Some (Knee) Highs and Some Lows

I'll keep this brief. Today for strength we did deadlifts (5-3-1+). The first five reps were to be at 75% of your one rep max; the set of three was to be at 87.5%; and the one-plus was to be your one rep max plus any additional reps. My numbers looked like this: 82.5 - 96 - 110.

Now, I did not do additional reps of my one rep max. Instead, I climbed the weight up slightly. I did an additional rep at 111 and then another rep at 113, which I was pretty pleased with. Yay for personal records. It must have been my new knee highs.

After the strength workout we then moved on to probably my least favorite named workout of all time: Angie. (For a rundown of my last experience with Angie please go here: An Ode to Angie).

Now there may be some psycho-- I mean, really cool people that enjoy Angie's company through 100 pull ups, push ups, sit ups and squats; however, I am not one of them. My dislike for Angie is based on the fact that my hands have a tendency to explode whenever she's around, which did happen today when I was halfway through my pull ups.

However, since I am too stubborn to quit, I kept going; I finished the pull ups, moved on to the push ups, struggled through those and then went through the rest of the WOD relatively quickly. All in all, I finished in 26 (something), which was a heck of a lot better than what I did it in last time (32-something). I'm just guessing that Angie laid off just a little because of my socks...

I still don't like her though.

"You can cry, but you can't quit..."

Monday, was awful. Although I wasn't necessarily that sore on Monday, I was definitely still feeling the effects of the three WOD competition on Saturday - that and I suck at all three of the movements scheduled for Monday: OH squats, pull ups and push ups.

The workout looked a little like this:

Strength: "Power Snatch"
1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1

30 - 35 - 40 - 41.6 - 42.6 PR

Not that my snatch PR was all that significant (my old PR was 42), but I do think that it affected me just a bit when it came to the WOD.

WOD: The Trifecta of Evilness

21 -15 - 9 of:

• OH Squats (35 kg)
• pull ups
• clapping push ups

Now, I'm not really sure what the hell I was thinking but for some reason I decided to do the weight prescribed. And during the first portion of the workout I felt okay about it. I completed eleven reps right out of the gate; however, as soon as I went to snatch the bar back up to complete the remaining ten, I knew that I was in for a long one.

Long story short, (and this is a hey-uge understatement) I struggled through the rest of the workout, so much so that I was nearly crying by the end of the WOD. Both the boyfriend and Jennie told me it was painful to watch: It was painful to live through too. What was good about the experience is, that despite the fact that I hated my entire being through the majority of the workout and I was on the verge of tears throughout my last nine OH Squats, I pushed through the suck and finished the damn thing. Because it's just as Bill told me once: "You can cry, but you can't quit."

Taking the Crazy Train to So. Dak.*

Although it has been awhile since this past weekend, I think it is still necessary for me to comment on my little field trip to CrossFit Sioux Falls. Last Wednesday, my brother, sister-in-law and I hit I-90 for about seven fun-filled hours to make it home for the holiday weekend. Thanksgiving went well and on Friday I headed out to participate in the Black Friday activities; however, before then, I made my way over to CrossFit Sioux Falls for a quick WOD.

When I arrived, I was greeted by one of the owners, Chris. He let me in on what we were doing that day, told me that one of their CrossFitters was actually visiting the Fort (awesome - exchange program), and then let me be to complete the warm up, which consisted of three rounds of box jumps, kettlebell swings, and walking lunges.

After completing the warm up, all of us congregated around the white board to conquer the following beast:

Trevor

In teams of four complete the following, for time:

• 300 pull ups
• 400 push ups
• 500 sit ups
• 600 squats

*Only two people may work at a time.

I was lucky enough to be paired up with three awesome ladies (Jeri, Becky and Sarah). Jeri and Sarah set themselves up on a band on one side of the jungle-gym contraption (seriously... it was kind of weird as I could feel the entire thing moving beneath me as I was kipping) that was in the middle of the floor and Becky and I set up on other. We were given the 3-2-1-Go! and away we went.

I was particularly pleased with my pull up portion of the WOD. I cranked out twenty pull ups my first time out (heck yeah!) and then Becky and I proceeded to switch back and forth after completing ten reps each. Granted, I wasn't always able complete ten at a time, but I did feel rather accomplished that Becky and I completed more than half of the pull ups.

In regards to the rest of the workout, I was relatively pleased with myself. As someone just coming in, I wanted to make sure that I carried my weight and didn't let my team down. I felt that I sufficiently did so, with maybe the exception of push ups. I felt as if I struggled a bit. At the moment, I tried to remind myself that I was doing chest to deck push ups in sets of ten, but I hated feeling like the deadweight. This was probably why I was determined to fly through the sit ups, completing fifty my first time out and then finishing subsequent rounds in reps of thirty, and then continuing cranking out squats, doing sets of thirty until we were all confident that we had gone over on our reps. I guess that counting problems aren't limited to the Fort.

