Fall 2012 Sweataway Day 3, Part 1 (Mount Rainier)

After another glorious day of not waking up to an alarm, we made the most of our remaining hours at Almost Paradise.  Breakfast included leftovers of the killer salad from the night before (if you're new, yes, we almost always have salad for breakfast), along with eggs, bacon, and my new fave morning drink, carrot juice mixed with tangerine juice (both from Trader Joe's).

We watched a little Castle after breakfast and then packed up our gear.  One thing Jared really wanted to do on our trip was take a trail run...on Mount Rainier!

The view on the way

  

Getting closer!

Jared had looked around online for some good suggested trails to take.  I was a little iffy on the idea of a run...my last non-CrossFit run was the Portland Rock'N'Roll Half Marathon 3 months ago, which was not a positive experience for me (think blisters, knee problems, and crying on the course).  CrossFit claims to prepare you for anything, though, so I figured if it was important to Jared, I'd be a sport and give it a shot!

We pulled into one of the "Paradise" parking lots at a trailhead.  Jared was hoping to try the Skyline trail.

We wanted to avoid getting lost, so we hit up the visitor center to see about getting a trail map.

We got some good advice (apparently the trails are quite well marked) and a map.  Jared agreed to switch trails since I really didn't think I could handle 5.5 miles and 1700 feet of elevation gain.

We opted for the Dead Horse Creek Trail - only about 2.25 miles and 400 feet elevation gain. 

About 30 seconds into the run, I was wheezing like an asthmatic kid.  Jared reminded me as I gasped along that we were already very high up and so the altitude would take a toll.  He also said, and I quote, "We're getting all 400 feet of elevation right now.  I promise."

Psych.

Chipmunk!

Totally worth the effort.  Our run turned into a walk/run/stop for breath and photos.  Some other tourists pointed out commotion on the mountain that we took for an avalanche.

View looking back down

Jared ended up far ahead and had to wait for me...a lot.

SO glad we didn't take this route!

Snow!!!

Eventually, we made it to the top of our loop!  I actually had a really good time and was amazed at how well my legs held up even though my lungs were dying.  Plus this guy makes anything fun. 

Running down was actually harder on my legs since you've got some pretty steep areas and not a lot of flat in between.  I thought we'd be way faster on the descent, but we had to take it easy on our knees.

All in all, the trip took us about 55 minutes.  Usually I could do 2 miles or so in about 20 minutes...altitude's a killer!  We made sure to stretch out a little at the bottom and have some snacks before our journey home. 

Obviously an hour long trail run isn't enough workout for Team Matson on vacation, though...so stay tuned for our visit that evening to CrossFit Amped!


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Fall 2012 Sweataway: Day 2 (REVIEW: Graham CrossFit)

After a great first evening in Almost Paradise, we spent the first part of day 2 doing some really important things, like sleeping, eating, and chilling. 

We started by waking up without an alarm.  Usually our Mondays begin at 4:15am, so this was a huge win.

Breakfast was a fun twist on our usual salad and eggs:

We mix the tangerine and carrot juice for extra vitamins and flavor and less sugar.  When I was a kid I had a book about baby animals who had a sleepover party and wokeup to watch the sunrise.  They ate muffins and drank carrot juice, and so now I'm a fan.  Leftover frittata cannot be beat, folks.  And yes, we did bring along our gummy vites.  We're pretty much five years old at heart.

We weren't sure what to expect of the provided breakfast, and I think for us health nut freaks, it was good that we brought our own.  Here's a peek at the basket in case you are interested, though!

We followed up breakfast with me doing some dishes - amazing how even that can be fun on a trip like this.  Then we lazed around reading for a couple hours.  Jared let me borrow a book he's been studying called A Praying Life.  It had a great chapter on prayer and anxiety, and I got so hooked I went back to the beginning and intend to read the whole thing.  Seriously, if you love Jesus and feel like when you start praying, ten seconds later you are thinking about something else and then you feel guilty and finally give up altogether because "I'm really not good at praying," this book is for you (and me).

