The "Real McCoy"

I think that expression is so ironic! The Real McCoy is when so many things are so similar that it is are to determine which is the "real" one. Or distinquishing between the fake and the real.
But in looking up the origin, there are "several" version of the origin.....so you wonder which origin in the "Real McCoy"
In life you think about that in people. It's not that easy determining if people mean what they say and do. You wonder if their intentions are what they really mean. You wonder if their kindness on the outside is really from the inside. You wonder are they the "Real McCoy"

Dialing In:
6:00am 16 oz tea
7:30am 2 cups brocolli, 2 eggs, 1 oz cheese, 1 oz protein, 22 oz water
8:30am 16 oz tea
12:00noon 8 oz water, bread (yup bread AND butter)
It was too good to be true this garlic, buttery brown on the sides bread! Had to have it!
6 raw oysters!
6 oz (guessing) Blackened salmon with vegetables
2:00pm 1 cup berries, 1 oz protein, 3 (ok maybe 4 ) teaspoons of almond butter. It probably was 4 (or 5)

Rain, Rain, go away

There is a time and place for everything. Some days you look forward to rain just so you have a good excuse to stay home and do nothing. Rainy days can be fun. Well................those "fun" days have long been gone and I think we all need some summer. Big plans for the weekend were to travel. (still up in the air) Anything could happen and sway the decision to travel with a motorcycle. Plan was to travel to NH to "Soul Fest" and see Casting Crowns. But besides just doing that was that fact it would be a beautiful ride on my Harley Sportster, my vehicle of choice.
Besides my bike my other vehicle of choice is my pickup truck (which I wouldn't change in the world), I like trucks (always have) my dream has always been to drive a land mover! Yup a land mover! Since a child I loved trucks, I mean I loved them. (not because I had three older brothers) it was something about being able to move great things.. carry big heavy things, sitting tall in a truck. I remember having Tonka trucks that were big enough I could sit on....(well, at 5 or 6 that wasn't hard) and it's not like I didn't have dolls or stuffed animals, I had them too. As a matter of fact at the age of 8 I was the best school teacher around...


YUP! That's what I want to drive! I really do. I would take a job like that in a heart beat.

WOD
REST DAY (actually for the next couple of days)

Dialing "Out":
I am hungry all the time these days!!
PREGNANT? I don't think so!
Bored?
Comfort?
I can probably blame it on not being accountable, not writing it down. Well, today's going to be a fast day and I hope tomorrow I'm back "Dialing In"

"Missed Opportunities"

"Missed Opportunities" as I call them are times when you should have, could have, but didn't and now there is no going back. Whether it be calling someone when you have that urge to say "I Love You", "Happy Birthday", "miss ya" or the times when you should have gone somewhere but something held you back. You can't get those times back, you can't replace those spur of the moment feelings, or get back the invitation that is no longer there. It's like being given a gift and not accepting it.
What makes me feel even worse is when giving someone else the opportunity, the gift, or the time and it's not taken. They've "missed the opportunity". The opportunity that may never be given again. That love that may not be shared again...

WOD
"Nate"

Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups scaled to 3 pullups, 3 dips to one muscle up
4 Handstand Push-ups scaled to blue and red band
8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings 55# (and that was heavy!)

Dailing In:

4:30am 8 oz tea
7:30am 22 oz water, 2 oz protein
8:00am 1 apple, 1 oz cheese,
3 teaspoons peanut butter (see that "peanut") no almond butter left :(
10:30am 1/2 grapes, 1 oz cheese, 2 teaspoons peanut butter
1:00pm chicken casear salad, french onion soup. NO I didn't eat all that bread. I ate a couple small croutons and the croutons in the soup.

This is Dasha Madchen Bergquella

"Madchen"
Our dog of 14 years. (and previous running partner of 7-8 years) I had to take her to the vet today for a check up. I was thinking they were going to say it's coming time to maybe put her down. She is almost 15 and she drags her back two legs, sometimes she can't even get up, she needs a "lift".
But to my surprise she is in great shape and has alot of life still in her. Her and her hair will be around my feet for sometime to come in "our" kitchen quarters.

Tuesday?

When you're on vacation you forget what day it is. You have no obligations, no schedule, no where to be....time is truly on your side when you are on vacation.

The first part of the vacation will be doing things around the houses. Where I want, what I what, and when I want to do it. That's because I have the time.

