My Story

I started to CrossFit in the outdoor boot camps in February 2007. At the time, I was overweight, overstressed and overwhelmed with my previous failed efforts to get into better physical shape, and inability to keep up with my three girls. I've never been athletic - so this was all new to me.

With both parents overweight and dealing with being Type 2 diabetic, having limited mobility and in generally poor health - I did not want to follow that path. More importantly I have three girls to raise and wanted to lead by example.

I was intimated at first - but after each work out and the encouragement I got from Coach Jeremy Thiel and my friends who joined with me - I was enthused to stick with it and although it took a while and tested my patience - I started seeing results after a few weeks - and notable weight loss after a couple months. I became obsessed in tracking metrics - which was very motivting to me - even though my husband eventually hid the scale. After a few months in the program, I picked up taking Advocare supplements and following the Zone diet - which accelerated my progress.

Two years later, I'm down 5 sizes and have lost lots of weight, inches and body fat. More importantly, I...

Am stronger

Am faster

Am more confident in my self - physically and mentally

Am energetic

Am proud

A better example for my family and friends

Have finished several race events including several 5k, a 10k, 3 triathlons, bike races, the muddy buddy...

Importantly, I have made great friends along the way who are all a positive influence on my life and keep me motivated to CrossFit and live a healthy lifestyle. I enjoy going out in public now - and am confident in myself where as beforehand, I just hoped to melt into the walls and not really be noticed. Now I'm also working for CrossFit Central and it's brought such a positive impact on my life to be surrounded with confident, caring, energetic people who have the goal to positively influence the lives of others - and it rubs off! Though I enjoy tracking my weight and measurement metrics - the improvement in my life overall - both mentally, physically simply can't be calculated.

Yes, you have to eat your veggies...

This is my new screen saver. I'm three days away from starting the I Am CrossFit program and I'll have to do body measurements, start my food log (Oh, Carey - I mean continue with my food log), eat on the Zone, take my Advocare and Juice Plus supplements - and in general be a strict girl. This is good since my goals are to lose 15 lbs and run a half marathon in April, among other things. This is the kick-start I need. So - this photo is actually my encouragement... When I'm about to fall off the wagon, I will envision "The Gov" saying, "why are you eating those Teddy Grahams" or maybe "no, you don't need ice cream" or even, "yes, you have to get your run in with BMJ today"... no excuses.

Ran 3 miles yesterday morning and made it to the work out at the gym too - Today, can't move. Taking turns with my partner Suzy, - 5 rounds max reps of the dreaded wall ball (3rd worst hated movement behind burpies and jumping pullups) and dead lifts - used 85lb bar. Think our combined score was 417. Today, I feel like I've been beaten with a steel pole - and it's a great feeling (except when in the process of standing or sitting, or trying to roll over in bed). I LOVE CROSSFIT.

The Mountains Fear Us....

Our CrossFit strong legs and super strong core are helping BMJ (Kelly) and myself tackle the slopes at Keystone. Seriously, when I went skiing several years ago (in my size 16 gear) - I could only tackle the easy green and rested about every 50 yards. With my much smaller sized gear (yeah me), and all those squats, lunges, med ball work and all the pain Jeremy and Crystal bring every MWF at boot camp is clearly the reason for the fun I have had on the slopes this trip. The girls are amazing skiiers too - and the governor (aka Hannah) is known in ski school as the instigator of many snow ball fights. When she's ready for CrossFit kids, I'll have a lot of explaining to do! Merry Christmas to you all...

CrossFit Chicks

I was proud to be a part of our CrossFit Chicks program where we had over 100 Girl Scouts, ages ranging from 8 to 14 who came thru our gym doors last weekend to get a CrossFit work out. Below is my oldest baby, Emilee, doing some quick work on the run ladder. Love it when we can reach out and have an influence on girls to be fit! Just watch - in 2009, our CrossFit Kids program will be rocking the house!

CrossFit Christmas

Fun at the CrossFit Christmas party - lots of cheer and so far, our count on athletic shoes to donate to charity is 125 -- just 25 away from goal, and I know we will blow that away...

Shown - Shock & Awe, Mel and Bonita...

