Thanks to our wonderful Saskatchewan weather, I was forced to run on the treadmill today. This was only my second run in six months but I wasn’t about to go out in the -20 cold tonight for a run. Normally I would, but when you add on our most intense Saskatchewan wind factor…you get about -30.  Besides that, I really didn’t think the dogs would appreciate the cold for that long. When I run outside, I like to always take the pooches with me. but I’m not going to subject them to exposure to this nasty stuff!

I decided to do a timed run instead of a distance run. I figured 30 minutes was a nice round number. Wow, is it ever difficult to go from long distance non-stop to having to stop and walk a few times throughout. The only good part of the whole thing was that the treadmill is parked in front of the big screen! I managed to make it a whopping 3.75km in the 30 minutes. Not exactly a stellar performance, but I still have to keep reminding myself to take it easy. It’ll all come back to me eventually.

Until then, be good to yourself…and remember:

William Penn:

Never give out while there is hope; but hope not beyond reason, for that shows more desire than judgment.

I do believe I’m starting to see a pattern happening here… I had to put another $5.00 into the fishbowl… all because of Timmy’s! Not sure if it was worth it or not? $5.00 for a cookie? At least it was a decent one! White chocolate macadamia nut. Mmmmmmm good!

Paleo this week wasn’t all that bad I guess. 7 days is over and I cheated twice. Somehow I managed to maintain the same weight. I’ve taken off 3 pounds this week. I wish it had been more, but I’ll take what I can get. I have been doing alot more Crossfit, so the muscle I’m re-building up may have something to do with that. I managed 2 more visits to CFR this week. Thursday was “Stay Alive for Five”. Five rounds of:
4-Pull-ups
8 Push-ups
12 Push Press @ 35lbs
16 Box Jump @ 20″

It was definitely intense. Mind you, every WOD I do these days is intense…. The totals look pretty sweet, however I did accidentally delete my HR info for this WOD. The rest of it looks like this:
Total Reps = 200
Total Weight = 2100lbs
Total Time = 17:32

I used Saturday as a rest day. I had alot of errands and “things” to do for the day that kept me so busy I was actually nodding off in a sitting position on the couch Saturday night! I hadn’t been to a SUnday CFR WOD for quite some time, so I decided to suck it up and head out in the freezing weather (-23 with the wind chill) and go for an afternoon workout. And what a workout it was…thanks Ziggy, it was a gooder!

“The Beast” as Rx’d!!!
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
6 SDHP (Sumo Deadlift Highpulls) @45lbs
6 Burpees
6 Power Snatch @45lbs

HR 181/170
Total Rounds = 10+6+6
Total Reps = 192
Total Weight = 5670lbs!!!

Talk about SWEAT! I think I left about a pint behind on the floor after this one! I absolutely LOVE the workouts that incorporate both strength and stamina. Keep it up Ziggy…love ya girl! Now I get to sit back and relax for a bit. I made an awesome Paleo Hungarian Beef Goulash in the crock pot throughout the day, and can’t wait to dive in! Superbowl on the tube, and maybe a glass of white to enjoy with dinner! Is wine Paleo? It’s made from grapes…that should count for something right!!! lol

Until next time, be good to yourself, and remember:

Anais Nin:

We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.

Tuesday was day 2 of our Paleo challenge and it actually went well! I had NO cheats! YAY!!! So the only $5.00 sitting in the fishbowl is still mine. Tanya has done well.

CFR Tuesday was a good one as well. It was “Groundhog Fran”. I of course had to modify it from it’s original format. It was supposed to be 3 rounds for time of 21 Thrusters and 21 pull ups. I can do air squats now in my warm up, but that’s it…so I ended up doing Push Press instead. Pull ups were of course band assisted.

21 Push Press@45lbs
21 Pull Ups
Total Reps = 126
Total Weight = 2835lbs
Total Time = 8:47
HR = 182/169

I can’t wait to start seeing my heart rate start to come back down! I’m still working on getting my strength back…we’ll see what happens after this week now that I’m okay to run!!! Little bits, but I finally got the go ahead.

