I'm back

Having a cold sucks. Not because just having a cold sucks, but because I hate missing workout days. I get all out of whack and feel even crappier when I miss consecutive days. I did need the rest though. Shame my shoulder didn't take advantage of the time off, it's still screaming at me. Not sure what I did last week to aggravate it so much but it hates me right now. And no, that didn't stop me from doing anything today. Probably stupid on my part, but a week off is enough. Sunday I did go for a 2 mile walk and yesterday (wednesday) I went for a 3-4 mile bike ride with my daughter. So technically I haven't been sitting on my ass for a week, I just haven't lifted anything other than my kids, a coffee cup and my book in 7 days.

As you can imagine, even though I was ready to get back into it today, everything felt heavy. 10 minutes of clean and jerks felt great after the first 5 or so. Then it was on to 12 minutes of 100 double unders, 7 deadlifts and 25 burpees. Eek. I thought for sure I wouldn't even be able to get thru the double unders but I managed them in 3 minutes. May sound horrible to some people but for me, that is a friggen record. The amrap was the deadlifts and burpees in whatever time was left after your double unders. I managed 2 rounds plus a few deads. Not too bad considering I haven't done deadlifts in months. Let alone semi heavy at 165# in a metcon. My burpees didn't feel too bad, I don't know but the more I do Outlaw's programming the more burpees seem like a rest period. Didn't think I would ever hear myself say that. Ever.

Oh and I just have to say hats off to Rudy, he is doing a phenomenal job over there at Outlaw between coaching his athletes, running his business, taking on this whole 'games' program and designing his own lifting shoes! Come on. They are the shit and I want a pair asap! He's a great coach and I've gained more strength over the past 4-5 months than I have in the past year. Not dissing mainsite or BrandX at all, they got me started and made it possible for me to even do Outlaw's programming. I just love the oly strength and metcon programming.

Anyway I tried to make spiced pumpkin coconut milk pancakes (since I had leftovers) the other day but they came out like shit. Had I known better I would have thrown the batter into a cupcake mold and baked them. I have a feeling they would have came out great... which I may in fact do today. Hmmm, if they work out, I'll post a recipe in a few days. And I even may try to remember to remind myself to take a picture. If I don't forget. ha.

Human guinea pig

Sometimes I wonder if I'm not just a human guinea pig. I'm willing try new recipes and report back saving everyone the hassle of trying them themselves. That is of course if you trust my judgement. Three things you need to know. I am a food snob, I'll eat anything with the exception of beets and I don't impress easily. I should have been a food critic. But they are usually fat and have to eat a lot of shitty food so that would be a deal breaker for me.

So with that, I made PaleOMG's pumpkin granola and Elana's Pantry peanut butter cookies. Well, let me tell you. That pumpkin granola is fucking delicious. My only problem with it was it did not get as crispy as I would have liked. I doubled the recipe from the get go, added more on the cooking time and it still came out a little too chewy. Oh it's still great, but it ended up like a chewy cereal bar rather than the crunchy granola I was hoping for. So, word of warning, spread it thin as you can on the cookie sheet and check underneath with a spatula to make sure it's not burning. If there is any way to make your house smell like fall, this recipe will do it. Cloves, cinnamon and allspice? What could be better.

The peanut butter cookies were good. I did not do the jelly thing, I added chocolate chips. Good stuff. The kids like it and thats all that matters.

Well I've come to the conclusion that my belly aching this past week is not the pretzels and hummus. Thank god. It's the apples. I cut them out and bingo, feel 100% better. My mother told me before apple skin can be bothersome but who listens to their mother the first time around. Apple skins bad, mom right. Sigh. At least I know what it is and I'm guessing peeling the skin will solve that issue.

My poor little guy is down for the count this weekend with a terrible cough and high fever. The kids have been in school a little over 2 weeks and we've got our first cold of the season already. Of course I usually always get it no matter what I do and I did. Stuffy head, sore throat, although I don't feel as bad today as I did yesterday. I think cutting out the grains has lessoned virus's, virus'? effect on the system. Just my 2 cents. No data to back that up but coming from someone who was always sick and always suffered from headaches, I very rarely get either too often anymore and if I do, they don't last that long. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Obviously no wod for me today taking it easy, baking some goodies, making lasagna and watching dad and the kids play football on this beautiful Sunday. And yes, I'm using real cheese and ricotta in the lasagna. What self respecting Italian would dare do otherwise.

I just have to throw this out there...

