An 800 m run?

Overhead Squats
53x2, 73x2, 93x2, 103x2, 108x2

WOD, partnered with Alvin
800 m run
Split-
50 front squats 103#
60 pull ups (scaled down from 12 rope climbs)
Time: 10:21

Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that Cliff actually likes me when I see a wod like this. In fact sometimes I feel like he just comes up with these things to torture and test ME. And then I have to admit that I am ashamed that I can be that narcissistic. The wod is not about me, I just feel like it is because I choose to exercise very little mental fortitude at that moment.

And I know that's a problem. I need to work on the way I allow myself to think about things that are hard. Honestly, sometimes that is one of the most challenging parts of CrossFit: the realization that I slip quite easily into fear and anxiety, or I begin to waver in my commitment to do what I know I should.

I could come up with a bunch of reasons for why I didn't want to run 800 m, especially with a partner, but none of them were good reasons. They were things like-it is hard, I have never run 800m in a wod before, I hate running, I will be embarrassed, I will hold someone back...

But none of those reasons are valid reasons to not do the run. I go to CF to do hard things. I go to do things I have never done before. I need to stop hating running because there is absolutely no reason for my disdain of it. Why would I be embarrassed now? Everyone there knows I am a slow runner. The people who started CF yesterday might now know yet, but I am pretty sure everyone else knows. It is common in a partner wod for each person to work differently, and that is one of the benefits of that type of wod. It happens, we all know it.

So even though I had that horrible pre-wod feeling in my gut, once I left the door, I determined to run the 800 m without walking and keeping a good pace (for me), so I knew I was going to have to relax, stop being irritated, and just put a smile on my face and keep my head up.

And as much as this post is about me, I also have to say that my partner was great!

And under Sam's advice and his faithful reminders, which I need since I quickly "run out of time" to complete mobility work-
Good Mornings 108#x7x3
Lots of shoulder mobility

Rowing Deals and Paleo Zone

Back in the gym, after a great, relaxing week away.

Overhead Squat
45x5
65x5
75x5
80x5
85x3

That was taxing on my wrists, and I should have taped them up. I guess it has been a long time since I have worked on sets of 5, but I know what I need to do.

WOD
7 rounds on a 1 minute interval
5 Clean and Jerks-Grace style 83#
Max calories row
Do 5 c&j, rest remainder of minute, row for max cals in 1 minute, repeat for 7 rounds.

I actually did the first round with 103, but those jerks were so, so hard for me today, so I went back down to 83. And even though I was keeping track of my rounds, 7 is apparently a really high number for my brain. I still had rounds to finish long after others were done, so I either took way too long to get into the rower each round, or I just did 8 rounds. But being the accommodating coach that he is, Sam didn't want to be stop and assume I had miscounted. He wanted to make a deal: row a final 100m under a 2 min pace, and I wouldn't have to run today.

That decision was made in just under a blink of the eye.

I don't think I have ever chosen to run instead of row.

And in other news, I think I am going to paleo-zone things for a little while. My weight has been going down again, but I'd like to take some of this flexible time I have during the summer to make sure I am maximizing my work.

And since there is no reason to wait, I'll start it up tomorrow. So tonight I'm doing some cooking-
Sausage and leek saute
Asian meatballs
Mediterranean Turkey
Sauteed Asparagus
Steamed Green Beans
and I'll slice up some fresh veggies for salad

Overhead Squat
63x3
73x3
83x3
93x3
103x3 (PR)

WOD
5 rounds
15 ball slams 25#
10 push ups
5 K2E
Time-8:37

Super happy about the OHS PR! Next stop-115#

I should have stopped thinking...

Overhead Squat 3rm
warm up with the bar
then shoulder and hip mobility
then retest with the bar-it was definitely easier to do
53x3
73x3
83x3
93x3
103x1
and then I ran out of time, but that is ok since every squat was slow and almost painful

WOD
4 rounds
10 plate cleans 25#
20 OH Lunges
10 Ring Pull Ups
Time: 11:55

This was my first night back in Kyle's class after months...
And how was it? Well, considering that the overhead squats were just super enjoyable and easy, even those plate SQUAT cleans were a blast. Starting in round 2, every single squat went like this-
This is ridiculous. This should be easy. This is just 25 pounds. This is just an air squat with 25 pounds, I used to have to air squat more that all the time when I was fatter. I mean, really, shouldn't I be flying through plate cleans with at least the 45 pounder? Ugh, why is it so hard to squat right now?!? And what am I supposed to do to cycle these together? Awkward.

As you can see, I had to move slowly just to think all of those thoughts.

Great Coaching

Overhead Squat
53x3
73x3
83x1
93x1
105x1
115x1 (PR)

I got lots and lots of coaching before this PR. Some of the advice was very helpful, some was just advice... :)

WOD
3 rounds
10 DB Thrusters Rt. 25#
10 DB Thrusters Lt.
15 push ups
10 Chinese DB rows Rt.
10 Chinese DB rows Lt.
Time: 7:50

Great WOD. I look forward to a sore upper back. I will admit in writing that yes, I should have used the 30# DB since I kept all the DB movements unbroken. The push ups were hard and not at all unbroken, so I look forward to seeing more improvement there. I suppose that means I have to keep working on them.

