Tits On The Ritz

Medical School: Postponed.

2010-03-27T19:19:00.002-07:00

Alright, so I was being considered up until the last second. I finally got my last dejection, I mean rejection, email last night. I still haven't heard back from Penn State, but since they haven't even interviewed me, I'm not holding my breath. I was heartbroken for all of about 4 hours last night. I started to cheer up at crossfit this morning. Nothing like a good butt kicking to make yourself feel better. Plus I got to talk with one of the ER docs and he's already promising a stellar letter of recommendation. A small step in the right direction also makes a big difference. I'm still not exactly skipping, but at least now I'm seeing the good sides, such as:

Getting a year off from school before I give up what remains of my social life.
Having time to be a raft guide again this summer.
Not being a complete basket case for at least three months (until the process starts all over again).
At least knowing and being able to make decisions about my life.

The one MAJOR downside to not getting into CU is that I have to undergo the whole application process again, in which I shell out a few more thousand dollar, write a million essays baring my soul to complete strangers for judgement, and have to deal with the stress for months. At least CU offers something that no other medical school does. I get to schedule an appointment to find out the weaknesses in my application. That way I can improve on the areas they find lacking. I don't know why more schools don't offer this feedback, but I'm glad I have it available.

The next step: figure out what to do with the next year of my life. And, yes, Brownie, I know that Baby Dolls is hiring. :P Real input would be more helpful.

King Chef...

2010-03-05T14:07:00.001-07:00

... for breakfast makes for a happy day. Mmmmm bacon.

Lame.

2010-03-01T20:33:00.002-07:00

I love that my blog is lame right now. I've been too damn busy living my life to spend much time writing about it. Here's a quick recap on the major items:

The Medical School Process:
Applying to medical school is excruciating and time-consuming. But I've survived thus far.
My interview in Denver went well, but I won't hear back until Mar 31.
The schools I'm still waiting to hear from are not likely to give me an interview at this point. Oh, well.
Of course, I'm ready to travel if they contact me.

CrossFit:
Loving it.
Level 1 certified as of Aug 23, 2009.
I did 150 pull-ups as part of my workout on Saturday and did not tear my hands open. :)
I've set a slew of new PRs in the past few weeks.
Love Paleo cooking. See susanoutdoors.blogspot.com for my recipes!
I want to buy a garage gym setup so that I can do the WODs out of my house when I'm in medical school and don't have time to drive to a gym. I will not give up my workouts.

School:
Three classes this semester: Bacteriology, Biomechanics, and Physical Chemistry lab.
I'm only in class Tuesday & Thursday, so I have more days off to work at the hospital.
I will graduate May 21 summa cum laude with a B.S. in Human Biology, a B.A. in Chemistry, and a Theatre Minor.

Work:
I quit my job dancing at the Caspian at the end of November.
I'm not teaching dance classes on campus this semester, either.
Working as a Scribe in the Emergency Department absolutely rocks. I learn tons with every shift.
Coolest thing I've seen at work: a completely occluded abdominal aorta. I didn't even know that was possible with a conscious patient.

Health:
Since I've started eating Paleo again, my RA flare ups have gone down. I love this.
Yes, that means I've given up beer again. :(
Coffee on an empty stomach makes my hands shake, but so does an excruciating CrossFit workout.
I've started a separate blog for my Paleo cooking and CrossFit workout posts. Posting my recipes helps keep me focused and motivated. Plus, I get my ideas from random websites just like the one I started. Maybe I can help someone else, too.

Owie. I broke my abs.

2009-09-21T20:12:00.001-07:00

Somehow between crossfit and belly dancing and drinking way too much tequila this weekend, my abs hurt so much that by Sunday I literally could not hold my shoulders upright. I spent all day curled up on the couch unable to do anything. It was ridiculous.

Tequila.

2009-09-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Drink some.

Sunshine!

2009-09-14T12:51:00.001-07:00

Forgetting my notebook at Pikes Perk last night gave me an excellent excuse to take a break from my homework and get out in that gorgeous sunshine. I rode my cruiser down, picked up my notebook, and took my time coming home. I feel much better. :)

Bollywood

2009-09-13T19:44:00.002-07:00

Learning not only new dances, but a whole new style of dance. Bollywood is so much fun! Marina is an amazing dancer and such a blast to learn from. Here are some shots from the dancing this weekend.

We Bombed in New Haven

2009-09-10T19:59:00.002-07:00

I'm excited to be cast in another show. It's actually a compilation of three shows called the Arte of War. When I know more about it, I'll post the info! We open Oct 9. Run dates/times are as follows:

What: The Arte of War
When: Fri-Sun at 8pm. Oct 9-11, 16-18, 23-25
Where: Osborne Studio Theatre (UCCS)

More IAH

2009-09-09T07:48:00.002-07:00

Some IAH photos

2009-09-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

Colorado Hash House Harlots

I love my Nitwits!

Gay Family

Bad idea 2009.

And I let this guy stay in my room... what was I thinking?

Survived InterAm.

2009-09-08T10:22:00.001-07:00

Photos to follow. :)

FOMA - Fear of Missing Anything.

2009-09-04T05:37:00.001-07:00

You don't have to be at the right place, at the right time, if you're everywhere all the time!

