A Pride Check with a Side of Redemption

I'm back in the blogosphere (at least for tonight) and decided that it was necessary for me to comment on my experience at sectionals this past weekend in St. Louis. I am just warning you: There were some highs, and there were some definite lows.

Personally, I always like to start with the bad news first. (It's the whole rip-off-the-band-aid-quickly mentality. The faster you go, the less it'll hurt.) The bad news is that I got crushed by the first WOD of the competition. For those of you who aren't familiar with this little number, let me spell out it for you:

The Airforce WOD*

• 20 Thrusters (30 kg)


• 20 Sumo deadlift high pulls


• 20 Push jerks


• 20 OH squats


• 20 Front squats
  

*Every minute, on the minute, the competitor must complete four burpees.
*20:00 DNF

Guess who DNF'd?

Um... that would be me.

I did my first set of burpees and thrusters like a damn maniac; however, the weight started to catch up with me and the clock started ticking faster and faster, I lost momentum and found myself doing far more burpees than any person would ever like to do.

In the end, the OH squats did me in (I swear they are taking pull ups place as my ultimate enemy), and I found myself (very upset but) glad that the clock buzzed, indicating that my performance (or lack thereof) was over. I then retreated to the stands where I could hide amongst the rest of the crowd to await my second beating of the day, which consisted of a 5:00 AMRAP of clean and jerks at fifty kilos.

In short, I was not confident about the second workout at all. At that point in time, I hadn't cleaned over 56 kilos and the first WOD hadn't really boosted my confidence about my abilities as a CrossFitter. Regardless (because I'd rather have someone break my legs than quit for no reason other than pride; I am that stubborn/determined/possibly not very smart), I made my way out onto the floor, telling myself that my main goal was to get ten or more and to not waste any reps.

Well, I actually exceeded my expectations. Although I did fail two reps, I was able to get sixteen clean and jerks before the time elapsed. I was personally happy about what I had accomplished, albeit it was far from impressive in comparison to many of the beasts that were there. Little did I know that I would soon redeem myself at least slightly on the third workout.

The third workout was the 54321 WOD. We did five minutes of rowing for calories, four minutes of box jumps on a twenty inch box, three minutes of squat snatches at twenty kilos, two minutes of wall balls at thirteen pounds and one minute of handstand push ups. My numbers looked something like this:

• Row: 65 calories


• Box jumps: 115 (I was a box jumping machine.)


• Snatches: 15 (Eh. I rested with these.)


• Wall balls: 25


• Handstand push ups: 0 (I can only do two on a good day, and my shoulders were cashed from the day before.)
  

Total: 220

Now 220 may not seem all that impressive, but I did manage to win my heat. I also tied for the twelfth best female score in the third workout. Not too shabby for a girl who got her ass handed to her the day before if I do say so myself. Personally, though, I think it was the fact that I didn't wear a shirt that made me do so well. Garth may be onto something... (PS: I have zero idea as to what I'm looking at in that picture. Lord knows why they put it on CrossFit TNT's site.)

Overall, I did not qualify (let's get serious); however, it was a good experience. It was exciting and I loved being able to watch everyone else compete. Everyone from the Fort did an excellent job, and I'm so proud that I get to associate myself with CrossFit Fire [CFF] and the people that go there (yes, this is the overly sentimental part of my post). Plus, I'm even more excited that Pete and Stacy get to move on to Denver. There will be more good things to come, I'm sure, for both Pete and Stacy and for the rest of the firebrethers at CFF. And with that, I'll leave you with the words of a wise elder: GFO (That's "game f8&^in' on", for you non-CrossForters).

I Wish I Had Greek Blood...

Do you ever walk into the gym knowing that the workout is going to crush you? It's that slight mental tick that gets in the back of your mind, nagging and reminding you that you will probably regret the next five to ten minutes of your life and making you wish that it was your rest day. Today was one of those days.

I was (un)fortunate to know what I was in for when I arrived at the Fort. The boyfriend had informed me earlier what the WOD was and so I was (somewhat) mentally prepared for the Suck Fest that I had bought front row tickets to. I was also (un)fortunate enough to have arrived just before the second heat of 5pm-ers. As soon as I walked in I said "hello" to Steph (Rasmussen) who was getting drink. She responded with a "hey" and then quickly answered Bill who had just asked her what weight she was using for the workout.

