This time last year, I was still pretty new to CrossFit. So when I stumbled into my box on my birthday for a workout, someone told me it was time to do my birthday burpees.
Now that I think back, there was some snickering around the box that morning about birthday burpees. But, I am pretty gullible, and I was anxious to be part of the community. I also don’t like to seem like I am slacking or afraid of hard work. So, I went over into the beginner’s corner (what I call the side area of the gym where I often retreat when I am doing particularly sloppy / awkward movements), and started at it. I did them a few at a time, very slowly, spread throughout the workout, probably cursing each one, but I did my 44 burpees. Maybe halfway through the 44 someone saw what I was doing and told me that it was all a joke. But, I did them anyway. Why stop part way through?
Here it is, my birthday week again. It’s been over a year at CrossFit Pure. My birthday fell on a Sunday this year so I didn’t have anyone to tell me to do burpees.
As I’ve mentioned before, I am working on health and weight loss. I also have some challenging injuries that limit my ability to do some of the most dominant CrossFit movements (squats, deadlifts, etc.) To be sure I am still getting a solid workout, I often add things on my own in addition to scaling and adapting movements. At times, I challenge myself to do certain moves each day during a week as extras, like 50 sit ups, 50 slam balls, and so on.
During my Monday workout this week, I decided to do some extra burpees. Burpees kick up my heart rate better than nearly any other movement. Monday was a shorter workout so I was able to do 50 spread throughout my gym time, mostly before and after. I thought I would do 50 each workout day this week. On the way home, I thought to myself that, given it’s my birthday week, maybe I should go a little bigger.
How could I challenge myself? What could my birthday burpees be this time around?
So, I decided to go a lot bigger, shooting for a goal of 10 times my age in burpees. So, 450 total for the week.
As I sit here on my birthday, I am happy to say I reached that goal, and even BEFORE my actual birthday. I learned something each day, too. Here’s a snippet:
Monday: The first 50 burpees, completed before I set the actual goal.
Lesson: Sometimes you start something without a goal in mind, then the opportunity to create a measurable goal comes to you. Embrace it, and challenge yourself beyond what you think you can reasonably do.
Tuesday: Another short workout, so managed to add in 100 burpees on this day. I set that 100 burpee goal when I walked in the door that afternoon, given that the workout was brief. Plus, I decided that if burpees were part of the regular workout, they did not count toward my personal goal, so I had to push myself on the days when they weren’t programmed. (We don’t see the next day’s workout until the night before.) (Total: 150)
Lesson 1: Set intermediate goals that help you along the path. When you have the chance, take a bigger bite out of the goal than you normally would if you were doing the same amount each day. You never know what life will throw at you.
Lesson 2: Making up my mind before I started also helped me push through the after workout burpees. The workout we did pushed my upper body to exhaustion. So, when I dropped to the ground after it to finish my birthday burpees, I laughed out loud since I couldn’t push my body back up. But, I had a goal to achieve, so I shook them out, took a few minutes to rest, then got going again.
Wednesday: Did 50 burpees during a crammed schedule kind of workout, then 25 at home. (Total: 225, halfway there!)
Lesson: My schedule was off this day. Arrived at the gym late, couldn’t do the programmed workout due to injuries so had to pull one up from previous weeks, had a doctor’s appointment just after gym, and so on. We all have these days where it is hard to fit things in, but we have to do it anyway.
So, I did 10 burpees in the driveway at 6:00 am while I was waiting for my daughter to get in the car. (This stunk on concrete but I was SO much more awake on my drive!) I was at the gym for less than an hour total but still got 40 burpees in. Then, I did 25 more at home that night. Those were also awful since I wasn’t in my gym clothes and trying to do them on carpet or tile is just different. But, I did them. Striving toward goals means doing things that aren’t ideal or just plain stink sometimes.
Thursday: Another 100 burpee day. Did all 100 before the workout. (Total: 325)
Lesson: Most of the week, I did my burpees in sets of 5, EMOM style. (Every Minute on the Minute, do 5 burpees.) I didn’t wear out too much this way. I just chipped away at it. Take bite sized pieces from your goal. This day I did them for 20 straight minutes, since my schedule was off again. (I don’t usually have this much time before a workout). One of our CrossFit coaches saw what I was up to and said, “look at her, over there doing burpees like it’s her job. Like it’s her JOB!” And this week, it really was my job. It was my commitment to myself. It’s also so helpful to have people notice along the way and encourage you!
Friday: 75 burpees. These were the hardest of the week. (Total: 400)
Lesson: What I dreaded all week happened Friday. There were burpees in the workout. So on top of the 36 in the workout, I did the additional 75 that I needed to do for my birthday goal. I was so tired after a long week, hadn’t eaten as much as I usually do so I felt sluggish, had a busy day at work, and so on. It was a true mental challenge to get through these, especially since I did all 50 after the workout. Again, sets of 5 EMOM style. I nearly cried about 4 times but I just talked myself through it. It was a slog and a true mental test. I just kept focusing on the next five. Thankfully, the end was in sight at this point.
Saturday: 50 burpees. Mostly all after a challenging workout. (Total: 450!)
