Dear Crossfit ...

Dear Crossfit, I get that not every day (in fact most days) is going to be a PR and I am not the fastest and strongest in my class  BUT I really really want one day where I leave the box feeling accomplished and good about my workout.  I haven't felt that in a couple weeks now and its starting to hurt my feelings.  A girl needs reassurance every once and while you know??  While I feel like you are emotionally abusing me right now, I think we can still salvage the relationship.  Let's work it out on Saturday morning. xoxo Jennifer

WOD
Max Broad Jump

50 Strict pullups*
*At the top of every minute, do 10 wallball shots
12 Minute time-cap

RESULTS

jump: 72 inches

42 pull-ups (green band, first 7 pu blue band), 12# ball, boy line  

(I thought I had only gotten 38 PUs but realize I was counted down not up)

ANALYSIS

Broad jump was fun and I was very happy to get 6 feet!!  For my short little legs thats just awesome.  I have never done the broad jump in a measured capacity before ... good fun.  Of course the daddy long legs in our group were jumping two lengths of my body. SUPER impressive.

The WOD is getting in my brain and its fucking up my performance.  After the first round, every 6 or so wall ball, it would skim the wall and I would have to stop. Ridiculous and frustrating. And I had every intention of staying on that blue band as long as I could, and actually I could have gone longer but something in my brain just says stop and downgrade.  I took two one minute breaks during this WOD - thems the rules! - and almost finished in the 12 min cap.  I know we aren't supposed to compare ourselves to other athletes but it gets SO discouraging when I see people that started after me going faster than me!  I need to figure out how to channel that into motivation because right now it just pisses me off and then I get ... frustrated.  Shocker.

BTW I know I need to change my attitude and I know I have come a long way and that I am working hard and I am strong ... but sometimes I just need a WOD where I feel like I really kicked ass.  I haven't felt that way in a while and am missing it.  So for now, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can .. :)

You know it's hard when the thruster is your rest!

WOD

Snatch
2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2

400m Farmer’s Carry (50lb/35lb)
Every 10m do 1 Thruster.

RESULTS

55-65-75 on out ...

25# 11:28 (I didn't look at my time, but Billie says this is where I fell out...)

ANALYSIS

I really wanted to use this snatch time to work on my form so I stayed at a comfortable 75 for 6 of the 8 lifts.  Still having problems opening my hips and getting under the bar and I am pretty sure I have moved into over-analyzing mode.  Sigh... the one thing I am confident that I do really well is stay active in the bottom of my squat - legs and shoulders. So there's that :)

Farmers Carry. So hard.  Its quite frustrating bc the muscles are working, but the hands/grip won't. I just couldn't hold on more than 1-1/2 or two rounds towards the end.  I wimped out and didn't do the burpees every time I dropped the weights - that would have added another 4mins or so to my time I think.  But its hard to opt in when things are optional - and maybe thats what divides me from the true competitors ;)

The day I made a teenage girl cry.

One of the things about running outside of the box thats tough is that all the people you are passing 1. don't know what kind of pain you have been in and/or are still in and 2.the tourists don't have sidewalk courtesy.  Well, yesterday, during the Farmers Carry Round 2 (living high in pain city btw) I ran into a gaggle of HS girls visiting from somewhere. I saw them laugh and NOT move out of the way for the person in front of me and then laugh and NOT move out of the way for me. And without thinking, I just screamed "Get out of the f*cking way!! Its not that hard for f*cks sake!"  Oye.  On my way back I saw the girl crying and her Mom instructing the group of 6 girls to move before I hurt them. Double OYE!  I did feel bad, but I have let that go. Maybe they have learned how to walk on sidewalks in the city? ;) LOL

WOD
Max Pullups.

