Haven’t you heard? The bird is no longer the word! It’s now been replaced by two new words, and they go by the names of Burpee and Snatch. My, my, my… Castro has done it again! Except this time, he’s weeding most of us out right from the starting line with a 17 minute AMRAP of 40 Burpees / 30 snatches (75/45) / 30 burpees  / 30 snatches (135/75) / 20 burpees / 30 snatches (165/100) / 10 burpees / AMsnatchesAP (210/120). It’s like 12.1′s older, much meaner brother. I really don’t mind though; it’s just the way this thing goes. I am, however, still really excited to see where I stack up on the lower portion of our crazy cultish totem pole. I had a plan in place to reach 105 reps, but finished just under that at 102 reps with one casualty - a barbell pelvic-bone smash from the recycle on the last snatch. Like most non-elite athletes in CrossFit, my “plan” always seems to get derailed by fatigue. Either way, I was happy to get in a couple of snatches at 75 lbs!  If you’ve already completed 13.1, what was your score? One try? Two? Dare I ask, three? Post in the comments! (Photo Source: www.metconphotos.com)

xo
Red

For as long as I can remember, I was told that I get too excited. I was told that my vigor for life and its experiences was haughty, and that being outwardly ecstatic about something (or obsessed as some might put it) was not humble; it was not becoming of me. I’ll admit that my energy for new experiences can overwhelm even me at times, but stoicism is just not in my nature. Man of few words? Not I. I’m a woman of many, many words, and the emotional range of a Sherwin-Williams paint swatch.

When I was in Air Force junior ROTC my freshman year of high school and (the only girl) spinning rifles on the rifle team, it became my entire world. As soon as I got home from school, I was in the front yard spinning my Springfield 1903 replica until the sun went down. I couldn’t see life beyond this silly wooden rifle. I wanted to prove myself to the boys who didn’t want me on their team, and I wanted to prove myself to all the girls who scoffed at me, a girl, for spinning a rifle. I acquired a ton of bruises, and naturally I dropped the rifle a lot, but that just made me want it that much more. So much so, that I completely submersed myself into it… mentally, emotionally, physically. Much like an actor emulates the character they’re going to portray, I became my rifle. It’s all I could think about, it’s all I could talk about, it’s all I could dream about.

As my passion increased, so did the emotional oppression: “You spend too much time doing that”, “You talk about it too much”, “You told us that already”. The rejection was drilled into my mind again and again. After a while, it seemed like the path of least resistance was the best one, and I could achieve that by surrendering to people’s beliefs about how I should and shouldn’t act. And for a long while that path worked. It didn’t make me happy, but it got me off the radar. I suppressed my feelings to accommodate the world (that’s what it felt like at times: me vs. the world) and in exchange, everyone could be content. (disclaimer: I have no intention of victimizing myself when I share this, and I’d like to acknowledge that I realize that everyone, and I mean everyone, was and is doing their best from their own point of consciousness).

But when passion is in your heart, it will not and cannot die. It can be caged, it can be convinced, and it can be swayed. It can be subdued, forgotten, and it can even be misplaced, but only temporarily.

I thought my passion had died, until I began CrossFit in February 2011. It became very evident to me that it had not only been inside of me all along, but also that it refused to be ignored any longer. It was during my very first workout, and I believe it was somewhere between jumping on a tire and doing abmat situps that I was filled with this feeling of complete. desperate. need. to keep doing whatever it was I was doing that day in the gym. CrossFit was merely the catalyst though. It helped to reignite this fire that was always in me, and it was as if someone was dousing it in flammable fluid – an out-of-body experience. I was filled with this old overwhelming burst of feeling that I hadn’t felt in so long. It was as if these invisible chains had been lifted & I was free again.

That was the day my life changed. That was the day I really began to live again.

So, I shared with you my highlights for the year 2012, and now it’s time to share some of my goals for this coming year. I’m all for holding myself accountable, especially in public forums. There will be plenty more goals added as the year unfolds, but here are some to get the ball rolling:

1. Learn how to Freestyle Rap 
It seems a tad silly, I know, but I’ve always had a desire to freestyle rap! I’ve loved rap and hip hop since I was a little girl. I’ve recently reignited that love, and as such, I’ve been listening to a lot of old school hip hop, which has a very free flow style to it. I don’t know if I can “learn” how to freestyle, but I’m certainly going to try!

2. Travel to Spain
Ibiza definitely, Barcelona maybe, possibly Madrid with a pit stop to Portugal fo’ sho! I do realize that Portugal is a different country, but it’s a jump, hop, and a skip away + it’s Spain on a budget, or so I’ve heard.

3. Publish 4-5 Pieces
Magazines, webs, whatevs…. maybe even my children’s book?!?! I’m definitely going to put myself out there as a writer this year, even at the cost of rejection. What doesn’t kill me will make me stronger!