Turkey Trot

Second annual Ward family participation in the Turkey Trot. Don ran with Hannah in the stroller, Grace ran along side me. Emilee hung out with Grandpa waiting for us at the finish line.

Monsters Go Away

I'm putting up this post with a little trepidation - as there's the whole female thing of not wanting anyone to know what you weigh, or your age. Well I'm just going to be brave and show you my measurements - and my turning 40 was pretty well publicized last year.

So - I'm doing this for Mel - cause she's followed my same path in a way - and she worries about that monster that will sneak back into the closet and pull down the larger size clothes from that bin at on the top shelf. Hate that monster. And for those other gals out there in the CrossFit program who are keeping faith in the "no more freaking excuses" mantra.

So almost 2 years ago - I started wtih CrossFit, with seriously following the Zone, food logging and taking Advocare. It took me a year to take off 68lbs and 45 inches. This would have been Feb 08.

Looking across the last 10 months (Feb 08 to today), I've been a devoted attender to my Lake Pointe boot camp, did my best to get into the gym at least once for a "Carey attitude adjustment" and I started this whole fun side training stuff like Cap10k, Danskin, etc... I've kept up my Advocare, but will admit I dropped of food journaling, lost my intent focus on the Zone (though I'd say I'm in "Zone favorable" land 70% of the time), and hadn't done a body assessment since June 08. I used to go every month.

So - I did body assessment this week - and was worried. If those numbers went up, how would I cope? Would that monster show up? How much ground had I lost? Fortunate for me - I'm happy with the metrics - which is why I think I decided to post them. I've not changed much in terms of the scale, but I've dropped another 8 inches.

What does this mean to me? It's good and bad. It's good, cause I've not gone backward into the grips of the monster - my committment to CrossFit, Advocare and eating in my "Zone favorable land" has kept me stable. It's bad - cause I've wasted time not doing more to be healthier, smaller, fitter, stronger... but what a nice time of year to figure this all out.... New Year's resoluion planning is here and I AM CROSSFIT is the program I will use to get back on track.

Take that, monster. And you aren't welcome at Mel's house either - nor any of my CrossFit friends.

Today, this day before Thaksgiving - I'm going to shout out to my boot camp bombshell pals - for I can't imagine my life without seeing them (or most of them) 3x per week. We do a lot of chit-chat - sometimes to Jeremy's or Crystal's dismay - we lament together and we congratulate success together. There are days I'm the bug and days I'm the windshield -- but there's not ever a day when I don't want to be there - because of superior coaching, the wonderful friendships that have been forged, and oh yeah - those great results I see when I go, and that I worry will fade if I miss. Thank you for the motivation you give me, ladies!

Oh, Hell Yeah!!!!

At first, which would have been early October, I was a reluctant turkey - hearing about the program, and thinking - oh, I'd not want to let a team down. The whole "last picked in dodge-ball in elementary school" fright set in. But I ended up saying hell-yeah, and I was a turkey on Zachary's Zone-Out Turkeys team. Next, I was a homeless turkey when that team dissolved, then I planned to just sleep in that day, and then, I was put on John DelPeral's team - Tabata Turkeys. What an AWSOME stroke of luck for me. JDP, Richard, Walter, Havalah, Beth, Ashley and me... took the top prize in this morning's Lean Turkey Sprint. I have to say, the work out was daunting - and I was nervous sick to my stomach before it all started... but that's part of what I love about CrossFit. Get outta your comfort zone and can the excuses. Like JDP said, while our shirts said "i>u", it was that WE were greater than those other 6 teams -- today anyway. Great coaching and strategy JDP - and to my other teammates congrats, it was fun AND, let's eat!! I like my steak medium rare, please.

Whoop, there it is!

Shout out to my pal Kelly and her husband Jeff for tackling the San Antonio Half Marathon. They hit their goal time, and by the looks on their face, had a great time. Kelly says the smiles are all because they are just getting started in the race. I'm quite sure there were smiles when they crossed that finish line. Kudos to you both!!!

