Thursday, January 29, 2009

not that kind of afternoon delight

The guy running in the blue shorts is Will B. He taught today's noon class, which I had to go to in order for me to enjoy Diana's birthday dinner tonight. I consider Will B. a kindred sprit because well, it takes a real man to pole dance while playing the century game. Ha ha! You had to be there.

Warm-up
Two rounds of the "Fish Game"

CrossFit One World WOD: "Elizabeth"
Complete 21/15/9 reps for time of
Squat cleans 58#
Tricep dips (on bars)

Joanne's Final Time - 14:53

Notes (to myself) about this workout: This is one of those WODs that you look at and think, "this shouldn't be too bad." Wrong! It's definitely a challenge. I actually liked this WOD because anytime I can do some no-stress Oly weightlifting, I'm happy. I can't do a ring dip for shit, so I stuck to the dips on bars. Next time I do this, I'll up the weight to about 60# or 65# and will try to plank out more for the dips. Either that, or I'll try to do the band assisted dips. What I liked about this WOD was that you could feel your form on the squat cleans. For me, I could feel my form getting better as the rounds went on, which was nice. (I think it's because when you're tired, you do less thinking and more doing.) I still have work to do, but I was happy with the WOD. Special thanks goes to Will B. and the ladies (Jamie, Maria and Mary) who "kick boy ass!"

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

yoga light

I've been in a not-so-good state these days. Then again, everyone is in the same boat. I really shouldn't bitch and moan. With the state of the economy and the reality of my progress, it looks like I'll be in school for one more year. UGH. Apparently, when the economy is in a slump, it's best to just stay where you are.

To de-stress, I decided to take a day off from CrossFit (my legs are still burning from "Barbara") and take an hour of yoga. I really needed it!

I wish I were a kid again. Things would be so much better if that were the case!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

semi-celebrity sighting

A few weeks ago, I volunteered for the CrossFit Level 2 Certification that One World regularly hosts. The photo above is from that cert. I wanted to say hello to the people that worked really hard that day. I'm not sure who actually received their certifications, but everyone did a great job. I have to say that I'm a total loser because I have no idea who's who in CrossFit. Some notable people in the photo... the two gentlemen on the far left are Mike (standing) and Steve (kneeling) who came all the way from Australia. "Commando" Steve is actually a trainer on the Biggest Loser, Australia. The really tall guy in the back wearing black is John Welbourn of CrossFit Balboa. He is (or was, I'm not too sure) a member of the NFL. Yeah. If I knew these people were that special, I would have been way nicer. Ha ha! I also want to say hello to Jenna (second row wearing red) and Kimberly (bottom row, middle wearing the striped pants). You two have the best spirit fingers!

Warm-up
Row 1000 meters

CrossFit One World WOD: "Barbara"
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Inverted Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups (anchored)
50 Squats

Rest precisely three minutes between each round.

Joanne's Final Time:
Round 1 - 6:52
Round 2 - 7:13
Round 3 - 8:40
Round 4 - 8:00
Round 5 - 8:04

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
The last time I did this WOD was in October. My times today weren't as good as they were then. However, I challenged myself by doing the inverted pull-ups which are much harder than the jumping pull-ups I did before. The inverted pull-ups work the upper body more. I can't do them fully planked, so I have to do them with my feet grounded. They're still hard and I'm definitely going to practice them more.

This was a tough WOD because I like to keep decent form, especially on the squats. That just wasn't happening in the tail end, though. Just to give you an idea of what I did in total, here it goes: 100 inverted pull-ups, 150 push-ups, 200 anchored sit-ups, and 25o squats. I did all that in about 52 minutes (including breaks). Yeah. I'm a rockstar. I've got my rock moves. Don't hate! (Yeah. I also finished in about double the time as the other CrossFitters. So what? I don't care. I did it. I finished. Don't hate.)

Monday, January 26, 2009

no secrets here

That Jolie was featured on the main CrossFit site should be no surprise. She's kind of the shizz in the CrossFit world. In fact, they also featured a video of her, which can be found here. Enjoy!

