AMSUS 31 Oct - 2 Nov in Phoenix AZ

Spent a few days in Phoenix at the Association Medical Surgeons - United States, at their 116th Annual Meeting. Why was I there?





Biomedical Science Corps Individual Mobilization Augmentee 2009

Meritorious Service Medal

3 Dec 2006 - 7 Feb 2010
This includes the deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq (Operation IRAQI FREEDOM), my contribution to my flight at Nellis (at the 99th MDG) being named the 2009 Air Combat Command Nutritonal Medicine Team of the Year, the manning assist to the 779th MSS (Andrews AFB), and being recognized as the 2009 AF Medical Service Biomedical Sciences Corps Mobilization Augmetee Officer of the Year
(more on that after the AMSUS meeting next month).

This Fight Went Very Bad.....

I started out strong, on target in the first round. But the wall was HOT, and the medicine ball was HOT (burning fingers even), and despite good fluid intake all morning I think I was dehydrated.




In the second round I was dizzy and knew something was wrong. My first DNF. So embarressed. So dissapointed with myself.



I cooled down under the tent with water & ice. Then went back about 45 min later but this time at half-pace.



Kept to my plan for taking it easy (maybe too easy?) and only scored 188 . But I finished!



I did this in support of our military, active & reserve, retired & veterans, healthy & wounded, and in honor of those no longer with us. Too many are affected by this war on terror. I hope we can finish the job and get the rest of our troops HOME!

Thank you again to all who supported me, inspired me, and pushed me. I LOVE YOU.

My CrossFit Athlete's Profile

Aug 18th was the 1 year anniversary of my first WOD at CrossFit Las Vegas. I finally submitted my athlete's profile.

First and Last Name
Holly "kona" Brewer
Where ya from originally?
Santa Monica, CA (then San Diego & Salt Lake City)
How long have you been with CrossFit Las Vegas?
My first Elements was Aug 18th (just saw that on my calendar and decided it meant it was time for me to fill out this profile).
What's your favorite WOD?
Fight Gone Bad (cause I've been able to see the improvements and I love doing different exercises). Any chipper WOD. And box jumps (it's a love/hate relationship right now).
What's your least favorite WOD?
Right now Kettlebells are making me cry. And I won't go back to the rings (cause of my shoulder).

What were you doing before CrossFit? How did you hear about CrossFit and/or CrossFit Las Vegas?
TV nerd and bookworm in school. Started swimming in high school and while not athletic (ie. I was the often the slowest), I was stubborn (still am) and had a decent stroke so I got to stay on the team. I was good at pacing in the distance events. Swam in college & even played a little water polo. After that jogged a bit, then got certified to teach aerobics for about 10 years.

Found CrossFit while in Balad, Iraq - wanted to lose weight and P90X looked silly (can't exercise to a video when the guy looks like the host of Survivor; and I hate repetition, seeing people doing exercises improperly in the class watching the video, and it seemed so boring). I think my first class was Filthy Fifty (I only did 30 of each and even that was too much - I was limping ALL week, my calves were killing me, probably from jumping pullups and box jumps). Did the class 3-4 x week for two months and at the end redid the 50 (this time the whole thing. I have my time and equipment used written down some where. Just remember that my time was comparable to the 30 as far as pacing but I was stronger (i.e. higher box, used band for the pull-up, heavier weight, etc). Lost about 5# on the scale but probably gained muscle. I looked and felt great! Wore a two piece bathing suit for the first time in years.

When I got home I tried to keep going using the main website for workouts. But the place I went was missing some key equipment and it wasn't the same (though I got compliments on my lifting when doing Bear Complex). Internet search "cross fit las vegas" and you know what comes up first. Only 4 miles away, Kismet! First evaluation and then Elements started. I was in heaven!

Give us some insight as to your thoughts after your first workout at CrossFit Las Vegas.
Loved it, of course. Shorter than the WODs we were doing in Balad, but here I was getting good instruction for proper lifting (I knew I had some bad habits or lack of knowledge cause in Balad there wasn't any training for beginners).