Lesson: For these, some of our awesome gym ladies jumped in and did them with me. We all challenge each other at times, so this was a great lift (and an amazing support since burpees aren’t much fun for anyone!) This also made me push harder, since these ladies are all faster at burpees than I am and were doing them until I was done. So, my EMOM style meant everyone else was doing more! more! more! I had to do the last 20 without a break so everyone could stop! This is one small example of how our community makes you push yourself out of solidarity and encouragement.
I was so happy to get over the finish line. I screamed in relief and joy. I am so thankful for what this body and mind can do. There were several times this week when, through the pain and “I don’t wannas,” I reminded myself to be grateful for the strength to do this.
Later that day, it was fun to clean up, dress up, and have a tea party, again with some of my amazing friends from my box. Then, family celebrations as well.
The big takeaway:
It was a week of CELEBRATING WHAT MY BODY CAN ACCOMPLISH at age 45. Getting older doesn’t have to mean getting slower or weaker. I can set goals, push through, and have people cheering for me and pushing me along the way. It is a metaphor for life, goal setting, achieving, and setting new ones (which is what I am doing today!)
Maybe next year I’ll do burpees all month. Maybe by then I’ll be doing my burpees completely correctly. Or maybe it will be something else that seems like the right mountain to climb. Who knows. I’ll see where I am and set a new challenge.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a tip of my party hat to Chick 1. If you’ve been reading her blog posts, you know that she is a goal setter and a goal getter. I didn’t really understand much about making progress toward goals until I watched her in action. She is a marvel in what she chooses to strive for, how she accomplishes it, and the way she holds herself accountable. I’m still practicing this whole goal thing, but her showing and sharing that process has been a gift to me that will keep unfolding for years to come.
May 45 bring all the growth that 44 did, and more!
My Peach(tree) story began in Atlanta, GA in 1997. I wasn’t a runner but a friend asked me to run the Peachtree. What was the Peachtree? Well it is only the biggest 10k Road Race on the planet. So I did it. No training, just did it. The internet wasn’t so big back then so I don’t even know how long it took me to complete the race. All I know is I conquered the challenge and moved on. I was a one run wonder.
I remember one guy saying we (the guys) don’t acknowledge you (the girls) until you have been here 6 months. That’s when we know you are committed and are going to stick around. Did he seriously say that? How offensive! I guess when I look back, he did me a favor. He pissed me off so bad that I had to show him that was like flies on shit and I was sticking around and I would make sure the other girls stuck around too just to prove a point. HA to that one guy, SUCK IT! I/we are still here 2 years later at the same box and we are crushing it in our own way every time we come into that box. PR-PR-PR, some might say PR as in personal record but I say PRRRRR as in lady ROAR. Slay all day after you get your WOD in at 630am with the PURE DIVAS. Here we are with our friend #burchie who motivates us each and every week at the box and here at the race.
As I reflect, we not only stayed but we conquered our fears and we slimmed down in the process while gaining confidence, friendships, and offering inspirations to others who thought they couldn’t do it. NO matter your shape, your size or your athletic ability, YOU can tackle anything YOU put your mind to. Weight loss, professional aspirations, workout goals, family goals, etc. The playing field may be different but the process is still the same. Commitment, goal setting, and achievement are all common denominators. Check out the pre-race fun we had in 2017. 
So what does this all have to do with my PEACH story? EVERYTHING! My Peach story was revived in 2017 when a group from my Crossfit box started talking about running the Peachtree. I did the math and 2017 would be 20 years from the last time I completed the race. HOLY COW! I have to do it. I was feeling pretty good after being at Crossfit for a year and had dropped a good amount of weight, so why not? I got a few of my gal pals to jump in and do it together. There were about five of us who took part in it together. Each of us conquering our own set of challenges to get there and get it done. It was great. We planned for 2018 to keep the momentum going.2017-2018. One year of fitness. Can you see the difference? I can feel the difference. In my energy, in my clothes and in my mind.
Now here we are in July of 2018. Life has been full of ups, downs, adventures and memories but through it all our gal pals at the gym have been together pulling for each other. This year there were almost 10 of us attempting to connect for the race and many “others” we knew who would be there racing as well. As I reflect on 2018, I see where I hit the 20 year milestone that has now started the annual event log for my fitness journey. This will be an event that I can continue to attend as long as my body will allow. I will strive to conquer the race and improve my race time each year. From mile 1 to 6.
Because age is just a number and I am like a fine wine, aging to perfection. At almost 50 years old, I am now focusing on me. ME! I am committed to eating healthy, working out, and plan to enjoy all that goes along with living a healthy lifestyle. While others turn into couch potatoes at 50, I am working towards FAB at FIFTY. I am proud of my accomplishments thus far and I am excited for what is on the road ahead. I am sure there will be bumps along the way but hopefully this blog post will be one way to hold myself accountable and possibly inspire others who can’t see the finish line in their journey at the current moment. DO YOU, FOR YOU. It’s not to let late to start writing your amazing story!
Go find your Peach story and live it. I am a Georgia Peach and live life to the fullest each day. I keep the negators away and find ways to smile each day even if it is at my own expense. Be thankful. Inspire others. Improve communities. #MiniMadness=doublefun
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2 Chicks and a blog 