Still Sick....

It's been almost 2 weeks since working out.

So much time away from work. So many tests. And the Dr.'s still don't know what's wrong with me.

And to top it off...now I have a bad cold/sore throat/fever to deal with. Yay.

A delay in my fitness goal. Just what I needed......

Busy July so far....

Fourth of July weekend....

Saturday was Elsie's Grad Party in the afternoon, then David's last summer BBQ at his Issy pad for the rest of the evening....

Sunday was spent at Keith and MinhTri's place. A little pre-4th get together to just eat, hangout, and catch up =)

On the way home, we stopped by Sunset Hills Memorial in Bellevue to check out the Traveling Vietnam Wall Memorial. The Opening Ceremony was at 1pm. We didn't arrive till after 10pm, and volunteers were still reading off the names of all the soldier's on the wall.

When you hear the history of the war, you're told that "thousands of lives were lost"....

But it wasn't until seeing this wall and all the names engraved on it that it really hit me just how many. How many families lost a son/daughter. A husband/wife. A father/mother. A friend.

Yes, majority of the names are those of men. But what many may not realize is that there were also military women who died in the Vietnam War. Someone even left a list of canines that were lost in the war as well.

4th of July we stayed in and rested since the rest of the weekend was spent not at home =P

We did walk down to the Commons to at least catch the fireworks show.

July 8 was Bring Your Daughter and Son to Work Day. I brought my nephews again. This year we did Geocaching, decorated sugar cookies, and Lijee played this soccer kick thing a couple times - all stuff the boys didn't do last year.

And of course they played computer and video games over at the Visitor Center and bought goodies at the Company Store. =)


That Saturday was a busy one! Woke up early for my last Chiro appt., then headed to MinhTri's early so I could make my pasta salad dish to bring up to Lake Steven's for Kathy's Bridal Shower.

Thank you Captain Dennis for hosting Ms. Kat's shower at your beautiful home! And of course for letting us play on your jet skis and driving us around the lake on your awesome boat.

Can't wait to play on the lake again. This time we'll bring some testosterone for you to hang out with! LoL

Into the second week of July. Went to Crossfit Monday and Tuesday....still on a good streak!

Or so I thought.

Woke up Wednesday feeling "off." I planned on making it to the 630pm WOD then planned on heading over to Gena's to BBQ and catch SYTYCD. But I was feeling really fatigued for some reason. So I decided to just go home and rest. I ended up passing out.

Thursday, I wake up with a slight pain in my right side and lower back. And it's not the same kind of pain you would feel from sleeping in a bad position. =\

As the day progresses, the pain gets worse. Again, I feel fatigued by the end of my day.

Pain + fatigue = no crossfit. Again.

Ugh.

Friday...the pain is just bad. Every movement. Every deep breath. Hurts. Thank goodness my Dr. had an opening in the afternoon.

Gave a urine sample. They found traces of blood. Great.

So they drew blood to run some tests to see if I have a kidney infection. Left the Dr.'s with a prescription for antibiotics IF I have an infection.

Doctor's orders? Take my meds. Drink lots of water. Heat pack 4x a day. And REST. Rest from working out. And recommended I NOT do Warrior Dash.

Dammit =\

Well, Saturday came and my side still hurts. Certain movements still hurt. I know I SHOULD rest and let my body heal (whatever the heck is wrong with it), but......

I really want to do this Dash!

So....I pop 1000mg of ibuprofen first thing in the morning to see if it helps with the pain. And it does! Well...enough for me to be active without wincing in pain.

On the way to North Bend, the pain in my side starts coming back. So I wait till we get closer till I pop another 1000mg of ibuprofen. I know this is probably not good for my kidneys but...

I don't want to back out.

And I'm glad I didn't. The dash was a blast! We started together...we ended together. =)

Here's some pictures, but you can see more here.

The other's got to rest when they got home, but not me I had Kathy's bachelorette party to get to! I missed dinner, but I wanted to at least make it out to the bar hopping part.

Although there's been so many Faileo eating weekends, I have kept up on the no drinking part.

