Training & Prepping for HOH

So this post is late- I had a busy weekend! I had a good week of training though! 

Here is a recap!

Monday 8/11: I started my day with a 3 m run, in Fresno, at Woodward Park before work. It was nice to get out of the area where I normally run, and get a different view. I kept a decent pace, but I did slow down quite a bit on my last mile, and had to walk a few times. My calves have been a little tight, I need to make sure that I am taking the time to work on my mobility. With the amount of exercise that I do with short muscle contraction, I have to make a conscious effort to elongate the muscles as much as possible.
The 2nd workout for the CVT was also released! And, just like the teaser pictures had shown us there are rope climbs! I was/ am still nervous for it, but after practicing it a few times, I don't think I will do to horribly haha. My first attempt I finished the workout in 6:25- fresh.

CVT WOD #2

200 yrd Run/Carry (used a 40lb KB)

3 Rope Climbs

40 single unders

200 yrd Run/Carry

2 Rope Climbs

40 single unders

200 yrd Run/Carry

1 Rope Climb

40 single unders

200 yrd Run/Carry

Getting through those rope climbs

Tuesday 8/12: We did like 2 mini WODS, I felt like I was able to push in each workout. In the second work out we did a 8 min AMRAP- 10 pull ups,15 thrusters, and 30 double unders. I was super stoked that I was able to get my pull ups done in sets of 2 or 3, and I was able to get about 6 DU at a time! Progress!

Pretty sweet pic with Diane- Pushing through those thrusters!

tire flips

Wednesday 8/13: Well I was supposed to run, and that didn't happen, I just struggled to get out of bed, and needed the sleep. I swear by listening to your body, you wont ever regret it.
At the gym I worked on my snatches at the weight we would be using in the competition (#65lbs). Just making sure that I am as comfortable as I can be with the movement, as I can be. Then we did a quick burner of 3rds: 20 jumping lunges, 10 HSPU ( I used the box to maximize my movement, and work on my strength in that position) then 400m run. It was good, definitely felt the burn in my legs. After that I did a second run through of CVT WOD #2- I was definitely tired from the gyms workout for the day, but it was good to do it a little fatigued since it is not going to be my first workout at the competition. Even being fatigued I got a faster time (5:51) Adriana killed that workout in like 5:27, she was my motivation to push!

Thursday 8/14: Thursday was a good squat day! I was able to 3x2 at 90% (175lb) getting stronger with every week, I then did light deadlifts, I didn't want it to fatigue me to much for the upcoming week. Our METCON was one with SDHP and I hate them, it sucked, end of story haha.

Adriana and I getting SDHP's done!

Friday 8/15: I spent allllll day with my co workers prepping for our stores 3rd annual Hell of A Half. I never really understood all that went into the production of putting on a race, but now I do! There are countless hours put into every single detail you can and can't imagine to put on these types of events. I am very lucky to have been apart of such an event.

Saturday 8/16: The day of Hell of A Half, we were all up bright and early 4 am to get started on race day to get the course ready to go for runners. It is amazing to watch runners come together in their community and all have one goal, to cross that finish line. I am amazed by the finished who came in close to an hour, and amazed by those who pushed themselves to their limits and were able to complete within 4 hours. It is so cool to see what the body and mind can do.
At the store I kind of feel like the odd ball at times because, people share their opinions about how I am not really a "runner," to them I cross train, I am a crossfitter. It gets really annoying. At our race, a "crossfitter", an amazing woman, athlete, and coach at a local CF gym called Sawtooth, Tanya got 3rd place at our grueling hot half marathon. I love seeing that "people like me" can come in and kick all the "runners" butts!
After the race and clean up, I went to my moms and fell asleep, immediately. I was so exhausted, it was so nice to sleep. I then headed home to spend the evening with Garrett. We ended up heading to Fresno so I could pick up his birthday present, I was able to take the plunge and purchase him a GoPro. I hope he enjoys it. It was hard to figure out something that he wanted, and I just was on the search for something that he could use, and would love.

