week of improvements

After a failed attempt in participating in Murph this past Memorial Day, I wasn't looking forward to doing any WODs this week. Tuesday called for a Snatch Complex of sorts and I was dreading it all day. My wrist was not so pleased with me Monday, how would it be a day later. Well, I have learned to always try at the very least, so I did. I managed to do an entire complex with just the 35# bar, but next could I add more weight? I threw on some 10# plates and went for it. My first attempt was a failure. My hand grip felt weak and I didn't feel like I had much control of the movement, BUT my wrist wasn't what stopped me. So I took a moment and rested before attempting again. Well guess what? I did it, not once, or twice, three times, but four times. Holy shit guys!! Do you know what this means?!?! Shit is getting better, that's what! Now granted it was only 55# but still, only a week or so prior I couldn't even do just the bar. Any sort of Cleans is still a bit iffy, I can't fully extend my wrist in a front rack position so I have to keep with the light weights.

I woke up this morning expecting my wrist to be sore or inflamed but it was not. So there was no way that I'd miss todays WOD either, which was going to push me to my limits I was sure. And it did. I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to complete the WOD in its entirety or even without modifying the movement. It called for 5 rounds of 27 Double Unders, 20 Hang Cleans, and 15 Shoulder to Overhead. First of all, this sort of WOD taxes your grip, so going all out is a no-no. Secondly, Cleans are still an issue for me and to do that many, could I? I didn't ask Joon for any modifications because I didn't want something to bail to. I wanted to give me all and if I couldn't complete it, well than at least I tried. My grip definitely felt it, I had to break the Hang Cleans in sets of 4, and I did Push Presses and those were no easy feat. Again, I kept the weight light at 55# (prescribed was 65#) and paid close attention to my form. Being ever so careful on my wrist movements. About 3 rounds in I realized I was doing just fine and that I can FINISH this WOD as is. I looked at the time and decided to hustle it and get a time under 16 minutes. And I did!

Tonight I am feeling slightly sore in my upper body, but I feel great. I am delighted to know that after so many months of pain and setbacks, I am improving! It is such a great feeling!!!! I will keep you posted with future successes, hopefully a LOT more will come. Goodnight.

got the message

Being injured, even as minor as it is, is very frustrating! Monday and Tuesday has really pushed some buttons that forces me to make some realizations. Hurting my wrist I feel is a blessing in disguise, but the timing is just awful. I haven't done a WOD in quite some time and now that I can't do most lifts, my weightlifting program is on hold and I am rejoining the class. Well Monday's WOD proved to me that I really need to keep doing WOD's as my endurance sucked. And Tuesday's WOD reminded me of how much I miss working with some of the greatest friends I have. It also made me highly jealous that I couldn't do half the WOD with everyone because of my restriction and that was not fun. So once I am back in working condition, I need to figure out a balance to keep me moving forward and not doing the two steps forward three steps back dance anymore. The Universe has a funny way of making you realize things, I got the message!

As for 15.1 in the Open, I managed to get 25 reps. Once the snatches came up I could not move my wrist in order to do it so I stopped. At least I got to log something in and try, I am happy with that. On Saturday I was able to judge my fellow box mates and that was a fun experience. I am so proud of everyone. Now to prepare for 15.2 and see if it is something I can be a part of or not. :)

starter program: d1 of w1

Last Wednesday in class we were looking for our 1RM in Power Cleans. When I first started CrossFit both Deadlifts and Power Cleans were my favorite movements. But now the Power Cleans have become a source of frustration for me. I know I'm not the only person whose experienced this with either this movement or another. And I know this is only a temporary scenario. None of that though makes it less frustrating. I have been stuck on the same weight for some time now and can't seem to get past it. I know most of it is mental, but I believe I also lack enough hands on experience.

I had a conversation with a fellow box mate who has been doing a weightlifting program on the side. I wanted to know why and how she started the program. Watching her has been inspiring and motivating for me. The weightlifting portion of CrossFit is what made me fall in love with it to begin with. And though I love going in and doing WODs with everyone, I really want to begin focusing on the areas that I feel I am weak in. So I have decided to begin a Starter Program from Catalyst Athletics that will hopefully prepare me for another weightlifting training program. The starter program is for 4 weeks and I started it today.