There was just a piece on the Today Show about arsenic in rice products and speaking on behalf of the FDA (who is basically does nothing) was Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. The FDA said they tested rice products are found the high levels but they're not ready to do anything about it yet so keep on eating rice folks. Almost a direct quote. Yeah, that seems about right, like I said, they do nothing. Ok, so being the conspiracy theorist that I am I decided to do a little research on Mrs. Hamburg. It literally took me 5 seconds to find out there is a tie from her to Monsanto AND big pharma. Not only is she heavily invested in pharmaceutical companies, she's a director of a medical equipment and vaccine supplier. Her advisor on, get this, food safety is a former VP of Public Policy at Monsanto. If you don't know anything about Monsanto, and I can't believe any long time Crossfitter wouldn't know about them, do the research. Watch the documentaries. It is horrifying what they get away with. A connection certainly doesn't surprise me, in fact I was betting on it and I'm sure it goes a lot deeper than a casual internet surfer like myself may find.

So why the negativity this early in the morning? I'm growing more and more suspicious of... everyone. Everyone has an agenda. EVERYONE. Do I believe in all the information I find on conspiracy web sites and the like? No. I'm not a fool. But I do believe there is some truth wrapped up in the information and I whole heartily believe any representative of big corp is going to sway the opinion toward the money instead of what is actually healthy for humans to consume. Do some research. Take the red pill. Get out of the Matrix.

Well now that I got that out of my system and got my butt beat in today's wod, I feel better. 50 pound kettlebell swings? No. I practiced a few, heavy as hell and needless to say awkward. I have to use a dumbbell, and swinging two 25 pound old iron plates between my legs just does not work when you're on the short side of 5'4". I look like I'm giving birth I have to squat so wide. Gah, guess I better bite the bullet and buy a proper kettlebell. Unfortunately I did not see the 1:1 ratio rest after each round. That would have helped I think. I had to lower the kb swings to 40# in order to keep a good pace. Oh well. Back squats felt great. Legs felt really strong today. The weight was medium 65-80%, but the volume was a bit more than usual. I'm sure I'll feel that tomorrow morning.

Nothing new on the recipe front. Probably having leftover chili tonight since Bob won't be home for dinner. Need to buckle down again on my diet. I'm not sure what has been bugging my system lately so it's trial and error time again. I fasted the other day and felt amazing. Yesterday I had my usual grub, tuna, turkey, almonds, gluten free pretzels and hummus, raisins, garbage stir fry with shrimp and chicken and about 7 mini semi sweet chocolate chips. Yeah, I know but I will not give up my chocolate. Anyway, something of that group bothered me and I have a feeling it may be the hummus and/or the pretzels. The pretzels are gluten free, but they contain rice products and a bit of other processed stuff including a bit of sugar. Please god no. I love my hummus and pretzels. So, I'll skip them today and see if there is a difference. In a way I hope not, but I also need to find out sooner rather than later.

more mobility

Fell on the floor gasping for air after today's wod. Yay! It's been at least a week or so since I've had to do that. Running, pull ups and thrusters will do that to me. Did some clean and jerks beforehand which wren't too bad even though my wrists are pretty sore. I guess the 2 days of front squats had something to do with that. It's been a long time since they've hurt this much. Guess I need to work more mobility into the routine. Gah, more mobility. Always with the mobility. Will I ever see the day when I can just do something without stretching out 20 minutes before?

Nothing new on the Chase family front. Been busy with the kids, taking the pool down and celebrating my little dude's 5th birthday. Bud's birthday was filled with Lego Mine Craft and Angry Birds. I must say, Lego have built themselves quite an empire. There is Lego EVERYTHING now. Seriously. I didn't even know there was such a thing as Mine Craft until about a month ago let alone Lego Mine Craft. Crazy. Needless to day, Bud is a happy boy.

No new recipes lately, feeling a bit lazy in that department. Bob did make some fabulous bison and beef chili the other night though. Not sure I taste much of a difference between the bison and beef, but I think it added a bit of 'richness' to the chili.

Kids are home today keeping me busy and annoyed. Gotta run.

Kimchi

Alright Sears. You called me at 6:30am to tell me my dryer would be here between 9-11. Umm. Yeah. Why didn't you just call and say hey, we'll be there sometime on Thursday because really, it means the same thing.

Wow today's wod was an arm and shoulder killer. HSPU, kb snatches, presses and romanian deadlifts. I was actually able to get up for the hspu's today with no pain in the shoulders so I was happy with that. My ROM for the hspu's was a bit shaky but I got some good ones. The dumbbell snatches are the killer for me. 75 each arm @ 30lbs. Ugh. Hate them. Actually, my right arm likes them, my left arm doesn't. All I could think of was Popeye while I was doing them. Yeah, my mind was wandering today. So needless to say after all those snatches my arms and shoulders were smoked, I could barely get 65 off my back for the presses let alone in snatch grip position. Had to lower that to 60. Still a struggle today. Shoulders were not happy. Romanian deadlifts were ok. My forearms and grip failed before anything else. I literally had to peel my left hand fingers off the bar. They tightened up so bad it was like I had no control over them for a second. Weird. I'm pretty sure that shouldn't happen but it's all good now.