Wednesday found me gearing up for the great outdoors! Got the pooches harnessed up, I got into my winter running gear for the first time this winter…and off we went! It felt great! When I started out, I was extremely cautious. The last thing I wanted to do was take a tumble onto my keister cuz of the snow and ice. It took a while to get back into my breathing patterns, but with the help of my ipod, I was in rhythm in no time. I didn’t start to feel fatigued until about 2.5k. It was supposed to be a 3k run, but because I wanted to stay on cleared sidewalks, I ended up doing a 4k route. I did end up walking a few times in the last 1.5k. My cardio SUCKS!!! I may have a hard time holding myself back from excessive running. I just want to be back where I was…but for now, I guess I’ll just have to take what I can get.

Here’s the stats:
Total Distance: 4km
Max/Avg HR = 181/169
Max/Avg Speed = 9.3/8.1 km/hr
Total Time = 28:32

I will definitely take that…and run with it!!! Day 3 Paleo was good. Another day with no “cheats”. The fishbowl fin looks lonely though! According to the scale, after the completion of day 3…apparently I’ve lost 3lbs!!! Until next time, be good to yourself and remember:

Soren Kierkegaard:

To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.

Did I fail to mention that there are consequences to “cheating” while on this Paleo challenge? Ya….that fin sitting in there is mine! That’s the official “Five dollar fuck-up fishbowl”. A set of rules was discussed and put forward Jan. 31st. That means for every “cheat that happens from either of us…$5.00 goes in the bowl! Proceeds towards a vacation in the fall.

I didn’t think it would happen so quickly, but…oh well. Someone had to be first to pay the piper. Now that I have it out of my system…hopefully I can continue on the straight and narrow!

Other than the glorious pastry doused in sugar and filled with gooey caramel, my diet today was pretty good. I only had 1 coffee today, which is my daily allowance for anything “bad”. Lunch consisted of a salad with avocado and a boiled egg. Grapes for my morning and afternoon. And for diner… I made coconut flour crusted chicken breasts with fresh mango on top, steamed broccoli and fresh salad. Mmmmmm, it was tasty!

I always had an aversion to coconut. When I was young, I thought I had an allergy to coconut. I’ve now reconsidered that concept to understand I had an allergy to “processed” coconut. Ate some shredded stuff once, and spend the next 12 hours tossing my cookies. My first coconut experience and I figured it was my last! Now that I’m eating “non-processed” foods, I’ve learned there are a lot of things that I used to have an intollerance to, that I no longer do.      

Now that I have the “cheat” out of my system, the pressure is off! I can relax and focus on the month ahead. I’ll try and keep up the blog daily so you can all see the crazy stuff we’re likely going to eat! Until then, be good to yourself and remember:

Mary Pickford:

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.

I know that I may be challenged in alot of different ways…..(we’ll go there another time!) Now, I have officially been challenged to do hard core Paleo for the month of February. This should be interesting!

What’s Paleo you ask? It’s basically foods that were available back in “caveman” days that could be hunted or gathered to sustain a person (Paleolithic Era). This means no dairy (when was the last time you tried to milk a wild boar?) No grains (they came much later in the agricultural era) No legumes, potatoes or squash type foods. All carbs come from the fruit, and more importantly, vegetables that you consume.

So, this is my last night before it all begins. I actually was just told today this is actually what we’re doing! Better to have less time to prepare I think…not enough time to overly stuff myself with all the crap I could possibly eat!