Tell us a little about then vs. now with regard to your performances on a couple of the benchmark WODs, ie Fran or Cindy.
I keep surprising myself. Beginning of the year I set a couple of goals (10 pull-ups, 20 burpees without getting dizzy) and now I have to find new ones. Funny thing is some times I'm jumping up and down all excited when I do a PR, other times I'm just quiet and smiling to myself. Then there are the times I freak out at what I've been able to accomplish (climbed halfway up the rope last week and got a little scared when I looked down).

I'd love to see more opportunities to compare or measure progress, like offering one benchmark per week. My favorites are still chippers. "12 Lifts of Christmas" was so much fun. I think next Sunday open gym I want to do Filthy Fifty just to see how I compare to the end of last summer.

Do you have any special or favorite CrossFit Las Vegas memories/moments?
1. First time I did 5 pull-ups in a row; and then again when I did 10 (it was sort of a surprise to me - I'd been working on them after the WODs and when I did it, believe it or not I didn't jump up and down, I just quietly walked up to Zach and smiled).
2. Passing Tier 2.
3. Meeting so many new & awesome people.
4. The most recent FGB when I improved my score by 30.
5. Doing 30 double-unders in a row (again, surprised myself).
6. Shooting in the desert.

What advice would you give to a newbie or someone just joining CrossFit Las Vegas?
You don't have to "be in shape" or "young" to do this. We don't bite, kick, or snicker about what you are wearing. OMG this place is so *non*judgemental compared to globo gyms. Trust me, I used to teach aerobic, step & cross training classes. This is the only place where other people are working out WITH you, not you working out with other people around you. So cool how supportive everyone is and love how we socialize before & after classes.
You don't get that at most globo gyms.

This is about improving yourself. This is about your own self-esteem. This about listening to your own body and watching some amazing things change. The only competition with within yourself. Embrace the challenge and love the results.

And finally (and most importantly) Who is the best and most incredible coach at CrossFit Las Vegas? Explain/defend your answer.
Zach is precise, but my hip is still mad at those GHD back extensions/wall balls you set for me that Sunday.
Vili knows me so well now (all those early mornings together).
Mike is precise in his cues to get me back in proper alignment.
Lauren is so supportive and really does have the best warm-ups/stretches. Nice to see we're getting more of the stretching after class.
And then there is Joe, damn I enjoy the sarcasm, really, I do!

But what I love the most is that little push. Yeah, I know I'm tired and when the muscles fail I don't want to do the lift improperly, so I have to stop for a sec, but then you guys yell "get moving kona" or tell me "you have 30 sec" and I find the strength to pick it back up again. Thank you all!

Please pick out a cool picture :)

Burpees at 38,000 ft

CrossFit702 is doing the "100 days of Burpees" challenge. No rest during vacation. But I decided to try something unique.



Thank you to the flight attendants on American Airlines flight 1372 for allowing me to block the aisle for a minute, and taping it for me.

Reconnecting with Family

Lots of people are pissed about the privacy stuff going on around Facebook these days. I say "take the time to reset/check your settings, be careful what you post about yourself, pick your friends carefully, and use the place wisely". Because right now I believe the benefits outway the risks.

I haven't seen my half-sister in over 10 years. We didn't grow up together and her life has had lots of ups & downs (most of which I heard about third hand from our father). Recently we "found" eachother on Facebook. And this week, while in San Diego for a conference, we gathered together for a short visit. Our dad and his wife drove down from the LA area, and my mom joined us for dinner.



Jackie & I still don't have much in common (except some facial features and half of Dad's genes, including the one that doesn't show our true age) but as we all grow older we learn to value the benefit of family ties. I hope it's not 10 more years before we see each other again.

Catching Up With An Old Friend

Some time in the late 1980's I was doing temp work as a receptionist in family planning at a San Diego cemetery. One day a dozen roses were sent to me. Had to do a little detective work to find out they came from a young man from a Hillcrest mortuary. Later that week we went out, stayed up all night talking, and started a 5 year friendship.

