Tomato Strawberry Smoothie & 2014 CrossFit Games Open Recap (Finally)

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

Yesterday while I was knocking out some burpees, my mind started to wander and I realized that I never gave an “official” update on my experience doing the CrossFit Games Open 2014. But, first let me give you the quick backstory. I’ve been a fairly competitive runner for a long time and my first real experience with CrossFit was back in January 2011, when my good friend Valerie Hunt, a running coach and owner of BVM CrossFit, drug my scrawny runner’s rear up to California to a CrossFit Endurance (CFE) camp being put on by Brain McKenzie.

On top of the world & running from mountain lions at CrossFit Endurance Camp in CA.

Brian’s CFE program follows the CrossFit model while adding precise training protocols for endurance. It is fair to say I was skeptical of the claims that weaving CrossFit into my fitness routine would make me a better runner. It is also fair to say that despite my high level of cardiovascular fitness, I was pretty darn out of shape. I could only do one pull-up and after running a marathon, the sorest part of my body would be my lower abs and back as I had the core strength of a flea.

Valerie and I working on deadlifts for 14.3 – it’s a little easier to lift with a friend!

I took what I learned from camp and with Valerie’s encouragement and advice turned my wimpy self into a much all-around fitter person, if I dare say so myself! The one measly pull-up turned into 25 unbroken “kipping” style pull-ups and I overcame (most) of my fear of Olympic style lifting – all this “old dog trying new tricks” translated into some great Master’s running PRs. Despite all the improvements, I do need to get over my tendency to just do the parts of a WOD that I like – which tends to be the body weight and endurance stuff. My weaknesses became readily apparent when obligated to perform the CrossFit Games Open 2014 workouts exactly as prescribed – for it to count, there could be no scaling back the weights, substituting or skipping over a move!

Scenes from my experience in CrossFit Games Open 2014.

14.1 WOD Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of jump rope double-unders (30 reps) and 55-lb. power snatches (15 reps). Started off the whole Open with a skill I have never done (why jump rope when you can run had been my mindset)! I felt like an uncoordinated kid, but wasn’t going to let it all start and end with first hop. I reminded myself that you have to believe you can do something to actually do it, so I kept my confidence up and at one point actually strung along about 7 rotations.

14.2 WOD Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete: From 0:00-3:00 2 rounds of 10 overhead squats and 10 chest-to-bar pull-ups; from 3:00-6:00 2 rounds of 12 overhead squats and 12 chest-to-bar pull-ups; from 6:00-9:00 2 rounds of 14 overhead squats and 14 chest-to-bar pull-ups. I was SO looking forward to doing the chest-to-bar pull ups; this is one of my stronger skills. The only thing standing in my way was the overhead squats with a 65 lb. bar. Overhead squats are one of the lifting moves that I had always ignored; rationalizing this un-love with the excuse my tight runner’s hips don’t work like that. I practiced all weekend and was having trouble even finishing one with an un-weighted ladies’ 35 lb bar. Well, by some miracle, I made it through the 10 reps (not pretty) and was able to knock out the chest-to-bar pull-ups with ease. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even get one more squat with quite a bit of time remaining on the clock, so no more pull-ups for me. Sniff.

14.3 WOD Complete as many reps as possible in 8 minutes of: 95-lb. deadlifts (10 reps) and 15 20” box jumps, 135-lb. deadlifts (15 reps) and 15 20” box jumps, 155-lb. deadlifts (20 reps) and 15 20” box jumps, 185-lb. deadlifts (25 reps) and 15 20” box jumps through 205-lb and 225-lb deadlifts same pattern. So this is one of the WODs I was most proud of because I always scale back my deadlifts “to save my legs for running.” So, knowing that I had only lifted 135-lbs for a few reps here and there, I totally surprised myself to get all the way through the 20 reps of 155-lbs! I had about 35 seconds left to go for some 185-lbs, but decided that it wasn’t worth the risk of injury considering I had just run a half marathon the day before!

14.4 WOD Complete as many rounds and repetitions as possible in 14 minutes of: 60-calorie row, 50 toes-to-bars, 40 wall-ball shots, 20 lb. to 10-foot target, 30 cleans with 135 lb. 20 muscle-ups. The rowing was totally tolerable, especially when reflecting on the time I thought it would be a good idea to row 13.1 miles at one sitting. I had raced a 5k the day before and my glutes were screaming during the wall-ball shots – I never made it to the muscle ups, but definitely some day!

14.5 WOD 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of 65-lb. thrusters and burpees. No surprise to me that the easiest workout for my athletic abilities and also ranked me the highest on the leaderboard – despite having run the Dallas Half Marathon and winning my age division the morning before!

Recovering after a CrossFit WOD with Sun-Rype and Spaulding,

What I learned:

1) Always start a WOD with an “I can do this” attitude. When I start to self-doubt, I’m not focused on the task at hand, only failure. Case in point, the double-unders and the overhead squats — decided I “could” do them, and I did!

