My 40 Day Journey.......

Today marks day 40 of my journey with God and all of the ReMARKable Women associated with Grace Community Church.

I set out on this journey seeking spiritual guidance.  I seem to have many aspects of the complete picture down, I am physically fit, I am emotionally balanced, (most of the time- come on I'm a woman), I am well off relationally, but it seems that I have left the spiritual part of the equation for last and I know that's not the order our God wants to be in my life.

My Jesus Socks

He not only wants to be first, but 100% deserves to be first.  So, for the past 40 days, my focus was on putting God first in everything I did.  It meant letting go of some control and it meant giving EVERYTHING to him, and then waiting for him to lead.  As many of you know, and I have learned even more so these past 40 days, is that I like to be in control at all times.  I would label myself as a control freak, so letting go and following was very difficult at times.  But the great thing about our God, is when you start to teeter off the path he just gently nudges you and puts you back on track.  If you completely fall off, you ask for grace and he grants it and you can start over.  So really, there is no way you can lose here.  It's a win win.

Because I have an A Type personality, which makes me a good CrossFitter, I wanted to find some type or measurable or quantifiable results.. you know like data or facts.  I mean when you start a CrossFit challenge you do Fran for time.  When it's over, you do Fran for time.  If you shave 15 seconds off your Fran time, well the challenge was a success.  But, how do you measure spirituality?  How do you know if you won?  How was I going to put this on a spreadsheet?  So, here I was in unfamiliar territory.

Each week of the challenge brought about new challenges.  Some of them were easy and some of them not so much.  One thing that stayed consistent for the entire 40 days was to memorize Ephesians 4:29-32.

New International Version (NIV)

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

I have not had to memorize anything for a very long time.  This 43 year old brain struggled with this one.  But as you read it over and over and over....you know that's how you want to live.  I made sure I was not only reading this but living it out as well.


The daily reading of Proverbs was probably my favorite part.  Each day we had to read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds with the number on the calendar.  I loved digging in and finding bits and pieces of my life and my family that I could relate to that particular Proverb and then apply it to the way I live.  I found that I was doing a pretty good job in a lot of areas and then there were things I needed to work on.

The physical challenges and the food challenges were not that hard for me.  I made sure to get them in, even if it meant doing my week's worth of pushups or squats all in one day so as not to mess up my training regimen.  I do believe on Easter Sunday in lieu of coffee I did 160 pushups to make up for Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sunday!!  Speaking of coffee, that by far was the hardest fast I have ever done.  I did it.  I made it an entire week without coffee....but WOW!!!  Fasting from food, TV, and even the 21 hours without any food at all seemed to go well.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!

There are several things I learned about myself that I will continue to work on.  I am a bit bossy and not the best listener.  I am kind and have a heart full of forgiveness.

Let's start with the bossy part.  I was supposed to spend the week trying NOT to control any adult in my life unless the situation was life threatening.  Each day I would wake up and before I would get out of bed I would fervently pray for my mouth to stay SHUT!!  The first day I made it less than 11 minutes.  No lie, I mean really.  Felt my nudge from God.  Restart.  I never made it past the first couple hours of the day.  Now, with this weakness exposed....I have been working on not always having to be right...let's just say this is a work in progress.

Now, onto an entire day of listening and not giving "my opinion" of the situation.  Let's just say DUCT TAPE!! That is the only way I would have accomplished this task.  I would start my day with prayers once again...and then I would practice on the dogs as we were walking out of the bedroom.  I would literally question them over and over...it was awesome and it was working.  They didn't respond so I didn't either!!  Now, enter my family....UGH!!  I always have an opinion, but I am working on not always having to state it. I literally tried this one for 3 days in a row...start fail, start fail, start fail.  But I will not give up!!

Another work in progress.

