I love Monday!! (well this one anyway)

It's Monday.
Cyber Monday. I won't be doing any shopping today. I am actually ALMOST done my Holiday shopping.
I know. Impressive. Now to wrap it all up :)

I do have a fun HOLIDAY giveaway coming up very, very soon!!
(like, tomorrow-)
My Fashletics giveaway ends 11/30-you did enter right?? 

So yeah, Cyber Monday. 
But more important, it was the first day training with the Coach.
My first training day was today and I have been looking forward to this for a while-
I started the day early (4am) with a little easy running, at 5:30am taught my boot camp class and then hit the pool.
It's fitting that my first day included some time in the pool. Now, I have made NO SECRET of my dislike of the pool as I am an OWS girl for sure!!
But
having a definite plan, a variety of things to do AND having to answer to someone really changed my mental perspective on the pool today.
Dare I say....I actually ENJOYED it??
Shhhhhhh
Don't tell anyone. I have a pool hating reputation to protect.
After the warm up it was time for some faster sets and then a TT.
Before I knew it, I was done and I felt like I actually accomplished something.
I think this is the start to something great!

Speaking of great and speaking of Coach.

check out time line 9:35 of the feed






and then again at 10:06


Hello!!

What a race for the women's 30-34 title - it took a sub-10 to get it!
KENNEY, CHRISTINE 23/8/1 33/Female 30-34 Q 01:06:11 05:30:29 03:14:37 09:57:59
WIECK, SONJA 4/4/2 32/Female 30-34 Q 00:58:22 05:30:39 03:27:16 10:00:33
SYKOROVA, HANA 11/6/3 32/Female 30-34 Q 01:02:39 05:26:49 03:38:18 10:14:41
ZELTNER, TAMARA 10/5/4 34/Female 30-34 Q 01:02:37 05:27:05 03:37:46 10:15:23
ROCHE, MELISSA 25/10/5 30/Female 30-34 Q 01:06:42 05:34:02 03:35:40 10:27:12

How about IM Cozumel in 10:00:33?
How about 2nd in her age group? 
How about another trip to Kona for Sonja?
(wonder if she'll let me sherpa!!??)
amazing....


Also, my friend Erika is now an IRON(wo)MAN!! She did her first 140.6 yesterday in Cozumel too-I cannot wait to hear the details but she promises tales of jelly fish stings, flat tires and torrential rain!! Congratulations Erika!!!

...and it begins

Phew.
What a week last week was.
Not a good week. Lots of "stuff" that threw me for a loop

some personal stuff, some scary stuff (that ended up just fine)
some financial stress (of course, 'tis the season)
I ate some much on Thanksgiving, I swear I had a pie hangover for two days!

Then my desktop PC got infected with a virus (thanks hubbs) and it caused some damage so there many, many hours have been spent trying to save it. I have THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of pictures in that PC and backing up info has been a chore. (lucky for me I have a laptop too!)


All this stress has manifested itself directly onto my face and I look like a teenager with all the break outs that have attacked my otherwise clear complexion. Of course, hubby wants to be sure to make fun of me any chance he gets...

But the week is over and I am moving forward with a positive attitude and a plan.
My nutrition is back on track
I have been drinking waaaay too much coffee and not enough water. Certainly an equation that needs to change. I have been having way too many "treats"-
Back to basics for this kid.
Planning out my meals and sticking to it!

The weather was unusually nice yesterday. I got out for a run with my training buddy, Marc. We changed up our usual route and started in Pine Point; once we got a look at the low tide and the beach we took our run onto the sand. It was glorious, awesome and so nice. Just miles and miles of sand to run on-it made me really happy. I even found a sand dollar to bring home to Lola

Training with Coach starts early tomorrow morning and I am ready for a new set of challenges
Funny,
I had a dream last night that my first planned workout with Coach was going to be a Zone 1 run for 20 minutes and I was losing my mind!! 20 minutes!! WHAAAAT???
After reviewing my first workouts, no more of THOSE fears.
I am really looking forward to working with her and love what she has planned so far.