Sunday 8/17:  Sunday is the day of rest. And it was for me. I
have really slacked on my running this week. Being a woman, training for the Central Valley Throwdown and working long hours took its tole on me. It was nice to sort-of sleep in, lay in bed, watch TV, and work a few hours at the store. It's a new week, and I will get back on track with my running :)

--Here is a picture of our awesome shirts we had printed for CVT, I am so pumped for 13 of us to rock these tanks/tees and show what CrossFit Reedley is all about! James always does an awesome job on all the shirts that I have ever seen! I will always recommend/go to him if I am in need for screen printing!

JMI Studio - jmiscreeningstudio@hotmail.com for inquires!

--and on a side note, here is my newest picture of inspiration ;)

Alessandra Pichelli is an amazing athlete, I would kill to move as fast, be as strong, and have a booty and legs like hers! 

Alessandra Pichelli- Crossfit Games 2014
Image Credit goes to diffracted_photos on IG

My Current Must Haves

Quick and to the point-

"These are a few of my favorite things" (in my best song voice, which isn't all that hot haha). There 5 items that I have been using frequently! I do not use/ or have very many products simply because I am the girl who likes to get up and go. I am to lazy to wake up earlier to do my hair and make up, especially because I work out everyday, just thinking about getting ready and then taking my make up off before working out sounds exhausting. 

1. Maybelline Pumped Up! Colossal waterproof mascara- I am a mascara kind of girl. That is about all I have the patience for. I had been hearing tons of review on this mascara from the YouTube videos I watch and decided to give it a try myself, and I LOVE IT. My lashes are voluminous, long, and there is minimal flaking. Awesome! I can even go through a water polo practice with my lashes looking fabulous! 

2. Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water- I am a huge fan of Lush's toner waters.I use Tea Tree Toner after washing my face morning and evening. Since it was summertime, I started to use the toner as a "refresh" in between swim lessons and workouts. I started to find that Tea Tree began to be a little aggressive on/for  my skin with using it more regularly, so I stopped by my local LUSH to visit my great friend Lauren (here is her link to her blog, CHECK IT OUT!) and she suggested Breath of Fresh Air, and of course I'm sold!. Since BOFA is jam packed with aloe, rose, and herbs the product helps deliver a soothing feel still having the antibacterial proprieties that the Tea Tree Toner offers.  

3. Batiste Dry Shampoo- Well like everything else, I am lazy, so of course I hate washing my hair, I will go 3-4 days without washing it. Thankfully my hair doesn't smell awful after a couple workout days, or no one has said anything haha. I feel that this shampoo helps give me volume, a clean feel, and clean smell, and that's all this girl needs! This brand is definitely one of the better brands I have tried. They have tons of smells ( I tend to go for the "clean" smells) and they even have a spray that has a color tint to it, so you don't have to worry about having any left over powder residue because its the color of your hair! AWESOME!

4. it's a 10 miracle leave in conditioner- I used to use this regularly when I was in high school since I struggled with dry damaged hair from being in the pool everyday for 2 hours at a time. Since then I always pick a bottle up every summer to give my hair the extra moisture that it needs. They do also sell another type, that has additional keratin in it. I tend to stay away from that one because the shampoo/conditioner that I use has keratin complex in it, and if I do both my hair tends to get super dry, and straw like, due to the overdose in protein.

5. The Wet Brush- after reading other blogs, I decided to give this brush a try and like everything else, I am so glad that I did! I can throw my hair up in a bun, go through a polo/swim practice, take my knotted nasty bun out and brush my hair out nicely, no pulls, yanks or tears shed with this brush! I also feel like I have less fall out while brushing. This is my go to if I don't have a wide tooth comb on me. I have 2 of these, one in my swim bag, and one in my room, so I have it when I need it most!