Finally lunch time rolled around and Jared put together some wraps and baby carrots for us.  Amazing how much cheese elevates a lettuce wrap!

We ate while rewatching some of the first season of Castle.

Eventually, it got to be time to get ready to head out for our "field trip" to Graham CrossFit!

When planning our trip, I had used the ol' Google to find CrossFit boxes in the area.  Apparently NOTHING is "in the area" when it comes to Ashford and Paradise, so I adjusted my expectations to anything within an hour or so of our place.  After looking at a couple different boxes, I was really impressed with Graham, particularly since the website talked about how excited they were to have visitors!

Jared emailed Diana (one of the coaches at Graham) to ask about programming and whether we could come by for a visit.  Jared is currently doing the Invictus programming (which I like to call CrossFit on Steroids) and wanted to be sure that whatever box we visited wouldn't mind his continuing with his scheduled workout in their space.  Diana was incredibly gracious and invited us to come by for either a class or simply to use the box for our own workouts.  I decided to take the Monday 4pm class, but we decided to go early at about 3:30 to have time to fill out any necessary paperwork and meet Diana and get a look at the box.

We packed up some snacks, and I ended up grabbing the milk from our untouched breakfast basket.  I'd left my blender bottle at home and wanted an easy post-WOD protein.

En route, we continued listening to our book on CD (so doesn't sound as cool as book on tape): Clive Cussler's "Lost Empire."  If you like light-hearted action/adventure, I highly recommend this tale of a husband and wife treasure hunting team (complete with diving in Africa, Aztec lore, and a lost Civil War battleship).

The trip went by quickly and we made it to Graham CrossFit with no trouble finding the box.

Graham meets in a large warehouse, which to us Mercer Island kids is basically enormous.

Benchmark WODs!

(I especially loved the pullup bars because the short ones were short enough for 5'2" me to actually jump up and easily grab hold!) 

We got to meet Diana and another coach, Martha (she coachs CF Kids - check out her blog!) and filled out our paperwork.  It was one of my first visits to a new box; previously I had only been to MICF and Stoneway CrossFit.  I love that CrossFit feels like a family, and going to Graham was like visiting cousins!  Diana, Martha, and everyone at the box was SO welcoming.  People came up to me before class started to introduce themselves and make sure I felt at home.  I even met a gal whose brother just started Western Pacific CrossFit in Kirkland, so that's on my list to visit in October!

Jared getting his Invictus on

The 4pm WOD

We started the class right on time, with about 16 students including me.  Our warmup consisted of line drills (reminded me of doing track as a kid) and some intense quad/hip flexor stretching.  Then we partnered up to work on clean and jerks.  At first, I was surprised Diana had us partner up because clearly Graham had enough space and equipment for everyone to have their own bar.  Later I realized it allowed us to take turns so that Diana could watch everyone's form to make sure we all nailed the lift safely. 

I ended up not going very heavy on this one, since I'd just done Grace at MICF a few days before and my shoulder was kinda bothering me.  It was perfect, since my partner didn't plan to go too heavy, either.  Sometimes it's nice to not have a weight goal and just focus on form.

After the lifting, I asked Coach Diana if I could substitute a different movement for the hang clean & jerks in the WOD.  She suggested kettlebell goblet squats.  I went and got a #35 and set up my 20" box near a short pullup bar.  It was kinda fun to have my own little space for the WOD!

It was great to be doing a Hero WOD as always - makes you take time to think about the men and women who give their lives for this country so that we can do things like working out in safety.  I love that CrossFit honors sacrifices like this and doesn't let us take them for granted!

I made it through four fulls rounds plus the goblet squats and a few box jumps.  I was beat but really proud of myself for not freaking out about the box jumps.  I've taken a spill or two recently, but this time when I tripped, I caught myself and took a deep breath and kept going safely. 

(Some tips from coaches that have helped: Find one spot on the box itself and look right at it every time you jump.  Imagine the box is four inches higher - jump high enough to clear that and you'll nail the box you really have.  Don't try to exntend your hips until after you land; otherwise you risk catching your toe on the box.)