Tire Flips

Snatch + Overhead Squat
43x1
53x1
58x1
63x1
68x1
73x1

then OHS
73x2
73x2
73x2

WOD
12 tire flips
400 m run
then 5 rounds:
10 push ups
10 GHD sit ups
finish with:
400 m run
12 tire flips

Time: 14:57
When I first saw this wod, these were my thoughts-
-There are so many words, it looks long
-What?!? running 400 meters?!? twice?!? Blech
-Tire flips: cool!
-GHD sit ups, um yeah, more dizziness and sore abs
-What kind of person comes up with this stuff?

Then I had a few more rational thoughts-
-It is only 2 rounds of running, I can do that.
-Maybe the GHD sit ups will be a little easier this time.
-Maybe they won't leave me quite as sore this time.
-Tire flips are cool.

Then I had to do the wod-
-I kept my movement above a walk for the full 800 meters, meaning I didn't stop at the turn around and I did not walk when I got back to the parking lot. No one had to yell at me to run all the way to the box (Sam, Kyle, sound familiar?)
-The tire flips were cool.
-I wasn't as dizzy from the GHD as I was last time.
-I still have to work on my push ups...
-I'll know how much the GHD sit ups will hurt when I am sitting on a plane in two days.

Death by OHS

KB Work

clean

front squat

jerk

snatch

25# and then 35#

Dips

Working on this one...

negatives, and then bands: blue, green, violet, red. It was like a rainbow! But really I was shocked to find how easy they were with the blue and green bands since I haven't worked on these in about forever. I made sure I was dipping nice and low to prepare for that muscle up.

WOD

21-15-9

deadlifts 155#

OHS 63# (85 rx'd)

Time: 12:45

Deadlifts were no problem, but the overhead squats were a struggle, to put it mildly. I started with the rx'd weight, but that was not going to work. I am honestly not sure if my problem is more mental than anything else. I am feeling more and more comfortable with these, but as soon as I start to wobble AT ALL I seem unable to fight hard enough for it.

And I decided that I would be posting a picture of one of my paleo meals each day. :) The grilled chicken is from here.

Partner Wod

...the sure way to keep everyone moving faster, since no one wants to keep their partner waiting.

Overhead Squat
68x3
73x3
78x3
83x3
88x3

WOD, with Samantha
8 rounds
5 KBS 45#
5 box jumps 20"
8 rounds
5 burpees
5 pull ups (jumping)
8 rounds
5 wall balls
8 rounds
50 m sprint

Total Time: 20:30

This was a great wod-lots of work to do, moving very quickly, short breaks to catch a little bit of breath, and a partner to keep you moving. The whole time, you just keep thinking-it's just 5, I can do 5...but then the 5s keep coming and coming.

Box Jumps and OHS

Mini-Warm Up WOD
10 Box Jumps 20"
10 vertical jumps
30 single jumps
5 ninja rolls (hate them, because I can't do them)
5 burpees
Yep-the 20" box jump today. This was the first time I have grouped together any jumps at 20" since I gouged my leg on this box in Jan. (you all remember that made up story about the box jumps and the staph infection, right?) And I was told that I was actually doing burpees today. That is a good thing and I bad thing. I guess that now when I am told to do the burpees correctly, I won't be able to just yell back that I CAN'T DO BURPEES.

Overhead Squat
33x3
53x3
73x1
83x1
93x1
103x1 (PR!)
108 fail

Super happy to break 100. I still love seeing the regular, steady progress of CrossFit!

WOD
AMRAP in 10 minutes
5 snatch balance 53#
7 pull ups green band
9 box jumps 20"
Rounds: 4 + 5 snatch balances

Yep, the 20" box again! And I didn't miss even one of them. :)

A Great Friday Class

First thing to note-
Yesterday's wod left me quite sore, so it was hard to be too excited about going to class today, knowing that I'd have to squat. But since I am a little obsessed, I did it. I also needed to go to class since Sam was teaching.

Skill
Overhead Squat
the goal was 15 at body weight

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

My accomplishment-
10 at 58#, not even half my BW
I should have been able to get at least a few more, but I lost my mental focus. All of the sudden I realized that my arms were going numb and I figured that I better try to move faster. So then I messed up my breathing and dropped my shoulders.

WOD Rx'd
3 rounds
3 cycles of
1 power clean 85% 1RM 108#
2 front squats
1 jerk
200 m row

Time: 10:55
This time includes the jerk, and therefore clean, that I had to make up at the end since my last jerk wasn't really locked out.
This time also includes numerous extra meters on the rower that I had to row in order to correct my technique to Sam's satisfaction.

Finisher
2 rounds of 90 secs of wall balls

Since we only had 3 people in class, poor Matt and Kevin got stuck with me. I apologized before and after the wod for the unfortunate situation, but they were very good sports. I don't do rx'd wall balls, ever. I am in the very special wall ball class, the one that can't get the ball to the target, can't catch the ball, and looks especially special while attempting them.

