Time to Deflate My Head

WOW! All I can say is wow. The past few days have been a whirlwind of excitement. If you have a chance, please check out the links at the end of this blog… they are crazy exciting!

Lumberjack World Championships

Displaying my fantastic sponsor "Duluth Trading Company" on my rear end before my boom final.

Showing a bit of intensity during my boom run final.

Let’s start with the good news: I am the 2009 Boom Run WORLD CHAMPION! I had two of my best runs ever at the finals show on Sunday and could not be more excited about my win. In other exciting boom run news, Nate had two fantastic runs as well and missed making finals by just a few hundredths of a second. Even more ironic? He jumped over the laser beam after one of his runs. Now who on earth would ever do a dumb thing like that?! Luckily they were nice enough to use the hand time.

Log rolling was less of a success story. I made it to the semi-finals with no falls. Katie Hoeschler and I had one of my most exciting matches I’ve ever rolled. ALL of our falls happened on the tiny #4 log, and it went like so: fall for Katie, fall for Shana, fall for Katie, fall for Shana, and finally… fall for Katie. I would like to say I wasn’t “on my game” that day, but honestly, Katie just really had her stuff together and rolled AMAZINGLY well. She is well deserving of her world championship title.

The rest of the amazing LWC weekend was filled with good times and great friends as always. Our hotel room at the Comfort Suites was cram-packed with Lumberjacks and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Okay, I may have been able to do without Tyler’s weird hockey friends, but other than that, I was happy to be with everybody. Here is some bullet point blogging to cover the weekend’s highlights:

Just a few of the many lumberjacks in our room.

• Knocking Katie off of the go cart track on Thursday night.
• Having Garrick and Gretchen represent Madison for the amateurs all weekend long. • The beautiful “50 Years of Lumberjack World Championships” book that I got to have a nice quote in. Unfortunately, the photos were slightly less flattering. :)
• Nate’s parents making it out to the competition.
• Deciding to be healthy and not ordering anything at Coops, then taking a “few bites” of Katie’s dinner.
• Nate and Thomas galloping around the restaurant piggy back.
• Getting DQed in the axe throw because I learned how to throw upside down in New Zealand. Then owing Jamie 130 push-ups for losing our bet.
• Jamie’s extra long shower and phone call with Jill.
• Olivia’s contribution to the “dinner for two” at Famous Dave’s.
• Spit Wad fights at Famous Dave’s.
• The same spit wad fights leading to Thomas wetting his pants and taking them off in the middle of the restaurant.
• Thomas giving a dollar bill to the drunk 50 year old lady trying to dance on the pole.
• Sitting on the dock looking over Lake Hayward.
• Reenacting our previous world championship matches with Jenny while actually rolling for 5th and 6th. Then asking the judges to pull our wheelchairs up to the dock.
• Watching Katie Hoeschler win her first (and well deserved) world championship title.
• Watching JR Salzman win his first world championship title since his injury in Iraq.
• Watching Tyler blow it in the boom run finals because he got drunk on Friday night.
• Darren exclaiming, “Opps, I fell.” And “I’m the belly flop champion of the WORLD!!!” after his failed boom run final.
• Getting the entire gang together for dinner at Old Hayward Saturday night.
• Darren’s one arm push-ups holding Ritchie, and then saying, “I’m really glad I didn’t land on him.”
• Trampolining, handstand, and back handspring contests at Brian’s.
• Darren wearing the wig as “Helga, the Olympic Gymnast.”
• The Duffy family dance to “Rollin’” and “Baby Got Back”.
• Flip cup with 16 drunken lumberjacks.
• And last but not least… seeing way too many white lumberjack butts on the boom run. …oh yes we did.

Today’s Media Frenzy:

Today I awoke to the news that my name made it to number one at “Google Trends”. I was also pointed in the direction of this article.
with one of the most flattering quotes I’ve heard, "From her bio at her site, and news from her escapades, Shana just may be living proof that beauty, toughness and fitness can go hand in hand." - Phil Butler
Thank you so much Phil.

And the coolest thing of all? I was on the FRONT PAGE of msn.com promoting my feature with Andrew Zimmern with the caption “Angel of Lumberjacks.” How freaking cool is that?!
From all of this I’ve gotten hundreds of touching e-mails and facebook messages. If you were one of the many who wrote, give me a few days, but I will respond.

Now I need to get to bed and focus on my long day of work ahead of me tomorrow. I think it will take a few days to digest all of this excitement. And then… last competition of the season in Grand Marais, Minnesota!!! Dave and Shana are going to kill everybody in the Jack and Jill saw… look out!

More news articles:
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/07/28/2009-07-28_shana_martin_lumberjack_world_championships_competitor_is_also_a_tireless_crusad.html

http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/4898/2/

Famous Dave’s? Yes Please!

But before you read on, check out the “Appetite For Life” episode I filmed with the Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern. Pretty fun eh?

Yet ANOTHER fun lumberjack weekend has come and gone.
This past weekend I flew up (literally, I took a one way flight because I’m sick of that drive) to the twin cities for some redneck Minnesota fun. Friday evening we had a lovely bonfire complete with cheap beer, and discussion of how to cut up a deer. Yum. Luckily the company was fantastic, and now I have more fuel added to my “make fun of Minnesota” fire.