Thanks Tutu for letting me know what I'm missing right now. :P

ED Scribe

2009-08-31T12:50:00.002-07:00

Well, I survived my training and did fairly well. The doc I worked with Sunday even paid me a compliment on how fast I picked everything up. It's a lot of fun and I am gonna learn a ton just being there.

This weekend.

2009-08-28T20:09:00.002-07:00

Holy crap is it going to be busy... but awesome! Saturday I'm going to the parade downtown at 9am, I've got two spoil-me appointments from 10-12, a production meeting at 1:00, auditions at 2:30, and a shift at the Penrose ED from 5pm-midnight. Sunday I'm back at Penrose at 8:00am-4:00pm, then I'm headed straight to the finish of the Kimchi hash! Lots of stuff, but all stuff I love. Good, but tiring, weekend ahead!

Save the whales

2009-08-27T06:27:00.002-07:00

That has a whole new meaning to me now. I love that I just saw that on Brownie's blog right before I go out and run. Maybe I'll do an extra mile or three. Ha! Time to save the whales!

New Shoes!

2009-08-18T20:20:00.002-07:00

As I ran along the Santa Fe Trail this evening I realized how much I've missed running. I made a promise to myself that I would get back out and run a lot more than I have in the past few months. So fate is going to make me live up to my promise. I got to Jack Quinn and won a pair of Saucony shoes from Boulder Running Company. Guess I have to keep that promise now! :)

Sadie is amazing.

2009-08-17T20:12:00.002-07:00

Was watching her videos to find a specific move we were working on in the belly dance burn class. She's so ridiculously good. I must take a workshop with her!

Sweden 1

2009-07-14T07:41:00.001-07:00

28 - 29 Jun 09

Hot, long day. Everywhere was hot. Atlanta, Paris, AND Göteborg. I’m icky.

Arrived early into Atl from COS. 2 hr wait for 8hr flight to Paris. Could not sleep. Why did I forget my ambien and pack my meds in my suitcase? Apparently poor planning. A 2 hr delay in Atl = landing in Paris right when connecting flight left = 6 hr additional delay in Paris. The airport is lame. Ate good quiche and napped on the floor of concourse 2G. Finally got to my gramma’s house at 11pm local time (that’s 3pm in COS). Total travel time = way too long (28 hrs). Holy crap.

Everything is so familiar. It feels so much like coming home. I love it here. It’s so green compared to CO. I spent so much time running around this neighborhood as a child. I’ve missed it. Got our bikes ready! Will head to the beach tomorrow. I’m in bed now, finally, with the smell of honeysuckle coming in the open window.

Also, it’s still daylight outside and hot. I wasn’t expecting that!

30 Jun 09

Today was an abject lesson in the frustrations of not being able to communicate well. I REEEEALLY need to relearn to speak Swedish. It’s vital to proper correspondence and connection with my family. And how will I ever find the good pubs if I can't ask the locals?

After breakfast this morning, mom and I biked down to Fiskebäck, the “beach.”

I love the Swedish version of beaches: smooth rock with only a small strip of sand. I had forgotten how brown Swedes can be. With the stereotype of Swedish winters being so cold with such short daylight hours, it’s easy to forget that this is not how it is year round. Daylight hours are LONG right now. The sun comes up super early and stays up quite late. It’s after 10pm now and it is still light outside. Locals are at the beaches and parks soaking up the sunshine. We stayed at the beach for a little while, but I wasn’t very patient with sitting still. So instead mom and I biked down to Långedrags, a pier. Mom had some more coffee, and then we biked home for lunch.

After lunch, we headed back out on the bikes down toward town centre along the water.

We met my mom’s sister and her daughter for ice cream… well, they had ice cream while I sampled the local beer. When our various “treats” were gone, Stina and Lisa-Maria went back toward home and mom and I continued into town. We biked all the way to the town’s center and back home.

Lots of miles on single speed bikes with foot brakes, going up and down hills. Tiring, but awesome day. We finally got home around 9pm, ate some dinner and I'm now getting ready to pass out.

It turns out that the Gothenburg H3 are having their Red Dress Run this Saturday. Of course, since I didn’t know this until today, I didn’t bring a red dress. Going shopping for one tomorrow.

Ick-tastic.

2009-06-26T10:40:00.002-07:00

Went for a little 5k run in the heat of the day. 89 degrees + running = bad idea. I feel so icky. Plus, my pace is basically a crawl. Whee. I'm just hoping it'll help loosen up my poor sore muscles. Ran yesterday, too, plus CrossFit. Our workout was: as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of 5 thrusters, 7 hang power cleans, and 10 sumo dead-lift high pulls. I managed 7 complete rounds, plus 5 thrusters and 5 cleans. My back and shoulders are so knotted that I can barely move! It's gonna make dancing at the Caspian tonight interesting.

Hope everyone has a blast at the Sand Dunes this weekend. Wish I could go, but I'm flying to Sweden. I'm super excited about that! Hopefully I'll get to hash and crossfit in Gotheburg and Stockholm! Woohoo!

Hmmm..