Yesterday the bathroom door finally got hung. 1 1/2 off the bottom at an angle in one direction. 1 inch of the top with an angle going in the other direction and than ripping it down the side 1/4 was the easy part. The hardest part (for me) was lining up the door latch to the ???? that thing on the other side. :)
I almost gave up when my last attempt was successful. It looks beautiful. (sorry no pictures)
I think today was productive has well. Gave the dog a bath... getting her ready to go to the vets tomorrow. (that I should have had a picture for) Cleaned the bathroom and mowed the law. All and all a good day.





REST DAY
Trained at ACF

Dialing In:

Don’t be a “Cl0ck wh0re”!

Don't be a what?
That's what I was called today as I was waiting out the 2 seconds left on the clock moving between exercises.
"Use the whole interval! Don’t be a “Cl0ck wh0re”!
I'd prefer to call it strategizing.... :). I got the number I was looking for so I choose to add the 2 seconds on to my 10 seconds rest.
"That won’t improve your training, just your score."
OK, OK, I get the point.

WOD
Tabata Revolver
394

Strength
OHS
PR @ 90# 1rm

Dialing in:
4:30am 8oz cheese
8:00am 2 cup fresh brocolli, 2 eggs, 1 oz cheese
22 oz water, 1 oz protein
10:00am 1 apple, 1 oz cheese, 2 t almond butter
1:00pm 2 cups brocolli, 2 oz chicken, 12 peanuts
3:30pm 1 cup fruit, 1 oz protein, 2 t almond butter
5:30pm 1 oz cheese, 2 t almond butter, 1/2 pineapple
7:30pm 1.5 sliced steak, 1/2 cup melon, 2 t almond butter.

I KNOW - I really need to cut that almond butter out. I'm working on that. I have to find what the source of gaining weight and inches are coming from. I know I've been eating more blocks then I should. Definately more fat (well, almond butter) Goal is to get back to writing in a journal and reweighing and measuring my food, to make sure I'm correct in my portions.

quiet....

I suppose that's why I love the mornings. It's quiet. No one is up yet...and when the kids were younger it was a gift to have these waken hours of peace. (well it still is) I find it peaceful, rejuvenating, it's "joy's" time. (always has been).
Before CrossFit it would be my time to jog. For 20 years. It was awesome...I would be on the road 5:00am...out sometimes under the stars, "almost" all alone, free from all the worries of yesterday, free from any chore that might be at hand, free from all distractions. It's was just ME, my ipod and God....



When I miss those hours...I get mad at myself for sleeping in too late. I feel as though I wasted the best part of the day.
I live by a bridge and I actually get upset when I hear cars....not because of the noise I've become accustom to...it's because I know there are all these people up, doing things, starting their day...and I'm not. So if it's not the kids, the dogs...it will be the cars that get me up on those days when I might just want to stay in bed.

Today is technically a:

REST DAY

I had other ideas... :)
but I will keep to the game plan of resting two days a week. It has proven to be very successful letting my muscles rest and recover. Yesterday I spent hours at ACF working and video taping snatches and did a small amount of deadlift work. I was happy the weight I could put up in my snatch. 75# was PR for me but I really need to go back down and work on my early pull, yanking it off the floor and I see no depth in my squat. I watch videos of Olympic lifters and I'm envious of how they sit so low and swing heavy weight overhead like it's nothing. In my eyes, that is truly beautiful a movement. I once referred it to the waltz, graceful yet powerful!




Dialing in:
5:45am 8 oz tea
6:30am 1/2 apple, 3 teaspoons almond butter, 1 oz cheese
7:30am 8 oz tea
9:30am 1 cup fresh broccoli & red pepper, egg, 1 oz cheese, 1 cup fresh cantalope(hmmmm,ripe), 8 oz hot water

Row Rover

Yes, not "Red" Rover, "Row" Rover was our WOD for the day. Friday's have become Fun Friday's.
Today was teams of three doing 10cal rowing, 10 box jumps and 10 ring dips.
I think it should be called "Ralph" Rover because after 10 minutes, that's what I felt like doing...ralphing.

WOD:
Ralph Rover

Dialing In:
4:30am 8 oz tea - (should have been a gallon the way I felt today)
7:30am 2 cups broccoli, 1.5 cheese, 2 eggs, 1 cup berries, .5 oz protein, 4 teaspoons almond butter.
10:30am 1oz cheese, 1/2 pineapple, 3 teaspoons almond butter
3:30pm 2 oz chicken, 2 cups green beans/broccoli, 12 peanuts

Void

That's how I feel sometimes when things are left open ended. Your waiting for something but nothing comes back.