Anyhow, overall it was a great experience. The ladies on my team were awesome and I thoroughly enjoyed the WOD. What I did not enjoy was that I was sore for three days afterwards. Guess that's what you get for taking the crazy train to So. Dak.

*So. Dak. was the old post office abbreviation for South Dakota. According to my South Dakota friends it's much cooler to say So. Dak. than South Dakota. Who am I to disagree? It's more fun to say...

You Never Forget Your First

It was about 12:30 pm when I found out that we were doing "Fran" that day. I was sitting at my desk, checking my email and resting my brain before my afternoon class when my boyfriend text me: "We're doing Fran today. Graveyard Gang [GYG] just confirmed it." Thanks GYG... seriously.

I had been debating whether or not I even wanted to go to the Fort considering that I had gotten up at about three am; however, the text quickly changed my plans for the evening. It wasn't everyday that Fran came around, and despite how scary she is, I was sure that today would be my first time Rx'd. As a result, instead of heading home to my warm, comfortable bed, I went to the Fort to meet Fran (21-15-9 - Thrusters (30kg) and pull ups).

The five o'clock class was just finishing up when I arrived. Fran's presence was undeniable; everyone seemed to adequately hate their life. Even when the five pm-ers left, there was a nervousness permeating throughout the Fort, and with good reason: Like I said before, Fran's main goal in life is to make you hate yours in less than ten minutes.

We were going to complete the WOD in two heats. Kelli and I decided to pair up and paper-rock-scissored who was going to go first. I won (*sigh of relief*) and Kelli tackled Fran first. I counted; I cheered (and I became even more nervous) as I watched Kelli duke it out with Fran and then fall to the floor in a small heap.

Finally it was my turn. I grabbed my bar, telling myself that I was going to have to make up time on my thrusters to make up for my pull ups and trying to control my nerves. All I wanted was to finish in 10:00. Needless to say, I crushed that dream and did better than I ever expected.

Throughout my thrusters felt strong. In regards to pull ups, even though I wasn't always able to string them together, I do feel that I am able to get back on the bar relatively quick and crank out one at time. In the end, I only hung out with Fran for 7:12, which is close to what I did last time with the blue band. Needless to say, I was very happy even if I did suffer from the "Fran cough" for the rest of the evening. Totally worth it.

I'm not a player; I just crush alot... (Part 2)

Us with the Chamber and the big scissors before the WOD. Congrats guys!

If you read my previous post, you know that I did two named WOD's this past week: Nancy and Helen. While my Nancy experience was not as exciting as I hoped, my time with Helen proved to be well spent.

I went to the Fort Wednesday morning to attend a special moment in CrossFit Fire history: The Chamber of Commerce was coming to the Fort to officially welcome Bill and Jennie's business to the community. It was a celebration of sorts, for all of us (We love you guys!) and to celebrate (and impress the hell out of the Chamber members), a group of us were going to do a workout.

Originally, we were going to do a WOD that included seven rounds of body rows, push presses and something else (I don't know what it was - I didn't do it); however, after seeing the turnout (there were about ten or so of us), Bill decided that we were going to do Helen instead.

Helen

3 rounds for time:

• 400 meter run


• 21 kettlebell swings (16 kg)


• 12 pull ups

Immediately, I was nervous and excited. I held the Fort record with a time of 11:18 and was now put in the position to defend my spot. Regardless, I kept my nerves in check, promised myself that I would beat my old PR, and then focused on channeling those nerves into the workout.

Once everyone and everything was set up, we lined up at the edge of the building to begin the first run. Bill called the 3-2-1-Go! and I was off.

My first run felt exceptionally strong. I was the second one back into the Fort right behind Pete and cranked out my kettlebell swings. I finished them unbroken and then moved onto my pull ups. Surprisingly, I was able to complete eight in a row before I needed to drop off the bar. I then quickly did the remaining four and turned to my second run.

Although my second run wasn't as strong as my first, I still felt okay with it. I knew I was making good time and as I re-entered the Fort for my second set of kettlebell swings, I felt even more confident about beating my old PR. When I got to my pull ups, I had to break them up more than the previous round, which slowed me down a bit; however, I still able to complete them and then set off on my third round.

Overall, my third round was continuation of the second. I completed my run, did all my kettlebell swings unbroken and then broke up my pull ups, finishing my last three one at a time. But when I dropped off the bar my final pull up and fell to the floor, sucking air, I felt great. Really freakin' tired but great, and when Bill called out 10:29, I was both amazed and elated. I beat my old PR by almost a minute. I crushed Helen like I didn't crush Nancy.

