patty's knee socks. I had some buffalo chicken dip and celery for lunch. I slept in until 11am!! That was awesome!

Dinner is stuffed cabbage rolls. I'm not very excited about them though. Those burpees got me feeling like bleck!!!

They were much better than I anticipated. I hated these growing up!! I actually kind of liked them tonight. Not bad!

Now I'm off to watch one of my favorite tv shows, 90210!! I know, I know!!

I had a great lunch date with my new friend, Susan. She's really a nice gal to go meet up with and shop with. She bought a lot of nice stuff today. I didn't get anything today, since I bought a lot of stuff last week. She's so sweet though. She gave me her makeup bag from her Clinique gift and a nice little Lancôme gloss! Colette will appreciate the lemon print!!

We ate lunch at The California Pizza kitchen. I had never been before. I had the Italian Salad, half size. It had the least sugar. I didn't get the beans in it, and added habeneros. It was delightful! Definitely will go back!


Now onto a sloppy subject. We have a mystery Puker in the house. We're pretty sure it's Bode. It looked like "something else", but didn't smell... There was a pile of it this am, and then another pile this afternoon. Yet another dog to worry about;( I will not post pics of dog puke.

The WOD was brutal to say the least. We did 7 sets of 3 high bar back squats at 82%. I used 135. This was the most weight I'd used so far. It was hard, but tolerable. Immediately following, you had to do two high box jumps with 90 seconds rest between sets.

Made it through that. The actual WOD was something I wasn't sure that I was going to even have reps to record since I'm not a fast runner.

In 3 mins, run 400m and do as many reps as possible of Russian kettlebell swings.

4 rounds with 2 minutes rest between each set!!!

I way surpassed what I thought I could do...

I did 105 kb swings, using a 35kg kettlebell! (the heaviest I've used so far).

I also ran the first 3 sets of laps right around 2 minutes and the 2 last laps in 1:50!! I really pushed myself at the end!!!!

Pleased with my results!! And I will be tracking that mile on my runkeeper, as that was definitely speed work!!!!!

Finally, I'm having a delicious dinner of leftovers. Cider braised pork and some spinach. I'm making this again. Maybe this week. I can't get enough of the melt in your mouth texture!!!

DELICIOUS!

Had Lobster for breakfast. Why not? I deserve it? Plus it needed cooked up before it went bad.

I got to cooking the meals for the week. I made cider braised pork. It's delicious.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/dinner-recipes/cider-braised-pork-shoulder

Pineapple chicken.

http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods/crockpot-pineapple-chicken

This one is ok. To me, it needs more of something. I guess I'm used to the high fructose corn syrup Chinese chicken. I know! I know! And I forgot to take a picture!

Stuffed cabbage rolls, I also didn't take a picture. In the link, it looks like I did. They have the same dishes! These also tasted good. I substituted regular organic marinara for the sauce. Easier.

http://www.4hourrecipes.com/recipe/golabki-polish-stuffed-cabbage/

This is lunch. Firecrackers. I modeled them after something we had at Blinco's. Used only 2oz of cream cheese and 1oz of shredded cheddar in the whole batch. Also, nitrate free bacon. The filling is just canned chicken, the cream cheese, the cheddar and a bit of Frank's. They are going to be a hot mess!!

And..

They are VERY hot. Good though!


So... I went to the gym to run. Just wasn't feeling the outside. And I told myself it was going to be a "as fast as you can 4 mile run". So, I got on the treadmill, and I felt good!! I did the majority of the run at around 5.2, but did intervals up to 6. Just for a minute at a time. Any time I was at 4, I did a 2 incline. I didn't walk at all. Now... I did the whole thing in under 45 minutes, which is absolutely amazing, even ON the treadmill, but do not be fooled. This will not translate outside for me. I don't do as well outside.



What I'm perplexed about it my Nike chip. It said I ran 4.73 miles in the same amount of time. I KNOW that is not correct. That's blazin speed. I had to calibrate it, yet AGAIN. I'm not very satisfied with that chip. The only real reason I keep it on my shoe is to measure mall walks and such so I can enter them into run keeper to keep track of my mileage. I'm on track for the 1000 miles this year, SO FAR!!!

138.5/1000! Need to average 2.72 miles per day to meet the goal. I hope my motivation and stamina keep up. If it goes like years past, it will fizzle out at some point;(

I also wanted to mention... Although my weightloss has slowed, by adding in some cheese, sushi and those Rudi's wraps, I honestly feel like I have more energy. That's important, too. So.. I'm going to finish the month out as is, see if I lose a few straggling pounds (hope to make it to -20 or more by Feb 28th) so stay tuned!

