Monthly Archives: March 2014

Crossfit Open Recap

First things first-hopefully you’re actually seeing my blog posts! I’ve had some issues with URL/something or other so I’m not sure if it’s coming up on blog readers. If not, I think for Bloglovin, if you add a different version of fitnessissweet.com, they should start coming up. It’s a work in progress! Now, onto the main topic. The Crossfit Open. I’d heard about it before I started doing Crossfit, so I was pretty excited. I didn’t officially sign up, but I had a lot of fun getting caught up in the hype and doing the workouts. I watched the live announcements on the Crossfit website, wither before or after I did the workouts, simple to be amazed by these elite athletes! Overall, the Open was super fun. A lot of people PR during the Open. I did toes to bar for the first time which was exciting! There weren’t really any other places I had the chance to PR though-on the deadliest workout, I didn’t get far enough to get anywhere near my max! 14.1 I didn’t do this one-I had a race that day! 14.2 Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete: From 0:00-3:00 2 rounds of: 10 overhead squats 10 chest-to-bar pull-ups From 3:00-6:00 2 rounds of: 12 overhead squats 12 chest-to-bar pull-ups From 6:00-9:00 2 rounds of: 14 overhead squats 14 chest-to-bar pull-ups Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds MEN – includes Masters Men up to 54 years old 95-lb. overhead squats Chest-to-bar pull-ups

WOMEN – includes Masters Women up to 54 years old 65-lb. overhead squats Chest-to-bar pull-ups

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(The aftermath.)

I didn’t know what to expect from my first Open WOD. I was already basically out-I can’t really do a pull up, much less a chest to bar, so I used a band for this. My goal was to make it into the second round.

The result? This workout was WAY tougher than it looked. I don’t think I’ve ever been shaking so much from a 6 minute workout. This is one I’d like to try again (which I definitely wouldn’t say for all the Open workouts.) I actually surprised myself though and was only a few reps from making it into the third round. If I had known I’d be at all close, I think I could have definitely pushed a little bit more.

14.3

WOMEN – includes Masters Women up to 54 years old Complete as many reps as possible in 8 minutes of: 95-lb. deadlifts, 10 reps 15 box jumps, 20-inch 135-lb. deadlifts, 15 reps 15 box jumps, 20-inch 155-lb. deadlifts, 20 reps 15 box jumps, 20-inch 185-lb. deadlifts, 25 reps 15 box jumps, 20-inch 205-lb. deadlifts, 30 reps 15 box jumps, 20-inch 225-lb. deadlifts, 35 reps 15 box jumps, 20-inch

In this workout, I knew I wouldn’t even approach my 1 rep max because of time, so my goal was to make it to the 185lb portion. I did step ups for the box jumps to conserve energy and time because my box jumps are insanely slow. There was a lot of concern over this workout because as you get tired, you have more and more heavy deadlift reps which can lead to poor form and injury. I met my goal and finished with 97 reps total, although the faces I was making during the 185lb deadlifts may not have been the most lady like. I don’t normally make crazy faces when I lift, but this was definitely not the only time during the Open that that occurred!

14.4

MEN – includes Masters Men up to 54 years old Complete as many rounds and repetitions as possible in 14 minutes of: 60-calorie row 50 toes-to-bars 40 wall-ball shots, 20 lb. to 10-foot target 30 cleans, 135 lb. 20 muscle-ups

WOMEN – includes Masters Women up to 54 years old Complete as many rounds and repetitions as possible in 14 minutes of: 60-calorie row 50 toes-to-bars 40 wall-ball shots, 14 lb. to 9-foot target 30 cleans, 95 lb. 20 muscle-ups

Prior to this workout, I had never done a toes to bar, but I was hopeful that I’d be able to bust some out for 14.4. At my box at home, we only have 2 rowing machines so those not signed up for the Open substituted an 800m run for the rowing which is what I did. When I first arrived at the box, I tried toes to bar and did it for the first time ever! I ended up getting through 5 toes to bar during 14.4 before failing a bunch and then deciding to finish it with a knees to elbow modification. I ended up making it through 15 cleans. This wasn’t the gasser I was expecting it to be, partly because toes to bar attempts took so long!