After everyone completed the WOD, I was sitting there writing in my book, still excited about my time and particularly about my pull ups. For those of you who know me and my struggle with pull ups, then you know its been a long and trying war (and unfortunately, the pull ups have won more battles than I have); however, that seems to be changing. Who's the bitch now, pull ups?

At Least it Wasn't Kalsu

This morning I woke up to complete the following evilness:

1000 meter row

5 rounds for time:

• 10 pull ups
• 15 OH squats (40/30 kg)
• 20 kettlebell swings (20/16 kg)

1000 meter row

I finished this WOD in about 29:00. I don't recall the exact time because I started 5:13 later than the first group and I couldn't remember how many seconds followed my 34 minutes. Regardless, I did finish under 30, which is good, but we can both agree that my time is far from impressive, especially with scaled OH squats.

All in all, I kind of hated (and was absolutely terrified of) this WOD. I saw Bill put it on the board last night before I left and then spent the night dreading the next morning. It was kind of a mind f*&%. It also didn't help that I was tired from all my busy-ness yesterday. I will admit, that even though I did kind of hate this workout, I was glad that I didn't have to do Kalsu.

Thirsty Thursday*

Yesterday, I was a busy day at CrossFit for me. I rowed, worked on my presses, did a makeover of "Cindy" and set a new handstand record. The entire thing made me a little thirsty, although not in the traditional way that one would think of "Thirsty Thursday." Anyhow, I digress. Here's how my Thursday at CrossFit went down:

To start off I was late getting to Fort. I arrived just as the Ladies' Class was beginning, and instead of changing quickly and jumping in, I decided to catch up on my rowing. There were three rowing WOD'S posted on the board: Tabata Rowing, 15:00 minute row at 90%, and another interval row. Since I did Tabata Rowing earlier in the week after finishing the burpees on the minute WOD (which I did terrible in by the way (rowing, not necessarily the burpees), I decided to go for the 15:00 minutes at 90%.

I grabbed my book, iPod and headed upstairs to spend some quality time with the rower. Once my feet were all strapped in and I put on my jam (a song not the sugary goodness that is jam), I was out for the long haul. I tried to focus on keeping a steady pace, particularly since I feel like my rowing ability has been less than spectacular lately, and to maintain good form. The bulk of the row went fairly well, although I did not get as many meters as I would have liked. My initial goal was 3500 meters and I tapped out at 3303.

After my rowing extravaganza, I went downstairs, wrote my meters on the board and then waited for the seven o'clock class to start. I practiced my handstands a little bit before Bill corralled all of us in for mobility drills and then the strength workout: Presses (6-6-6).

Since the rep scheme was high and I still have troubles with my press, the weights I used looked something like this: 25-30-34.6. I was going to try to go for 37.2 (my arch nemesis in the press world), when Bill reminded me that 34.6 was close enough to 37.2 at that rep scheme and that if I added just a little bit of weight to my presses that eventually I'd break through my 37.2 roadblock. I conceded. I'm typically not one to argue, and we still had to do the metcon. As a result, I decided that it would probably be better if I saved my energy rather than ruin myself on the strength WOD.

Needless to say, I was glad with my decision. The metcon was like "Cindy" but it wasn't. Instead of being AMRAP in 20:00, it was 15:00, and instead of doing fifteen squats, we did fifteen box jumps. Since it was Cindy-like, I figured that maybe I could get through seven or eight rounds, since I was able to complete ten or so with true-Cindy.

When Bill gave us the 3-2-1-Go!, I think I was either A) Really excited or B) Really stupid. I quickly went through my first two rounds. I did my pull ups and my push ups unbroken. I was feeling good: My pull ups felt fairly strong, even if they weren't chest to bar like specified, and my push ups had good depth (Bill told me; I asked). My box jumps are once again improving (for some reason I went through this stage where I felt like I kind of sucked at box jumps), and I was just trying to continue to maintain my frenzied pace.

Then round three came. I did my pull ups and went on to my push ups. I did seven and then the true suck fest set in. I began breaking up my reps more frequently for the rest of the third round and the subsequent rounds, doing reps of three, two and even one. As a result, I was only able to complete seven full rounds, plus five pull ups and seven push ups. I was able to reach my seven-eight round goal but for some reason or another I was upset that I wasn't able to reach eight. It was those dang push ups... I tell you...

After completing the WOD, I meandered about for a little bit and then decided to work on my handstands yet again. The Show was there and asked me if I wanted him to time me. I shrugged: "Why not?" And then began my attempt to beat my previous record board time of 20.94 seconds. My first attempt was not pretty, and my second attempt was even uglier. My third attempt, however, lead to my 24 second even handstand. I guess, three times is a charm.