Because of this, the whole team had to use the 8# ball so I could get it to the target. And I still missed the wall several times, and I didn't catch the ball several times, thus we had 8 burpee penalties the 1st round and 2 the 2nd round. I was afraid that every single penalty would be my fault, but I think that maybe 2 were NOT related in some fashion to my poor skills in throwing, catching, or getting out of the way.

So Complex!

Skill
SNPP-OHS
lots of warm up first, then
73x2-1
83x2-1
93x2-1 (PR)

Yes! Slowly but surely making progress on a lift that used to frustrate the snot out of me. Oh, the days of holding an empty bar over my head and trying, trying, trying to even squat are gone...

WOD
4 rounds
7 cycles of:
1 power clean 78#
1 front squat
1 push press
1 back squat
1 rack jerk
2 min rest

Time: 18:00 (including rest)

The last round was quite hard. Actually everything after the first round was quite hard. I was so very, very happy to finish this one.

I like this type of workout, but tonight almost every part of it felt off-my grip wasn't doing well and it felt awkward to transition between almost every lift, so maybe I was just weak and lazy? Or maybe this time I actually used a weight that felt heavy. Blah, thanks, Kyle. Last time I did this type of wod, most of it was: muscle the bar up, thruster, back squat thruster.

Move faster!

Skill
SNPP/Overhead Squat
Warm up, 33, 43, 53
75%x2-1 63#
80%x2-1 73#
85%x2-1 78#

I rounded the weight down for the first set, but since it didn't seem too tough, I rounded up for the remaining sets. My focus on this was keeping a tight core for the PP, settling deep into the OHS and then coming out of it with some semblance of explosiveness.

WOD
4 rounds
Intervals of 2:30 min work/90 sec rest
200 m row
7 ring push ups
max ball slams 20#
Score: 33-31-28-31

Oh, yeah. Who loves Saturday morning conditioning workouts?!? As much as I don't look forward to being hardly able to breath, this was a good one. The rounds seemed just right to be able to really push hard on each part.

And in response to last nights' post:
Kyle, I just can't stand to have you mad at me, so I take it all back. We are friends again.
Golden, the comparison to MW2 makes everything better. I love that game.
Emily, Sam was totally fine with me being mad at him. He seemed really, really confident that it wouldn't last.
Joc, as I wrote about the squat cleans, I hesitated...but then I figured that no one would call me on it. Oops! See every single time I say that my max clean in 128#, I know that it probably isn't. There is no way it was by that CA definition...

The Slowest of the Day

Skill
Overhead Squat
find a new 2 RM...
I made it to 78#, which is not a PR, and stopped. My shoulders are just way to tight for this today.

WOD
15, 10, 5
Backsquats 183#
KBS 44# (rx'd was 53#)
Time: 9:00

I think that I take the prize for the slowest time of the whole day, slowest out of every single class. That is ok, though. I was just really glad to finish this one. I came into class knowing this was the wod, and actually looking forward to it. I had no idea that I would have to BS this weight. I was figuring I'd do it at about 153# or so...I did a similar wod in December at 133# and that was super hard then. So, yeah, this was super, super hard.

And then we had to do a finisher.
with a partner, in 1 minute intervals, complete a total of:
2k row
50 presses 73#, then down to 63#

I was really trying to not have a bad attitude about that one. You know, trust the trainer and all that jazz. Everyone else had like double the rest I did. I was tired. I was sore. I was ready to be done. But I have to learn to keep going even when I don't want to, especially when it is hard, learn to just be tougher. Right?!?

I was going to make some paleo cookies to take to the sectionals tomorrow, but now we'll have to see if I can stand up that long.

Great Start to a Great Day

Skill
2 Snatch Push Press+ 2 Overhead squats x5
65#

Nasty Girls
3 rounds
50 air squats
12 ring push ups (knees) (rx'd is 7 muscle ups)
10 hang power cleans 85# (rx'd is 95#)
Time: 10:36

This was a great WOD. My ring push ups felt just a tad more stable than last time, but I was pretty surprised at how hard the hang power cleans were for me. Before we started, I had this nagging feeling that maybe I should put the whole 95# on the bar, but once we started I was struggling enough with the 85#. The hang power clean should be harder, right? Since you don't have as much leg power? I really hope so... I think that is the one and only time I use a men's bar for hang power cleans. I kept losing my grip after about 5 or 6 of them.

No Idea for a Title...

Skill

Overhead Squat

53x3

63x3

73x3

83x3

88x2 (1f)

WOD

3 rounds

200 m. run

7 hang power snatches 53#

30 squats

7 push ups

Time: 10: 52

Nice start to the morning. :) It takes so much concentration for me to get those OHS, but that must be good for my brain too. I was a bit wary of using 53# for the snatches since I am so horrible at that lift, but I decided to just suck it up and try it, even if I took a really, really long time to get them done. After the first round, I was doing a much better job of keeping the bar closer to my body and pulling my elbows up and I could have even done 63#.

Now I get to enjoy the waves, sappy movies, and old pictures all day long. I am holed away working on lots of stuff, including a chronicle of the last year-lots to think about! I did have time for a great paleo-ish dinner at Zameen's last night.