Speaking of COACH she is doing IM Cozumel as we speak and just finished the swim in
58:22
awesome. She's is amazing-

My friend Erika and the Ironcowboy are also in Cozumel today so I"ll be stalking following them too!!

Did you do Black Friday??

You know, I'm hosting a Fashletics gift card giveaway and that would be a perfect gift for that active someone in your life!!
There are so many awesome giveaways going on right now too, make sure check out my listings under the Giveaway tab at the top of the page!!

~Thankful~

It's Thanksgiving Day
The 24lb turkey is in the oven, all the little things are done and ready to go. I'm going to squeeze in a quick run or ride on the trainer before the family starts to arrive later this morning.

We celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday at my house with my parents, my Auntie M and my Great Uncle LaLa. Small, intimate and casual. I will not care how many calories I consume. I will eat what I want and I will enjoy the each moment with my family.

I will reflect on all of the wonderful things I have to be thankful for this year~

My amazingly supportive family
My friends, who I adore
I am surrounded by a network of positive influence and for that I am grateful.

I am thankful for the my daughter, for she has changed me in ways that I cannot even describe in words.
I am thankful for a warm home and food on the table - I know many families are struggling just to have to have those simple necessities.
I am thankful for my health and that I can do the things I want to do.

I am in awe of the dreams that have been turned into reality over this last year. Truly, I have been blessed in so many ways.

Wishing you and yours the Happiest of Days.
Thank you for being a part of my journey.

Tagged by Banana Buzzbomb!!

I have been tagged by Banana Buzzbomb-
catchy blog post title today huh?? I bet it made you wonder "what the...???"
I bet you are also wondering "banana buzzbomb? what is that?"
I am not going to spoil the fun for you so if you don't know, go ahead and read about it here.

Anyway, being tagged means I am to share a bit about myself so here goes some random.
Thank you Banana Buzzbomb for thinking of me and tagging me!!

I am going to follow BB's rules and give you 21 random bits about me and I will tag 10 other bloggers that I want to learn more about!!

1-I have no rhythm and I a horrible dancer-think Elaine Benis from Seinfeld bad. It's an ongoing joke at work how I can't do an 8 for step classes and such, thus I stick with Boot Camp, Tabata, HIIT, etc. for my class format. I tried Zumba once and had to leave I was laughing so hard. However, I would totally try one of those stripper pole fitness classes!!


2-I was vegetarian (actually pescatarian) for quite a while. Then on a dare, I took a bite of the most glorious, rare filet from The Palm. I was quickly "converted" and I have not looked back. Now my favorite meal is a big, juicy, grilled steak with a giant salad.

3-Speaking of salad, I eat salad almost every day. I am obsessed with Olivia's Organic baby lettuce mix and I go through spells with arugula and MUST have it.


4-I love to play board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue and Life. I can't wait till Lola can play too!

5-I have very strange and vivid dreams; has been since childhood. I even used to have this recurring nightmare for years but it has been a long time since THAT happened.


6-My dream job? To work with dolphins and study tropical reef ecology. I could totally live on a boat in the tropics and get totally geeked out on marine biology and science every day.



7-I never wanted to get married or have children. I pictured myself as single and free for my entire life. Glad I changed my mind on the children part-Lola has brought more joy into my life in her 3 years than I have ever known.

8-I don't have a lot of "normal" clothes. 95% of my closet is sport attire-Since losing all this weight, I never "restocked" my wardrobe. I literally have ONE nice outfit to wear. The rest is spandex or summer dresses for the beach. AND I AM FINE WITH THAT. The last time I put on a pair of heels was for my Grampa Joe's memorial service last summer.

9-I cry easily. Happy or sad tears-doesn't matter. This is a new thing. I wonder if it is because I am finally comfortable with who I am ???


10- I am hoping I win Powerball so I can buy the two houses and giant parcel of land for sale next to my parents. I would build a massive triathlon training center with an indoor full size track, a CrossFit box, full regular gym and a ginormous indoor cycling room with a huge projection screen for Sufferfest workouts.

