Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist. –CrossFit.com

Mark finishing his push press while detaching his ribs from his spine

What is CrossFit? It’s a competitive fitness program, run out of simple gyms, where full-body and functional movements are emphasized. Basically, we go for an hour class, and in that time, we do a warm-up, practice a skill or two, and then do an intense 3 to 45 minute workout (Workout Of the Day or WOD) that involves olympic lifts, body weight exercises like push-ups or pull-ups, and sometimes gymnastic movements such as handstands or ring motions.

I say it’s “competitive” because the workouts are usually timed or reps are counted in some way, and you compete with all of the other people from your gym that day for the best score. It’s also competitive because each year, people from around the world participate in the CrossFit Games, and compete against each other for the title of “Fittest Man or Woman on Earth”.

Kate starting a 75 pound jerk with a disturbing facial expression

The Games start with The Open, where everybody can pay $20 and do the same five workouts to compete against everybody else in the world. The top 60 from each region will move on to Regionals, and the winners from there go on to the World-Stage.

Mark and I have been doing Crossfit for a couple of years now. Well, Mark has been doing it consistently for more than three years at Norco CrossFit. I started, got pregnant and stopped, and then started and stopped a bit more until finding a good gym (Become CrossFit) and rhythm this fall.

Last year, Mark participated in The Open, and was not thrilled with his results. This year, I signed up as well, and we both worked insanely hard on our Saturday mornings for five weeks to put in the best scores that we possibly could.

Mark recovering from an open workout

The Open workouts are designed so that almost anybody can complete a rep or a round or two. The trick is being good enough to get into the heavy weights or the later rounds. Mark and I are not that good. But results were better this year! And the experience was a good one for both of us. Mark went in optimistic but aware of his limits. I had no clue as to what I was capable of, and managed to either surprise and amaze myself or desperately disappoint myself each week.

Each Wednesday night when the new workout was announced, Mark and I would decide on a goal. We tried not to focus on final scores, but instead on strategies or ideals. “I just want to keep moving for the entire 7 minutes.” or “I’m hoping that if I focus on form I’ll be able to lift something heavier than I ever have before!”

The med-ball is your friend!

Mark’s final place was 1,263rd in the Southwest region (of 1,554 men who completed all 5 workouts) and 17,409th in the world (of 22,183 men). Kate’s final place was 876th in the Southwest (of 967 women who completed all 5 workouts) and 11,067th in the world (of 12,802 women).

The workouts definitely helped highlight our strengths and weaknesses. I have some skills to work on: wall balls and chest-to-bar pull-ups among others. Mark needs to work on increasing his lifting weights – both through a focus on form and pushing through some mental blocks.

Mark goes Chest-to-bar!

And while neither of us will be continuing on to Regionals, we did manage to complete all five workouts, and had a great time doing it!

How is cross-training going for everybody out there? Anybody have a fun competition you are prepping for this spring?

Mark’s 2012 CrossFit Games page, and Kate’s 2012 CrossFit Games page

Workout 12.1
AMRAP 7 minutes of Burpees
Mark: 103 Kate: 88

Workout 12.2
AMRAP 10 Minutes of Snatches
Men: 30 reps at 75 lbs, 30 reps at 135 lbs, 30 reps at 165 lbs and AMRAP at 210 lbs
Women: 30 reps at 45 lbs, 30 reps at 75 lbs, 30 reps at 100 lbs, and AMRAP at 120 lbs
Mark: 30 Kate: 31

Workout 12.3
AMRAP 18 minutes of 15 Box Jumps (M: 24″, W: 20″), 12 Push Press (M: 115 lbs, W: 75 lbs), and 9 Toes-to-bar
Mark: 164 Kate: 125

Workout 12.4
AMRAP 12 minutes of 150 Wall balls (M: 20 lbs, W: 15 lbs), 90 Double-unders, and 30 Muscle-ups
Mark: 155 Kate: 82

Workout 12.5
AMRAP 7 minutes, add 3 reps each round of Thrusters (M: 100 lbs, W: 65 lbs), and Chest-to-bar Pull-ups.
Mark: 70 Kate: 3

It always seems like winter is so long around here. Mark and I used to drive five or six hours to desert areas where we would try and climb all year long, but that plan is less practical with a fidgety one-year-old in your backseat.

And beyond the kiddo, we’ve had bouts of illness, a seasonal decrease in climbing partners (skiing sucks!) and constant winds to make getting out on the rock even rougher.

Dark Basalt and Denver views

At the beginning of March, we pounced on the first warm day and first friendly helper we could find, and headed out to North Table mountain to get our climb on. LeeAnne came out to help belay and baby watch. And she was great with both!

LeeAnne is an awesome babysitter!