"I'm going RX'd," she said as she ventured back over to her bar under the loft.

"Damn," I thought (okay, I said it aloud) as I took off my jacket and put on my other shoes. "That's a lot of weight."

And it was. The workout was (after completing 5-5-5-3-3-3 of back squats) was the following:

12 - 9 - 6

• Deadlifts (140/95 kg)
• Thrusters (60/40 kg)

Goal: 3-7:00
DNF: 10:00

I waited in the lobby as Bill called the 3-2-1-Go! and watched this whole thing go down. It looked tough, and as I watched everyone crumple to the ground at the end of the WOD, I really wished that I had taken today as a rest day. Heavy weights are not really my thing. Despite this, I took a deep breathe and headed upstairs to warm up.

I went through one of our old school warm ups: I rowed for a little bit, did a couple sets of ten pull ups, push ups, sit ups and back extensions. The group then did some mobility drills and then set up for the back squat.

In regards to my back squat, I felt pretty good. I'm not exactly sure what my one rep max is but I was able to do three reps at 65 kg. Moreover, it was only on my very last rep that I felt like the weight was about to crush me.

Then came the workout. Since my single rep max deadlift is 102 kg, I decided against trying to do the WOD RX'd. It wasn't going to happen. I did, however, decide on 80 kgs and to do the thrusters at the prescribed weight. Here's how this debacle went down:

Round One: I repped through my deadlifts and then went to do my thrusters. The result? Not so much.

Round Two: I did three sets of three on my deadlifts and then went to do my thrusters. Again... not so much; however, I did manage to catch Pete (the other Rasmussen) out of the corner of my eye going RX'd and yelling "time" just as I was about to drop the bar on my head. (So jealous).

Round Three: I did three and then three sets of one and then moved onto my thrusters. This time, WOW. I practically did drop the bar on my head, twice, and then followed suit, crumpling to the floor when I finally reached "six".

Overall: 10:08 = D.N.F.

Needless to say, I was not able to go RX'd like either Rasmussen. Heck, I wasn't even able to finish. I'd be embarrassed but I was (and am) still tired. I wish that I had Greek blood.

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.

Row, Thrust & Jump

Yesterday I went into the Fort after my afternoon class to complete my first rowing WOD for the week. Essentially it was "Tabata Rowing," where you complete a number of rounds (I did eight), twenty seconds on and ten seconds off.

My score looked something like this: 98-96-92-89-88-87-87-88. Let me tell you, I was struggling with the rows after the fourth round. When I hit 92, I promised myself that I wouldn't go below 90. Well... as we can see that did not happen; however, I was glad that I at least kept my numbers in the high 80's. Overall though, I'm not going to lie: It kind of sucked and I wish that I had had someone there rowing beside me. Perhaps, if I someone else had been there beside me, then I wouldn't have dropped below 90.

After I finished my little rowing excursion, I set out to complete some heavy thrusters (35 - 40 - 45) before moving on to the following metcon:

• 10 Thrusters (60 kg/40 kg)
• 50 Double Unders
• 8 Thrusters
• 40 Double Unders
• 6 Thrusters
• 30 Double Unders
• 4 Thrusters
• 20 Double Unders
• 2 Thrusters
• 10 Double Unders

Well, I did the prescribed women's weight (40 kg). I'm not sure if I was overzealous or what, but it was heavy. It is weight... Anyhow, I kind of struggled with my thrusters, particularly after my first round. I'll be honest, I did a lot of one, two and three rep sets. After the first ten, I was simply unable to string together more than that.

On the other end of the spectrum, my double unders felt okay. They are improving, which is all I can really hope for. I've been focusing more on using my wrists rather than my shoulders and have seen quite a bit of improvement, although the most I am able to string together is about twenty, give or take a few. Regardless, improvement is improvement.

At the end of the day, I finished this metcon in 12:03, which I'll live with because I have too. I suppose I'll just have to keep working on my superhero status.

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.

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.