dames v dudes

Really?  There are differences between dames and dudes?  Shocker!

Sometimes I envy the ability of guys to detach from their emotional/dame side. 

I'm on the periphery of drama on a day to day basis in large part because enough years separate me from most of the people I'm around.  It's a natural distance. 
That said, being a woman, I can still let certain moments/happenings affect me too much at times.  Usually what affects me are 'issues' that require more maturity from someone or that require a person be in less need of being stroked by others.  I believe "bitch slap" is what comes to mind when I'm around another person playing out those issues. Not very compassionate, I know.  I dislike in myself that I can't always just let these moments go...kind of makes me want to "bitch slap" myself! 
Men don't even see 'issues'.  If they do, they are lucky enough to have mastered the fine art of glazing over detachment! :)  

Some differences of perspective in the dames v dudes worlds, however, are just seemingly innate and with little chance of change.  Yes, even for those dames who like to think they are carefree and low maintenance!! 

The post below is one I originally posted a year ago, and with the onset of Spring and the reduction of the layers of clothing that we CrossFitters are wearing to our gyms, I thought it an appropriate re-post.  Dames and dudes become one unified group in a WOD, but that only happens once inside the doors of the gym!!
 


the gender gap

I certainly hope I'm not disclosing any deep secrets coveted by my sisterhood, but...
men and women enter into each day of their CrossFit experience with such different outlooks.

Men throw on some clothes, grab a water bottle of some sort, and show up. Sure, some of you guys might give a thought or two to what shirt you want to wear. If you do, it's likely because it's some bright color, a bawdy saying that you are SURE will get the conversation flowing toward provocative innuendos, or it's a new one you just got for your escapades outside of CF. If, however, that shirt is hangin' out in the laundry pile, you'll shrug your shoulders, grab another shirt, and go.

Women, on the other hand, plan. We think about comfort and function. We think about our asses...aka, *Do these pants make my butt look big?* [Of course, we all know CF women want big butts, but not because of a poor cut of their pants. :) ] We think about what bra to wear...especially those women who know they'll rip off their shirts in the middle of a WOD. We think about what shirt to wear based on what goes well with the pants chosen for the day. We think about the WOD (for those of us lucky enough to know ahead of time) and how the choice of clothes will move during that WOD. Oh yeah, it's tough not to plan. It's COD before the WOD. [I'm guessing you can figure out what COD means! ;) ]

Then, men and women alike go to their respective boxes. Men, as I said, show up. Women walk in, tug at their clothes, adjust their bra straps, and go look at the whiteboard to double check their outfit choice.
3-2-1 GOOO. Rowers start humming, equipment gets tossed around, burpees get done, chalk dust flies through the air, weight plates clunk onto the floor, and the time clock shows an end to the WOD. Men and women alike lay a few sweat angels down on the mats, chalk grime pools in the creases in everyones' hands or end up as handprints all over clothes, hair reverts to *bed-head* status with a sheen of well-earned moisture, chatter and laughter rise up over the music, and all these post-WOD people who are on the floor have become just that, people. Not men, not women in their CF *outfit* of the day, just people who all got a little fitter and a little happier for doing so. This is where the gender gap closes. In the end, I suppose women could learn a lot from our male CF counterparts....pick something and go. It won't matter after an hour anyway. It's just material to prevent us from being arrested for indecent exposure and sop up a little sweat. But still, if there are burpees in the WOD, there will always be some thought put into the pants a woman chooses that day.

 originally posted: 4-12

you know it's Spring when....

As a CrossFitter in the Maine, you know Spring is on its way when outdoor running starts showing up in the WODs.  There still needs to be weather contingencies for those odd days in late March ->on when it's hailing or snowing, but that's our reality.  What's great is that warm ups can include more running outside and slowing are the days when 'run 8 lengths of the gym' are in the WOD.

All of this is said with some excitement, and therefore inner amazement, for I dislike running.  Of course, I dislike it because it's one of those movements that makes me feel out of shape, no matter what kind of shape I'm in!  When I run, I feel like running through molasses. My feet want to go, my head and heart tell me to go, but connecting the dots is a game I'm still practicing!!  Nonetheless, there's a certain satisfaction after completing a WOD that has had multiple running components/rounds in it.  Part of it may just be that we can be outside for parts of our workouts. Part of it may be because we have such a limited time outside in Maine...well, unless you're an AVID runner who really couldn't care less what the weather is, you bundle up and get out there to pack on your daily mileage.  Or perhaps part of it is also that, by Spring, we like to add some new movement into our weekly WODs...constantly varied and all!