Day 1 of Week 1:
Clean & Jerk 5 x 2 +1
Clean Pull 3 x 3
Back Squat 3 x 5

Day one has already been an educational day for me, as I learned that a Clean is different from a Power Clean (we only ever do Power Cleans in WODs), and I did Clean Pulls for the first time. I'm suppose to use the same weight for all three movements, it has to be challenging but below my max effort. I warmed up with 65#, not knowing how much I could do my Cleans at. I bumped it up to 85# and decided to stay there for the Clean & Jerks, especially since I haven't done Split Jerks in about a year and wasn't sure if I could do anything heavier. The drawback to this was that I know the Clean Pulls should be heavy and 85# isn't a very heavy Back Squat for me. I think my day two of this program I will have to adjust the weight so that it is challenging across the board.

After I was done with todays program, I rested a bit and then worked on my Plank. If I want to get better in other movements I need to strengthen my core. Time to get my Plank time up, I gave it a go three times:

1- 45 sec
2- 30 sec
3- 35 sec

I wasn't feeling my strongest today, but I am pleased that I got this started! Here's to a learning experience and progression!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirty-seven

I'm back!!!! Today was my first session with Joon since November 18th! It has really been that long, between his schedule, my schedule, life, holidays, etc etc. we just couldn't make anything work. But today, we got back on it and you know what? I HURT! I'm still sore from Friday, Saturday, and Monday's WODs, than I add his session into the mix and every muscle in my body hates me and him. Oh and I have lovely bruises forming, it's been a while since that happened. Thanks Joon! Alright, so this is what he had in store for me today:

Warm-up-ish:
800m SkiErg
200m Row
600m SkiErg
400m Row
400m SkiErg
600m Row
200m SkiErg
800m Row

KB Complex 2 minutes:
1 Swing + 1 Clean + 1 High Pull + 1 Snatch
2x

Mission Test 5 minutes:
2 Cleans + 1 Press + 3 Front Squats

Ok, that warm up part was sheer torture as I hadn't done anything with the SkiErg in a long time. During the 800 and 600m sessions, I must've stopped a time or two trying to catch my breathe and shake my already sore body out. What a rude awakening that was for me. The KB work was fun and challenging. My hands have been bothering me lately, I have been trying to work on my grip work on the bar and trying to get my kipping movement down. So holding the KB today was a real pain, I had to chalk the hell out of the KB and my hands just to get through it. After a while the hands became the last thing on my mind as I could feel my muscles scream at me. A few times I hit myself with the KB and knew I'd be feeling that later, well I am. Bruises are forming and I am sensitive to the touch.

This evening I had Coach Tony check my body fat, that is the other thing I am getting back into. I am really disappointed that I gained all that I lost the last time plus some. I could blame the holidays all I want but no one forced the crappy shit down my throat. Thankfully I am back on track and will fix this situation, fast!

All in all, it feels good to be back. I will also be posting more often again and keeping everyone up to date with what is happening. Thank you again for all the positive feedback! <3

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

fran & updates

Today I went to CFST, probably for the first time ever on a Sunday. I am not sure why I never went before, especially since it is a Benchmark class. We worked on Fran today, and I have to be honest, I hate Fran. Anything with thrusters will always make me cringe. But I will be honest, I was relieved to learn we had no running in todays WOD. I really did not want to run again after yesterdays WOD. Anyway, the last time I did Fran I only did 55# and the ring rows. Because I don't like thrusters I don't work on them very often, which translates to my not being very efficient with them. Today though I decided to do the RX weight of 65# to challenge myself a little more. Especially since I KNOW I can do that weight. My pull-ups are banded ones and I typically do those when pull-ups are in the WOD but because we were trying to get the best time possible with Fran, I stuck with ring rows and focused on beating my time from August. Well ladies and gents, I am pleased to say I beat my time by 36 seconds. It was a great feeling!! I suppose it is time to really work on becoming more efficient with my thrusters and continue working on my pull-ups.

In other news, I have done some updates to my blog. Because I really want to keep track of my progress in some areas, I want a better way to know if the time I post under "Personal Records" is a modified WOD or RX. So from now on when I post a time, I will place a "M" to signify that it was a modified WOD. I also created a new tab, personal records notes, where I can keep notes on the WODs that I do modify. This way I can keep track of exactly what it was I modified within that WOD. This is more for me but since I know quite a few of you do read what I post, I figured I'd let you in on the changes you may notice.