2009-06-16T11:04:00.002-07:00

My blog is exceedingly lame right now. There's a good reason for it. I have nothing interesting to talk about. All I do is study for my MCAT. I've taken 5 practice exams, 4 of them since last Thursday. Tomorrow I will review my tushy off. Thursday is the exam. Whee. I'm treating it sorta like a practice. I will probably end up having to retake it in August, but hopefully not. :)

CO weather

2009-06-07T09:37:00.002-07:00

I really hate being stuck indoors during the best weather we've had all summer. I could use a day in the sunshine. Unfortunately, I can't afford the time. It's only another week and a half to get through, then I can go back out to play. So get back to work! :) Maybe I'll sneak out for a little run.

MCAT Studying still

2009-06-06T13:28:00.001-07:00

It takes so much of my time. I'm doing alright with it, though. Not as great as I'd like, but not too shabby, either.

Pull-ups

2009-06-01T18:28:00.003-07:00

It's a love-hate relationship with me and pull-up workouts. I love how strong and fast I'm getting with pull-ups. Our workout today was 5 rounds of 21 pull-ups and 15 dumbbell split cleans (30#). I was cruising. In the first round I managed to get 9 pull-ups without stopping. That's the most I've ever done consecutively. I really was moving quickly through the workout. My first round of cleans were a bit awkward, because I wasn't used to having the dumbbells instead of barbells, but once I had that down I really did move fairly quickly. Half way through my round four pull-ups, I tore the big hole in my left hand as well as the two center ones on my right hand. I had to stop and tape my left hand because I was bleeding so much I kept slipping off the bar. I finished round four pull-ups, looked down and there were three more holes. At that point I decided to save what was left of my palms. I finished the dumbbell cleans and called it a day. It's amazing how many nerve endings you have in exposed layers of flesh on your palms. Wow. What pisses me off most is that I didn't get to finish the workout and I had a really fast time going, plus it'll be at least a week before I get to do another pull-up. :(

Auditions...?

2009-05-31T21:40:00.002-07:00

Thinking about auditioning for some crazy shows that are going to run this summer & fall. One of them requires me to have 16 bars of a song prepared to sing at the audition this weekend. I just learned this now. I have no idea how to prepare a 16 bar audition piece when I don't even own a piano/keyboard right now. A little freaked out by this. We'll see what happens!

Really lovely Sunday

2009-05-31T18:34:00.001-07:00

Actually... today worked out amazingly well. We had a great workout. Then headed over to the pool. For some reason, the rain & lightning didn't come anywhere near us until after 4pm. So we had several hours of sunshine and playing outside. Good times. Great food. Even better people. Love it.

Lovely Sunday

2009-05-31T09:06:00.001-07:00

Spent the morning studying chemistry for my MCAT. I've got crossfit at 11am, then a pool birthday party for one of the awesome crossfit gals. Of course, afterward I get to come home and study some more. But by then the storms will have moved in. It should be perfect. :)

"Kelly"

2009-05-30T10:24:00.002-07:00

400m run, 30 box jumps (24 inches), 30 wall balls (16/20#). Five rounds for time. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm whooped. 36:40.

I love exercise.

2009-05-29T14:25:00.004-07:00

I spent all morning studying physics. I got through the first physics lesson. I plan to do all the practice tests for it this afternoon and evening. I couldn't even look at another note, though, before I went out for a run. Nothing too long. But I feel so much better just having gotten out of the house for a little while. I am stimulated! Now I've gotta get through the first of the tests before I go to CrossFit at 5:30. I hope the rains holds off so I can bike there.

Tabata what you hate.

2009-05-27T19:13:00.003-07:00

That was the workout for the day. Tabata means 20 sec of work, 10 sec break eight times per exercise, completing all eight before moving on to next exercise. We had our choice for what exercises and how many to do. Most people had picked four, but I already had 5 in mind when I went in. So I stuck to that. Of course, so did everyone working out with me. :)

What I picked: and why
knees-to-elbows: because I just suck at them
ring hang: I want to be able to do ring dips and eventually muscle-ups
handstand holds: to build up for hand stand push-ups
wall ball: I needed a leg exercise
plank: because my core is pathetically weak

It turns out that the ring hang was by far the hardest for me. I made it the full 20 seconds the first time, the second time was about 15 seconds, by the third and fourth time I was barely able to make 10 sec, and as I was finishing up I could barely hang on for even 8 seconds. Sheesh, bull riders do that and my rings aren't even bucking! I'm definitely gonna need to spend more time on these.

Few things in this world...

2009-05-27T15:10:00.001-07:00

suck more than job hunting when you are flat broke. It takes away all your fun.

MCAT

2009-05-26T16:55:00.001-07:00

I'm glad I survived the semester. Just enough time to rest for a minute and get right back to studying. If you don't hear from me for a few weeks, don't be surprised. I'm studying. Plan to drink heavily with me on June 18. Probably will start some time in the afternoon. Until then, I will be more boring than usual.

Guitar

2009-05-25T19:17:00.002-07:00

I took my guitar out for the first time in over a year. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. I still don't know how to play different strum patterns, but I do remember a lot of chords! That's a start. I only played for an hour or so before my weak, uncalloused fingers needed to stop. Think I'm might have to try to keep this up. Found some good ones to play. Nothing you would like, JT, but it's gotta be music for a girl's voice.

Stream Flows over 3 grand...