14.5

MEN – includes Masters Men up to 54 years old 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of: 95-lb. thrusters Burpees WOMEN – includes Masters Women up to 54 years old 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of: 65-lb. thrusters Burpees This was just mean. I don’t think I could possibly imagine a worse workout. That being said, I recently got over my mental hurdle with thrusters and have actually been doing them heavier during workouts, so the weight wasn’t too bad for me. This was definitely a gasser. I broke things up quite a bit. Burpees are the worst, but these were burpees OVER THE BAR, which is even more awful! The set of 21 was killer. I’m just grateful this was a DESCENDING ladder! I finished in 23:42 Rx and proceeded to lay down. I know it’s a Crossfit thing to lay down on the ground after a tough workout, but it’s never something I’ve really done. This was an exception. I was SO tired. This is a workout I will NEVER repeat. IMG_7197 Overall, the Open was a lot of fun! It definitely pushed me more than I would in a normal workout, and brought me out of my comfort zone! Did you do the Open?

MIMM- More Hiking and Food

Hey guys! The new site appears to be up and MOSTLY running! As long as, you know, you don’t want to click on any of my old links…so it’s still a work in progress! I apologize and hope that everything will be resolved soon!

In the meantime, let’s celebrate that start of a new week with MIMM!

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First-food!

IMG_7159Leftover chicken breast, sweet potato, and cumin roasted cauliflower.

IMG_7172Cauliflower crust pizza. It was good but it didn’t really resemble pizza in the sense that it had to be eaten with a fork!

IMG_7173Mixed berry fruit tart. We tried a sample at the grocery store and had to get some!

IMG_7196Friday night after 14.5, my mom and I planned to go to the Giant’s game but it was a pre-season game and the weather didn’t seem like it would be that nice so we opted to stay at home and watch the Veronica Mars movie (I really liked it!) and get Mexican take out. I got my usual Teriyaki Tacos, and whipped up some homemade guac to go on the side!

IMG_7198While I couldn’t get a pretty picture of this, it was definitely a highlight. I finally tried banana “ice cream”, which was simply frozen banana blended until completely creamy. I had to make use of my Vitamix while I was home, and this put it to the test!

Verdict? AMAZING. I added a touch of vanilla and butterscotch extracts and it was divine. I also made a little chocolate swirl out of more banana, cocoa powder, and coconut oil.

IMG_7215Quesadillas with mozzarella, tomato, and avocado with bruscetta and a side of butternut squash soup. Since Ashley is constantly posting melty, cheesy goodness with avocado inside, I just had to try it out!

Other marvelousness: spending some quality time with my little kitty! And learning that Claritin actually works pretty well. My allergies didn’t get to me until the last night!

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Marvelous is a beautiful hike with friends. Yes, another hike.

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 What is Marvelous in your Monday?

 

 

Hiking and Breakfast Variations

Hey guys! My posting has been a bit weird as of late because of the whole switching over to being self hosted thing. I’m trying to type some posts up to put up when it’s all over and done with so I don’t just have a massive post later on! Besides doing a lot of Crossfit while I’ve been home, I’ve also done quite a bit of hiking as of late. For some reason my friends seem to have caught the hiking bug, and I’m more than happy to go along with it! My friend and I were planning on doing a hike on Wednesday, but with a forecast for rain all day and all my waterproof clothing at school, that didn’t seem like the most pleasant thing in the world, so we pushed it back a day. It drizzled that morning, but by the time we arrived, it had stopped and we were just left with a fog.

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 I enjoyed the time spent with my friend, as well as the views.

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The trail was completely downhill-and fairly steep!- on the way out, and a huge uphill on the way back. At least the weather finally cleared up and the sun came out!

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 I’m going to do a separate post of other things I’ve been eating in these last couple of days, but I wanted to show a few examples of variations on a theme in terms of breakfasts, and how easy it is to make something completely different with more or less the same ingredients.

Theme 1: Oatmeal with banana and egg whites.

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 Instant oatmeal with egg whites and banana cooked in, topped with cinnamon and raisins.

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 Instant oatmeal with egg whites and banana cooked in, topped with sunflower seed butter. And now for the more creative variation:

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 My fancy extracts finally came! I made non-instant extra thick rolled oats with banana cooked in, topped with raisins. I stirred in my red velvet extract as well as a bit of cocoa powder. I think it would have been better with even more cocoa powder! To be honest, I’ve never had a good feel for what red velvet tastes like, so I can’t really say whether or not this transformed my oats. It certainly wasn’t bad! On the side was liquid egg whites, topped with Hawaiian seasoning.

