I wonder what a Pecial is. Must be possessed by Today.

Reebok CrossFit Fitness Championships

Last weekend I traveled with the "A-Team" from CrossFit Hove to compete in the Reebok CrossFit Fitness Championships in Birmingham, UK. There were two rounds of cuts prior to this event, and the qualifying workouts were pretty tough, so I was a bit nervous for what was in store for me.

It turned out awesome. There were four grueling workouts in the course of one day, with hardly any time in between to strategize and rest. It was by far the most physically demanding day of CrossFit I have ever had.

Each workout had its own challenges. I took first place by a almost a minute in the second workout of the day, which was rather surprising seeing as how the wod didn't involve the beloved barbell at all (push ups, wall balls, box jumps... who knew I could win something that wasn't heavy)! I stayed within the top four for the other workouts as well, and went into the final event (the fourth workout) in third place. It was really exciting to be in the finals (and my teammate Kat made it to the finals too!), but the workout itself made me rather nervous. It was a combination of pull ups and snatches, followed by a sand bag carry run. Since half of the final workout was pull ups, I wasn't expecting to bring home the bacon. But I actually did. Right off the bat, I smashed snatches, allowing myself enough time to power through the pull ups, and coming in first place by over 30 seconds. I tied in first place for the overall Championships, and walked away with some awesome prizes and cash... who knew CrossFit would help make a dent in my student loans?!

Eurosport television covered the event, and I got a bit of a taste for what it's like to be interviewed (check out one here), stalked by a camera when you're unable to breathe, etc. However, I used it as an opportunity as well to try and make a few contacts in the field. CrossFit certainly has the potential to become a mainstream sport, and when it finally does, I want to be in on it still!

Have I Really Left CA?

I've just returned from a visit home, and this is what the Brighton beach looked like this weekend... have I truly left California???

How to combine the things I love

The Summer Term has began again at school, and instead of classes now, my time is spent on my dissertation research. Selecting a topic is often the most challenging stage for MA candidates.

Not me.

I have been waiting for the opportunity to combine my two favorite things, strength training and early modern literature, for quite some time. And now my chance has arisen with my dissertation topic. 

By September, I will have written over 15,000 words on and be an expert in depictions of Amazon women in early modern England. I love my life.

Final Destination: Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace

The final destination of my Spring trip was Vienna, Austria, the city of music. With the exception of one day, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, highlighting the beauty of the Renaissance city. 

Schonbrunn Palace Gardens

Vienna Zoo

Genuine Apple Strudel

I packed a lot into my few days there-- went to the different palaces, the zoo, the opera house, the famous cafes and restaurants, toured the gardens and museums, and "gently sampled" the local brews. 

Outside of the Royal Opera House. They showed the ballet
that was performed that evening for free outside for the
cheapies, such as myself.

Inside the Natural History Museum

Vienna Jewish Museum

At the end of my stay in Vienna, I was ready to go home to Brighton. Actually, I think I could have carried on traveling but for my inability to eat ANY MORE FOOD... 

Debrecen and Eger, Hungary

After Budapest, we headed back to Debrecen for a few days (where Ido goes to school), and from there took a day trip to Eger, a small wine town.

We got there just in time for the school's
International Food Festival

In Debrecen, we spent some time studying as well as checking out the beautiful school. I even snuck into one of Ido's pathology classes, where they were working with cadevours. The smell was incredibly unsettling, but otherwise the class was an amazing experience. There were two cadavers, one of which was being cut while I was about three feet away, and the second one, already opened, was being used by the tutors to explain and explore different diseases. I didn't risk taking pictures though.

We rented a car as well and drove to Eger, a quaint little wine town a few hours from Debrecen. Despite the gloomy weather, we had a great time eating and drinking. Well, mostly drinking :)

Eger Streets

Tea Time in Eger

MMMMMMMMMM... kurtos kalacs!

My Latest Adventures

Budapest Parliament on the Danube

I've just returned from my spring holiday travels to Hungary and Austria. I spent about two weeks between the two countries, mainly to visit my friend Ido. He's now living in Hungary, so we had some great adventures traveling through his current country. On the last leg of my trip, I took the train to Vienna for a bit of exploring on my own. Over the next few days as I load the pictures, I'll update my blog with the different places I visited. The first stop was in Budapest, and it was undoubtedly my favorite, so I'll start there...

Atop the Buda Castle 

Hungarian food!

Post tanning at the bath

Memorial along the Danube honoring the Jews
shot into the river during WW2 

Budapest was such a charming city, filled with busy tourists and loud Hungarians, as well as the most amazing treat in the world, Kürtőskalács. Ido and I spent three days touring about, checking out both the Buda and the Pest sides (the city was actually two until the 19th century, when the names were merged into Budapest), visiting the different castles, checking out some museums and monuments and the different bridges, sunbathing in an old bathhouse, and of course, sampling the cuisine. And by sampling I mean gorging out on a ton of very unhealthy foods. 

Kürtőskalács...mmmm soooooo good!

A CrossFit Update

It's been a little while since I've done a CF update. I purposefully try to minimize them on my blog, as I recognize CrossFit litters my facebook like it dominates my regular conversations, and for that matter, my general existence. However, some exciting new things have happened in my CF world that should be shared.

1. CF L1: Last month I got my Level 1 Certification with CrossFit! I am an official Level 1 Trainer, and look forward to sharing my love of CrossFit with others!

2. CF Open: The CrossFit 'Fittest on Earth' Games closed a few weeks ago, and I ended in 86th place overall in Europe. Compared to the 200's in NorCal last year, I am incredibly pleased with this placement! Unfortunately, I needed to make top 60 to move on to regionals, but I am still pleased to be considered amongst the top 100 fittest women in Europe!