Warm-up
Stretching

CrossFit One World WOD: "Isabel"

Complete 30 snatches for time. 50#

Joanne's Final Time - 10:28

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
It's official. I totally suck at the power snatch. For as much as I'd like to think I have one heck of a power snatch, it just plain sucks. This is a lot for me to admit, folks. But I'll carry on.

I was excited about today's WOD because we just went over the snatch yesterday at Jason's class. However, I liked the snatch balance way better than the muscle snatch. As the WOD went on, I got progressively worse. It sucked. Boo!

Today is Chinese New Year! Happy New Year everyone! I celebrated it with my lunar new year tarot card reading. It was great! Though I have a challenging year up ahead, it looks like it's going to be a great year in the end. Wa-hoo!

Bad Joanne! For the last three nights, I've been conking out way too early. I've been forgetting to take my meds and it makes me conk out. BADBADBAD! Please remind me to take care of my health and take my meds! Thanks!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

snatch this!

Chana: Whatever. I'm sticking with the shaka!
Bobbi: So if I do scissors and rock, who throws up paper?
James: Dagnabbit! I don't know if I'm doing this right. You do a fist with your right, point with your left and then cross? Huh?

I learned the hard way that the one world "gang sign" was mostly a CrossFit thing.


Warm-up
Random stretches, shoulder rolls, etc.

WOD
Muscle Snatch: heavy single.
Snatch Balance: Work up to a heavy single. This should be more than you snatch!



What is a heavy single? It’s just a number. Not a personal record, but it could be. A max? Depends on how you feel, maybe. The important thing is to do a heavy single. Might be 85% and that is about it. You decide.

Joanne's muscle snatch: 35#
Joanne's snatch balance: 60#

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
This was my first Sunday class with Jason (That's him above. I stole this pic from the One World flickr page). I told him way back in September that I would start taking his class in November. Yeah. This is a long time coming. I really liked the class because it focuses on the movement and less about heavy lifting. Jason is a great instructor and I learned a lot about the importance of form for the snatch. Surprisingly, I really liked the snatch balance. It's a great movement. Perhaps because it involves a squat and I'm a big fan of squats! (That is, as long as I don't have to do a thousand of them.) 

Thursday, January 22, 2009

bear abuse!

When I woke up this morning I discovered that the base of my neck was really tender. When you do "The Bear" WOD, you tend to slam the the heavier weight against your shoulders and the back of your neck because those are resting areas. I don't have any bruising at the back of my neck. However, I did find some bruising on my shoulder areas. Hence the photo above.

So do I get to sue for bear abuse or what?!

CrossFit One World WOD
Warm-up
Five rounds of jump ropes
10 shoulder rolls
20 burpees

WOD
Complete ten rounds for time of:
10 jumping pull-ups
10 push-ups (modified plank)
10 Abmat sit-ups (feet unanchored)

Joanne's Final Time - 17:25

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I didn't end up going to spin this morning. Oh well. This WOD was okay. It was doable. Also, I didn't get funky blisters. I guess Freddy's suggestions totally work. I need to work on my push-ups. I just have way too much junk in the trunk, though. Um. Yeah.

I just wanted to say hello to Andrew S. from AirDrives. You totally rock!

Lean Mode, Color Code - Not Your Usual Food Diary

It’s the new year and if you’re like most people, you’ve most likely made some kind of resolution about health and fitness. I’m no different.

As many of you already know, I’m a big fan of Streaming Colors calendars. I’ve been using them for about three years now and have talked about them here and here. It looks like the original Streaming Colors website has made some changes. They’ve changed their name to Color Code Mode Journals and have expanded their product line.

In terms of products, I am and will always be a fan of the monthly calendar. I’m not sure what happened, but it wasn’t until 12/31/2008 that they announced that they would be doing a 2009 monthly calendar and will be sending them out at the end of January 2009. A friendly note to the folks at Color Code Mode: please don’t let this happen again. Since the monthly calendar is the original product, I think it should stay – especially if it has the big following I’m sure it has. If you use their monthly calendar, it does go from January to January, which means nothing is lost (yet). However, I really wanted to start off the new year with a brand new calendar and as of today, I haven’t received my pre-order yet. February is around the corner and I do hope I get it in the mail in time! Also, I like to give the monthly calendar as Christmas gifts, so this year was a bit of a bust in that department. Boo!