Check back tomorrow when I intend to actually write something more constructive.

"Which way do I go.."

Have you ever seen a squirrel in the middle of road....he starts running one way...stops...runs the other way...stops... starts running again and then runs the other way again... in total uncertainty. He doesn't know which is the right way, which way to go. He's caught in the middle.
Has life ever felt like that?
"Go this way...." "NO, go this way"

You are what you eat.

Yup... I ate all of that last night. I told myself last weekend, I wasn't going to do that to myself again...... we'll I did. But again, it was a blast.
A night out with Albany CrossFit girls for Karaoke Night. We had a great time. Check out Morning Mayhem's 7-20-09 post for a recap.

I thought today would be another REST DAY... 11:00am came around I needed to get out. Snatch work/kipping practice (on the band) was sounding fun. Into to the gym I went.
I'm glad I did. I "think" I did pretty good. I got 21 consecutive pullups. I'm happy with that. Next time I'm going for 30.
Snatch work was pretty good. I thought I was getting the form. Worked my way up to working with 65#. Big improvement from a week ago when I was using a 35# bar.



55#



60#



65#



Dialing In:
6:30am 8 oz green tea
8:00am 1 apple, 3 teaspoons almond butter
10:30am 1 cup fresh blueberries, 2 teaspoons almond butter, 1 oz cheese
1:30 2 oz chicken, 2 cups broccoli, 18 peanuts
8 oz pomergranate, 2 oz protein, 12 oz water, 1/2 blueberries, strawberries
5:00pm 1 oz cheese, 4 teaspoons almond butter, 1 cup fresh berries
7:30pm 1 oz cheese, 4 teaspoons almond butter, 1 cup fresh berries

REST well needed

Yesterday, unfortunately became a rest day, not from the WOD but from the work I intended to get done. The bathroom door never got hung.... instead a nice, obviously well needed two hour nap occurred instead. I felt "alittle" bad but not really. It felt good! You know it's good when you come back the next day feeling more energized, and I did. 9:00am I have some weeding done(I HATE wedding), several loads of laundry, breakfast and plenty of reading both in theology and CrossFit. Right there is hard to balance. I fear I will not spend enough time in either category. NEVER have enough time read what I want.

REST DAY

Dialing In:
6:00am 8 oz green tea
8:00am two eggs, 2 c brocolli, 1 oz gorgonzola cheese, 2 oz protein 16 oz water (not very Zone balanced) BUT that's what I had an urge for.
9:00am 8oz green tea

So far so good

Today started with wanting to stay in bed....(it's a vacation day for me).
But I got up anyway and went to the 5:45am class. I'm glad I did but it wiped me up. Totally.
I was fortunate to go hope have a quick shake and take a 1/2 cat nap before I was rudely awoken by none other than my dear son. Did some running around with him and got back to sneak in another 2 hour nap. Not my idea of a vacation day. But I must have needed it. It felt good.

Second Guess

"Randy"
Today's WOD was Randy. 75 snatches @ 75#
I used 35#. Which 5 days ago seemed heavy. Today it seemed easy. Maybe it's a mind game. I felt good, felt pumped, wanting to go at it. But when I finished in 3:37 I though did I count that right? I know I did, but I thought, how could you do that in 3:37 did I skip numbers? I know I didn't. I know because I am soooo bad at counting and keeping track that's all I think about doing a long numbered WOD like this is to concentrate on the numbers. When asked how many you have I said 60!! confidently. I knew I had it.

Birthdays

Birthdays seem to be the topic these days. July 13th was my Dad's birthday and although someone is no longer with us you still seem to remember those special days. I have loving memories of my Dad and have always taken 7-13 to be "my" numbers.
That and 8-31 for my mom's birthday. For some reason that month of August has always been a special month for me, especially those last days of the month when my mom would want to do something special during that week. It was usually going to the Saratoga Track. That was a treat for her. I have good memories of her week and now I always find that last week of August to be special.
Call it superstitious, but it feels like there is something special about those numbers. Birthday numbers are easy to remember and are used in probably everyone's passwords. The day, month or the year are something you know and can be used and never forget.
When numbers like that start appearing in odd places you think "oh" today is my lucking day. "I should play that number...." etc. Well in today's WOD I finished in 12:26. My birthday! Maybe that means today will be my "lucky day"

