Posts Tagged by inspiration
Help Save Lives AND Win a Pair of Reebok CrossFit Nano 4.0 Custom Kicks!
| September 20, 2014 | Posted by Sarah under CrossFit, Inspiration & Reflection |
Remember last year when I took on Grace at the Barbells for Boobs fundraiser? I raised $420 to help people gain access to proactive screenings and diagnostic procedures to prevent breast cancer. Then I lifted 95 pounds 30 times in 6 minutes and 42 seconds to show my appreciation to everyone who donated!
Well this year I want to kick it up a notch and so does Barbells for Boobs! I was inspired by my friend and fellow CrossFitter Megan, who survived breast cancer at an early age because of early detection. Here is Megan kicking Grace’s ass last year!
This year, Barbells for Boobs is giving fundraisers that reach $1,200 in donations a killer pair of Custom Reebok Nano 4.0!! No seriously!! Check these beauties out!!
And guess what…I want YOU to have them! That’s right, if I get to the $1,200 mark, I will be raffling off these shoes to one lucky donator. And don’t worry, they will be in your size. I will order the winner’s size! So here’s what you need to do…
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Donate a minimum of $15 to my Barbells for Boobs donation page by October 31st.
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After you donate, come back to this page and leave a comment telling me who or what inspires you. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to let me know you did both and you will get 5 entries into the raffle!
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Get 5 additional entries by tweeting about this giveaway and liking us on Facebook & Twitter!
A couple of rules: I will be matching all donation names with entries. Anyone who enters the giveaway without donating will automatically be disqualified. The blog post comment is mandatory to enter. All other entries are optional.
Pretty easy right?!? Remember this raffle will ONLY happen if I get to $1,200 in donations, so the more you donate, the closer we get to those awesome shoes!! Let’s help save some lives people!!
I will announce the winner on November 1st, which is also the day that I will be tackling Grace for the second time. I’m doing this for my mom, Megan and all of those who have suffered and will sadly suffer in the future from this hateful disease. My goal this year is to get it done in under 5 minutes…can I do it?!?!
A Commitment To Myself After One Year of RAD Living
| July 1, 2014 | Posted by Sarah under Inspiration & Reflection, Lifestyle |
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since I started this site. The past 12 months have definitely been full of big highs, like starting my own business, a trip to Disneyland and Barbells for Boobs, but there were also quite a few lows as well, my winter funk, a devastating miscarriage, and the loss of a mentor. And that’s life…ups, downs and all of the in betweens. We can only learn from our experiences and move on. I know I’m stronger and wiser (that’s debatable) because of them….so let’s move on!
This year I want to make a commitment to myself. A commitment to be a better person, a happier person, a healthier person! I can only be successful if I commit to being the best self I can be, and I can’t be there for others if I don’t take care of myself. So here are some of my goals.
1. Eat Better & Drink Less
Don’t we all find ourselves saying this…A LOT?!? I know I do. I go through ups and downs all the times. I have a cupcakes addiction and I really enjoy martinis…sometimes I indulge in both things a little too much. With the summer and my CSA providing fresh produce it’s much easier to stay on track right now, but I want to stay on this path! My goal is to follow the 80/20…80% of the time eat well and 20% of the time enjoy those indulgences.
2. Stick to a Training Plan
Time and time again, I’ve tried to map out my training for upcoming races or competitions and every time I fail. EVERY. TIME. I have 2 events coming up this fall, the Disney Fit Challenge and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. I am determined to make these events GREAT! Starting next week, I will be following Jeff Galloway’s training plan for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon which has two 30 minute runs and one log run per week. I will also continue with CrossFit 4-5 times per week depending on my schedule. This plan means that there will be many days where I will have to run in the morning and then WOD in the evening. To ensure proper recovery, I’ve also incorporated one full rest day…I know that will definitely be needed. Now all I have to do is stick with it! Easier said than done…
3. Schedule My Time Better
Time management is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned since becoming self-employed. Your day can get away from you so quickly and because I’m working from home there are other distractions like laundry and cats. Scheduling has become a necessity and I need to make it even more detailed going forward. My goal is to actually block out my day for business development, client projects, blogging, training and personal time. I think this will be key to having less stress and getting projects done on time.
4. Give Back to the Community
I really want to volunteer this year. Whether it be with a local community group like the United Way, or at an event like the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, or simply handing out water at a local race…I need to do something. I am so grateful for all of the volunteers that have supported me in the many races I’ve done and
5. Love the Ones I’m With
My family and friends mean the world to me, but do I always let that show? I’m not 100% sure. This year I want to make more of an effort and let everyone in my life who means something to me know it. There will probably not be and grand gestures here, but just picking up the phone more often to check in or simply sending a card to let you know I’m thinking about you. Everyone needs to feel special…especially if they are 🙂
6. Be Happy
I started down the road to happiness the day I quit my job and I never want to veer off of it! It has improved my health and overall well being. It’s amazing what living in a toxic environment will do you not just your motivation, but to your physical health. I aspire to be happy every day and love what I do. When it comes down to it, that really is what life is all about.