With these 2 weaknesses sitting like open wounds on my chest, I had to find something good that I do, I had to remember that I have many good and many not so good habits.  I am kind and I love all people.  If you know me, I love you.  I believe that God finds different people to walk through our lives we may know them for an hour or a day or 10 days or 10 years....but each and every person we meet along this journey were sent to us for a reason.  I love working with people and loving on them and teaching them to use their bodies the way God intended them to be used.  Your body is your temple given to you by God, you only get one shot at this so take care of it and don't sweat the small stuff.  The forgiveness project, I wracked my brain over and over trying to find someone to forgive but I realize that I don't live life holding grudges.  Life's too short, if someone makes a mistake, who am I to condemn them?  It only hurts my heart to hold that in and if my heart is full of hatred how can I be the best me I want to be.

His love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me.

I have never prayed so much in my life.  I opened my bible more that I thought possible.  I enjoy digging into God's word and learning from the best book ever.  I'm so happy I did this challenge as it did exactly what I was seeking.  It taught me that if God is always first, you can't go wrong.

As in everything I do, now that my weaknesses have been brought to my attention more clearly, I will continue to work on them daily.  It's just like the dreaded running or the ever awful double unders, I will not be defined by my workouts, I will not be defined by my weaknesses, I will not be defined by my strengths, I am a princess of God and that is what defines me.  

So, did I "WIN" this challenge?  You bet I did.  I won because I took something away from it.  It wasn't measurable or quantifiable....but I don't want to be able to measure God's love for me and my love for him.....I want it to be as endless as the stars in the sky.

SO BE IT!!!

I want a 6 pack.

There have been many occasions where I have been told, "I want a six pack!"  Many of us have goals in and out of the gym and an attribute that many athletes long for is the ever elusive SIX PACK!!

At first I used to get really embarrassed when someone would mention my "abs" and say, I want THOSE!!  I would blush and turn away, quickly remember that in the heat of the workout that I had taken my shirt off and that I was standing in the middle of the gym in my sports bra.  I would put my shirt back on and go about my business.

Until the time that someone stopped me in my bathing suit while on a cruise with my family.  Jim and I were getting ready to go on some crazy speed boat ride and this random stranger says to me, "Wow, you have a great body and a nice six pack, YOU  MUST EAT WELL!!!"

Ding ding ding!!!  The light bulb went off in and bells started ringing in my head.  I just talked to someone WHO GETS IT!!!

You see, I know I have said this time and time again....and I will repeat it over and over and over....but the key to a six pack has nothing to do with what specific exercises I do in the gym, my six pack is received by one specific exercise....and that is EATING!!

If you REALLY REALLY REALLY and I repeat REALLY want a 6 pack there are some things that you just can't have.  Don't get me wrong, you have to exercise to support your clean eating....but it's not the other way around.  Let me repeat that, you need to exercise to support your clean eating you do not eat clean to support your exercising!!

Thus creating this viscous cycle.  You eat well.  Your endurance grows.  You get stronger.  You continue to eat well.  Your endurance grows.  You get stronger. 

Things CLICK when you eat well.  They just do.

So here is my question I pose to you today:

Do you want a 6 pack?

Or a 6 pack?

Or a 6 pack?

 It's as simple as making the right choice. 

McDonald's..I ain't got time for that!

I love to eat.  I love food.  But, to be honest I'm lazy.  I like my food fast....today I have two quick food tips for you and I promise you, I won't be swinging into McDonald's anytime soon to get my fast food:

 

Fast Food #1:  Bacon, Egg, Cheese Biscuit

 

Carole's Ingredients:

 

Classic Drop Biscuit from the Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook

2.5 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup grape seed oil 

1/4 cup agave nectar (if I run out, I've used coconut nectar and honey as substitutes)

2 large eggs (cage free- straight from the farm)

1 tsp lemon juice (I never have lemons handy - I've always used an orange or if no fruit then I skip this ingredient)

 

This is my biscuit actually pictured with sausage and not bacon.

Mix together - bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  I always make a double batch.  I use them for bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches.  I use them as the biscuit in my strawberry shortcake.  I use them as my biscuit for biscuits and gravy.  They re-heat nicely and are so delicious.

