In which I got what I asked for

Every day CrossFit HQ posts work outs.  Often they look insane, but one caught my eye and looked like fun.  So I tagged Lori in a comment requesting the work out and sure enough we did it!

4/16/12 WOD #37:

• Warm up: 400 m run
                  25 burpees (I only did 15)
                  10 jumping squats
                  10 sit ups
                  10 grasshoppers
                  10 pull ups
                  10 jumping squats
• WOD: For time: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
                            Chest-to-bar pull up (green band)
                            Box jumps (24")
                            GHD sit ups
                            Time: 23:35

I liked the looks of this one because it took normal movements and kicked them up a notch: instead of normal pull ups, you do chest to bar; instead of box jumps at the normal women's standard of 20", do them at the men's standards of 24" instead; instead of ab-mat sit ups, do them on the torture machine known as the GHD.  The decreasing rep count is nice because by the end you are exhausted but you only have to do 3 more of each, then 2 more, and then just one rep of each movement and you're done!

This work out sucked while I did it.  At one point on the GHD I looked up at Lori and said, "What crazy person requested this WOD?"  But as always, it was awesome, it was fun, and it felt great to get through it! This was also a milestone for me because I was nailing my taller box jumps without a problem.

Here is the official demo of this WOD:

Open WOD 12.5

THE FINAL WOD OF THE OPEN!!!

The final WOD was announced to the standard resounding bitching and moaning in the comments on Facebook (best comments: "Is bitching and complaining Paleo?" and "CrossFit: forging elite whiners").

The official work out was to be a 7 min AMRAP thrusters (65# for women) and chest-to-bar pull ups starting with 3 reps each and going up by 3 reps each round.  This was a bit daunting for someone who just graduated to the second-heaviest band on normal pull ups and who hadn't gotten a kip yet.

For the practice round on Thursday I used bands and tried very hard to work on my kip.  As such, I got less reps in practice than I would have if I had just used the blue band and not tried to touch my chest to the bar.  Instead of the prescribed OT of box jumps after the WOD was finished (short WOD means time for doing extra exercise!) Lori and I tried to work on my kip form.

My goal going into the actual judged WOD was 4 reps: I was confident I could do three thrusters and then I was hoping the adrenaline would carry me into a Hail Mary giant kip-of-awesomeness and get my sternum up to the bar.

I even got a morale bonus for the work out.  My husband and my sister-in-law (who is totally responsible for getting me into CrossFit) were there to cheer me on and that felt pretty awesome!

Long story short: I got 3 reps to submit online.  After my thrusters I had a good 6.5 minutes to work on that Hail Mary and although my kip timing improved as I kept going, I just didn't have the arm strength to carry me all the way up.  And as frustrating as it can be to try and try and continue to fail, I knew going in that my chances were slim.  I'm just not there yet.  But it has given me a new goal: I am going to freaking KILL the kip on band and pretty soon...I'll get off the band entirely.  I just need to give myself time!

Now, let us all bow our heads and reflect on this Open competition.  Or, at least, I will.  I don't know why a month and a half into CrossFit I decided to throw my hat into the games with no chance of making it past the Open.  Maybe it was an extra test for myself, or maybe just the allure of the community and the inclusiveness of the Open, or maybe it was the chance to compare scores with Jen (sister-in-law) long distance.  But I am 100% glad that I did it.  I learned a ton about myself thanks to this competition and I am stronger for it.  Here are my lessons from the Open:

1. Use the adrenaline.  Don't let it use you.  Doing my burpees I got too carried away right at first and burned out.  Not doing that again!  Ancillary lesson: I still hate burpees.
2. You can do so much more than you ever thought!  So many times during these workouts I was sure that I would fail. That certain movements or certain weights would be utterly beyond me.  And somehow I did them anyway and that is just amazing to me!
3. Rage.  Sometimes to get a weight up, you have to get angry.  And no, I am not going to tell you what my personal rage was directed towards.  Maybe if you ask me and I like you.
4. Form, Form, Form.  My wall balls would not have sucked balls (heh) nearly as much had my form been there.  It really nailed down for me how important your form is, not just to prevent injury, but to maximize your efforts.
5. Finally: I love CrossFit.  I love the community, I love the challenge, I love the pain and frustration that ends in triumph.  I love it.  And I love you guys.

Totally did a hand stand

The WOD had nothing to do with hand stands today, although the warm up did.  But I am still pretty proud.  And yes, the hand stand was against a wall, but I remain proud since while all the blood was rushing to my brain I could hear my classmates in the midst of their own warm ups say, "Is that her first hand stand?  Awesome!"  I love my class and I love CrossFit.

For reasons unknown to me, today's entire work out (warm up included) made me feel like I had the stomach flu.  I didn't meet Mr. Pukey, but starting about five minutes in I was drenched in that cold sweat that often precedes vomiting.  Uncomfortable to say the least.  And it didn't stop.  I spent the entire work out wanting to dump water on myself a-la flash dance.  Only without it being in any way alluring.

1/30/12 WOD #11:

• Warm up: 10 stairs
                  500 m row
                  10 m bear crawl
                  10 m crab walk
                  10 m hand stand walk (or, in my case, "Hey!  I did a hand stand!  Woo!")
                  10 m duck walk
                  10 pull ups
                  10 squats
                 (all those tens after the row were supposed to be done three times.  I called it good at once through so we could get going on the WOD itself.)
• WOD #11: 7 rounds for time: 7 front squats (35#)
                                                7 chest-to-bar (scaled to straight pull ups with the blue band)
                                                Time: 14:57

We had to modify my squats today because I am flexible enough that I go way too far down and then have trouble getting my ass back up (literally).  So Lori had me squat to a medi ball today.  She also had us make the first front squat of each set into a clean (I have been practicing my triple extension every time I open up our darn garage door.  Boo-yah).  

Another discovery today: my tron pants have a zipper pocked in the back of the waistline that is just perfect for keeping my wedding rings in when I am doing work outs that involve pull ups.  How nifty is that?