Hey guys!
This week has been bittersweet for me. Yesterday was the last of the Crossfit open workouts. On one hand, it's good because maybe Mike will calm it down with the crazy workouts (I highly doubt it, but a girl can dream!). On the other hand, it's going to be sad, because we won't have anything to look forward to on Wednesday nights! However, there was a big announcement- our box is going to be hosting an internal competition in June! I can't wait! It's going to be so fun, and will bring back the competition aspect that I've grown to love so much. I would have never thought that I would actually enjoy competing in any type of competition- albeit a crossfit one! I guess I have a secret competitive side- who knows? :)
This week's open workout was cray. Seriously. Here's what it consisted of:
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
65 pound Thruster, 15 reps
15 Chest to bar Pull-ups
If 90 reps (3 rounds) are completed in under 4 minutes, time extends to 8 minutes.
If 180 reps (6 rounds) are completed in under 8 minutes, time extends to 12 minutes.
If 270 reps (9 rounds) are completed in under 12 minutes, time extends to 16 minutes.
Etc.
Here's what a thruster is- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OhqIGYqELk.
Here's what a chest to bar pull up is- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ7UBNa6lTA
First of all, I've managed to avoid class every time we've done thrusters. Usually on purpose. hahaha. Mike really killed us M-W this week- and actually on Wednesday, our WOD was heavy thrusters and pull-ups. He's like a psychic coach. Crazy. So my first thruster ever was on Wednesday, and I was expected to do 15 thrusters PLUS 15 chest to bar pull-ups in 4 minutes by Saturday. HA! Even if I could get through the thrusters, I can't pull up- yet, but at least I would have a score to record. On Wednesday, I did my first thrusters at 75lbs- then scaled down to 65lb and 55lbs. At least I would have those in the bag. I was so sore following Wednesday's WOD, that I took Thursday off. I wasn't even sure I would get through the open workout, after being that sore! Side note- I'm so envious of the people in my class that can do regular/kipping pullups- but even more so, the people that can do chest to bar pullups are amazing. One day I'll be able to do them, but when I see people just bust them out, I feel like a failure. I know I'll get there eventually, but in the moment I feel like I should have already figured out how to do them by now.
For some reason, this Saturday's feeling was a little more subdued than it usually is. It was different- not as competitive as the last few weeks. My judge this week was Elena. She is amazing- She didn't think she would be able to thruster 65lbs, but she did- not once- not twice, but three times. After that third time, she had to scale back. I was impressed- she had never thrustered that much before, but she never gave up! She went first in the heat- which was different for me. I was used to getting done first and then being a judge. I'm not sure I liked going second- it just gave me more time to have negative thoughts. All week my knees have been really tight. I tried foam rolling, rowing, & squatting to loosen up, but they were still super tight. I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to squat below parallel & therefore my reps wouldn't count. I think the adrenaline kicked in, and I was able to get down all the way. I did get No-repped once- but no biggie. At the end of the 4 minutes, I was able to get 14 thrusters @ the prescribed weight of 65lbs. I was hoping to get that last one in to make 15, but it didn't happen. Oh well. Oh did I forget to mention that Mike made it an 8 minute workout - "for intensity purposes." 4 minutes of thrusters was intense enough for me, thank you very much! So instead of just finishing the 4 minutes- he tacked on an extra 4 minutes, so we actually got a tough workout in. He's so nice- always thinking of us! haha. When all was said and done, I ended up with 35 total reps- I had to do ring rows instead of pull ups- but they were still difficult. I was happy to just have a score to record! We got to watch Mike do the workout again, which was amazing. He is seriously a beast. He made it up to 121 reps. CRAZY. I was dying after 14 reps, never mind 121. He literally looked like he was going to pass out this time- for real. But once he came back to life, he was back on- & having a beer with the rest of us. We are really so lucky to have such an amazing, down to earth, awesome coaching staff at RCFBC. I love all of our coaches! <3
Oh yeah, after the workout, we had a party! Mike was having a guy from Paleo Power Meals come and talk to us about food delivery & he was bringing by some stuff for us to try (all of which were delicious!). As soon as he said party, I knew we needed a theme. That's my thing- I LOVE themed parties. You should see my work- I have decor up for every season/holiday- I love it! Secretly, I think I should have become a party planner, but somehow I got into radiation- who knows. So since that guy was bringing paleo food and we were going to the "paincave" during the WOD, the most appropriate theme was Caveman/Dinosaur themed! I go all out for these kind of parties. I don't think Mike & Lauren expected me to be this intense about it, but they don't know me very well yet! I knew I wanted to make a cave out of one of the pull- up rigs- it would be the center of attention. I had a vision in my head, and with Lauren & Mike's help- it came out great! I'm hoping we keep the cave up for a little while- since it's so awesome! It was great to just eat, drink, and have a genuinely good time with people that are awesome. We did a little med ball bowling too, which was fantastic- even though I am the worst bowler ever. LOL
I'm sad that the open is over, but at least I will have something to compare to next year! I can't wait to see where I'll be in a year. If I've made this much progress both mentally and physically in just 4 months, a year will be nuts. For now, I'll be focusing on the next competition in June & getting better at things that I'm not good at. I'm so glad that I signed up for the open- it has completely changed me. Crossfit in general has completely changed me. I know I say it everytime, but I'm so grateful for my crossfit family. I would never be able to get through these tough times without them & my amazing coaches. I am eternally indebted to everyone at RCFBC for keeping me on track & helping me change my life! <3 <3
-A
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