A Killer Within

Last night I must have spaced out because I set my alarm for the wrong time...I thought I was back in California. Well anyway, I got up 15 minutes before CrossFit, changed as quickly as possible and made it to the class just 2 minutes late! We did four rounds of 800 meter runs and my times were:

#1 - 4:07
#2 - 4:05
#3 - 4:01
#4 - 4:09

I felt like crap and am pretty sure it had to do with my nutrition yesterday. The only "off" thing I had was lasagna and I've realized that pasta is NOT doing my body any good. So out it goes...along with sugar, bread, caffeine, and a whole bunch of other things I've been slowly but surely eliminating. If I want to play this game, it needs to be done right. And now that I'm reading "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" a new viewpoint on food is coming into view.

Even my Muay Thai kickboxing class was rough. We used weights with our workout tonight, and although my arms were burning like crazy, I stuck with it the whole way through. The instructor is tough, and doesn't let us break for a moment (except when we go to put on our gloves). We are either punching, kicking, doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats, running, or holding extremely painful postions the entire 60-minute workout.

The last 15 minutes or so, we go to the bags, and here's where it gets interesting. So here I am, exhausted, with practically no energy and it's time to punch and kick the bags. All of a sudden this burst of energy comes out of nowhere when I go to punch the bag. I wasn't even thinking of anything (or anyone) in particular, but I just start KILLING the bag. I mean like with REAL strength, REAL power. It was PURE INTENTION. I must have looked like a madwoman hitting that bag! Maybe my arms felt super strong because I wasn't holding a 5lb weight in each hand anymore. Or maybe I had some repressed anger/hostility coming out. I don't know. But I felt like the Rage Against the Machine's song "How I Could Just Kill a Man."

It's actually kind of funny, because those who know me well, know that I'm a calm, even-tempered person. Hardly anything "gets" to me because I don't take life very seriously. I know it's just a game. But there seems to be this other side of Lisa now with these new fitness goals... a more competitive nature....disappointment when I don't do well... empowerment when I improve....frustration when my arms don't want to lift more...pleasure in gut-wrenching workouts, and pure enjoyment of killing the bag. Actually, hitting the bag is a pretty cathartic activity. I'm going to get one when I get home.