4. Begin Spanish Lessons
This is primarily to get ready for Spain, but also for college. I’ve decided to switch my foreign language requirement from Mandarin Chinese to Spanish because I feel Spanish is more relevant to where I’m headed with my life / career.

5. Run a Half Marathon
This is the most terrifying one because I absolutely cannot stand running. Also, I’ve been struggling with shin splints for the last six months, so we’ll see how it goes!

6. Maintain my 4.0 GPA
For both spring  and fall semester. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?

7. Gain 50+ Subscribers to this Blog
Much easier said than done, especially because the theme of this blog has changed recently, and I’m not quite sure (yet) where I’m taking it. I’m up for the challenge though! I’m sure publications will help with this goal.

8. Start my 401K
My company matches up to 5% dollar for dollar. How have I not started this yet?!

9. Donate 12 Pints of Blood
I have O-Negative blood, the universal blood type, which means I can give blood to anyone. I donated back in March and now the Red Cross has been blowing up my mobile like, every. single. day. As annoying as that’s been, it reminds me that I was given this gift to give, and it’s time I start doing that.

1. Travel! I traveled a lot more than usual this year, and I enjoyed every trip I took. A Cake concert in San Diego. Rooftop BBQ’s (with freshly caught salmon!), amazing tacos, and a Refused concert in San Francisco. A block party, a Starbucks in disguise, and delicious German food in Seattle. Headstands, subway in heels, brews, and brunches with my dearest friends in DC. And last but not least, sushi, cabin dwelling, amazing views and new friends in Tahoe.

2. GPA! I still have a 4.0 grade point average! It’s kind of a big deal because it makes up for my complete lack of motivation to do anything meaningful with my life in my early 20′s (if you knew the back story, you’d have an “Aha” moment right about now).

3. Hormones, like whoa! I know, I know. No one wants to hear about my hormones. I totally get it. But let me tell you, they are wicked, wicked things and can blind side even the nicest of people. 2012 was the year I came to really understand what it means to be a woman (physically), and to be mother nature’s subordinate – I’ve been humbled.

4. Break-Up! My 5 1/2 year relationship came to an end in early April. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life. Fortunately, it was mutual, and one of the most peaceful partings I’ve ever had. I’m so blessed to have experienced it! We’re still great friends, and I’ve finally begun dating again. I’m having a lot of fun!

5. Published! I had another article published in WOD Talk Magazine this year. Although I haven’t really been writing CrossFit related content lately, it’s still a huge accomplishment to be published. I’m shooting for at least 4-5 publications for 2013, and possibly finish my children’s book?!?!

6. Faced Fears! 2012 was the year of facing fears for me. The fears ranged from very miniscule everyday stuff not really worth mentioning, to really big, anxiety attack induced stuff. I vowed to myself if I was afraid to do something, then I had to do it. One of those (big) things was standup paddleboarding in the pacific ocean. It was both a terrifying and liberating experience, and I’m going into 2013 with the exact same attitude.

7. Meditation! I developed a lot of self-discipline in the area of meditation this year. I’ve pretty much been doing it Monday through Friday in my car during my lunch break for the past 6-8 months, and although the location choice seems a little strange, it’s worked out perfectly! A lot of the positive shift in my life the past six months I believe is largely because of all the meditation. Highly, highly recommend!

8. Friendships! I’ve made a few new friends which has been a lot of fun, but I’ve also gotten a chance to enhance the quality of some of the friendships I made when I first moved back to LA. This year I got to really feel like I belong to a few different tribes, and that’s been monumental in my personal growth.

9. Work! Would you believe me if I told you that at the beginning of this year I was on the verge of getting fired?! (See #3) During that difficult time, I looked for other jobs (even had a few offers), but after much deliberation, I decided to stay. Why? Because I refused to leave on bad terms. I became determined to finish what I started. Almost a year later, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been at my job in the three years I’ve worked there. I got a promotion, received client kudos, learned how to assert myself, got on medication to properly regulate my hormones so I could “be myself” again, and I made a choice to only focus on the positive. As a result, I have drastically improved my working relationship with my former arched nemesis, which was my ultimate goal before moving on to a different company.

What did you accomplish / achieve / change / learn in 2012? Happy New Year!

Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during the entire month of November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health (i.e. the good ol’ prostate). I’m a bit late on posting about it seeing as we’re halfway through Movember, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t donate my friends.  We covered boobs in October with Barbells for Boobs, and now it’s the prostate’s turn to get some love.  So if you like yours (or someone else’s), let’s keep them intact and feelin’ good by donating to this wonderful cause! My good friend Charles Carpenter in D.C. is raising money via his very own Movember page which can be found here. Please give him a few of your dollars – I promise you won’t miss the money once it’s gone + think of the good karma! And of course, have a wonderful weekend. xo

So, I’ve decided I’m mixing up Rebecca The Red.

When I first started this blog, it was hosted on WordPress, and had absolutely nothing to do with “Rebecca The Red”; It was a measly little thing – a glorified LiveJournal if you will, where I dumped my random thoughts for complete strangers to read if they wanted to  - but let’s be honest, it was mostly just my friends and family.

