Get Pumped!

GirlTalk gets me pumped for LIFE! Seeing him in concert was awazing - Still one of the best dance parties EVER. UPDATE: The universe answered the call. Girl Talk is coming to Austin on 1/14 and I AM GOING. Get your tickets before they sell out!Check out this fan video made by super-intern turned marketing team member, Tyler (a.k.a. "Tater"). He's damn talented. I only hire the best, ya'll:



Go forth and conquer the weekend! Whomp! There it is..

Weekly Shuffle

Here's what's playing on my iPod this week:

Check it Out - will.i.am (feat Nicki Minaj)
California Gurls (Passion Pit Main Mix) - Katy Perry (feat Snoop Dogg)
No Love - Eminem (feat Lil' Wayne) - FREE WEEZY!
Drivin' Me Wild - Common (feat Lily Allen)
Make Her Say - Kid Cudi (feat Common, Kanye West, Lady Gaga)
Fancy - Drake, TI, Swizz Beatz
Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare - Matt & Kim
We Are All Made of Stars - Moby
Around the Way Girl - LL Cool J



Jams all week! That's how I'm rollin'.

Opportunity knocks...

Recently, I was given the opportunity to participate in CrossFit Central's Coaches mentoring program where I'll learn what it takes to be a great coach and leader by the folks who know it best. I knew I had to jump at the chance...and here I am in my 5th week with CFC's Relentless Bootcamp.

As you may expect, I am absolutely loving it! It's been great to see the nuts and bolts of such a successful operation, and get an insider's look at what coaching is really about. I've been doing a lot of listening, watching, and note-taking during class, and reading outside of class. I feel like a sponge soaking up as much as I can! I believe the best way to learn something is to emmerse yourself in it and, I've taken the plunge! Here's just a taste of what I've been up to:

The first 2 weeks of shadowing were spent with with Coach Megan at Deep Eddy for T/TH 5:30 & 6:30 AM bootcamps. Both classes are full of rockstars; several of whom have been featured as Success Stories at Central. A few of whom I know quite well! It was awesome to see Megan and the bootcampers in action. They have so much energy for being up before the sun.

The last 2 weeks I was with Coach Heather at LCRA bootcamp M/W/Th 6:30 PM. This is the bootcamp that started it all for me (when I first met Coach Zach and began my journey into CrossFit over 3 years ago). I was able to program a few workouts and lead the group in the warmups in addition to correcting form and motivating the clients during the workout. 

LCRA 6:30 pm Bootcampers kickin' butt!

This week, I'll be moving into assisting Megan with the T/TH 5:30 AM Deep Eddy and M/W 6:15 PM Little Stacy park classes. I'll get to take on more of an active role with coaching for the next few weeks. Should be a lot of fun and of course, hard work. Bring it on!

I'm grateful for everything I've learned so far and for the opportunity to push myself in a new direction. I can't wait to see where it goes from here...

On a related note, I'm getting my CrossFit Level 1 Certification on Dec 4-5 at Alamo CrossFit, in San Antonio, TX. I'm super-duper excited!!  

Challenge updates

10 in 21 Challenge:
This was tough! The Master Food list was limiting and I got pretty bored with spinach, broccoli, and asparagus as my only green veggies. The meal replacement shakes were gross and the lack of healthy fats left me lacking a bit of energy. I did get back on schedule with eating smaller meals every 3 hours, and back into the habit of drinking a lot of water throughout the day. My goal was to lose 10 lbs in 21 days and with only a few cheats, I managed to lose 5lbs. I'll keep this in my arsenal to use again in the future if I need a quick fix. I'm definitely happy to be back to eating Paleo and enjoying my favorites like kale, eggs, salsa, grass-fed beef, and healthy fats. Oh how I missed coconut oil and coconut butter. Mmmmm...

100 Day Burpee Challenge:
I'm kicking myself now for underestimating how tough this one would be. Not because of the burpees themselves, but rather finding the time and energy to do them EVERY DAY. Dang! I was going strong until 40, then I really started slacking. After missing 2 days, I had to start reevaluating my commitment to this challenge. Ultimately, I decided I'd go to 50 and call it. I'll be posting the video of my 50 burpess this weekend. Although I won't be moving forward with the challenge, I will incorporate burpees into my weekly routine. I have gained a lot of strength in my triceps from pushing myself off the ground, and have been able to complete the sets unbroken - which for me is as much mental as it is physical. So, this is progress indeed. To all of you who are still participating - I'll be cheering you on all the way to 100! Best of luck. 

Fight Gone Bad:
This was hands down, the TOUGHEST CROSSFIT WOD I've ever done. Period. The 2 rounds we practice in class do nothing to prepare you. I went into it thinking that based on my 2 round max score of 187 (completed in the early spring), it would be possible for me to get to 300 following a basic strategy of hitting a set number of reps at each excerise for each round. Here's how it went:

Round 1: Started off strong! Hit my goal of 25 reps on wall ball and push press, but SDHP and box jumps gave me some trouble. Only ended up with 20 box jumps and 18 SDHP. Got my typical 12 calories on the row and ended up with 100 for the round. 

Ok, so just keep that same rep count for the next 2 rounds and I got it, right?! 

Round 2:  Started off strong again with wall balls, but only got 20 reps in time. SDHP and box jumps got hella tough - I had to rest more than I wanted and got further behind. Push press was my only hope to catch up. Unfortunately, I used so much shoulder in the SDHP and row from previous rounds, I totally failed after 18 reps. Leaving me with a final round score of 76. Booo!

I want to quit.

Round 3: At this point, I didn't know if I could continue. I was already mentally beaten from Round 2. I managed to get double digits on each movement, but I'm ashamed that I couldnt get more than 15 reps on wall ball, which usually saves me. I completely failed at SDHP, Push Press, and the row, managing to get only 10 reps/cal for each. As soon as "time" was called, I collapsed onto the turf. Dead.

I ended up with a final score of 234 and got to enjoy post-workout recovery margaritas with fellow participants:

Although I muttered that 'I never want to do that again', I'm already strategizing for next year. My desire to hit 300 outweighs the pain. Clearly I need to work on SDHP and maintaining my endurance throughout the 15 minute WOD. I will be better prepared and stronger next year. I'm happy with my score, especially since it was my first time doing FGB as Rx'd. Consider this my benchmark.

More news to come soon...Cheers!