Cross Fit Week One - Suck IT!

Well, there were a few things actually.

There were some Shoulder Presses that I can recall. I did those and didn't find them to be difficult at all using a 40lb barbell. Next time, I'm kicking up the weight. Maybe 55 or 60lbs. Oh ya...

There was a bit of running. 800 meter run four times for time. Have I mentioned lately how much I detest running? I do! I HATE running! Why, do you think? Shin splints.

There were 75lb Power Snatches. Those things are the devil. What are Power Snatches you ask!



Okay, so I'll admit it, I didn't do those. I saw them and um....scared. Yes, I'm a big wimp sometimes.


There were overhead squats. Ouch! I obviously don't use this kind of weight shown in the video but even just a 20lb barbell is enough to walk funny for a week afterwards.



There were some chest to the bar pull-ups, which I can't do yet. I do the weight assisted pull ups. Love those! My favorite. Some day, I WILL be able to do real pull-ups.


Assisted pull-ups - Katie Butlers Back to Basics Video from fastagent on Vimeo.

These workouts plus a plethora of cardio fun and my undying struggle to master the illusive cross over.


How to Skate Crossovers in Roller Derby -- powered by eHow.com

I realized something this week at the skating rink. I seem to be the only one having any trouble with crossovers. My husband can do them no problem. My friends who have gone skating with me can do them no problem. Why is it that I am a retard on rollerskates? The answer: I'm left handed. A south paw! I can skate on my right leg all day long but you ask me to skate on my left and I panic. Okay, maybe I don't panic but it's definitely challenging for me. Yet another thing in my life that I have to work harder for than every one else because I'm left handed. Bugger!

Hot, Hot, Hot, Hot Yoga

Last month was full of ghetto roller skating fun. I love roller skating. It was fabulous. I loved roller derby practice too. I'm convinced that they are my kinda people. Mostly normal looking to the rest of the world but under the covers we're a little wild and sassy. Tattoos and attitude problems on roller skates. Seriously! What's not to love about that. I must confess though that I wasn't able to participate nearly as much as I had hoped when it came to the derby practices. I just wasn't good enough. Not yet anyway. I have a plan though. I'm determined damn it.

To fight off the threat of boredom when it comes to monthly activities, I've decided to switch it up a bit for the month of April. I'm not giving up on the roller derby. Quite the opposite actually. Well, here...look at this.

Oh...I hope you can read that. It's my exercise calendar for April. There are two days each week dedicated to PFM Practice. That means roller skating and roller derby practice. I'm going to get better so I can actually attempt this roller derby thing. It will be mine. Yes. I will conquer.

April's activity was up the air until just a couple days ago. A friend emailed me a killer deal for hot yoga in my neighborhood. Turns out that there is a website and an app for the iPhone that sends you daily deals in your city. It's called LivingSocial I think. Anyway, the deal she sent me was 20 Bikram yoga classes for $20. The only catch is that you have 60 days to use it up once you take your first class. Who cares right? I mean, even if I only went to 2 classes, it already paid for itself. So I got the deal. Yay me! And another friend got the deal. So now, we've got this awesome deal for hot yoga. Hmmm...whatever should my activity be for the month of April? Oh, I know. Hot yoga? Yes please.

I've done Bikram yoga before, and Power too I think. I've only done it a couple times though. My first try ever was in October of last year if I remember correctly. I barely made it 20 minutes before I had to lay down and rest. There I was sweating and judging myself laying on the floor watching all these swan-like stick figures move through the series of 26 poses with ease while fat little ole me was looking for an inhaler and a hand held battery operated fan. You know the ones right? The ones attached to a string so you can wear it around your neck. Ya. I would have loved one of those at that moment.

I did not give up though. Never! I rested for a few minutes then when I felt like I was able to get up and try again, I did. I made it through the entire 90 minute class without fainting or vomitting or falling over and smooshing one of the swan-like stick figures. Death and destruction did not cometh to all the world because I had to lay down and rest either. Just a little sting to the pride, but that was it.

