Crossfit is Intense and a Refreshing Run in VB

Good morning (afternoon?)! I'm spending my week off in Virginia Beach doing one of my favorite things- sleeping in! I've always wished that I could be one of those people that jumped out of bed at 6 am, raring to go. Alas, such is not the case. Are you a morning person? If so, can you pass it along to me?

Right now I'm drinking Tim Hortons coffee (I love me some Timmy Hos!) in the new coffee mug that Bri got me. How cute is this mug?I love it!

Last night was so great. Bri and I haven't been able to spend more than four consecutive days together since he left for bootcamp a year and half ago, so this is a real treat. We started the first fire in our fireplace:

And then tried to get some pictures in front of it (don't mind the new VS pajamas I'm rockin')

Oh wait, we should probably get the fire involvedAnnnnd I need a haircut.

Bri surprised me when he came home from work with some beautiful flowers. I love gerber daisies!

And then we feasted on a delicious sushi dinner.

I love edamame, and it's a great source of protein to boot!

The goods. It's hard to believe that a few years ago I was such a nervous eater that I would only order grilled cheese or pasta in restaurants. In fact, when I was around 13 years old I went on vacation with my best friend and her family. We are at this somewhat fancy restaurant, and all of the entrees scared me. I ordered grilled cheese and her stepdad was flabbergasted. Then he got pissed. lol. Her stepdad is one of the most peaceful, calm people that I know, so it was pretty funny. Moral of the story is that I've come a long way! Now I'll try anything. Are you an adventurous eater?

I had a great run yesterday. It was a balmy 40 degrees in Virginia Beach. Seriously, 40 degrees is warm when the temperature in your hometown is -9 degrees. Yikes. I'm not sorry I'm missing that weather. So, my training plan called for a quick 2.5 mile run. It was sunny out so I quickly warmed up in my running tights, gloves and lululemon jacket. There was a bit of wind on the way back, which I actually enjoyed because it cooled me off. I also learned that it is probably a bad idea to run past construction zones. Mental note for the future- avoid that street! I felt very safe with my new Road ID. I had been putting off getting one because I'll be changing my last name in March. Bri got me one for Christmas with my current and new last name on it! He is such a sweetie. I also love the phrase he put on the band: "Enjoy Each Run". He said that he chose that because sometimes I get down on myself if my pace isn't as fast as I want it to be or if my knee starts to hurt, etc. He wants me to appreciate the fact that I can just get out there and run, and I do! The reminder is nice though. It makes me appreciate what I have and what I can do.

The only downside to the run was that my sneaker was rubbing against my Achilles heel, causing some blistering. I love my sneakers (Adidas Supernova Glide) and this is the first issue that I've had with them. I think it may have been because my tights were somehow caught between my sneaker and my sock. I finished the run by walking over to the ocean and sitting on the beach where Bri proposed. It was so peaceful. The beach looked like it had sustained some damage from the hurricane a month ago, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

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On Sunday I mentioned that Bri was going to put me through a Crossfit workout. That he did. It was awesome! The thing I love about Crossfit is that you get a total body workout, exerting both your aerobic and anaerobic capacities, in a short period of time. The workout on Sunday called for 100 jumping jacks, 75 body weight squats, 50 (real) pushups and 25 burpees, for time. You can't move on to the next exercise until you finish the one before it. Wow. This was tough. It may sound easy but trust me, once you get going, it is intense! I can usually bang out 50 pushups in no time (thank you 100 pushups workout) but when I got to the pushups during this workout, they were killing me. Afterwards Bri explained that my body was taxed from the jumping jacks and squats, making the pushups that much more challenging.

I finished the workout in 12:05, and then worked on a few boat poses. My abs are still sore today!

Some information about Crossfit:

• It is incredibly popular amongst the military and law enforcement personnel
• Anyone can do it- the workouts of the day (WODs) are structured so that beginners can scale them down to their ability
• The aim of Crossfit is to forge a broad, general, and inclusive fitness, involving constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement
• Crossfit WODs work to strengthen the ten recognized general physical skills- cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy

Have you ever tried Crossfit? Would you?

We are off to a yoga class tonight- I can't wait! Have a fantastic day, and check back soon for an awesome giveaway!