In my love of all things fermented and cabbage I've moved on to the next logical step. Kimchi. It is delicious, and holy hell is it spicy, even the mild version. It does have sugar in it. Not much, less than 1g, but still, if you're avoiding sugars, look for another maker. I bought Kings since it was the only one I've seen in our local grocery store. I'm sure the natural food store or a Whole Foods would have more of a selection. I've seen a few recipes to make it but it sounds like a real pain in the ass so I'll put up with the minimal sugar content for now. It's a great side dish if you're looking for something different for lunch. Speaking of, I just chowed down on turkey, hummus, sliced cucumbers on gluten free light tapioca bread and my side of Kimchi. Yum. I know, sugar, carbs AND hummus, bad paleocitizen. Oh well. I'm sure not going to lose any sleep over it.

Off to go pick up my little dude from school then make some chocolate chip cookies... paleo friendly of course.

No Tough Mudder this weekend

What a fucking bummer. Thanks to torrential rains on Saturday the Tough Mudder was cancelled on Sunday. Think about it, the Tough MUDDER was cancelled due to.... too much mud? Really? Sounds like an oxymoron, but apparently there was big trouble at the farm where the event was being held on Saturday when the nasty storms rolled thru. There was standing water; not by design, electrical hazards, again, not by design, and cars needing to be pushed and towed out of the muddy parking area. We also heard that the location itself and the unpreparedness of the local police made for a perfect storm of a terrible experience. Tough Mudder has always prided itself on running a very safe, efficient, challenging and fun event and with all the damage done to the course on Saturday, they felt like it wouldn't be safe and enjoyable for anyone on Sunday. I get it. Safety first. Electrocutions can only be done by experienced Mudder professionals.

Things weren't all bad though. We actually ended up having a nice weekend full of family fun. We took the kids to the Baltimore Aquarium on Saturday.

While at the aquarium I had a nice salad with grilled veggies and fresh fruit. So far so good. After the aquarium we found a nice little diner around the corner from our hotel which offered bison burgers, gluten free, organic, local grassfed meat and produce. Needless to say Bob and I were excited about that. I had the bison burger with mushrooms, guacamole and bacon. Bob had meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It wasn't the best meal I've ever had, but it was a cool place and the waiter didn't look at me like I had 3 heads when I ordered a burger with no bun. Sunday we drove down to Washington DC since it was only about 40 minutes or so from our hotel. We cruised around town, checked out the White House, took some handstand photos with the monument in the background, had 13 cups of coffee and took the bus to The National Zoo, got back downtown had an early dinner at Chipotle and made our way home.

I was surprised at how easy it was to find decent meals while out of town. It's not as difficult as you would think. Obviously it takes a little research before, but really, how hard is that now with iPhones and iPads? Anyone who says it's too hard to stick to primal or paleo lifestyle while eating out is either lazy or stupid. That is an excuse for people who want to eat whatever they want and then say they didn't have a choice.

Wods the past 2 days have felt good. I guess the little 3 day break was good for me. Squats were awesome today and clean and jerks felt good at 95.. although not good enough to get thru the entire metcon in good form. I did drop to 85 to keep good pace. I am happy I CAN do 95 pound clean and jerks. There was a time, not more than a few weeks ago when I couldn't. I love Crossfit.

just keep swimming just keep swimming

It's nice to see some people still have a sense of humor. On my <cough cough> weekly visit to pick up tequila I was in line paying for my item when I told the guy, 'eh, I don't need a bag'. To which he replied, 'straw'? Nice one. I didn't think I looked any more out of control and in need of a drink than I normally do, but I guess being that he works at a liquor store, he would know.

Made the most of my kid free few hours this am although, wish I could have actually relaxed but as any mom... or dad I guess, will tell you, it's fucking awesome to go food shopping alone. It's the little things.

Had a nice little lunch (pic came out shitty) of sliced roast beef with spicy mustard and greek yogurt dipping sauce, kalamata olives and a salad with avocados and tomatoes. Then I finished it off with some sliced Honey crisp apples and almond butter. Yum. Thanks Lynne for the honey crisp apple reminder. They are definitely the best apples out there.

No wod for me. All ktaped up and taking a few rest days to heal the shoulder. Not that I'll be laying around, but no lifting for me. Need a break thats for sure.

