Brie Fit

Sunday was a rough day so I didn’t blog.  We went to church, and I was hoping to find comfort.

Instead, I made it 15 minutes before I lost it.  All-out ugly crying.  And I’m pretty sure childless adults are not what the cry room is intended for, so I looked at Tim, whispered, "I can’t do this," and we left.

The sermon was about Ecclesiastes, and how there are times for everything in life.  As soon as the pastor read, "a time to be born and a time to die," that was it. 

(Via Pinterest.)

If anything will make you struggle with your faith, it’s a miscarriage.  Trust.  One thing that’s been helping me lately has been trying to frame things as, "God, look what happened to us, please comfort me," rather than "God, why did you do this to us?"  The operative word is trying, anyway.  It was hard to hear those words in church and say, “Why wasn’t this our time?”

I hope church gets easier, because I felt like a royal idiot running out in tears.

Anyway, today was another day at work.  No crying, just an ache deep in my chest that takes my breath away from time to time.  A simple “hey, how are you?” makes my stomach flip-flop as I grit my teeth, smile, and say, “Oh, fine.”  Pregnancy announcements feel like a stab in the gut.   My Facebook news feed seems full of ultrasound pictures (that contain actual babies, not empty sacs like mine).  It’s rough.

I didn’t make it up for CrossFit this morning.  I’ve been having a lot of trouble sleeping since the miscarriage, and it was about 1 am when I finally closed my eyes, and the 5 am alarm clock just wasn’t going to happen.

Tomorrow.  It will.  Hold me accountable.  I need to throw around some weights in anger.  I think it will help.

In other happy news (not), our house failed the radon inspection, so who knows what’s going to happen on that front.  I can’t bear to lose this house, too, so please hope the sellers are not dickbags and will mitigate before closing.

In an attempt to eat the rest of our food before we move, I’ve compiled a list of meals we can make with the contents of our freezer and pantry.  I get a little obsessive about eating down our food stores before we leave, so we’re going to be eating some random meals for the next three weeks.
Tonight was ugly salsa chicken night.  Looks bad, tastes amazing.

I failed at making rice to go with it (we were almost out, I tried mixing it with quinoa, it didn’t work and our mortgage guy will be here in an hour) so we’re eating it nacho-style over chips.

It’s rainy and dark today.  The onset of Daylight Savings darkness is not helping my mood.

One foot in front of the other, folks. 

Confession #1: I didn’t make it to CrossFit this morning.  I didn’t sleep well last night and got maybe a solid four hours.  I chose an extra two hours of sleep over a workout today and I don’t regret it!

Confession #2: I don’t really like Halloween.  I hate pumpkin and things that are scary.  I like the candy, but I don’t really NEED it, you know?

Confession #3: I like chain restaurants. 

Last week I was thinking about how long it had been since I’d been to a Cracker Barrel, and immediately I wanted chicken and dumplings.

So, I tried out this crockpot chicken and dumplings recipe today.  I used the allegedly healthier versions of the cream of chicken soup, cut the butter, and added a bag of baby carrots and corn to bulk it up a little bit.  And it was pretty good!  Not exactly low sodium, but delicious.  It was perfect alongside my homemade applesauce (which is already gone).

Confession #4: I didn’t get Columbus Day off and I’m grumpy about it.

Confession #5: We met with a realtor yesterday and I totally don’t feel old enough to buy a house. 

What are your confessions?

This morning’s CrossFit WOD had some sort of symbolism to it.  It was loosely based on this WOD from CrossFit Springfield and was called “Lady Liberty.”  But at 5:30 am, I’m not really primed to absorb deep themes, so I just did the workout.

My partner and I had to complete the following.  I was a little nervous when they announced a 40 minute time limit.

• 4000m run (we each did 2000m, or 5 laps of the parking lot)
• 229 box jumps (I did 139, she did 90)
• 125 pull-ups (I did 60, she did 65)
• 450 squats OR sit-ups (I did 250 squats, she did 200 squats/sit-ups combined)

We finished first in the class at 28:45.  I like working with a partner, especially when that partner is also female and we beat all the boys in the class.