11-I want to help other people who are overweight and want help to change their life. I have a couple things I am working on in regards to this desire. And if #10 happens, they would have free access to the facility and I would hire my friend, Stephanie to train them. I would also pay Stephanie enough so she would only work to work for me and have the rest of the time with her family.

12-Nine times out of ten I know within seconds of meeting someone, I know if I "jive" with that person or not. I have been wrong a couple times so it just goes to show don't always trust those "first impressions". Yes, this has gone both ways (good/bad) 

13-I hated the name Jennifer growing up-I thought it was so boring and common. I think there were close to 15 girls named Jennifer in my class. I wanted to change my name to Morgan (my grandfathers last name and nickname).

14-My first bike was a white bike with a giant yellow banana seat called "Cactus Flower". My Dad saved it and still has it.

THE Cactus Flower

15-I freak out if the toilet paper goes on the roll the "wrong way". Yes...there is a wrong way. It must roll over the top. After 11 years my husband still has not figured this out. I believe he puts it on "wrong" just to annoy me.

16-I sweat like a pig. A big, giant, wet, stinky, pig :)

17-I have not read a book cover to cover since Lola was born (training books excluded). I was a voracious reader all my life and I can now read on the TM. I am reading my first book in a long time: TWILIGHT!


18-I love vampires and would totally be one if I could!! How cool would that be?



19-I have several "girl crushes"-Angelina Jolie, Lolo Jones and Jackie Warner. I would absolutely kiss any of those girls without hesitation but I am purely heterosexual. Make sense?

20-I am obsessed with logging each and every single workout. Since I started 3 years ago I have not missed recording a single one-I used to carry around a 5 subject notebook and wrote down EVERYTHING. Now I use Dailymile and Training Peaks.

21-I don't watch LIVE TV-there is really not much I care to see anyway. I DVR what we want to see and watch when we can. I probably only see about an hour or so of television per week.

The TEN bloggers I am tagging:

• CHLOE: Running with a Bottle of Wine
• 
  
• RYAN: Crashing the Boards
• 
  
• CHRISTINA: THE ATLETARIAN
• 
  
• TONIA: Racing with Babes
• 
  
• BEN: Becoming Timberman
• 
  
• HALEY: Climb Run Lift Mom
• 
  
• COLLEEN: IronDiva
• 
  
• HEIDI: TriAngel
• 
  
• LAURA: Wife, Mother, Athlete
• 
  
• MAGGIE: Holy Spokes

You did enter my FASHLETICS GIVEAWAY RIGHT??

Weakness is a Choice! (review/giveaway)

source

One thing that I have learned on this amazing journey of Fat to Fit is that life is about choices.

You can choose to change your life for the better

 or 

you can choose to sit around and do nothing about it

I am generally an upbeat & happy person, I tend to have a very open heart and try to give the benefit of the doubt to people. However, the is one thing I don't have any patience for-
that is excuses.

So-what does this have to do with anything??

Let's back up:
Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to win a super fabulous giveaway from The Athletarian (go, check out her blog) from Fashletics. The tank top that I won was awesome-super cute AND super soft!!

The GORGEOUS Athletarian in her tank from Fashletics!

I was pretty excited about the win and spent some time hanging out around the Fashletics website. Having recently started CrossFit'ting, I was super intrigued by Sarah, the owner and creator of Fashletics. 

I liked the message that her line conveyed and she has got to be a NO EXCUSES kind of girl.

source

Fashletics is a collection of handmade jewelry inspired by a passion for fitness, competition, and a strong desire to empower others who have made a commitment to a fit and healthy lifestyle. Each piece of jewelry serves a badge of honor and an expression of strength.

Fashletics is based in Miami, FL. All pieces are designed and created by Sarah Wilson who is a certified CrossFit trainer at South Florida CrossFit Endurance. Sarah is also a nationally ranked endurance athlete who competes for Team USA at the World level in the sport of Duathlon. One of the only things that rivals her interest in athletics is her strong desire to design and create. Sarah is an established jewelry designer and has been working as a metalsmith for nearly 10 years.

