Hi Kim! Congratulations on following through on your resolution.

I don't feel a difference either, but the only time I use artificial sweeteners is in gum and occasional syrup. I've been of grains again for about a month and I DO feel a difference there.

Nelie- I think you may have ensured that Lydia will never go hiking again I've only seen a bear once in the Shenandoah and he was happily occupied eating grapes in the vineyard of a small winery. Despite the wildlife, it is gorgeous there.

I am *looking forward* to doing Filthy Fifty tonight, hence skipped cardio this morning.

Mel

Sacha - I'm vegan and I have to tell you, some of the non-dairy ice creams are a lot tastier than dairy ice creams. Coconut milk ice cream is awesome and I haven't tried it but cashew based ice creams are supposedly extremely good. I also really enjoy hemp based ice cream. We also have vegan restaurants in my area But then truly, what is left that is vegan and high calorie? Bread, nuts, sugar, etc. I bought all vegan candy for halloween. And then there are cookbooks dedicated to vegan baking, cookies, and cupcakes I don't bake but even for non-bakers there is a lot of vegan junk food, if you seek it out. Such as oreos.

Ok Lydia, I hope I didn't scare you from Shenandoah The bears at least aren't grizzlies...

I've got some soy chocolate ice cream in my freezer right now! It's deeeelish.

I suppose it is true that someone can make poor vegan choices. For me (a former vegan), I found the healthy vegan options to be so incredible that I could never imagine eating Oreos, LOL! My favourite was olive oil + salted kale chips. SO GOOD!

Nice to see you have a local vegan restaurant. That's awesome. Back in the day when I was single and living in downtown Vancouver, I used to be able to take the metro straight to a vegan restaurant. Now, it's a 1 hour drive. Ugh! I'm still trying to convince DH to go to a veggie restaurant let alone a vegan one.

Mel: Oh MEL! I'll hike again. Although we did buy a season pass to the park...whenever we do that (zoos, pools, parks, etc) things always come up and we never return until the following year.

Kaw, Mel, and Pat: Thanks for sharing your experience on being sweetener free. Kind of makes it difficult for me to quit if I'm not going to notice a significant difference. Guess I don't have to beat myself up over it.

Grape eating bears. I did see a lot of great vineyards on our drive to the park. I was much more excited about that than the actual mountains. (not kidding)

Nelie: Oh, and I have had the coconut ice cream. OMG. I purchased it for my step dad who is lactose intolerant. I have a thing for coconut anyway....best it came in a small container and it was for him and not me.

Hey ladies.

Back to the gym this afternoon...woot! I've been working out at home this week, but missing my peeps at the CF gym like crazy. Strongman is this weekend. Tomorrow is set-up, Saturday competition. I'll be volunteering both days, so will probably be awol from here.

I decided last night on my next big running goal: a 50 mile run. I need something crazy to give my training runs direction, and I do better when I put longer runs in anyway, as far as the scale goes, so I think this is a good one. There's a 12 Hour fun run in Seattle. It's at a park, they set up and are there from 6am to 6pm with a bonfire, they potluck in food, besides some sponsored sports drinks and water and power bars or something, and you run as many 2 mile loops on the dirt trail as you feel like doing. I should have time, even being the turtle I am, to have a chance at 25 loops to get the 50 miles in. It just looks like it will be a lot of fun, and put on by a fun group with a laid back atmosphere. So, that will be my running goal for next year. Should keep me running and maybe will help me lean out a little more. I'm okay with my weight, where it is now, but I can't help thinking that another 15 or 20 lbs off sure would make pull-ups and dips less of a chore!

Wow, 50 miles! Do you live in Seattle jamsk8r? I live in Vancouver (BC) and I love Seattle. Good luck to you - that is a very ambitious goal.

50 Miles?!

50 miles sounds ... long.