2) Road racing and the Open mixed better than I thought. I really wanted to do the CrossFit Open, but also had two half-marathons and a 5k scheduled on three of the five Sundays during the Open – I went for it ALL anyway! With the WODs being announced on late Thursday night, my hand was forced to compete on Mondays, the last day scores would be accepted. This meant no significant practice prior and often competing with delayed onset muscle fatigue.However, recovering proper after my races with a lot of quality protein (BEEF) helped significantly as did a lot of warming up before the start timer went off.

3) Pay more attention to my weaknesses and actually put in the work to improve them. In CrossFit you have to be ready for anything at any time – constantly varied, functional fitness and all that! Until they come up with a “Jennifer WOD,” doing only what I “like” isn’t going to make me very adaptable or competitive.

4) I didn’t get bulk up like a beast and lose my streamlined runner’s shape doing Crossfit. Many women have the misconception that this type of exercise is going to make them huge and man-like. Your body is genetically programmed to have a certain shape, more or less. So, unless you are from Amazonian stock, you are just going to look like a fitter, leaner, slightly more muscle-y version of normal yourself.

5) Winning isn’t everything. In running, I compete to win overall, master’s or AG depending on the race. If I don’t, I can be very hard on myself However, the CrossFit Open reminded me that showing up and getting it done is something to be proud of. I put in a lot of work, even though I didn’t get any sort of golden ticket. So, how DID I do 0 that IS the burning question, right? Well, according to the online results, worldwide I ranked 1078 and in the South East region I ranked 70^th, I’m assuming this is my age group or the entire Master’s division; I’m having trouble interpreting the leaderboard. I think there were around 125,000+ competitors in the whole event, so I’m actually quite happy and surprised. I felt like I would be at the bottom when I compare myself to the strength and talents of many others I know.

And, now onto the refueling smoothie of the day! It sounds sort of strange, but tomatoes and strawberries make a really interesting, yummy combo for a fruit smoothie! I mean, a tomato is a fruit — right?! Check out my recipe for a Strawberry Tomato Smoothie.

Blend 10 ounces almond milk with 6 frozen grape tomatoes, 6 frozen strawberries and Stevia to taste. Add ice to achieve desired consistency, if needed. Top with chia seeds.

CrossFit + POSE: My Secret Weapon to Running 50 Miles on a Whim

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

A few weeks ago, Valerie Hunt, my good running friend (who, conveniently, happens to be a coach for both POSE Method and CrossFit) dragged me across the country to pace her in the first half of an ultra-marathon. When she first told me of the plan to run the American River Endurance 50 Mile Run in Sacramento, CA, I put my hands up to my ears as in “la-la-la, I can’t hear you.” I thought either she was teasing, dehydrated and in a delusional state, or perhaps a little more masochistic than I realized. But my initial displeasure didn’t faze her one bit; you see, it’s not the first time I’ve dug in my heels when called to go outside my comfort zone — that scary place on the other side of “what I THINK I know. “

For example, when she first instructed me in POSE Method to improve my running mechanics, I cringed, I bitched, I belly-ached. All those “falling” and “pulling” and “fore-foot” landing drills felt foreign, awkward and, quite frankly, unnecessary. After all, I KNEW how to run, I had been running for 15 years at that point — and quite well, thank-you-very-much. Oh yeah, except for those times when I was sidelined because of ongoing foot, ankle and hip injuries. Eventually, I let her coach me through the principles of POSE and we checked in on form at least two times a week; now the movements are as natural to me as “the old way” and I run injury-free with more efficiency and less impact than ever before.

Valerie and Jennifer practicing POSE Method drills,

This entire example of KNOWING (make that NOT KNOWING) what is good for me in running mechanics was almost entirely replicated with my debut into CrossFit almost two years ago – only the running drills were replaced with functional WOD exercises and my objections were even more on the defense. I’d tell my friend, “I DO strength train, you know, I sit there in the gym and do bicep curls and leg-extensions – but nothing too hard-core, I don’t want to bulk up.” After her eye-rolling, Valerie took off her POSE coach hat and put on her CrossFit coach hat (although actually, the two hats can be worn teamed up together!)and patiently began taking baby steps with me, teaching me the basic movements used in CrossFit. On those mornings after, when I awoke too sore, I would conveniently “forget” about CrossFit and focus on my running.

However, the realization that I needed to marry the two together forever came when she took me to CrossFit Endurance Camp a few months later. Because “endurance” was in the name, I figured I’d be a natural because, after all, I was a hot-shot runner and therefore a stellar athlete (insert sarcastic tone). Who cares that I could only do one pull-up and thought a “Good Morning” was a yoga position. However, after spending a weekend at camp getting one-upped in everything from pull-ups to presses, I was humbled enough to admit that maybe I DIDN’T KNOW what was best for me, my body and my running.

And, that’s when I committed to making it all work together, the CrossFit and the running and the being good to my body. And, today I’m happy to report that I didn’t bulk up (in fact, I am leaner than ever), I have broken all my previous Master’s PRs in every distance from 5k to marathon, and have had virtually NO injuries to speak of. Even when I was much younger, one of my biggest aches and pains after a race would be my lower back; well, no more ! But probably most impressive thing to me is that I feel like I’m prepared to do anything, at any time.