Ultimately, Fashletics is the result of the combination of two distinct interests. Sarah is as much an athlete as she is an artist. She takes pride in the craftsmanship of her designs and works hard create jewelry pieces that celebrate and inspire the athlete within. 

 Athletic Background:

• Certified Level 1 CrossFit Coach- South Florida CrossFit Endurance
• Certified CrossFit Endurance Coach - South Florida CrossFit Endurance
• Nationally ranked Duathlete Member of Team USA 2009, 2010
• 2010 Duathlon World Championships • Edinburgh, Scotland 

`
I was also equally impressed by some of the inspirational jewelry items available, like:

• BELIEVE was "my word" for 2011
• I just love the YOU vs YOU (perfect for you Ange!)
• That kettlebell is bronze!

I got to chat with Sarah via email about a review for the Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood readers!!
She was more than happy to participate, LUCKY US!!

Sarah sent me the kettlebell and tag necklace that read "weakness is a choice"

Perfect.

The kettlebell is hand carved and cast in pewter and the accompanying charm is pewter as well. The 16" bead necklace is stainless steel.

The necklace is sturdy as are the charms. That kettlebell is heavy duty!!
It is a lovely piece that reminds me that I have a choice with each workout-
I can choose to be strong or I can choose to weak.
I am sure you know what I CHOOSE to be.
I have been wearing this necklace for about a week now and it's very comfy and Lola proof. She has not managed to break this one and I have a feeling it'll take her a while too.

As for the tank I won? I love it. It's soft, lightweight and very comfortable. Of course, it's cute and easy to wash!

I am very pleased with the items from Fashletics and I know I can take care of some of my Holiday gift shopping right with them!

Now for the exciting part-how do you get a chance to win your very own Fashletics  $25.00 Gift Certificate??

Leave a separate comment for each entry

Mandatory: You must be a follower of Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood. It's easy, just click that blue botton on the right side of the page that says JOIN THIS SITE with the little Google symbol.

• Visit the Fashletics website and tell me what you are going to get with your winnings!
• Like Fashletics on Facebook
• Follow Fashletics on Twitter
• Follow ME on Twitter
• Share the love! Tweet, Facebook, link on your blog. Tell all your friends about this awesome review and giveaway. Earn ONE entry per share per day!!
• Visit the Fashletics blog and tell me something awesome you learned.
• Tell me about a time you made a CHOICE to be STRONG.

Entries accepted until midnight on November 30, 2011 and then a random winner will be selected from all eligible entries. The winner will then be announced shortly thereafter.  

DISCLAIMER: All products that are reviewed in this blog post were provided to me for free from Fashletics. My review is my honest opinion, I am not paid for it.

Four Things Friday

Eeeeek.
Missed Three Things Thursday so you get FTF today.
Four Things Friday!!


THING ONE

The Holiday Booty Buster Challenge starts TOMORROW!!

This is a fun way to keep tabs on your fitness over the holidays and there are great prizes to boot! I did not win anything last year but I had so much fun I just had to do it again.







THING TWO
After a long hiatus (like 3 weeks) I finally got my backside in the pool.
I just don't like swimming in the pool.
Put me in the ocean, I'll swim with a smile. I'll splish splash all over the lakes. I paddle like a princess all around the pond.
I just cannot get into a pool swim. So not an epic swim today but once I found my groove after a long warm up, I did manage to eek out a quick 1500m. I definitely need to get in the pool 3x a week.


THING THREE

Speaking of the pool, what the heck is up with goggles lately. I hate them all!! They don't fit well. Lucky for me I have some Foggle (swear by this stuff-it works! I also use it on my sunglasses. Keeps 'em from fogging up too)
A tri friend suggested a new brand (Vision?? I think) to me today and I am definitely going to check it out this weekend. Especially considering THING TWO.
Seriously, this is my little SWIM BAG OF TRICKS.

All my goggles and swim caps.
Not.one.pair.I.like.
I'm open to suggestions.

What goggles do YOU love??

THING FOUR

I have an awesome review and giveaway coming up this weekend!
*hint hint* It has to do with my new love of CrossFit!!!
Want to early an early bird entry??
I'll make this one easy.
Tell me about the hardest strength training workout you have done. 
Hands down it was Filthy Fifty for me.

