It should be fun.

Often I read someone's blog and think yes! that's exactly how I feel. This morning it was this short article by Alli Moyer on Breaking Muscle. She was mulling over the question did her training bring her joy.

“Does it bring you joy?” (He was referencing my newfound love of Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit)

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, does it make you happy? Do you like to do it?” he replied.

I spent Saturday morning working on my lifting technique. The weekends ahead are full of Crossfit competitons, and then the Open begins. My goal is to qualify for Regionals.

All of this brings on stress, and once in awhile I ask myself is it worth it? When my hands and knuckles ache from spending hours gripping onto barbells and doing countless pull-ups. When I can't count all the bruises, and the foam roller has me grimacing in pain. When I pull on layers of clothing to stand in a cold warehouse all morning, you find yourself scratching your head thinking why do I do this to myself?

I think Alli has it right.

"Our lives are filled to the brim with shit we don’t want to do - work, appointments, and errands. Training is free time. It should elevate, stimulate, inspire, and speak to your soul. It should energize you, not drain you. It should be fun. It should not be on the list of things you have to do, but on the list of things you want to do."

I want Crossfit and coaching and competing in my life. Some days are frustrating, and the bruises hurt. Nothing can beat the feeling of snatching your body weight over your head, watching a client move their body in a way they never thought possible, or a friend reaching a goal.

“If it makes your heart happy, then it’s making you better, and if it makes you better, then it’s worth the time spent.”



Yep they're ugly, but I love these shoes-Topo RX review

Yes they look like your feet have a perpetual camel toe. I promise you get over it fast.

I've had my Topo RX's since early August 2013. I think that makes me an early adopter or something like that. Wore them around the house for a day deciding if I was ok with wearing them in public. Then I realized I was a big girl and I took the plunge and wore them to coach and train.

I love these shoes. I love these shoes more than any Merrel or Innov8 I've owned.



I have worn these shoes to run 5Ks and obstacle course races.

I have worn my Topo's for Olympic lifts and long metcons. I've worn them in Crossfit competitions when having one pair of shoes that can do anything is hugely important.

I wear them when I am going to stand on concrete to coach for 3+ hours.



The strap across the top provides added support and the wide toe box gives you the ability to grip and feel the ground when lifting.

There is one caveat. You can't climb a rope in them. I tried it once. Went up a few feet, fast roped down and it tore up the soft sole. Rope climbing isn't a routine part of my workout so when I know I'm doing it I pull out my Innov8 Bare 210s. They seem to be impervious to rope climbing destruction but in my opinion useless for much else.

I've seen and tried on the newest version of their running shoes, the Run ST. They kept the wide toe box and comfortable sole and got rid of the separated big toe. Not sure if they will be making the same updates to the RX model. I'd suggest it. Just don't get rid of the velcro strap.

To Open or not to Open

Crossfit announced the dates of this year's Open competition and social media is buzzing with the news. I think it's important for some to hear this.  Just because you Crossfit does not mean you have to do the Open.

People follow a functional fitness program for a variety of reasons. They want to lose body fat, they want to keep up with their kids, they enjoy the atmosphere of the gym, they like pushing themselves to do new things, and some to take their skills outside of their own gym and compete against others.

You are not weak, selling yourself short or some kind of Crossfit-fake if you don't do the Open. It is a stressful, multi-week competition designed to crown the fittest on Earth. The idea of training for something that you have no intention of winning is a tough pill for some to swallow.

All that aside, the Open can push you to try movements and weights you never thought possible. My fondest memories of the 2013 Open are the elation of watching a friend get a weight over her head she had never done before. She had won her Open.

It's cliché. Each day you walk into the gym your biggest competition is yourself. Approach the Open the same way.