Why do you Crossfit?

A few weeks ago, when we attended the Crossfit games in King of Prussia, I got a glimpse into the hearts and minds of the KOP athletes when I saw this board on the gym wall:


People listed their reasons for "fighting" aka working out at Crossfit.
Click the photo for a larger view.

It was inspiring to see all the different motivations, and I identified with a lot of them. It got me thinking about why I Crossfit....


I’ve got to be honest, my main reason for the last two weeks has been: “Because I told people I would.” It’s not exactly the best reason, but it did motivate me to get my butt out of bed early, which had previously been nearly impossible. I committed to two weeks, four workouts a week (three weekday classes at 6AM, one Saturday at 9AM). I had been meaning to go for at least a month, but needed help getting over that hump to actually go, so I told my goals to pretty much anyone who would listen. I figured the more people “watching” me, the less I’d be tempted to bail. And it worked. I didn’t want to make excuses to the trainers, I didn’t want Dustin to go without me, I didn’t want to reveal to co-workers that I was all talk, no action (when it comes to exercise anyway). And while I was busy proving myself to others, I really proved something to myself....

I can get up, even if it was dark out.
I can put in a full hour of sweating, and still survive a workday afterwards.
I can deal with soreness- even if it means requesting assistance to sit down.
I can, I can, I can.


At some time or another, pretty much everyone has that voice in their head that says “I can’t.” Mine tends to amplify when I’m working out. “One more lap, one more rep, one more round”, I tell myself.....“I can’t”, myself tells me back. But at Crossfit, can’t isn’t an option. If I can get myself in those sweat-fogged double doors before dawn, then I can drag my tired body through the Workout of the Day. Each time I learn the lesson again, because as my mind races, “I can’t possibly do five rounds. There’s no way I can jump that many times. That weight is too heavy for me”...I see people plugging away beside me, and I realize, I can, if I try.

And that’s another reason I Crossfit- the camaraderie. If I was trying to do this on my own, I would probably try half as hard, for half as long, (probably get one eighth of the results), causing me to give up the whole endeavor almost as soon as I began. But now when I work out, there is a trainer pushing me, giving me goals to reach, and encouragement to get there. And all the while, there are other people around me, fighting through the same challenges- showing me it can be done. When I look tired, they cheer me on. When I doubt my skills, they encourage me.

I could probably go on and on, for while I’ve only been there a short while, I truly feel like it’s changed me (and I don’t just mean my smokin’ hot body...ummm, which I don’t have...yet). And though it’s hard, I really want to stick with it...

So, while I plug away at some box jumps and double-unders, why don’t you share? Why do you Crossfit? And if you don’t.....why not?

Classy.

When grown-ups have bathmats that need cleaned, grown-ups wash them, dry them, and replace them promptly.

I wonder if I'll ever be a grown-up...

Rabbit Food.

Let's be honest here...I'm not really a salad kind of girl....I'd much rather take down a cheeseburger (or two!) but, there is one bowl of greens that has captured my heart:

The house salad from Dewey's Pizza.

Their menu describes it as:
"A mix of field greens and romaine lettuce, toasted pine nuts, sun-dried cranberries and goat cheese tossed with Dewey's on House Dressing (Balsamic Vinaigrette)"

I describe it as:
"my favorite salad IN THE WORLD."


Since moving away, I've gone through withdrawal. (I used to live next door to Dewey's! I g9t accustom to a certain standard of eating!). Sadly, Dewey's isn't an option anymore, so I make my own version:


So easy. So good.
Go, eat, be happy.

P.S. If you google "Dewey's", a bakery will come up. And now I'm pretty sure I have to make this cake:

Just call me the Dewey's Duplicator.

Back in his element.

and in a new t-shirt, I might add...

(the silliness? That's an old standby.)

Crossfit Games: Round 2

Saturday morning we were greeted by rain. LOTS of it. But we were determined not to let it dampen our spirits (our clothes, yes. Our spirits, no.) I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but we put on some brave faces and headed into the gym.

A pretty foreboding exterior, no?
(alright, this pic was taken at night...but trust me, it wasn’t much sunnier at any other point in the day)

Luckily it was warm inside. Partly because it was packed!

From our Pittsburgh affiliate, there were five athletes competing: R.J., Keith, Rick, and trainers Blake and Mike. There were also a few folks from Panther Crossfit (the group from Pitt). And on the sidelines, trainer Jenn was focused on judging. Our rag-tag crew of spectators was about ten deep...but if we were going to catch all the action, it was going to require some serious dedication. We would later learn is that it would also require some endurance and leg stamina, as there was not a chair/bench/bleacher/cardboard box to be found. Standing room only kids. Some give kudos to those completing three fierce workouts for time, while some say the real heroes are the people standing around for eight hours with only a soggy sandwich and a miller light to show for it. Ok- no one says that. Clearly the competitors deserve the glory here. Check out some highlights of the action:

And while it was a very long day, it was really cool to watch our friends push themselves to the limit, and kick some CF butt. One of the coolest parts was that while it was a competition, there was a spirit of camaraderie and respect from everyone there. People were routing each other on, regardless of what gym they were from. But who are we kidding....our guys were clearly the best!

And after all that hard work (and diligent watching), you better believe we celebrated. The aftermath:

For more details, and full results, you can check out the official site, here.

Oh- and P.S...All that competition got me pumped up. So much so, that somehow I walked out of the event having committed to two weeks of Crossfit workouts. That's 4 times a week. At 6AM.

