Stand up, Speak Up!

    Hey guys, it's definitely been a while since my last post! Life has picked up pace with all the celebrations and nice weather recently! It has been a very bumpy few weeks, lots of highs and some lows ( which I'm learning to accept as a normal part of life).  

     On the positive side, the box I belong to, Marlboro Crossfit organized an AMAZING event for Autism Speaks on April 13th, the turn out was beyond words.  I work with special needs children on a daily basis, and this event was very important and close to my heart for a variety of reasons. For those who are not familiar with Autism here are some facts taken directly from www.autismspeaks.org  .

Did you know ...

 

-Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys

-Autism prevalence figures are growing

-Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.

-Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average

-Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases

-Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism

-There is no medical detection or cure for autism

     More people are starting to take notice about what autism is , and becoming more informed about this developmental disability because people, like all the people who participated or donated to this event , made their voices heard and took a stand for Autism Speaks. 

    The day of the event was filled with anticipation, nerves, and excitement! My sister and I would finally do our first Crossfit workout, side by side, in the same heat! My sister has been doing Crossfit for over a year now, and she is a BEAST! I was nervous because there were so many people, from so many different boxes watching us, people from all different levels of Crossfit.

    The WOD for the day was a 10 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of Thrusters (95/65/45) with a pacer of 5 burpees and 10 kettle bell swings (53/35/25).  Seems easy on paper, but that was BRUTAL! I can remember a distinct moment in the work-out when I looked at the clock and 7:00 remaining read. I felt a panic, but I reminded myself of what it meant to be doing that WOD, and I worked my ass off for all those with Autism, especially my students. It was the first time I did a WOD to raise money for a cause, I have done volunteer work before, but this was something...special. Everyone who participated that day left all they had in the box, it was something I will always remember. 

 

    As a total the 2nd Annual WOD for Autism raised $18,000 for Autism Speaks!!!! The goal was $10,00 and was PR'd it by $8,000 ! I think everyone was blown away that we accomplished such an amazing goal, but one person who was so humbled by this experience was the Coordinator of the event, and my coach Rick! I was fortunate enough to get to ask Rick some questions about the event, check them out!

 1. When you first decided to do a WOD for a cause last year, why did you decide on Autism? Why was it important to bring attention and awareness to Autism, and Autism Speaks? 

       My cousin Vinnie (no not the movie, I actually have a cousin named Vinnie) is autistic.  He has been non-communicative and severely impaired from a very young age.  Vinnie communicates through his look and his touch but words are never spoken.  When he was born the prevalence of Autism was 1 in 2500 births, in 2012 statistics show that 1 in 88 children will be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder by age 8.  If that isn't enough to get your fundraising wheels turning I don't know what will!  Nothing in this world is more important than changing the future of our youth, and their is nothing better than being able to contribute to that!  The mission of Autism Speaks is to change the lives of those who struggle with autism everyday so the partnership for the event was a perfect fit.  

2.  After seeing the total outcome, the amount of people who participated, donated, and even showed up as support; how would you describe the difference between the Crossfit community and anything else you've ever been apart of?

 

     The beauty of the CrossFit community is that monetary gains are where the support starts, but the real support comes from the hard work we put in the day of the event.  WE leave our blood, sweat and tears on the floor to symbolize our deepest and most sincere support for something that unfortunately hits so close for so many.  We all know that our community kicks ass, but to see it first hand in our box was humbling.

3. This being the 2nd Annual WOD for Autism, what was different about this year and last year?Coach Rick

      The difference between this year and last year?  Well were talking about $12,000 difference!  But as you know, the monetary stuff is just the surface of it all.  The real difference was the ridiculous amount of people that showed up to throw down and support the cause.  Some of my closest friends from CF908, Brazen, CF Freehold, CF Westfield, CF KOA, and CF Veracity all showed up (I know I'm forgetting some of you) and that meant more than they will ever know.  I believe this amount of support also answers the previous question regarding what makes the CF community different...The growth over a year was substantial and we look forward to an even bigger event next year, maybe even do it competition style (hint hint)!!                                                                                                              

4. As a Team, the WOD for Autism raised a total amount of $18,000 for Autism speaks. The original team goal was $10,000. How does it feel to know your event raised so much money, for such a great cause?
 HUMBLED

5.  You work hard every day to be the best person and coach you could possibly be, what advice would you give someone about tackling goals and PRing life?

 

       Every single day of our lives (every minute for that matter) we are faced with life experiences that can often be interpreted as "circumstantial".  F*!k circumstances, they don't exist!  Create your vision, LIVE IT and NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

      Rick (and I know several people helped him), put together a great event that brought cross fitters, and non cross fitters alike together in solitary for one common goal. Apply this concept to every aspect of life, and the World is yours for the taking!  I feel so honored to be apart of Marlboro Crossfit, especially after this event. It's one thing to participate in a event for a cause, but it's another when the cause directly affects you. The students I work with, and Ricks cousin Vinnie are two examples of people who beat the odds every single day, and I will stand up and speak for them any day! I look forward to getting involved in more events like this in the future and can't wait to see what happens next year at the Third Annual WOD for Autism!