These products help with my minimal maintenance through the summer months, hopefully they can do the same for you!
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
-Tori

As Summer Is Coming To An End....

Well here is to the start of a new week, and it is going to go quickly since we are busy at the store with our Hell Of A Half Marathon, and I start coaching our middle school water polo teams this week! Then next week on Thursday I start school! This summer has gone by so fast, I am not ready for it to end, especially after this past weekend. For this post I am going to start with the most current events, and then recap the past week. Overall I had a good week, a lot of weight has been lifted off my shoulders since I have been able to get somethings off of my chest (thats a lot of body part references haha). It is nice to feel relieved and refreshed and ready to attack this next week!

Excuse the cheeks! but YEY, for handstands!

Sunday 8/10: Sunday was a beautiful day. I started my day just a tiny bit earlier so I could get out and get a run in on the beach. I wanted to be lazy, but at the same time I had to take advantage of nature, the sounds and smells of running on the beach. My run was slower than normal, I had a 10:26 pace, but it was a wonderful run. I saw dolphins swimming in the water, and a seal hangin' out on the beach, putting on a show for everyone walking by. By midday, the sun was shining, there was a breeze, and the water was so inviting. We knew we had to take advantage of it and head down to the beach to soak up some sun, boogie board/body surf,and working on hand stands! I was finally able to stick it for a little longer than a millisecond... haha. After a few hours, we headed into downtown Cayucos to try a restaurant called Duckie's Chowder House for lunch, which has wonderful clam chowder and melt in your mouth calamari and fries! We also went to Brown Butter Cookie Company to see what these bad boys were about, oh man were they delicious. We personally like the traditional style of cookies, they were so yummy! For the last half of the day we hung out at the house with the family, other than the hour or so that we took Russell down to the bach for a walk and to explore, he is so crazy! We ate a yummy crab dinner, then were on the road to head home. We were/are so sad to have left, but are so happy and thankful for the time at the coast with family. It is so nice to come home refreshed and relaxed, ready to take on the madness ahead.

Nice way to relax after a run.

takin a break

a seal, just hangin out!

All smiles on our beautiful beach day

I swear he says that he loves me.

Saturday 8/9: We started our day late on Saturday, and took the advantage of the vacation by sleeping in. For me since sleeping in is until 8 am, I was able to wake up, sit on the patio and read my book. It was wonderful! After Garrett woke up, and we got some food in us, we went for a walk on the beach with Russell, then we headed back to the house to get ready to head into Morro Bay to get some lunch. We tried out Giovanni's, which was a very popular place. The clam chowder, garlic fries, and fish and chips were delicious! We headed home with full tummies, rested, and chatted with family. We then headed out for dinner with the family, and had a wonderful time at a restaurant right off the marina, and golf course. When we came home, Garrett, Mark and I decided to tackle the 750 piece puzzle we found in the house until it was time for bed. Overall, it was a wonderfully relaxing day, and I wouldn't ask for anything more.

The view from my bedroom/patio

our beach date with Russell

An evening stroll/dip on the beach with my love

Birthday Collage :)

Friday 8/8: First- Happy 23rd Birthday Garrett! I was supposed to get up and run, but I "forgot" to set my alarm a didn't wake up early enough to get out in the morning for my run, and there is no way I was going to run in 90 degrees of central valley heat haha. Instead, I packed, and we headed for the coast! Garrett's Grandma and Grandpa Johnson rented a beach house in Cayucos, CA. We are so lucky that they rented a beach house for the family to come and enjoy, it was so perfect! We could not have asked for a better weekend to get away and be with family. Generally the weather in Morro Bay/ Cayucos is overcast and cold, or at least that is what it is like whenever I have been there. But this weekend was perfect, It was overcast and foggy in the morning, but it cleared up by noon and we had sunshine all day