Since exercise is still somewhat of an issue, I’ll have to try and increase the intensity of the upper body workouts I do. I have managed to get to CFR a couple times in the last week. Thursday’s WOD was Power Snatches and the Petranek Fitness Test for time. Here’s how it looked:

Power Snatch:
6×33lbs
6×45lbs
6×65lbs
3×75lbs
Petranek Fitness Test: (modified)
500m row
40 Sit -Ups
30 Push -Ups
20 Pull-Ups

Part I: Total Reps = 21
Total Weight = 1083lbs
Part II: Total Reps = 90
Total Time = 7:31
HR = 180/160

Friday’s WOD was “Dotcom 2″
3 rounds for time of:

150 skips
50 Good Mornings @ 35lbs
Total Time = 12:14
Total Reps = 600
Total Weight = 5250
HR = 175/162

I’m hoping to get back to 3x week as of next week. My physiotherapist however has set me up with a kenesiologist, who has set up an exercise program for my knee to help me get back on track. That’ll be 3x a week as well, directly following each physiotherapy appointment. I’m hoping I’ll be able to drop the 15lbs I’ve gained since the accident.

So…wish me luck.  If you see me stuffing my face with something I shouldn’t be…smack me! Until then, be good to yourself, and remember:

Marian Wright Edelman:

You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.

I’m sure anyone in Saskatchewan right now can relate to this scenario… snow, blowing snow and blizzard warning!

Friday CFR was a gooder. I finally managed to get a bit of cardio in with my WOD. It was:

3×500m row with a 2 min. rest between each. After the 3rd row a 5 min. rest, then right into 3rds of 20 Bell Swings and 20 Push Ups. The numbers looked pretty good!

Row#1 = 1:53
Row#2 = 2:01
Row#3 = 2:03

Part 2: 3rds for time with Bell Swings at 25lbs 

Total Reps = 120
Total Weight = 3000lbs
Total Time = 6:08
HR = 180/158

Since that wod…the rest of my days have been filled with snow removal for time! Saturday, Sunday and Monday all consisted with massive shoveling. I suppose that’s what I get for living in Saskatchewan though! Today, I’m taking a rest day and I’m about to park my arse on the couch for a couple hours of mindless boobtube watching, then off to bed! My arms (more specifically pecks) are in great need of some R&R. They’re still stuck below shoulder height and refuse to lift themselves any higher! Looking forward to next weeks massage treatment! WooHoo, look out Carla, intensity coming your way! Until next time, be good to yourself…and remember:

Albert Camus:

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was within me an invincible summer.

Despite the lack of lower body work, I’m now starting to see some improvement with my upper body CFR workouts. I was supposed to be there tonight, but have unfortunately been stricken with somewhat of a nasty headache! Hopefully it will be short lived since I am scheduled for tomorrow as well. I had some intense MFR work done on my neck/shoulders today that has likely motivated the headache, but hey, there’s a new episode of Grey’s on the tube, so I’m okay with couching it right now to baby the beaner.

Tuesday found me back at CFR for the wod. It was all upper body, so I was good to go! It was:

“Clean Up”
Power Clean 1-1-1-1 to heavy single (not a max PR!)
Then 85% (of daily single) x4 on the minute for 15 minutes
Each miss = 4 Burpee penalty within minute

I opted to warm up with lighter singles, then used 75lbs for the 15 min workout. I thought it went very well since I have no clue what any of my max’s are any more. I had forgotten to start my heart monitor, so I don’t have that stat, but the rest is obvious anyway.

Total Reps = 60
Total Weight = 4500lbs

I felt awesome afterward. Built up a slight sweat, but not too much. That tells me I can add on some weight for next time since I didn’t struggle a whole lot with it. I managed to get the 4 reps for each minute all done pretty much within the first 10-12 seconds every time. That left the rest of the minute… for rest! Okay by me!

I had been wearing a new compression sleeve on my knee for all my wod’s, but my physiotherapist has said to wear it more. Every day a couple hours on/a couple hours off. Trying to get the rest of the fluid out of there, and then manage to keep it out…I hope! The better news is that as of this weekend, not only am I allowed to try swimming again…I can get on a stationary bike for 10 minutes a day! WooHoo!!! Things are definitely looking up! My spirits are starting to improve as well. I don’t find myself down in the dumps near as much as I was before the new year. Still some there, I’ll be honest about it. I’m still not happy about the weight I put back on, but I can now say with certainty, I know it will come back off. Every little bit helps.