So....this was a sober night for me. But we kept Kathy nice and tipsy at least =)

I met up with the girls at Lucky Strike. Then MinhTri and I headed downstairs to McCormick's to get some coffee in her. Headed back to Lucky Strike to find that 3 of the girls called it a night and left. So the four of us left headed over and ended the night at Munch Bar/Dueling Piano Bar.

Two more weeks till the big day!!!

Since I pumped my body with too many drugs Saturday and did not rest as I should have, I'm feeling the after math. Pain is lingering. Ugh. So today....I really do rest.

I've been laying on my butt all day. I haven't cooked. Haven't cleaned. Nada.

I hate being unproductive. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate lazy days. But...I don't like doing that ALL DAY. But, I think I need to.

Two days left of meds. And sooner I can make myself feel better...the sooner I can get my butt back at the Box!

There's 3 more runs/challenges to do this year, so I need to get my butt back in gear!:

Oct 1: Hell Run

Oct 29: Gladiator Rock 'N Run

Nov 27: Seattle Half Marathon

Who wants to play?!

May/June Update

I swear every time I start "working" on myself...something goes wrong.

Finished Crossfit's "On-Ramp" mid-April. The last 2 weeks of April were just too busy that I couldnt make it in as often as I liked.

May - had a weekend getaway to San Fran with two of my fave gals, Z & MinhTri! The weather wasn't too bad. Windy sunshine...at least it didn't rain!

We walked around the Wharf, explored Saulsalito (cute town btw), and checked out some touristy sites like Alamo Park (Full House), and the crooked street, and Fisherman's Wharf. We HAD TO GO to Thanh Long's. Last time I was brought there, I was too sick to enjoy the food.

So this time around, the Roast Crab and Garlic Butter Noodles were AWESOME!!!

After a weekend of drinking and eating, I planned on getting myself back into running, going to practices and playing in our flag football games, and Crossfit at least 3x a week.

Well, I went to practice. We scrimmaged with another team that was on the field.

I got tackled. HARD. So hard I blacked out for a few seconds before I came to. The inside of my bottom lip had my bloddy teethprints. Headache from hell. Bruised kneecap. Aching neck and back.

Went to my Chiro and PT, and boy was I off. So....all activitiy put on hold till body was healed.

Ugh.

So no activity in May. Just PT and Chiro.

I decided no more football for me. I'd rather just run more and hit the gym than risk getting blindsided like that again.

So now comes June....

and my PT/Chiro give me the go ahead to start up my workouts. FINALLY.

To get myself on the right track, I put myself on a 7 week Paleo Challenge and get to my "box" 3-5 times a week. If work allows, I run 3-4 miles during lunch time. I wouldn't do this if there weren't showers on campus!

There are quite a few celebrations in June where I go Faileo...but that just means I worked extra hard to make up for eating bad:

First Saturday...Lijee's 9th Bday

Second Saturday...Elsie & Sheila's Graduation @ UW. Traffic was a b*tch!

Third Saturday...Valerie's Baby Shower.

Fourth Saturday...BDAY BBQ up in Everett (an MS colleague)- Pick up B from Edmonds train station - head to his sister's in Bothell to hang out with J and finish the give-aways for Made's baptism.

Last Sunday...Madelyne's Baptism - Reception at Thai Kitchen. Continue the party and more eating at sleepy Zamora house till it's time to bring J to the airport. =(

Considering there were a number of Faileo weekends in June, within the first 3 weeks of starting the challenge I dropped 5 lbs. and 1.25" from my waist =) Woohoo!

So far so good....and no injuries/sickness. Yet...

June was still pretty hectic with graduations, parties, and especially work. BUT...I somehow managed to find time to make it to Crossfit at least 4 times a week and I am loving how it makes me feel!

Oh my clavicles....

I have officially burned out my legs. Two days in a row with squatting included in the workout.

My left shoulder feels even worse today. Any forward/back left/right movement send this painful pinching feeling down my arm. It clicks with any up/down movement. So I was not looking forward toward the Cleans and Burpees.

Today's WOD: Gypsy Cab

First we warmed up with an 800m run, then...

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) in 20 minutes of:

10 Hang Squat Cleans (145lbs)

10 Burpees

10 Wall Balls 14lbs

Average rounds logged (103 users): 5 rounds

I did 4 rounds + 8 HSC's

I need to work on my cleans. The bar kept landing on my collar bone and now when I press along it (mostly the left side)...I notice a dent/dip/bruise. Oh man. No bueno.