I went back and did it a couple more times and each time, I got better and stronger and was able to last longer. Eventually, I even made it all the way through an entire class. That was a proud day. I remember it fondly. I loved hot yoga. I think maybe 5 or 6 times I've done it in my life so far. I know there is definitely more I can experience and learn and poses that I want to get better at. So, I'm giving it another go. In fact, I have it on my calendar for Mondays and Wednesdays all through April and May. Might as well get all the use out of my killer deal as I can.

Stay tuned for my Hot Yoga adventures. First installation is Monday, April 5th.

Weekend Adventures...Roller Derby practice league

Hi. So, I'm in a bit of a mood today. Just a warning I suppose. If I drop the F bomb a few too many times or insult anyone or everyone, get over it, it happens.

Sunday was the day. It was the big day. My first ever experience attending a roller derby practice league session. I was NERVOUS. Oh so nervous.

• I'm not the best skater there ever was. Translation: I can make my way around the floor for a good hour or so without falling on my ass but am still not so good at stopping or turning or anything else.
• I don't know anyone there so I was going all by my little lonesome.
• I had no idea what to expect as far as how experienced one would have to be to not be laughed at and mocked all the way out the door and down the street.

Well, I got there and ended up on the wrong side of the building. Luckily though, there was another newby having the same experience so we joined effort and figured it out. Yay! First obstacle conquered. I found the place. You know when you see tattooed chicks in tights and knee high socks, you've found the right place. Finally, my kind of peeps.

Once I got in the building, I was then confused yet again. I had no idea what to do. Who to talk to. Where to go. Um? Ya. Luckily I'm not shy. "Hey, you have skates, who do I talk to being a newby here?" Done. Simple enough. Sign on the dotted line releasing them of any liability if I fall and break my face open and pay my $8. Okie doke.

Time to suit up. Oh ya. All the pads and helmet and stuff. You have to have all your own gear so it's good that I knew that ahead of time or I would have been screwed. At that point, the thoughts were going through my head. Here's a little sneak peak.

• Seriously Salina, you better not stand up and fall over right off the bat. Get up and skate out there like nobody's business. No pusy foot now princess.
• I hope I don't have to maneuver around anyone. Oh shit, I'm totally going to slam into someone and they're gonna kick me out.
• My helmet is too big. God I hope I don't fall and it goes flying off while everyone is trying to skate. How freaking embarrassing would that be. Scuse me, sorry, excuse me, ya that's mine, thanks. Ugh!
• Stop thinking of all the shitty things that could happen. Just go have fun. Who cares if you look like a retard on roller skates.

On the floor and skating around. So far so good. The track feels weird. Don't worry about the fact that I'm the slow car in the right lane while everyone is speeding past and weaving in and out and around. Honk honk, "MOVE DUMMY". Ya...that's me. Then the coach skated past me and said that I needed to be in the corner with the "beginners" after warmup was over. Duh! :)

In the corner I go. Hello ladies. I'm NEW! Like really NEW in case you couldn't tell. Wink wink. OMG, I'm such a freakin' nerd. Time to learn to stop and fall. Stop and fall. Those are the lessons today. Did you get that? We learn to stop. And we learn to fall. To fall. To FALL. Ya. Ok. You got it now? FALL! As long as we're all on the same page here.

Lesson #1: Stop Pizza. No, not stop for pizza. The pizza stop. Also known as snow plow. Get it? Like a slice of pizza. Gah! Oh my buns are burnin' after that one. Yaow!

Lesson #2: T-Stop. As in, balance on one foot while dragging the other one behind you. You want me to balance on one foot while rolling on wheels under my feet? Seriously? Um....ok. I actually picked it up pretty quick. Well, I was able to do it on one foot but disaster struck when I attempted the other side. Let's move on, shall we?

Lesson #3: Never never never NEVER do the toe drag stop. Bad! BAD! Never!

Lesson #4: Knee drag fall. Balance on one skate while dragging the toe (not the toe stop) behind you until you softly land on a knee and slide to a complete stop.