This month at CFR is a Paleo challenge. We’re not back at it hard core…but we are trying to maintain about 80%. My gutts are already starting to feel less bloated and back to feeling overall good again. I’m starting to think again about the possibilities I can hopefully look forward to this summer. I’m thinking since I had this setback, I’ll try and repeat last years events and go for a time improvement on them. That means a few 5 & 10k fun runs, the “See Jane Tri” triathlon, the Regina Beach Sprint distance triathlon and the QCM half marathon. As long as I take my training slow and follow my rehab instructions…I’ll be giving it my best shot!

This has all been such a huge learning curve for me. But I still have to keep reminding myself that there’s always lessons to be learned in life. What we chose to take away from them is what determines how much we grow. I just have to remember that sometimes growing pains hurt. Until next time, be good to yourself and remember:

Albert Einstein:

When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about.

I can’t think of too many other places I’d like to be at when we have such gorgeous weather in January than this! Tobin Lake…north of Nipawin. Peace, quiet, tranquility, no phones, no internet. Nothing to do but relax, eat, drink, play cards and play outside. We did a lot of everything!

I signed upto go back to Crossfit in January on a regular basis (other than a the week at Tobin) and have managed to get three wod’s in so far. Two before the trip and one after. January 7th was 5 rounds for time of:

20 Push Ball (Wall Ball without the squat)
20 Ring Rows

Total Time = 7:23
Total Reps = 200
Total Weight = 1400lbs
Heart Rate Max = 176
Heart Rate Avg = 161

January 8th WOD was a two parter. Part I: AMRAP in 10 min. of:
10 Hang Power Cleans
10 Pull Ups
Part I rounds = 6 (120 reps)
Part I H/R = 185/166 (max/avg)

Part II: AMRAP in 5 min. of:
10 Russian Twists @ 25lbs
10 Incline Push Ups
Part II rounds = 3+10+7 (3 full rounds plus 10 twists & 7 push ups) (77 reps)
Part II H/R = 164/151

Total Time = 15 min
Total Reps = 197
Total Weight = 1000lbs

After 2 days in a row of CFR…it was already time for a break! I used to be able to handle almost whatever they could throw at me (note I said ALMOST!) I am finally at a place now where I can say without anger or frustration that I know I will get back everything I lost eventually. The pain in my arms was telling me this with absolute certainty! Thankfully, a trip to Tobin was planned for a bit of R&R with Tanya and Christina. An awesome getaway where your only obligation is to do nothing! With having two larger dogs however, doing nothing is not an option when you’re up there! Everything is on private land. The dogs could run till their hearts were content. And that they did! We went out with them on a daily basis for long treks through the bush trails. We even managed twice a day on a couple occasions. I would have to say Wednesday was the best day though. An hour and 45 minutes of trails…it was awesome! The dogs (and us) have not been so spent in a long time. Afternoons were spent gazing out the huge picture windows at the local wildlife for which there was an abundance of…and the evenings were spent around the table laughing and playing cards until the wee hours.

Later Thursday it was unfortunately back to reality. Friday was supposed to be CFR night again, but…Levi decided she was going to revolt for being confined back in the city and decided to start up-chucking in the house…oh goodie! After a phone call to the vet, we determined we didn’t have to take her in, but did have to monitor her for the rest of the night. Saturday was busy with errands, but we knew we couldn’t let the dogs go cold turkey. So after putting on some grungy clothes (everything was all mucky from melting) Krissy and I headed out with the pooches for a nice walk around the back side of the University. We took the course I(used to) go on for my short runs. A nice little 3.5km. It felt good to get out there again even though I still can’t run yet. A brisk walk was okay by me. At least I was out there.