2009-05-22T22:15:00.001-07:00

for the past three days. Hope this keeps up! Love that high water.

Holy high-water, Batman!

2009-05-19T13:01:00.001-07:00

The Ark is over 3000 cfs! Gonna have to go get some of that! Woohoo!

School is the devil

2009-05-19T12:08:00.001-07:00

I'm so glad it's done for the semester! I need a break from it. I've been so busy with classes and studying that I don't even know what the current flow of the Arkansas river is. Holy crap. I better go fix that now!

CrossFit Level 1 Cert

2009-05-15T09:28:00.002-07:00

I'm signed up for the level 1 cert! It'll be August 22-23 at the CO State Patrol Academy in Golden. Can't wait!

CF virus...

2009-05-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Spreading the addiction to friends in other states! I guess just talking about my accomplishments is enough to motivate folks. I'm having to help friends learn how to find a gym in their area. It's awesome!

Crossfit Goals

2009-05-13T14:00:00.002-07:00

They have this description up on the board in my gym. I think it really sums up the goals and theories of CrossFit quite nicely.

Goals:
1. Cardiovascular & Respiratory Endurance
2. Stamina
3. Strength
4. Flexibility
5. Power
6. Speed
7. Coordination
8. Agility
9. Balance
10. Accuracy

CrossFit... constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity.

Cindy as Rx'd

2009-05-13T13:56:00.002-07:00

Today's WOD was Cindy: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats. - as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.

I did the workout as rx'd, meaning that my pull-ups were not banded and my push-ups were all on my toes. I did 11 rounds plus 5 pull-ups and 5 push-ups.

Fall schedule

2009-05-10T08:03:00.002-07:00

I think I've got my fall classes all picked out.

Inorganic Chemistry
Senior Seminar in Chemistry
Evolution
Intro to Lit.
History of Theatre
Stage Management

Full schedule again! Whee!

My life...

2009-05-08T22:15:00.002-07:00

has completely revolved around Cyrano for the past several weeks. It's been so much fun. We have only nine shows left. Hard to believe that we are closing next Sunday! This cast and crew has been so much fun to work with. I've been working long hours for beans, but it's completely worth every second for the friendships I've built. Lucky me. :)

Bring Your Own Nose

2009-04-25T11:51:00.003-07:00

Lemon.

2009-04-24T12:26:00.001-07:00

My body is a lemon. I would like to trade it in for one that functions properly.

F'ing foot.

2009-04-24T10:43:00.002-07:00

So I found out yesterday that what I thought would be a simple procedure is a lot more complicated than it seemed. This stupid bunion on my left foot has been getting bigger and more painful. I talked to a podiatrist yesterday. It turns out that I won't be having a small portion of bone deposit shaved off. What has to happen is a chunk of my 1st metatarsal has to be removed. The bone has to be realigned with the rest of my foot and fused to the medial cuneiform. This translates to two week of sitting on my ass doing nothing. Then six more weeks in a cast.

I will go nuts.

I've got the surgery scheduled for Aug 10. I did get to do something funny. I invited my friend Rich to come watch my surgery. Since he's a first year medical student in Denver it should be possible for him to be there. Small things amuse me.

Hey, at least I'm already proficient on crutches.

:)

2009-04-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Un baiser, mais à tout prendre, qu'est-ce ?
Un serment fait d'un peu plus près, une promesse
Plus précise, un aveu qui veut se confirmer,
Un point rose qu'on met sur l'i du verbe aimer;
C'est un secret qui prend la bouche pour oreille...

CF Cert

2009-04-19T21:04:00.001-07:00

I really, really want to go to a level 1 certification for CrossFit. I just need to find a way to get someone to sponsor me...

Theatre time again

2009-04-19T00:48:00.002-07:00

I got to see the latest Theatre 'd Art production, RUR , on Saturday night. Following that was the cast party. I think we should call these cast, crew, and all theatre friends parties, because they are never limited to the cast of shows. They are great excuses to get all out theatre buddies together to drink, dance, and party in very silly ways. I love it.

Somehow, I've managed to get myself roped into assisting with Theatreworks' next show Cyrano de Bergerac. I'll be helping with hair and wigs. It seems like such a small job, but this show is HUGE and they need all the help they can get! Of course, learning that I'll be part of it only a few days before opening night is part of the fun. :) One benefit is that my buddy Khris is in from New York to play the part of Cyrano, so I get extra time to hang with him! Woohoo!

Done.

2009-04-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

A. Chem test is over. Too bad I probably got a big fat F. Whee.

Analytical Chemistry sucks.

2009-04-14T19:49:00.002-07:00

Actually it doesn't. I just feel like I am crappy at it. I spent 4 hours reviewing today and feel like it was wasted time. I got fed up, went to the CF gym at 4:30 for some dead-lift therapy. Good WOD today. Difficult after yesterday's Nasty Girls (<-- I still love saying that). Today was 5 rounds of 12 dead-lifts at 105#, 9 Hanging Power Cleans at 72#, and 6 Push Jerks at 72# for time. I managed 13:28. A fairly average time for this workout, which means I selected good weights. After doing some extra dip/pull-up work, I went to the JQ run. I offered to take one of Oklahomo's dogs for the run today. I got Goliath. An aptly named pooch. Super strong. He tried to force me to keep up with Oklahomo the whole time. Gave a whole new meaning to running today. Whew!

