Our day started bright and early because the Nombomb clan was excited to root for our favorite athletes on the first day of the 2012 CrossFit Games.
Although we were up by 7, we didn’t arrive at Home Depot Center (HDC) until close to noon. Why the delay? Well, food takes precedence over everything in my world, and I needed to pack some Paleo-friendly fare (roast beef, veggies, guacamole, nuts, beef jerky, dried fruit, applesauce, and water) for our day at the Games.
And then, of course, we had to chow down on a big, hearty breakfast. I wanted to makes sure no one – especially me – would be hangry and cranky in the afternoon.
I did my due diligence on Yelp and Chowhound and decided that we were going to break our fast at Eat At Rudy’s in downtown Torrance.
The Double-Os split an order of two scrambled eggs, bacon, and cubed watermelon.
My hubby and I split the chorizo scramble with added avocado….
…and an avocado-topped three-egg omelet stuffed with seasoned ground beef, spinach, and mushrooms.
When in doubt about eating out Paleo, go chow at a breakfast joint because you can always fill up on eggs and breakfast meats.
By the time we arrived at HDC, the parking lot was crammed with cars to the outer perimeter. Fantastic.
As we inched our way to the stadium, I couldn’t help noticing all of the Paleo-friendly food stands available at the venue. Last year, Fitbomb spied a lonely Cinnabon vendor trying unsuccessfully to hawk sugary gluten bombs to the fans, along with a couple of food trucks (including one from In-N-Out). This year, there were long lines at every stand except for the one where a lady was selling ice cream, soda, and peanuts.
I’m pretty sure I won’t need to lug a ton of food with me to the HDC tomorrow.
After moseying around the vendor area…
…and saying hello to our pals at Steve’s Originals…
…we made our way to the track and field area where the med-ball toss and track triplet were already underway. We got to see some of my favorite female CrossFit Games athletes like Kristan Clever, Julie Foucher, Annie Sakamoto, and Jenny Labaw…
…and on the men’s side, the crowd was treated to a photo finish between Graham Holmberg and Chris Spealler.
It was amazing to get to watch these athletes compete.
While we whooped and hollered under the hot sun, I assembled lettuce tacos filled with roast beef, guacamole, and grape tomatoes and shoved them in everyone’s mouths.
It was great watching the events with our boys because many of the athletes demonstrated relentless persistence, a trait we stress more than any other with our kids. I pointed out to the Double-Os that even though Jenny Labaw struggled to bust out her bar muscle-ups, she continued to gut it out even after the other competitors had finished.
That’s why I’m such a big fan of hers.
The Double-Os enjoyed the Games – for about an hour – and then the unrelenting heat and humidity made them melt.
We left the track and cooled down a bit in the shade of a tent…
…and then made one last detour through the vendor village. My hubby and I picked up a pair of his-‘n-hers new RX Jump Ropes (which came highly recommended by George)…
…and Big-O hurled a sandbell like an angry monkey chucking his scat.
[Photo: Bill Staley]
One last photo op with our Paleo blogger pals later…
…we headed out. After returning to our hotel, we dunked the sweaty boys in a sudsy tub before grabbing dinner at Fanoos Grill.
The little guys split a koobideh platter…
…and my hubby and I split the combo grill for two. From the photos on Yelp, I knew that the grilled meats are plated on fresh lavosh and accompanied by a mountain of saffron-flavored basamati rice. I didn’t want either, so I just ordered a pile o’meat and undressed salad.
I love Persian food and this casual joint is a winner in my book.
Once our bellies were full, I dropped Fitbomb back at HDC to watch the evening individual events.
While my hubby busied himself snapping photos, the Double-Os and I headed back to our hotel for some R&R. (You can check out more of Fitbomb’s pics here.) We can’t wait to return tomorrow!
