I Made It Through The Murph

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Today's Crossfit WOD was "The Murph," named after Navy lt. Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, NY, a SEAL killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The workout consists of: 

  • 1 mile run
  • 100 pull-ups
  • 200 push-ups
  • 300 squats
  • 1 mile run

I went in with no idea what to expect. Being Memorial Weekend, I didn't know if the place would be empty. Far from it. Close to 30 of us lined up at the back door that leads to the greenway, waiting for the clock to count down the start to the run. Several of the guys and one girl (you GO, girl!) wore weighted vests for the workout. 

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Explosions At Boston

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As a runner and 2010 Boston Marathon participant, I’m devastated over the recent tragedy in Boston. I’ve sat with it for a few days, trying to piece together my thoughts, my emotions, and what it all means. And then I saw a photo on Facebook that summed up everything I was thinking and feeling. 

Love and prayers to all affected by the Boston tragedy. 

Dena

Follow Up: The Week Of No Exercise

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You may recall that right before our move I decided to take a week off from exercise. I'd been feeling mentally and physically run down and needed a break. Sure, I moved and unpacked boxes, but compared to my regular exercise routine, I truly cut back. No running. No biking. No power yoga. No sit-ups, chin-ups, push-ups. No Crossfit or BodyPump. Nada. I took two short walks and that was it. 

Saturday marked my return to exercise with a long run. I took some classes on Sunday and did a sprint workout and Crossfit yesterday.

How did it feel? Did I come back rested and stronger?

I don't think so. If anything, I feel just as sluggish as before. I got through the workouts, but I admit I expected to come back with a bit of a Superman vibe, tackling the exercise with renewed strength and vigor. Didn't happen. 

I'm disappointed. Not sure what went wrong. Diet? Stress from the move? Not enough sleep? 

It will most likely be awhile before I'll try a full deload week again, but in the meantime I'm going to focus on taking at least one full rest day a week. My rest days prior were consisting of power yoga or a light run. I'm going to commit to one day each week where I do nothing more then walk around the neighborhood. 

Meanwhile, I did a beast of a Crossfit workout yesterday. Have to admit, I missed the push.

Cheers,

Dena

Taking A Week Off Exercise

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I'm tired. That's nothing new. I workout constantly, work hard and am almost always on the go. I prefer it that way. Living life at full throttle 80% of the time makes me happy. And feeling tired from hard workouts is part of the game. 

But this is something more. I'm not just tired. I'm worn out. Exhausted. I can feel it in every movement of daily life. I've been approaching my workouts for the last few weeks with trepidation, asking myself what it's going to take to pull me through. I'm drinking 1-2 cups of caffeinated coffee a day (I used to only drink decaf), usually before a workout in the hopes of "reving up." I'm not sleeping well. My concentration isn't there.

Diagnosis? Burnout. 

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