Yup, you guessed it! After agreeing to pace my friend and coach, Valerie Hunt, and CrossFit Games star, Carey Kepler, for 20 miles during the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run, I decided to make my own go for the finish line. Lets’ do this; why not? I was about 18 miles into the run when I decided it would be no big deal to just complete the whole thing. Who cared that I had never run a step past 26.2 miles and my latest long run in ages had been just 13 miles? With no training, no special preparations, no pre-race worrying, I was free to just run and enjoy. As the three of us picked up the pace on our final miles to the finish, we looked and felt strong. We reveled in the cheers from the spectators and high-fived our awesome friends who jumped in for a few hundred yards after crewing us the entire way along the course. These were uphill miles and very few participants were still running at this point. While my legs were dead tired at the end of the day, I finished the race easily and recovered quickly enough to place high in a 10 mile race the next weekend.

I have no doubt that it was the combination of all-over functional fitness (from CrossFit) and efficient running mechanics (from POSE) that gave me the wherewithal to run 50 miles on a whim. Because CrossFit is all about “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement” and POSE focuses on moving your body in a series of efficient positions (hello, POSE is not just for running it can be applied to any human movement), the two team up perfectly to keep me prepared to do nearly anything that comes up on the spur of the moment – like running 50 miles – without too much trouble! I don’t know if I would ever run 50 miles again, but it is a thrill to know that I could at any time!

Coconut, Acai Berry & Banana Smoothie Recipe with 3Fuel – EatSmart Scale Saves Day

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Are you one of those people who pride themselves on precision, accuracy, and exactness? If your marathon training plan says run 20 miles, would you be okay running 19.5? If you’re sharing a cookie, would you measure it down the middle or just snap it in half, risking one side might be bigger? I say, who cares about being perfectly precise, aren’t we just getting too hung up on the details and ruining the delight of the moment. If you scrutinize my blog, you might even find some typos – but I think you still enjoy what I’m saying. Or, so I hope.

But, in some instances, approximating, being imprecise or overly loose-goosey has unfortunate consequences. It don’t like to venture into unfortunate consequence territory, that’s why I’m precise about some things. Of course, I’m not going to weave out of my lane driving, I’m going to take any and all medications as prescribed and I’ll always pay my bills on time.

As far as watching what goes in my mouth, I’ve always been more of an eye-baller. Too much measuring might get in the way of the experience, so I’ve relied on “rules” that say a 3-ounce serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards and grains, potatoes and such should be limited to the size of your fist at each serving. However, there is a margin of error here and the consequences vary depending on the food. Obviously, guess-timating a portion of lettuce is much less risky nutrition-wise that scooping willy-nilly out of a Haagen-Dazs container.

That’s why it can be handy for an “eye-baller” like myself to check-in and set some visual baselines every now and then with a food scale. I really like the EatSmart Precision Digital Kitchen Scale to help me figure out my serving sizes. I used it this morning to measure out the protein powder for my smoothie (recipe below). If you’ve ever used protein powder, you know how frustrating it can be to lose the scoop! The instructions to use “one scoop” are never supported by what fraction of a cup that is or how many tablespoons. I’ve always just guessed how much that scoop should be, imagine that! Thankfully, my bag of 3Fuel protein powder did give the number of grams per serving and the EatSmart Scale measures in both pounds (up to 15) and grams (up to 7000) via the push of a button.

Tip: If you are weighing your protein powder (or anything else) in another container on the scale, remember to weigh that container separately and then subtract it from the final weight!

Tip: Remember to wipe you scale after measuring each ingredient, especially if you are plopping down meats that might cross contaminate. The EatSmart Scale has a really nice big stainless-steel loading platform that can easily be cleaned up.

Tip: Use an EatSmart Scale to portion servings of nuts, spices, protein powder and even the perfect amount of coffee beans to grind for your morning cup of Joe. Find out other tips to “eat smart” on the EatSmart Facebook Page or by following the EatSmart Blog

Coconut, Acai Berry and Banana Smoothie Recipe (with 3Fuel)

3 cups almond coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 scoops protein powder of choice (I used 3Fuel Nutrition Shake)
2 tablespoons dried acai powder
1 tablespoon Stevia
1 frozen banana
2 cups ice

Easy to make, just pour all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Pour into tall glasses, serves 2.

Nutrition per serving: calories 199, protein 12g, fat 6g, carbs 24g, carbs from sugar 7g, fiber 3.5g, sodium 103mg, calcium 414mg (68% RDA).

Fact: Acai Berry is a macronutrient rich source of resveratrol, polyphenols and flavonoids for increased energy and health.

Get your supplies here:

Save 10% on 3Fuel Nutritional Shake by using code 3FHUNT at checkout.

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Tag Archives: crossfit endurance

Tomato Strawberry Smoothie & 2014 CrossFit Games Open Recap (Finally)

CrossFit + POSE: My Secret Weapon to Running 50 Miles on a Whim

Coconut, Acai Berry & Banana Smoothie Recipe with 3Fuel – EatSmart Scale Saves Day