All in all, it was a pretty successful (and busy) Thursday, and just reading over this, I feel like I did a lot. Okay, I did kind of do a lot. Regardless, it was a decent day CrossFit-wise.

*There were no liquid carbs (beers) or paleo margaritas consumed after the completion of these WODS. Okay, I had a couple sips of a margarita. That was all though.

Long Stories, Short

CrossFit-wise, here's what has happened to me this week:

On Monday we worked on our clean and jerks before moving onto burpees on the minute. My clean and jerks my reps looked a little something like this: 45-47.2-49.6-52.4 (EPIC FAIL). I'm still having (weird... who would have thought?) trouble dropping under the bar. Trying to work the split jerk helped a little, but I was still having issues with my knees and such. As for improvement - I think I'll just have to keep practicing because I'm not really willing to eat a whole chocolate cake like Boyd did (this apparently helped him).

As soon as we finished the clean and jerks we moved on to burpees. Now, I was not one to be deceived by this workout. I remembered all too well when we did pull ups on the minute (that WOD was like the bane of my existence) and how quickly the "suck factor" entered into the picture. Oh no. I was not one to be deceived and so, my game plan was just to do as many burpees as possible. Oh, and try to beat Garth by one rep because he apparently quit during the morning class (this obviously did not work - but you can give Jennie and I credit for trying). In the end, I did fourteen rounds plus seven burpees. During round fifteen, my ankle went all haywire on me and this prevented me from cranking out a few more at the end, that and the fact that I wanted to be done.

On Tuesday, we did some deadlifts (yay!) and "Helen." For the strength portion we were to complete four, three rep sets leading up to 75% of our one rep max (100 kg for me). Well, after completing my 70, and Jennie informing me that it looked too light, I decided to complete another set at 80. It felt good and I smiled.

As for "Helen," I really wanted to beat my previous time of 11:18; however, I was not able to do so. I would like to attribute my lack of PR to the deadlifts and the 45 mile per hour wind that we had to run in. My "Helen" time was 11:34. As we can both see that is not better than 11:18, and as much as I would like to blame deadlifting and the wind, I begrudgingly admit that I just didn't get it done. Oh well, maybe next time...

An Ode to Angie

To my dear friend, Angie,
whom I saw earlier today.
Your presence was unnerving
and made me want to run away.

Pull ups by the dozens? And
a hundred push ups to follow?
Before forcing me to do sit ups
that make my core feel far from hollow?

And to top it off with squats,
when my body already feels like jelly.
It'd be okay if it weren't for time,
and if you weren't a b*&^# about me being smelly.

I can't help it that I sweat a lot and
that my hands started to bleed.
It was my first time RX'd tonight;
this isn't the support I need.

I know that my pull ups and push ups
could be much stronger,
and that I should have repped through my squats faster
instead of sandbagging and taking longer.

But everyone was watching me
and I felt a bit self-conscious.
Not to mention, a little aggravated I was the last one standing
and feeling a bit nauseous.

Nonetheless, I persevered
and finished in just over thirty,
falling to the floor,
feeling sweaty, bloody and dirty.

You are one nasty girl, Angie;
I think you scare me more than Fran.
Now please leave me alone for awhile,
so that I can take care of my torn hands.

The Rundown

It's official: School is taking over my life. As a result, I have not had a lot of time to write my blog. So... here's the rundown on this past week:

Friday, I did "Helen" prescribed for the first time. I completed the WOD in 11:18. Needless to say, I was very excited.

Team Saturday, we did 200 meter partner carry and then three rounds of 2:00 of muscle-ups, power cleans (bw), and air squats and then another 200 meter buddy carry. Lisa and I teamed up for this and she was nice enough to carry me for about 300 meters. In the end though, we did not come out on top but we did get 200 reps. Yay for us.

Sunday, I played with my new toy I received for my birthday. My toy, the iPod+Nike chip, fits within my new kicks and measures my pace, calories, distance, etc. It even lets me play a power song to get me going (bet you can't guess what it is...) Anyhow, I decided to jog a 3K, which I completed in a little less than 15 minutes. After running my 3K, I decided that it wasn't enough and then jogged for an extra 20 minutes. According to Phil (the voice on my iPod), I ran 2.5 miles. I'm not going to argue with him.

Monday, we did two rounds of 500 meter row and AMRAP pull-ups. Essentially, we were paired with someone and competed against them. While one person rowed, the other did pull-ups and vice versa. Jennie and I were partnered up (guess, who won?) My rows were far from impressive (around 2:00 each) and I was able to crank out 20 pull-ups both rounds (which I was fairly happy with considering pull-ups are my arch nemesis).

