Moving Blog

Hope you have all enjoyed my fitness antics... I will not be stopping, just merging my blogs. One blog to maintain is easier than two.

You will continue to find my fitness journey details and all the other crazy things I do here:

http://www.havefuncreating.com

Hope to see you there.

I am one ToughMudder

After a long wait, Tough Mudder came, the long awaited day.

I am proud to say that my team and I completed the course. We did it in 4 hours.

I have to confess that the last 2 ish miles I had to walk. I had an incredibly sharp pain that went through my left knee every time I tried to carry on running. Yes, I could have gone to the first aider but I was sure he/she would have said I had to stop the challenge and that was not going to happen. Therefore I decided to walk the rest, I still did every obstacle, and when I could I would jog a bit before the pain came back to my knee.

Oh yes, there was a lot of mud and it was great fun. My team consisting on Josh, Simon, John and boyfriend Richard was perfect. We had such a laugh, and that is what is key when doing one of these challenges. When you go with friends, or make friends on the journey, or even acquaintances, the important factor is making sure you are enjoying it. Yes it is hard and testing, however, the journey is just as important as the finish line.

Will I do it again? Oh yes, I will do. I already started planning the challenges for next year, which include climbing Ben Nevis, doing Spartan race (all three of them) and doing the Bear Grylls race.

And here are the photos!

And to my team, all I have to say... GoPro & Pork Pie

And after Fran there was Barbara

Oh yes, another lady WOD. This time we had Barbara.

We are now starting a new 6 week period of strengthening programme at my box (CrossFit gym). To start the programme we all had to do Barbara, a WOD we will repeat towards the end of the six week period and see how much we have improved.

My pull-ups are jumping from a box and my push-ups are on the knees (girly ones). I hope to at least move to proper push-ups towards the end. The sit-ups were not that bad since I have been doing extra every time I have been to the box, so I managed to go through them rather well. My time? 37min 28sec...

Body is feeling rather good, still a lot to improve and as long as I keep going, keep sweating and keep trying harder I shall see results in time.

ToughMudder, here I come!

The dear old Fran

For those of you who do not know, CrossFit has some tough workouts that have girl names to them. Why? Well, as Coach Glassman, the founder and President of CrossFit explained it. “I want to explain the workout once and then give it a name.  I thought that anything that left you flat on your back, looking up at the sky asking ‘what just happened to me?’ deserved a females name.  Workouts are just like storms, they wreak havoc on towns.”  

Today we did FRAN, a combination of Thrusters (lifting weights) and Pull Ups. I have to say I am rather pleased with myself. I am yet to be able to do a proper Pull Up, so I use the scaled down technique, where you do a tiny jump to help you get the chin over the bar. However, I managed to do my Thrusters with the 30kg weight as it was written on the board! I completed it in 7 minutes.

Image above taken from here.

More information about the other girls can also be found here.

I am getting stronger and it is only a matter of time before I can do a pull-up.

In other news, I am now running over 5km, 6.3km last time. This week I want to achieve a 10km. Time is closing in for Tough Mudder!

Squatting too much, or am I?

Over the last few weeks we have had a new coach writing the WODs at my local CrossFit box. There has been an awful lot of wallballs, box jumps and burpees (Thanks Sean)... Not even mentioning all the other stuff in between. The WODs have been quite long as well. I must say I have struggled to finish them and one of them I was ready to give up, but I didn't... You NEVER give up in CrossFit.

This week I have been twice to the box and I can tell you I have done a total of 150 wallballs (14lb), 100 burpees, 60 box jumps, 60 front squats (25kg), 80 knee raises, 25 deadlifts (55kg) and the strength section of the workout, which usually involves lifting heavy weights... I did also do an extra 100 butterfly sit ups, which was not on the board, but it is something I am trying to improve (my abdominals).

So you can imagine that even doing an air squat at the moment is painful.

Today, instead of going to the box, I decided to go for a run, see how long I could last running. Not sure if it is because I had a hearty lunch, or because I was itching to get out there... I managed to run 5.9km non-stop. Done in 44min 41sec (yes I am slow, but at least I did it without stopping!)... After weeks of struggling to run again, at last, back to where I was a few months ago.

However, I must say thanks to Sean. His incredibly long and hard WODs leave me out of breath and the feeling that I have done something incredibly hard. And I put my good run of today due to the training I've been getting at my local CrossFit.

I will be out running again tomorrow morning... after all, there are only 4 weeks left to Tough Mudder!

The excitement of new trainers

Oh yes, I am a girl and I like shoes. I like good shoes and nothing better when the parcel arrives through my door.

I have to say I never before got so excited over a new pair of trainers. Oh yes, these ones are Reebok CrossFit Nano 5 trainers! I have been waiting for them to stock my size in the colour I wanted and a last they have arrived!

Also, I am back on form training almost every day. Last night I visited my local 'normal' gym for the first time. Have to say it is strange to see so many mirrors, not sure I like that. In the fun side, I saw an awful lot of young lads (and a few older gentlemen) doing an awful lot of upper body weights... they all had very skinny legs. That does look weird.

I shall visit that gym again, since it is the only thing I have nearby that I can attend. My CrossFit box is 35minute drive away, but worth every mile...

Slacking on the exercise front

Yes, I have been slacking on the exercise front...

Recent changes to my working life means that I have no CrossFit gym next to my work. If I want to attend the box I have to drive back to where I used to work. I suppose for the following 2 months I can do this at least once a week.

In September I start full time education and I shall be attending a new box. Until then I must try and get out there to do more exercise...

However, so far...

I was away camping with friends for a week which was lovely and great fun. Lots of drink, food and no exercise for a week.

Following that I came home and my body decided to punish me for the fun that I had, so a nasty cold has taken over.  Again, no exercise so far...

I am much better now and I hope to go running this weekend... and I might even make it to CrossFit too!

When one is not working is so easy to be lazy and slack on the exercise front... for now, off to make a cup of coffee.