So I finally feel better after working out. I ran up to school to make copies of the solutions guide for the practice problems to figure out why I can't make this crap work out right, stopped in a Chipotle to snag some dinner, and now it's getting time to start cracking again. A belly full of Barbacoa and a cup of coffee in front of me. Back to the A Chem!

Making up for yesterday...

2009-04-13T19:52:00.002-07:00

Practiced on my own for 1/2 hr before I taught belly dance class. Then, went straight from class down to the CF gym. Our WOD was "Nasty Girls" today. I love being able to say I did Nasty Girls today. It shouldn't make me happy, but it just sounds so damn dirty that it cracks me up. Anyway NG = 3rds of 50 squats, 7 muscle ups (jumping), and 10 power cleans 67# (should have used 80 or 85#).

Next I hurried home to grab a bite to eat, then it was off to the climbing gym. They had their comp this past weekend so the new wall is finally open. They've got a ton of new boulder routes. I only stayed an hour or so, before my hands were completely tore up. All in all, a good productive day. :)

Hurray for prednezone!

2009-04-13T09:10:00.002-07:00

The inflammation has gone down a lot already. I feel almost normal (well, normal for me). Soreness never really bothers me too much, but the overwhelming pain of a bad RA flare up puts me right on my ass. I hate it. So it's nice just to be sore again. :)

Y & T

2009-04-12T11:34:00.003-07:00

Yesterday's hash was so freaking fun. Good trail and good stories from TXIH. Those sorts of things always make me happy. Last night I went to my friend's Pre-Dyngus Day party. Right at midnight (which is officially the day before Dyngus Day) we had a water ballon/water gun fight in the garage. SO much fun. Nothing like a bunch of drunks hurling water at each other and giggling like mad. Lots of FUN yesterday.

Today, on the other hand, I am supposed to be in Denver watching a Rockies game. Instead I'm sitting at home trying to drug myself into a stupor so that I don't have to feel my shoulders. I really hate RA sometimes.

Hashing through the snow

2009-04-11T08:36:00.002-07:00

I'm looking forward to today's Kimchi pick-up hash. With the snow falling outside right now, it should make this trail a little crazy. Just how I apparently like it. I must be a the opposite of a fair-weather hasher. I only seem to come out for the crappy weather.

CrossFit Total

2009-04-10T18:00:00.002-07:00

1 rep max Back Squat: 180, Shoulder Press: 75, and Dead Lift: 265. That's a new PR for back squat and dead lift. Woohoo! Nothing like a little "Total therapy" to put a smile on a girl's face.

WOD - CrossFit & Track

2009-04-09T14:16:00.002-07:00

Since I missed yesterday's track workout, I decided to tack that on with today's WOD. So it went something like this:

Bike to CF gym. 10 pull ups (with no bands!!), 10 push ups, 10 knees-to-elbows. WOD: 3 rounds of "Bear" at 57#, 67#, and 72#. Bike home. Change shoes. Run to CC track, do additional warm-up lap. 6x400m & 4x200m (speed + recovery laps). Cool-down lap, then run home (for a total 5.55 miles). Then barely have enough time to shower, get dressed, eat, then head to Denver!

Laps (400m): 1=2:06, 2=2:13, 3=2:07, 4=2:03, 5=1:59, 6=1:59
Laps (200m): 1=0:47, 2=0:47, 3=0:46, 4=0:46

Denver tonight

2009-04-09T11:53:00.002-07:00

What: "Beyond the Epic Run" free showing in Denver tonight.
When: 7:30
Where: Starz Film Center at the Tivoli, 900 Auraria Parkway
Why: A crazy story told by amazing people. Plus, Serge Roetheli will be there.

temptation

2009-04-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

So I was getting set to write some BS here when I noticed an email from Brownie ordering me to update my crappy blog. It's almost tempting to not write anything at all... for weeks. :)

No WOD today!

2009-04-04T21:42:00.002-07:00

But the six mile hash in the freezing wind was a lot more work than hashes usually are! :) Follow that with a baby shower for two of my favorite women and top it all with a new Chuck Fryberger movie. All in all, a good day!

Weak on the WOD

2009-04-03T19:27:00.003-07:00

Today's WOD was "Nancy." 5 rounds for time of 15 overhead squats and a 400m run. In ~19 minutes, I pushed 55# overhead. As Rx'd was 65#, but my shoulder were really bugging me so I went a little lower on the weight. At the time I couldn't tell if I was just sore from previous workouts (entirely possible), but now it seems fairly certain that my RA is flaring up a bit. It just hurts a different way. It annoys the hell out of me, because it always seems to flare up whenever I'm getting good momentum with my workouts. I'm eating well, training hard, studying effectively, and generally feeling good. Then this crap comes along. I REFUSE to let it stop me. Sheesh. On the up side, I am fairly certain that if my RA weren't bugging me I would be able to do this workout as rx'd. :)

WOD

2009-04-02T12:29:00.002-07:00

3 rounds of 21 L-sit pull-ups & 30 kettle bell swings for time.