I continue to thank everyone who has, who does, and who will support me. It is much appreciated.

This photo was taken from Pinterest

when life gives you lemons...

Just a few days ago I felt like I had a billion and one things to share and I sit here tonight staring into the monitor of my laptop clueless on what to type. I do have much to share but I am at a loss of where to begin and what would be appropriate to share. Just a month ago I was walking on cloud nine, having accomplished my very first handstand, working on my wall walks, getting the gist of a kip, and most importantly learning I got accepted into Concordia University.

Well I haven't done another handstand, I have done a few attempts but I think the fear is rather strong. So I have been practicing kicking my legs up, trying to get use to the feeling of that motion. I think it is only a matter of time before I get use to it and do it on a regular basis. As for the kip, I keep working on it and I am getting the hang of it, though I haven't done a full kipping pull-up. I am not expecting that to happen in the very near future but it is something I am working on.

Something that I finally got back to doing are box jumps. I purchased some knee sleeves that I can double for shin protection and that helped ease some of the fear on getting back at it. Last Wednesday the WOD called for quite a bit of box jumps and at times I had to just do step-ups as I didn't have any confidence but for the most part I did the jumps. Feels good to be back at it, but I think it will be a while before I am completely at ease again.

So my biggest piece of news has to do with my continuing education. I have recently learned, without delving in too personally, that my financial aid will no longer be helping me. In other words, as of right now I will not be going to Concordia to begin working on my Bachelors Degree in January. I am not sure if I will at any point in fact, and I can not express the disappointment I feel right now. At this moment I am not entirely sure what I will do, what my choices really are, but I know that with every closing of a door another one opens. I am trying my best to hold on to that thought and believe in it. I know this isn't the end of the road for me.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

knocking down limits

This week has been one of mini triumphs for me, both in and out of the gym. I am one more step closer to finding out if I will be attending Concordia this coming January, I should receive news in the first week of December. This is an enormous step for me, as it is the beginning of a future that can hold many opportunities for me and I am so excited about this!

As for my successes in the gym this week, I have goals that I am trying to meet and have begun working on them when I have time to spare. I have been stuck on the wall walks, only able to walk my legs up but not my hands back. One evening I decided to start working on trying to walk my hands back, at first it was just a shimmy. The next evening I tried I actually moved my hands back a step or two. The third night I gave it a go I got even closer, but that is as far as I got. Fear of falling backwards has been plaguing my mind. I also need to work on walking back out, I've been panicking and just falling to the side. This may not sound like a big deal but after almost two years of CrossFitting and only now making this sort of progress is a big deal to me.

The second thing that I accomplished was, somewhat, kipping. We had a WOD this week that had pull-ups, and instead of doing ring rows like I have the last several months, I did banded kipping pull-ups. In all honesty I had no idea if I was doing it right or not, I just moved however I felt my body would move to get my chin above the bar. I no rep'd myself a few times but still hustled through the WOD. Afterwards I asked Coach Joon how to kip and he told me that I was already doing it. Then it all made sense!

Lastly, I accomplished something that I never thought I'd do, like ever! I did my very first handstand!!! There are a lot of things I was able to do as a child and somewhere along the way I lost it all, as many of us do. After seeing my first WOD with HSPU, I thought to myself that I will always be modifying that movement. This is partly my not having any faith in myself but also thinking I am not strong enough to hold myself up. Well it took a few tries but with Coach Tony's help I did it and it was amazing and scary all at the same time. I wanted to practice them again tonight but after the FYF WOD, I felt far too beat up to even attempt it. I'll get back to it on Monday.

