Yesterday I took a leap of faith–I did a big Hero workout.But it was for a great cause–to support the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighting team who tragically lost their lives on June 30, 2013 while fighting a fire in Yarnell, AZ. Honestly, working out in their honor was the least I could do. I was worried, though. It had a lot of running and a lot of rounds–and running isn’t my favourite nor my forte. So I talked with my pal Debbie in advance we thought we would try to do it as partners. When we got there, there were so many people participating that everyone was partnered up, so it all worked out!

Here is what the prescribed WOD was:

6 ROUNDS of

30 air squats

19 push press (at 95lb for women)(I did 55lbs)

7 “strict” pull-ups (I did box jump pull ups, cause that’s my level)

400 meter run (I did 200m)

Our box decided to do 10 rounds, with partners splitting the work. Since Debbie is having back issues and I am having strange issues with my lower back when it squats a lot, we split that work. We did 5 rounds of pull-ups each and ran together. I might add that the sun was hot as hell and at about round 6 I was struggling with the running because the sun was affecting me so badly. But I kept going, whether it was half running, half walking. By the end, even the hardkore people were walking, so I didn’t feel bad!

Here were some firsts: there happened to be ice melting on pavement. I dunked a ton of ice down my bra to keep me cool. I also had ice water dumped on me. I think this was the best idea and I might bring ice with me to hot workouts. I loved having the ice down my bra. It gave me an extra boost to help me get to the end.

I am really proud to be part of a community like this, where we support each other, those who are down, and the fallen. It pushes me when I falter. If these firemen could be brave in the face of danger, I can suffer for 45 minutes in their honor.