Raising Girls

The social pressure to fit a "perfect" mold have been there since I can remember - but now that we have girls to raise, and one in middle school who was being made fun of for not knowing that Hollister was...(a clothing store with outrageous prices and limited coverage clothing)... well, I'm overwhelmed sometimes. How will Don and I raise three girls, always finding the way to bolster their self esteem and their sense of worth? I don't have the answers - but the healthy lifestyle Don and I try to lead every day surely will help. Nutrition, exercise... telling them every day they are smart, talented and beautiful - telling them that the media is NOT the mirror, nor their shallow friends who would judge them on their clothing label.

http://www.dove.us/#/features/videos/default.aspx[cp-documentid=7049560]/

Take a quick moment to watch Onslaught and Evolution. Crazy.

Start Em Young I Say...

Hannah and Savannah, tossing around some KB on a beautiful Saturday morning at the UTB. And Coach Randal helps the UTB CrossFitters "love" those rings. A little saying I found under the bridge inspired a quick photo.

Marathon Experience- in Don's words...

A memorable weekend it was indeed and a new PR of 3:38:39. Next goal, train to qualify for Boston in my elderly 40-44 age group, requiring a 3:20:00. Yep, will likely have to shed more poundage and start to look more like my elite Kenyan runner brethren.

Survived:

- 2 hours total sleep the night prior – too geared up – who needs sleep anyway…
- 3.5 hours of standing around from 6:30am to 10am on gusty Staten Island till the start (39 to 41 degrees with gusting wind)…
- Running like a bat outta at hell at the start to get warm, zigging and zagging through the crowd over Verazano-Narrows bridge; the zig-zagging added another .4 miles to my distance (not smart) – finishing in 26.6 versus 26.2 according to my Garmin ForeRunner 305 GPS watch…
- A major fall (tripping on man-hole cover at mile 6) – from feet to hands, forward rolling to elbows, somersaulting and scraping right knee, rolling straight up to feet never losing a step in stride; the crowd wet themselves, and I prayed for the next mile that the knee would not be shattered – to the beat of “Dory” in “Finding Nemo” – just keep running, running, running…
- Trying to escape “Henry Winkler Fonzie look-alike obnoxious singing iPod man” from mile 11 to mile 19 – took me 8 miles to finally outpace and get rid of him; every bridge we crossed the guy would scream ‘yeah!!’ at the top of his lungs and scare the hell outta everyone around him…
- Leg cramps at mile 22 – ran through it until 25 yards from finish, stopping for 3 seconds to stretch; next time note to self to bring salt tabs (one at start and one at halfway mark)…
- Walking another mile after the finish to pick up my checked clothes – 46 degrees, wet, cramped up, and watching a half dozen others puke along the way – as Borat would say “NICE-UH!!!”…

Moments of inspiration:
- Running up to kiss my wife and daughters at mile 8 in Brooklyn!
- Looking down at a RoadID bracelet they gave me with their names and best wishes on it, when I needed to dig deep at mile 22!
- Running alongside a guy at mile 11 with a shirt on that said “heart transplant survivor”!
- Running alongside a guy at mile 14 with a metal prosthetic leg!
- Running within crowds of 38,356 people from of all parts of the world, through 5 boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan), 29 neighborhoods!

I Love NY

Someday, when the girls are grown and on their own, Don and I will live there. Definitely Manhattan - with a beautiful view, and all the excitement NY offers in walking distance. I'll be much older than I am now since The Governor (aka Hannah) is only 4... but I'm sure CrossFit NY will still take me on!

Don is still on the NY marathoner's high. Don't blame him - I'd wear that finisher's medal in the school car rider line, the shower, the grocery store.... I committed with some of my gal pals to do the half marathon Zooma in April... it's a crazy goal for me I think. But I'll try, because I am CrossFit.

NY Marathoner

Rogue running training - $275

Cool yellow New Balance Shoes - $110

Finishing in 3.38.39 - FREAKING PRICELESS

Up at 5am (not that he even slept)- bus into the city to sit in booty-freezing weather with 40,000 other runners, into the coral, release at about 10:00am, tear up the Verrazano bridge, dodge the slow-starters, manhole-cover-toe-stubbing double sommersault fall at mile 6 (crowd went "ohhhhh"), kisses to the family at mile 7.5, run, family got fast glimpse at Lexington and 1st amonst roaring crowd, run more, missed family at mile 22, run even more, leg craps with 50 yards to go, cross the finish line and celebrate.