Thursday 8/7: Thursday was also a pretty good day in the gym. I am excited,
I feel like I am getting more and more comfortable with the bar on my back, and getting out of the bottom of my squat. I was able to do 3x2 @ 90%  which ends up being 175 lbs for me. Although I felt a little off, being bloated and wearing a belt is not the business haha, I was really excited for how easy these lifts felt! On the other hand I gave the METCON just about everything that I had. We did a ".com" workout. It consisted of 10 rds, 1 min on, 2 min rest- 3 deadlifts ( I did them at 195), a 60 meter sprint, and then max burpees until the minute was up. I was able to get a total of 87 reps (reps where counted by the amount of burpees)... I was just glad to get through it haha.

After that workout, I decided to do out competition workout again. I wanted to see what the workout would feel like after doing a ton of work before it. I am not sure if because it says WOD 1, that we will be doing it first or not so I want to be prepared. I was able to stay pretty close to my first try, I got a total of 115 reps, and that is positive, because Garrett counted for me. It was definitely tougher to do after another workout, once again that makes me nervous. I just don't want to show up looking like a fool at this thing.

Burpees

Deadlifts

Wednesday 8/6: Wednesday started with a run! This was my first "tempo" run, or running at race pace. I'm not quite at my actual race pace, but I got as close as I could without burning out. I did a half mile warm up, then focused on each lap which were at 9:20, 9:27,9:40, and then a quarter mile cool down. I obviously went out a little too fast for my first 2 miles, by the 3rd I did have to stop to walk to catch my breath a little, which slowed my overall pace, I am still proud of the work that I did! 

At the gym we worked building to a heavy snatch from position one (the hip), I tied my PR from the floor! This is pretty exciting, just because I know my strength is there, its obvious, I just have to work on getting under that bar. I haven't quite figured out how to drop into the bottom, ultimately what I think that it comes down to is that I just think about it to much. So, I'm gonna try to do less thinkin' this week ;) haha... At the gym we did a nasty combination of clean and jerks with pull ups, I was super stoked, I did the workout at RX'd weight, and I did all 50 pull up! Strength is there! Lawerence from the gym is pretty cool, he pushes me. The way he says things to me is almost like he is doubting me and it pushes me more, I like that. He really wants me to do a team event with him, and 2 others, buuuut idk about the whole team action haha.

getting through my last clean & jerk

Tuesday 8/5: Tuesday was an ehhhh day for me. I just didn't feel 100% for the workout. It was a tough one, a lot of running (a total of a mile), thrusters @ 45lbs and T2B. T2B, are really discouraging for me, I think that is why I didn't care for this workout so much.  I tried to do the workout as prescribed, but I probably only got 20/40 T2B, I got my legs u higher than normal, but I just can not find a rhythm for them, and it seems like my toes NEVER touch! I can't beat myself up to much about it, I am glad that I did what I could, and that was still an improvement. Gotta keep working to keep getting better!

Struggling through those toes2bar

Monday 8/4 : I started my day with my training for my half in October. Mondays will always be my favorite training day, simply because it is always an easy 3 mile run, just get out there and remind your body what you are going to be doing to it for the rest of the week. This particular run felt good, and I have been rather pleased with all my runs, I think I am getting better at pacing myself so I am not miserable through out a majority of my run. I was able to keep a 9:48 pace over all, and my goal for my half is to keep a 9-9:15 min mile, there is still work to do, but I am confident that I can get there

Monday night, I worked on training for the Central Valley Throwdown that I mentioned. They released their first workout! Us girls warmed up, worked our snatches, worked on our pull ups then went into the workout:

WOD 1:

2 min at each exercise-

Snatch-65lbs

C&J- 55lbs

Thruster: 45lbs

Hanging Knee Raise- on rig

Since this was out "main workout" for the day, it was tough, but I felt like I was able to move through it at a decent pace. I lost count, but roughly I think that I got 120 reps total- I made  this is my goal for everytime I attempt this workout, I do not want to get less than this amount.