All I know is that I am a CrossFitter in Maine, it's mid March, and we have begun to have 400m warm up runs.  I'd say Spring is just around the corner.  The break from running has been good, but now it's time to swing open a door or two!!



When I begin believing this -->>
then I won't have to wait for
Spring!!

forgive me....

...I know my form sucked!

That's how I felt after Open WOD 13.1.
After I had a chance to recover.
After I reviewed my output.
After I stopped shuddering and feeling mildly embarrassed. 
Forgive me Beacon athletes, because I know my form sucked.

This is the first competitive, balls to the wall moment that some of my athletes whom I coach have seen me in.  They've seen me as an athlete because we WOD together in class side by side.  In class, I'll won't let my form and technique go too far eschew...well, within the limits of their current level of form and technique!

This time, in the last few minutes of 13.1, I knew I had to get those 75# snatches up. Of the 13 I got, I can honestly say there were only about 4 that felt pretty good at that point, which means my form must have been close. Better form, better lifts...that's always the goal. The rest were efforts that I was happy are over and no videos to review.  I don't need them. I could feel the disconnect I was going through. 
 
At my CrossFit Level 1 Certification course, our instructors talked about competition being a different moment in time with movement.  They were saying that as hard as we try to keep form, we have to allow for a little "slop" to occur when we compete and are exhausted. From a coaching standpoint, cue the best you can to your athlete, but know that it may not change form.  They were saying its inevitable for most of us.  This never seemed anything other than fact.  But then, I had not yet been in a position as coach/athlete until now.

I knew there were people watching who are the same people whose form and technique I coach and cue.  During those moments, that never left my head.  Yet at the same time, I knew I needed to get those suckers up.  Dave was reminding me of my form, which helped, but I still couldn't quite execute in part because I couldn't breathe deep enough to get a good set on the bar, butt down, chest up.  CRAP! Okay, so eff it, I'm still going to get that bar up because every rep counts. 

Yeah, as I said, it was a little embarrassing. It was also a surprise.  I feel I have a responsibility as a coach.  At the same time, in that moment, I had a "job" to do.  So while I keep working on my own form and technique, I will still coach and cue the best I can so my athletes will continue to get better and stronger.

I'm guessing there may be repeat moment of technique breakdown during the 4 remaining Open WODs, so please, Beacon Peeps, feel free to yell coaching cues at me mid-WOD!!  JUST DO IT!
And in the meantime, forgive me because I know my form sucked! :)

when you have to

Confession: competition is not my focus in CrossFit.
There, I said it...and on the day the 2013 CF Open begin!

I love coaching CrossFit because it's such a positive environment.
It's healthy.
It's hard.
It's fun.
It's keeps us from becoming complacent.
It's challenges our bodies.
It's humbling.
It's measured in realistic steps.
It's community at its best.
It's raw.
It's inclusive.
It's about possibilities.
It's life changing.

Reality is, however, competitions in CrossFit are part of the experience.  On a day-to-day basis, it's good to offer RX and scaled divisions in competitions put on by gyms.
It accommodates all levels of CrossFitters, of which there are always plenty.
And competitions challenge you to reach deep and see what you are truly capable of.
When you have to do a particular movement in a competition, you usually find a way.  Not always at the first one, but you know you have to work for that movement for another chance. 

For the CF Open, the *sport* of CF is at the forefront. It's all RX for completion. Even still, HQ  finds a way for it to be inclusive, usually by starting with lower wts or putting the harder, more technical movements at the end of the couplet or triplet.  Everyone can work toward the full sport participation, and that's what is tested here.

Two years ago I had not done a toes to bar until two days before one of the Open WODs.  20min AMRAP of: 5PCs/10 T2B/15WBs
PCs, check
4+1+1+1 T2B....then 17 1/2mins trying to get those last three to move on to the WBs. People giving me helpful cues to no avail.  Total humiliation/frustration.
This was a valuable experience for me.
I learned that even in a 'black hole' of the moment, I would not give up trying.  I also learned that if I wanted to get better, I had to add a little work on my own. Prior to that moment, that was not a part of my CF experience.  So I added a little work on my own.
Cut to the Open WOD in 2012 with T2B...check.