This is kind of how I felt today because I didn’t sleep well last night.

I also made a really ugly dinner that was pretty delicious.

I used fat free cream cheese and it didn’t really blend well, but tasted just fine.  A bit salty, but…man, I love the crockpot.

I’m due for an early bedtime tonight!  Happy Monday!

Somebody has a case of the Mondays today.  It’s me.

I overslept my alarm and barely made it to CrossFit before the warm-up started.  Since some of you were wondering about the breakdown of the whole workout (to the best of my memory, guys, it’s early)…

Warm up:

• Jogging (up and down the alley, not sure of the distance, smells like garbage)
• Down the length of the building, jog back:
• Walking lunges
• Side lunges (one lap per side)
• Low skipping
• High skipping
• 2X through:
• 20 squats
• 20 push-ups
• 20 medicine ball sit-ups

Skills: Reviewed form on thrusters and modifications for pull-ups

WOD “Fran”:

21-15-9 reps of:

• Thrusters (Rx was 65 lbs, I did 45)
• Pull-ups (still in a green band, boo, but I can feel them getting a bit easier)

I finished in 7:37.  It was one of the slower times in the class, but I was lifting heavier than the rest of the women, too, so…whatever.  I just wasn’t feeling it today.

Extra credit:

With a partner, while one partner did the ab work, the other was running a lap, and then you tagged each other out:

• Planks
• Bicycle Crunches
• V-sit
• Flutter kicks
• Jumping jacks

Then we stretched and cooled down. 

It was just one of those days where it was HARD.  It was fun, but I just didn’t feel strong today.  I suppose you win some, you lose some.

In more exciting news, one of my favorite fall treats has arrived:

Dinner was a mixed bag.

I made some crockpot potato soup, but I really didn’t like it so I won’t share the recipe.  I also made some easy oatmeal wheat quick bread, which WAS quite good so here’s the link for that recipe.  I can’t get enough soup lately!

Tomorrow I go back on the road for a few days (nowhere exciting, don’t worry).  I’ll have time to CrossFit in the morning before I peace out in my tiny mint green Fiat rental car. 

How was your Monday on a scale of 1-10, 1 being awful, 10 being awesome?

One of my favorite things about CrossFit is how simple it can be.

Today’s WOD: do 500 walking lunges.  Every two minutes, do 10 push-ups.  Time yourself.

Deceptively simple, but you’d better believe it was a killer.  I finished in 20:18, good for first in the class, thanks to my ginormous running quads and their stamina.

We also had an extra long “warm-up” today.  3 rounds of:

• 10 pull-ups
• 10 dips
• 10 sit-ups
• 10 good mornings
• 10 overhead squats

And then we took 5 minutes to practice our weaknesses.  I decided mine was push-ups—I really want to be able to do push-ups perfectly on my toes, but right now, I can do them on my knees, or kind of belly-flop on my toes.  I’m pretty close, I think, so it was nice to get a chance to work on it.

Anyway, 500 walking lunges will make your hips ache with the fire of a thousand suns.  FYI.

Soup week continued today with crockpot chicken enchilada soup. 

Just as delicious as I remembered.

What’s your favorite kind of soup?

It’s been a few days since I’ve foodcasted, so to speak, so here goes!

We woke up reasonably early and had breakfast before church.  I’ve been into smoothies lately, so I made one with frozen strawberries, blueberries, peaches, yogurt, and milk, with a Babybel on the side!

After church, I made lunch!

(one egg + one slice bacon + goat cheese on a multi-grain English muff, sliced apple with almond butter + Nutella for dipping)

It’s been chilly and dreary and rainy here today, so we spent most of the afternoon relaxing around the house.  I did several loads of laundry.  Milhouse snoozed.  A lot.

I did manage to make it to Sephora to purchase an eyeliner brush and brush cleaner, and got a 500 point gift filled with skincare samples to try.

And I snacked on some cherries and a square of this Ghirardelli chocolate, which I received from Foodbuzz as part of their Tastemaker program.

This Sea Salt Soiree stuff is off the hook.  Between the two of us, um, this bag is almost gone after just a few days!  I love sweet and savory together and this stuff is delish.

