Monthly Archives: September 2011

Never quit

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or and hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.

Lance Armstrong

I dreamt of being a lifeguard when I was 14.

I wanted to have a job by the pool, get some sun, save lives. It seemed glamorous and perfect for a teenager.

I signed up for Red Cross CPR and First Aid classes. Then I signed up for my town’s lifeguard training class. It was a week long.

And it exposed all of my weaknesses.

I thought I was a strong swimmer. But I really wasn’t. I could swim freestyle OK, but I had never been formally trained in any other stroke, which was a major disadvantage.

I struggled through 4 days of the training. I felt humiliated every day when I left. On day 5 — the last day — I decided I wouldn’t show up. It was testing day, and I was sure I wouldn’t pass. So instead of going and possibly humiliating myself further, I decided to quit.

Twenty-five years later, I still regret not showing up. Not seeing it through.

I think about that whenever I’m faced with a new challenge. It could be some really tough coding issue at work. Or it could be a really tough exercise. There’s a part of me that thinks about quitting. “You don’t HAVE to do this. You could ask someone else to figure this out.” Or “This weight it too heavy. Quit now and you won’t hurt as bad.”

But I know that finking out will make be feel like crap for a very long time. And even though I could end up being humiliated — red in the face — I do it anyway.

That’s my determination.

I hope I remember that next weekend at the Tough Mudder. I intend on completing every obstacle and finishing the course, no matter how long it takes or how scary it feels. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t signed up, but I did, and I’m not backing out now. No WAY.

I have a goal: Finish the Tough Mudder.

I’m not gonna quit.

Benchmark: “Cindy”

The benchmark WOD we do every three months, “Cindy,” is so simple looking, and yet so brutal. It’s amazing how a seemingly small number of pullups, push ups, and squats can absolutely destroy you.

“Cindy,” one of my favorite WODS, was this month’s benchmark. I missed it the last time it came up because I was on vacation. I love it because it’s one of the first Crossfit workouts I ever did where I thought, “Pullups, pushups and squats. I can do that.”

“Cindy”
AMRAP 20 min
5 pullups
10 push ups
15 squats

Results: 13 rounds + 10 push ups + 6 squats (using 1 purple band and pushups from knees)

Argh! If only I had pushed harder and I would have finished the 14th round. Next time.  But hey! I only used 1 purple band! I have to admit, my pullups were feeling, and likely looking, pretty darn weak after just a few rounds. But you only get stronger if you push yourself, right?

(This is where you nod your head.)

It’s time to get some sleep so I can get up early and do some mobility work and rolling out. My legs are sore!

Recipe Alert: Pork chops and sauerkraut

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At my house, we love quality food. That means we do everything we can to source locally and we even make some foods from scratch that a lot of people don’t.

On any given day, there may be a jar or two of sauerkraut fermenting on the counter. Andy found the recipe for homemade sauerkraut on Mark’s Daily Apple, and we’ve found it to be incredibly easy, cheap and delicious.

The money we save on sauerkraut goes toward the pork chops we buy from Richardson Farms, which pastures its pork, making quite the difference in taste, and for me, conscience.

Pork chops and sauerkraut is a perennial favorite in the Brummer casa, so I thought I’d share.

Pork Chops and Sauerkraut
(Serves 4)

2 pounds sauerkraut, rinsed
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade)
10 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds pork chops
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
1 Apple (Granny Smith works best), peeled and grated (This is optional — but it’s really yummy)
4 tsp brown sugar (this is from the recipe I base mine on, and I usually leave this out)

1. Combine sauerkraut, bacon, stock, juniper berries and bay leaves in a microwave-safe bowl . Cover and microwave until sauerkraut is softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until foaming subsides. Add pork shops and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add onion and 1/2 tsp salt to skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut mixture, apple (and sugar if using) and bring to a simmer. Nestle the pork chops into sauerkraut, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until chops are no longer pink in the center, 10-12 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and juniper berries. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

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Interval runs: Scaring the neighbors

I think I freaked out my 90+ year old neighbor this morning.