Tuesday, we first did overhead squats [OH squats] (3-3-3) before moving onto "Karen." True to form, while OH squatting, I nearly dropped the bar on my head and fell on my ass. However, I did OH squat 25-30-35 kg. I'm not even sure if 35 kg is a PR or not. Personally, I was just glad that I was able to practice my snatch form.

Onto "Karen." Also true to form, I lost count, got confused, and I'm almost positive that I did at least 10 extra reps. Regardless of my counting ability, I did manage to crank out the workout (however many reps I did) in 10:00, which was 1:46 better than my previous time.

Finally on Tuesday (Tuesday was a big day for me), I did a rowing WOD. I completed three rounds of 1:00 on, 1:00 off, 1:00 on, 1:00 off, 1:00 on, and 1:00 off. All in all I rowed 2252 meters (or something like that).

Today (Wednesday), I took a rest day. I wanted to workout in the morning but, like I said in the beginning, school has taken over my life. Instead, I decided to read student papers rather than CrossFitting. Of course, I would have preferred to do the latter but you can't always get what you want.

Team Barbara

Saturday was "Team Barbara":

In teams of two, complete seven rounds of the following:

20 pull ups
30 push ups
40 sit ups
50 squats

*Only one person may be working at a time.
*Reps may be distributed however the team sees fit.

Bill put Super Dave and I on the same team. Our strategy? Go until we need to stop, and then switch. While we kept to this throughout the WOD, we both tended to stick with our strengths. Dave did more pull ups and push ups while I did more squats and sit ups.

In the beginning, it seemed that we had a pretty fair lead on all the other teams but then out of nowhere Tom and Jamie caught up and passed us. I'm blaming round three or four when Dave and I had some minor counting problems. It just goes to show you that every second counts. Regardless, it was a good WOD and Super Dave and I were able to finish second.

Cindy & Mr. Tuesday

During my first official week back at the Fort, we've been having fun with AMRAP workouts. Monday, we did "Cindy" and Tuesday, we did... well I don't know what his/her name was but s/he sucked. Anyhow, back to Cindy.

For those of you who have forgotten dear Cindy let me re-introduce you:

"Cindy"

In 20:00 AMRAP of:

• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push ups
• 15 squats

Now, I hung out with Cindy not too long ago and was able to complete, ten rounds - five pull-ups and eight push ups. When I realized that Cindy and I would be hanging out again so soon, I was adamant about matching my previous number of rounds, if not beating it. Lucky for me, this time I wasn't pressed with the task of counting my rounds (I have number issues, if you couldn't tell) and was able to simply mark my rounds on the whiteboard. While this wouldn't seem like a big deal, it was for me in the respect that I was able to just zone out and focus on pushing through all the suck and getting as far as possible. In the end it paid off: I completed twelve rounds plus five pull ups. I matched and exceeded my goal. Yay for me.

Now onto Mr. Tuesday (that's this WOD's new name; I just made it up). Mr. Tuesday looked something like the following:

In 20:00 AMRAP of:

• 5 thrusters (40 kg/30 kg)
• 7 hang power cleans
• 10 sumo deadlift high pulls

This workout was hard. I had made the mistake of coming in early for rowing practice (joined the CrossFit Fire rowing team; we'll talk about this later) and then had to watch the women's class go through this workout prior to my own. The whole scenario was a combination of flushed cheeks, sweaty faces and angry "I-f*^&in'-hate-this-workout" looks in everyone's eyes. Needless to say, this did not instill me with much confidence. So when Stacy asked me whether or not I was planning to do the WOD prescribed, my answer was more or less: "Do I have to?"

Well, I sucked it up and did the prescribed women's weight. I set my bar up between Zach "The Mayor" Mitchell and Clark (I don't have a fancy name for him. Sorry.) and across from Brian (No fancy name for him either), and then waited for the "3-2-1-Go!" Again, I was nervous but I was set on gutting out as many rounds as possible and drawing on all the man power surrounding me.

You know what? It worked. Wild Bill was yelling at The Mayor throughout the majority of the WOD, letting him know when he could and could not rest; Clark was beside me being his bad ass self (In the end they both completed over eleven rounds. Can we say "impressive"?), and Brian was across from me, zoning out and pulling out round after round. Not wanting to be completely outdone, I drew on their energy and focused on getting as close to ten rounds as possible (Bill constituted this as the number we should shoot for).

In the end, I completed seven rounds plus five thrusters and six hang power cleans, which I was fairly content with. Eight definitely would have been better but I was on my way. Next time though.

