Kelly Trepp, Author

Holy cow! It's been nearly two months since I've made a blog post. That really shouldn't be allowed. February, being the short month that it was, flew by. Then March came in like a lion. Here are the highlights: Began attending Academic Lectures for the Instructor Training Program ( more on that here ) Registered for the CrossFit Games Open. Celebrated Valentine's Day with Bacon-Covered Roses from my hubby Began the Whole Life Challenge Which required a purchase from US Wellness Meats Entertained a weekend with the in-laws and managed to stay WLC compliant Dominated the CrossFit Games Open WOD 13.1 with a new PR Experimented with new recipes... How to poach the perfect egg Started volunteering at a local elementary school's running club Signed up to mentor an at-risk youth at a local high school Dominated the CrossFit Games Open WOD 13.2 As of this posting, I'm currently sitting at 2240th place in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Not ...

Very rarely do I ever leave the gym NOT smiling, laughing, teasing, looking forward to returning the next day, skipping holding hands and singing while birds fly out of my butt ... Unfortunately, today was one of those days... You know, that day that you leave feeling like you didn't give it everything you've got? Where you feel like if you tried just a bit harder you might have achieved the goal you were aiming for? No? Haven't ever felt that way? Good for you, you over achiever. Pat yourself on the back and sleep easy tonight knowing you have mastered the universe. For the rest of us average Josephines, these things happen. I'm pretty sure even Disney princesses have bad days... or they would, if they were real. The important thing that I've learned is not to beat yourself up over it. Throw a Tinkerbell-tantrum, get it out of your system, and get back to work. As a flawed people, we aren't judged by our failures, but by how we react to them. ...

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  - Steve Jobs This weekend was a weekend of firsts. My first CrossFit competition. The gym's first year anniversary party. And my first step on a new journey. CrossFit Lakas  participated in the  Garage Games'   World Wide WOD - Gym Resolution  -- a one day national event held in gyms world wide. Thousands of athletes all competing in the same three WODs. And wouldn't you know, CrossFit Lakas was holding down the event's Facebook page for a few hours, with two of our athletes holding down the fourth and fifth spot overall before the west coast star...

In the age of lightning-fast internet, social media, and 24-hour news networks, it's easy to get the story wrong. The infamous quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," has been attributed to Gandhi, time and again. But a New York Time's article tells us his words have been slightly tampered with. The closest quote follows:   If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do. It is no secret that my husband and I have gone through substantial personal change and growth within the last year. I completed a half-marathon before kicking the running habit in favor of a new CrossFit bandwagon, which hubby gladly jumped on board, and we completely changed our diets in favor of a Paleolithic lifestyle for a 30-day challenge which has managed to stick around for the last six months. We've seen ph...

So remember last week when I was waxing poetic about the year so far and I said that I had changed my goals and that I no longer had interest in completing a full marathon? Well, that changed the same day the post went live. I completed my very first marathon last Monday... a marathon WOD, that is. Ok whatever it isn't the same thing. Except I'm pretty sure this 40 minute workout, 60 minutes for some people, was more intense than running a full marathon. I can certainly say it was more intense than the half marathon I ran in just over 2 hours. So what all did this mammoth of a WOD ( workout of the day to those of you who are unfamiliar with CrossFit ) entail? I'm glad you ask, because I'm about to tell you! 2 Rounds for Time of: 26 Toes to Bar 200m Run 26 Box Jumps (24 in. for men, 20 in. for women) 200m Run 26 Kettlebell Swings (1.5 poods for men, 1 pood for women) 200m Run 26 Walking Lunges 200m Run 26 Push-ups 200m Run 26 Sit-ups (with ab mat) ...

Everyone has heard the saying, "If you can't stand the heat, try, try again!" What?! Did I mess that up? Well I'm going with it. Unless you live under a rock somewhere other than the East Coast, then you know the entire eastern seaboard has been under severe heat advisories and, in some cases, heat warnings during these first two days of summer. A reasonable person would heed these warnings and stay in their plush, air conditioned home. That's me on Tuesday. I sweat. A lot . However , nobody has ever accused me of being terribly reasonable, and, as a CrossFitter, I find it my duty to push my limits. Well I found out what my limits were yesterday regarding the 100+ degree heat indices and I was a little disappointed in myself. But disappointment does not come without its lessons learned. And what kind of a blogger would I be if I did not share this wealth of knowledge in disappointment with my readers so you don't have to share the same disappointme...