Seriously.

So far, I'm three days, and two workouts in, and I can barely move. Somehow I don't think the competition is in my future....

Crossfit Games: Round 1

Last Friday, Dustin and I took a trip into a strange little world unlike anything I’ve seen before. They call it The Crossfit Games. You see...when a couple of our friends said they’d be taking a trip to King of Prussia (Dustin’s old ‘hood) to watch some gym-mates compete at the Crossfit sectionals, we jumped at the chance for a weekend getaway. Little did I know what we were in for......The competition started promptly on Saturday morning, but the spectators among us had a long night of pre-gaming ahead of us. That’s right- while the athletes were making protein shakes, squeezing in some last minute crunches, and centering their chi (I’m assuming...) the spectators among us had a date with some Mexican food. Because if we’re not able to represent some athletic prowess, we might as well show off our elite status in the eating and drinking arena. The forum for our gluttony was Distrio, part of a group of restaurants owned by Jose Garces (the newest Iron Chef).

The food was PLENTIFUL.

And DELICIOUS.

And the Sangria didn’t hurt either.

Oh....and of course there was dessert. Because we are dedicated to our craft.

Truly though, the décor alone was worth the trip. I definitely recommend it.

So after pushing ourselves to the physical limit, we returned to the suburbs for some shut eye. After all...we had a full day of exercise-watching ahead of us. You can’t skimp on the sleep and still expect to bring your cheering a-game.

Stay tuned tomorrow for stories from the actual games! Imagine that!

Well hello there...

I'm afraid it is a little early for you....

But I love you all the same.


Welcome back, Spring!!

If you give a Court a nook.

If you give a Court a nook, she's going to love it....until there's a leak. Once she sees the leak, she'll ask you to fix it. So you'll have to tear the ceiling out, and expose the water damage. When you're finished, you'll find the leak, and need to reseal the tub.

When you start to seal the tub, you'll realize there is more damage, and the walls need to be ripped out as well.

So you'll tear out the walls of the nook, which will lead to the built in benches.

When you ask Court about the benches, she'll probably realize she doesn't like them that much anyway, so she'll want new ones.

When you're finished tearing out the benches, she'll want to talk about new designs you can build. But once she sees the empty nook, she may decide that she likes it better, and want to buy a new table instead.

When she starts to think about a table, she may realize that she'd actually like to have cabinets instead, so she'll ask you to tear out the rest of the nook. But it will be a very big project, so she'll probably ask her parents to come visit.

When her parents arrive, she'll want to talk with them about moving the pantry into the cabinets that will go in the nook. And if she's going to move the pantry, she'll want to move the refrigerator into the empty spot where the pantry was. And if you're going to do all that, you'll want to replace the rest of the cabinets as well.

She'll also decide that new countertops would be nice...which will lead to a new sink, and new appliances.

Once all that is decided, she'll want to put a door where the refrigerator was. So of course she'll want to tear out the rest of the walls, opening up the space for all of her new plans. And once she gets going, she'll probably decide she needs new floors to complete the look.

But you'll still be busy tearing out the nook, and fixing the leak. When you get far enough along, you'll notice you have to regrout the bathroom tile,so you'll send Court to Home Depot for supplies.

When she gets there, the tile expert will tell you that anything you do will be a temporary fix, so she'll really want to re-do the bathroom as well.

Soon you're realize that this is all a very large job, so she'll want to take you to Lowe's to talk to a specialist. So you'll make an appointment,and they'll give you books to look through, and Court will realize she is very excited for all of this....

And as you begin the plans, she'll start to wonder...could the new kitchen have a nook??

I Get Down

Last week I was having a tough day (one in a series of a few, spurred on partly due to weather, a little because of boredom, and a lot from work...) I was tired of the negativity...tired of feeling down...tired of complaining to Dustin. I wanted to feel better, to pull out of my crankiness, but I couldn't seem to figure out how.

So while I was driving to work, I turned my music low, and prayed. (eyes open!) I prayed for perspective, and help, and wisdom from God. This wasn't the first time I had brought this problem to Him, but this time, I specifically desired instantaneous solutions. I needed immediate hope, I needed to feel better now. I expected Him to give me a profound thought, or some deep feeling of peace. What he gave me was a song. Just as I finished my prayer, the opening notes of this came on the radio:

Get Down, by Audio Adrenaline.

It's an old song, but it's been one of my favorites since high school. When I served for a month on Young Life Work Crew, it was in heavy rotation. Whenever I hear it now, I'm reminded of that time; how hard it was at times, but mostly how much I learned and how much fun I had...all while washing dishes.

I'm so thankful for a God that knows my heart. He knows my weakness, He knows what I need, and He knows that sometimes it's good to be reminded of high school friends doing the running man in a dingy, hot kitchen.

Lavishly our lives are wasted
Humbleness is left untasted
You can't live your life to please yourself , yeah
That's a tip from my mistakes
Exactly what it doesn't take
To win you've got to come in last place

To live your life you've got to lose it
And all the losers get a crown

I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up I get down

All I need's another day
Where I can't seem to get away
From the many things that drag me down, yeah
I'm sure you've had a day like me
Where nothing seems to set you free
From the burdens you can't carry all alone

In your weakness He is stronger
In Your darkness He shines through
When you're crying He's your comfort
When your all alone, He's carrying you

I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up I get down

This valley is so deep I can barely see the sun
I cry out for mercy, Lord You lift me up again

I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up I get down