Sometimes being selfish is ok. It just consists of a balance of doing what is right for you while being there for others. It’s a continuing juggling act, but as time passes I seem to get more and more balanced. I’m committing this year to be better and be even more RAD than before.
Thank you for reading, commenting, and being supportive over the past year. I hope you will continue to stick around and share your journey with me as well. This little blog has opened the door to so many opportunities and has introduced me to amazing people. I can’t wait to see where the next year brings!
Events at Days 2 & 3 of the 2014 CrossFit Games Northeast Regional
| June 11, 2014 | Posted by Sarah under CrossFit |
The CrossFit Games Regional competitions are a grueling experience. I know how tired and sore I get from just one WOD in a day…I can’t imagine doing multiple ones back to back over 3 days! That’s why these athletes are so amazing to watch. Their strength and stamina is very impressive.
So after an exciting first day, we got up bright and early to arrive in time to watch the Teams compete and cheer for Team CrossFit Milford A! Events 4 & 5 were back to back and consisted of 50 thrusters, 10-14ft. rope climbs, 40 thrusters, 8-14ft. rope climbs, 30 thrusters, 6-14 ft. rope climbs to be completed in a 10 minute time cap. In event 4, the women competed with 95 pounds on the bar and the men competed in event 5 with 135 pounds on the bar. The bar couldn’t touch the ground once a set was started, which made for some interesting pass offs between partners.
Katie, Liz & Carolyn of CrossFit Milford A – Event 4 Thrusters
Katie of CrossFit Milford A – Event 4 Rope Climb
Matt & Ryan of CrossFit Milford A – Event 5 Thrusters
CFM did awesome in these events with the ladies finishing in 5th and the men in 13th. They seemed pretty stoked with their performance 🙂
Carolyn, Katie, Liz & Ryan of CrossFit Milford A
So if those 2 events didn’t wreck their shoulders enough, event 6 was going to be a true test of upper body strength. This was a relay with all team members doing 9-6-3 reps of strict handstand pushups, hang power cleans (160# for men and 110# for women) and over the bar burpees. It’s an interesting event because the cleans and the burpees and easy for these athletes, but the strict handstand pushups are where the separation occurs.
This is also where one of my favorite events of the day occurred. Daniel of CrossFit Lindy was so enthusiastically cheering on his girlfriend Ricklynn in her last round of burpees that you can even see one of the coaches laughing…it was great!
CrossFit Lindy – Event 6 Burpees
Matt of CrossFit Milford A – Event 6 Hang Power Cleans
Liz of CrossFit Milford A – Event 6 Handstand Pushups
Katie of CrossFit Milford A – Event 6 Hang Power Cleans
Another kickass performance from CFM coming in 5th for this event!
We hung around for the rest of the day checking out the vendors, tailgating (a story for another day) and watching the individual men and women compete in events 4 and 5. Similar to event 6 for the teams, event 4 was 21-15-9-6-3 reps of strict handstand pushups, front squats (195# for men and 125# for women) and over the bar burpees. Event 5 was interesting consisting of 10 rounds of 1 legless rope climb followed by a 200-foot sprint.
One of the highlights was during event 5 of the men’s competition. All of the competitors that had finished went to cheer on the final athlete who was struggling with the rope climb. They even ran with him to the finish! This is what the CrossFit community is all about!
Big thanks to my friend Arie for capturing how impressed we all were with this!
The third day of competition is always the most exciting. The top heats are competing for those top 3 spots to go to the Games and it is tense! We were ready…to cheer that is 🙂
The teams kicked off the morning again with a crazy pairs WOD! Male/female pairs had to move through stations of 500-meter row while partner completes 125 double-unders (each), 50 deadlifts while partner holds barbell at the waist (275# for men & 185# for women), and 50 toes-to-bars while partner hangs. The partners couldn’t move on to the next station until the pair before them were finished. There was a lot going on here!
Team CFM on Deadlifts and Row/Double Unders
Team CFM on all 3 stations
Team CFM finishing up Deadlifts
8th Place Finish Group Hug
The final event was a quick one. Each team member had to complete 49 pull-ups followed by 7 overhead squats at 185# for men and 115# for women. It was a speedy culmination to a grueling weekend!
Team CFM finished 5th in the event and 5th overall for the weekend. It was so impressive to see these people who I see every week at my gym give it their all and finish so strong! Big group hug 🙂
We stuck around to watch the final women compete before making the drive home. This is where we saw one of the most performances of the weekend. Kaleena Laderious, also a CFM athlete, who had been struggling throughout the weekend kicked some major ass in event 6. I had been excited to see this event since it was probably the most difficult of all the WODs.