And like a phoenix, I rise from the ashes... or something like that. This blog is more similarly aligned with "Not Dead Fred" from Monty Python's Spamalot . If you're still around, thank you for not removing me from your blog roll during my extended absence from writing. It has been a busy month for me, and there are a lot of changes in my life. Mostly for the better, as far as I can see. I told you mid-May about my husband and I embarking on a paleolithic adventure . The 30-Day Paleo Challenge has ended at our gym, and proven to be much easier than we originally thought it would be. I did not win the challenge officially among the contestants in the gym (I got a little crazy at a wedding towards the end of the challenge and gave up my running for third), but both my husband and I consider ourselves winners in that we have discovered this new, amazing and healthy lifestyle of living. Shh... he's taking a nap because he is sleepy from eating wheat. Neve...

When I was about 14 years old, I was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), a condition wherein excessive pressure is placed on a bundle of nerves that pass into the arm from the neck causing pain and weakness in the arm. I was a fast pitch softball pitcher and first noticed symptoms of TOS after pitching at an all day tournament. My arm swelled to the point that I could not bend my wrist, and although it's my favorite color, it turned a very unpleasant shade of purple. My parents took me to a specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital , but little was known about TOS or its treatment at the time. They simply told me to remedy the situation by quitting sports. I played softball for another year after that, relinquishing the position of pitcher and taking on second base so I wouldn't have as much strain on my arm, but eventually I gave up softball all together. Three years ago, my younger sister found she had the same problem while playing softball in high school. Unfor...

So I wanted to write a quick post to talk about tonight's workout because I felt like a bad@$$ superstar! See those numbers written in HOT pink chalk on the gym floor? Those are my reps. There is something completely primal about etching your workout on the gym floor in pink chalk. Ok, so cavemen may not have had pink chalk, but there was red pigment around more than 15,000 years ago , so it's kind of the same thing. Cavemen probably also never did overhead squats. They were missing out . Remember my first CrossFit workout post? My first official workout involved overhead squats. I can lift weight over my head, but when I have to squat too, it adds a new degree of difficulty. My technique was awful. My max weight was 40 lbs for a single rep. Today's workout was as many reps as possible in a single minute, rather than as much weight as possible in a single rep. So naturally, my trainer thought my best form was with an 18 lb bar. I realize that isn't much we...

Yesterday was a long day. A very long day. I was ultra productive this weekend, getting in a 5.5 mile run, a lunch with friends, lots of Outlet shopping, Sunday morning Church, grocery shopping, car cleaning, laundry, and some arts and crafts... what I didn't get was ample amounts of sleep. Monday afternoon included a nice trip to the salon after work. It was a quiet trip, as there were only three stylists working at the time. I enjoyed a nice glass of wine and some good conversation with my stylist (the one who introduced me to CrossFit ). Because we have a 10K race this weekend, this week is a fairly timid week as far as training goes. My intentions were to run an easy two miles when I got home from the salon. At least, those were my intentions pre- drinking a glass of wine at the salon. When I returned home, I was ready to hit the hay. But as I pulled up to the house, my hubby was sitting on the front porch. Straight away I could tell something was off. We will call this...

Confession: I started writing this post nearly two weeks ago and it's just getting posted. It is not easy to find the time to commute, work, workout, cook, clean house, and write a blog. Oh and let's not forget sleep! It's all about making priorities. And like I posted earlier this year , I plan to spend more time with family (especially in light of recent family illnesses), spend more time focusing on myself and my health, and more time nurturing my relationship with God. So far so good. I'm sorry that my blog has been neglected in the process. The hubster and I recently started a new chapter in our lives. Chapter one of our married life began with a commitment to getting in better shape. I took that idea and ran with it. I ran 13.1 miles with it. He took that idea and cheered me on from the starting line, to mile 7, to the finish line where he greeted me with flowers. I kid, I kid. The fact of the matter is, hubby would join me on most of my long runs and would r...