I still keep the monthly calendar to record my exercise habits. It’s on my wall staring at me constantly. So if the calendar days are empty, it inspires me to add some color! It’s quick, easy and I feel lost without it.

Last year I invested in the 2008 weekly planner. Though I think it’s a great concept and I’m sure it works for a lot of people, it's just not for me. My main issue with it is the size. It’s not compact enough to just carry around with you and such. Plus, I already have a daily planner, which I lug around and that works fine. Between the weekly planner and the monthly planner, I’m all about the monthly. That thing just rocks. Period! (Sadly, my weekly planner laid buried in my bookshelf completely untouched.)

The new product for this year that I’m really jazzed about and am currently testing out is the food journal, Lean Mode, Color Code - Not Your Usual Food Diary (say that fast three times!). I love this thing for several reasons. First off, it incorporates the whole coloring concept that Color Code Mode is known for. The daily planner pages have a series of circles in them. The more you color, the more your healthy habits shine through. Fantastic! Next, it’s completely customizable, so you can make your food journal as elaborate or as simple as possible. At the beginning of each week, there's a weekly assessment page where you lay out your goals and track if you achieved them or not. There is a similar page for the end of four weeks. Finally, it’s fun to use!

Here’s how I make Lean Mode, Color Code - Not Your Usual Food Diary work for a fathlete such as myself:

- The company recommends using highlighters to color. I find that they bleed a little bit. So I headed over to Target and dropped $6 to buy twistable color pencils by Crayola. You get way more colors and don’t run the risk of bleeding through the pages (I save my highlighters for the monthly calendar). Also, it makes you feel like a kid again because it feels like you’re coloring with crayons (another option if you don’t like color pencils or highlighters).

- It allows you to record your food and eating habits, which according to the Kaiser Permanente study they reference, will allow you to be more successful in losing weight. Wa-hoo! For me, I’ve been listing down what I eat, where I eat it (at home, in the car, restaurant, etc.).


- On the left hand side, there are a series of circles. This is where I rate my food choices. Yellow for fruit*; green for veggies*; burgundy for dairy; red for stuff I shouldn’t be eating (the junky stuff); blue for neutral food (non fruit/veggie; something like noodles – not terribly great, but terribly bad); purple for optimal food (non fruit/veggie; something like zone-style oatmeal or panakes, sushi without the fried and creamy stuff). The color combination gives me a sense of what my day’s food looked like. Was the day favorable or was it challenging? I take special note if I did something special like opt out of my In-N-Out cravings!

- As you know, this fathlete actually likes exercise (despite my lazy bouts). I mark my daily exercise achievements. For me, rest days are considered an exercise achievement (cause there’s a difference between rest days and lazy days)!

- The journal makes you keep tabs of your water intake. I don’t have water issues, but it’s a nice reminder.

- There is a “free” circle. The idea of the journal is to incorporate a healthy habit and not eliminate anything, per say. Instead of giving up something, you have to think of freeing yourself from an unhealthy habit. For now, my “free” habit is to have as many “fried food-free” days as possible.

- The goal for me is to have as many journal days as possible, so one of the achievement circles asks that you record the number of days in a row you journal-ed. This is a tough one, but I figure five minutes a day is all I need. Hell, I can do that in the comfort room!

So far, so good. I’m really liking the journal and it’s making me more conscious of what I’m eating. I’m on my ninth day in a row, so it’s still early. If any of you are using this journal or are interested in using it, feel free to contact me. I’d love to share advice on how to make this worthwhile!

If you haven’t figured it out yet, you can buy Color Code Mode products on their website. Lean Mode, Color Code - Not Your Usual Food Diary can also be found at amazon.com (at a discounted rate; I don’t know about you, but I’m all about saving my mighty dollar!)

*I’m really bad at eating fresh fruit and veggies, so by giving them their own categories, I’m forced to include them because I’m trying to have as many colors as possible on the circle train.