After we finished, Diana got a group photo for us!

We had such a good time that it was hard to leave....Jared wanted to play around on the rings.

There were some really cute shirts (we like to represent great places), but they were sold out of my size.  Sounds like they got another order in this week, so we are thinking of heading down for another visit!

A few other things of note for anyone interested in Graham CrossFit:

• Price point is VERY reasonable.  Special deals if you are a student, in the military, or serving in emergency (e.g. firefighter).
• Class times are varied and convenient.
• Like most boxes, Graham offers intro-level classes, so if you are thinking of checking it out but feel like CrossFit is too intimidating, hit up one of these and you won't feel too far out of your comfort zone!

Honestly, we have nothing but good to say about this place (and we're picky)!  If you ever get a chance, swing by and pay them a visit - you'll get a warm welcome and a killer workout!

We stopped on the way "home" to get gas so we wouldn't have to worry about it anymore on the trip.  Here's Team Matson post-WOD...Jared with compression gear and Meghan with protein!!!

Dinner plan for Monday night?  Salad and seafood from the zest cookbook!

Toasting pistachios for the salad

It was HUGE

Shrimp and scallops and awesomeness

We such a relaxing evening, including a trip to our sauna pre dinner.

Aahh...heaven for the fitness nerds on vacation. 


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Hey, Mr. Grumpy Pants

Well, I guess that's MRS. Grumpy Pants to you!

I am now halfway done with our Paleo challenge (which ends the night of 9/2).

I've been very consistent - no cheats so far...and also very whiny.  Maybe it's because I don't have any dairy or gluten intolerances or maybe it's because I rarely eat sugar or processed foods anyhow...but I haven't had the life-altering "wow I have so much energy and my workouts are great" feeling. 

On the contrary, I have been getting 8 or more hours of sleep every night but one, but I still feel more tired than I usually did before the challenge.  I've been very emotional and hormonal and my workouts at least the second week were worse instead of better.

But...the winner gets a prize...plus I know it's easier for Jared if we're both eating Paleo, so I'm not giving up just yet.  Only two weeks left!!!

Here's a recap of some bad and good from last week:

Monday (The Bad):

I fell during box jumps and seriously bruised my leg.  Today (a week later) it is less red and more green and purple.

Monday (The Good):

My walk to the bus from the box was gorgeous!

My medicine ball arrived!  I was like a little kid at Christmas, running around the office to tell/show everyone.  I'm gonna take this guy camping this weekend and make up a WOD to do!  (If you've got ideas, let me know!  No jumprope stuff, though.  I have one but it's made of actual rope and basically sucks.)

Tuesday (The Bad):

I felt like puking after the evening WOD...sometimes it helps if I have something to eat after...so I guzzled my protein shake and felt worse.  Oops.

Tuesday (The Good):

I RX'ed Helen!  They let me do "real" Helen (running instead of rowing) since I knew I had it in me to do the pullups.  The last time I tried an RX, it took me 20 minutes to get through 2 rounds.  And when I scaled Helen about a month ago, it took me 14:47 - so I'm now faster RXing than scaling. WOOHOO!!!

Wednesday (The Bad):

Work kinda sucked.  I spent the majority of the day fixing mistakes (mine and others'), and the system would not process my jobs for me.  I was in a MAJOR hurry to leave because I had a date with a really cute boy!

Wednesday (The UBER AMAZING GOOD):

This boy, in fact!

My best friend gave birth to her first, an absolutely perfect little guy!!!!

His name is Charlie.  Well, Charles, but I'm a sucker for nicknames and I refuse to call this dude Chuck.

Charlie with my mom

Charlie with his mom

And yes, she wore pearls in labor.  So classy!  Oh, and did I mention she had pre-made birthday cupcakes in honor of Charlie's real birth day?

Seriously, that was the hardest Paleo moment so far...I may just have to celebrate Charlie with some killer doughnuts or something in two weeks.  And sing to him.  Boy, this kid is a cutie!