Theme 2: 2 ingredient banana pancakes+plain yogurt with berries.

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 2 ingredient banana pancakes, and plain Greek yogurt topped with blueberries that I reduced on the stove. This breakfast was surprisingly plain to me, so when on the next try, I really changed things up using basically the same ingredients!

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 A fried egg+ plain Greek yogurt blended with banana and cocoa powder, topped with the same blueberries. I actually liked variation 2 a lot better! The yogurt was SO much more interesting! I’m trying to get a lot of use out of my blender since I’m home too-yogurt and banana blended together are a lot better when you use a blender and not just a fork and get weird chunks… That’s all for now-I’ll be back with a post on hiking part 2, other meals, and other uses of the blender!

What are some of your variations on a theme?

Complications and Banana Marble Bread

How is everyone’s week going? Spring break is flying by for me! It’s been low key so far. Yesterday was spent cleaning my dorm a bit, as well as my sister’s apartment. And of course, I’m enjoying being at my home Crossfit! Today’s workout was as follows:

21-15-9 

deadlifts

hand release push ups

200 m sprint after each set

It was a quick but good one!

And of course, we have food.

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I made oatmeal the other day and added A LOT of egg whites. I actually really liked it this way-it was very fluffy and custardy! And man, did it keep me full. I didn’t even think about being hungry for like 6 hours of cleaning!

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In the middle of cleaning, we took a break for lunch and I made some wraps. Sun dried tomato laughing cow, turkey, spinach, and red pepper. I don’t usually like peppers, but I think I’m coming around! This had just so much flavor!

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Yesterday’s snack was froyo from my favorite place ever (Wildberry). I actually kept it to a moderate serving, and stuck to the one flavor I know won’t disappoint-salted caramel pretzel! Topped with a bit of brownie crumble and heath pieces!
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For dinner, we made coconut flour quesadillas from this recipe. They were delicious!

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This morning, my friend and I had planned on hiking, but with pouring rain all day and my only waterproof clothing at school, that did not happen. Breakfast was 2 ingredient pancakes (2 eggs+1 banana) and plain chobani with blueberry compote.

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Instead of the hike, my friend came over to do “homework.” She actually spent most of the morning learning to use photoshop and designing my new banner! I love it! I spent the morning attempting to go self hosted. In reality, I have zero clue what I’m doing and my site could go down at any moment. Fair warning! But more likely what seems to be going on is that I haven’t actually done anything…so we’ll see! It’s certainly a process! Lunch was a repeat of yesterday, except I heated up half to try it that way! 

I’ve been wanted to try to make banana marble bread for a while, since I can’t seem to stay away from the campus cafes’ marble bread! I used my never fail banana bread recipe from the Nancy Clark Nutrition for Athletes book and tweaked it as needed. It came out great!

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Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas

1 egg

2 tablespoons oil

1/3 c milk

1/4 c maple syrup

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour (or white flour, or half white half whole wheat)

1/4 bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 c cocoa powder

Instructions:

Preaheat oven to 350.

Mash together bananas, egg, oil, milk, maple syrup, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 

Divide the mixture equally into 2 bowls.

To one half, add 3/4 c flour.

To other half, add cocoa powder and remaining flour. Also, add chocolate chips to this half.

Pour into loaf pan. I poured mine so one half was chocolate on bottom and the other was white on bottom.

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Then, use a knife to swirl the layers.

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Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Slice and enjoy!

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The rest of the afternoon was spent playing a very addictive game- 2048. Google it. It’s strangely fun. 

Dinner after Crossfit was very veggie filled. I finally tried out my spiralizer on zucchini noodles-so fun!

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We also whipped up a fresh tomato sauce with garlic, spices, tomato, and sun dried tomato. 

Everything was topped with Italian spiced chicken and fresh mozzarella.

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On the side was a salad with two of our amazing weekend purchases- lemon scented olive oil and fancy white balsamic. 

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These flavors together were insanely fresh!

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And now I’m off for 2048…Guilty!

Have you heard of 2048?

WIAW-How We Do Vacations

WOW. I seem to have gotten a bit behind on posting, haven’t I? Thanks to Jenn, we can catch up somewhat in the form of WIAW!