“Get a Grip”
3 Rounds:
2 Rope Climbs
20 Hang Power Cleans 75/55
200m Farmers Carry
(50/30)

RESULTS

PUs: BB, 14

16:34 (Round 1: rx'd; Round 2 and 3: 15 pull-ups, 10# FC)

ANALYSIS

I was really nervous to do this RX'd. I don't feel 100% confident with my rope climbing abilities especially when maxing my grip out during the rest of the WOD.  The 35# farmers carry stripped me of that little bit of confidence. I had to stop FOUR TIMES on the first round to rest the weight and when I got on the bar for the pull-ups (which btw I should have stuck with rope climb - it would have been easier I think!!), I couldn't grip the bar. In fact, I got on the bar to do a pull-up and when I attempted to pull-up I fell off the bar.  Yeah.  So I downgraded to 10# weights for farmers carry with Andrew's blessing and zipped through the remaining round(s).  

The second piece to this, I had no heart in working out today - and it made a difference.  We found out Isis was in acute kidney failure that morning and with everything else going on last week, that news zapped all passion from my body. But I needed to get out of the house and focus on something else... I am proud of myself for being at the box and completing the work (at any level).  I am looking forward to a 4x/week week this week! :)

Elizabeth welcomes me into the weekend ...

WOD
Clean
3-3-3-3-3

“Elizabeth”
21-15-9:
Clean (135/95)
Ring Dips

RESULTS
Clean 95#

8:35 (55#, BB)

ANALYSIS
Totally jacking up my clean today.  I was doing a hybrid clean and snatch - pulling with my arms way too early and bouncing the weight in the wrong pocket. Frustrating.  But I don't look at 3x and 5x as max efforts - more like lots of lift practice at a comfortable weight.  

Also still scaling... only second WOD back.  The clean weight was fine; the ring dips got hard towards the end. I have definitely lost some muscle power :(  For the next month I should be back to my 4x/week schedule and I look forward to seeing old numbers by end of March.  I commented tonight, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could work real hard, take a long break, and then come back at the same level?!  Trying not to let it get me down... I am still doing hard work after all :)

Goal for March - get to the point where I can complete a bandless pull-up WOD (inspired by Ms. Edmonds!)

Watch out for that first step ... It's a doozy!

WOD
Strict Press
3-3-3-3-3

10-20-30-20-10:
Weighted Lunges (95/65)
Box Jumps (24″/20″)

RESULTS
Press 65#

9:25 (45#lunges, small box plus 45# weight)

ANALYSIS

First WOD back at full capacity in two weeks - I don't count last Saturday since I was basically hallucinating the entire time ;)  And I guess this wasn't full capacity weight-wise but definitely lung-wise.  I am glad I scaled it so much because I am sore (in the core of the butt!!) today but not immobile.  I am also feeling really weak in regards to weight lifting.  I recognize its been about a month with only sporadic lifts but still a disappointment. I am looking forward to getting back on my weekly schedule.

Missed Posting...

WOD
Jerk
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

60/50/40/30/20/10 second intervals of:
Jumping Pullups
Air Squats
Rest

RESULTS
Split jerk 110#  

245 reps (maybe a few more, maybe a few less but around there)

ANALYSIS

First WOD after being out sick for a week. Majorly scaled, couldn't breathe or lift really at all and left me super light headed.  Probably should have held off on working out last weekend ;)

Deep burn, feel so good.

NOT! Ok, it does feel good afterwards but during DAMN. My quads were/are burning. Also, it's really hard to drive a stick shift after a weighted, high rep squat WOD. LOL

WOD
Strict Press
5-5-5-5-5
Then...

3 minutes max Squats at 225/135
3 minutes Rest
2 minutes max squats at 135/95
2 minutes rest
1 minute max squats at 65/45
1 minute rest
30 seconds max air squats

RESULTS

45-55-65 (F@5)-65 (f@5)

#115: 26 reps

#65: 38

#45: 26

Air squats: 24

ANALYSIS

The strict press is the most frustrating lift...  I feel weak and all I want to do is dip and drive!  In any case, I could have gotten that 5th rep up but both times I used my rebound bounce (wisely) to get each rep up and then paused at the bottom before my 5th rep.  The pause is killer.  Not sure why I did that twice, since I saw the affect after the first set of 65. Oh well.

Squats were hard but fun. The first 10 of each set were easy and then all of a sudden the reps became stickyyyyy.  My quads are still burning - whether straight or bent.  Tomorrow should be awesome.  I love squats.