We started the day getting our egos’ smashed by the classic sandbagged routes Thelma (5.7) and Louise (5.8). We were all a little shaken up by the experience, so we hiked over to Kevin Spies the Line (5.6) and finished the day on a high note.

LeeAnne gives Mark the first lead belay of her life

G spent his day climbing over boulders, throwing tiny rocks, making friends with dogs and other kiddos in the area, and eating all of the snacks I packed for him. I can already tell that climbing this summer is going to be radically different from last year. We now have (1) a more mobile child, (2) a child who doesn’t put EVERYTHING in his mouth, and (3) a child who responds to basic voice commands. I hope this makes our outdoor adventures just a little easier.

G having a blast at the crag

We got to the crag a little late and left a little early, but it was a wonderful afternoon in the sun, and we all desperately needed that.

Mark and G climbing above the Coor's Brewery

Bring on that warm weather! We’re totally ready!

G was sooo excited to see the backpack get pulled out

Are you ready for the upcoming climbing season? How about your kiddos? What’s new and exciting for you this year? Let me know in the comments!

In my continuing quest to explore more of our local open spaces and natural areas in Northern Colorado, we spent an evening checking out Fossil Creek Reservoir. This is a large lake about 10 minutes south of our house, and a known nesting area for Bald Eagles in the winter. We went down hoping to see some of the big birds and to test out G’s new Julbo Sunglasses.

Mark and G check out the signage

On our way into the area, we were stopped by a car parked cross-ways across the street, and could see people inside excitedly pointing to birds flying above the nearby fields. Were these bald eagles? I looked with my long camera lens, and while they seemed to be raptors of some sort, I didn’t recognize them.

After a minute or two, the car in front of us noticed they were blocking the road and headed towards the parking lot. But one of these mystery birds swooped in front of them, and they slammed on their brakes and nearly drove off the road in excitement.

Turns out, birding in Colorado can be more hazerdous than you’d expect.

Excited Colorado Birders - might not be aware of their surroundings!

When we met up with the excited birders later, we found out the soaring raptors were Harriers (not jets), and watching them hunt was quite a thrilling sight.

Throughout the afternoon, several groups of people set up spotting scopes along the edge of the lake. Mark and I were able to check out three Bald Eagles, an adult and two adolescents (all brown still) in a distant tree. My lens does not do them justice!

Bald Eagle takes flight

The trails surrounding this lake are all wide and well graveled, making it a fine place to push around a jogging stroller instead of carrying G in the backpack. He wasn’t thrilled with the new sunglasses, but we eventually got him to wear them a bit. Something to keep working on.

G in his Julbo's

The longer trail was closed for Eagle Nesting season, so we walked a shorter, 1.5 mile trail to a western view of the lake. It was a nice, sunny afternoon, and felt good to just be outside for a few hours.

Mark and G walking the trails at Fossil Creek Reservoir

Do you have any favorite local outdoor spots? Or have you had a recent run-in with exciting wildlife? I’d love to hear the stories, leave a comment!

When you’re out adventuring with a kiddo, you never really know what you’re about to get. Sometimes it’s a sunny day full of dirt and giggles, and sometimes it’s an hour of crying for no reason before you pack it up and head home.

Weeks after falling down the hill

At the beginning of February, my college buddy Weeks stopped in to visit us for a weekend just after we got a big dump of snow. We rented him a set of snowshoes and headed up to a local favorite hike for a day of snow and sun. G was decked out in his snowsuit, hats, gloves, capilene base layer, and even his favorite blanket came along for the ride in the backpack.

Snowshoeing Horsetooth Mountain

But the day was super sunny and warm. We all stripped out of most of our layers, and G just cried and cried in the backpack this time. We tried pulling layers off of him, putting layers on, giving him water and food, walking until he fell asleep, but nothing would calm him down on this trip. Looking back on it, I think the sun reflecting off the snow was just too bright for him. One thing we didn’t bring for the kiddo: sunglasses.

View from snowy Horsetooth

We tried everything we could think of, but G just wasn’t happy until we were back in the car 45 minutes later. It would have been a beautiful day, and the little bit of snowshoeing we did was really fun. But, you can’t remember or predict or plan for everything in life. And this adventure was just another reminder that we’re a team of three now, and everybody needs to be up for the adventure. And have sunglasses!

Nice views from the snow

Mark and I had one day to ourselves on my working trip to Honolulu this winter, and we decided to spend it on an afternoon boat trip to see Pacific Humpback whales. These whales travel thousands of miles each year from the northern pacific to Hawaii in the winter where they birth and care for their young calves. Mark and I saw distant whales on our previous trip the the islands, but I was hoping to get a little closer this time, and we weren’t disappointed!