Thelma is — seriously — the sweetest, most vibrant and active elderly woman I’ve ever met. But I think I completely freaked her out. And if I didn’t, she was VERY suspicious.

I was just finishing up my workout (which was:)

6 x 400m run
5 x 50m sprints

It was dark — just after 6am — when I ran by her house on the last sprint. I was walking back, feeling good about shaving time off of my sprint when she walked outside to pick up her newspaper.

“Good morning, Thelma!” I said, but I tried to greet her quietly so I wouldn’t disturb the other neighbors.

Silent stare.

“How are you today?” I panted (I was still recovering from the sprint).

Silent stare.

I smiled, wondered if she heard me, and kept walking. I felt her eyes follow me. And I think she even walked out to the sidewalk to see where I was going. I don’t think she recognized me. I’m sure I looked pretty weird. I was wearing my dark blue bandana (a gang symbol!) and I was carrying my stopwatch (what the hell is that in her hand?!).

I tried to look nonchalant and did not look back. I didn’t want to look any more suspicious than I already did. I mean, who runs up and down the sidewalk in the dark?

Ha ha! I hope Thelma’s OK. One day I’ll have to go over there and explain.

Good intervals, though:

Results:
400s — 2:01 / 1:52 / 1:50 / 1:51 / 1:53 / 1:51
50s — 11 secs each sprint

I finished up inside with some core training.

3 rounds
5 Wheel roll-outs
15 V-ups
20 Russian Twists with med ball
12 Supermans
Chinnies

Talking “Crossfit”

The people around me who don’t Crossfit probably think I’m really weird.  When I make friends, it’s hard not to talk about my life, and my nutrition and exercise are a big part of it.

And for those that will listen, I talk about my workouts — A LOT. Not because I’m bragging, but because it’s something I’m passionate about and I like sharing.

I stop by my friend Robin’s office every day, and one day I invited her to try out Crossfit. Most people laugh and say something like — oh, that’s too much for me. But Robin actually said yes! So I brought her to my gym’s free workout on Saturday. And she LOVED it.

I knew she would. ;)

Cindy and Robin after the free WODIt was a great WOD. Here’s what we did:

5 min AMRAP
7 Ring Dips
6 R-Arm DB Thruster
6 L-Arm DB Thruster

2 min rest

Tabata Burpees

2 min rest

5 min AMRAP
20 ft walking lunge
200m run

Milestone: Mads & me

Today my baby girl turns 1. I can hardly believe it’s been a year.

Remember when I looked like this?

Oh, wait — I meant to show you this:

That photo still makes me laugh. I can’t believe I carried that around for so long. I was ALL baby. And over the past year so much has changed. I’ve shed all of that baby weight and more and my baby girl is running around!

That’s my happy girl! She’s a true paleo baby — healthy and active! And she’s trying like heck to keep up with her big brother, who I couldn’t be more proud of either.

I am going to cut loose a little tomorrow when we celebrate Mads’ birthday. Andy is making her cheesecake and I WILL be having a little sugar with my baby girl.

Happy birthday, Mads!

Bittersweet WOD

Today was Jeff’s last day as our assistant coach.  And I’m kind of sad about that.

I think Jeff has been our assistant coach the longest of any of them since I joined Zach’s class.  Zach had him say goodbye by doing a muscle up for every month he was our coach — 9.

On Tuesday we’ll have a new assistant. Someone new to learn my name. SIGH.

It was a bittersweet workout. I hated saying goodbye to Jeff, but I felt like I did really well on the met-con part of the WOD.

Strength:
Deadlift 8×2

Results: 115-135-145-155-160 (only 1 rep) -155-160 (only 1 rep) (Only time to do 7 sets)

Met-con:
21-15-9-6-3
Heavy Goblet Squats (M 2 pood / W 1.5 Pood)
Pullups

Time: 6:52 @ 1.5 pood KB and 2 purple bands

I felt strong, despite not getting enough sleep thanks to a low battery in our household alarm. (Grrr!) I very nearly chose the 20kg kettlebell, but it felt a little too light, so I picked up the 24kg.

