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