 

Bacon

Hormel Natural Choice Original Uncured Bacon

Pork, Water, Salt, Turbinado Sugar, and seasoning.

 

Egg

My eggs are fresh from the farm usually under 2 weeks old from cage free chickens.

Cheese

Raw cheddar cheese from Layman Farms

I will guarantee this is the BEST cheese you will ever eat.

 

With the bacon and the biscuits pre-cooked, this morning I fried an egg and put it all together it took me less than 5 minutes and breakfast was ready.  Add a big old scoop of berries and a nice warm cup of coffee and you'll be set for hours.

 

Here is McDonald's version of my same sandwich:

 

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit (Regular Size Biscuit):

 

BISCUIT (REGULAR), BACON, FOLDED EGG, PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE

 

BISCUIT (REGULAR):

Ingredients: Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Cultured Nonfat Buttermilk, Vegetable Oil

(Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil), Water, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Contains 2% Or Less: Salt, Sugar, Modified

Cellulose, Wheat Protein Isolate, Natural Flavor (Dairy and Vegetable Source), Soy Lecithin.

CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK AND SOY LECITHIN.

Prepared with Liquid Margarine:

Liquid Soybean Oil and Hydrogenated Cottonseed and Soybean Oils, Water, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium

Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (Preservatives), Artificial Flavor, Citric Acid, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene (Color).

CONTAINS: SOY LECITHIN.

 

BACON:

Pork Bellies Cured with Water, Salt, Sugar, Natural Smoke Flavor (Plant Source), Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite

FOLDED EGG:

Pasteurized Whole Eggs, Modified Food Starch, Soybean Oil, Natural Flavors (Plant Source), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Carrageenan, Flavor Enhancer (Salt,

Maltodextrin, Natural Flavor [Plant Source], Spices, Herb, Turmeric [Color]), Monosodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Soy Lecithin.

CONTAINS: EGG, SOY LECITHIN.

Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid Soybean Oil and Hydrogenated Cottonseed and Soybean Oils, Water, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin,

Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (Preservatives), Artificial Flavor, Citric Acid, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene (Color).

CONTAINS: SOY LECITHIN.

 

PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE:

Milk, Cream, Water, Cheese Culture, Sodium Citrate, Contains 2% or Less of: Salt, Citric Acid, Sodium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid (Preservative), Lactic Acid, Acetic

Acid, Enzymes, Sodium Pyrophosphate, Natural Flavor (Dairy Source), Color Added, Soy Lecithin (Added for Slice Separation).

CONTAINS: MILK AND SOY LECITHIN

 

Fast Food #2:  Buffalo Chicken Ranch Salad 

 

I'm sad to say that I don't have a picture of my actual salad from last night's dinner, but it was truly amazing.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Chicken:  

You know this is free range boneless chicken breast, I put 7 chicken breasts in a crock pot, on low,  frozen solid as rocks at 2:00 pm.  When we arrived home at  7:17 pm I shredded 3 of the chicken breast with a fork. (Approx 24 oz of chicken)

I added 1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce - ingredients cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt, garlic powder

and 1/2 cup Simply Dressed Ranch - ingredients, canola oil, buttermilk, water, salted egg yolk, distilled vinegar, EVOO, sugar, sea salt, garlic, onion

to the shredded chicken.

I laid out 3 plates and filled each plate with at least 2 cups of either organic mixed greens, spinach, or romaine depending on what each person prefers to eat.

I topped each "green" with my chicken concoction.

I added a sprinkle of raw cheese and wished I would have added some crumbled up bacon that was already cooked but didn't see it until after.  I also put cherry tomatoes around the side of the plate.

I served the Buffalo Chicken Ranch Salad along with 1 cup of cooked broccoli to all.  This was very satisfying and filling.

And literally from the time we stepped foot into the house it took me 10 minutes to prepare and have dinner on the table.  How's that for fast food?

Now, I know I said I only had two things to share....but I did mention that I use those biscuits to make strawberry shortcake.