Balls & Chubby Bunnies

Wow! Has it already been a week since my last blog post??

Things have been busy, busy around here. Good busy but it's making me sit back and realize that I have a lot of balls in the air right now! Lots of things that require my attention and only so many hours in the day.
We have Work Balls, "other work" Balls, ACE Balls, Rev 3 Balls, Project X Balls, Training Balls, Blog Balls....

I decided that it's time to get a little more organized. I have been pretty lucky the last couple of years to have a single priority, being a Mommy. The rest was easy to balance and lots of days I could just "wing it".

These days, all of these balls I am juggling are super important to me so be sure that each one gets my attention AND things get done, I need to start taking a look at my productivity and streamlining my day. I've been sitting down this week and starting to create a schedule. I am getting my home in order and planning the coming days, weeks and months. I am excited about all of the wonderful things that lay ahead!!

The pain cave is near completion.

I took a page out of Coach's book of getting organized and totally stole this idea to keep my gadgets charged and in order.


December is fast approaching and I am gearing up to spend lots of time bonding with the Little Green Monster and my Hamster Wheel and a big old pool of chlorine. This is also the start of training for 2012 and I can't wait to see what COACH has planned for me! I know I won't be breaking 24:00 on a mile swim-

I am certainly looking forward to having my training planned out for me-that will be one less thing to worry about but now I have to worry about planning classes, swim team drylands training, workouts for those I am coaching or training....oy!



I am super excited about my new Team Rev 3 family! Seriously, everyone is so nice-very welcoming and I love the energy! I feel so blessed to be a part of it. I'm still in shock that I'm now a Rev 3 girl!!

Rev 3 is really getting creative with the way they are announcing team members. Today's "challenge" is a Chubby Bunny - THIS should be hilarious. Videos start posting at noon!! Check it out!

Beyond Excited

I have so much to say about THIS
but for now
this will have to do-

Yeah, so stoked!!
Literally, a dream come true.
When I started stalking following Team Trakkers-now Team Rev 3-almost two years ago, I day dreamed many times about being a part of something so amazing.
Dream is now reality.

Awesome beyond awesome.

A message to my Sparkly Soul winner, Jill R-
I saw your comment about not being able to reach me. It appears that I left out a key piece of my email address.
oooops sorry about that
Can you please try to reach me again at jsmall14 (at) maine (dot) rr (dot) com
I'll get you hooked up with with your SpArKLy sOuL!!

Unbreakable

I AM UNBREAKABLE

By: Lucas G. Irwin

Most people don’t understand, but you’re ok with that.  For you, training is not a hobby or a social activity; it is a way of life.   Those around you say that you are obsessed, taking it too far and possibly insane.  They can’t understand why you won’t eat birthday cake, why you bring Tupperware full of chicken to a party or why you go to sleep early on a Friday to rest up for a Saturday training session.  But you don’t care.  Their accusatory tones, sarcastic remarks and insults are merely cotton bullets firing at a titanium wall of perseverance known as YOU.

You know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that any negativity that surrounds you is fueled purely by jealousy.  Jealous that you are capable of unconditionally committing to something that most cannot stick to for more than a few weeks as part of their yearly resolution.  Jealous that you gladly embrace a level of pain, discomfort and fatigue that others cringe at the idea of suffering a fraction of.  Jealous that you take time to count carbs, protein, fats and calories while they count their chicken nuggets to make damn sure their 10 piece isn’t a 9 piece. In short, they’re Jealous of YOU.

Ironically, all the comments, nagging and questioning that is meant to break you down a little, does just the opposite.  Every negative word reminds you of how special and uncommon your mechanical allegiance to training really is, in turn, pushing you harder.  So bring it on! Let them call you obsessed, crazy or insane and watch you get stronger with every word.  The only one who can slow you down is yourself.  As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you are both an immovable object and an unstoppable force……

YOU ARE UNBREAKABLE.  

Pumpkin Love & A Winner!