Skill work is really quite fun.  Sometimes mundane, but ultimately fun because all you need is that one moment when technique and time and patience align and BAM, the movement feels fluid and successful.  FUN!

My daughter, Lissa , said that she learned pistols soooo fast last year because her team from CrossFit Brigade qualified in the 2012 Open for Regionals and there were pistols in a WOD, she had to learn...and fast.  Without that movement in a competition, she may still have floundered on them for a lot longer.  When she had to, she dug deep and BAM~pistols!

A flash from the past: 3/2011
Lissa and I got our CF L1 certs together!

Back to my original statement, competition is not my CrossFit focus.

I hired a coach this year because I wanted to see how far I could go as an athlete, particularly at my age. I really didn't have any other reasoning behind this decision.  Then I got a little side lined because of a surgery in late September.  From that, I had to refocus/restructure my execution on some particular movements due to nerve weakness, but I did.  I also had to really refocus/restructure my mindset about it all, but I did.  My coach helped me with this too, and I liked having part of my weekly WODs programmed for me. 
All the while I "had" to forgo some NE comps that I did the previous year and had fun at, but I was not fully back yet.  I was kind of secretly happy I had that excuse.

Cut to the 2013 Open starting today.  I am nervous and excited and scared and ready as I'll ever be.  I'm ready to compete...chest cold be damned!! :) It truly is in competition that we see where we are and what we have in us. 

CrossFit is always throwing the unknown at us.  Some of the most elite CrossFitters may have all their shit together, but the majority of us go out, do the best we can, hope that there are not too many movements outside our wheelhouses, and feel accomplished being able to share the competitive energy with our gyms and the world for these five weeks. 
Some move on, some don't. But one thing we all share is that when we have to, we can learn things/do things we didn't know were possible the day before.  Competition brings that to the forefront. 

So good luck to everyone participating in the 2013 CF Open. 
It's okay if competition is not your main CrossFit focus. 
But you'll find that it certainly adds to the CrossFit experience.
And when you have to, you'll dig in deeper than you ever thought possible.

multi-aged

I had just finished munching on some broccoli and chicken at Beacon when Laurence stopped by to say hi and get in a little row.  Right before I had to go coach class, I turned to him and asked:
"Do I have food in my teeth?"
"Probably. I don't have my glasses on."
Thanks, darlin', thanks.
 
There are benefits to hanging around with people my own age.  None of us can see well, our hearing is not what it used to be, and we really don't give a shit about as much as we used to. There's a lot of bliss at our age. 

It's equally good to hang around with younger people. They can see. They can hear a whole lot more. And because they haven't yet learned that all the little shit they worry about is not that important in the big scheme of things, not much gets by them. They tend to keep you on your toes.

Hanging around a wide variety of people, of course, is the best.
I was once told by a very close friend who was older that I am that it's important to have a multi-aged group of friends and acquaintances.  She was saying it from the perspective of her advanced age:
"If you have younger friends, then when all your older friends start dying, you'll still have friends around you."
Good argument. :)

Before beginning CrossFit, most of my friends were within my age bracket.
CrossFit automatically brings people of all ages into your life. It's one of the aspects of it that I think I appreciate the most.  Walk through the door of any CrossFit and your age, occupation, gender, and, sooner-rather-than-later-or-you-don't-last, your ego are left outside your gym.  What then happens is a bunch of human beings who all happen to have the same fitness focus connect with each other through sweat, laughter, hard work, and shared goals.

This then turns into friendships and deeper relationships than is usual when you are out of college and in the work world.  Meeting people of all ages who become friends is an added gift of CrossFit...camaraderie though classes and then the gab sessions afterward. The younger learn from the older, the older learn from the younger. By the time the outside lives start becoming part of the conversations, there are no barriers, just people being with people. Glorious.

CrossFit enhanced my world by making it broader and richer than it was, in large part because of the multi-aged group of fun fitness freaks!