First 3 RDS I did the WOD unmodified. But I guess Laurie noticed my constant wincing and quick shoulder massages after getting up from burpees.

So come my 4th round she modified the burpees with Star Jumps (still killer on the legs), and halfway through the Wall Balls she changed out my Med Ball from 14lbs to 12 lbs.

I won't be able to see a PT till Monday afternoon, so until then I'll need to modify push-ups, pull-ups, thrusts, burpees.....

Thanks Laurie and Kristina for another killer day and for helping me with my HSC form. I know I still need to work on this. That bar shouldn't be landing on my dang clavicle! No more dents =P

Dirty Doubles

AFAP with NO breaks in between.

Are you kidding me? Maybe...HOPEFULLY...later I can accomplish this. But for now, I needed to take a few seconds here and there. Especially between pull ups and push ups.

2 Rounds of:
30 Squats
20 Pullups
200m sandbag (30lbs) run - 40/30# - 1x

2 Rounds of:
30 Situps
20 Hand Release Push ups
200m sandbag (30lbs) run 1x

2 Rounds of:
30 Double unders
20 Box Jumps 24/20"

Finish with…
800m Run

My time -24:55

Fastest time:

MEN - 11:20

WOMEN - 13:18

Can we say AMAZING? Inspiring. I was dying after the first round of pull ups. It will take time for me to get this under 20min but I'm just glad I survived without puking!

Oh DD....I hate you...in a good way =P

Phys Ed

Still not 100% better so another day of lazy nothing. But we did go to night mass for Palm Sunday, then headed to ProClub to do today's WOD:

REPS: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3

DB Thrusters (15lbs)
KB Swings (20.4 lbs)
Sit-ups

Finish with 800m Run

TIME COMPLETED - 22:56

For a good time call Fran @ 21-15-9.......

Graduation Day of On Ramp!

I hot tubbed some more Thursday night. Rested all Friday night. So this morning, I'm feeling 95% better! FINALLY.

And thank goodness too because today we ended On-Ramp with FRAN.

What is FRAN?

21 Thrusters
21 Pull ups
15 Thrusters
15 Pull ups
9 Thrusters
9 Pull ups

Except with our WOD today, Joe added in 200m runs. Which I'm glad was added in because it gave us a chance to "rest" the arms. So today's FRAN for us was:

200m run

21 Thrusters
21 Pull ups

200m run
15 Thrusters
15 Pull ups

200m run
9 Thrusters
9 Pull ups

All Crossfit exercises are done as fast as you can, so you try to blitz through Fran, without pausing, resting or in any other way taking a break. But in my case...yeah right.

I had to rest a few seconds every 5-6 Thrusters, and every 3-5 pull ups.

My time - 23:19.

Thanks Joe and Laurie for showing us the ropes and keeping us motivated these past 2 weeks.

Looking forward to officially starting the pain come Monday!

....................................................................................................................

I was going to head to Seattle for my cousins daughter's baptism afterwards, but my mom said by the time I would make it out there ppl would be leaving. So...I missed.

Sorry Jamie & Rodney =(

So, I head over to the sports field over by the Commons to watch our Football Game. Pink Team (the team I signed up for but have yet to attend any practices or games =P) won!

Try to throw the football around with B for a bit but....SOMEONE sucks at throwing a football.

And it's not me. Let's just say...I have an "injury" from attempting to play catch. =(

Swollen (possibly sprained) finger.

Great. One thing after that other.

2 week migraine.

2 weeks of vertigo.

Flu.

Sinusitis.

Sprained finger.

What's next?

Can I just be UNBROKEN for awhile please?!

Suck it up.....

Tuesday I hot tubbed it for about a good hour to help sweat out this sickness so I can make it to Wednesdays class. There's only 2 classes of On Ramp left. I HAVE TO GO!!!

The soaking and all the lazy resting I've been doing (after work) is slowly paying off. I feel good enough to keep up today. Or so at least I hope!

Laurie (our other coach) went over HPC's with me since I missed Monday. I picked up fast =)

She then proceeded to go over Push Up Rows with all of us.

So the WOD for us this evening?

