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.