Last night for dessert, I topped biscuits with some cut up strawberries and a drizzle of coconut nectar.  It's the BEST DESSERT EVER!!!  Don't forget a little cream on top....for a delectable yummy delicious treat!!  ENJOY!!

More blogs to come.....Silver Jeans or 230# Back Squat That is the ? and of course Powder Me Up...my gory details of WOD 13.6;0)

 

 

 

13th in the Central East for 2013....

So, here it is the morning after.

It's not your typical morning after...you know the one.  No, this morning after is the morning after the CrossFit Open 2013 Games. 

It's over. 

I sit here today a little happy and a little sad a little regretful and a little glad....you see I have a culmination of feelings all smashed together.

I am not a shoulda coulda woulda kind of person....so I refuse to look back, BUT I will look at my stats to help me move forward.

I love numbers.  I love comparing and I love stats.  I think this is partially why I love CrossFit.  It's analytical.  I can break it down, and put it back together like my favorite puzzle.  So, I am breaking down my 2013 Open...and I'm putting it back together and I've already started my planning for 2014 Open.....that's what I do on the morning after.  Get up, and move FORWARD.

Let me break this down. 

A little happy.  
My goal was to be in the top 25% of my age group this year.  In the Central East I finished in the top 7.1% or 13th out of 183 women ages 40-44.  If I were to use the original number of competitors in my age group and division I would be in the top 4% as 13 out of 320.   In the World I finished 7.1% or 205 out of 2,882 women my age.  If I were to use the original number of competitors in my age group in the world I would be in the top 4.3% as 205 out of 4,752 women. 
So, you can see why I am a little happy. 
Plus, how lucky do you have to be to be in 13th place:0)

A little sad.
It's over.  That explains my sadness.  There is nothing I love more than to analyze and strategize and organize and compete.  Nothing.  Now, with that said....5 weeks of it is a long time.....and I can't do it forever...but there is always a let down when your done. 

A little regretful.
I know my weaknesses and I shouldn't have waited until 2013 to actually concentrate on them.  I know if a WOD has box jumps, double unders, and toes to bar....I wouldn't fare well....but did nothing about it.  So, since I won't look back, I can only use this information to look forward, you will please know that THIS WILL NOT BE THE CASE in 2014!!!

A little glad.
I prayed to God before each WOD this year, it's something I've never done in the past.  I'm so GLAD that I've changed who I am spiritually.  I prayed for safety for all of our Open Team and each time I asked God to help me be the best me I could be that day.  After each WOD my prayers thanked him for my healthy body and the abilities that he has so graciously given me.   I believe with Him on my side, all things are possible which brings me to my numbers for 2013 and goals for 2014.



WOD:       Division:            Place for WOD:    # of Competitors:   Overall Place:     Percentage:    

13.1           Central East      10th                          320                     10th                  3.1%
13.1           Worldwide        188th                    4,752                                              3.9%

13.2           Central East       14th                          289                     10th                 4.8%
13.2           Worldwide        145th                     4,404                                             3.2%

13.3           Central East       39th                         252                      16th                 15.4%
13.3           Worldwide        305th                      3,984                                             7.6%

13.4            Central East       10th                        198                      14th                 5%
13.4            Worldwide        250th                    3,191                                             7.8%

13.5            Central East        11th                       183                       13th                6%
13.5            Worldwide        205th                    2,882                                             7.1%

Total overall for Central East 13/183 that finished all 5 wod's:  7.1%
Total overall for Central East 13/320 that originally started: 4%
Total overall for Worldwide 205/2882 that finished all 5 wod's 7.1%
Total overall for Worldwide 205/4752 that originally started 4.3%

Age Group:  40-44

A couple of follow up stats from 2012 to 2013:

WOD 12.4 and WOD 13.3 were the exact same WOD - in 2012 scored 190 in 2013 I scored 232 a 42 rep improvement.

