Kim, good one about the turkey. Let us know how it turned out.

Midwife, me too, lol, for just a second. No splits in crossfit, lol.

to everybody else.

So, I have made up my mind on the ultra. I found out that one of the local trail runs has a 50 miler, it's close, it doesn't involve climbing mountains like a billy goat, and it's in June, which meshes nicely with the training focus at our gym.

Just now we've finished the strongman, everybody's had a little recovery time, so the trainers are getting set to launch the "getting ready for the CF Games" goodness. I have no desire to go to the games, but I can get in on the training, which will be just as good for prepping for the ultra. All I have to do is fit in about 2 days a week of long slow distance runs, and voila, ultra training plan, crossfit style! Bonus, it will be over just before the CF Games, so I can then switch to strongman training for a change of pace, and give the running a break, which I will probably be ready for.

Finally, with the run scheduled for June, it means I HAVE to start now, not having done any real distance since last June. I needed something to give me a direction and purpose for training and eating right.

midwife.

I don't do Facebook. Unless I'm on an undercover operation.

Cheryl - good luck training for your 50 miler! Wowza.

OK, Cheryl, you can do it. I can't, but YOU can. We'll be here for you, feeling your pain.

I like my new trainer and we did all upper body today. I need my legs to work for the tap dance performance tomorrow! He told me I had a strong back (leaving off the "for a woman of a certain age" bit). So, he had me do a lot of things with the cable cross machine that worked the scapula, lats, rhomboids, etc. It all felt very good. On Wednesday I am spending an hour working with him and I'm looking forward to that.

I'm going to go back to spinning classes, beginning tomorrow night. I miss them and they are a good over all workout.

Thanks, ladies!

I just came on here because I finally worked up the nerve to tell my trainer that I want to do the 50 miler in June. He was totally cool about it, and said that he'll help me with the CF part, and thinks one of the guys at the gym could help me learn about the special nutrition needed for the ultra, since he has more experience (through rangers and military training) doing long/all day hikes or runs. Anyway, he thought my plan was good, CF 5 days with just 2 slower pace runs added, maybe one more that's short but for hill training and that sort of thing. I figure I'll start with 3 run days added, then as my long run(s) gets up there, cut to 2 days but longer runs, and every 3rd week-ish do 2 long runs back-to-back, to get that "working on dead legs" feeling.

Anyway, sorry to go on about running on the lifting forum, but you are my BFF peeps here on 3FC, so I had to share! I'll still be lifting and CFing like normal, just not extra heavy or extra sessions like I was doing, till this run is over and I get my metcon times down (they were getting ridiculously long/slow lately, so I needed to switch that up anyway). Headed to the gym this afternoon for the wod. I predict a long metcon (which doesn't take special powers...my trainer loves to do a long metcon on Mondays).

I'm envious of the running myself

Today we are doing a fairly short workout.

I guess my biggest accomplishment lately was I did 50 burpees without a break on Friday. My burpees are slow and I did non-jumping burpees since there were so many but everyone kept talking about how I didn't stop. My chest felt like it was burning and one of my gym-mates sat and talked me through the last 20 or so.

Nice work, Nelie! I always will remember that burpees were the one exercise guaranteed to be so painful I would end up crying in the wod, when I first started. They are easier for me now, thankfully.

Learning to keep a steady pace (and just keep going) like you did is one of the skills I'm trying to work on lately with metcons. I tend to do small sets and rest, but watching the guys that are top at our gym, they just keep picking up the bar and try not to rest, so I'm working on that. I was able to do it (with help also from a friend to talk me through) for the Grace fundraiser, and got a decent time, so it works, plus for me it helps me push through the "I can't" barrier and get a little stonger emotionally, each time I do it.

I liked something Camille LeBlanc said, something like "I want to keep going until I physically break down" Basically, she was saying she tries to push and push till she literally fails...but to keep moving and keep picking up the bar (or doing another rep) until that happens. I think we're capable of so much more physically than we realize, and for me, CF has taught me to push at the edges of my imagined/emotional limitations a bit more.

That's why I want to do the 50 mile run. I think doing that will definitely force me to break through some barriers, and will be awesome when I make it to the end.

Awesome, indeed, awesome indeed, Cheryl.