Sarah, Adriana, Diane and I all doing a run through of the workout

Inspiration and Training

Hello again!
I am getting this post out a little late, I have been a little busy, and just didn't make time to reflect on the past week.
Over all I had a good week of training, and well living haha...

To start this past week 7/25-7/27 were the Crossfit Games- 3 days of intenense workouts, watching amazing athletes fight for a spot on the podium naming them "the fittest on earth." In 2011, this was the start of my love for CrossFit, when I first saw the games on ESPN I knew that it was something that I would love, and something I needed to start doing. I always get butterflies watching the athletes compete, watching them hit new PR's, watching them push through plateaus, and of course the smiles, fist pumps and congratulations from all the athletes after each event. Kara Webb, an athlete that I have had my eyes on (mostly because this is Garrett's CrossFit girl friend haha, I have to keep an eye on the competition ;) ) was in first for the first couple of days, then she sadly has been dealing with some nerve issues, and one of the workouts just aggravated it more so, and she withdrew. UGH! I wanted her to win so bad! She was doing do good! I mean she hit a 250lb OH squat! Camille Leblanc Bazinett ended up taking the title of the fittest woman on earth. She is an amazing athlete, she has worked hard, and it is awesome to see that pay off. For the men, well we all thought Rich Froning was out of it, that he wouldn't take the games this year, but of course, he won, Mr. 4-peat. haha They say he isn't coming back but I hope he does, he is an amazing athlete. But, on the other hand I want to see some of the young guns, who showed they were not messing around this year, fight for that title against Rich, because otherwise, for a few years all that will be said is "oh, its because Rich want there."

"Fittest Man & Woman On Earth"
Photo courtesy of Box Life Magazine

Now back to reality of my not so hard week of training compared to these games athletes haha...
Monday (7/28) marked the start of my half marathon training, and uuuugggggghhhh! That's all I have to say haha! There are currently a few fires burning in our area, which makes breathing in the central valley harder, and even harder when running! Other than struggling to breath while running, I have been struggling to get up early enough so the air quality and heat wouldn't affect me as bad, it is just so hard. I get up early on Tues/Thurs for my spin/circuit class, so on the other days when I can sleep in, I like to! I did end up wearing my Garmin, haha. Mondays run was my first run, it was hot, the air was bad, and I was way to eager when I started my run. I went out way to hard, and wanted to die at the end of my 3 miles haha. Wednesday and Friday I made sure to pace myself a little better and was able to keep a consistent pace without killing myself. Sunday was supposed to be a long run of 4 miles, but I just wasn't feeling it and decided to skip it. I know, I know, I can't do that, so this week I am not going to skip it haha. For my first week of runs I am excited that I got out for 3/4 of my runs, and felt decent about them.

I also continued my CrossFit training throughout the week,but I decided to take Tuesday as a rest day.
Monday- was modification of a CrossFit games workout of the 21-15-9 complex, and it was killer. I was so pumped that I was able to do pull ups through out the workout, and every rep counted.
Wednesday- we did a nasty combination of 200m run, box jumps, and push press. Adriana, Diane, and I all went Rx'd at 75lbs. It was super tough, I didn't know if I was going to be able to hand with the weight but was glad I attempted, and completed it.

Clearly not enjoying the push press

runnnnnnnin

Jumpin on the box! 

Cheering on Adriana, she didn't want to go RX'd , but she did and she killed it! 

Thursday- this was such an awesome day! In my last post I did say that I wanted to attempt 225lbs for my deadlifts the following week, well I attempted and succeed! Over all I was really pleased with my strength exercises that day, I was strong with my back squats at 165lbs, and was able to keep my torso up and shoulders back, and I was able to hit 3x3 225# deadlifts!

Friday- I didn't do any strength, Diane, Sarah and I decided to work on movements that may be in the Central Valley Throw down. 

Garrett came up with the worst workout EVER.