Congrats Don/Daddy. You are truly amazing.

CrossFit Halloween

These are my Lake Pointe boot camp coaches. Really, no words necessary. Meet Richard Simmons and Work Out Barbie.

LiveStrong 45mile Bike

I definitely underestmated this one - but oh, crazy Kelly said, let's go for it and next thing I knew, I had some rather unflattering red bike pants, but a cool jersey and a date to see roads I have never been on in Dripping Springs, Wimberly, and at some point, surely we were in San Antonio.

Crazy Kelly has a new nickname - Bad Mamma Jama (henceforth known as BMJ). She flew past Jacquelyn and I about mile 20 maybe - skipping two rest stations that were like a magent to us and we never saw her again. BMJ is a freaking rock star - running 14 miles the day before for her half marathon training.

So, as I type this post, it's now about 7 hours after a ride that took me 3.5 hours -- and I love Advil. I will not be able to move w/out pain until Tuesday. Leonardo was a trooper over all the chip seal and cattleguards (I counted at least 100 of them - ok maybe 20), and bless Jacquelyn for being by my side, encouraging and lamenting with me.

It was a wonderful cause, wonderful day - and I do believe Lance passed us -- or someone really important with a 6 police motorcycle and 2 car caravan - I was a little too dazed and thinking of my aching neck and back, and legs, to consider it might have been him until he was long gone... he was probably just trying to catch BMJ.

LiveStrong 5k

Six bombshell Ladies of the Lake Pointe Boot Camp enjoyed a cool, crisp Austin morning and took on the LiveStrong Challenge 5K run. I finished what was by my watch 29.42 - but we all convinced ourselves we could take a minute off of that if we hadn't gotten behind the walkers which made for a really slow start. Anyway - I'm happy to finish under 30 minutes (LYtime 31.33). The run was easy the first mile and a push by the third - however, I'm always amazed at how fast I recover, and with a little rest, think I could do it again. I credit that to CrossFit. Happy one year anniversary to me - as the LiveStrong '07 was my first ever race. We missed you JT. Tomorrow, the 45 mile bike with Kelly and Jacquelyn. Yeah, padded shorts.

Leonardo

My mother in law has named all of her cars... (ok, yes, for which I made fun of her in the past)... So I decided I should name my new obsession - my Bianchi Italian hot rod. The Italian form of the German word Leonhard, meaning "lion-strong." I considered many name options, but decided upon this - as it is close to my maiden name of Leonard and Leonidas (my favorite Spartan). I also considered Francesco ("free"), Vitore ("victory") and Casmiro ("great destroyer"). So my Italian will carry me thru 50+ miles at the LiveStrong race this weekend. Ok, really I got him because I was tired of those road bikes passing me on my hybrid - AND looking at Crazy Kelly's back side on our Sunday rides. Yes, I'm kind of competitive, and yes, I'm wasting time thinking of silly things like naming a bike. Back to work.

Lake Pointe Boot Camp - Karen & Crystal

Coach Crystal - bringing it at us Lake Pointe ladies at our alterntive rain location - my back yard and garage. We call them Killer Crystal Mondays... always a good kick start to a new week. Thanks Crystal, cause we know you put up with all our whining and it doesn't stop you from moving us in the right direction. My Pal and fellow "long timer" and "success story" Karen - I'd say her attendance is probably the best in the group - she's relentless! When Karen, Carla and I hit our 2 year anniversary of boot camp - there's gonna be party and Crystal's in charge of shots!

Almost... there...

My pal Chris perfecting the push press on a perfect Saturday morning - FGB. Go Chris! She too had the honor of getting Coach Zachary's personal attention on form and with lots of motivation.

It takes a community...

Nah, it just takes Shock & Awe baby! We didn't make it into the coaches' photo for FGB - so I'm just going to have to post here for equal press. Get em' Nicole. You are the MVP of the FGB -- the whole event would not have been anywhere near as awsome w/out you!

Fight Gone Bad - AWESOME!