Tonight was also a triumphant night for me. I fought really hard, mentally, to keep moving through the suck. My quads were constantly on fire and my low back was flat out tired. And this wasn't even the hard part, the AirFit just about killed everyone. Naturally I am exaggerating here but when you do something that leaves you completely uncomfortable no matter what position you lay, sit, stand, or walk, you know it was a bad one! For this portion of the WOD we had to do 3 rounds for time, as fast as you can on the AirFit, 20 calories for the ladies and 30 calories for gents. I am impressed myself tonight by getting incredible times, times that blows all of my past times out of the water (23/32/39). All of my hard work with Joon is most certainly paying off. My biggest lesson this week and evening? That no matter what age or fitness level I am, I can knock down the limits I have set up for myself. I am able and I am willing.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirty-six

I walked into the gym already feeling sore around my lats and triceps from last nights WOD. This made me nervous for what Joon had in store for me and it turned out he was planning to add to my soreness. With that classic Joon smile, he warned me that tomorrow I will be feeling this. So this is what he had me do:

Warm-up: Easy 5 min Row
Then,
8 x 1:00 min of:
     OHS 15#
     Mountain Climbers
     Farmers Carry 2 x 95#
     Dumbbell Snatches 35#
1- 14
2- 15
3- 16
4- 12
5- 15
6- 12
7- 15
8- 16
Time: 54:32

For this session the only reps that were counted were the snatches, otherwise the rest I just focused on moving the entire minute. There wasn't really a scheduled rest period but I would sometimes take my time going from one movement to the next, especially after the farmers carry where my hands began to burn pretty badly. It took me a good while to get it done, but I did it and finished it. The one movement that I struggled on and complained a lot about was the mountain climbers. Between struggling with my breathing on this movement and my legs giving out on me a lot, I hated every minute I spent on those!  I am sure I will be plenty sore tomorrow as I am already beginning to feel it now. Oh joy!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

filthy fifty

Last year December I did the Filthy Fifty at CrossFit Stumptown for the first time- it sucked. But I managed to get it done in 33:26, modified of course. It's been almost an entire year and the WOD resurfaced today. I battled with the thoughts if I should do or not since I already worked out this morning with Joon. But I really wanted to do it again and beat my time. I know the last time I did it I did step-ups instead of box jumps, did single unders instead of double, and I am not sure how I modified the knees to elbow. If I hadn't fucked up my shin a week ago I think I could've done the box jumps but jumping on a box isn't something I really wanted to do yet... not prepared for it. Tony added a twist to this WOD by adding a time cap of 35 minutes and for those doing singles, instead of 3x it was 4x. Well ladies and gents, I mustered through the workout with the intent of beating my time and I am happy to say I DID! My new time is now 33:06 (modified).

Filthy Fifty: 50 reps each
Box Jumps 20/24 (I did jumps on 3 stacked 45# plates)
Jumping Pull-ups
Kettlebell Swing 25/35#
Walking Lunges
Knees to Elbow
Push Press 35/45#
Back Extensions
Wall Balls 14/20#
Burpees
Double Unders (I did 200 singles)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-nine (day of boo boo)

Well todays been a painful day, and not painful in a sore from a WOD sense. But painful in a box tried to eat me for lunch sense. After CrossFitting for almost a year and a half, today I had my very first run in with a box. Not with one leg, but both legs. I was literally only two jumps away from being finished and BAM! Not a pleasant experience. My left leg took the brunt of the damage but both hit the box. Thankfully it didn't go deep to the bone but enough to expose the fascia (white meat). At first, besides the pain, there were no visual indicators that I hit. After a few minutes of trying to walk around and hold back in yelling from the pain, Tony had me lift my tights again and blood began to show up. The pain only escalated from there and it only took a minute or two for both spots to get bright purple. By this point Joon said I was done for the day and that we needed to clean my legs up. Walking for the first few hours after was rough, any jarring movement sucked. It's beginning to feel better to walk but touching the skin around the areas is exceptionally sensitive and hurts like hell, regardless of how light I touch. I hope that by Monday I will be back to WODing with no issues. Here is what I did manage to do today before my boo boo:

Warm-up:
10 min Row

5 x 10 Back Squats 100#
5 x 5 Box Jumps

This little incident will NOT stop me from doing box jumps in the future, but I am seriously considering on getting some sleeves for my lower legs. This way next time I have a mishap, besides bruised sore shins, there will be no breaking of the skin!

The photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-eight

I walked into the gym this morning witnessing a class struggling through the WOD of the day, a FYF WOD. Immediately dread came over me because a part of me wondered if Joon was going to make me do this WOD. I didn't feel ready for that sort of work, it was far too early for me. But thankfully he didn't make do it. Here is what I did do:

Warm-up:

     5 min AirFit (easy)

     2 x 5 Wall Squat

     2 x 5 KB Windmill

     2 x 5 Samson Stretch

     50 Single-Unders

5 x 10 Sumo Deadlift @ 100#

6 x 10 sec "All Out" Row (48/49/50/51/51/51)

Rest 30 sec between

Rest 3 min

Row 250m "All Out" (0:51.4)

Rest 3 min

Row 500m @ 70% of 250m pace (1:56)

The warm-up was great and much needed! The deadlifts felt good and I felt strong. The rowing was going great until the end of the 500m. My gas tank was basically empty and it felt awful! Maybe I need to keep working on my rowing skills. ;)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-seven

Today was the day for PR's! I woke up this morning to learn that the CFST WOD for the day was the CrossFit Football Total. Because I knew I wasn't going to be able to go back tonight for a regular WOD after my session with Joon, I was hoping that was what he would have me do. And it was! The last time I did this was back in July in a session with Joon. My total was 580, and I PR'd in two movements that day, and totally failed miserably in my Deadlifts even though that is typically my strong movement. Today I am happy to say I did much better and even increased my total by 85 points. Here's what I did:

Old CrossFit Football Total:
Power Clean- 110#
Back Squat- 175#
Bench Press- 100#
Deadlift- 195#
Total= 580

Today's CrossFit Football Total:
Power Clean- 115#
Back Squat- 200# (25# PR)
Bench Press- 105# (5# PR)
Deadlift- 245# (10# PR)
Total= 665

So needless to say I am quite happy with my numbers. I have improved them since the last time and even surprised myself in a couple of my movements. The disappointing one is the Power Clean. I know I can lift heavier but I keep doubting myself. It's quite frustrating but Joon has given me great pep talks and is a great encourager, I will get passed this.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

joon, "f" you!

What?! I know what some of you may be thinking, but it's ok, Joon and I are in good terms. Today at Stumptown it is Fuck You Friday (FYF). It's a WOD that is on crack, and we push ourselves more than we normally would. After my session with Joon earlier today, he commented that if I came back in the evening to join my gym mates for the FYF WOD, I wouldn't be doing it. He had something different for me. Oh but what could that be?! So naturally, I went back and he introduced me to FYJ...

SkiErg, 100m Sprints, 10x (with 90 sec rest):
1) 23.3
2) 24.5
3) 23.4
4) 23.4
5) 23.7
6) 24.1
7) 24.7
8) 25.1
9) 24.9
10) 24.3

Not bad, I stayed fairly consistent but it absolutely sucked. By the end of the 10th round my arms were already feeling sore. At this Joon laughed and said, "wait until tomorrow." So again Joon, "F" you!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-four

Fall term began last Monday and my body decided to take on a cold as well. Thankfully all of my classes are on-line this term, with only being required to attend a lab for Geology on Fridays. The majority of the symptoms didn't last very long and I am now just dealing with a cough, that is slowly going away. Unfortunately though I was too ill to have my session with Joon on Tuesday, so I rested. With this new term and having to have a lab on Friday, my work schedule had to shift which meant my sessions had to shift a bit as well. Instead of Tuesday/Thursday sessions, I will now have Tuesday/Friday sessions. I went back to CrossFit on Wednesday night, took Thursday night off, and had my session with Joon on today. He's a gifted one, knows the right amount of push without wiping me out completely. Breathing and energy level aren't 100% but I still feel like I got something done. Here is what was done:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     4 x 20m Skip
     4 x 20m Butt Kicks
     4 x 20m Jog

Then 2x,
     4 x 30/30 Goblet Squats (35#)
     *During rest period do 4 Lunges

Then,
"Tail Pipe" Ski 3x
     250m SkiErg (Sprint) R1- 1:08, R2- 1:08, R3- 1:03
     1:00 min KB Rack Hold