3 RDS:

15 Pull Ups

10 HPC (45 lbs)

8 Front Squats

10 Push Up Rows (15 lbs)

20 V-Ups

My time - 23:19. I am DYING! Lots of coughing. Still hard to catch my breath, but at least not AS BAD as last Saturday and not as weak as I was still feeling on Monday.

Thanks for the push, Laurie!

Sinus Infection + Meds + No food + Crossfit =

.....NO BUENO.

SATURDAY MORNING:

I didn't want to be a no-show so I went. I felt ok. Well...better than I did Friday. But, having not eaten anything all day Friday but Ramen and a lot of juice/water, attempting the WOD Saturday was NOT good.

WOD:

400m run

15 KB Swing (20lbs)

15 Wall Balls (14 lbs)

20 Walking Lunges

I did 1 RD. Started to get dizzy. Started getting white flahses before my eyes. So I rest a bit. I walk the next 400m vs. running it. Still dizzy.

I do the KB swings. Slowly bust out the wall balls. REALLY LIGHT HEADED.

So I sit outside for maybe a good 7min or so...till the worlds stops flashing and spinning.

Let me at least complete a full 2 RDS.

So I walk in and finish the 20 lunges.

FAIL.

2 RDS of 3 in 19+ min.

Note to self: dont crossfit when you're 1) sick and on meds, and 2) haven't eaten a thing in 2 days.

SUNDAY: still sick. still feeling fatigued. s

till coughing up wonderful "things."

SEXY.

MONDAY: Sinusitis is still kicking my butt, so I miss out on Monday's On Ramp class =(

Guess tonight they went over Hang Power Cleans (HPC). Will need to catch up on Wednesday (hoping I feel good enough to even go).

Beginning Crossfit Series

Monday marks the 1st day off joining Crossfit. The beginning series -which consists of 6 classes over the course of 2 weeks - is a a set of required classes designed to introduce newbies to the fundamental movements and concepts of CrossFit.

So Monday night, Joe (our coach) went over the history of Xfit, the goals of Xfit, and correct form for: air squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.

The "WOD" he created for us to do this evening was:

200 m run

Then sets of 21-15-9 of:

Squats

Push-Ups

Pull-Ups

End with another 200 m run.

My time: 10:19.

TUESDAY:

Sick =( Never fails. There's a trend here. Everytime I start to get on a healthier track...my body says "screw you" time for the flu. GDS.

WEDNESDAY:

Day 2 of Xfit Beginning Series.

I still feel pretty off, but I don't want to miss the 2nd class. What a loser!

So I go. The first 40 min was reviewing more moves. We each go over proper form of doing deadlifts. Next, we move on to Ring Dips.

Holy crap....HARD. I can barely hold myself up without shaking uncontrollably. Now you want me to do a tricep dip?

I've got A LOT of work to do before I get here. So modified move? Twice as many box dips.

Still difficult...but at least doable.

So the WOD Lori created for us this evening:
AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) in 20 min:

200m run

10 Push Press

10 Box Jumps

10 Box Dips

I got in 5 full reps and ended with one last 200m run...with 3 seconds to spare.

Thursday:

I feel even worse, but I suck it up and go in to work. By the end of the day, all I want to do is curl up in bed and rip my head off. Feels like someone punched me in my nose. I'm hot/cold. Fatigued.

I don't want to have to wait till the morning to call my PP and schedule a time she can see me, so I head to Urgent Care. Fix me please!

Sinusitis....

Great. So I fill the 2 prescriptions and head home to pass out.

Can I just STOP getting sick already?!

FRIDAY:

Doctor's orders....stay home and REST. So, here I am. Home. Sick. In and out of sleep. Still trying to get work done. It's FINALLY a nice, sunny, DRY day. Perfect to go for a run. And where am I?

IN BED =(

Tomorrow is day 3 of Xfit's Beginning Series Class. I don't want to miss any. So I'm doing absolutely NOTHING but resting and drinking lots of fluids in hopes I'll feel good enough to go to class tomorrow.

So....back to sleeping.

"Blood is replaceable. Sweat is expected. Tears are optional."

