Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I Love Pollen

67 days til the big day...
Spring. The weather is warmer, the trees are budding, the birds are chirping... This is the time of year when life returns to the Northeast.

My favorite thing to do on a beautiful spring day is run.  Running reminds me of what I did not have before.  My lungs fill with oxygen, laced with the sweet aroma of grass and flowers.  My skin forms beads of sweat that do not burn or itch.  And finally, my greatest pleasure in running is not having to puff an inhaler to keep going.  My muscles dictate my speed and longevity, not the pollen.  

Not that long ago, spring was my most dreaded season.  This was the time of year my allergies were at their worst.  When I was a kid my sister and brother would tease me by counting my sneezes.  I could get 20+ "ahhh choo's" in just a few minutes. Allergies meant stuffy nose, swollen eyes, wheezing gasps for air, and itchy ezcema.  I avoided flowers, grass, and budding trees like they bred the plague.   This was my life for as long as I can remember.  No kickball with friends in the field, or picking wild flowers for this kid.  Everyone hoped I would grow out of my allergies as I grew up, but no, they actually got worse.

It wasn't until I met my fiance's family that I even considered a holistic means of relief.  Even before CrossFit and Paleo, I was never keen on choking down benedryl and rubbing steroids on my rashes.  I did the best I could to get through each day with a box of tissues and cortisone cream. 

Nick's dad, Steve Lobotsky, suggested a paleo diet to help remedy my seasonal and food allergies (I'll save food for another time).  To my astonishment, meats, veggies, nuts, and fruit were my cure!  For two years I have welcomed spring.  Because I lived so long locked inside, hiding from spring, I appreciate each sunny day more than anyone could imagine.

Happy Spring!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Ch-Cha-Cha-Changes

It's been way too long since the last time I filled y'all in on "CrossFit Bride".  Thank you for your patience, it is greatly appreciated.  As Nick and I count down to the big day the stress level has skyrocketed for me.  I am now just realizing why my friend, Heather, took off a semester from school to plan her wedding.  I know, I know a wedding is only one day and my education lasts a lifetime, but it is so hard to not think about shoes, flowers, and my bridal bod on a daily basis.  With the big day getting closer these things have become more important than Differential Equations and Intermediate Symbolic Logic.  I'm sorry!  I just can't help it!



Lot's of things are happening at this month.  Probably the biggest life change for Nick and me is selling our car.  I hardly ever drive it, and when I do, I get a ticket or get hit.  So iadios! Civic and HELLLOOO public transportation.  Down in NYC a car is an unnecessary luxury, but our home away from home commands driving from point A to point B.  What does that translate to?  It's a true test of our relationships with others.  Who cares enough to see us to meet us at the train or come to the city to visit?  But really selling the car is a symbol of our marriage to New York (at least until we start our careers).  We'll climb or descend the stairs to the N and 6 "in sickness and in health" (the sickness part sucks, I had a sprained ankle and had to hobble the steps sans crutches for 2 weeks).  

What else is happening?  The CrossFit Games of course!!!  Nick is currently at the 70th position halfway through the Northeast sectionals, Papa "Master" Lobo is 21st in the world, and Greg (my brother from another mother) is in 76th.  What does this mean for me?  Well, all three athletes are still in the race.  But none of them are comfortable.   Which means I'm not comfortable. 

82 days til the big day!
The 2009 Games were a huge inspiration to me.  I consider that my "bug" moment.  There are CFers that have the bug and those that do not.  Unfortunately, I have not been as dedicated to the sport of CF these last few weeks, but I look forward to my upcoming spring break and the end of the semester this May as my time to shine in the gym.  Even only attending classes 2 or 3 times a week my pull ups, double unders, and gymnastics work have all improved.  I know May and June will refine my skills and turn me into a lean and strong CrossFit Bride.