I'm not quite ready to do L pull-ups, but did my workout with our skinniest band. I used a 35# kb. My time: 11:07. After our workout, those of us who couldn't do L-sits were required to do 1 minute tuck hang to work those abs more. After that a couple of us were practicing our kipping pull-ups. At first I couldn't even get the one I'm used to being able to do. After a few minutes I decided to try again.... and for the first time ever managed to connect my kipping pull-ups! I got four of them. No bands, just me and my bitty muscles. Woohoo! Feels good to get stronger, even if it's little by little!

Climbing gym

2009-04-02T10:21:00.002-07:00

I finally got my climbing gym membership sorted out. The benefits of climbing there through the UCCS climbing club are: 1) low cost and 2) great people to climb with. The downside. I can only climb there MWF evenings with the club. I wish I could do lunches, too, but it's great just to get on the wall again. Woohoo!

Street Climbing?

2009-03-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

I was looking around youtube for climbing videos and came across this one... This guy is pretty f'ing badass.

Fight Gone Bad

2009-03-29T18:34:00.002-07:00

WOD. A total of 17 minutes for this workout. 3 rounds of 1 minute each of the following exercises with 1 minute breaks between each round.

Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps) W #45
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps) W #45
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Row (Calories)
Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps) W #15

Scoring method is in parentheses. My total score was 240.
Round 1: SDHP 28, PP 17, Box 16, Row 9, WB 19. Total 89
Round 2: SDHP 22, PP 15, Box 14, Row 8, WB 17. Total 76
Round 3: SDHP 21, PP 14, Box 15, Row 8, WB 17. Total 75

Work all around.

Push Press

I'm done.

Trainers working

Trainers done!

Vail

2009-03-29T08:35:00.003-07:00

Had a good day in the mountains yesterday. I got to ski with two groups of friends. I wish we could all have skied together, but everyone is not at the same skill level. So I spent the morning with one group, lunch with everyone, and skied the afternoon with the other group. I'm so spoiled.

I the afternoon "surrounded by sausages"

Yes, we are dorks. But these guys are great riders!

Snow storm

2009-03-27T19:35:00.002-07:00

Should stop people from hitting the incline... but not upadowna people. I know I wasn't the only out there yesterday. I saw two people behind us and there were faint traces of steps in the snow from someone before us. It was nice that the wind wasn't nearly as bad on the incline as it was downtown. The best part was running down Barr Trail in fresh snow.

Ouch.

2009-03-24T00:00:00.002-07:00

Just woke myself up with soreness. That's awesome. Except for the waking up part. Oh, and the soreness part. I can't see any good reason to hurt so much. All I did was hike the incline in a slowish 50 min, run the long way down Barr Trail, 9 sets of Tabata push ups and sit ups (20 sec work, 10 sec rest), and the CrossFit WOD.

Today's WOD was "Karen," 150 wall balls. I used a 15 lb medicine ball. Squat -> stand and throw ball 8-10 feet up against the wall -> catch and squat -> repeat. I broke it into 15 sets of 10 and it took me 10:32. Plus a total of 89 push ups and 97 sit ups. It doesn't sound too terrible, but immediately after doing the incline, I wasn't sure I would be able to pull off a single squat... let alone 150 of them. That's why I did the pu/su mini-workout first, to give me enough rest time to recover my legs from the run. It worked. Sorta. :)

I feel like Jello. Or at least what jello would feel like if it wanted to have it's arms and legs anesthetized.

I want to

2009-03-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

dance in my kitchen. For no reason. I'm a dork. :)

WOD - Lynne

2009-03-22T10:01:00.003-07:00

Max (body weight) bench press and max pull-ups. 5 rounds.

Of course, I'm nowhere near benching my body weight. So I pushed 85lb. But my numbers are a bit high. I'll make sure to go up in weight next time.

1 - 15 bp / 20 pu (thick blk bnd)
2 - 14 bp / 26 pu
3 - 11 bp / 15 pu (thin blk bnd)
4 - 11 bp / 19 pu
5 - 9 bp / 15 pu
Total - 60 bp / 95 pu

I finally put my hang board up above the doorway to my kitchen. That way, whenever I want to eat I've got to bust out a couple of pull-ups first!
Hopefully, my pull-ups will increase dramatically.

Paleo at the Caspian

2009-03-19T19:51:00.001-07:00

One look at the menu will tell you that nothing on it fits into the Paleo diet that my CF trainers have me on. The awesome cooks love me enough to make me a Paleo dinner: steak and cooked veggies. Hurray!

CrossFit Movie

2009-03-19T14:59:00.002-07:00

I can't wait for this to come out. This just looks so intense. CrossFit people are so intense, so impressive. I think this video will play 24/7 in my house when I get it.

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitMovie_WorkingTrailer1208.mov

Dancing tonight - thank goodness.

2009-03-19T10:13:00.003-07:00

My shoulders are killing me. I have no idea how I'm gonna keep my arm up long enough to get through two hours of dancing. Should be interesting. Although, looking at the WOD, I'm glad to be dancing instead of heading to CF. I can't imagine doing a single pull-up right now and the whole workout is focused around them! Yikes!

On an up note, I found new candle holders to replace my old ones that were stolen. I get to dance with fire tonight!

