Week #5

I selected this quotation about compassion because after yoga on Thursday at Quest, I spent some time reflecting on a passage that the fabulous Karen Kenney read. At the beginning and end of class (and quite often in the middle), Karen shares words of wisdom that have made me want to try to improve how I view life and treat others. One of the main things I took away from that evening was compassion. So many people forget about treating others with compassion. I am certainly guilty of putting myself first and not showing care or concern when people may need it the most. I think certainly in this election year, people of all backgrounds have lost sight of compassion. Some people are privileged and receive things because they are lucky--that is not their fault, but they should understand they are fortunate and show compassion for those who have not been dealt that same hand in life. Some people work hard and can never get ahead. But we are all humans. If we want to make out country better, we could start by being supportive to those in need because you never know when your life will change and you will need assistance in some form. Another thing that Karen has touched on is materialism. We are a society driven by this, in fact there was a riot outside a store over Nike galaxy shoes recently. Are you kidding me?! People care more about possessions than other human beings. Again, I am not excusing myself from being guilty of enjoying things. I love my Felt bike and my Iphone; however, I work a second job to have those luxuries and I am certainly not trampling over others to obtain those things. Thus, Henry David Thoreau's quote seems very fitting here: "It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly." Are you living freely and nobly? Or are you a slave to possessions?


OK, thoughtful reflection aside (I just felt the need to digress for a bit)...this week was about physical recovery from the half marathon on Sunday. As I mentioned at the bottom of my post last week, I was able to PR in the Half at the Hamptons. I finished in just under 2 hours and about 5 minutes faster than my time in 2010 Big Lake Half. I am happy because now that I have reached that goal, I can take a break from the long runs for awhile :) Monday, I was able to get up and go for a morning swim and evening crossfit class. It was Tuesday when the race exhaustion really hit me, so I rested that day. As the week progressed, I got some more energy back. Next week, I plan to again hone in on morning cardio and diet. I feel as though I could be approaching a plateau, but hopefully I can push through to the next level. The challenge is still on for another 9 weeks!

Week 5 Workouts:

Monday- AM swim/PM xfit (Bench, chins, and G Row)
Tuesday-Rest
Wednesday- AM Swim/ Lunch boot camp
Thursday-AM elliptical/PM yoga
Friday- AM elliptical/PM xfit (Press, G Row, Deadlifts)
Saturday- AM Swim/AM lifting (Squats)
Sunday- AM cardio (elliptical, arc trainer, 500m rowing, and walking)

Pushup weekly total = 240 pushups ( 5 sets of 8 for 6 days)
Bricks = 6, for a total of 30 perfect bricks in the wall!

Week #4

On Monday, I took my measurements and weighed myself for the first time in four weeks. As a frequent scale user, this was difficult, but lessened the pressure of the challenge on a day to day basis. The results of the first four weeks of the challenge were...drumroll... 3 inches and 5 lbs gone! Now, even though this seems small, I have to admit that I actually had already lost 10 lbs and dropped 2 clothing sizes since beginning crossfit in November, so this was actually solid progress for me. In fact, at this point, weight is not the focus--I am trying to tighten and define as much as possible, but hey, a few bonus lbs lost is fine by me :) The measurements are affirmation that I am doing all the right things. And believe me, I am. There are so many days when cutting carbs by 2pm sucks. I might just want a bag of chips after work, but instead I grab protein or veggies. At lunch, I dip fresh sweet peppers in salsa and pretend they taste as good as tortilla chips. Of course they don't, but being able to fit into all my clothes is much better than chips or cookies! Being able to deadlift 160lbs, complete 35 pushups a day, and destroy boot camp workouts at lunch...those are all so much better than a few minutes of snacking.

In the next few weeks I will actually be packing away a lot of clothes, not because they are too small, but because they are falling off me. I did not think at age 30 I would be in the best shape of my life, but that is where I am. Don't get me wrong, I have a LONG journey to reaching some of my goals (chin ups, lifting heavier weight, etc.); however, I have made some steady progress...24 perfect bricks complete at the end of week 4.

Tomorrow, I have my first half marathon since starting crossfit. I am curious to see how this will impact my time. My PR was 2:03:46 at Big Lake in 2010, so I am trying to beat that time! That race day was very cool and rainy. My focus had been on long runs with no weight training. I'll find out tomorrow if a different approach will be more effective. Even if it isn't, I am ok with that because I really would like to move away from the endurance races for awhile.

Week 4 Workouts:
Monday- AM Swim/AM XFit (Bench, Squats, and G Row)
Tuesday-AM Run & Walk/ Lunch Boot/ PM Xfit (Jerks and conditioning)
Wednesday-AM Elliptical/Lunch Boot
Thursday- AM Run & Walk / Lunch Boot/ PM yoga
Friday-AM Swim/ PM Xfit (Deadlifts, Press, and G Row)
Saturday- AM swim (isolated legs to focus on arms and rest legs for race tomorrow)
Sunday- Half Marathon

Weekly Pushup Total = 210
Fasted Cardio Workouts = 6
Pefect Menu Days = 6

Goals for week 5: add more burpees and chins

*New Update: PR at Hampton Half Marathon 629 59/149 F3034 LAURA SAXE 30 F 1274 Concord NH 1:58:33.8 9:01 *

Week #3

I've completed three weeks of the transformation challenge and am still feeling great! I had 6 more perfect bricks to add to my wall which puts my wall at 18 bricks. Not too shabby. Honestly, it was a relatively uneventful week. I did everything I was supposed to including my half marathon training. That race is next Sunday and I am eager to be done with long runs for awhile. Clearly, snowshoeing is not in the cards for this winter, so my focus after the Hampton half marathon will be a combination of crossfit at White Mountain Crossfit and Bikram yoga. I'm looking forward to incorporating more stretching into my week. Right now, I attend yoga class at Quest on Thursdays, but I am always up for more yoga! Next week it is time for more photos and measurements; I'll find out if my hard work is paying off so far!

Week 3 Wrap Up:


Monday- AM Swim/AM Xfit
Tuesday-AM run/walk/PM run
Wednesday- AM elliptical/lunch boot camp
Thursday- AM run/Lunch boot camp/PM yoga
Friday- AM elliptical/PM xfit
Saturday- AM run/PM run (8 miles total)
Sunday-REST

Week #2

The second week of the transformation challenge felt even better than the first. I am comfortable with my daily menu and exercise routine. I was able to get up for my morning fasted cardio workouts with a bit more gusto than week one. In everything I did, I felt stronger and healthier. If this is only two weeks in, I can't wait to see the results of fourteen weeks of hard effort. Also, I deadlifted 150lbs this week! Now, I know this is really not very much in the world of crossfit, but it still is exciting for me! I think I did 1/2 a chin up as well...still working on that goal. Finally, the pictures I selected for this blog entry are of two strength moves. One is obviously a push up--something I could not do before I started crossfit. The second is a one leg, hover, yoga move (not sure of the name) that I learned at my yoga class at Quest this week. Stay tuned for more about my challenge.

Week 2 Wrap Up:
Monday- AM elliptical/AM xfit (press and conditioning)/5X5 pushups
Tuesday-AM run/walk/ PM xfit (G Row and conditioning)/5x5 pushups/ 3 sets of 10 burpees in 30s
Wednesday-AM elliptical/lunch boot camp/5x5 pushups/3 sets of 11 burpees in 33s
Thursday- AM run/walk/Lunch run/PM yoga/5x5 pushups
Friday-AM swim/PM xfit (squats, deadlifts, and conditioning)
Saturday- REST & 24-hour cheat window :)
Sunday-long run (15 miles)