Paleo

I decided to try a paleo diet challenge and see if that makes any difference in my weight.  If not, I have no idea what to do except give up and shop in the fat store. It sucks. I paid for this program called Paleo Challenge that gives you menus and a shopping list for a month. Probably stupid, and I felt silly walking around Trader Joes with the list.  But, WTF?  I sort of started this evening, but I had granola in my yogurt, so not totally.  I love granola.

Crossfit tonight wasn't totally killer.  We started with deadlifts, and I lifted 140 pounds!  But, just once. I lifted 135 once, and 130 once. Well, I was impressed with me, though my technique still needs work.  

The WOD was 30 sec work, 30 sec rest, complete 4 rounds, then rotate:

1. Shoulder to overhead lift

2. Kettlebell lunges

3. Sit-ups

4. Airdyne bike

Not a single burpee or pull-up, which made me happy.  I couldn't do everything super-well, but I can at least do everything.  I did:

1. 40 shoulder to overhead lifts, lifting 45 pounds

2. 45 kettlebell lunges with the smallest kettle bell in the place

3. 64 sit-ups.

4. A complete unknown on the air dyne because I couldn't figure out how to get the thing to track correctly.  At the end you are supposed to add up all your points.  I have 149x.  Everyone who posted things was around 200 +/-.  Which is maybe where I was, but I lifted less and lunged with less.

I was going to lift with 15 pound weights on my barbell instead of 10's, but then I wimped out.  I prob shouldn't have, I could have lifted them.

I realize that this is post #200!  They aren't all running, there are some stadiums and some crossfit, but still I'm happy with it. Without even realizing this momentous occasion was arriving today I was at Lululemon and bought some cute capris on super-sale!  Fate.  (Plus I felt good about it because Lulu had a warehouse sale where people waited in line for like 3 hrs to shop, and this deal was just as good. No waiting.)

New Shoes

There was rep from Reebok at Crossfit a few weeks ago asking our opinions on their new crossfit shoes, and everyone who joined in the conversation got a coupon for 50% off anything on their website. Ha! Like my opinion was worth 50% off, I had no clue what she was talking about.  But, I was glad to take a coupon, and now I have new shoes that only costed $65, which really is pretty good. They're a pretty blue with kevlar on top and awesome treading to help with rope climbing (and the way I climb ropes, I need any possible help.) Sadly, they don't help with pull-ups.

Today's WOD was:
Row 50 calories
25 Thrusters
25 Pull-ups
rest 3 minutes
Row 40 calories
20 Thrusters
20 Pull-ups

rest 3 minutes

Row 30 calories
15 Thrusters
15 Pull-ups

I actually like rowing, though I sort of forgot that during the rowing and had to keep reminding myself.  I also kind of like thrusters, though sometimes I hit my nose with the barbell (hazard of being Jewish), and of course then there were the pull-ups. With the warm up I rowed for 145 calories (good news because I have pumpkin pancakes from yesterday in the fridge), did 60 thrusters at 45 pounds, and did about 20 really bad pull ups with bands assisting.  Total time 25 minutes and 56 sec.  Oh, and I only took 2 minute breaks because I didn't want to be totally last.  Which I actually wasn't, but I didn't do the pull-ups....

I'm planning to try a paleo challenge for the month of November and see how it goes.  That means lots of carbs to eat in the next few days :)

Crossfit

I was at crossfit today and I noticed this woman was writing down her times and I was like "why don't I do that?"  I mean, sometimes I write them on the board, but usually I'm last and I've made some modification or another, so it's a little embarrassing.  But, here on the Lazy Cretins I can be in competition with myself, and I might actually notice some improvement over time!  It's not running per say, (though it was today).  Anyway, it's my running blog, it can be a crossfit blog too.

Today we did this evil WOD called "Pyramid Helen"
Run 1200 meters
63 Kettlebell swings
36 Pull-ups
Run 800 meters
42 Kettlebell Swings
24 Pull-ups
Run 400 meters
21 Kettlebell swings
12 Pull-ups

I modified my Pyramid Helen by using a lighter kettle bell (the lightest one they have, who are we kidding?) and by doing 12/9/6 pull-ups using bands for help (and still doing most of them pretty badly).  Total workout time was 26 min 6 sec.

I was second to last in the longest running part.  But the end of the1200 meters I had hit my stride, was feeling ok cardio-wise.  Also, everyone else was so long gone that I was no longer trying to keep up with them.  I looked at the clock when I finished and it was 7 min and something seconds, I don't remember what, which I remember thinking was slow - even though I had no idea how far I had run.  Turns out it was pretty much 3/4 mile, and I was running a 10 min something pace, so not bad for me.  Oh, in addition to the workout, we ran 500 meters as a warm up.  So, total running distance was 2900 meters (1.8 miles).  Total kettle bell swings with warm up = 151.  Total decent pull-ups = 0.  Crappy ones = 12.

I'm baaaaack!

Such a bad runner!  I've been so busy with hiking, crossfit, and my trip to Peru that I haven't been running at all.  Today I didn't have anything I needed to do after work, and I just decided, I'm gonna do it!  Go for a run.  But, I did a short one because my body isn't really in the habit.  I was going to go to the Charles at the free parking spot, but it's Head of the Charles this weekend, so there was no parking allowed at the free parking, so I went to Fresh Pond. I decided to try to do 2 miles, but then my IT band was killing me, so I settled for 20 minutes (and 39 seconds.)  It was a slow run, I went 1.79 miles, which is like an 11 min 43 sec mile, which is slow even for me.  But, whatever, I'm out of practice.  Aerobically it was fine, but I guess that's because I was going so slow.

Peru was amazing, but my brother and I got really bad altitude sickness and couldn't finish the Inca Trail, we had to turn back.  So we took the train and the bus.  After all that hiking in prep.  Waa! Machu Picchu was amazing, it was so nice there.  I loved the jungle.  Lots of hiking and awesome animals.  I'm horrible at Crossfit, I mean, sometimes people finish the WOD and I'm only like 3/4 of the way done.  I'm pretty much always last.  I think I'm getting better, though I could be wrong.  It keeps my ego in check, because otherwise my ego is so HUGE. I bought an inflatable SUP, so now I can go paddle boarding someplace other than the same section of the Charles.  I took it out for the first time on Monday (Columbus Day).  I went to the same place in the Charles, of course.  Hmmm.