**FYI I am in no way paid or compensated for sharing my opinion about Color Code Mode products or any of the products I feature in “fierce products.” These are just things that I personally like. However, if you are from Color Code Mode and you want to shoot a gal some stuff to try out, I’d have absolutely no objections to that. I promise to share an honest opinion about it!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

conquering the bear!

Coach Eric's birthday was this past Sunday and though I told him that I wasn't going to bother him on his birthday, he decided to bitch and whine about me not calling. Sorry Eric! Just for that, this photo is for you! It's one of the sculptures at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Personally, I think it's the companion to this photo. Now I see what inspired your "Boys of Castro" pic! ha ha! Happy birthday and don't pay attention to what Freddy says. Only real men wear Lululemon!

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga
Row 1000 meters
Stretch

WOD: The Bear
Complete five rounds of the following using max weight. There is no time limit. It's all about getting it done with as heavy weight as possible.

Complete the following sequence seven times: Perform a hang power clean to a front squat to push press to back squat to push press. You may only tap and go when you start the next sequence. You may mix it up a number of ways. You can do a power clean to a thruster to a back squat to a thruster. You can push press, you can straight press... Get the work done.

Here's an example of "The Bear" by our very own Freddy, Jolie and Roman:


Joanne's Final Weights: 53/58/63/68/73

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I have to admit that I actually like the challenge of this WOD. The last set was a struggle for me. However, after a lot of rest and having the bar hang in my crease, I finally made it through. I swear I was sweating like Whitney Houston at that last set! Luckily, I slowly but surely increased my weight. My previous bear is here.

I admit it. I cheated. To me, 400 meters of lunges is lame. I'd rather do "The Bear!"

Saturday, January 17, 2009

AirDrives Headphones

I've been on a mad search for the perfect workout headphones. For the longest time, I’ve been using your standard cheap ear buds that come with whatever music device I happen to be using (which for the longest time has been the ipod shuffle). I’m not saying that the ear buds they come with are bad. But if you’re into high intensity exercise like I am, there are a few issues at hand: (1) They’re white and get dirty easily. (2) I sweat a lot, so they don’t last because I guess the sweat keeps them from working. (3) Though the sound is okay, I like to hear what’s around me – especially when I’m running. Those noise canceling headphones aren’t the smartest thing when you’re running because you can’t hear an attacker or oncoming traffic. DANGEROUS! For safety reasons, I tend to only wear the ear buds on one ear.

It finally dawned on me that replacing my headphones every few months is not a normal thing. After giving it a lot of thought, I realize that there are a few things that I require of my dream sport headphones. (1) I need a set that are sweat proof or can handle the high intensity stuff I like to do. (2) I like clear sound, but I need to hear what's going on around me. (3) It has to feel comfortable on my ear and NOT fall off (which is what most ear buds do).

After doing some online searching, I thought these Sennheiser headphones were going to be the one. MacWorld just happened and I thought I would check out the Sennheiser booth and test out my desired headphones.

Um. I'm sure these are nice headphones. But the people at the booth were unhelpful. I’m not even sure if the guys at the booth could even do a sit-up, let alone understand what I needed in a sport headphone. Frustrated, I just left and looked around the showroom floor.

Lo and behold, I ran into these:
The AirDrives booth was really small and I was drawn to the sign that read: The recommended headphones of the San Francisco marathon. I went over and started chatting the guy there (sorry dude, I so don’t remember your name). I asked him what makes his product so different from the Sennheiser ones across the way. He basically described all the things that I was looking for: sweat proof, can still hear what’s going on around you, and is comfortable. I tried them on and they were as perfect as he described them! They were having a show special and the pair I bought was a charity item, so I won either way!

I’ve been using them for about two weeks now and I must say that I really like them. They are definitely worth the every penny! Margaret even bought a pair that same day and says it works well since she runs in the busy San Francisco streets.

Here are some things that make the AirDrives cool:

- The chord is short, which means you won’t get into a tangled mess. This is a total godsend to me because during CrossFit, the long chords disrupt my ability to lift weights because they get in the way.