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Friday afternoon, I finally made it home. I was really excited to do 14.4 at my home Crossfit! Since they only have 2 rowing machines, those of us not officially signed up for the open did an 800m run instead of rowing. I wasn’t sure how this workout would go-I’ve never been able to do toes to bar before! I ended up doing it for the first time ever, and getting 5 reps in before I kept failing and decided to just finish with knees to elbows so I could continue in the workout. I ended up getting up to 15 cleans before the 14 minute time ran out.

For my first dinner at home, we ordered food from a local favorite and I had chicken and rice soup. 85% of the reason I order this is because of the avocado!

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Plus a side salad.

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One of the perks of being home-raiding the pantry and or freezer. We always have amazing fudge sauce on hand, so I made a sundae with frozen yogurt and zucchini bread (on the bottom). The zucchini bread was from the freezer!

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For breakfast before Crossfit Saturday morning, I stuffed a whole wheat tortilla with sunflower seed butter, raspberries, and banana, and microwaved it until it was warm and gooey.

At Crossfit, most of the other people were doing 14.4 so I got to choose my own workout from the WODs that everyone had done for the week. I chose one that looked fun-it included pull ups, hand stand push ups (which I did with a box), and front squats. It was a very poor decision to chose anything that involved hanging from a bar, after so many toes to bar/knees to elbows the day before! My hands were SO done!

After Crossfit, my family and I drove down to Monterey for a little weekend vacation. On the way, we stopped at a little bagel shop that we used to always go to when we had softball tournaments.

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A turkey and avocado sandwich on a whole wheat bagel.

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Taro bubble tea, which actually turned out to be blended-which meant it was a smoothie like texture with tapioca balls at the bottom. I actually enjoyed this flavor-I’ve never tried it before!

For dinner the first night, my family ordered room service and split salads, potato skins (I haven’t had these in YEARS), and roasted artichoke.

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Sunday morning was my long run day. I’m officially in taper! 9 miles it was for me! I made sure to carb load up before running.

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I’m slightly concerned that I haven’t had my typical pre-run breakfast a single time before a long run during this training cycle. I’ve done a few of the runs in the afternoon, which I’ve never done before, and I guess I just didn’t bother with it before then. 

I found a trail that took me from our hotel, along the water through downtown Monterey. 

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I was probably not nearly as well rested as I would have liked to be but the run went fine! The thing was, we ended up not getting to eat lunch until super late! We finished lunch around 4!

My family decided to walk around Monterey in search of lunch, and I was instantly drawn to a little restaurant that was all about artichokes.

To start, we shared a fire roasted artichoke and artichoke dip.

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For my main dish, I ordered a turkey and avocado sandwich on a croissant. It came with roasted artichoke soup.

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This definitely hit the spot after 9 miles. More importantly than lunch, however, was dessert. Which is basically how my family does vacations. DESSERT.

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A brownie hot fudge sundae from Ghiradelli. Yummmm. 

For some crazy reason, we weren’t hungry for dinner yet! On my run, I found that there is a little Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, which we had never heard of! We rented a 4 wheeled bike-car thing, which was a lot of fun!

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The biggest attraction of Fisherman’s Wharf was the caramel apples, and we picked up a couple for later.

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I also saw Divergent-I’ve been listening to the audiobooks of the series on my long runs so I was excited to see it! I thought it was pretty good. My gripe is probably only because I read the book, but I felt like they left out a lot of details that while if they included everything the movie would be insanely long, I felt that without them the movie was a bit confusing.

Dinner was cheese and crackers and a caramel apple. 

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Monday was our last morning, and we drove to Carmel to explore the little shops. A highlight? Cheese tasting!

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Followed by tasting lots of little tapenades and sauces at a fancy little foodie store. We walked away with some quality white balsamic, which I cannot wait to use!

For lunch, we stopped at a Mediterranean place with amazing hot bread. I had some delicious and perfectly cooked salmon with saffron sauce.

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They also brought out a little complimentary dessert!

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After lunch, we walked down to the beach to soak up some beautiful views.

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Before dessert round 2! 

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In my family, if you don’t roll home from a vacation, you’re not doing it right! There was lots of great food over the weekend, but I’m definitely happy to return to a routine today!

How do you eat on vacations?