One Year Ago: Don't forget to pack Frankie
We lay in bed next to one another reading our respective books, mine either about food or photography and him a biography of some hero or antihero. It is our ritual. It is comfort. In my periphery I see his eyes drift from the page and he gets a funny smirk on his face. I ask him what he is thinking about. He reminisces about summer days in South Africa, running over the sand dunes towards the ocean. It is amazing how vivid our memories can be. We can smell it and taste it. We close our eyes and for a moment we are there.
CrossFit East Bay -Team 13s WOD- Nov 13, 2010 from doron serban on Vimeo.
By the way, Doron is amazing with his documentation of our team. He produced a book from last years road to the games called 'Super Secret Sunday Club'. The images are striking, he did a fantastic job. You can see a preview Here.
So, what is crossfit? It is an obsession. It pushes your body and your mind to the limits of what you believe it is capable of. It is not about being the best at a single task, it is about being good at just about any task that is presented to you. It encompasses endurance and speed, strength and flexibility, power and agility, balance, coordination and accuracy. On any given day you may be given the task to run, row, jump rope, climb rope, carry things, push things, pull things. It includes power lifting, sprinting, and gymnastics. To sum it up, it satisfies my need for variation completely. Add to that the competition component and you have a recipe for a fitness program that is actually fun. I mean, why would you ever even look at a treadmill again?
One of the things that I really love about crossfit is not only the variation in tasks, but the variation in the types of people partaking in these tasks. It is not just gym rats. All sorts partake in crossfit. From the fit to the curious, old and young, men women and children.
So that is crossfit in a nutshell. My obsession for the moment.
P.S. I just have to brag a little here. Yesterday I achieved my first ever muscle up (a pull up on the rings followed by a transition immediately to a dip). It took about 3 months of practice but I finally got it. Yes it is a level A gymnastics move, but it is a goal I had set my sights on and I got it!!! Hooorah!
Wow! Looks like work. I think I will keep on with the tread mill. You know your only 61 once. I'm proud of you. Dad
(11.18.10)Mighty MOUSE
(11.22.10)
Some people love the smell of cinnamon rolls or freshly baked cookies. Maybe even roses. Me, I LOVE the smell of horse breath. As a little girl I would run into the barn and find my horse chewing on a mouthful of alfalfa. She would reach her head over the top of her stall and gently nudge me with her muzzle. I loved how her whiskers would tickle my cheek. Then, we would stand there, smelling each other. I loved the sweet smell of her breath. She would blow her deep horse breath on my face and I reveled in it. While out on a shoot recently I saw this woman riding through the park. Childhood memories of long summer afternoons with my Mariah came back to me. It is amazing how quickly life changes...
Once a horse girl, always a horse girl.
(10.06.10)Dear Sara -- It warms my heart to Know how much joy came from a loving thought for you.
(10.07.10)
You married me today, three years ago. It is amazing how quickly the time has gone. Thank you for loving me, despite me.
Enter: Vibram FiveFingers
Stop Laughing. Seriously. OK, I get it. They might be a bit funny looking. And maybe they don't fit into that 'looking cute' category. But they are definitely in that 'usefulness' category. Not only are they supposed to be 'the most amazing running shoe' but they are great for a whole host of other stuff. Hiking, bouldering, cliff jumping, windsurfing, yoga, crossfit. Pretty flippin cool if you ask me.
Over our holiday in Italy Charlie suggested I read a great book called 'Born to Run' by Christopher McDougall . Read it. If I haven't got you thinking about new footwear, this book certainly will. Or maybe it will convince you to throw out your footwear all together. It got me thinking about my footwear and lead me to the Vibrams, but at that point it was just a thought. When I joined Cross-fit East Bay and learned that 'running shoes' do not work as weightlifting shoes I began to wonder about my looming purchase. Follow this by my genetic predisposition to having crappy feet to begin with and I got to thinking, maybe what I need to do is strengthen those feet of mine. Back to the Vibram. It was time for a new pair of running shoes, and these fit the bill.
I saw these on a fella in a local restaurant, all the kids were starring at him like a three-legged dog.....i bet they'd be great for climbing trees !!
(09.15.10)Haha! Those shoes have been all the rave amongst the very active in Hawaii for quite some time now. I've seriously considered getting a pair myself with all the running I do, but just recently settled on the new Nike Free, which has been terrific. Let me know how the Vibrams work for ya! Still meaning to call you, btw...
(09.15.10)Jen it is so nice to hear from you! Charlie has the Nike Free which he loves, they are also a lot less attention grabbing. Which isn't such a bad thing =) So, what are you waiting for, call me already!
(09.15.10)Jamison really wants a pair, but he wants to try them on before he purchases them. Where did you get yours? I'm guessing you ordered online somewhere? Did you get the fun finger socks too?
(09.23.10)They are pretty awesome! I got them at REI on San Pablo. Tell him to go there to try them out. No finger socks yet, but the are in my future =)
(09.23.10)