WOD 12.5 and WOD 13.5 had the same movements thrusters and chest to bar pullups.  In 2012 you had 7 minutes to get as many reps as possible...I got 79, in 2013 you had 4 minutes to get as many reps as possible I got 72.  Now, the weight was the same and the pull-up standard was the same, but the rep scheme was different which may attribute to the increase but I'm thinking woohoo I am THAT much stronger and faster than I was at this time last year.  

Goals for 2014 that WILL NOT wait until 2014....that means the year before in preparation for....

#1:  I will age up.  So I will compete in the 45-49 category...I know old lady here.

#2:  I will keep my strength and inevitably get stronger over the year.

#3:  Most importantly I will train my weaknesses - this is not an all inclusive list of my weaknesses....but in general my endurance - burpees, double unders, toes to bar, box jumps, pull-ups.....and my gymnastics skills.

#4:  If the numbers are similar to 2013 I need to be in the top .4% (yes that is miniscule) of my age group to move on from the Open.

I Carole Ann Turnbo, LOVE LOVE LOVE to lift weights and be strong, but I also realize that I can keep my strength and be better at endurance and gymnastics.  This will make me an all around better athlete when competition arrives at my door step....pretty much before you know it:0) 

Waiting for this WOD made me CRAZY!!!

So, after WOD 13.4 I gained 2 spots in the Central East and went from 16th place to 14th.  I was feeling pretty good about that, my original goal was to finish in the top 25% of my division.  Not really sure if I had a specific goal for "the world" but 25% in my division was going to make for a good Open. 

You all know that quickly changed and I became this competitive crazy lady that couldn't stop talking about the open, the wods, what was next, what I wanted to see, what I didn't want to see....but all in all, I pretty much called 3 out of 4 of these wod's to some point. 

So, we practiced thrusters and chest to bar pull-ups last Tuesday...the last Open gathering and I felt like this was what was going to show up for the final WOD.  UNTIL.....I got home that night and Mark had sent me this video footage of Dave Castro talking about the announcement of WOD 13.5....This was a bad idea.

I am SO superstitous about watching video's I have NO idea why I watched this one, because it haunted me for the next 24 hours.  NO LIE!!! 

The video shows Dave Castro saying that we are going to do something we've NEVER done before....and he's talking about how hard the WOD is going to be and how it's going to be hard for the "regular" athlete....but stepping it up a notch and saying the "elite" athletes are really going to feel this one as well.  So, Jim watches the video with me...I finish my work on the computer and we head to bed.  As we lie down in bed, Jim says to me, "I just had a vision of what the WOD is going to be!"  He said, "it's going to be some type of AMRAP with 21-15-9 squat snatches and chest to bar pull-ups".....moments later he was quietly sleeping.....

I on the other hand WAS NOT!! From 10:30 pmish....until my alarm sounded at 4:45 am....I did squat snatches in my sleep!!!  It was awful.  I went through EVERY scenario of what could be in this WOD that had NEVER been done before!!! I was doing pistols on med balls...HSPU....you name it, I did it in my sleep.....Who does that?  Who plants these seeds in my head and then snoozes off to this wonderful slumber where I lay and toss and turn and do squat snatches in MY SLEEP!!!!  

The ENTIRE next day, if I thought about the WOD my stomach rolled.....I couldn't wait until 8:00 pm.  Lucky for me at exactly 8:03 pm my phone died.  I had played Pandora for all three of my classes without charging the battery....and just when I needed it the most I couldn't get my dang phone to work. 

Poor Kim, I practically pushed her and Elizabeth out of the gym so I could get into my car and plug my phone in.  Little did I know that my phone would be SO DEAD that even if it was plugged into the car charger it didn't have enough juice to even turn on!!!  I can't explain the 5 minutes between my phone dying and it receiving enough juice to turn on....I was a MANIAC!!!  Like seriously, a drug addict that had run out of drugs.

I was cursing and driving and trying to turn the phone on and screaming.....I mean, really looking back, this was bad!!!

