Meet Team Phoenix

Anna, Catherine, & Erika.

There is so much I could say about this day but the main word that comes to mind is PROUD.

I am proud to be a part of a phenomenal group of women who inspire me & push me to new heights on a daily basis.
I am proud of myself for getting through these workouts and actually being able to say that, despite the pain, they were really fun.
I am proud of my team members Erika and Anna.
I am proud of them individually and I am proud of how we worked together.

This is what my kick-ass team and I accomplished together on one rainy Saturday morning:

A 2 mile run with that could not be started until 150 Burpees were completed.
There were 2 stations that we stopped at during the our run to complete:
200 Kettlebell swings
200 med ball passes
Then back to the gym to complete the following:
50 barbell power snatch (45#)
200 box jumps
175 ab mat sit ups
100 pull ups
125 duo dead lifts @ 95#s (oh yeah, did I mention Team Phoenix did 105lbs by accident?)
150 jumping ring dips
100 duo shoulder press (55#)
Run 400m

Some memorable highlights for me were:

1) When Erika decided who was boss when it came to the 16kg Kettlebell. I was struggling with the weight and my wrist was weak when it came to stabilizing it overhead. I couldn't do as many reps as I wanted to in order to spare my team mates. But when Erika grabbed that Kettlebell, she let out an almighty grunt with every swing that said, "Guess whose boos MotherF&%$er!!" and swung that baby with all her might.

2) Anna and her never ending endurance makes me want to get off my ass and get going! While Anna has been an athlete most of her life, she has only being Crossfitting for about 2 months. She is new to many of the movements and new to the weight & intensity. But you would seriously never know it. She brings a "CAN DO" attitude to everything that she does and she was the first to cross the finish line amongst the 3 of us in both workouts. Totally inspiring.

3) I am pretty sure that Erika did the fasted sit-ups I have ever seen in my life. If I could get anywhere close to that speed I could shave a good 3 minutes off my "Angie" time. BAD ASS.

4) So, turns out Anna has never done a snatch with anything heavier than a PVP pipe. Remember that "CAN DO" attitude I was talking about? Well, we had to do 50 snatches with a 45lb bar (how much is a PVC pipe...1/2 lb?) and she ROCKED it with no fear. I watched her figure out the movement as she never stopped with grace, style, and determination. So awesome!

5) The cheers of all the ladies as everyone crossed the finish line made me feel a little choked up. Yeah, it was a competition...but it was so satisfying to watch everyone finish the race even if they totally beat us!

6) That run was so beautiful that I forgot that I don't like running as much as I wish to. The rain and the water made me forget the miserable Burpees and made me feel, well...special. I felt like a runner and I understood why I loved to do it.

See what I mean?
And the amazing meal we indulged in afterward was well worth the hard work: STEAK, FRENCH FRIES, and CHOCOLATE PIE = BLISS. Mel says it best with the pictures she took. Check them out!

Until Next time....
Team Phoenix will be in the 5 next year...watch out!!!