I know I've been gone, but there really wasn't much to talk about.
A migraine started up on Superbowl Sunday and the sucker didn't go away for 10 days. And the vertigo didn't go away for another 2 weeks.
I gave myself another week to make sure my head was back to normal before going back to the gym. I HATED being inactive for so long. BUT....

I'm back on my feet! There's been a lot of changes at work too.
Let's just say that now...I have better work/life balance. =)

So here's a quick recap of the past few months.....................

JANUARY:

Karen's 29th Bday @ Divine Movement. What better way to celebrate her last year in her 20s than by Pole Dancing?
I LOVED IT!
To become an instructor is on my bucket list =)



FEBRUARY:
Oliver flew in from Chicago to board for the weekend. Day 1: Stevens & Tiki's in Kirkland. I drank waaaay too much...so I didn't make it to Crystal the next day.




Day 2 of Oliver's visit was me staying in to recover...ALLLL DAY. My K-bruther, Eugene, was in town so I ended up hanging out with my "A-team" bruthers and crew. Their must-go-to spot when he's in town? Sno Casino. Boy does he love gambling! =P Me...I'd rather shop! So after spending a couple of hours watching everyone lose, we FINALLY finish off the night in Sno's Club.




VALENTINES DAY: MARRAKESH
Sharing food - eating with your hands - belly dancing - and this is during my wonderful migraine =\
Couldn't drink because of the medications I was on. It was hard to fully enjoy the evening but...I made the best of it as best I could.
The dancing... killed me. But I really don't plan on returning to this place so might as well suck it up and dance!

MARCH: So many celebrations this month - and I didn't have my camera for all of the outings =(

To kick-off the month...
Madelyn Grace joins the world with Big Sister, Alexis!



Next is MinhTri's 3?th bday: Din @ Monsoon East. Got kicked out after a few hrs. Drinks at Munchbar. Eventually got kicked out again. WTH? Ended the night at Lucky Strike. And of course...never fails...she fell asleep. In the club. =P

Manang Carlen's 33rd Bday @ Long's Provincial. My fave drink there: Spicy Watermelon Martini!

The bday girl wanted to walk over to Night Lite (interesting dive bar) next for their cheap, strong Long Island's. As you can tell...goal to get her drunk...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED thanks to Elsie's (in blue) idea to "race!" LoL

After she puked into a cup...we rushed out of there and walked over to SHOWGIRLS.

Well...can't take pictures in there but what I can tell you is that she yacked some more in front of the stage! Oodles of noodles. SORRY GIRLS!!! Party foul.

But man was the rest of the night COMEDY!

Happy Birthday Manang Carr....thanks for entertaining us =)

More March celebrations.....

Parents 40th anniversary AND my Mom retired. We celebrated with a low-key family dinner at Melrose Grill in Renton.

Next up....St. Paddy's Day = My Birthday.

Dinner and drinks at Lucia's in Kirland. Another drink at Time Out and a photo-op with a Leprechaun. Ended the evening with more drinks and dancing at Tiki's. Thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate with me and buy me shot after shot! It was tough getting up the next day but I made it in on time for my morning meeting =P

Following weekend - we did another joint bday celebration - Mng Carr, Me, and Mish (who didn't make it) at a ceramics painting place in UVillage, then ended it with good food and wine at Mamma Melina's. Definitely a place to go back to!

And the following weekend...Mish's bday @ Blush. Interesting & entertaining sober night.

Lent season also began in March (9th), so I decide to give up: alcohol and candy.
Yes...I drank on Manang Carr's and my bday. Celebrations. You can =)

The first couple weeks were difficult...not being able to have that glass (or 2) of wine after a long day.

Oh CW...how I miss you. See you in 23 days!!!

With my migraines not acting up lately, and no alcohol in the diet, what better time than now to get my gut back in the gym!?

With a girl trip coming up in May, I MUST get myself in gear. The solo workouts and group classes at ProClub just aren't keeping me motivated. The constant rain doesn't help either with my running. And no...no treadmill. Last time I tried running on the treadmill, it messed up my shin's for weeks. Not doing that again.

Two weeks ago, we checked out NWCrossfit in Bellevue. The WOD they created for us made me yack.