- There is a volume adjustment bar on the chord. Therefore, I can clip my shuffle anywhere (I usually clip it at the base of my neck) I want and don’t have to dig it out to adjust the volume. I just reach towards my chest and viola! The adjustment bar is there. Totally sweet! - They’re sweat proof, so I don’t have to feel guilty for my body’s natural fuctions!

- The earpieces are completely bed-able, and easy to clean. They fit securely on your ear with no fuss. They’re really comfortable. Since it sits outside your ear, you’re aware of your surroundings while you workout. This is really important because you can run safely. When I CrossFit, I can pretend that I’m focusing in my WOD when what I’m really doing is listening to other people’s gossip! Ha ha!

A special note: Read the directions carefully because some people have a hard time figuring out how to wear the earpieces. Just remember that they sit outside the ear and not inside the ear canal. This is what it should look like:
The AirDrives come in different variations. I actually tried on the men’s pair and didn’t like them because they were a tad big for my ear.

Finally, it’s important to note that these headphones are designed so that you can wear them for a long period of time without running the risk of hearing damage. Sweet!

**FYI I am in no way paid or compensated for sharing my opinion about the AirDrives or any of the products I feature in “fierce products.” These are just things that I personally like. However, if you are from AirDrives and you want to shoot a gal some stuff to try out, I’d have absolutely no objections to that. I promise to share an honest opinion about it!

Friday, January 16, 2009

friday not so light


This is how One World is supposed to be. Left to right in the photo are: Brad, Zvi, James and Antony. I'm proud to announce that Antony is now an official member of the One World Crew. He'll be teaching krav maga and eskrima classes. Wa-hoo! Unfortunately, the eskrima classes clash with my CrossFit classes. Otherwise, I'd totally jump on that! So cool!

On Wednesday, I tweaked my ankle from running. UGH! I decided that I would take advantage of the Thursday rest day and I'm really glad I did because it's 100% better now. This morning I spent about 3-4 hours at One World volunteering for the Level II Certification. For those of you who CrossFit, I highly recommend you volunteer. It's a great way to get taught by a lot of different people and you get to perfect your basic form. I warn you, it's pretty intense. Today there were three groups of about 5-6 trainers per group. Each trainer is assigned a movement they have to teach and are given a ten minute window. From there, the trainers and volunteers work. You end up working on movements for the whole ten minutes. Sometimes they'll pull you into the center to demo the move and then the trainer will make corrections. You do that 5-6 times in each group and you have three groups that are in rotation. It's a lot of work, but a lot of learning. I also recommend bringing food. I had a balance bar before the cert and didn't eat until I got home at almost 2pm!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

CrossFit One World WOD

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga
Run 1.1 miles
Stretching and practice the overhead squat

WOD
75 overhead squats for time 45#

Joanne's Final Time - 10:33

Here's a video of what today's WOD looks like. Enjoy!


Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I hurt my right ankle a little bit. I was running and it was dark and I didn't notice this rock on the road. I hit it and turned my ankle in. UGH! Ankle injuries come to me like a moth to a flame. It's been a while since I've had one of these. The last time it happened, I suffered through THREE ankle injuries in NINE months! Sucks! I think I'm okay. I was able to jog the rest of the way. I also finished the WOD. But there's still a little pain. Boo!

I also started with my new food journal. I'll comment more when the time comes.

Today's WOD was a good one. I like the overhead squat because I'm actually good at it. Though my time will suffer, I think I can do up to 50# or maybe 55# next time!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

CrossFit One World WOD

As usual, I lifted this from the CrossFit One World site. This is usually what I look like after the WODs. A cry for mercy is always helpful, but it never works.

Warm-up
I started the day at 5am by going to a one hour spin class.
Run 800 meters
Squat work

WOD
Complete five rounds for time of:
Run 400m
Row 500m

Joanne's Final Time - 29:23

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I did this WOD last month and finished in 29:59. I remember the WOD clearly because there were so many expletives coming out of my mouth that even I was surprised! Today I finished with a slightly better time and with much less swearing. Yea!