Thursday (The Bad):

My major meltdown.  I don't know why, but these so often happen on Thursdays.  Apparently Thursday is my Monday.  I went out to lunch with my momma and even got Paleo approved food! 

But I forgot that club soda counts as a carbonated beverage for the challenge.  I was miffed that what is to me an excellent healthy alternative to soda was not acceptable to the Paleo gods.  Poop.

I had another long day at work, and then I went to play racquetball which shoulda made me feel better, but I felt all out of sorts and wiped out.  My game was just not "on" at all, and while usually I can play at least an hour hard core, I made it through three games (about 30 minutes) and could barely do a fourth!

Thursday (The Good):

My sweet dad prayed for me when he dropped me off after our match, but I still felt defeated and sick of feeling like crap while I'm supposedly doing something healthy.

I went inside the apartment and sat against the wall and blubbered away while I texted a dear friend for wisdom and support.  She's a gem...as is my husband, who came home, made me some food, and suggested we spend the evening watching Batman and Wonder Woman cartoons.

What?  It's not like I'm a total sucker for superheroes.  At all.

Thursday was a great reminder of how blessed I am to have so many people in my life to encourage me and point me to Christ when I am feeling overwhelmed, stupid, and helpless.

Friday (The Bad):

I was feeling stressed (what's new) about "missing" a workout.  I'd planned to tackle "Karen" on Thursday but my schedule didn't work out...plus I was so tired just playing racquetball that I thought it wouldn't be wise to have 150 wall balls as dessert.

I was hopeful that Friday evening's WOD would be a good one since I'd had two days off from CrossFit...but it was not to be.  I felt tired even during parts of the warmup (although Coach Jared had some good tips for me on my rope climbs - by which I mean rope-holds-for-dear-life-about-3-feet-off-the-ground).

I did pretty well on the strength - keeping my knees wide and really making sure to get low on the front squats.  But the WOD was something else.

From the first pull on the rower, I felt exhausted.  And of course, my mental trash talker leapt into action, telling me how much the five rounds would suck and how I'd probably have to give up.  I'd already scaled the power cleans to #75, and usually I'm pretty decent with power cleans.

But even in the first round, I could hardly link two or three at a time!!!

I even ended up using the purple band for pullups, which kinda crushed my spirit even more.  The high point of the WOD was the third round, when "Fake ID" came on and my mom and I started singing.  They never play my kind of music at the box (possibly because I'm into Sinatra, Elvis, and musical theatre?) so it was super energizing to have something I loved to workout to.  But after the song was over, I kinda plodded my way slowly to the end. 

Friday (The Good):

My drugstore.com order finally came!

I had ordered egg protein so we could be even more Paleo.

I was surprised at how little the container was...but apparently 1 scoop equals a serving, and our other protein powder needs 2 scoops to get the same amount of protein, so maybe it evens out.

I will warn you - we tried this stuff on Saturday and we both found it almost undrinkable (I mixed with water and Jared with almond milk).  I honestly almost gagged.  Sunday we put it into a smoothie with fruit and it was a lot more bearable.

And of course my favorite bars:

Weekend (one long piece of delightful):

I got a massage - the best I've had in my life.

I watched my dear friend Meghan (the blonde above) win trophies in her karate tournament (incidentally, she's the one who talked me off the ledge on Thursday).

I got to have some unexpected time in the gym with the hubby, who gave me pointers on my deadlift form.

We had date night and finally went to see The Dark Knight Rises.  I cried.

Jared did a buttload of chores and we got our fridge stocked and our apartment inhabitable.

We went to bed at 7pm last night.  Glory.


And now:

I am hanging in there with Paleo for yet another week...we will see how this goes. 

I am going to "deload" this week, which may help a lot.  For me, this means same number of workouts, but scaling everything.  The timing will be nice since the upcoming strenth session this Saturday is a deload as well.  It seems like that's what my body really needs right now - maybe it's not Paleo...maybe I'm just whupped and need to chill a little.


Well, thanks for hanging in there with me and all my happenings.  How was your week?