Weekend things & the CrossFit Open

Hello, hello!

Did you enjoy your weekend? Was it as fabulous where you are as it was where I am?

Loads of fun things happened this weekend!

I went to the Friday 5:30pm CrossFit class – and I was the ONLY ONE THERE!

THAT wasn’t awkward at all.

Actually, it really wasn’t!

It was nice to get the personal coaching.

Especially since the strength portion of the class involved doing Romanian Dead Lifts and I’ve never done those before, much less even heard of them!

And, we also worked on overhead squats.

I need a LOT of work on those. My hip flexors are so tight and they don’t want to participate properly. I also need to work on my confidence and believe that I actually CAN hold that weight over my head while squatting. I’ll get it. It’ll just take work.

The WOD itself was fun!  And, seeing as I was the only one there, I didn’t have to jump over or run around anyone. #bonus

I knocked out 7 rounds plus a 200 meter run in the time allotted. 🙂

Saturday morning was a long run out at the Yorktown Battlefields.

the promise of a new day

Man, I wish I had taken my camera! *sigh*

It was beautiful! It was a 5-mile loop around and I knocked out two loops.

I did originally have a 20-miler on my schedule for Saturday but my legs were SHREDDED from my first week back into CrossFit and squats and lunges for days.

I figured it was best to take it easy and allow my body to recover a little.

Then, I pretty much just hung out and soaked up some rays and some kitty cat love.

On Sunday, my sailor and I headed out to the Noland Trail and went on a “nature hike.”

One loop around the trail is 5 miles and we took a TON of pictures. It was a blast!

So, even though I didn’t run 20, I did actually get 15 miles in this weekend. So, there’s that. 🙂

Oh, and I did something else this weekend.

I registered for the 2014 CrossFit Games Open.

No, I am NOT blogging from a mental hospital.

Seriously!

But perhaps I should be?

Nah. It’s all good. It’ll be fun and it will definitely challenge me! 🙂

I’ll keep you posted on the workouts and how I do. And, I might even have my sailor come and be my official photographer.

Ohhh, papparazzi! 😉

Talk to me: Spring should spring in a few more weeks! What are you most looking forward to?

– jennifer

Long run, new place & a case of the blahs

Hello!

Happy Tuesday!

Okay, I’ll be honest. Yesterday I was grouchy (I blame Monday. And winter.)

and today, I’m unmotivated.

Okay, so I was unmotivated yesterday, too.

And the day before that.

I had a 20-miler on the books on Saturday.  I wasn’t planning 20 but figured I could knock out a 15-miler and that would be good.

I met up with a new running group (not that many people there – I don’t know if that’s normal or just because it’s cold) at a whole new place.

We ran at the Noland Trail in Newport News.

The email said the course was pretty challenging and those training for the Shamrock Marathon next month in Virginia Beach might want to consider getting their 18 miles in at a different location. Or breaking up the run into 2 parts (and 2 locations).

That should have been my first clue.

Why wasn’t it?

Anywho, I got up Saturday morning and got ready to go.

I should say that meeting up with new people at a new location makes me REALLY REALLY nervous and I almost didn’t go. Twice.

I got there early (of course) and waited. And made use of the porta-potty. And then waited some more.

Hey, I said I was early.

The group finally showed up and I shivered my way over to them and met a couple of new people. The “leaders” talked a little about the course (for us newbies) and we started off.

Now, this isn’t an “everyone runs together” group. We all ran at our own paces. I am thankful for 2 things – that the course was a well-marked loop so I couldn’t get lost and that there were a couple other people out there running my pace who already knew the course.

I can get lost in my own house sometimes.

Don’t judge me.

I did a loop and paused with some others for a water/gel break.

Then I did another loop.

O. M. G.

Remember that “challenging course” description?

Yeah.

It’s a trail around a lake.  It’s mostly rock/gravel and dirt and wooden foot bridges with a little bit of street and shell covered path thrown in.

Seriously. Shells. Whole new experience right there.

It has hills and turns and corners and trees.

I bet it’s AMAZING to see in the Spring and then in the Fall.

The hills, however, are not your average, every day hills you find in a park.

Oh, no.

These hills have steps.

Enter the part where I wish I had carried my phone with me so I could take some pictures so you could really see what I mean.

Not steps like your front porch or going up to the second floor but graduated steps, big ole railroad ties popping up – and sticking up – in the uphills and downs.

Hey! I found a picture on the all-knowing internet to show you. Technology rocks! 🙂

They’re clearly for drainage and soil erosion prevention purposes (some even have little metal grates in front of them to force water collection) but I think they have another purpose.

To break a runner.

Both figuratively and literally.

In addition to pausing your uphill stride to step either on or over these things, you are forced to jump/hop/skip/fly over them on the downhills.

I tried to skirt around the side of them but that wasn’t possible in all areas.

Needless to say, after 2 loops around that trail (5 mile loops, remember?), my legs were so heavy I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to lift them enough to walk back to my car!

If it had just been the hills, I would have gone again. But those steps did me in.

I caved. And quit.  And went home. For the sake of my legs. And my face.

I knew I was likely to trip if I went around again.

And, because my Garmin decided to not store that run, I don’t even have any physical proof that I ran on Saturday.

So, does that mean it didn’t happen?

And seriously, what’s up the Garmin fail?!

And now, I’m unmotivated.

And cold.

And the thought of running after I get home from work doesn’t entice me at all.

Not even a little.

I have mile repeats today.

It’s presently 29 degrees and feels 18 and we’re under a winter storm watch.

I do not want to go outside and run.

I’ve also fallen off the #CoreCommit Core Power Challenge bus.

And, I’m totally slacking on my burpees.

I didn’t even write a single workout last week in my log.

BLAH!

I think I need a little time out.

Is it spring yet?

Talk to me: Are you a seasonal person? Does certain weather affect your moods/motivation/etc? How do you stay on track with your fitness plan/goals?

– jennifer