 

Big Jay (Brazen)  and Tim (Crossfit 908)

Kettle Bell

 

MCF Family

Today I am grateful for a rest day! I have been non stop the last 9 days, only missing two WODs , and being on the go constantly. It's nice to just be able to relax, and catch my breath! 

What are you grateful for today?

xxx,

-A

PS: In my next post I will be announcing the Palo Challenge winner so make sure you stop back and check it out! Believe me, you don't want to miss it!

Perseverance

    After being away from the box for a week, due to strep throat, I finally returned back to Crossfit. I understand why people warned me that Crossfit becomes an addiction. The days I can't make it to the box don't have the same spark about them! There is nothing in the world like kicking your own ass! 

   This week at the box was different in a really profound way. One of my WOD buddies Adel celebrated his one year anniversary of Crossfit ! He is one of the most hard working and devoted people I have ever had the pleasure of crossing paths with. In one year, Adel fought blood, sweat, and tears to lose a total of 110#! As a beginner to Crossfit being able to witness a life changing accomplish such as Adel's is a very raw moment. It defines Crossfit, the community aspect of it, and what sets it apart from anything I've ever done before. You learn, as a community, to celebrate each others high and low moments. To dig deep for ourselves, and for each other. 

We did a WOD named Adel which consisted of the following: 

3 RFT

20 KB swings

15 Box Jumps (24'/20')

10 Burpees

400 M run

   I unfortunately was not able to make the 9:30am WOD that Adel did, but when I showed up to the box at 4, I looked at the white board and realized everyone in the 9:30 class finished at the same time. Coach Rick explained that every single person in that class finished the last round of the WOD with Adel. I instantly got goose bumps. Seeing people of all ages, backgrounds, races, ethnicities come together, for the greater good is amazing.  I've been in far to many situations where there was no good, no helping, no sense of community , so experiencing this was new to me,  almost uncomfortable at first. 

  All through out the WOD I watched as I, and several other people literally left everything we had in us at the box. We do a lot of Hero WODs in Crossfit that honor fallen soldiers, which are really awesome, and being able to do a work out in honor of someone you work out with, you see battle for every inch, is a an intense, inspiring experience. I kept reminding myself of all the hard work Adel accomplished in the last year, and of all the excuses I (use to and still do sometimes) come up with to push myself beyond my limit that day.

                                PERSEVERANCE:  continued effort to do or achieve something

                                                        despite difficulties, failure, or opposition .

                                                  BEFORE                               AFTER

  

I had the pleasure of being able to talk to Adel, ask him questions and hear his amazing story! I was so moved, and inspired by him and the answers he gave!


 Q&A

How does it feel it feel to sit back and think about that first day you showed up for the Crossfit intro class now that it has been a complete year?

      I sit back and remember that Saturday ( it was actually my birthday of last year) and I showed up at 8am for the intro.  I walked in and in my head I was like “where's the equipment?”.  My first intro WOD was rowing and box step ups. Rick told me to jump on my first day and I looked at him like that's not going happen, so I ended up doing step ups and when I was done I was seeing stars everywhere in the box and dizzy but it was something completely different than anything I had tried. I'm really glad I showed up that Saturday morning.

What made you decide to try Crossfit? How did you hear about it?

           I first heard about Crossfit back in 2008-2009 when my brother used to go to 908 (that's where he met Rick). My 2012 goal was to get back to the gym and work out like every year, so I joined Retro. One day I was running there, my brother and one of his friends asked me if I want to do a WOD with them while I'm there. I told them I'm going to try it to show them I'm not scared or anything. I didn't finish that WOD that day, couldn't even walk for the next two days and that's when I asked my brother if he knew of any CrossFit gyms in the area and he told me about Rick and called him for me to bring me in for my intro class. 

Why do you think Crossfit is something you stuck to?

     
     I joined CrossFit because I had hernia surgery in June of 2011 and my doctor suggested I do the weight loss surgery and I was very close to doing it but instead I joined CrossFit 9 months after my hernia surgery. CrossFit is not just a gym where you work out and leave. After you stay there for a while you feel like you belong there and it's like hard to leave. In regular gyms, people don't sit there after they finish their work out and try to motivate you or even do extra reps so you’re not left alone working out, but at MCF I saw people after a long WOD and how tired they were, they would actually do the last few reps with me. That's huge motivation when someone else just does them to support you. And of course as hard as we work we also try to have some fun.

How do you feel knowing you are such an inspiration to SO MANY people?

       I don't call myself inspiration. Watching some of the ladies, especially the ones with kids, between work, kids, the house, and the family, they still have time to make it for the WOD. I don't think anyone could use time as an excuse. And some of the men as well between work, family and they still show up  4-6 times, that's inspiring to every guy who says I got no time. If I can do it, I'm pretty sure anyone can. I had a hernia surgery 9 months before Crossfit and had surgery on my left leg in 2007 and I am doing it. I think people are scared to get out of their comfort zone that's why they blame it on time. 

What is some advice you’d give a beginner of someone who is serious about changing their life?