Nicole's Revenge

Remember last week, how I tried to do a variation of Nicole (aka Nikki) only to realize that I had incorrectly measured the length of my run? Remember then how I tried to make up for my error by completing that horrendous walking lunge, sit up, pull up workout in order to practice my pull ups? Well apparently, Nicole didn't appreciate my dissing the latter part of her workout. Apparently, she is very protective of her shins and so she, like any evil villain, waited, biding her time before seeking revenge. In fact, she waited until I was completely oblivious before she pounced. It was much like the video below:

See how horrific the experience was for me? Well, it wasn't exactly like the video but you could imagine what it would be if it was. Regardless, the experience was still rather traumatic.

So when I walked into the Fort and saw Nicole there, I was nervous. Okay. I admit it. I was kind of scared. My pull ups aren't strong and I (honestly) didn't want to spend the whole twenty minutes running. I know I can run. I want to get better at things I'm bad at. Of course, I realize that Nicole was there for that very same purpose but the whole "max pull up thing" freaked me out. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

In the end, the video was not too far off: I did run pretty fast; however, in regards to pull ups, I only did 43 on the red band. My only consolation was that I somehow cranked out fifteen reps on my first round and that I didn't ever drop below five. Lucky for me though that I can still run fast, because had Nicole been able to catch up to me in her hockey mask and chainsaw while I was on the pull up bar, I would have been a goner.

On another note: Jennie, I am really sorry I kicked you in the head (she was helping me get into the band). It was an accident and I wasn't trying to get back at you for making me do the workout. Promise. Please don't come after me like Nicole.

The Side Show & Some Notes on "Cindy"

I've become a frequent visitor to one of the parks in my current place of residence. I haven't spent this much time at a park since I was lifeguard two summers ago, but just like when I was a kid, it's proving to be a good time. Now, I use the term "good" loosely primarily because I'm frequenting the playground to get in a WOD, which means I'm trying to kick my own ass. Aside from this - the monkey bars are great for pull ups; there are some tires set up that I can use for agility drills; there's a nice running route; some bleachers for running stairs. I'm not going to lie; it's a pretty decent setup. My only complaint is the strange looks I seem to get from those who encounter me.

Granted I don't particularly pay attention to my spectators when I'm focusing on my kip or trying to get full extension on my push ups; however, it's those moments in between when the sweat is dripping into my eyes and I'm staring up at those monkey bars that I just want to focus on cranking out more pull ups. For example, the other day, this same situation occurred; however, instead of focusing, I was distracted by the five year old who just got off the slide, looked at me and said: "Grandpa, what is that lady doing?"

"Cindy," I replied under my breath before jumping up and doing a few more pull ups and the moving on to my push ups. "I'm doing 'Cindy.'"

Now had I not been in the middle of the workout, I may have smiled at him and told him I was just working on improving my pull ups, told him they make you stronger, all that nicey nice stuff. The problem is that I'm sure I didn't particularly look all that nice while I was working out - not unless you think sweat, dirt and grass stains are the newest look for fall (hey, to each their own) - and I'm sure my smiling at him probably would have made the grandpa make a beeline for the car rather came off as a friendly gesture. Regardless, I'm assuming that I probably made their trip to the park a little more interesting, even if I was the side show.

On another note: About Cindy. Cindy is another workout that helps you measure progress. I met Cindy at my very first day of CrossFit, and let me tell you, I've come a long way. When I began CrossFit, I was using the green band for pull ups and didn't get much depth on my push ups. When I did Cindy the other day, however many glorious months later, I did the workout prescribed and completed ten full rounds plus five pull ups and eight push ups. It was nothing spectacular but compared to where I was when I began and my ongoing battle with pull ups, I was okay with this; at least I broke double digits. I only wish that I had at least reached twelve rounds. Guess, I'll just have to push myself a little harder next time.

July 21st = Good Day

What's that? Yesterday was fabulous? How right you are.

I'll keep this brief. Yesterday was terrific for three reasons and only one was non-CrossFit related:

1. I got another teaching gig at one of the local colleges (Huge for me and for obvious reasons).
2. I ran a 5K in 23:12, a time that was almost three and a half minutes faster than than the previous leading female time on the record board.
3. I made the record board for doing seven pull ups in a row, which I know is nothing compared to a lot of people - but it's a big deal for me, so lay off, okay? Just let me enjoy my moment.

Now I'm done patting myself on the back, and I'll get back to practicing things I'm bad at (i.e. more pull ups, cleans, push ups, presses, etc.). It's not as fun, but what can ya do?

Angie with a Broken Heart

When Fran's boyfriend broke up with her, this is what we were left with:

"Fractured Fran"

9 Round for Time:

5 Thrusters
5 Pull ups

Sure it's still the same Fran, just a little broken up and a little disjointed. Don't feel too sorry for her though. She's still kicking it. All she needed was to switch things up for a bit, move some things around and get through the pain a little faster until she got completely back on her feet and back to her old ass-kicking self. The same is true for most women, and our for our other good CrossFit friend, Angie.