Gotta keep moving, cleaning and packing to do and preparing some normal food for us to munch on while away. Can't rely on the hotel breakfast and lord knows what the local downtown Baltimore restaurants will have to offer. No, I didn't do my research yet but I will. Please lord watch over me and keep me away from the fast food delishousness. (is that a word?)

Run forrest run!

I really don't like running anymore. Well, today wasn't so bad, it was only a mile and I came in under 9 minutes. That is a record for me. I'm slow. Really slow. And I have no real desire to improve on that. There I said it. Feels good to get that off my chest.

So my little man started his first day of pre school today. He was so excited.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring the same enthusiasm.

I am in love with my new julienne peeler. This morning I shredded up some more zucchini noodles and sauteed them in coconut oil for about 3 minutes, reheated my leftover pulled pork and made fried some eggs. Fabulous.

Dinner tonight is going to be pizza. Gluten free of course with green peppers, onions and sliced home grown tomatoes. I just don't feel like making anything more involved than that.

Full report on the long weekends travels and Mudder next week.

First day of school

Yahooooo! Errr, I mean, boo hoo.

H was very excited to start second grade today. I suspect the main reason was only to wear her new clothes and shoes.

So Bob has his third Tough Mudder this weekend in MD. I didn't sign up this time and God dammit the weather is going to be perfect... 80 degrees, humid... if there was any Mudder I should be doing, it's this one. In the past it was the cold that beat me up the most. Well, it will be fun to spectate and stay dry for once. I'm not sure if the kids are excited as we are but I have a feeling once they see the potential muddy fun, they'll be fine. If they are recovered from their trip to Hershey. We are surprising them on Saturday with a trip to Hershey Park. My only goal is to not eat my weight in chocolate. Not holding out much hope.

Tested out a new cracker recipe today. I love me some crackers. The only problem was I didn't realize my beloved hummus was gone. Hey, I love hummus, I don't care if it's not paleo. It's awesome. And honestly, there are worst things in the world than garbonzo beans, garlic and tahini. Oh and I was finally able to make zucchini noodles last night with my new julienne peeler. I also roasted some chicken legs, shredded them and added some fresh pesto.

Taking a much needed rest day today... obviously. Body is a bit sore from the past few wods and the shoulders are not feeling great. I haven't had the Kinesio tape on for 4 days now. Testing it out to see if it does actually work. Due to the pain in my shoulder right now, I'm guessing it does. Yesterday I pr'd my back squat 1@190. I almost got 195, got down, but not far enough. Had I gone parallel, I wouldn't have gotten back up, I'm pretty certain of that. Hopefully at this rate I should be at 200 by next month... how awesome am I. Ha.

Kinesio tape and beef

So I jumped on the Kinesio tape bandwagon. I can certainly see why it's gaining popularity. It works. Unfortunately for shoulder pain, there are several different ways to tape so it will be trial and error at first. I did tape using the 'general shoulder pain' method and even in my not so perfect application, (you really need someone else to do it for you) I notice a difference. Yesterday I was able to bang out 22 UB dips in my first set with very little pain. The week before I could only get up to 12 in my first set. I still had some trouble with the one arm dumbbell snatch though... 32lbs was a bit too painful to push thru.

Finally made a new dish the other night, Asian ground beef. It was pretty good and it's nice to find another easy recipe with ingredients I usually always have on hand, with the exception of the broccoli slaw. Luckily I just happen to have it. Kudos for me. I love when I can make a dinner that doesn't require me to go to the store. The kids and I just finished making some zucchini bread again. I don't think this was the recipe I used before, regardless, it came out pretty good. I tweaked it by adding vanilla, nutmeg and cutting back one egg. If I do make it again, I would probably use another tablespoon of maple syrup too. Surprisingly the kids liked it even though it wasn't quite as sweet. Tonight I'm going with our favorite beef recipe, you guessed it Mexican Beef. Love it. Getting ready to get that shit together as soon as I get finished with this post.

Not much else happening, Bob is working overtime this weekend which means I have too much time on my hands to shop online... well, browse online and stress over making the kids healthy lunches for the new school year thanks to Nom Nom's post on school lunches. Damn her and her healthy kids! I wish my kids would eat broccoli, tomatoes, roast beef and chicken salad. I will try my best not to succomb to lunchables, bagged chips and 'fruit' snacks but I usually always cave. At least my daughter will eat apple slices, turkey, carrots and healthier stuff sometimes, and I'm not packing her Hostess cupcakes, jelly sandwiches and mini jug juices like some of the other kids. Oh well, I guess all I can do is try right?