I made the most amazing, accidental discovery this week!
Well 'tis the season for PUMPKIN anything and everything so I have be experimenting with all kinds of pumpkin this and pumpkin that...


After an early morning CrossFit workout this week, I was in a hurry to grab a bite to eat. Glancing into my fridge, a couple of things grabbed my attention-


Vanilla Greek Yogurt
leftover pumpkin puree from the previous days breakfast of Pumpkin Pie French Toast


then inspiration hit!

I mixed some Greek yogurt (about 3/4 of a cup)
with a big scoop of pumpkin (~2 heaping tablespoons)
I added some cinnamon, clove and nutmeg (you could, of course, use pumpkin pie spice mix)
then a dash of stevia (or your favorite sweetener)
a splash of vanilla
some walnuts (feel free to substitute pecans, almonds)
and finished it off with some granola-I used Maple Pecan flavor from Sweet Home Farm granola (yummmm)
You could use any crunchy cereal you have on hand or your favorite granola. This is the key ingredient-it mimics the crunch of crust!!


Mix it up and enjoy. Fabulous
Tastes just like Pumpkin Pie!!
but without the guilt.


My next pumpkin experiment??
Pumpkin Chia seed pudding!
I found THIS recipe, THIS recipe and THIS recipe.
They all look simple & delicious-I think I am opting for recipe #3 with the protein powder.

What Fabulous Pumpkin recipe do YOU love??




Want to know what else is fabulous??

Sparkly Soul headbands!!
I am so pleased to announce the winner of my Sparkly Soul giveaway-
There were 118 entries 
Random.org selected #98


Crossing a finish line with a smile on my face makes me sparkle!
from Jill R

Jill R please email me at jsmall(at)maine(dot)rr(dot)com so I can get you hooked up with your Sparkly Soul headband! 


I want to say welcome new followers to Miles Muscles & Mommyhood
thank you to all readers for taking the time to read about the craziness that is my life.
And no worries if you did not win THIS giveaway, I have some more awesome giveaways coming up!!
hint hint 

Hungry

Oh glorious treadmill. I shall never take you for granted again.
I will not complain that churning out the miles on your little spinning belt is tedious and boring.
Nor will I let dust collect on you again.
I actually want to thank you for being there even when I am not that nice to you.

After a week of workouts completely shot to smithereens by many circumstances (storms, power outages, illness, 2 hour of sleep, etc.) I woke up Saturday morning and ventured out to my little home gym (in the garage) and ran excitedly on the treadmill. 6 happy miles and I smiled during each one of them. Happy to be moving, happy to be running and happy to be sweating.

Being an eternal optimist, maybe last week's FUBAR of gluttony and sloth was just what I needed to come back with renewed vigor and zest!! Because let me tell you, I was SOOOO happy on the treadmill this weekend.
Hungry for those miles.

While in my running reverie, I was enjoying a super cool playlist from RockMyRun, 90 minutes of 80's and one song came on that struck me. An old Duran Duran classic....

Hungry Like the Wolf-

Burning the ground

I break from the crowd

I'm on the hunt

I'm after you

I smell like I sound. 

I'm lost and I'm found

and I'm hungry like the wolf

Chills.
Funny how a few simple words can effect you-make reach deep inside and pull that inner burning desire.
It's also funny how I can take a cheesy 80's lyric
(do we really know how you can smell like you sound? does panting have a scent?)
turn it into a mantra to run in my head over and over again.
I can guarantee you now that come race day, THIS song will be playing in my head!

It also made me realize that I am heading into the 2012 season with a different set of eyes-and goals. While I saw that competitive beast in my emerge this year, I also considered it a year of learning and growth. Now it is time to raise the bar, set my sights a little higher and get out on the chase.
So I'm hungry.
Hungry Like the Wolf

Did you enter my Sparkly Soul giveaway??
Earn an extra entry by telling me what get YOUR beast mode turned on??

Gettin' Filthy

Today's workout?