“Oh yeah…”

It was not easy — exactly what I needed.

Blowing away “DT”

There is a fine line between looking at yourself with a critical eye and bashing yourself, and I am hanging out on the bashing side. I’ve decided it’s time to take control of my inner critic.

I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Disappointment has been evident on my face after lifts. Friends are reluctant to tell me about their accomplishments for fear it will cause me to tear myself down. My husband sometimes feels like he has to treat me with kid gloves.

Then this morning Jeff asked who did Fight Gone Bad 6 and how we did. My answer: “Meh.”

“Cindy, you’re always disappointed with how you do,” Beth chimed in.

Hmmm… you know, she’s right. Why can’t I celebrate my accomplishments more? Why do I always have to tear myself down?

Later on, I came across an article that really struck a chord with me. I even Tweeted it out. It’s geared specifically toward web design, but I think the basic principles can be applied toward anything, even working out and Crossfit. I love the tips at the end, and I plan on practicing them. Here’s a link to the post:

Banishing Your Inner Critic from A List Apart

The article is great about putting the inner critic in perspective. It’s not about ignoring that inner critic — because it means well. In fact, it’s what drives us to be better rather than complacent. But the inner critic should be controlled and used in a more positive way.

So I need to keep that in mind while looking at how I did in this morning’s WOD. We revisited a benchmark from 6 weeks ago that I’ve been doing every few months for the past year.

“DT”
5 rounds
12 Deadlifts (M 155# / W 105#)
9 Hang Power Cleans
6 Push Jerks

In early August I did “DT” at 65# and finished in 14:34. It was slower than my time in March with the same weight. I was very disappointed. So this morning I decided to test myself and use the same weight.

I blew my August time out of the water.

Time: 9:38 @ 65#

When I called “Time!” Zach looked shocked. He said something like, “What the hell girl?!” and fussed at me to up the weight.

Well, duh. But I wasn’t expecting to knock nearly 5 minutes off my time.

Of course, I also forgot that I did this exact same WOD on September 5th at 70#. It was one I did at home that I didn’t label as “DT” so I forgot all about it. I finished it in 13min that time.

I wish I had remembered, because I would have added weight this morning — for sure. Oh well.  Sometimes you just need to tear through a WOD. It feels good to conquer something.

Next time: 75# at least. In under 12 minutes.

Double unders: Practice makes a difference!

When I was growing up, I played the piano.

For an hour a day, I was expected to practice. I was sent to the living room to stare at the keyboard. The timer on the stove was set to keep track of my time.

I wanted to play the piano. I really did. But I also wanted it to come easily to me. And it didn’t. I also wanted to do a lot of other things, and sitting on that bench an hour a day sometimes felt extremely lonely. I would wait for the time to tick away, wishing that I could play beautifully without putting in the time and effort.

Now that I look back, I regret wasting so much time wishing for something to happen, rather than taking action to MAKE it happen.

How many times have I heard people say, “I wish I knew then what I know now.” It’s so true.

Why the deep philosophical commentary? My WOD this morning, of course!

5 rounds
35 double unders
200m run

Today was my interval day, and I saw this WOD somewhere and thought — Oooh! double unders!  Here’s a good way to work in practice! (Because I want to do Annie RX one day.)

I took the timer outside and set it to 25 minutes, thinking I would be so slow at double unders that I wouldn’t finish. I also started off doing the same thing I did last week and counting my failed double under attempts.

But after round 1, I realized I didn’t have to do that.  In fact, my double unders were a heck of a lot better. What’s more, I set a PR for unbroken double unders — 18!

Time: 17:22

I’ve been working on double unders and pullup strength nearly very day for the past month or more. I’ve been WANTING to do both for years and “working” on them sporadically — a workout here or there — but I’ve never put in a concerted effort. Until now.

So the lesson for me has been: if I really want something, I have to work for it.

I wonder what I can accomplish if I apply that to all aspects of my life….