Views of the west (dry) coast of Oahu

I made reservations for an afternoon with Ocean Joy Cruises about two weeks before the date. Their pictures and description of their unique and lovely catamaran-style yacht really hooked us. Plus, they offered pick-up from near our hotel in Waikiki, and were very reasonably priced.

Our very nice speed-boat/catamaran the Kai Oli Oli!

We had a really nice afternoon to get out on the water and cruise around looking for whales and dolphins. In the morning, we got great views of a huge pod of Spinner Dolphins, who lazily surfed the swells in clear tropical water.

This was a big pod (~50) of Spinner Dolphins

Our cruise complied with “Dolphin Smart” by NOAA, so we cut power to the engines when the dolphins were sighted, and drifted along in their wake for close to an hour. Eventually, some of the curious guys came up to our boat to check us out and we got a really great view!

My camera gets sprayed by a dolphin!

We had a few sea turtle sightings and then headed over to reef for about an hour of snorkeling. This reef was deeper and less exciting than some we saw in Thailand, but Mark and I still had a great time swimming through the huge schools of tropical fish. And this time, I did not end up with sea urchin spikes in my fingers.

Sea Turtle surfing the little swell

After snorkeling, the boat headed out to deeper waters for the whales, and the crew pulled out a pretty nice hot buffet lunch. I was eating a pile of kalua pork and fresh pineapple when we found two whales, an adult and a calf. We watched as they rose slowly through the surface, taking huge breaths of air and enjoying the sun for a bit. I didn’t grab my camera right away because I was so hungry, and I got exactly one shot before they disappeared below the surface, not to be seen again.

Pacific Humpback Whales

One last thing, at the port where Kai’Oli’Oli was moored, there was a big industrial-looking area full of weird boats. Turns out, it was a construction area for movie ships, and the Black Pearl was sitting there, out in the Hawaiian sun, slowly being deconstructed.

The Black Pearl was anchored nearby

So, it was a really nice day, in all. Mark and I both managed to escape sunburn, and were back in Waikiki around dinner-time. We watched the sunset on the ocean one more time, had fantastic udon noodles for dinner, and then caught a red-eye flight back to cold, snowy, Colorado.

Yes, grad school is rough. It’s stressful and competitive and overwhelming even if you haven’t had a baby recently. But, I have to admit, studying tropical climate and weather has some nice perks – like the occasional working trip to Hawaii.

Tropical Afternoon

This year, I went to the University of Hawaii in Honolulu for a 3 day workshop on Tropical Atmospheric and Oceanic dynamics. Mark had enough miles left over from our trip to Thailand a few years ago to get his ticket for free, so he tagged along with me. My parents even agreed to come out to Colorado and watch the kiddo for us, so we had a baby-free trip to Hawaii! I spent three days in a conference room talking about atmospheric waves, coupled convective oscillations, models and observations, while Mark ran amok in the city of Honolulu.

Coco Puff from Liliha Bakery

On his first day in town, Mark spent the day on the Hole-in-the-Wall Food Tour, where his guides drove him all over the city to taste the unique flavors of Honolulu. Mark said of the tour:

Our hosts were Matthew Gray and Kiera. Matthew used to be a celebrity cook (cook for celebrities) and Kiera is his fiancee and a local who knows everything so you get a good deal of personal knowledge of Honolulu as well as some good food history and cute stories.

Local-boy plate: Spam musubi, ahi poke, and pineapple!

The Hole-In-The-Wall Food tour was a great way to start off the trip. The tour was a great way to get familiar with the city while eating lots of interesting treats and learning a great deal about all the people and cultures that Honolulu grew from. Note that the tour wasn’t native Hawaiian food, that would only take a few minutes (eat a pineapple, turn your nose up at some poi and then scarf down some Kalua Pork). These foods are the unique foods of the city. Often it is the food of another culture that has been tweaked by the local Hawaiian influence. We had a wide range of foods from many cultures. If I had to pick a favorite of the day it would be the “five layers of heaven roast pork” (see picture). The first layer of heaven was layer of fat fried so crispy as to essentially be a fried pork rind followed by meat/fat/meat/fat to create deliriousness. On the sweet side, the chocolate cream puff was certainly the winner. We had bizarre fruits, a tasty cocktail, lots of snacking and even of a tour of one of the last by-hand rice noodle factories left in the world. It was a great day out.

Five layers of Heaven roast pork in Chinatown

He spent the next two days wandering around Honolulu. After learning basic navigation from the food tour, he was able to take busses around the city to the giant flee market at the Aloha Stadium and back to Chinatown in search of more layered pork heaven. He even found a CrossFit box in Waikiki and participated in one of their workouts.