10 wall balls -1 Rope climb

20 wall balls -2 Rope climb

30 wall balls -3 Rope climb

40 wall balls -4 Rope climb

50 wall balls -5 Rope climb

It was definitely challenging, it got into my head a little bit. I am nervous if we will have to, and how many rope climbs we will have to do, these were tough after working on all those wall balls. I am continuing to work on my weaknesses, so hopefully they are as strong as they can be for the CVT. 

Working On Getting Up That Rope

Saturday- I caught up on some strength that I missed through out the week. I was stoked that I was able to get some heavy front pause squats, the heaviest I have done through out this cycle, 3x2 @ 125lb with a 3 second pause. 

The workout for the gym was killer. It was HEAVY, like heavy. RX'd was 95lbs. 

9-7-5

power clean

STOH

2 min rest:

4rds

200m run

12 Front Squat

6 Bar Over Burpees

clearing enjoying these squats

I knew it was going to be tough, but it was a whole lot tougher than I thought that it would be...

I struggled, but was glad to complete a the weight prescribed. 

It was a goal this week to be able to complete as many workouts as possible with prescribed weight, to push as hard, and as fast as I could with each workout, and I am continuing with that push into this week. 

Over all I am pleased with this past week. I hit goal markers that I didn't know I could. I am so thankful with for the gym and the motivation from all of the members. Excited for another week of training! 

Workouts and My Newest Obsessions

Dead lifts (#185) during "Diane" -7/21

Workouts at Anvil, were just as challenging this week as ever. We did enough deadlifts and wall balls to last me at least a month! haha Last week, we did deadlifts as a part of our strength (like we will continue to do for the next couple of weeks) I was really excited that for 4x5 I was able to pull 205, this week I did 5x4 at 210! AHH, so excited, and I am no where near as sore as I was after last weeks! I am hoping to get 220 for this upcoming weeks lifts, fingers crossed I am feeling strong enough. I am hesitant just because we did A LOT of deadlifts this week. Monday (7/21) was Diane's birthday, so we did the "girl" Diane, I'm not sure it that is the best way to reference that, but I have deleted and retyped and nothing better is coming to mind haha.

HSPU- or more of my bun touched and I was good.. haha -7/21

(The Girls are a series of workouts that crossfit has created, and are named after women... ie: diane, grace, karen ect) Diane is originally 21-15-9 of Hand Stand Push Ups, and Deadlifts. At the gym we changed it up a little 15-12-9-6-3 of those exercises, except to be able to complete the workout, I did deadlifts at 185 lbs and  HSPU I did a rep scheme of 10-8-6-4-2.

Wednesday (7/23) we did a circuit style workout with wall balls, and basically what it comes down to is that I hate wall balls, I have gotten better at them, but I still hate them. After my workout I went up to Turlock to visit with my Grandma for a few hours. i love being able to spend time with her. I know I should do it more because I am only an hour and a half drive or train ride from her. 

7/23

7/23

I wasn't able to make it to CrossFit Valkommen, but an acquaintance through the gym/crossfit had a tragic event happen to her and her family. Her nephew, of only 5 months passed away from SIDS. Being that many don't prepare for funeral services at such a young age, the gym put on a free workout, where we could come together and raise funds for the family. If you would like, and are able to donate to the families funds, here is the link For Levi.

7/24

My double under were soooo good! 7/23

Thursday(7/24) we did more heavy deadlifts, thats when I hit 210 5x4! We also did a killer Ground to overhead workout. I tried to push through this workout, when I wanted to stop, I tried to keep moving, it was tough. I am glad I was able to the workout at the RX'd weight of 95#, especially after doing heavy DL.

Adriana & Diane finishing strong

This Weeks Training...

This week at Anvil was tough, like a sneaky tough! I mean it's not that the workouts look easy, I knew that with the combination of our strength and the METCON I was going to get a killer workout, but I didn't think I would be as sore or exhausted as I have been this week!

