Snow depression, The Open, & other things!

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since my last post! I hope everyone is well! I've been sort of in a funk. This snow and cold has put me in a funk. All I want to do is snuggle in bed, wear sweatpants, and eat. Because of this seasonal depression, my WOD schedule has been affected. I've been skipping out on wods or cherry picking which wods I do go to. With the start of the CrossFit Open, I decided that I have to get it together. I can't stop moving forward because of the weather. Snow ain't got nothin' on me!


Speaking of the CrossFit Open, I hope all you fellow wodders are signed up! For those of you that don't know what the Open is, It's 5 weeks long test of fitness. Each Thursday, the workout of the week is announced, and you have until Monday to complete the workout, and submit your scores. There is a scaled and RX division this year.

The open is awesome. You push yourself harder than you ever would. You throw up more weight than you ever though possible. You move faster. You accomplish more. For me, I am in a constant state of panic on Thursdays until the workout is announced! I know I'm not going to the games, but for some reason, I get this anxiety thinking about it. I always go to that place where I doubt my abilities and fear the workouts. The first workout was announced last week, and my heart instantly sank. Here's what Dave Castro, the head games maker (He's basically Seneca Crane, for anyone who read the hunger games!):

9-minute AMRAP:

15 toes-to-bars / hanging knee raise (scaled)

10 deadlifts

5 snatches

(M 115 lb/75. / F 75/ 55 lb.)

Workout Part A

1-rep-max clean and jerk

6-minute time cap

Toes to bar? Really, Dave Castro? That's what you put first???? I started crying...I feel like I cry way too much at CrossFit- that's another issue haha. Hanging on to the rig and grip strength are two of my many goats. It's hard to hold this much up there for an extended period of time. The most time I've ever clocked hanging on the rig was around 40 seconds. So to think that I would have to not only hang on the rig, but bring my legs up at the same time- I already felt defeated. I was texting my awesome friend, Lizzie during the announcement and of course I was freaking out. She sent me something that really stuck with me, and helped me really collect myself and realize that I am so much stronger than I give myself credit for. She said "Braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, always and everyday." It's something that will stick with me forever. So thanks for that Lizzie! <3

Now came the time- time for the workout! Of course I was panicking! But I pulled it together- chalked up my hands, put some gloves on, chalked the gloves and chalked the bar. It was 3,2,1, GO and off we went! I had to do fast singles on the hanging knee raises. The deadlift and snatches were light weight, so I busted through them. Before I knew it, the first part of the workout was over. I had completed more than my goal of one knee raise. Like way more- like 92 reps total more. I was so excited. But I had to complete the second part before I started celebrating! After a few attempts, I ended up getting a 110lb Clean and Jerk. I couldn't have been more happy! The smile on my face and pep in my step was so great. 

Hand tears and all! Post WOD!

All I could think was, why did I doubt myself so much? I should know by now that I am capable of so much more! I have to start believing in myself more. 

Most unflattering pic, but so awesome!! 

So now, we're on to week 2, and the panic is back! I won't be able to relax until I know what the wod is!

In addition to the beginning of the CrossFit games season, this past weekend I participated in my first ever bike time trial. Sometimes I wonder how I get myself involved in these things, but I'm glad that I did! Mike M, one of our amazing coaches and an avid cyclist set up an amazing event. I don't even have a bike- I haven't been on one in years, except for the Air Assault bike, which is the devil. Luckily, my friends Hill and Phil had a road bike that I could borrow for the event. This was a legit bike- like intense gears and an awfully hard seat! Mike M hooked me up with his bike expertise and tried to teach me the gears, Spoiler alert: I couldn't remember what they were when it was time for the actual event! Luckily, Coach Ali was there to help! They hooked the bikes up to this trainer thing- it was pretty cool. It was a 6 mile ride with all sorts of elevations, etc. Maybe 10 minutes into the ride, my knees were killing me, and even though I was pedaling, the ride was very jerky. I decided to hop off and finish my ride on the assault bike. While I felt like I was giving up or disappointing Mike, I think it was a good decision. We would've been there all day! There's always next year!

Along with getting back on my regular crossfit schedule, I decided today that I need help getting back on my meal plan schedule. A couple of months ago, my awesome coach Kaylee (who is also my girl crush! haha) helped me make meal plans and actually stick to them. So I will be going back to that schedule with her, starting on Monday. I'm looking forward to getting my groove back! I'm hoping that with these positive changes, I'll be able to let go of this blah feeling I've been having.

Good luck to anyone doing the open- I hope it's a good one! Here's to getting out of our comfort zones, and making ourselves proud!

XOXO- AA