Lesson #5: 4-Way Stop/Fall. Similar to Lesson #4 but instead of resting on your knee, you tuck your leg under you and land on your hip. Now, my guess is this is where all the nasty bruises will eventually come from. Looking forward to that post I bet. And pictures?

Lesson #6: Cross-overs. Oh lordy lordy lordy. I can't figure these damn things out for the life of me. But, I got a couple tips and can't wait to practice them. I'm gonna figure it out if it kills me. Turn your upper body and head in the direction you want to turn. Look up and to where you intend to go. Wherever your eyes are looking is where your body will follow. Look down and you're going to fall. Bend your knees. Bend them. Bend them more. Practice standing in your skates and stepping your right foot over your left. Okay, now go try it in motion. Warning! You are going to fall. Get over it.

By the end, I was good and tired and felt like I learned a lot. I feel even more like I have a lot more to learn and practice before I can hang out with the pack and do the real drills. More to come.

I don't have pictures of the actual practice because no one went with me to take pictures and I was a little busy to take out my camera and snap some self-portraits. But I do have a couple crappy snap shots from roller skating the night before at Skate King.

Did I mention that I think I'm in love? I think I might just be in love. Or maybe it's just a crush. Either way...

Roller Skating 101

Well, I've got to say, this roller skating thing is a little more difficult than I imagined it would be. I mean, I'm not the most graceful person I know, and although I had some great balance at one point in my life, I'm not sure I can still make that claim.

I didn't have this info for my last post so here's the link to the skates I bought. Rock Skates.

I strap on my skates and pop up, ready to take on the rink, only to realize that I'm not so steady on wheels. My first attempt was probably comical to watch. I clung to the wall like white dog hairs on black wool. I stumbled and rolled my way around that rink. Oh my goodness, I can't even begin to tell you the fear when the wall ended and it was up to me to stand on my own 8 wheels. But, I did it. Alas, I was rolling. And I might add, I did not fall. Not even once.

My first time out was a smashing success. I actually got relatively comfortable pushing myself around the floor. Yes there were moments of wobbles and uncertainty but that's all part of the learning process right? Right! Second time was in a different roller rink. The nastiest roller rink I think I've ever imagined. Yuck. Smaller floor, older carpet, puddles under the lockers, a smell that just won't quit. Ugh! But, it turned out to be a pretty darn good experience except of course for the sticky nastiness that was on the bottom of my purse after puting it in one of the lockers. As we were pushing ourselves around the rink, a guy who seems more comfortable on wheels than off approached Hubby and asked him if he wanted any pointers for skating backward a bit better. He was struggling to figure it out on his own. Um, yes please! So there we are, skating in the pit of all roller pits getting a free lesson from a professional freestyle inline skater. Oh boy!

A word of advice, stay away from the roller rink on Valentine's day during the Family Skate session. Yes, I speak from experience. Hubby and I went to the rink last night for a couple hours of skating fun, foolishly thinking it was going to be about as busy as it was last weekend. Not so much. A dozen adults or so and probably a couple hundred kids flying, falling, skating the wrong direction, and causing a number of head-on collisions. How is that math possible? I mean really. 20 adults to 200 kids. Is that even legal? I'll tell you what...it shouldn't be. Now I understand why those weird people put leashes on their kids. It wasn't so bad at first but it just kept getting busier and busier and the kids were getting more and more reckless by the moment. It wasn't bad sitting back and watching the chaos but maneuvering through the wreckage was less than enjoyable. I fell once and Hubby fell twice but all were due to our own mistakes or attempts to miss the pile-ups spiratically scattered around the floor.

The good thing about our adventures last night though is that I was finally able to master the figure 8 skating without picking your feet up at all. Hard work on your thighs but it was really exciting to finally get the hang of it. Now if only I could stop. I'm still not comfortable on one foot so picking one foot up and dragging it behind me to stop is not yet so attainable. I'm trying and will master it sooner or later but I'm definitely not easy to watch, I'm sure.

So, how about some lessons?






That should do it for now. Now who wants to go roller skating?