Everything you didn't want to know

Let us start off today's blog post with a background story and a little self pity party... because I like to throw those every once in a while (and by 'every once in a while', I mean at LEAST once a week).

Once upon a time, almost three years ago, I hurt my hip up at Northern Michigan University (I have yet to get an MRI to see exactly what is wrong with it, but I'm pretty sure I tore my labrum), where I was going to school and lifting full time. It was after high school that I moved up there, thousands of miles away from home, to pursue my dream of becoming the best lifter I could be.

Up in the Upper Peninsula (yes I was a Yooper), I made some new bffs, gained a ton of weight eating Lucky Charms as a post workout meal (I'm not even kidding), and hit numbers I had never hit before. My coach and the lifting program were AMAZING. I got really strong really fast. However, I failed to take care of my body. There is only so much squatting for 10 reps for max weight and NEVER stretching (don't tell Kelly Starrett) that a little scrawny (or not so scrawny at the time) girl can handle before her body gets pissed and goes on strike.

When I got injured, it really took my world for a spin. I had just gone 6 for 6 (hitting 75 kg in the snatch and 90 kg in the clean and jerk) at a local competition and I was ready to compete at the American Open the upcoming month. However, the training leading up to that magical competition had not been pretty. My hip was so jacked up that I started to have IT Band issues and knee issues. How I hit those lifts that day without my hip breaking into 17 pieces is beyond me.

I knew it would only continue to get worse if I pursued Americans, so I had to decide.. do I want to take time off and get surgery? or do I want to call it quits for now and move back to California? I called it quits, moved back to California and began my CrossFit career coaching Oly Certifications with my dad and coaching at CrossFit Invictus.

The past three years I have been much more serious about CrossFit than olympic weightlifting. The change of pace has been good for me and through the combination of CrossFit and paleo, I have been able to lose all the Lucky Charms weight (which was about 20 lbs)! Yay!

Anyways, now that you have wasted about 3 hours of your precious time reading all of that useless information, I shall reveal why I'm even writing this blog post:
I have decided to lift in the USAW/CrossFit competition in Colorado Springs the weekend of Oct 21-23rd, and I want all of you to come with me! Not literally, of course, (unless you want to... in which case, I'm ALL for it!) but I want to post my workouts, emotions, part of my food log, progress, etc. on this blog in hopes that you will keep me motivated and honest. Also, I'm hoping that through my training you can learn some tips for your own training (since that is why I started this blog in the first place).

Things to know before you commit:
1. I haven't worked out in a week
2. I think I forgot how to snatch and clean and jerk
3. I only have two months to transform myself into something other than a woman who's legs are so skinny, you literally think I'm a levitating torso with a head attached to it.

I'm ready to get this party started! Who's with me?!

Here is a picture of me in my Lucky Charm Phase (don't judge):