So thus far, I had avoided the evil burpee. I had planned on doing my run group this am, but it was wet, and now snowing. I'm horrible on the trails of umstead. My ankles are just not very tolerant of all of the rocks and roots. So I went to Crossfit. The workout that was posted involved a series of 21, 15 and 9 thrusters with 2 rounds of helen(400 meter run, 21 k bell swings and 12 pull ups) in between each series of thrusters. I thought I could do that, so I went to Crossfit.

Ended up changing the WOD, which was probably a good judgement call, although I would've rather done the one posted, as I hate burpees!!! The parking lot was slick with rain and a little snow.



So we did 21 thrusters, 21 burpees, 21 pull ups, 21 kb swings then 15 of the same and 9. Anyone that knows crossfit knows that's a relatively challenging workout dependent on how much weight one chooses to use. Next time, I'll know I can use more. Although it WAS difficult, really the HARDEST part was those stinkin burpees!! I only used 35 for the thrusters and 22 for the kettlebell. I didn't have to stop during either of those activities in the series. Where I lost the majority of my time was, again.. The burpees. I finished in 14:30. I'll get em' eventually;)

Now it's time for a nap and off to my friend's son's Eagle Scout induction and possibly a Black Valentine's Day Party.

A few weeks ago, I was printing put my coupons from the Earthfare website when I came across this program called "Earthlete". Basically, it's to be a community representative to distribute discount coupons and info at local races, etc and recommend events for Earthfare to participate.. They were looking for "athletes" to apply to fill the positions. I don't know all of the particulars yet, but.. I submitted my application, and I got accepted!! Which means I'll get an ambassador jacket and a 15 percent discount at the store for the time that I participate in the program!! I'm really excited about it because it combines all of the things that I LOVE to do!! Shop, exercise and talk to people!! When I saw the page with the featured athletes, I thought about not even applying... These athletes are like GOOD athletes. When I applied, I explained why *I* am a good athlete and living a healthy lifestyle, and I'm sure those of you that read my blog and follow me on Facebook can attest to the fact that I am dedicated and committed, even if I'm not 110 pounds. It's not a job, job.. But it is indeed seizing the day, once again and filling my days with happiness and things that I love to do!!

Check it out-

http://www.earthfare.com/Athlete.aspx

Who knows? Maybe I'll make the web page? I'll tell you more about it as I get more involved!! I actually have some ideas for the store!! Should've gone into marketing!!!

Went and got another pair of shoes... Good deal. Stuck with my same old same old brooks Ravenna. Same shoe, different color! Such a brat!! I chose to stick with the model 3. The 4's were out. I asked the difference. I was told, basically..color. So, I was not greedy! I chose the old model and saved $30. Yellow and green instead of purple and green? Sure!

I royally messed up today's no meat Lenten observance. I guess I'll just have to observe it another day this week.

Had my five leftover wings for breakfast and a rudi's tortilla pizza for lunch. This thing was GOOD. Rudi's are gluten free, but not paleo.

For dinner, I had one beef kebab, double Greek salad and tabbouleh. (From Greek Fiesta) I eat really slowly sometimes. It took me almost an hour to eat my dinner. Probably a good thing. It was nearly 9:15 once we got around to eating. Had my serving of ghiradelli chips and I'm set!

Crossfit tonight was good. I swear I LOVE that place. I never thought that I would enjoy lifting weights!! NEVER!!

Tonight we worked on form mostly and did some dead lifts and snatches.

The WOD was 8 minutes AMRAP of 8 dead lifts (I used 55- I think in these beginning stages using less weight is good for me for form and for burning fat..it was very easy for me to use 55) 10 pushups and 12 alternating lunges. I did 6 rounds plus 11. I felt really good when I was done.

Overall, I feel really good in general. Weightloss is slowing. I get on the scale almost every day, but I only count what it says on Wednesday. Today's weight however indicated a total of 19 pounds since the beginning of the year;) almost 20!!! I'm pretty confident I'll be at a stable 20 pounds lost and then some by the end of the month.

My hard work and dedication IS paying off!

Andy surprised me with flowers. No. Really surprised me. So much that they were on the same table that I sat at for breakfast and the same house I was awake in for four hours before I even noticed they were there! Sheesh! It's not like they were small either. I blame the topomax.

Then I got in some tutoring and a short run with my buddy, Saliha. I'm so sad. She is leaving for a contract job for three months. I'll be lonely on Tuesday afternoons without my friend to run with;( I hope she does well and has fun on her adventure!!! I'm sure she'll beat those princesses!