       Everything that's worth having is worth fighting for. Yeah, some days you are going to be in pain, others you are going to be sore and days you won't be able to move but you should know it's all worth it. One day at a time and just show up!

What are some things that helped you stay on track during this journey?

     The coaches of course because they are always following up with me and the members because most of them stick around and do extra work until I'm done just to support me. My parents for changing the way they shop. Another thing is I looked at the past and at some of the things I couldn't do that I can do now... Learn from the past, work for today, plan and set goals for the future.

How much weight did you lose in one year?

      I lost 110 pounds, 100% natural, in one year! I know people who were on diet pills and had the weight loss surgery and haven't lost that much weight.  It feels amazing because I had doubts about myself when I first walked into the box, but one of the rules is the word NEVER is not allowed to be said, so if you can't do it today there’s always tomorrow, but never say never!

Who has been your biggest motivation and inspiration during this journey?

     My biggest motivation that kept me going was one I want to live old enough to see my kids. Another reason is working out with some people who already lost weight, watching Shannon, Mandy, and Guy before and after was enough to believe and keep me going everyday! Watching people on TV and reading about them is one thing, but working out with them and seeing how bad they fight through some of these WODs is another.

What goals are you going to accomplish in this next year?

     My goal for next year is to be around 225 and keep PRing life.



I feel so lucky to be able to be surrounded by such amazing people all of the time. I know for a fact that Adel will keep kicking ass in everything he does! Miracles are literally happening every single day, and for awhile I was really closed off from that. Each person who does Crossfit has such a different, inspiring, unique reason for doing what they do. People like Adel make me work harder, become more truthful with myself, and inspire me not only at Crossfit, but in my entire life. When you stop making excuses, an entire World of opportunity opens up! 

  

Today I am grateful that I went out last night with my friends Katie and Erin! We went to an Irish Pub in Somerville, and drank delicious beer, it was a lot of fun, especially after this long week of work. Ironically, I am starting to really embrace being single, although it's been a year, I feel a lot more independent now....FREEDOM! :) 



What are you inspired by this week?




-A

Failure

    The past two weeks have been filled with lots of positivity and excitment. Last week, on Thursday, I competed in the second Open WOD 13.2 and was shocked beyond belief when I did not do as well as I had hoped. For the women, 13.2 consisted of the following:

10 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)
- 5 push press (shoulder to overhead) at 75#
- 10 deadlifts at 75#
- 15 box jumps at 20 inches

  Going into the WOD I was confident that I would be able to get 6 plus rounds, but when I finished completeing only four, and dropping the bar during push presses so many times, I felt so defeated. After one of my coaches, and fellow WOD partners, Laura, got in touch with me, and gave me some advice about taking in the Open for all it is, to not worry so much about the numbers, and realize that I have accomplished a lot as new member to Crossfit, I woke up the next day ready to accept my four rounds, move on, and focus on the next obstacles.

“A bad day for your ego is a great day for your soul.”
― Jillian Michaels

I showed up to the box Saturday with the intention of doing the St. Patrick's Day Partner WOD and watching some other athletes compete, doing 13.2  afterwards. Once I got to the box I decided that I was going to stop being so fearful of the fact that I had failed myself miserably during 13.2 and redo it! What was I going to gain by being afraid of failing? What would I gain by being to afraid to try again? If I had let those two logics run my life, I would have quit a LONG, LONG time ago. I stepped up to the plate, went into the WOD with a game plan and I wound up finishing with 6 rounds total, and I only dropped the bar twice during my push presses. ACCOMPLISHED, is the only way to decribe the feeling right after those 10 minutes were up. Even though I failed the first time I did 13.2, I stood back up and did exactly what I set my mind out to do!

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end.”
― Denis Waitley

It was such an empowering, exhilerating experience, to be knocked down, stand back up, look failure right in the face and succeed! If I want something out of my life, I have to be willing to accept failure, and learn from it. Failing means I am trying, finding different ways that work for me. It's not about falling down, it's always about standing back up, in every single aspect of life.

After the WOD we all shared some St. Patrick's Day treats, hung around, talked, then went and grabbed some food and drinks at FireSide! It was great to go out and meet some new on rampers who have also sipped the Crossfit KoolAid and even took on 13.2 for the hell of it! It was so inspiring watching them push themselves past their limit and accomplish great things! There are so many great things happening at our box, and even better things in all of our futures! I am so excited for everyone :)


Today I am grateful to finally be on Spring Break! Although mine started two days earlier ( home sick with strep throat) it's nice to know I have a full week to recover, and rest! I will hopefully be feeling better in the next two days so I can get out of the house and do somethings while I am off. This break is going to be so nice, and absolutely necessary!!

What are you grateful for today?


Hope everyone had a great week!
-A

 Here's a picture of me 1 week apart, during the Paleo Challenge

It's crazy how much can change when you start eating clean!

 

 

 

 

Taking on 13.2 Push Presses

 

 

Shannon kicking ass during the St. Patrick's Day WOD

(Yes, that's beer!)

Part of the MCF family!