Then I began CrossFit back in February 2011, and that’s when the alias / name “Rebecca The Red” emerged. I renamed the blog as such, and naturally the content was primarily geared towards CrossFit related topics. I built quite a bit of readership through some SEO tactics that proved successful, and even had a couple of articles I wrote published in WOD Talk Magazine. I was building my empire (ha!) and thought, “Great, this is going well”, and decided to buy this dot com as a new home for the blog. Then my life started changing. A lot. I had less time and motivation to participate in CrossFit and as a result I stopped writing.

While I still love CrossFit (it’s the first thing as an adult that I really found passion in and I’m so truly grateful for that), my direction and path has changed again and consequently CrossFit has taken a backseat. That made me realize I need to be more flexible, not only in my life, but in my writing as well, because at the end of the day, that’s why I have this blog: to write. And even though the name Rebecca The Red was coined because I saw the birth of that part of myself while engaging in CrossFit, the name represents so much more, and I would hate to limit and label myself as just an athlete.

So! I’m going to start writing again, and that means more and more topics not related to CrossFit are going to start popping up. If that means I lose some of my readers, I will be sad but I totally get it . . . and if that is indeed the case, then I say thank you for coming along for the ride up to this point. And if you’re one of those readers that plans to stick around and see how this all unfolds, then I say I’m glad to have you along for the ride. What are we, if not companions on this ride of life?

xoxo
Rebecca The Red

I’m driving to San Francisco tomorrow afternoon, and I thought it would be fun to throw a playlist together for the trip. San Francisco is on my bucket list (even though I was born there), so I’m pretty excited about crossing it off my list + the adventure. This will also be my first time driving a long distance by myself! That probably seems a bit silly, but these are the kinds of things I’m intentionally overcoming everyday as I move towards complete and utter independence and self-reliance. So without further delay, I give you my playlist:

1. Katy B – “Katy On a Mission”
2. Frank Ocean - “Thinkin Bout You”
3. Peter Bjorn and John – “Nothing to Worry About”
4. Brazilian Girls – “Homme”
5. The xx – “Intro”
6. Telepop Musik – “Breathe”
7. Beirut – “The Rip Tide”
8. El Guincho – “Bombay”
9. Best Coast – “When I’m With You”
10. Tycho - “Costal Brake”
11. The National - “Bloodbuzz Ohio”
12. Selah Sue – “Raggamuffin”
13. Azealia Banks – “212 (feat. Lazy Jay)
14. AWOLNATION – “sail”
15. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”
16. Broken Bells – “The High Road”
17. Black Keys – “Too Afraid to Love You”
18. Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros – “40 Day Dream”
19. Radio Citizen - “Summer Days (feat. Bajka)
20. The Temper Trap – “Fader”
21. Kanye West – “All of the Lights”
22. Goldfrapp – “Eat Yourself”
23. Fruit Bats – “So Long”
24. Nelly Furtado – “Say It Right”
25. Usher – “Numb”

Hey guys! I’m so sorry I haven’t really been keeping up much. I’ve been going through some major transitions in both my personal and professional life, and as such, things that I really enjoy doing have somehow taken a backseat. But not for much longer! I have every intention of revamping this blog as I regain my footing and sense of direction once again. Although these adjustments have not been easy for me, I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s not that I’m a glutton for pain, it’s just that I know I’m headed exactly where I need to go, even if I don’t know where that is yet. See, that’s why this blog exists; Rebecca The Red is the part of me that takes charge of her life and doesn’t cower (or more appropriately, sob) because she’s afraid. That uncertainty no longer cripples me. Instead, it invigorates me, even if it does make me nervous from time to time. SO, with that said….there should be more posts popping up around here soon. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves on this upcoming holiday weekend. I’m headed to San Francisco for some R+R. I’ll be back though.

xo
Rebecca (The Red)

I promise you. A sneaky little liar. Period. You might think fear is a natural protection from putting yourself in harm’s way, but I assure you that’s false. Common sense is what protects you from harm. Fear exists, partly to serve as contrast – without it, we would not know the depths and beauty of courage. Try this: Think of fear as your crazy Aunt / Uncle. You’re never going to rid yourself of your relation to it (it’s a part of the package deal), but you can distance yourself from it. Remember though . . . There’s going to be family reunions and holidays where you’ll have to face it. Accept that fact. Acknowledge its existence, smile at it, and then gently disassociate yourself from it. It does not define you unless you allow it.

Now, go do whatever it is you’re afraid of (i.e. more of what you really want to be doing). I know. Easier said than done, right? Well, I didn’t say it was going to be easy, but it does get easier. I know, because this particular issue is something I’ve been working on for a year and a half now, and how this blog even came to be! So it is possible. And when you find yourself on the other side of a fear, you might wonder why you ever feared (insert fear here) in the first place. Report back with findings!

xo,
Rebecca The Red