Then I had a super insane-o shop at Stein Mart. I got 6 glittery tanks for $35!!! These are nice shirts!! Made of thin sweater material for the backing! I would've paid a lot more for them, but of course... Not have purchased on in every color. I hate to admit it, but I am one of those.. If I find a shirt I like, I buy it in more than one color. Especially at this price!!! The sale ends this weekend. If you want some good deals, go to the Stein Mart website and print the 50 percent off red dot coupon. I love them! And they look great on!!

However, I was saying to Andy..

1. It was great! I totally trumped the amount of $ I would've spent on beer tonight at the hockey game and got 6 shirts instead of beer!!

2. Without all of this drinking going on...I have no where to wear these shirts!! LOL!!

Time for a vacation;)

I love them. I know. Not straying from the norm. Glitter. Tank tops. But it is what I love. Can't "top" that!!

Next we went to the Hurricanes game. I have to admit, I was a little uncomfortable at the tailgate. I DID want to drink. I DID want to eat stuff. But you know what?

I DIDN'T. I kept control of myself. Someone brought those little cutie oranges. Needless to say, I ate 5 or 6 of them!! 4 shrimp and I drank water.

The game was ok. I'm not a huge sports fan, but I tried to remain patient because it was fun for Andy. We did go out for dinner afterwards. I didn't make the best choices in the world, but I do believe I stayed in my 1500-1800 calorie range anyways, even WITH having 5 wings and a little blue cheese. I didn't lick the container of the blue cheese as I normally would. There was more than half left. We also got some firecrackers. Jalepenos stuffed with chicken and cream cheese wrapped in bacon. Certainly not nitrate free. But I'm thinking of it this way. It was a fairly carb controlled meal, and I'm not going to let it ruin my day. I'm skipping my serving of chocolate chips tonight and moving on. It's ok to not be perfect. The progress of showing up at a social event where almost everyone else in the group has a beer and saying no thanks is tremendous progress in itself, even if I had eaten the entire cheesecake and plate of cookies on the table, which looked mighty tasty, btw!

Had two dog walks today. Lucky refused to walk. That's ok. We watched who wants to be a millionaire. He did go out to pee. Zack and I walked a misty mile.

Speaking of miles, I jogged 3 miles at 2 incline on the treadmill today 7:2 intervals. Time 37:02. I really wish I could maintain that pace outside. It's so much easier to focus and pace on a treadmill. Oh well. I'll chalk it up to speed work;)

Tonight's crossfit WOD was good. We worked on 3 different cleans. I used 55 and 65 for the 3 different cleans, which is more than I had used before. I had only used the bar. I'm getting better at technique and adding more weight.

Then we did front squats. 8 reps at 60% used 55. 6 reps at 65% used 65. 4 reps at 70% used 75. 3 reps at 75% used 85. 5 reps at 70% used 75.

(I'm saying all of this more for me than you, btw;)

Then the WOD. The did knees to elbows. Mine was more lift knees as far off the ground as possible, which isn't very far LOL. And 60 jump ropes. We had 6 minutes. I finished 5 rounds exactly. I can kill it on the jump ropes and am fairly confident I will be able to do double unders at some point. I can already do some. I just need to practice!!

Next week, we are going to do some of out Benchmark workouts. Nervous and excited at the same time!


We had four week pics taken for the transformation challenge. Steve also told us the gym will soon be expanding!! 4000 sq ft to 14000!! I think we joined at a great time. Getting in there, learning the basics. Crossfit RDU is a great place, and I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting to try out Crossfit.

Dinner is a repeat from last week. Steak fajitas, no tortilla and some spinach. One of my favorite meals!!!

Today I took it easy as far as exercise was concerned. Kept it to just walking. 2 dog walks and a mile and a half mall walk.

I got home and fed the dogs, a little on the late side. The Neen Snead was acting strange. Keep in mind, this could be my imagination, but she is also an old dog. I'd say definitely older than Anakin. She may very well be 12 or 13 years old. We got her when Anakin was 2, and the vet estimated her to be 2ish as well, but she always seemed a little older to us. especially now. She's grayer. Her little legs shake when getting on the bed.