For dinner, I decided to embrace the soup weather:

I found this crockpot creamy chicken with wild rice soup recipe on Pinterest and knew it would be perfect.  I made some homemade whole wheat bread to have on the side, along with a spinach salad.  It hit the spot on such a chilly fall day!

Are you watching the Emmys?  Who are you rooting for?

I think I’m officially converted to morning workouts.  Yes, it’s rough getting out of bed in the morning, and I kind of want to die during the warm-up, but once I’m loosened up and the music gets going, I’m a happy camper.

Plus?  It’s kind of like a dream.  By the time 4 pm rolls around at work, I’m like, “Oh yeaaah…I did that already, sweet.”

Today’s WOD:

AMRAP for 25 minutes:

• 5 pull-ups
• 10 burpees
• 15 box jumps
• 5 tire sledgehammers
• 200m (-ish) sprint run

I completed ALMOST 6 full rounds.  The timer stopped when I was halfway through my final sprint.  So, I’m counting it as 5.8 rounds.

This WOD was pretty killer and I felt like I was running through molasses the whole time.  But, my reps were right up there with everyone else in the class, so I guess I wasn’t quite as slow as I thought.

I am really enjoying the general camaraderie at CrossFit, too.  I feel like I am getting know a lot of the people that work out the same times, and we all joke around and encourage each other and help each other when needed.  It’s cheesy, but we don’t have many friends here in Kansas City, so it’s nice to interact with other people our age, you know?

I was able to have a more leisurely morning since I was on a slightly different work schedule today, which was nice.  I went home, showered, and made a nice smoothie for breakfast—frozen strawberries and blueberries, pineapple, Greek yogurt and a little milk.  With a side of cheese, of course.

Lunch was at the work event and was…sparse.  It was a pretty nasty taco bar.  I had some rice and chicken and chips and salsa, but it was pretty paltry.

Anyway, I worked until about 3:30 and then was done.  Score!

Naturally, I went home and took a short nap.  Ha.

For dinner, I started with a small spinach salad…

…and then we had crockpot shredded beef (cooked a London broil in beef stock with 3 or 4 garlic cloves and a few splashes of soy sauce) and sweet potato fries.

What’s your favorite smoothie combo?

Happy Labor Day!  We are obviously not laboring today, which is quite nice. Tim’s new job starts tomorrow and we’re both pretty excited.

Anyway, I’m going to start this post off with something of a conundrum that I need your help with.

I just don’t like running anymore.  I’ve talked a bit before about how I have major fitness ADD.  Specifically, here is a list of things I’ve really gone bananas for since I’ve started being a Fit Person.

• June 2008-August 2008: Workout DVDs
• September 2008-December 2008: Running
• January 2009-May 2009: New Rules of Lifting for Women
• June 2009-October 2009: BodyPump/kickboxing/yoga classes
• October 2009-April 2011: Running
• April 2011-August 2011: Swimming
• August 2011-Present: CrossFit

I just tend to get really into things, and eventually drift away from them to explore something new.  And that’s okay!  (At least, I think it is.)  As long as I’m moving and active, I am thrilled. 

But..back in February, I registered for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon on October 15th.  And since then, I literally can barely make myself run more than 4 miles at a stretch.  My longest run since April has been 5 miles.  I just don’t enjoy the long runs very much these days—I’d rather be doing CrossFit or a short, fast run.

Anyway, I’ve paid for this race and booked a plane ticket and my sister’s going with me.  It wasn’t cheap.  I feel like that should be motivation enough, but it’s not working.

So.  What do I do?  I see my options as follows:

• Suck it up once or twice and attempt to finish training since I have a good running base.  I could feasibly do long runs of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 miles the next few weeks before the race.  Hope that the crazy hills in this race don’t kill me. Run the whole thing.
• Write it off as a fun adventure.  Run what you can, walk up the big hills, don’t worry about your time.

Not attempting it is NOT an option, but I guess I just don’t know how to approach it. I feel obligated to give it a good shot, but part of me just wants to say “what the hell?” and really ENJOY a race without feeling like a failure for walking some of it.  Though I’m not sure that’s in my DNA.

