Week 3 - Day 19

I'm now sitting at Week 3 - Day 19 and feeling really good.

The training is going really well. I had a CrossFit session on Tuesday that nearly killed me, but other than that, I'm really enjoying how things are progressing. I seem to be getting stronger. And definitely looking much less bloated.

Can't wait to try on those size 8 jeans on Sunday to see how I'm progressing!

Lorna Jane - A 'fattist'

I've never really taken much notice when it comes to women's gym gear. I mean, what the point? I train to get fit. I sweat. I grunt. There's nothing pretty about it at all.

But late last year I stumbled across some Lorna Jane gym gear that really inspired me. I mean, how awesome are these singlets?

Unfortunately, they're not as awesome as they may seem. Especially not according to Kim at allconsuming who labels Lorna Jane (or perhaps more-so her workout gear) 'fattist'. That's right. Kim claims that Lorna Jane, despite all her inspiring slogans, has forgotten about 'fat people' (her words not mine!).

Today, only days after reading Kim's post, I stumbled across a tweet from Lorna Jane herself boasting about the latest Lorna Jane Active photo shoot. Check it out.

I couldn't help myself. I had to tweet back.

Perhaps I'm missing the point here. Perhaps that gorgeous model was chosen by Lorna Jane to inspire women to get out their boxing gloves and get fit. Perhaps.

But that doesn't help Kim or I. I look at that picture and I don't feel inspired. I feel alienated. I feel intimated. And I feel bad about myself. The honest truth is that a women of my size, a size 12 or 14 that is, with the extra curves here and there, would be unlikely to have been chosen for that photo shoot.

As I stand on my pedestal I think back to those size 8 jeans and I realise how misguided my intentions are. I am fit. I am strong. I am healthy. So when exactly did that stop being enough?

Week 2 - Day 1

I was very excited about today's CrossFit workout.

1 RM back squat

I've been smashing the back squats lately and I was hoping to smash my last 1RM of 62.5kg on 29 January 2012.

Unfortunately I ran out of time and only ended up lifting 65kg. I walked away from this guttered because I knew I could have gone to at least 70kg!

We finished off the work out with:

42 Wall ball shots @ 9kg(6kg)
21 Pull-ups
Run 200 meters
30 Wall ball shots
15 Pull-ups
Run 200 meters
18 Wall ball shots
9 Pull-ups
Run 200 meters

Don't remember my results for this workout but I was happy to just make it through the work out with a red band for pull-ups.  Wall ball shots need some serious work however!

Week 1 - Day 7

Today marked the end of week 1.

And it took every bit of energy to drag myself out of bed in the morning to do today's workout.
Was happy to just tick it off.

Warm up pace for 10 mins then gently build to a level that is moderately uncomfortable. 

Hold this pace for 10 mins then reduce to your warm up pace again for 5 mins then build again to moderately uncomfortable for 10 mins. 

Cool down for 5 mins.

Week 1 - Day 6

Today was supposed to be a rest day but I had to make up Thursday's missed session.

So after a big breakfast (bad, bad idea!) I put the lead on Lilly and stepped out in the rain for my hill runs.

15 minute warm up
5 x 45 second hill runs, recovering on the decline.

My legs felt like lead after yesterday's CrossFit session. Despite this workout requiring less than 4 minutes of work, I found it be very exhausting.

I came home wet and sore, but ultimately glad to tick off another session.

Week 1 - Day 5

Crossfit training day.

After a self-imposed rest day yesterday and plenty of sleep, I was feeling great about today's workout. That's not to say that I wasn't experiencing some severe anxiety. 7 rounds? That's 70 wall balls. 105 kettlebell swings!

And it was every bit horrendous as I had imagined!


Front Squat
Find your your 1RM
(50kg - had two attempts at 55kg but failed both)

Then…
7 rounds for time of:
1 Rope climb
10 Wall ball shots @ 9kg(6kg)
15 Kettle bell swings @ 24kg(16kg)
20 Double unders

(14:50, 3 x strict pull + 3 x tucks, 4kg wall balls, 12kg kettle bell swings, 60 single skips)

Week 1 - Day 4

Today's session was hill runs. 5 x 45 second hill runs with recovery on the decline. A short sharp session, high in intensity.

Well, it didn't happen. The only thing high in intensity for me today was the throbbing of my head. After three 12 hour days at work, coupled with the 5.30am start, I was totally beat!

So folks, I've had to reschedule the hill runs for Saturday (also known as rest day). Nothing wrong with that right?

Week 1 - Day 3 - REST DAY!

Rest day. No working out today which means that today it is all about the cake. That's right. Cake.

So I turned up to cake school (first day back after the term break) with my shiny new cake kit. Husband bought it for me yesterday - and let's just say that it 'turned-heads'. It truly is epic. Check it out.

He's a real keeper (....and I'm not just talking about the cake kit!).

Oh and while we're on the topic of cake, here are the baby cake creations from today.

I do love a good rest day.

Week 1 - Day 2

Had a terrible day today. Up at 5.35am. At work at 6.30am. Crossfit at 6pm.

Nothing about today was desirable.

But it's a long road to the half-marathon and if I'm making excuses to skip training at day 2 - there's just about no hope of making it to race day.

Crossfit today was:

Deadlift
2-2-2 @ 95%
(72.5kg x 3 - only made it to 91% of my 80kg 1RM but I'm only now beginning to feel like I'm regaining my strength)

Weighted Push-up
3-3-3
(body weight x 3, pretty easy, should've done weighted!)

Then…

For time:
Row 500 meters
Then complete 3 rounds of:
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
15 Kettle bell swing @ 24kg(16kg)
Then run 400 meters to finish
(13 minutes, using 12kg kettle band and red band - finally getting the kipping motion back so hopefully I can progress to an orange band soon)

Luckily it was a 3-rounder. I don't think, mentally, that I could have endured a chipper today. Not today.