WOD

2009-03-18T17:58:00.003-07:00

Split Jerk max. It was a bit surprising to see that for today's workout since the past few days have been very shoulder intensive. I started with 75lb because that was my overhead press max. I ended up getting 110lb. I tried for 115, but couldn't quite get my arms all the way up.

Green Dress Pics

2009-03-17T12:34:00.003-07:00

Some of my favs so far:

Your Hares

Happy Sock is dead sexy in green

Bob dances a jig in front of Jack Quinn

Brownie Check

Oh so sexy...

45 minutes of pure suck.

2009-03-16T14:30:00.001-07:00

The WOD: "Murph"
1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

The pu/pu/sqts can be broken down any way you'd like. You just have to start and end with 1 mile run. I did 10 sets of 10-20-30 (using 1 band and knees). Time 45:37. Don't forget the mile bike ride there and back for me. My legs are jello and I'm starving!!

Nothing like a hangover...

2009-03-15T10:45:00.001-07:00

to prepare you for a good green dress hash! On On!

My car

2009-03-12T15:35:00.002-07:00

My "diagnosis" of the farting noises my car is making was not too far off. It's an exhaust problem. So far I'm pretty impressed with the new mechanics I'm working with. They'll get the parts for me by Monday and have it ready for me Tuesday evening... without charging me an arm and a leg for it. They say it's safe to drive in the meantime. Not that I'll be driving much this weekend. It's a biking sort of weekend.

Car's at the shop

2009-03-12T10:46:00.002-07:00

My poor car. It's making some strange noises. If it were human, I'd say it was having gastric distress... sounds like it's farting all the time. I found a Toyota specialist just down the road from me. They seem like good people and have some good ratings from happy customers. I guess we'll see. It's a good thing I've gotten used to riding my bike pretty much everywhere. Whee! Off to cross fit again!

Long day, but...

2009-03-11T18:17:00.002-07:00

Class this morning was alright. For some reason I actually enjoy analytical chemistry. I got home, made a huge (late) breakfast. Then I spent the rest of the day studying physics for my MCAT. Bleh. By late afternoon, when I'm supposed to be getting ready to workout, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a pile of dove dark chocolates. I have not had any form of added sugar since March 1. That's a pretty good accomplishment for me, since I'm such a sugar addict.

Instead of giving up, I grumbled, cussed, got dressed, and went to the crossfit gym. Our WOD was: max. rounds in 30 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 5 dips (ring dips for the tough guys), and 15 sit-ups. No rest. Just 30 minutes straight work. It was awesomely brutal. I managed 22 rounds + 5 pull-ups. That gives me a total of 115 pull-ups (with one band), 110 box dips, and 330 sit-ups. Holy crap.

Oh, and I got 3 PRs yesterday. My form was kinda crappy, but my lifts were fairly strong.
Back Squat - 175lb
Overhead Press - 75lb
Dead lift - 255lb

Green Dress next week!

2009-03-08T16:51:00.003-07:00

What: CKH3 #150! GREEN DRESS PUB CRAWL
When: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY MARCH 15TH 2009.
Time: 1:30 PM --- HARES AWAY at 1:45!
Where: McCabe's Tavern, 520 S Tejon St in Colorado Springs.
Hares: Not So Silent Bob and Tits on the Ritz.
Bring: $5 for circle and cash and ID for pub stops. THERE WILL BE NO SHAG-WAGON. Also bring $10 if you want a commemorative St. Patty's style Kimchi 150th shirt.

It's amazing

2009-03-08T16:06:00.002-07:00

how sweet fruit tastes after not eating any processed sugar or fake sweeteners for a week. I've always been a fruit-a-holic, but it tastes like candy right now.

I love my new desk

2009-03-07T10:20:00.002-07:00

It's so much smaller than my old desk. It fits perfectly in the front corner of my apartment and lets me open up the window that was mostly blocked by the other desk. So I can sit here at my desk, study for my MCAT and watch the snow accumulate on the plants out front. Of course, now I need artwork for above my desk. It looks too empty there.

It's snowing!

2009-03-07T10:03:00.001-07:00

It's been about 70 degrees for more than a week. Beautiful sunny Colorado. I was almost fooled into believing springs was starting early, when down comes the white stuff!

I'm off to do Jackie.

2009-03-06T16:41:00.002-07:00

It sounds dirty, but really it's just the name of the workout of the day. 1000 meter row
45 pound Thruster for 50 reps,30 pull-ups... I have no idea what thrusters are, but that sounds dirty, too. Should be a fun workout! :)

Grand Guignol

2009-03-04T20:12:00.007-07:00

I finally got some pictures from the play I was in last fall! Here are some of the good ones!

Last Kiss (Le Baiser dans la nuit)
by Jeanne Mareteux-Level

Nurse interrupted while changing dressings of an acid burn victim.
She burned his face with acid.
The Kiss of Blood (Le Baiser du sang)
by Jean Aragny and Francis Neilson

Dr. Volguine - opening scene
"Dr. Volguine, prepare the instruments!"
Surprise! Chloroform!
Bandaging the mutilated hand.

My first as Rx'd!