3 Rounds of:

200 meter row

10 burpees

10 box jumps

10 wall balls

10 sit ups

All the friends/cousins are at King's Crossfit in Renton, but NWCrossfit in Bellevue is more convenient as far as location.

We have to wait a couple weeks before the next Fundamentals class so we drop in at Imperial Crossfit in Kent last Saturday, where my bro and his wife work out at.

That WOD had me hurting for DAYS.

The warm up alone killed me more than the actual WOD! Thanks for having us Allen =)

WARM UP
4 Rounds of
8 Air Squats
8 Lunges
8 Jumping Air Squats
8 Jumping Lunges

WOD
5 Rounds of
400m Run
20 Box Jumps
20 KB Swings (53/35)
20 Sit Ups

Can't breath, Can't move, Can't get enough!!!

Officially starting with NWCrossfit on Monday. Excited. Anxious. SCARED. This is gonna suck...but I'm looking forward to it!

I also signed up for Flag Football League @ work. Why? I don't know. But I think my team's name is HR VIOLATIONS. How appropriate.
I've yet to go to a practice or join in on a game. Prior commitments already planned! Sorry. Maybe next week.

Upcoming runs to prep for: Beat the Bridge in May. Survivor Mud Run (MAYBE) and Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in June. Disneyland Half Marathon in Sept.

After 4 years of living in Sammamish, we've decided to sell the house. But finding time to schedule a deep clean and other schedule other misc. repairs around the house have been tricky.
Too much to do.

Running. Crossfit. Football. Work. Prep house. Vacations. How am I supposed to fit in Pole Dancing?!

Home sick....

I was up most of the night coughing. =(
Here I am home again. At least I can work from home. And thank goodness for that because there is SO MUCH to do. And I feel bad having to forward some of my load to the other 2 ladies on my team. Do what you gotta do, right?

Brian went to see the doc today to make sure he doesn't have what I have. Which he doesn't. Instead he has Acute Bronchitis. He got a Z-pack and doc gave him the ok to workout still.
Lucky.

Geez. Sick house. Will definitely need to wipe down and disinfect this entire house when I feel better.

So with our "Biggest Loser" challenge, we're using LOSEIT! to track our workouts and meals.
Pretty neat app. This is available for iPhone users. I need to find this for Android.



Back to "resting".........................................................

Happy New Year!

I know I've been MIA for almost 2 months.
So what have I been up to since the last post? Let's see....

Snow days...eating...Thanksgiving came along. Which means more eating!
The week after Thanksgiving I went to CT & NY for a week.
3 days in Stamford, CT with my friend Alsu and another 3 days in Brooklynn/NYC with my sistamare Cat!

Absolutely loved loved LOVED the east coast (despite their bone chilling weather)!
I swear I lost weight while I was on vacation- what with all the walking everywhere...and quickly.
Thank you ladies! Can't wait to get back out there for round 2.

It didn't take long for me to gain the weight back though.
Lots of work to catch up on. Then dealt with being sick. MSIT Holiday Party (drinking and eating). Indoor rock climbing for Mel's bday. Mom's retirement party (more bad eating). Thinh & V's wedding (more eating)! Holiday shopping. More holiday shopping. Christmas with the families. Harry Potter/Seattle adventure with Sistamare Cat, Virg, and Ruby (more eating). NYE (more eating). Jen & G's babyshower (more eating)! Throw in a few happy hours in there too (more drinking and eating).

Surprisingly I've only gained 5lbs with all the drinks and food I've been shoving my face with!

At the babyshower, 5 of us decided to start our own weight loss challenge.
Me, Brian, Mel, Bryan, and Thu.
$100 buy in.
Whoever loses the most % of body fat starting today till the end of March.
Check in every week with our progress.
$500. That should keep one motivated right? Well....yes. BUT.....

Well...I went to the Doctor today. FINALLY. And I say FINALLY because I have been on and off sick since the week of Christmas. I was at my worst last week. So the verdict?

Strep throat.

Doctor's orders: Take the antibiotics. Lots of liquid. Lots of rest. Absolutely no working out.
DAMMIT.

I'll have A LOT of catching up to do when I am FINALLY 100% healthy.
Dinner tonight: Chicken soup. Hurricane Popcorn for a snack. M&M's and a handful of Hershey Kisses. Way to start off the week! =(