We started a new strength cycle, that is focusing on getting comfortable with our snatch positions, and getting under the bar. Garrett is in charge of putting the strength programs together, I swear I'm not being biased haha, but, I like what he has done, and how he has set them up. He has done such a good job. For those of that are consistently going to the gym, we have seen huge improvements with our over all strength and technique with all lifts (including gymnastic movements, that what the last 4 weeks were focused on).

I have been consistently going to the gym since the beginning of June, I definitely have my good and bad days, but it has been pretty awesome to see/notice them improvements that I have made. This week stringing 4 pull ups together was no problem, in a work out I have been able to string double unders for sets of 6 and that is a HUGE improvement for me haha, and on Thursday I was able to do 4 sets, of 5 Deadlifts @ 205lbs, when my last max was 225lbs. Since I signed up for the Central Valley Throwdown & Expo I have been trying to better all areas of my fitness. I know that I am strong, but there are a lot of gymnastic movements that I need to work on, like: double unders, push ups, and pull ups ( and maybe now, even, rope climbs!) I am getting better at them all, I just need to be at my best by the 23rd of August! What I noticed in workouts is that I know how to pace myself, I know when I can work, and when I need to rest. On the other hand, at times I sometimes feel like I don't have the mental drive to push through in the last few minutes, to go balls out, and get as many reps as I can. It's almost like I tell myself that I need to rest to keep going, that I wont be as efficient if I don't catch my breath, or I will have nothing left, but its at the end so I can rest after. I don't know, all I know is I need to work on it, that is one of my goals for this next week, to push harder, to drive and to string 5 pull ups in a row haha!

This week I started to keep track of my workouts, in an actual notebook. I love the idea of how handy our phones are, I have Evernote, my notepad, and a ton of other apps, but there is something about physically writing down what I did for the day, and being able to flip through the pages to see all of the improvements that I have made while filling the notebook.

I hope that this will be a tool that can help me see progress and to stay motivated, rather than putting myself down. There are more days then not, that I doubt myself, and really slam my progress and body image. I have a hard time being happy with all that I have done, who I am and how I look ( I know, getting deep haha) but this is a constant struggle. I feel like no matter how hard I work, my body wont cooperate, in all areas like, strength, size, ability. I think working at S2S has a alot to do with it. I feel like many of my co workers dont take me seriously because I dont look like the average marathoner, or because I dont really run in general. Ugh, if any of you reading have any tips or advice on how to deal with kind of stuff please, help a girl out! haha. This wears me down, and I know that I need to stop stressing like I do or I will never believe or see and improvement that I make.

Here are a few pics from this week!

7/19/14- Saturday Morning Workout-
I cant tell if I am smiling or am in pain in this picture haha.

Garrett got more pictures of me not working out that he did of me actually working out.

Gotta chalk up!

Clearly this workout killed us all!

7/17/14- American KB Swings and Box Jumps are killer!

Day Trip to NorCal

Yesterday, Garrett and I decided to make a day trip up North, to get a little R&R.
Currently our schedules don't mesh very well, when I have my days off garrett is working, and when he isn't working I have hours up at the store. I initially had plans for Sunday, but since they fell threw, and we both have been wanting to get out of town, we decided to take advantage of the day.

We headed out to Santa Cruz, it started out as a overcast and misty day, but after a wonderful breakfast at the Seabreeze Cafe, there was quite a wait (we waited 40 minutes!), but it was SO worth it, saying that my breakfast was delicious is an understatement!

my amazing Castro Valley Omlette

I got the Castro Valley omelet! Ahhh! I am a sucker for artichoke hearts! The omlete plates where priced at about $11.00, but clearly, based off of my photo they give you plenty of food, so it is totally worth it!
Served with potatoes and toast, this baby held me over ALL day! I am hoping to try some of their homemade muffins or cinnamon rolls the next time that we are in Santa Cruz!