Today when she was eating, she started to shake and kind of growl and act strange. I think it has to do with the new bowls. She may have been frustrated with not being able to get all of the pieces out. Then she saw Anakin through the window and I think she felt intimidated and thought he was going for her food, so she growled. I could be just completely paranoid, but it definitely was not normal. Anita is named Anita like "I need a" home. Poor little girl was set to die on July 25 eight and a half years ago. I found her on the Staley County website and left a frantic message saying,"Do NOT kill that DOG!" She came to us dirty. She had heartworms. Covered in ticks and fleas. the first thing I said to her was,"Hi, Anita! I'm your mama!" Anita rolled over on her back and gave me her belly. It was love at first sight. She has been a faithful friend. Follows me most everywhere. She reminds me of Kate Winslet in Titanic when she poses herself all pretty on the bed. She's a lovely dog. It will be easier to come to terms with losing her, as I know we've provided her with extra years of love that she otherwise would've never had. So... Another dog to watch.

It was ironic that today I picked my princess up a beautiful Valentine's day outfit;)

I also picked the kids up some doggy popcorn, which they love. They run when they hear the bag rustle;)

Got some more cheap tanks to work out in, I'll spare you the pics.. They are similar to all of the other tanks I own. I probably own about 100 of them, but hey, that's what I wear every day. Get over it.

My sport kilt arrived and it's every bit as cute as it was in the picture and fits perfectly. I can't wait to wear it in the race on March 2nd. I'm really focusing on making this a fun race for myself and not striving to hurt myself. I'd love to be able to run 5 miles in an hour. You know what? I probably could. I know I could... On a treadmill. But if I attempt that speed outside, I'm going to die at the end and hurt myself. I'm sticking with a modest goal of 14 minute miles. 1:10. Walking and running. I feel good. I won't come in last, and I'll look damn cute.

And to wrap it all up, dinner is a mushroom and onion and Swiss turkey burger with a boatload of cauliflower, carrots and broccoli. And you know what? In honor of Fat Tuesday? I'll have one serving of Godiva chocolate chips. 80 calories. One serving is really enough for me.

I don't need to fatten up this year. I'm focused and I'm rockin it!

I'm thanking St. Francis of Assissi for taking care of my sweet Anakin. His pee is normal, so we are in a watch and wait situation. Just monitor and pray for no more seizures. Hopefully, the little guy will be ok. Also, I pray my sweet Neen Snead holds out a few more years as well. She has also lived a fruitful life, my little lamb. Another story for another day...

Today's WOD was actually ok. I was scared of it on paper, but I hung tough and did just fine. We did our usual warm up of running and jumping around and stretching. I'm a bit of a punk at the warm up still, but I'll get there. Don't get me wrong. I finish and do everything, but I'm a little slower than everyone else.

Then we did high bar back squats at 75% 3 rounds of 8 reps. I did 105. I still don't know my max, but I'm able to do that pretty comfortably, so I'm assuming in the neighborhood of 150.

The WOD was three rounds of run 400m 15 back raises, 12 body rows, and 12 handstand push ups.

Of course, I couldn't do the body rows where you put your feet on a box and pull your body up using rings, so I did it with my feet on the floor. And for the handstand push ups, although I CAN do a handstand, I used a bench and did them on my knees. I'm thinking I'd like to go on one of the open gym days and work on trying them using the bands. Believe it or not, I'm still pretty good at doing a handstand. The push up part will need some assistance, as there's a bit of weight to "push up". I finished in 12:37. This is pretty good since .75 miles generally takes me 9 minutes at a relatively brisk pace. I really wish it weren't so dark in the parking lot. I'm blind as a bat!! It's a little difficult to see rounding some of those corners. NOT that it would've improved my time any!! HA!

Dinner is plain Jane. In fact, in still eating it right now. I hate eating late, but it's just how it happened tonight.

Welp! Off to finish dinner. Have my dessert of 16 ghiradelli chocolate chips and head to bed. I actually ended picking up a few dog walks this week. The extra cash will certainly be nice.

Didn't do a whole lot today except for lay around walk some dogs and do some cooking.

I made some rotissere chickens. Some steak fajitas. What I call pizza casserole. Some breakfast and some gluten free Udi's pizza. As I mentioned yesterday, I had some confusion with gluten free and paleo. I'm still doing some experimenting.

As far as a gluten free pizza crust, Udi's was awesome, minus the $7.99 for two small crusts price tag!!!

I also spent most of the day worrying about Anakin. He seems to be fine, but I'm obsessing about him dying soon;( I just can't imagine life without him.

We took all of the dogs for a walk tonight, Anakin included. I was worried the whole time, but I thought about it. If he were to die going for a walk, he'd die happy. He loves walks and not taking him wouldn't be fair.

I'm just on edge after the episode the other day. I just want all of my babies to be happy and safe. If I'm this out of sorts over dogs, I can only imagine the emotions tied to having a child. Heart wrenching.