Event 6 was a 50-calorie row, 50 box jump overs at 24 in. for men & 18 in. for women, 50 deadlifts at 180# for men & 120# for women, 50 wall-ball shots at 20# for men & 14# for women, 50 ring dips, 50 wall-ball shots at 20# for men & 14# for women, 50 deadlifts at 180# for men & 120# for women, 50 box jump overs at 24 in. for men & 18 in. for women, 50-calorie rowwith a 21 minute time cap. WHOA.
There weren’t any women in all of the regional competitions that actually finished this event, but Kaleena came close getting to 27 calories of the final row. Endurance events are her strength and she sure showed it here.
Close up of Kaleena’s screen
Kaleena killing that row!
The men and women finished the day with a similar event to the teams, but instead had 64 pull-up and 8 overhead squats at 205# for men and 135# for women. The top male finished this WOD in 1:38…insane!
What a fun weekend! These athletes truly inspired me to be a better athlete as well. The next day I went to the gym and switched my membership from 3 days per week to unlimited. My goal is to go 4-5 days a week and get in shape from my upcoming event…the Disney Fit Challenge in September!
What was your favorite event during the 2014 CrossFit Games Regionals?
An Inspirational Conversation With Christmas Abbott
| June 4, 2014 | Posted by Sarah under CrossFit, Inspiration & Reflection |
The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Reebok.
Last week I was chosen by Reebok, along with 4 other FitFluential Ambassadors, to attend the CrossFit Games Northeast Regional Competition. It was an amazing experience overall which I will be going into more detail about tomorrow, but first I wanted to share the best part of the whole day. Getting to meet elite CrossFitter Christmas Abbott and hearing how CrossFit has changed her life.
I have to admit when I found out we were headed to meet Christmas I squeeled a bit on the inside. She is one of my CrossFit idols!! Not only is she incredibly beautiful, friendly and covered in some badass tattoos, she is also STRONG! She’s only 5’3″ (my height!) and can throw up some serious weight.
Christmas Abbott
CrossFit Invoke (Raleigh, NC)
Before meeting her, we were treated to some shopping in the official Reebok Headquarters Store where not only did we get to choose any Reebok item we’d like (WIN!) but we also got to pick a shirt from Christmas’ line (DOUBLE WIN!). I obviously went with the Cupcake and Kettlebell tank.
Needless to say, she was SO excited we we all arrived and were wearing her shirts along with our brand new Reebok Nano 3.0s we were given earlier in the week. We were like Christmas groupies! Ok who am I kidding…I’m totally a Christmas groupie 🙂
After our photo session we got to sit down and with Christmas for about 20 minutes or so to hear her story and ask a few questions. What an amazing story it is…
To say she has led an unconventional life is an understatement. In her early 20s, she spent 4 years in Iraq as an independent contractor. She was on a bad path and living an unhealthy lifestyle. This was the kickstart to a new life and this is where she found CrossFit. They didn’t have fancy equipment and often carried chairs and sandbags as weights, but it got the job done. The group were often ridiculed and called “Circus Fit” by others, but they were just having fun. Well if you can call grueling workouts and frequent vomiting fun. There wasn’t any scaling in those days. Men and women did the same weights and Christmas commented that a WOD that would take the men 15-18 minutes would often take her 45, but she would push through. I asked if she felt this made her stronger and she said “physically no, but mentally definitely!”
Upon returning home, she continued with CrossFit and eventually opened her own box, CrossFit Invoke in Raleigh, NC. Her goal was to create a welcoming environment where people of all fitness levels can come and feel accepted. She will never forget how difficult a 400m run was when she first started and will always help her members get over those hurdles. She looks for coaches who might not be the best and most elite athletes, but for the ones who can relate to the members. The motivators!
Christmas has gone on to compete in the CrossFit Games, be a head trainer for CrossFit Headquarters and become nationally ranked as an Olympic Lifter in the American Open. A few years ago she also took on the challenge of being one of the first women working on a NASCAR pit crew. This is a fascinating and surprisingly challenging sport! She’s decided to take a break from that venture, but you should still check out this video of the skill it takes and how she trained to rise in the ranks.
How do you invoke your inner athlete?
Happy Mother’s Day!
| May 11, 2014 | Posted by Sarah under Lifestyle |
Mom’s are special people. They sacrifice, support and love unconditionally. No matter what you throw at them (and I threw a lot at my mom back in the day!) they still love you…no matter what.
I would never be who I am today without my Mom. She has stood by me through all of the ups, downs and in betweens in my life. She’s motivated me to be a better person and to love myself. She’s always followed her dreams and has inspired me to do the same. She’s pretty rad!
Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom and all the moms out there. Today we celebrate you! Hopefully someone special is treating you like a queen and serving you many mimosas 🙂