Mark doing L-Hangs at CrossFit Waikiki

After my last day of meetings and conference work on Thursday, we got in an hour or two of beach time together, and I was finally able to unwind. While some people might accomplish this with alcohol and napping in the sun, I rented a paddlebaord and went out on to the water for a couple of hours.

Kate on the paddleboard

I have tried regular surfing a few times, but this was my first time on a paddle board, and I really enjoyed it. The board was huge, and easy enough to sit on, but standing was tricky for me. I eventually found the rhythm and was able to stand-up, paddle and catch a few little waves! At one point, a giant sea turtle swam right under my board, and scared me so bad I nearly dropped the paddle!

Kate standing up and paddling!

In all, it was a great trip. I got to participate in a lot of great science, and Mark got to enjoy Honolulu from every angle. We had one day free on Friday before our red-eye flight out of town, and spent it on a whale-watching tour that was fantastic. But I’ll leave that for another post…

Sometimes it seems like winter in Colorado is all about extreme sports. On Monday mornings, I hear all about weekends at the terrain park, back country powder and ice climbing shenanigans. Mark and I have never been big skiers, so we usually spend the winter months in a gym or commuting to a desert crag. This year, there has been no escape to the desert, and the gym is getting old. The mountains are calling.

Warning sign

We pack up our warmest winter clothes and a couple of sleds we found at a garage sale a few years ago, and head up to Rocky Mountain National Park. The old Hidden Valley Ski Area has been turned into a “Snow Play” area, and my internet research leads me to believe that the sledding is excellent here.

Unfortunately, the ranger at the park entrance tells us that conditions are “Very Poor” at Hidden Valley. We drive in anyway, and find a hillside covered in hard-packed wind-blown snow. From what I hear, this is similar to what people are finding all over Colorado this year.

We stop to chat with two rangers at the bottom of the hill, before heading up to attempt sledding. They tell us that the area has seen several inches of snow this winter, but that it all blew away. Seems sad, somehow, and part of me wonders which mountain gathered all of that blown snow on its flanks?

No snow in the snow play area :(

We put the sled down, and find that there is enough of a surface for a few good runs. G really seems to be confused by the whole process. He is completely silent, wide-eyed and amazed during each ride down. He doesn’t wine or complain or cry, but doesn’t seem to understand what is going on or why. After a few sledding runs on the hard, bumpy snow, we give up on trying to get him to enjoy it and let him play in some snow drifts at the base of the hill. He giggles as he stomps around in his snow boots, and loves digging holes in the powdery white stuff.

G in the Mountains

I’m not going to lie, at this point, Mark and I take turns sledding on our own. It’s been probably 25 years since I went sledding, and even though the snow was awful, I have a righteous ball flinging myself down that hillside over and over again!

We play in the drifts and the hills until snow starts falling heavily around us. Then it’s time to go check out the Ranger station at the base of the hill. For a winter facility in RoMo, this place is luxurious. There are heated bathrooms, with flushing toilets! There is also a warming room with lots of benches, and photos and signs showing off 60 years of snow play in the area.

Mark and G demonstrate the correct usage of a Warming Room

The consensus at the end of the day is that we should definitely return when conditions are better. The area was not crowded, the hills not too steep for our kiddo, and the facilities were very nice. It was a great way to go play in the mountains without having to do anything too epic or extreme.

When I was little, there was an amazing place I loved to visit. A giant old mansion, full of hidden passages, a three-story spiral slide and crazy science experiments! We knew it simply as “The Magic House.” And it was one of the first and still one of the best hands-on science museums I have ever been to.

This awesome place is still around, only it’s been expanded and grown for the last 25 years, and is now known as The Magic House – The St. Louis Children’s Museum. We managed to fly out and visit the grandparents in St Louis for a few days after Christmas, and now that G is old enough to run around, I thought he might enjoy a trip to the Magic House.

And he did!

G is still pretty young for a lot of the exhibits and activities at the Magic House. But they have added a special small area for toddlers, so we spent an hour exploring the little ball pits, the tiny habitrail-like play set, the little kitchen rooms, and the big mirrors, knobs, buttons and blinking lights in the Baby Zone.

G loved an area where kids play in a long series of water-filled sinks. I was happy to have a change of clothes in his diaper bag. Another spot had a room full of light switches that he could turn on and off. There were exhibits with huge, weird musical instruments that he wanted to explore, and a pioneer-based play area where he spent half an hour finding fake potatoes in the sand and carrying them up to random people.

It was really fun seeing G get out and explore the Magic House, in much the same way I did as a kid. It will be even better when he’s old enough to really enjoy most of the activities! Though, after seeing this face, I’m not sure anything could be better than a ball pit and a giant mirror!

Have you had a chance to share a special place with friends or family this year? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!