Dialing In:
4:00am 8 oz green tea
8:00 1 apple, 3 teaspoons almond butter, 2 oz protein 24 water
10:30 1 oz cheese, 2 teaspoons almond butter
12:30 4 oz salmon (delicious) 2.5 cup broccoli 12 peanuts
1:00 1 cup berries, 2 teaspoons almond butter, 1 oz protein
Fast 18 hours

"Collecting My Thoughts"

I'm not quite sure why we use that terminology. It should be more like "Clean out my thoughts". In order to think about the "thoughts" I have, I have to clean all the other "stuff" out of the way. There is so many things racing through my mind that it's hard to concentrate on the task at hand. It's almost like a dirty desk. In order to work on a project you need to "clean" up your area to see the items you need and then "collect" all the pieces together in one group.

Today I needed to "Clean" and then "Collect" my thoughts so I decided to jog 2 miles before work. I didn't get far when I needed to walk. Not that I needed the physical break I needed the time, more time, more time to slow down and think. I walked and jogged the first mile and "thought" I best jog out the last mile and get back to putting my thoughts into what pays the bills.

When all was said and done. I never was able to finish what I wanted to accomplish in my mind. I never finished contemplating. There never seems to be enough time to clean and collect before more thoughts invade your mind....

WOD
2 mile walk/jog

Dailing In:
4:30am 8 oz tea
8:00am 1 apple, 3 teaspoons almond butter, 2 teaspoons protein, 24 oz water
10:30am 1 oz cheese, 2 teaspoons almond butter
1:30pm 2 cups brocolli, green beans, 3 oz salmon, 12 peanuts
1 cup berries, .5 oz protein, 3 teaspoons almond butter
6:00pm 2.5 cups green beans, brocolli, 3 oz chicken, 16 peanuts, 1 cup berries, 1 oz protein, 4 teaspoons almond butter

My brother said today he had a eating disorder. I had to tell him I had a worse case of it. I can not stop eating almond butter. It's BAD. (well not really) but it's bad in a way it's draining my pocketbook.

Somewhere in The Middle

by Casting Crowns
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You’re making me
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense. Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is. But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle. Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You’ll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You’re by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle

That's ME these days. "Somewhere in The Middle"... you'll find me.


WOD:
Candy (NO Not Candy ass)
not at least for this wod

5 Rounds for time:

20 Pullups
40 Pushups
60 Squats

Time 26:33

Dailing in:
4:15am 8 oz green tea
7:30am 1 apple, 3 teaspoons almond butter, 2 oz protein, 20 oz water
10:45 am 1 oz cheese, 1/2 c grapes, 1 teaspoon almond butter
12:30 2 cups green beans, brocolli, 2 oz chicken, 12 peanuts, .5 oz protein, 1 cup berries, 3 teaspoons almond butter
6:00pm 2 cups green beans, brocolli, 3 oz salmon 12 peanuts, 1 oz protein, 16 oz water
(so typical-but I love it)

No harm done

Having fun when it involves junk food, or just lots of food, cakes and sugar and most of all when it involves social drinking. Over the years I have almost completely stopped consuming any alcohol. Not because of a problem but because I just don't care for getting fat and sick off it.
Therefore when I do drink, two is probably where I should stop. Well.....that's not always the case. You kinda get wrapped up in all the "fun" and before you know it you're having another or maybe even started in on the shots.
Yesterday I attended a small barbeque wedding where there was FOOD and lots of it. Hamburgers, hot dogs, rib eye steaks, salmon cooked to perfection, salads, and this cake... OMGosh, that had this cream cheese frosting. Spoiled as I may be at times I was the first in line to ask for the corner piece! I didn't regret it yesterday and I still don't regret it today.
A matter of fact that is my point this morning. Yesterday was FUN and I have no regrets filling myself with "good spirits". (no harm done)


Dialing (back) In:
5:30am 8 oz black tea (unfortunately all my green tea is gone)
7:00am 1/2 apple, 3 teaspoons almond butter 1 oz protein 12 oz water
10:00am 8oz black tea
12:00 noon 2 cups of green beens and brocolli, eggplant and cheese, 1.5 cup berries, 1 oz protein, 4 teaspoons almond butter
2:00pm 8 oz green tea
3:30 1 oz cheese, 1/2 cup grapes, 2 teaspoons almond butter, 12 oz water
7:30 2.5 oz chicken, 2.5 cups green beans, brocolli, 12 peanuts, 12 oz water
8:00 1 cup berries, 1 oz protein, 4 teaspoons almond butter