The Filthy Fifty

50 reps for time

brutal

Before

After

This workout was tough and some of the exercises I just had to break down into sets of 10 and just attack those 10, next. Attack, next.
the KTE (knee to elbow) is rough-looks easy but it's not. So by 30 I was breaking down into sets of 5
and the burpees at the end? we're talking chest to the floor, jump up at the end burpee.
who's idea was that??? seriously...
BUT
I loved every minute of it. My shoulders were burning. My hands hurt. My forearms felt like they were going to pop. My heart was beating hard. (why didn't I wear my HRM for this??).
I stayed strong and thought of my goals. I dug deep and pushed harder when I felt like stopping.
Finished in 29:37

Not bad for my third CrossFit session.

I gotta say, I love wallballs.
Note: the original CF WOD for this workout has jumping pull up (as you will see in the video) but we did regular pull ups and band were available for an assist. Yes, I used an assist!!

Glad I got in a little 6 mile run on the treadmill before heading  into this one...

Did you enter my Sparkly Soul giveaway??
I'l be picking a winner next week!!

C is for Candy, Cardio, CrossFit, Chucking, Contests, Coaching...

C is for

It's been an "interesting" week so far-
(how about craptastic!)
This weekend's workout scheduled got totally FUBAR'd due to family stuff, wicked weather (snow!), losing power, etc. Meaning NO TRAINING GOT DONE Saturday OR Sunday.
It's amazing how BLAH! I feel when I don't get my sweat on...combine that with a little Halloween indulging --can you say too many Reese's PB cups AGAIN!! I don't even like CANDY!

I swore last year I would never do that again. I had so many of 'em last year, it gave me a tummy ache for days. At least this year I did not go overboard but still. Too many sugary treats. I feel like a bloated carcass. BUT That's ok-it's a new day and every day is a new day to attack. Ya!!
So, gonna get my Cardio on for a couple hours this morning....

I got in another CrossFit session this week. I'm really, really liking it too. I love that it is strong, powerful and competitive!! I just wish I could go more often!! So far I can get in two sessions per week and work on some of the other WOD's on my own but I really like getting feedback on form-especially for some of the Olympic lifts and stuff.
Yesterday we did some skill work-deadlifts, snatch and reviewed hand stand push ups (HSPU) and wall crawls.

Then we did DIANE.

21/15/9 reps of deadlifts and divebomber push ups or HSPU's for time
(I did 6:24) I can definitely go heavier on the DL and gotta get those divebombers bangin'!!

I did the divebombers and boy! are my shoulders and tri's feeling it today. LOVE
Then we did 50 CF style sit ups with weight for time (1:55)

Monday's interval workout was pretty epic. Almost make me chuck!! You know-hurl, puke, vomit....
I did my own bootcamp class in the morning, which was a 1,000 rep challenge.
Then I ran 7 miles on the TM

Zuzana from BodyRock.tv

Then did this little gem from BodyRockTV:

6 Rounds 20 seconds active/5 seconds rest

• push ups with side jumps
• elbow to knee plank

3 minutes AMRAP

• 5 side to side 1/2 squats with a drop down & power up

12 Rounds 20 seconds active/5 seconds rest

• jump squats
• side crunch, alternating

It was awesome and I felt totally spent after. The hallmark of a good ass kicking. I can't wait to try this again in 2 weeks and see how much more I can get in.

I have several contests going on right now-

1. Did you enter my Sparkly Soul giveaway??
2. Did you LIKE IronCowboy on Facebook?? see this link for details...
3. Did you LIKE my picture on the GoTribal INSPIRATION contest?? This ends Thursday, 11/3 so your Like is MUCH appreciated!! And yes, it is the picture of me hugging Chrissie Wellington :)



I am SOOO ready to start working with Coach (coach awesome) Sonja.

This year is gonna change a lot for me and I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of improvements I can make as an athlete with her in my corner. I also know I will work 110% harder just to please her so that is extra motivation to kick ass. Not that I lack it (motivation), but answering to her will just push me that much harder.



not THAT Coach...



So...are you Coached?

I would love to hear the WHY's and WHY NOT's.

If it is money that holds you back from hiring a coach, what WOULD you pay??

There are several valid points on both sides of the fence with this one.

Please share your comments, insight, thoughts, opinions!

Happy Wednesday