fight gone bad (back)

i love crossfit. crossfit by definition is "constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity." it's a combination of a variety of workout elements - from gymnastics movements to olympic lifting, running to rope climbing, push ups to pull ups and everything in between. most workouts are quick, some can take as little time as 3 minutes, but the intensity is high.

i've been crossfitting at crossfit south brooklyn for just over 3.5 years, on and off (more on than off). some of that "off" time was because of rugby, and some has been partly due to injury. but the south brooklyn community is phenomenal - and each time i have to go through an "off" period, i'm excited to come back. i'm so lucky to call these folks my friends.

pictured above is after the annual "Fight Gone Bad" fundraiser workout that was held on september 17. crossfit gyms around the country pull together to fundraise prior to the event, this year for the special operations warrior foundations. our gym makes a day of it - creating teams of five to compete against each other in a friendly competition. the workout is as follows:

3 rounds of:

1 minute wall ball

1 minutes sumo deadlift high pulls

1 minute box jumps (shown here)

1 minute push press

1 minute of rowing (for calories)

1 minute rest

every rep counts and your score is your total added up.

i've had to miss the past 2 events due to other commitments, so i was really excited to participate this year on team "Victorious Secret". the unfortunate reality though, was that i probably shouldn't have been competing. my back/hips/hammies have been an issue, and with training for the marathon, i should have been playing it safe. but i love crossfit, and i love this workout, so i went for it anyway. well, i managed to tweak my back, most likely doing the sumo deadlift high pulls, so it's been a rough few weeks.

doc was able to put my back back in alignment but i'm still not at 100%. unfortunately for this girl, i've been told to lay off crossfit until the marathon is over. so i guess i'm back in a short "off again" period but it won't last forever. it'll just make it that much more fun and challenging when i go back. cause i'll get my ass kicked, repeatedly!

where to begin... running update!

i'm probably the world's worst blogger - and i'm ok with that. i'm just going to try to update as much as possible now that we are less than 2 MONTHS away from race day! holy crap is all i can really think at this point.

the runs have gotten longer, and last weekend's outing left me feeling very discouraged and nervous. i went out to run 10 miles and after 8.5 with multiple stops, i couldn't go any further. i know that there will always be good and bad running days, but i am already behind in my mileage and this was a big blow to my running confidence. after kind words from great running friends, i realized that i just needed to move on and not worry about it. well, that i did.

this weekend, up in old orchard beach, maine for the new england parkinson's ride (more on that later, i promise), i set out on a 12 mile run sunday morning. i'm almost positive that the energy from the amazing event is what helped me through (along with a fairly flat route, cooler temps and a clear mind) and pushed me to even get 13.5 miles (that and i miscalculated the mileage!).

my hamstring is feeling great but my hip/hip flexor aren't too happy today. i was lucky enough to have the entire ocean as my ice bath (see below) and was able to enjoy a great meal (named "the big breakfast") after my run before having to leave to come back to ny.

definitely feeling more positive!