In 1992 I left San Diego for my dietetic internship in Salt Lake City and our paths never passed again.

Until this past December when he looked me up on Facebook. Six months later we finally reconnected in person, and I could introduce him to my husband (and vice versa).

Gregg, me & Ray

Yay for renewed friendships!

Welcome to the 301st Fighter Wing and Medical Squadron

Introduced to the mission of the unit. Then to my squadron. The largest medical reserve unit in the USAF - providing support to the entire base and maintaining readiness to deploy anywhere in the world.

Many folks from here were in Balad with me last year! So great to see so many familiar faces. Some of them are going back this fall.

Here is my team:


We're building the Nutritional Medicine Element almost from scratch, I'm the first dietitian they've had in the unit. I volunteered to be alternate unit fitness monitor as well (there were a few folks impressed with my push-ups). Next time I'll talk with the squadron vice commander about additional duties in the administrative side (next time I deploy I want to be in the command hallway, not the kitchen - and transfering to a unit is how I can get the experience to do this).

Yes, That is a Mimosa

Jogged to Bongo Ben's for breakfast in town (4 1/2 miles in 50 min), spent some time at the pool with Ray, enjoyed the afternoon on the Lanai with the grown-ups.

Last Night in Kauai

Ray gave me a exquisite Ni'ihau shell necklace. So delicate and colorful.













On to Kona tomorrow!

Waimea Canyon

Beautiful drive southwest and then inland up to 4000 ft at the top. Amazing foliage - you'd never know you were still in Hawaii. Breezy and misty at the top.

More pictures on the flickr start HERE.

Kauai Safari Adventure

Kayaking, Hiking and Zipline, OH MY!



What a way to combine different activities into the day. Started with a drive to the harbor and lessons in paddling a kayak. Person in front paddles, person in back steers. Guess who was the boss. Apparently my paddling turns the boat to the right, but I say it was his oversteering. We still survived the 2 mile journey upriver (past the Menehune Fish Pond and the Indiana Jones rope swing from yesterday). Then we started the hike to another pond & rope swing (great video HERE and HERE).

Onward up to the valley for a ride to the "test your fear of heights" foot bridge and then the first zipline.

After lunch and the second zipline (side-by-side) we hiked back to the river for the ride back to the harbor and the end of a long adventure. Time to relax & enjoy the sunset.



Pictures and videos on the flickr, start HERE.

ATV Adventure

Some pictures from our muddy trip.



Jumping into the water on the rope swing used by Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark when he escaped the natives to the plane in the river.

More pictures on flickr.

Wish You Were Here

The view from the lanai.

Retiree Appreciation Day - Nutrition Table

Joint Base Andrews honors local military retirees today. This morning the 779th Med Group provided health screens and information. Nutritional Medicine Flight was well represented. During the two hours our team spoke with many folks and answered lots of nutrition questions. People really like the food models and visual cues for fat & sugar in foods, and how triglycerides thicken the blood.


Thank you team for helping out on your day off. Don't they all look sharp in their service dress? Yes they do. Go USAF Blue!



{yes, I know I'm short}

Fighter Pilot for a Day

Since coming to Las Vegas I have attend many JDRF Galas. It's an annual fund raiser that features silent auction items (we got our Double Diamond slot machine the first year). In 2008 while Ray was in Afghanistan I bid/won a ride for him at Air Combat USA.



This weekend he finally got up to North Las Vegas airport to take his ride. I went with as the designated driver (in case he got sick). Due to his opponent being a no-show, I was offered the other seat at half-price. Can't pass up that opportunity!



Our instructors were seated next to us, watching all the dials and ready to take the yoke should someone start to spin (Ray) or get sick (me, twice). Five dogfights, final score 3-2 (me).



Flying back over North Las Vegas

Enjoyed the Fall with a Hike at Mt Charleston

Our friend Jill, Ray & Me at the start of the hike.

More pictures are on Ray's Flickr and mine.