Howdy! Another unwell WL chick checking in. I did something to my back last week, and about all the exercise I've been doing since is walking. I've been getting some relief from ibuprofen and using DH's body-length foam roll to relax it. I have no idea what I did, but I'm getting spasms across the area of my lower ribs and just below. I can never be sure what movement will set it off, but it just "grabs" and leaves me gasping for a few seconds. After I roll it I'm good for several hours, and I can feel one sore spot just below my right ribs. I suppose I should see my doc (also a DO, Lydia) or a chiropractor. I'm not immobile, but lifting just doesn't seem like a good idea...

Our gym just changed its rates. No longer a 2 tiered system (they were charging more per month for classes and racquetball). We may be the only people who now pay less! Only $7/month less, but still. It's because we were paying for the premium membership, but we also get a break for being seniors...

We've also been using the HS pool several days a week as we're spending 4 weeks in Hawaii after the first of the year. I haven't used a snorkel much and want to get used to it in a safe surrounding.

I'm impressed how well everyone is doing. I'm trying to get a lot done before the middle of December (must mail early to avoid express charges!) but I hope not to be so scarce.... Now I must go to bed, it's going on 11pm....

Hi Pat!

My big news for the day is I did 95 lb Front squats last night. When I first started, I really could not do a front squat because it is so awkward. I could only squat down to maybe a partial squat and with very little weight. I got decent (not great) depth and was able to keep my elbows at a decent height. It still needs work but its getting there.

Great job on the front squat Nelie!

Great job, Nelie! I found recently that I could do better at keeping my elbows up if I really work to push the elbows OUT (I had to fiddle with my grip, go a little narrower, to get that, but I'm not really flexible in the shoulders, so you may not need to do that). Anyway, try that next time, really push the elbows out wide, seemed to help a few of us be able to get the elbows up higher in the front rack position and hold it there, which translated to being able to squat more weight, since I wasn't losing it by dropping my elbows on the way up.

Great job Nelie. I have problems with front squats as well. I don't know if it's because I have short arms, or what. Sometime I really need a session or two with a trainer. Unfortunately our gym has only one, and it's a guy who trains bodybuilders. I've watched him with some women and I don't really like his style. I have a friend who goes to another gym that has several trainers, and I may see if I can just pay by the session and meet with one there.

My back is doing better this morning. Right now, it's resolved to one sore spot and no spasms....

Oh Nelie! You are just really enjoying great success at your CrossFit! I'm so excited for you! What's wonderful about this is not only are you gaining strength and doing things that felt awkward before, you are learning how to do them correctly and most probably how to do all sorts of adaptations along the way. Good for you!

Cheryl: Please! Post on with your running goals. Distance running totally eludes me. I really just can't slow my head down enough to find a pace that is comfortable for anything longer than eight minutes! No kidding. Then I have to stop, walk, then I take off again...my DH absolutely hated running with me on vacations. He'd chastise me the whole time to s...l..o..w.. down. Just haven't gotten there yet. I'm excited to hear about your training so please SHARE!

Pat: That sounds downright miserable.Ack. The back! These weird aches and pains. We exercise to feel good! How dare the body betray us like that. Hope that you are soon on the mend. Lets focus on upcoming days when our bodies feel fluid again.

Hi Shannon, Mel, Rhonda, Kim, Midwife and a whole lot of others I know I'm leaving off here.

Off to do reclaim my house after my visit to Columbus for Thanksgiving. Which was...by the way...FREAKING Awesome! Had my whole village show up Saturday. And the kids....wow.

Pat, great news about the drop in your rate at the gym. That's good savings for the year!

Last night was my first day back at the gym, and first workout in over a week, I think. It was a hero memorial wod, a 2 person team wod with tons of bodyweight stuff (burpee pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, etc) and some power clean and jerks at the end. I teamed up with my trainer, but during the burpee pull-ups he realized his shoulder/biceps tendonitis was acting up again. He almost quit, which would have been fine, I could have just done half the reps by myself, but then he came to his senses and modified the wod so he could work with his good arm. He did 1 arm burpees and ring rows, then did 1 arm push-ups, some on the floor and some to the tire when that got too hard. Finally, he did 1 arm clean and jerks to finish the wod. We didn't get a great time, but considering he was gimped and I was coming off a break, we did alright, and finished strong. I kept in mind what I'd said to Nelie about keeping a steady pace unless I actually failed, and I did that. I failed many times on the push-ups and sit-ups, but did better than I normally would have trying to break it into fixed sets. It was a good workout. My trainer is my hero, for obvious reasons!