Angie, like Fran, is another staple workout. On a good day, you are supposed to complete 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups and 100 air squats for time; however, when Angie goes through a bad breakup or is feeling a bit broken up, she looks more like this:

5 Rounds for time:

20 Pull ups
20 Push ups
20 Sit ups
20 Air Squats

I ran into Angie last week when she was feeling bit down. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her. I offered to ruin my no sugar/no grains diet and eat pizza and ice cream with her, but she was not having it. She wanted to workout instead. So me, being a good friend obliged as long as she promised that I could do jumping pull ups instead of regular pull ups because my long legs make if very difficult to kip in the doorway. She agreed since I was being so nice, and we went on our way.

About 15:30 minutes later, I was done hanging out with Angie. Can you believe she yelled at me the whole time during my jumping pull ups so that I nearly had to rep right through them? I realize that this is displaced anger, but really. Also, she didn't let up about my push ups either. Apparently after getting ten in a row after nearly every round, that sets of two and three are not acceptable. (I happen to agree with her, but don't tell her that.)

Regardless of my current ill feelings towards Angie, I do think I helped her feel a bit better. She seemed rather pleased with herself when she left, almost happy that I was laying on the floor panting. I honestly believe she'll be back to her oldself in no time actually; however, until then, get that girl some ice cream. Seriously.

Zoology Lesson #1: The Badger

Awww... Ain't he cute?

Today kids, we'll be talking about the Badger. The badger is short-legged, heavy set carnivore that is a part of the weasel family. They primarily shelter underground in intricate burrows, which are otherwise known as "setts," and may either live alone or in clans of 2 to 15 (www.wikipedia.com). While the badger may appear to be cute and cuddly, they can be fierce animals, particularly when they go up against gophers, wolverines, Chief Illiniwek, wildcats, Spartans, and so on. They will also go to any lengths to protect themselves and/or their young, in which case, they look more so like this:

"Grrrrr... Don't f*&^ with me."

Now kids, if you ever encounter a badger that looks like the one pictured above or if you encounter a badger that looks like this:

3 Rounds for Time of:

30 Cleans (40kg/30kg)

30 Pull Ups

800 M Run

Make sure that you either run away or have a really big stick with you to take that sucker down.

I had an unfortunate run in with Mr. Badger yesterday. It was not pretty. I think he knew I was from Minnesota. He was fiesty; those jaws clamped down on my legs as I was trying to clean and front squat and would not let go, and then he crawled up my arms and sat on my shoulders, growling in my ears as I tried unsuccessfully to kip him off. Luckily, I was able to escape him for a bit when running. His short legs don't carry him very fast, but whenever I finished those 800 meters there he was - waiting, baring his teeth, and growling at me to go faster.

Eventually, I was able to outrun Badger; however, the whole ordeal took much longer than I hoped. It was more of a mental battle for me; it has been awhile since I have taken on or been attacked by an animal. Next time I'll be more prepared though and be sure to carry a big stick with me just in case I need to knock him out.

To Hell and Back - For Time

The CrossFit Games are this weekend. Hundreds of athletes are travelling to Aromas, California, to duke it out in the desert in order to determine "The Fittest Man/Woman on Earth" as well as the top CrossFit Affiliate. The team from CrossFit Fire is leaving today to participate in the Affiliate Challenge, which includes three qualifying workouts on Friday of: A 500 m Run Relay, Max Sets of OH Squats and Pull Ups WOD, and The Stadium Workout, a WOD that includes wall balls, rowing, the push press, kettle bell swings, box jumps, and deadlifts.

Personally, I'm anxious to hear about the relay (still love running) and what kind of terrain they will have to run on and can't wait to do the Stadium Workout sometime. If there was ever a workout made for me, the Stadium Workout may be it. I pretty much love every aspect of that WOD except for maybe wall balls, which I only like as a friend. As for the max OH squats and pull up WOD, I'll leave that workout to those who can crush OH squats and pull ups because I am not that girl. Regardless, I am excited for our team (who I'm sure will do phenomenal – we've got a great group of people out there now) and just a little bit sad that I am only able to be a part of it from the sidelines.

For those of you who don't know this, I tried out for the affiliate team. As evidence by this and previous posts, I obviously did not make it because I am not heading for sunny California, and I did not make the team for good reason. I got smoked in the tryouts by the two other women. It was like being Slowpoke Rodriguez in a race versus two Speedy Gonzalez's. Guess who won. Regardless of this fact, I was still amazed and pleased at what I accomplished at the tryouts, which I will explain in further detail momentarily.