After Laurence left and before I headed to the upper gym to coach, I took a quick look in the bathroom mirror to make sure I didn't have broccoli hanging out of my teeth. I was, after all, about to enter a room with some younger people who could see broccoli in my teeth from the other side of the gym! 

I'll always give a shit about food in my teeth, even if I live with a man who can't see it.

if PRs were easy.....

...then everyone would be doing them...all the time...every trip to the gym...every interchange with a self-centered dumbass (aka kindness PR)...every refocus on nutrition...every meal cooked...every relationship entered into...

PRs (personal records) are relatively plentiful at the beginning of any new venture. I think that's what's dubbed "the honeymoon period".  It's euphoric and energizing and confidence-building.  It's why we continue on in that venture.  Enjoy it. Remember it. Refer to it when things begin to get fuzzy.  Then continue on.  Keep going. 

When the obvious PRs start waning, CELEBRATE! Celebrate that you have gotten stronger; realized you don't have to have the last word; learned to prioritize what's important to your sanity; have become willing to try something new if the old way hasn't/no longer works for you; have become open to self-examination.
Those are PRs that are definitely celebration worthy! 

When people lift heavy shit in the gym, do they really expect to PR EVERY TIME they lift, for months/years to come? Lots do.  Some days, however, they just won't. Some days their strength has been spent in other ways.  That doesn't mean it has been a wasted or unsuccessful day.  It just means they are stronger than they were a week ago/a month ago/a year ago so PRs are harder to come by.  That they can go to the gym and still be lifting means they are not injured and are still appreciating the benefits of their hard work.  Hmmm, why wouldn't you CELEBRATE that?  I would.  I do.  I try to enjoy it, remember it, refer to it when things begin to get fuzzy.

If you look back from your vantage point today and notice changes in yourself for the positive, then your PRs are evident, no matter how small. 
If you look back from your vantage point today and notice no changes in yourself, then kick yourself in the ass and change things up.  That would be the best PR you could achieve today!

definitely celebration worthy!

 

 

 

my kids, my favorite PR!

Laurence and me, another fav PR

becoming "Oma" and enjoying the PR of my daughter!

 





sleep again

There's always lots of talk about recovery in relation to the demands of CrossFit. General suggestions are: lots of water, protein, 1-2 rest days, mobility.  What I usually forget to mention is SLEEP!  Sleep is the ultimate recovery.  Sleep also tends to be extremely overlooked when it comes to health.

One reason I set a goal for 2013 to be better about my time management was so that I could create a habit of 'shutting down' earlier in the evening and getting more sleep. So far, not so good. :/  Remembering I had written about this once before, I am re-posting as a reminder...
WE NEED SLEEEEEEP!

******************************************

4-23-12

sleep

Sleep. It can be a seductive embrace that holds you all night. It can also be a seductive embrace that quickly morphs into an ornery toddler. There is little, if any, indication as to which personality you'll be dealing with when you lay your head down on the pillow each night. Well, at least not for a middle-ager like me.

Sleep. It's perhaps the most restorative aide we can give our bodies and our minds. It allows for the day's barrage of physical movement and mental stimulation to dissipate and dissolve. If we are lucky, we dream colorful dreams. If we are even luckier, we just sleep.

Sleep. It's one area of 'training' that CrossFitters and other movers and shakers know is completely necessary for optimum gains. It's one area of 'training' that often gets overlooked because we are used to overlooking its importance. We know we need it, but our tendency is to cut into our sleep time in order to have an extra hour or two so as to have time for other things. If our time management was better.......

Sleep. It needs to take a priority. Oh, how I want it to take a priority! Sometimes, like today after having a double session of WODding and not sleeping well last night, I want to know that sleep will embrace me all night. I will take what I can get and be happy with that. I also know that if I could turn off my brain alllllll night, I would not have an issue falling back to sleep should I wake up when I stir.

Sleep. It sounds so delicious when you think about it in the middle of the afternoon when all you really want is to close your eyes for an hour. It also sounds delicious when we think of the comfie mattress, soft pillows, and perfect sheets.

Sleep. It feels so great after a long busy day to be able to relax into your mattress and drift off, ever hopeful.

Sleep. Here's hoping that tonight, everyone gets embraced instead of trounced on by that ornery toddler!