About Heather C
Heather moved back to Sudbury about 2 years ago when she graduated from Quinnipiac University. She lives with her parents, sister, and brother. She has a Bernese Mountain dog who is 11 years old and a boyfriend who still lives in Connecticut, so I am frequently driving back there. I started CrossFit about 5 years ago when I was in college and is now kicking it with the crew at Dabyreak. She’s a 5:30pm girl but sometimes you can find her at the morning classes when her schedule gets crazy.
1- What keeps you coming back to CrossFit each day?
I think the biggest thing that keeps me coming back to CrossFit each day is the coaching. I love being able to come to the gym and not have to think about what to do. I also love getting to see my friends and just destress from the day.
2- We know you’re studying to be a nurse practitioner. What specialty are you thinking of going into? What’s your biggest motivation?
I recently decided that I am going to specialize in pediatrics. I love children and I want to work in a pediatricians office when I am done with school. I think my biggest motivation is having the ability to help others and make a difference in their lives.
3- Tell us about your summer plans.
Well unfortunately I am still in classes for the month of July so I don’t have many fun plans. In the month of August I am going to spend some time up at Lake Winnipesaukee and I am going to a country concert.
4- What is your favorite new song of the summer?
I am a huge country music fan so I pretty much like anything country. Right now I am really into Luke Combs music and one of my favorite songs of his is beer never broke my heart.
5- What’s your spirit animal (an animal that represents you)?
I really had no idea so I took a quiz online. My results said my spirit animal is a black bear. I guess that could mean I am attentive to others as well as playful.
About Amanda M
1. Tell us about yourself outside of Daybreak Crossfit North.
At home, I’m a mom to my 2 year old daughter, Elyse, with daughter number two arriving soon. After Elyse was born, I decided not to return to my corporate job right away, and instead focus on our growing family.
My husband, Nolan, and I met when we were both working at the Staples office in 2011 and have been married for almost 4 years. From what I remember, we used to enjoy traveling, going to concerts, golfing and eating at nice restaurants, but as of recently my bedtime isn’t much later than our toddler’s. I am looking forward to doing those things again once baby #2 arrives.
2. Tell us about your CrossFit journey so far, what have you learned about yourself, and what keeps you coming back?
In college I ran track and xc competitively followed by years of half marathons, marathons, and century cycling training. It wasn’t until a friend who used to see me running all the time and in the gym cranking out thousands of reps with the smallest weights possible, “to get toned,” changed my life by inviting me to bring a friend day at CF Cladagh on July 6, 2015. After that first class I fell in love, instantly wanted to get stronger, and dropped all of the silly ideas that lifting heavy would make me bulky (as if that were a bad thing).
I’m a competitive person who likes to find my maximum thresholds in all aspects of life, so pushing myself to the limit through cf has been an amazing experience, and it has allowed me to build strength I never thought possible. One of my proudest cf moments came last summer at my first individual Rx comp, hitting a PR 1rm snatch, while through blaring music, distinctly hearing my 15 month old screaming “go mommy”. That day I completed 6 workouts (Diane was #6…wowza), it was the hardest I had competed since racing in college, and taking 3rd place for women overall was an incredible feeling that came through testing my limits in the best way possible.
Over the past few years I’ve learned that cf is not just something you do for an hour a day, it’s preparation for larger things both physical and especially mental. It has gotten me through incredibly stressful times, the birth of our first child, and has become my outlet in many ways. A huge part of what keeps me coming back to Daybreak CF North is the community that encourages one another to push past our comfort zone and be better in every way possible (team spaz), the amazing coaches, and my competitive need to chase PRs in booty shorts.
3. Tell us something that would surprise us to hear you’ve done.
Something I think would surprise people to hear that I’ve done, based on my fear at the top of a bar muscle up, would be skydiving.
4. What’s one of your guilty pleasures?
In general I’m pretty dialed in with my macros, but every once in a while jalapeno pizza….and I’m saying an entire jalapeno pizza is eaten. Speaking from experience, post-CrossFit competition jalapeno pizza tastes the best.