Sunday (Jan. 17) at CFR was “Leah’s Pick”. 3 rounds for time of:
5 Power Cleans @ 65lbs
10 Box Jumps @ 20″
(both I modified from the Rx’d)

Total Time = 3:29
Total Reps = 45
Total Weight = 975lbs
HR = 182/171

I’m going to say that’s not too damn shabby for me at this point! On top of todays wod…Krissy and I headed out once again with the pooches for another good walk. So far so good. With all the exercise I’ve done, there’s no new fluid build up in my knee! YAY!!! There’s still a bit there that with the help of physiotherapy is slowly dissipating, but nothing new is going on, so it’s all good. This week I get to go from 5xweek down to 3x week of physio. I figure the only place to go is onwards and upwards.

A good friend helped me remember that my reality is what I make it. I can only go in the direction of my own choosing. I choose to continue to grow. As the commercial on t.v. says: Grow all ways, always grow. Until next time, be good to yourself, and remember:

Jimmy Carter:

I have one life and one chance to make it count for something . . . I’m free to choose what that something is, and the something I’ve chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.

Yes, it’s now the new year…the time when everyone thinks of their waist line. The time when 90% of the population joins a health club or gym of some type…and only 1% of them keep at it!

There are those of us (in the 1%) that have every intention of simply continuing with a healthy lifestyle… and those of us who want to, but can’t. I still sit in the “want to but can’t” category. It’s been over 3 months now since my accident. I’ve had the fluid in my knee drained twice and have had steroid injected into it once so far. I’m in physiotherapy every day, and it’s looking like I might have to have it drained one more time. I do not look forward to this!

I was so positive after the accident that I thought since nothing was broken, I would be able to resume normal activities fairly quickly. Knowing me, being more positive than negative, I figured I would just have to take it easy for a while before I could get back at full tilt, pre-accident activities. Now I wish I had broken something in the accident. It certainly would have healed alot faster than my current predicament has! As a result, I have put every single pound back on that I spent almost two years getting off! I’m officially back at my “when I originally first started Crossfit” weight!

I’ve been trying everything I can to stay positive throughout this time, but I have to say, it is easier said than done. I’m not a person prone to depression or negativity, that being said…I haven’t felt this helpless and alone in a very long time. I crave getting my gear on and just going outside for a run. Winter was always my favorite running season, and now it’s nice and mild out there. Perfect running weather for me. And where am I? Sitting at the table watching my belly bulge out over my jeans. That’s so wrong in so many ways!

I have been to CFR on a few occasions in the past few weeks. I can only do upper body workouts, so it’s difficult to drag myself there knowing I’ll likely have to modify everything about the wod. Which also means I’m on my own for the entire workout. No buddies to push myself with or against the clock with. It creates an atmosphere of isolation that I don’t really care for, but can’t do anything about at the same time. Very frustrating to the point it has left me more negative and depressed than I would prefer to be.

We’re going to get back into the Paleo diet here at home. Obviously over the Christmas season it was very hard to maintain a good healthy diet, and Paleo goes out the window! So, it’s back at it. I think it’s going to be more difficult getting into the routine of Paleo this time around. The first time was so new and interesting we had no problem with converting. This time around I’m thinking it will be more of a challenge for me. I know what’s coming!!! lol

I haven’t maintained my blog over the past few months very well…I know. It’s hard for me to be in a negative state and let you all in to those feelings. I have a tendency to try to hide that shit from others when I’m feeling it, so easiest way was to not write anything at all. I have to remember sometimes that this to is part of my journey. Part of what will get me to the place I want to be. The good, the bad and the ugly! Tuesday is back at CFR on a 3x/week basis. Everything will be modified, I know, to meet my currents needs of nothing lower body. It will suck…but I have to somehow do it.