After we ate, we made our way back towards the beach, with the sun finally making its appearance, we headed towards the water. The idea of just laying out on our towels and an occasional dip in the water is what we had been dreaming of!
There were quite a few people out on the boardwalk, and on the beach, so after a few hours we decided to make our way to a sweet get away, up the highway called Panther Beach.




 I don't think that Panther Beach is a secret, but is most definitely a hidden gem. To get there you pull off to a dirt parking area off of highway one, and make your way down a path that has been created to get to the beach. I was so disappointed walking up to the entrance, there was so much trash. I just do not understand the thought process of some people; if they want to continue to enjoy and love a place, they need to help maintain it. By simply picking up and disposing of their trash (in an actual trash can, not at the top of the hill) they are doing their part in not only maintaing the area, but making the world a cleaner place. Well there is my little rant for the day haha.

After climbing around on some rocks, clearly you can see with my hair,
the wind was EPIC.

 There weren't many people at Panther Beach, but there is enough space that even if there were I don't think you could really tell. I found the beach on Pinterest, and the link did say that it is a pretty sweet surf spot, and I totally believe it! The waves that were just crashing onto the shore were HUGE!
We did some hiking around on the rocks around the coast, then decided to put our things down to attempt to jump into the water.

Garrett jumping into the crazy waves hitting the shore

Long story short, IT WAS CRAZY! I don't think that we got more than waist deep, I was taken out (legitimately, knocked off my feet) multiple times. It was fun, but we definitely would have fought to get further out into the water before we could enjoy it. Garrett and I had a great time, the views, the salt, sand and sun on our skin was all we needed.

Hey, look! I can do that too!

So the picture to the left is of me doing a pistol squat. in 2012, I made an amazing group of friends! Tyler (Garrett's older bother), Hidi, Crystal, Garrett and I all worked for a weight loss company called Wellspring. We basically liked to talk about how we would change the world with our ideas on fitness and health. We called our group SmackWorkXF. We decided that anytime we went somewhere cool, we would take an awesome picture doing a pistol squat. It was pretty awesome because during the summer of 2012 Garrett and I drove across the country and well garrett got good shots, because I suck and couldn't, still can't really do them haha. But here we are 2 ish years later, we are still keeping our tradition alive. From CA, to PA, to NC, we are all doing our own thing, but I can never forget the friends that I have made, and the pistol squat pictures that keep us together :)

I was so excited for this

We spent a couple hours at PB then decided to head into the city (San Francisco) for dinner! I love the city, it is my favorite place to be.
My mom and I have raved to Garrett about a place called Grubstake, that serves real Portuguese food, and being that we like our Portuguese background, obviously this place is one of our favs! not to mention that the food is bomb(dot) com. So that is where we decided to head for dinner! We started with the linguica and french bread appetizer- seriously, like Garrett said, " I wish linguini were healthier for you." Because serially I would eat it ALLLLLL the time!

Pork Chop Dinner at Grustake

For our meals, I got the sautéed shrimp and garlic plate, and garrett got their famous pork chop dinner. Our plates where clean at the end of our meals, so safe to say we enjoyed them! You can not leave this place without trying their Piri Piri sauce, or their chili verde sauce, as it is now called. It is jam packed with flavor and a great punch! SO GOOD!








For dessert, we made our way to Ghiradelli Square to get a sunday and some hot chocolate, there isn't much to say, because our pictures say it all. we were excited for what was about to happen! haha

Clearly Garrett was excited

whatttttt up!

All in all, we had an AMAZING day! Nothing makes me happier, than some sun, sand, the ocean, and my man. 

Just an FYI- to help my skin and hair recover from all that fun I love to use:ENJOY Hair Mask, and LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner. Both are life savers to help moisturize and replenish the skin and hair after a brutal day in the sun, and ocean. 

Thanks!

xoxo

Tori