Saturday I was able to hook up with the amazing trainer Leigh Crews and sit in on her Group Suspension Training Course in Burnsville, MN. She is a fantastic teacher, and my excitement about Fitness Anywhere and teaching others about Suspension Training keeps growing! If you are a personal trainer, physical therapist, or coach looking to become a certified TRX trainer, sign up for my full day Suspension Training Course in Madison on August 8th!

Sunday I rode over to Hayward, Wisconsin (whew, finally back to civilization) with the Berards. They must have gotten the memo from my dad that all I do during car trips is sleep because they had a nice bed already made up for me in the back seat! Thanks guys!

The first (and hopefully annual) Namekagon River Roll Off was a huge success! Many rollers from all over showed up to practice their rolling and booming skills one last time before the world championships. Despite being a bit sore from my TRX training the previous day, I still managed to get a second place finish on the boom run (with another classic dive for the dock that resulted in a bloody elbow and hyper extended knee) and first place in log rolling! The best part of all of it? I won dinner for two at Famous Dave’s! That prize totally trumps any prize money we could have received. :)

A few busy days of work, then I am headed back up to Hayward for the Lumberjack World Championships. Wish me luck!

She’s Baaaaaaack…

I’d like to begin with a quote from my blog exactly one year ago today,

“It’s 2am in Las Vegas. No, I wasn’t out partying all night; I just got back from the ER. I’m out here competing at the Women’s Tri Fitness competition, which was supposed to be a “fun event” between log rolling tournaments. On the obstacle course I had a bad landing and finished off my ACL. Reminiscent of my Fitness America Competition a few years back, I went to the ER. Let me tell you… the ER in Vegas on a Friday night is a scary place. After a short four hour wait, I got my familiar leg brace and crutches.
Now I’m sitting in my hotel room drowning my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I had the GREATEST fitness routine that I was so excited to compete with this Summer and Fall season. I’ve been log rolling and boom running better than ever before this summer. Now it’s all over. This is the most important time of year for me, and now I get to sit on my ass. I don’t think even Ben and Jerry can help this awful feeling…”

One year later I felt the need to return to this same Fitness Competition. Not necessarily to win, but to prove to myself that I am NOT too old for this and that I will NEVER give up.
I don’t think I could have had a more different weekend this time around. First of all, I was far from alone. My dear friends Lisa, Kjersti, Melissa, Josi, and Shayna all accompianed me on this adventure. Also, two new dear friends whom I have been training with Colleen and Nora, met me in Vegas. On top of that, this year I finally felt part of the “Tri Fitness Family” seeing many inspirational familiar faces.

With minimal dieting and training, I was able to survive the bikini round and finish the obstacle course with an okay (but not superb) time. I slowed down at the hurdles (where I tore my ACL last year) but would much rather have a slower time than end up back in the ER!
After hardly practicing due to the fact my knee is not yet fond of tumbling, I practically nailed my fitness routine. I was stoked. I followed that with a new PR on box jumps AND bench press.

The icing on the cake? Making the podium many times:
Age Group Winner for bikini and routines
2nd place overall for routine (2nd to Katie Uter… what an honor!)
7th overall bikini
7th overall Tri-Fitness

These finishes were out of 150 of the most beautiful and fit women in the world. To say I am thrilled is an understatement.

Now that I know my body can handle fitness competitions again, here is the rest of my schedule for the season:
August 21st: Fitness America Kumite Classic, Pittsburgh, PA
October 3rd: Fitness America California, Hermosa Beach, CA
October 10th: Fitness America Midwest, Chicago, IL

Nora, Shana, and Colleen finally get to enjoy some dessert after competition!

Other highlights from my amazing weekend (back to bullet point blogging… gotta love it!):
• The party habits of my crazy roomies. Always good for a laugh!
• The same roomies coming to ALL of my events to cheer me on despite their hangovers. Especially Kjersti for sitting in the Vegas heat for four hours to watch the Obstacle course!
• Finally seeing the love of my life, Criss Angel, in person. Yes, the show was terrible, BUT, I still got to see Criss.
• Working out at my TRX friend Arthur’s BEAUTIFUL gym in Vegas.
• Me forgetting EVERYTHING and having my ass saved by Linda and Colleen more than once.
• Chatting it up with Lance Burton’s manager- and getting second row seats for the show!
• Lance Burton’s Magic…. simply amazing.
• Rio Seafood Buffet after competition with the crew.
• Crab legs at the Rio Seafood Buffet.
• Gelato at the Rio Seafood Buffet.
• Carrot Cake at the Rio Seafood Buffet
• People watching on the Strip with Nate.
• The Mote Carlo Buffet after awards.
• Crab legs at the Monte Carlo Buffet.
• Chocolate Mousse at the Monte Carlo Buffet.
• Cheesecake at the Monte Carlo Buffet.
• Chocolate Ice Cream at the Monte Carlo Buffet.

Brandy and Shana trying to get sympathy for our newly repaired knees

Just like log rolling, the number one highlight of each and every fitness event I go to are the friends I share my experience with. This year I was surrounded by the love of the Tri-Fitness girls, especially my new dear friends Colleen, Nora, and Linda. Remember when you were a kid and you would get so excited about making a new friend? I made three incredibly close ones, and I have that same giddy excited feeling! It was also so special to share this event with Brandy Goddard. We both tore our ACLs within 5 minutes of each other during last year’s obstacle course. After supporting each other through surgeries and rehab this past year, it was unbelievable to stand next to her (okay, okay, below her) on the podium for the overall Tri-Fitness. I cannot wait to share the rest of this fitness season with all of these amazing women.