The first of five workouts in the CF Open: burpees

3. Next Competition: I've just qualified for the CrossFit Central Manchester Games in Manchester, UK in June. Looking forward to another live competition with Team CrossFit Hove!

A Trip to the Seven Sisters

Spring Break Holiday began this week, and while I have term paper deadlines looming over me, my flatmates and I decided to give Spring a proper start with a trip to Seven Sisters Country Park, 7 beautiful chalk cliffs that overlook the English Channel, situated about 45 minutes east of Brighton in the South Downs National Park.

We were so incredibly lucky with the weather, as you can tell in the shots below!

Repin CA

Some of the other Sisters

In the depths of term papers...

Today is the last day of Spring Term, my final 'taught term' as an MA student. All work going forward is independent research for my dissertation. My papers for this term are due in a few weeks, so I've entered serious mode and buried myself in books, articles, images, and caffeinated tea.

Here is a teaser of one of my term papers... more will follow soon, so stay tuned...

'The Real John Smith: establishing his own social hierarchy in Virginia'

Sorry Pocahontas, but it's time to give the spotlight over to the writings of Captain John Smith. The narratives of his travels and trials in the New World are often overshadowed by the story of Pocahontas (whom btw he never married, his compatriot did), and I am attacking these primary sources to delve further into the unique social hierarchy he uses to describe the natives against the ever-looming British social structure he cannot help but obsess over.

Spring Has Sprung!

I was walking through campus with a Canadian friend today, and stopped to take a picture of some of the gorgeous daffodils that have sprung up throughout the grounds. She commented that she also wanted to take pictures of these wildflowers to send to her friends back in Canada as a reminder that her weather was better, as she was experiencing spring while they still had snow on the ground. 


I informed her I've never known seasons before. Oh California...

(There is an extra dot on the ellipsis in the third paragraph. Other than that, this is fantastic.)

Following the Rainbow to the Land of the Leprecans

A few weeks ago, my friends Myles and Mehreen were hanging out in my kitchen and found a deal with RyanAir (an insanely cheap European airline) to fly to Ireland for next to nothing. They decided to book it that night. I walked in the kitchen, heard them telling my flatmates, and asked if I could come. We left on Thursday.

First of all, there are some AMAZING deals on flights within Europe, but they come at a cost that isn't money. Baggage allowance is next to nothing, there are insane hidden fees (i.e. if I didn't print out my own ticket, it would have been £60 at the airport to get it from the airline), and the plane ride is anything but relaxing with their stuffy cabins, jammed seating, and constant advertising for products over the intercom. Nevertheless, we made it to Dublin Thursday night irritated but in one piece. Our first day, we took a long walking tour of the city, visiting some of the key parts of Dublin, and made sure to spend a lot of time at the Guinness Storehouse. We joined a pub crawl in the evening, and I got up bright and early the next morning to make it over to Crossfit Dublin for a morning workout (the Crossfit Open clearly takes priority in my life). I then joined back up with Mehreen and Myles for a proper full Irish breakfast, washing it down with just a few pints of cider, and we headed to the old Jameson Distillery Factory (noticing a trend here?).

On our last day in Ireland, we took a bus to the other side of the country. It took two hours. That puts things into perspective, as I went to college two hours from my parents' house, and I thought it was a bit close. Our day was filled with a visit to a proper Irish farm, a hike through the rocky countryside, a stop at a Medieval castle, a cruise along the beautiful west coast, and finally a trek through the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. While we certainly got our "Irish drink on" in Dublin, the touring of the landscape and coast outside of the city felt as though I was really seeing the country and its natural beauty.

It's trips like these, where we are pinching every penny but getting to see amazing parts of the world, that make me so grateful to be living in Europe at this time in my life. Cheers.

Throwin' it Down in London!

Last weekend I competed in the SICFIT London Throwdown at Brunel University in snowy London. I qualified for this competition in December, ranking 49th going into this final event. After hitting two personal records (one of which was a 65.7kg/145lb lift from ground to overhead) and going through some insane physical challenges in front of a large crowd and some badass athletes, I came out of the competition taking 14th place overall! 

It's incredibly fulfilling to see my hard work at training and nutrition paying off, although just a few days upon return I got bronchitis... and laryngitis! Looks like my body worked rather hard and wanted a serious break.

Snow Has Landed!

My flatmates woke me up at about 3am with my first snowball! I was rather confused initially, but once I realized they'd brought me snow from OUTSIDE, I couldn't contain my joy!

This morning, an unbelievable white blanket covered the campus.

I officially feel like a resident of England.

FeelFit! My own little project in England

Just last month I started a group called FeelFit, targeting primarily students and promoting a healthier lifestyle. I've been offering group workout classes twice a week, and started a facebook group to spread the word about nutrition and other facts that encourage overall fitness. As you probably know, I LOVE crossfit, and any other sport that offers physical competition. I will be getting my certification for crossfit training in March, and am hoping to expand on this hobby by coaching. For now, I'm practicing these skills with this group.

Initially, I imagined my greatest challenge would be figuring out how to keep people active for an hour. That has not proven to be a problem. I know enough movements to keep people moving for days. What has instead presented itself as a bit of a difficulty is the rather wide range of athleticism I've gotten in my classes. A movement that is challenging for some may be a piece of cake for others, so a great deal of my energy in each class is making sure every individual is getting the most of their time by working effectively and efficiently, but not KILLING themselves. I'll save the killings for when I get them on barbells...

This project, FeelFit, has already made me feel better. I've received multiple texts and had a few chats about how sore people are, but they always end it with a smile. That smile has become my ultimate goal. I want people to FEEL the joy of being fit, to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, and I want to help them get AND stay there. My life (and health) have changed dramatically since I started lifting heavy and eating clean. Now it's time to help others experience that feeling too.