Phone comes back on and I receive a text from Matty...."Say What!?"  What do you mean, say what I HAVEN'T SEEN THE WOD!!!  I'm going crazy, Brooke is texting me and Matty is texting me....and then I see the WOD and it all calms down from there.  My comfort zone, thrusters and pull-ups....I didn't care about the time slot, I just knew that I could do what I was required to do.  I thought I can do this, and from there I had set my goal...75 reps.

I had pondered for about 30 seconds on how many times I would do this WOD, I had decided once and I would go balls to the wall and just knock it out.  Get it done. And call it a day!!!

I knew I couldn't get the 90 reps required...we just recently did Fran and my Fran time is 4:57, knowing that I didn't have a judge counting my reps and making sure they were perfect along with the fact that those were chin over bar pull-ups and this time I had to get my chest to touch the bar.  I decided that 75 was a great score. After watching Matty on Friday evening do this WOD, and get 76 reps, my new goal was 77.  I wanted to be 1st place in the CFM Leaderboard.

So, here is was Saturday morning and it's finally my turn.  I was nervous, I'm not gonna lie. I had 4 minutes to prove to myself that I could do this.  I did all 15 thrusters without stopping....jumped up on the pull-up bar and knocked out 8 chest to bar....what the heck where did those come from?  Then did 5 more, then 2.  Round 1 done.  15 thrusters without stopping...and that's when I felt it....coming out of round 2 in the thrusters....Fran attack was coming, I had to work and I had to work fast and not let it get the best of me.  I started doing pull-ups but it was taking forever...I heard them counting the clock and decided I needed about 30 seconds to get the thrusters done in that last set, so I would do a pull-up or 2 and it was up and down.  I had 2 no reps...UGH!!  Finally done with the pull-ups I head back to the thrusters with about 25 seconds on the clock.....I was able to get 12.  Score 72!!!

Immediately, I knew I had to do this again.  I couldn't stop thinking about it....all day, all night, I knew what I had to do to get those extra 5 reps...I had to move through those pull-ups more methodically.  Sets of 5 is what I decided.  Jim and I talked about it a bit and he thought, "why aren't you shooting for 100 reps?"  He agreed to coach me as we went back in after church on Sunday.

I'll just make this short and sweet....kind of like the workout.  55.

Yeah, no lie.  That's how many reps I got on Sunday.  I know myself, and I know what I am capable of.....

1.  DO NOT watch any video.  No video is going to tell me anymore than what I already know myself. 

2.  DO NOT use anyone else's strategy.  I cannot use anyone else's strategy.  This is my body and my workout and I know what it does best.

I love the open, and I'm sad that it's over.  I love the team work and the competition and the constant sit and wait and plan and strategize.  I just love everything about the open!!! 

I'm a little behind...so I'll start with WOD 13.4......

As you all know I prayed and prayed for clean and jerks to be in WOD 13.4, I started a prayer chain, and we were very blessed when the WOD was released.

God was keeping my ego in check when, with the clean and jerks he handed down toes to bar! 

So, we all know that I've been working towards a goal every WOD and that once that goal was achieved that I would reward myself with a big ol' 6 pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs.  I was SO confident with this WOD and the goal I set that I even "PRE-BOUGHT" my eggs!  Now, I know there is a fine line between confidence and cockiness.....this was confidence.  I like this WOD toes to bar or not!!

So, I decided right off the bat that I would do this workout twice.  My goal was 75 reps, 3's, 6's, 9's, 12's and 15 clean and jerks!!  It's something I love and so I was ready and raring to go on Friday morning.  We were lucky enough to have 5 judges for our 5 athletes that morning so we all got to go at once.  My only unlucky moment that morning was I had scheduled Jim to get a massage at the same time we were supposed to do the WOD, so I was going for it without my coach:(

AJ was my judge and I moved smoothly through the clean and jerks...then I'd get to the toes to bar and usually was able to get 3 each time.  I couldn't wait to get back to the clean and jerks.  That was my easy part, and each time I was able to knock them out and then get back to the toes to bar TIME SUCKER!!
I was able to get 72 reps...I  had 3 reps left of my clean and jerks and NO room left on the floor.  For anyone that was there I started by the pull-up bar and ended by the GHD machines!!