Seen at the gym today:
guy 1, "benching" 305. His back arch would have made a yoga instructor proud, Or maybe just cringe.
guy 2, upright rowing 305. While yelling, "it's all you, man, it's all you", of course.

I worked on OH squats today. I seem to have a hard time keeping my weight back on my heels, especially when I get tired. Maybe my shoulder joints aren't flexible or strong enough. I'll keep at it ...

b. strong,
KAW

Filthy Fifty was about as much fun as it sounds.

"Filthy Fifty"

50 Box Jumps (18, 24)

50 Jumping Pullups

50 KB Swings (35, 53)

50 Lunges (steps)

50 Knee to elbows

50 Push Press (35, 45)

50 Back Extensions

50 Wallballs (16,20)

50 Burpees

50 Double-unders

I told dh I'd be home around midnight, but actually finished in a hair under 30 minutes. Not a stellar time, but it took about 200 revolutions of the jump rope to get 50 double unders


Cheryl- I can't fathom using the words 50 miles, run and fun in the same sentence. Good for you for having goals!

Lydia- Some of the wines are VERY good. 2 years ago dh and I spent 4 days hiking and wine tasting at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley. Let me know if you'd like some recommendations or company, lol

Hi folks:

I'm in recovery from the election. i'm very active at my county and was also a poll judge on Tuesday. I have been exhausted and have not done any exercise in 10 days. I do walk the dog for a mile every night, but that's all I've done. Oh, yes, I did go to my tap dancing classes twice (don't laugh until you've actually danced for an hour straight!).

My plan is to start again tomorrow. I've gained a few pounds, feel really stiff and sluggish, but trust that a few days back in a routine will fix it all.

Rhonda, I can imagine that would be a challenging class!

Okay, 50 miles and "fun run" might be stretching it, lol, but it should definitely be challenging enough to keep me running, and help balance out my obsession with heavy lifting.

Today (why am I still on Thursday when I should be sleeping? No idea!) the wod was a run/squat clean/tire slam combo. Kicked my butt. Then went for a 3 mile fun run with my sister. She's hooked up with a running group that basically meets at a different brew pub every week, they run about 3 miles, then settle in for beer and conversation. Probably fun once you get to know people, but we didn't hang out tonight, since we were both whupped and ready to head home. Cool thing, though, I actually met another crossfitter during the run. He was easy to pick out, since he was running with a 40 lb rucksack on his back, lol. He said he did his Level 1 cert at our gym back in April, so, small world.

Sacha, I live in Tacoma/Puyallup area, so about 30 minutes south of Seattle.

Mel, good job on the Filthy Fifty! I actually like that one, probably because it's a chipper. At least I only have to do it once through. Hear yo on the double unders...same here!

Kim, funny about the benching guys.

OK, fun, run and BEER goes together better

Thanks for all the work you do to keep elections running smoothly!

***
The Boy has the day off today so we're getting a bit of a late start. Which is lucky, because it took me multiple tries to get out of bed this morning. The 18 pound cat sitting on my face didn't help, but I think post-squat thigh disorder (PSTD) was more of a factor. . The 127 stairs on my morning commute -- not that I've counted, or anything -- may take me the rest of the day!

b. strong,
Kim

I'm exhausted after yesterday's workout. I may create a separate thread but I'm having issues with mental exhaustion after workouts. Does anyone else get this? I get home, I can cook, do whatever but mentally I don't want to think/read/etc.

Today's workout is a doozy, not sure if I want to go today or tomorrow. I love Saturday workouts though.

Nelie, I can be a little "out of it" right after a good metcon. After a really hard one, I could even be an emotional wreck, but for me that's usually a pre-tom hormonal thing where I'm just on edge already and the wod just does me in. Those usually pass within a few minutes, though. Haven't noticed anything that lasts longer than that. If you're feeling off regularly, I wonder if it just isn't time for a rest week? Maybe you've been at it too long without a break? Or could it be more related to winter setting in, less sunshine/daylight?