"One Woman's CrossFit Journey"

And wow, it has been a journey so far. First off, credit for the tag line goes to my girl Megs. When I was messing with the idea of a blog, she said that and I immediately loved it. Only, at that time, I had no idea what that would mean and had meant up to that point.

I am never one to dwell on the past, but occasionally, I look back to remember where I have been and where I am going. It makes me thankful sometimes and other times it pushes me to set goals.

In the beginning….

Remember the movie 300? Of course you do. How could you not? The site of half-naked and ripped men is not something easily forgotten. Esteban quickly became obsessed with finding how these men got in such great shape. They were trained by Mark Twight of Gym Jones. Mark started as a part of CrossFit. Once this was uncovered, Esteban started diligently reading the website. I wasn’t totally on board with him right away. And then, I was. Soon after, a couple of guys from the gym started training with us. It was so fun. Just myself and the boys doing crazy things in Golds Gym. December of 2008, two of the guys started their own Crossfit Affiliate. At this point, I was not competitive. I had never trained with other ladies. Even as I started training with them, I was still the best…but only because I had experience. In 2009, we took a team to the games. Not the games you know now…the original. We ran the hill at Aromas, lululemon was a sponsor, and the athletes were right next to you. It was like Woodstock (or at least what I would have imagined it to be). We were put in place..LOL. But, that is when I became competitive.

In the fall of 2009, I realized that I was a little chubby. we had been following Zone, which was what CF originally had on their page, without the name. They talked about the macro nutrient breakdowns and they matched Zone. Someone came to me, mentioning the possibility of running a 36 day Paleo challenge. At this point, I had heard of Paleo within the CF Community and was up for the challenge. 36 days changed my life in so many ways. First, that is when I started this crazy blog. Second, I lost 20 pounds. On a girl who is 5’5″, that’s a big deal. I started seeing my body do things it had never been able to do. I could run faster/better, my pull-ups got awesome, and I looked/felt better than I had in years. I became more competitive in my training. I wanted to be on the team and be a top lady in the gym.

In the 2010 regionals, I almost beat Esteban at a workout. Ha. He saw how close I was to him at the end and started moving faster. he didn’t want to get beaten by his lady.

I spent the rest of 2010 through the summer of 2012 trying to be competitive. However injuries and way better girls won out over those desires. In the fall of 2012, I made a decision to do my first bikini competition. Those who know me well, know this is a huge deal. I have not been confident in my body in a long time….at least not enough to walk around on a stage in a tiny bikini in front of lots of people. But, here we are. I am excited where my journey started and where it is now. I still train CrossFit with my bikini work, but I am smart about everything I do. I mean, I have 2 months before I let it all show. I have no time for injury.

In my five and a half years of CF, I have learned so much about myself. I wasn’t always the woman who writes today. I have grown in so many ways. I am thankful for the direction my life has taken.

Onward to more awesomeness……

5:00 pm – OPT SHE from 01.09.2012 & Bikini Prep

SHE

A. Deadlift; build to a moderate effort triple (85-90% effort)
+
“Christine”
3 rounds for time:
Row 500m
12 deadlift BWT
21 box jumps 20″

Bikini Prep

1. 2 x 400 meter sprints (or 90 sec AirDyne x 2)
2. 2 x 200 meter sprints (or 60 sec AirDyne x 2)
3. 6 x 30 sec sprints (or on AirDyne)
4. 100 Evil Wheels