I will do my best to upkeep my writing. Even if it is just a short note of what I did for my wod. Until next time, be good to yourself and remember:

<!– –>Robert Frost:

The best way out is always through.

It’s already been almost 2 months since the accident. I have to say that since that day, my fitness levels have decreased, my strength levels have decreased, I’ve started putting weight back on and things just basically SUCK all around! I have lost pretty much all of my faith in both our health care system and government insurance system.

I keep going over everything that’s transpired since that day. Every time I think I get a glimmer of hope… I get put back in place with a huge reality check that’s starting to make me turn from my positive old self, to someone who reacts to every little thing around me.

My doctor referred me to an orthopedic surgeon to do an assessment and hopefully drain the fluid in my knee that never went away. On days when I walk too much, that fluid level increases and puts so much pressure under my skin, it hurts if my pants rub the wrong way! That referral was made over 3 weeks ago. I called in to the ortho’s office today to enquire about an appointment date…

First off, unless you’re a doctor calling in there’s actually no way to speak to anyone human. The message spurts out an e-mail address then hangs up on you! So fine…I send off an e-mail thinking I’ll get a phone call back. NOT! The office staff couldn’t even phone to talk to me. I get an e-mail back stating they would contact me once a date was available, and that would likely be “in approximately two years time”. And that’s just the appointment for the initial consult…for which I’m listed as the procedure being elective! Like I would want to willingly go in there and have someone stick needles and a tube in my knee just because I want them to??? How off the wall is that? I’m not dying and my leg isn’t going to fall off…so I guess it’s elective. By the time two years rolls around…the fluid will likely be solidified and will have to be cut out instead of drained or there will have been enough damage as a result of not doing anything to fix it that I’ll have to have a freaking knee replacement! I actually, honestly thought there must have been a mistake. So, I e-mailed back and asked if there had been a “typo”, thinking maybe this time I’ll get a human response. No such luck…another return e-mail simply stating it was “not a typo”.

So now I think…hmmm, this is also an SGI injury issue…maybe, just maybe my injury adjuster can do something to help me? Okay, it was a momentary lapse in judgement to say the least. I was honestly under the impression that they were there to help me receive quality care to return physically to what I was before the accident as quickly as possible. My response from there you ask??? Go back to your G.P. and start the process again…maybe the doctor could find someone with a shorter wait list. Wow. So I actually have the nerve to ask…”doesn’t SGI have the ability to send people out of province to get treatment when you can’t get it here?” I think everyone I ran into today must have all conspired together to help me have a crappy day…cuz I received a resounding “no, we don’t do that”. So instead, I’ll have to stay “in the system” and likely now end up going to physiotherapy as well, all on the governments dollar, when a simple procedure that could be done quickly on an outpatient basis could actually save both SGI and the health care system time and money.

I feel completely numb and dumbfounded by the turn of events. I’ve spoken to other people who have had this happen to them and I likely never completely understood it until now. “Until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes” makes a whole lot more sense to me at this point. To have come so far and have it feel like it’s all coming crashing down with me suffocating underneath the pile of rubble is the only description I can give it.

So now, I’m not sure where this blog will go. It was supposed to assist me with my training to help me keep track of my activities leading up to my goals. What were those again? Oh yeah…a 3 year training plan until Ironman Canada in 2012. I was planning on 5 races next season. 2 half marathons and 3 triathlons. Now I wonder if I’ll even be able to walk 5k? Sometimes I just shake my head at the curveballs life can throw at a person. I’m hoping eventually I’ll be able to shake off all this negative crap that keeps going through my beaner and be able to deal with issues in a more positive way than spilling my guts all over the internet for all to see. But, I guess this too is part of my journey. A journey that was meant to be shared from start to finish. I’m hoping this is only a small speed bump along the way!

For everyone who’s interested…stay tuned for details as they transpire, for those who just want to see the physical training stuff…come back “in approximately two years time”… Until then, be good to yourself, and remember:

Helen Keller:

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.