Mary, was our "coach" for Friday and she was in charge of the clock and letting us know where we were.  Funny story...during my last set of clean and jerks for some reason I find myself singing along to the radio.  I'm singing, "Like a bridge over troubled water....." SERIOUSLY....that was on and it was some awful country version and I was cleaning and jerking and singing like it was nobody's business....thinking WHY IS THIS SONG ON!!!! Finally, Mary realizes what is playing and hits the next button on the Ipod....LOL after that it was SO funny.

So, here it is Saturday morning and all morning I'm nervous ...but not for myself.  You see my beautiful son was doing this WOD today and I can't tell you how hard it was to separate my "Mother" from my "Coach" role!!  It was TOUGH!!

I knew that 135# for Brandon was HUGE and he has been struggling with a sore back as I have been working diligently on fixing his DL form....and Angela has been working his back.  SO, heavy weight, sore back, and nervous mom.  For those of you that have been around Bran and I enough you will know that BOTH of us have this strong desire to believe that WE are the only ONE that is right about, well just about everything.  So, we tend to argue, a bit, over EVERYTHING!!!

So, I never fully prepared myself for this WOD and I made a huge coaching mistake by putting myself at the same time as Bran...so I couldn't be mother hen....nor Coach Carole, I had to be athlete in my own game....with my beautiful son wodding RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!

I didn't really get to warm-up.  Started WODDING and it was feeling really ugly.  Instead of doing my toes to bar in sets of 3 they were coming out in sets of 1!  (If you can call that a set.)

And then it happened, I was in my clean and jerks working behind Brandon and I saw him get hurt.  I was so scared....the fact that he was still standing meant that I had to keep doing clean and jerks.  Jim was so busy watching me that he missed Bran and I was trying SO hard to get his attention.

So, I'd do a clean and jerk and then point to Bran...."he's hurt!" and then I'd do another and it took me like 3-4 clean and jerks and in between screaming for someone to take care of Bran, once I knew he was taken care of....I was able to move forward.  

I kept hearing the time in the background and I knew that I was going faster than Friday....Jody was counting my reps, Jim was coaching me, and I could FEEL a circle of people surrounding me as I was on my set of 15's....everyone was counting, Shelley was screaming at me to pick up the bar!!! 

I was hearing like 68, 69 and then it happened....I've done this before....and my husband was SO QUICK to catch me...LUCKILY!!! Right before rep 70 I quit!

Yep, there you have it.  I was DONE!! I hit this wall that sometimes I can't get past by myself.  I like to say I have no mental toughness....well, there was the wall and I was stopping!  I heard him say, "45 seconds, Carole PICK UP THAT BAR!" So, I did...71, 72, 72, 74, 75.....and then I heard him say 6 seconds left....I made this mad dash to the pull-up bar....

I will tell you what I THOUGHT I was doing....I have this beautiful vision of myself running to the pull-up bar and jumping....hearing 4,3,2....and I felt like I jumped in the air and tried to grab the pull-up bar....and then I heard 1...TIME!! At that moment, I felt my body sliding down the concrete wall.....into a slump on the floor. 

Now, I will tell you what really happened .....4,3,2....Carole is running towards the pull- up bar, her arms are NOT extended to reach for the pull-up bar and her feet NEVER leave the ground....she run's smack dab into the concrete wall and slides down as she hears 1....TIME!!!

Video footage of what really happened!!

That my dear, is the cold hard truth.   I'll stick with the vision...it's so much prettier in my head that way.  Although, I have watched the video countless times and I just laugh every time.

13.4...in the books....hella of a WOD.

In case you're wondering I ate ALL 6 Reese's in a matter of 3 day!!! They were worth the wait and by far my favorite cheat EVER!!!