It was a beautiful, perfect day and a great venue at Whole Foods downtown. We raised $28k for Prostate Cancer Research and the Wounded Warrior Fund. DJ, dancers and athletes of all fitness levels. If you missed it -- well you missed out. I'm proud to say I came in 2nd place of Intermediate Females - just behind my pal, Mel who had her A-game on for the day (and her game face too!).

Lessons From Dad

I worked hard in boot camp this morning - and I was motivated. I was thinking about my dad. There are countless lessons he has taught me in life. I have two today I'm embracing. One is hug your dad - reach out and tell him you love him - he won't be around forever. Second is to take care of your body - it's the only one you get. Dad was an army pilot, fought in Vietnam, then flew commercial. He was (and still is) a damn good pilot - the kind you'd want in the cockpit when you are onboard. He's really pretty darn good at most everying he puts his mind to. One thing he failed to do (so far...) - as so many of us do - and I certainly failed to do from about age 18 to 38, was take care of your body. Dad is now 67 and in pretty poor shape. Carrying 250-350lbs on his body since his 30's has taken a toll. He's type 2 diabetic, with bad knees and an extremely bad hip. He's currently flat on his back in a hospital bed, fighting a nasty staph infection, compromised kidneys and all of the complications there in. Surgeons are shying away from him because of these complications and his size. He has had heart surgery, back surgery, circulation issues - more white coats have come at him in the last 20 years than he can count. So - you can likely see how this translates into motivation for me. "...if you can't be a good example, be a horrible warning..." is one of my favorite sarcastic saying... Bluntly put, I don't want this to be his fate... or mine.

I want to be around for my husband, my girls, my family. I want to go from living a healthy, active life to one day, when the time has come - to just be gone -- not to suffer, languish or in the case of my dad, lose his mobility, his freedom. Say a prayer for him -- I'd appreciate it. And if you are looking to change your life - I'm proof you can do it. I went from 210 to 140. I can eat on the Zone. I can show up to work out, compete in triathalons and will do FGB tomorrow, and I will run a 5k and bike 40M for the LiveStrong Challenge end of October. And I'll keep going to boot camp and the CrossFit gym. You just have to decide you want it bad enough and stop all the excuses. I really think it's that simple.

Jeremy Thiel - Intense

CrossFit has many faces - elite athletes to intermediates and beginners - but CrossFit leaves no one behind (who don't want to be be left behind, I should clarify). What CrossFit means to me is pushing your hardest - striving for excellence. Jeremy has been my coach for a year and a half, and I've worked for him for about a year -- and this is him. Intense, competitive, giving 100%. He brings this to all things he does - if it's coaching my Lake Pointe boot camp, coaching youth programs, doing personal training, running free community programs, etc. Who doesn't want a coach like that?

Check out Carey to the far left - I think she's yelling louder than Jeremy. Watch the video - look for the Sat Sept 20th post. Awsome and inspiring. http://www.crossfit.com/

Fight Gone Bad - OK, I'm IN.

I was sitting back, just watching. Not committing myself to the FGB whoopin. Then, we did FGB in the noon class last week with Coach Zachary. Darned him - pushed my buttons as only he can. See that smirk? You know it if you work out with him - I'll call it the the "smirk of excuses" Put that together with a loud "what??" add a "what are you waiting for..." maybe add a colorful word or two and then, well, there you have it. Thank you Zachary. I'm in and I'm raising money. To donate to this worthy cause...

Click here...

Yes, Zachary, I'll use the freaking 12 lb ball for wall ball.

LiveStrong & Reflection

The LiveStrong race is coming -- so it's time to reflect, as this was my first "race" and quite a goal for me in Oct '07, especially for the the girl who lived by the quote - "only run if something's chasing me"...

I finished the LiveStrong 5k last year in 31.33 minutes. This time, I will be faster - though I still dread running. So - goals. Right. LiveStrong 5k in 28.8 minutes - 9 minute miles. LiveStrong 40k bike on Sunday too (shout out to my pal Crazy Kelly for talking me in to that).