Anyway, this morning I did this:

And then this:

(Super duper hill run.  I actually finished 3 miles in 35:00 flat, but didn’t stop my Garmin while I walked a bit to cool down.  I hated pretty much every step of it.)

Southie and Buckley are angry that we’re cracking down on strict mealtimes lately.  Doesn’t she look surly?

Then there was lunch (egg+white, bacon, homemade bread that didn’t freaking rise, cherries):

Then I took my husband shopping for his first day of work and ended up buying more than he did.  Whoops.

Pulled pork in the crockpot + corn on the cob for dinner:

Plan for tomorrow is to hit up 5:30 CrossFit again. 

PS: I’m selling one of my lululemon jackets on eBay at a discount here.  I love love love how it looks, but on second thought, the fit just wasn’t quite right on me and I’d like to get a different style!  Check it out.

What do I do?  Force myself to suck it up and train, or just have fun and wing it on race day?

The smell of new crayons is in the air, no?

It’s back-to-school time ‘round these parts, and I’m throwing elbows to get to the copier.  It’s not pretty.

But, I have to say, my inner nerd just loves it.  The excitement of a new year.  The first day of class nerves.  The cooler weather.  The new haircuts, and sharpened pencils, and the lectures on attendance and ideals and ethics.  They make me all a-twitter.

Anyway, it also means my work week is crazy this week.  It also means the “don’t eat anything you didn’t bring in the door with you” is temporarily suspended, as most of my lunches this week are mandatory work-event-type lunches.

Today was pizza.  Good pizza, and I ate moderately, so I’m fine with it. 

Tomorrow’s catered breakfast is donuts and fruit and catered  lunch is deli sandwiches/chips/cookie. 

Strategy?  Well, I’ve been craving a donut for ages, so I’m going to have one, and some fruit.  They’ll be good ones, so I’m kind of excited.

I am not a huge deli meat fan, but when you add in the element of not knowing where it’s from and how long it’s been sitting out, it makes my stomach turn.   So I think I’ll bring something I can eat on a quick break, like an AB&J sandwich, and skip the lunch stuff.

We’ll see how that goes.

Anyway, I ellipticaled for a full 50 minutes today before I wanted to hurl myself off. 

Crockpot made an ugly dinner of salsa chicken, but it was good anyway.

I doubt you’ll hear from me tomorrow; I have a 14 hour work day lined up.  Woo!

What’s your favorite part about back-to-school time?

iPhone pictures today, guys.  I forgot my camera.

While I’m dumping iPhone pictures in a post, check out our display of Hs.  I think I finally have them in a configuration I like!

Anyway, last night, I experienced something I’d been dying for for the last several years…television in bed.

There’s nothing like watching a movie late at night under the covers, or catching a trashy TV marathon and snoozing on a sick day.  But for the last several years, we’ve been TV-less in the bedroom!

But then, we won a 32” flat screen at a charity raffle, so…now we have one.

The funny part is that we’re actually in the process of canceling our cable + Tivo.  We are cutting our cable bill in half by going down to basic channels ($1 more than it would be to just have internet!), and watching Netflix streaming on our Wii (which has plenty to keep us busy anyway.)

We may also get Hulu Plus and/or a Roku player at some point.  I am kind of excited about the savings!

Anyway, lunch today was a lot like yesterday’s.

The Larabar was my snack.

Anyway, I planned to run after work.  I went to the gym and ran a mile and my legs were seriously trashed from yesterday’s mini-tri, so I chilled out on the elliptical for another twenty minutes and then called it a day.

Dinner was done by the time I got home!

I threw some beef, mushrooms, garlic, red wine, and chicken broth in the crockpot and let it cook all day and served it over whole wheat noodles.  Not too shabby for a zero-effort dinner.

Also, when I came home, Tim was poaching an egg for fun, and had destroyed my last hardboiled egg in the process.  This is apparently “experiment with eggs” week in our house.

What’s your favorite thing to do with eggs?  Do you have a TV in the bedroom?