We completed the following WOD's for the women's tryouts:

One round for time of:

• 10 Clean & Jerks (60/40)
• 1 Sled Drag (20/15)
• 8 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag
• 6 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag
• 4 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag
• 2 Clean & Jerks
• 1 Sled Drag

One round for time of:

50 Double-unders

21-15-9 reps of:

• Overhead Squats (40/30)
• Box Jumps (24")
• Pull-ups

50 Double-unders

And we were supposed to complete a third workout, which was:

Three rounds for time of:

• 500m Row
• 21 Burpees
• 400m Run

Long story short: I had never done 40 kg cleans or 30 kg OH squats in a workout. The load was just a little too heavy for me in both instances (before I had only done about 35 kg cleans in WOD's, 45 kg cleans at a max 3 rep and 25 kg OH squats). Also, if you've ever read my blog before, then you already know that pull ups and I do not get along. (I seriously don't know what their problem is. I try to be nice and they just mess up my hands). In addition to the heavy weight and my arch nemesis, there was blood (I put a big gash in my leg when I dropped the bar while I was OH squatting and tore calluses on both my hands during pull ups), there was sweat (a given), there were no tears, almost (almost doesn't count though people), and I did hate my entire being several times throughout both WOD's (see the picture below for proof). Despite all of this: I completed both workouts. I did it.

Let me say it again just because it makes me feel good: I did it. I was apprehensive about both of these workouts even before I did them because neither played to my strengths. The row, burpee, run WOD was more my style; however, I did it (I know, I keep saying it...). I cleaned and OH squatted more than I ever had before. I was setting PR's in a workout. Can we say "awesome"? I also didn't stop doing pull ups even when I finally noticed that both of my hands were bleeding (surprisingly it took awhile). And don't even get me started on the people that helped me get through both WOD's. Their support was instrumental in my finishing. Through it all though, all the blood, sweat and almost tears, all I could think about was finishing and getting to that point where I could say I went to hell and back and did it for time.

In the end, my only complaint was that I didn't get to complete the row, burpee, run WOD, even though I understand why we didn't do it and appreciate that Bill did not want me to die. However, I will do that workout. And Bill, if you're reading this, I want that WOD on my birthday (August 28th - mark it on your calendar) and to have "The Eye of the Tiger" played on repeat throughout the duration. Okay, maybe not throughout the whole workout, but at least one time.

Oh... and one last thing: I don't plan on cheering from the sidelines at next year's Games. I don't care if I have to look like that picture below everyday to get there either.

Me hating life during my last set of double unders in the second WOD.

The Many Faces of Fran

So thanks to Tommy Mo and the good people at CrossFit Milford, I have this long list of workouts that one can do while on vacation. While I am not technically on vacation, I do not have weights at my house and do not have the means to purchase them (If I did, I would just go to the gym. Der.) Anyhow, on this long list of fabulous workouts, I noticed a familiar name: Fran [insert scary music here].

Now if you're a CrossFitter, you know exactly who Fran is and all about her diabolical plan to make you hate your life in 10 minutes or less. For those of you who don't know Fran, let me introduce you:

"Fran"

21-15-9 reps for time of:
Thrusters (40 kg for men/30 kg for women)
Pull ups

Fran here is a staple workout for CrossFit, so it shouldn't come to anyone as a surprise that one would want to hang out with her for a little while on vacation. As a result, "Invisible Fran" was born.

Like her visible counterpart, the reps are the same and the workout is for time. However, you're supposed to substitute air squats for the thrusters and push ups for the pull ups. Sounds great right? Wrong. You can't kick someone that is invisible. Nonetheless, I took on "Invisible Fran" yesterday and finished her off in 2:30 and then ignored the fact that some CrossFitters can finish regular Fran in less than 3 minutes. I felt okay about my "Invisible Fran" time mostly because my push ups are getting stronger. On the other hand, I was not as pleased with my time on my own variation of vacation "Fran."

Like I said, I decided the other day to do another variation of "Fran," which I dubbed "Franny" because I imagined this is what a younger, more innocent Fran was like. I substituted chest to bar jumping pull ups (stupid pull ups - ugh) for regular pull ups and did thrusters with a 10 pound bar to practice my form. For the record, yes, I lied a little bit about not having equipment. I have an Iron Gym (the only "As Seen on Television" thing ever worth purchasing) and a 10 pound bar from my cousin (Which is pretty much nothing; we all know that kids.) I also intend to make a homemade wall ball out of an old basketball and some sand. I'll let you know how that goes. Anyhow, I digress. You know what I found out though? I found that Fran was not very nice when she was younger either. I finished this workout in 3:40, went "eh" and felt just a little bit disappointed in myself primarily because I felt that I should have completed the workout more quickly than I did. Oh well. Room for improvement, right? Right.

Well, there you have it. There are just a few faces of Fran, even though one is technically invisible. I'm just hoping that someone makes up a French version that we can call "Francesca." It's just fun to say.