I've had stable weight now for about a year. Time to take off 10 more lbs and firm up. Today, I commit myself to the Zone and to Advocare. I commit to giving Jeremy a food log (swear it). I've been doing Boot Camp and Gym 4-5 times per week. Going to keep that up -but push myself harder, cause Zach says I can. Because if Don can run his second marathon...(NY Marathon Nov 2) well, that's just amazing to me.

This last year, I ran a few 5K, a couple 10k and crazy enough, three triathalons. What a difference a year can make. My proud little collection - missing one important PBBar race (sorry Mel). My favorite you ask? Well - has to be the LiveStrong, cause it started it all (and who doesn't love Lance - except the French? Ride vent the like, Lance !). Muddy Buddy takes a close second for sure.

Crossfitter, Spartan, and Pal - Mel

Every so often, you come across a gem in your life. Someone who makes you laugh, someone who inspires you, someone who just has a crazy energy and outlook on life to help you remember to not take yourself too seriously. I love Mel. She and Dave put on the Peanut Butter Bar run on Sunday - a family event - we had fun. Thanks to the Nike race that evening, I worked off maybe one of the 5 peanut butter bars I scarfed down in the morning - giving me a crazy sugar high and crash that afternoon - pure heaven - and I'm sure they are Zone-able, right? Thanks Melissa aka Melicious - you are fab!

Human Race

Daughter Grace (8) skipped right past the ol' 5k effort and went right to the 10k - running the Human Race with me in Austin this weekend. Way cool to see the sea of red running around Austin - one of only 3 locations in the U.S. out of 29 around the world that hosted the event - but way cooler to have my middlest daughter run along side me.

Take my picture... please.

Had to post this just because of Angi's expression. I think it translates to - "are you really going to take my photo after Crystal just slammed us with a monster work out?" Back to school, and back to boot camp! Thanks Crystal for the kick start to the week. BC babes Angi and Chris.

Med Ball cleans

Push Press

Sprawls

25-20-15-20-25

Try it Again Tri - Sweet & Twisted

Third Tri -- maybe not really a charm, but I finished in under 2 hours. 500m swim, 15 mile bike and 5k run... on a nice morning, that turned into a hot afternoon. At it again with my pal "crazy" Kelly and Theresa. The Sweet & Twisted Tri - a cool womens tri series put on by Rogue Training. I didn't do any formal training as I did for Danskin - but CrossFit 3-4x per week keeps me strong - and a few swims and bike/runs kept me on track.

Under the Bridge - Free Work Out

80+ people came out in the balmy morning near Town Lake to get in a free work out this past weekend. We capture a lot of attention by those on the trail for sure! Team UTB in the background while Jeremy shows off his leaping skills... or something like that...

Who Motivates You?

Ok - it's not a photo of me doing FGB (which humbled me once again on Tuesday this week -thanks, Carey). That photo would just be me trying to catch my breath.

It's not a picture that screams "CrossFit" - but it is a picture of my motivators. More than ever, I understand that the girls learn from what I do, what I say, what I eat. Daddy is a Spartan, a CrossFitter, and will run the NY marathon this fall. How lucky I am to have a partner in life, and in health. They all four keep me in "check". Especially the little one who is three - her name is "the governor."

I just drove by and saw people doing pull-ups....

If you've been around CFC a while - you've notice we've grown. I've been around since Feb '07 as a client, and Nov '07 as a staff member - and I've seen so much change. We have this great new gym that we have been in since June programs - hope you come out to our grand opening and help us celebrate! Our new gym is getting a lot of interest - and many of the calls or emails I see say "I was driving by and saw you guys doing pull-ups" or "I see you are new to town, now what kind of gym is this?" The CrossFit philosophy is simple:

OUR BUSINESS MODEL
Build a smal space - No Big Box Gym - No machines - No mirrors - Keep plenty of open space for our members to move and workout freely and effectively - Only use equipment that requires big, calorie burning, functional movements to use. No member goes it alone - Instruct and educate everyone - Cap class and membership size so we can maintain exceptional personal service - No bells - No whistles - Just results.

YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET
Every single time you walk through our doors you have one of our top-notch coaches with you, leading you through a unique, high-energy, results-driven workout aimed at maximizing your success. There's no going it alone, no boredom, and no members that don't use their memberships, like those big box gyms. We have the WOD (work out of the day) planned for you - so just show up ready to roll. Nearly 100% of our members are here several times-per-week, working hard, getting fit, and having fun. Like we always say, it's a difference you have to experience for yourself... So don't just drive by and miss out. COME PLAY WITH US.

The Games - The Glory

All the buzz around CrossFit Central for the last couple months, this last weekend, and for weeks to come has been and will be the CrossFit Games - and the team we sent from Austin to compete. Jeremy, Michael, Zachary, Lance, Kris, Ken, Richard, Lisa, Crystal... all made us proud. Hit their blogs and read all about it - because it's just amazing and motivating. Hit the CrossFit.com site and watch the video of the young girl competing - Kallista Pappas - it's simply mind-blowing. Comments about the games were posted on the CrossFit.com site from all around the world - including our soldiers over in Iraq and Afghanistan. Next time you see Jeremy, be sure to ask to see that 3rd place medal. We are all so proud of him! Are you CrossFit? If not, get here and get some! Now!

CrossFit Women on YouTube

CrossFit Women

Check it out!

CrossFit Women

Chris and I joined in on the Women's only work out on Saturday and we tackled the work out known as Helen (400m run, 21 KB swings, 12 pull ups x 3). If you are looking to get or stay in shape, join a fit community and make friends - here's your place. Despite the fact that Chris and I live in the same community and kids go to the same school (our 6th graders born on the same day!), I didn't get to know Chris until she joined in the Lake Pointe boot camp. How lucky I have been to get to know her! In addition to having enviable abs and arms, Chris is known to her fellow boot campers as the "3-minute planker"... Check out the new Women's CrossFit program...

Coach Michael

If you've worked out with Coach Michael Gregory - you know how awsome he is. When I get the chance to work out with him - I can count on his keen eye on form and constant encouragement to push to your limits. He's got a passion for CrossFit, coaching, and nutrition -- check him out!

Photo from the Zone pot-luck dinner at our gym this week...

Tri-Freakin'-Wonderful

It's been a long running dream of mine to do the Danskin Tri. I don't know why - I suppose that if I sat on a couch in a counselors office, it would come out that I was frustrated with never being very physially fit - but I'm a tough gal. I think being raised on a farm did that for me - the tough mentality that you just pitch in and get stuff done. I have one of those rather stubborn attitudes when someone tries to tell me I can't do something. Ask Don - he wonders what gets into me sometimes when I get that "get out of my way, I'll do it" attitude.

I think that's why I dig CrossFit Central so much. In the gym or at boot camps - the coaches put those work out orders in front of you and it's up to you -- how hard are you going to work? How successful do you want to be? How much do you want to change? How tough are you?

Well, I'm tough enough to finish the Danskin Tri in 1:49:57. My realistic goal was under 2 hours. My "wouldn't it be great goal" was 1:45. In between-- good enough for me - until next year.

Pictured - My gal pals - who are all CrossFitters -- one tough group of "take no prisoners" ladies - Carla, Sarah, Irene, Karen, Nicole and Kelly - I love them all. We trained together, swam/biked/ran together on Sunday. Girl power. Love it!

CapTex Tri

My first official tri... 400M swim, 10k bike and 5k run - finished in 1.18.28. Must get faster at transition and the dreaded run. Thanks to my boot camp and tri-training pal "Crazy Kelly" who suggested we do the CapTex Tri mid last week - was a great experience to get us ready for Danskin in two weeks! As I look at my stack of race bibs since the LiveStrong 5k back in Oct '07, I offer thanks to my many motivators - including CrossFit Central owner/coach - Jeremy Thiel - who did the Olympic race that day. Superman.

Muddy Buddy

When I first heard about this event - I knew it was for me. I just had to find someone crazy enough to do it with me. I didn't have to look far, or ask Nicole more than once -- she's a CrossFit chick - of course she's all in! All those squats I do paid off - as I flew over all the obstacle courses and rode the hell outta my bike -- the run, well not my strong suit -- but the experience was amazing - one I will never forget! Thank you Nicole - for being my partner in grime and the really hip t-shirts! You Rock!