Monday, January 12, 2009

CrossFit One World WOD

I lifted this from Steph's blog. I know it's a lame excuse, but this is why I don't mind not knowing how to do a pull-up. Check out these CrossFit hands! I haven't had hands this bad. Hell, I bitch and moan about a small callous because it's just gross and not good for my cosmetics job. (Eric, I don't give a shit about what you say. It's unprofessional for me to have ugly hands.) The bigger issue is that it just really hurts and makes it hard to get through the next week of workouts. UGH! But I have to suck it up and learn the damn pull-up. I'm not close to mastering it, but I'm glad I can kind of do a knee-to-elbow movement. Wa-hoo!

Here is some friendly advice from Freddy about how to handle the callous situation:
Tearing from pull-ups can be avoided if you follow some simple guidelines:

1) Cut the chalk! Notice how white Doug's hands are. All that chalk is not helping your pull-ups and is not going to make your grip stronger. Chalk serves a purpose, to dry the hands so you can get better grip. I occasionally put a little chalk on my hands, then I make sure to rub my hands together until I no longer see any chalk. My hands are then dry, and I can grip the bar. When you heavily chalk your hands, your hands stick to the bar. You start kipping and all that violent movement transfers to your hands. If your hands don't slide a little you tear. People with a very pronounced kip tear even more when they use excessive amounts of chalk. I often hear people say that they have to chalk heavily because they sweat profusely through their hands. Try drying them with a towel and then lightly chalking them as I described.

2) Take care of your callouses! Look at Doug's hands. He has torn at all his callouses. If you are building up huge callouses on your hands, at some point they are going to tear. Knock those callouses down! You can use a nail file, cuticle cutters, or my favorite: a Dremel tool with a grinding stone on it. Jolie turned me on to this good advice: buy a good pumice stone and use it on your callouses in the shower when your callouses are warm and soft. And don't forget- your significant other will appreciate the fact that your hands do not feel like a cheese grater when you give him/her a massage!

3) Practice pull-ups with no kip! Dead hang pull-ups are an excellent way to build the strength to do pull-ups without a violent kip and make your kipping pull-up more proficient.
By the way, I finally updated the left hand column this weekend. A while back I wanted to change the formatting of this blog. Unfortunately, I lost all the original content that was on the left column. That's why it's been weird since then. However, I managed to find some of the material and I wrote up the rest. Additionally, I added some new things like links to other bloggers from One World and the story of how this blog came to be. I hope you enjoy the new stuff! As always, suggestions are totally welcome!

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga
Run 1.1 miles

WOD
Complete three rounds for time of:
10 Thrusters 53#
15 D-ball slams 12#

Joanne's Final Time - 6:23

And Then...
50 GHD Sit-ups
50 GHD Back Extensions
50 Abmat Sit-ups
(oops! I forgot to do the 100 twisters!)

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I was pretty happy with my time on this one. I think next time I do this I'll go up to 60#. My goal is 65# on the thruster, which is what the RX'd weight is for "Fran."

Thursday, January 08, 2009

back to dance


In case you're looking for a cool movie to watch, I highly recommend Slumdog Millionaire. It's that perfect mix of smart story line, beautiful cinematography, and nerdy issues that will get you and your nerdy friends talking forever! I really enjoyed it. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Today my back felt way off. When I looked at the CrossFit One World WOD, I wasn't exactly pleased with doing timed runs. I think it's ridiculous to do with the night weather being do damn cold. Therefore, I decided to take another night off and take two dance classes instead. My teacher called me to make sure I was going. Since there was a time conflict, I couldn't flake, so no CrossFit it was. Um, I think she wants me to learn this one routine for a performance. Er. Um. I'll learn the routine, but I'm so not going to do it for an audience.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

wednesday light, body sore


This is from Eric's blog. Lesson learned. If you're going to post embarrassing photos of yourself online, please don't text your friends saying that these photos exist. That's just way too easy to make these things circulate! Heh!