2009-03-04T18:30:00.003-07:00

For many of the timed cross fit workouts we have prescribed weights we are supposed to do. However, for beginners, they scale the workouts according to our abilities. Today's workout was 3 rounds (21-15-9 reps) of dead lift & box jumps. Since I did so well with dead lifts on Monday, I decided to try the prescribed weight for women of 150lbs. I was a little slower than most people, but still came in at 9:25.

I also nearly strung two kipping pull ups together. I'm getting so close!

Bike Porn

2009-03-04T15:49:00.004-07:00

I watched this mountain bike dvd called "Seasons" with a friend of mine and ever since I've been riding my (craptastic) bike a LOT. I wish I had the cash to spend on something a tiny bit more practical for actual trail riding. It looks like FUN! Time to get out on my bike now, as a matter of fact!

CU Denver - School of Medicine

2009-03-03T16:49:00.002-07:00

So I went up to Denver for a doctors appointment and decided to make a full day of it. My buddy Rich is in his first year of medical school at CU and invited me to come sit in on the classes. It was scary, but amazing. I can't wait.

The trip really helped me refocus on what is important. I've been allowing myself to get side-tracked from the end goal: becoming a doctor. Instead, I've set these huge side goals that are starting to actually get in the way of my pursuit of medicine. So I'm dumping them. Anyone who knows me knows that it is difficult for me to walk away from anything I want to do. But I've asked myself: are a BS in Chemistry and a BS in Human Biology really necessary to become a doctor? Nope! The alternate plan: BS in Human Bio and a BA in Chem. It cuts my remaining class load down ridiculously. It will also allow me time to actually get ready for my MCAT, prep applications, spend a bunch of time shadowing doctors, and hopefully remember what it feels like to actually have a life.

Here's to putting my true goals in the forefront!

JT - with luck, I'll actually have time to start running again. :)

PR - deadlift

2009-02-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

Got a new PR for single max deadlift today: 225lb. Plus, I got 3 kipping pull-ups. Not consecutive. That's the next goal. :)

Snow Dance!

2009-02-21T19:19:00.002-07:00

Great day at Beaver Creek! Of course, any day riding with Ethan is gonna be a good one. He's fun to have to keep up with! I do wish that the conditions were a bit better. Beautiful blue skies, but not enough squishy pow. Time to do a snow dance to get some more powder up in the mountains.

I love blueberries

2009-02-20T01:33:00.002-07:00

and blackberries and strawberries and pretty much every fruit on the planet. Right now, my blueberries just happen to be delicious and that makes me happy.

Fav new quote from a text book.

2009-02-17T21:38:00.001-07:00

Pumping is necessary for laser action.

dance shoes

2009-02-16T20:55:00.002-07:00

Why is it that when I have free time, I never remember the shit I need to do. I have danced barefoot twice at the Caspian, because I keep forgetting to buy new shoes. It's disgusting. They're pretty good about keeping their floors clean, but if food gets spilled, I get to step in it. Bleh. I'm an idiot sometimes.

Shitty today.

2009-02-16T08:10:00.002-07:00

I've been up all night getting sick. I tried to get up to go to school, because I have an exam today, and nearly collapsed. So much for that idea. I've crawled back into bed and here I'll stay. Hopefully I will sleep through today and feel better tomorrow. Blah.

Woohoo!

2009-02-14T11:27:00.002-07:00

I did my first kipping pull-up today! No bands, just me and a little kip. It's a small step, but there it is. :)

Just today.

2009-02-12T18:59:00.001-07:00

I got the best piece of advice from a friend of mine today... "Don't forget to breathe."

WOD

2009-02-10T19:47:00.003-07:00

I did yesterday's CrossFit workout "Cindy." It's as many rounds as possible of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 squats in 20 minutes. I managed a mere 15 sets. I stuck around long enough to try to learn to do kipping pull ups, which my body refuses to do. Then I went for a shortened version of the JQ run. I know 3 miles is already short, but I decided that two was enough for me today (Go ahead and make fun of me, wanker, I know you will). I'm just glad I got to take a break from the whole day of working on chem labs.

Now I'm back working on my physical chemistry lab write-ups. I'm glad I took the time to workout, but I'm gonna be up so damn late working on this stuff. Time for a glass of wine (to go with my whine)! :)

Ate too much today

2009-02-06T19:51:00.002-07:00

So I decided to go for a run this evening to make up for my gluttonous behavior. 3.67 miles at a 10:19 pace. I'm sad to report that this is the best run I've had in months. I'm glad that I did, but it's a sad state that I'm in.

Dancing again.

2009-02-05T21:09:00.003-07:00

I love it. It feels good to get back into dancing. I've got two of my new costumes altered and ready for use. They look fabulous. Here are a couple of shots of the new costumes at work tonight!

Off to the gym

2009-02-04T16:50:00.002-07:00

I think the reason I love crossfit so much is that I have so little time to workout. They help me make the most of the tiny amount of time that I have. I wish I had time to go on a nice long run...

It's a good thing...

2009-01-31T08:35:00.002-07:00

... that I think bruises and scrapes are sexy. My legs are TORE UP today. About 10 times worse than hashing in El Paso. I am happy to report that my stupid legs aren't nearly as badly strained as they might have been. I should be back to functional quickly. I feel a ton better already. There's really something to taking care of your injuries! That whole ice & elevate thing is awesome.