When you don't succeed...

try try again. I never quite mastered either the snatch or the kipping pull ups so I started from square one today. Blue band kipping and a 35# bar with a baseball cap. Yup that's where I am going to stay until I get full extension, good movement and chest to bar on my pull ups. And the 35# bar will be my friend until I can get that bar closer to my body, shrug, bend the elbows up and out, dropping under the bar with locked arms overhead. WOW, that is some tall order

Today we'll skip the "Dialing In:" as I know now it's going to be a Cheat Day. A long time co-worker is getting married today. It will be a outdoor, barbeque wedding. My understanding is that it will be short and sweet. We all have our reasons for getting married, whether it be love at first site, long time friends, cant' live with you/can't live without you, all the way to needing medical insurance, life insurance and even just a dependable life partner. Whatever the case may be when you make that tie, make that commitment you hope and pray you never have to break that trust of making that first commitment. You would hope at the least, both partners would try everything possible to stand by their words of "to death do us part"
(I suppose that is why we have gun control..... :) JUST KIDDING.)

Enough about weddings...we were talking about the "love" of lifting. Here's videos of how I did from square one today.

(First is a little dancing warm up)

There is always room for more

Beyond our mistakes there is room for improvement. Improvement in our communications, attitude, and outlook of life. Today was no different realizing that improvements need to be made.

Dailing in:
4:00am 8 oz tea
7:00am 16 oz water
2 oz protein
9:30am 1 apple
4 teaspoons almond butter

there was more to the day - just forgot to add it..........

There is always a new beginning.

I have made alot of mistakes in my life. More than I can count. Well this past week I have made several more.

These mistakes or bad choices were made in my workout routine. We are on a new programming at Albany CrossFit, one at which we are striving for "power". The theory is to produce more power by performing a consistant (non stopping) work out. In order to do that you either scale your weight, use a band on pull ups or decrease the number of reps performed.

Check out this cool Power Output Calculator.

Programming:
• Scaling is NOT a bad thing
• We ALL need to scale, which may mean scaling up not down
• No longer will we use the Rx weights to program.
• We will now cycle weightlifting before each WOD and during each one of these sessions we will find out what our 1RM or 5RM maximums are for that particular weightlifting movement.
• The Repetition Maximums (1RM, 3RM, or 5RM) will be determined for ALL of the primary lifts we use in our WODS: Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, Deadlift, Back Squat, Front Squat, Bench Press, Pull Ups, Squat Clean, Power Clean, Overhead Squat, Power Snatch, Snatch
• EVERYONE will have a different weight on every workout! Unless you lift the identical weight as someone else in the 1RM, you WILL have a different weight during the WOD.
• We will tell you which Percentage you will use and of what exercise you will base that percentage on……
55% 1RM of your Push Press and use this weight for your thruster weight during FRAN.
• The weightlifting aspect will not be everyday but on a cycle and repeated through the same cycle every 6 weeks. In between cycles we will have a week off from the weightlifting, during which we will test your 1RMs and see that they have increased. IF NOT we will look at your diet and the possibility of overtraining.
• We all WILL help you and there will be a CHART which shows you what the %’s of your 1RM mean in regards to number of repetitions.
Percent of 1RM Optimal REP totals Total REP Range for Entire WOD
30-35% NA >60
40-50% 45 40-50
55-65% 25 20-30
70-75% 15 10-20
80-85% 10 5-15
>90% 5 1-10

Example: Fran has 45 Total REPS for each exercise
Sample WOD on the White Board/Webpage would look like this:
Skill - Back Squat - Work up to a 3RM
Strength - Push Press - 70% 3x3 (3 sets of 3 reps with 70% of your 1RM)
WOD: 10 Minutes/Max Rounds:
5 Pull-Ups
5 Ring Dips

(Modify with a band 3 stages down from your 1RM if necessary for both dips and pull ups)

REST DAY

Dialing In:

4:30am 8 oz tea
6:30am 8 oz tea
8:00am 1 apple
3 teaspoons almond butter
2 oz protein
28 oz water

the day nor food consumption ended there... just didn't finish