I'm really sore and paid for it in yoga today. Since a CrossFit rest day was posted, I took advantage. Wa-hoo.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

CrossFit One World WOD

I lifted this from Rita's blog. I know the holidays are over, but I just couldn't resist posting this photo of Freddy. You gotta love a man who is this comfortable in his own skin, yeah? I hope you enjoyed the belly laugh as much as I did! Moving on...

I started the day off bright and early at 5:00am by going to a one-hour spin class. Though the class doesn't start until 5:30am, I decided to beat the new year's folks and sign for a bike really early. I arrived just ten minutes after the gym opened and there were already almost ten people signed up. Luckily, I got my bike, set it up, had a snack, and then headed to class. This morning was my first spin class since I came back into the country. It was just like I never left. It was a bit challenging, but I got through the class just fine. Yea for spin.

Warm-up
Row 1000 meters

WOD
Complete the following for time:
21 hang power cleans 65#
Row 500m
15 hang power cleans
Row 500m
9 hang power cleans

Joanne's Final Time - 14:05

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I'm so bad at the hang power cleans. In fact, my back is feeling the bad form right now. UGH. I've been telling myself that I need to go to Jason's Sunday class and right now, I think I'm going to have to actually follow through.

Monday, January 05, 2009

CrossFit One World WOD

It looks like there's a documentary on CrossFit in case any of you were wondering what the heck CrossFit is. The documentary, which is directed by Sevan Matossian and Carey Peterson focuses on the 2008 CrossFit Games. I'm not sure about when/where you could see this film, but here's the trailer. Enjoy!


Warm-up
1 hour yoga
1000 meter row
Stretching

WOD: "Daisy"
Complete 3 rounds for time of:
Run 400m with 15# weight
25 Squats with 15# weight
25 Push-ups with 15# weight
25 Walking Lunge Steps with 15# weight
25 Sit-ups with 15# weight

Joanne's Final Time - 30:46.

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
This WOD is named after Freddy's dog who passed away in 2006. In truth, I'm not big on pets (it's a long story). However, since my cousin is going through a similar thing with her dog, I figured that I should mention my sympathies to those who are attached to their pets and such. They are part of the family, so losing them doesn't make it any easier.

Admittedly, this WOD wasn't as bad as I remembered - even with the heavier weight. When I did this WOD before, I opted for just a 10# plate. Today I figured I'd graduate up. Perhaps next time this WOD comes around I'll move up to 20#. The weight factors in during the run and the push-ups. Everything else, I felt that I could push the weight a little but more. Again, a lot of this comes down to patience. Since this was my first WOD of the new year, I think I did pretty good. These days I'm just not big on pushing time. Don't get me wrong, I hustle, but my thing is, as long as my movements are good, I could care less about time.

I wanted to note that today I realized that I'm really getting into the groove of yoga. Granted, I can't do it all. However, I'm managing much better than I used to. It's a definite essential for me, especially since I like really difficult exercise routines like CrossFit and running.

OH! Since it's too damn cold to run these days, I've decided to let go of running this season and go back to spinning. I'll be at Warren's 5:30am class tomorrow. Let's hope I get there early enough to beat all those Temporary Resolutionites to a bike! Damn posers!

Finally, my coach Eric has finally put up a blog. You can find his fitness blog here. Enjoy!

Saturday, January 03, 2009

the wonder twins


Dear Wonder Twins,

It's the new year and I declare that a new positive outlook for 2009 is in order. With that, I wanted to let you know that I applaud your efforts to take yoga. It's not as simple and zen-like as you were expecting, is it? It's okay though. It took me at least a year to get used to the class. But I'm glad that you two are conquering your resolutions together.

The first class is always tough. But stick with it. Even if you have to stop and rest half way through while the rest of us are twisted in some variation of a one-legged downward dog, just stick with it. One day you'll make it to that twisted variation. Until then, just do your best. Rest when you need to. And take every liberty to laugh at the rest of us suffering through the wheel pose.

Cheers and kudos Wonder Twins!

Sincerely,
The Fierce Runner

Friday, January 02, 2009

friday light

Today I did one hour of yoga. I had to opt out of belly dance because I had an appointment to go to. It was a nice, low-key first workout of 2009. I *heart* yoga.