Ok first of all Joon sent me a text on what to do as he was going to be there at the start of our time together. He informed me to do the warm-up, extended warm-up, and the Goblet Squat. He obviously saved the best part for when he would be there. In the fog of my mind I somehow misread the Goblet Squat being 30/30 and ended up doing a whole round of 30 Goblet Squats when it became clear in my head that he meant 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Oops. On top of which I didn't catch that I was to do this twice. So pretty much screwed that all up- see Joon, you HAVE to be there! Anyway, the "Tail Pipe" is usually done with a partner and a rower. While one rows the 250m sprint, the other partner is holding the KB Rack Hold. But since I train alone and because we have a new toy in the gym, he modified it so that we did it on the SkiErg and I would hold the KB for a minute afterwards. It was awful, but most certainly not worse than the Triathlon. I think my times are good but given that I am still sick and put out decent times and even rocked out a better time on my third round, means I can do much better. I hope I don't start hating the SkiErg, cause I kind of was during this session. I think I should be back to normal by next week and hope to kill my WODs!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

   

one on one: day twenty-two

So Coach Tony, owner of CrossFit Stumptown, went to work on his Gym Jones certification a few weeks ago in Utah (I think that's where). While there, he learned a few things and decided to begin implementing them at his gym. Now I can not remember if I ever mentioned what Gym Jones is, but here's my take on it... it's CrossFit on CRACK! Seriously guys, it's crazy shit! Anyway, Tony came back inspired and ordered a SkiErg to add to his arsenal of torture devices (but in all honesty it's really not that bad) and has turned our Friday WODs into F.Y.F. WODs (F You Friday). His goal was to get all his members to do the Triathlon, which consists of 500m on the SkiErg, 50 calories on the AirFit, and 500m on the Rower. Last Friday was the moment of truth and I didn't show up! Actually, I had been going straight for 2 weeks of working out and was planning on taking a scheduled rest day. Though I knew neither Tony or Joon would allow myself (and Aaron) to sneak by this one. So for today's session with Joon, can you guess what he had me do? Yea. I think he's a tad bit sadistic. So here's the details:

Warm-up: Casual 500m Row
Practice on SkiErg

Triathlon:
500m SkiErg 2:14
50 Calories AirFit 4:13
500m Row 2:10
Overall Time: 9:05

To have an idea of what it looks like, click here to see a Gym Jones demo of the Triathlon. You are timed in each individual machine but as well as a total time. Your final time is total time (which includes transitions). So how did I feel afterwards? Oh man, I don't know if there are actually words to describe it. I had been hearing for the last few days the different experiences from many of my gym mates. Some that barfed, some who couldn't get off of the floor for about 30 minutes, to asthma attacks, and even coughing that lasts a day. This is meant to test you, you are to go as hard as you can without stopping.

I am not going to lie, this was hard. During the AirFit I wanted to give up, and I would've if it weren't for Joon and the ladies there rooting me on. The SkiErg isn't all that bad actually, I think it's just getting the technique down and knowing how and when to slow down. I was controlling my breathing and trying to stay consistent with my speed. (I did use my inhaler prior to starting this.) Moving to the AirFit is when the dread set in, if you haven't already picked up on it I hate that thing. I never look forward to using it and don't think I will ever be accepting of it. You are suppose to go real hard on this but from the get-go I couldn't, my quads were already burning from the SkiErg. The key is to not look at the screen, look down and push yourself. My hair was making me feel suffocated and my quads were yelling at me. By this point I began to get pissed, not at anyone but at this machine and at whomever came up with the Triathlon. I know I began yelling at the machine and swearing at it. The girls around me began laughing, but I was genuinely upset at it. Getting off of it was a bit challenging my I could have easily just collapsed to the floor, but I hurriedly made my way to the Rower and they tied my feet in and got me going. I know I stopped rowing a few times because my legs and arms were burning, and breathing became such a chore for me. But alas, as always I completed it. I literally rolled out of the Rower onto the floor moving about like a fish out of water. I couldn't focus in on any one discomfort, everything was yelling at me. I didn't barf and I didn't cry. It didn't make me sick like others and I am not experiencing any awful coughs. But the thing that it most certainly did was tax my nervous system. My arms and hands took a while to stop shaking. My mind felt foggy and confused for a bit too. I giggled a lot, but not at anything, I think it was like a side effect- like I was drunk.

What did I learn from this? That I absolutely without a doubt hate the AirFit. That I am capable of pushing myself. That I could have done better. That I am getting better at this stuff. And that I never ever want to do this again, EVER!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty

Woo hoo I reached TWENTY sessions!! Maybe this is why Joon set up an ass kicker of a workout today- to celebrate. Of all the sessions I have had, todays was by far the worse one yet. Yes yes, I know I always say something similar to that in almost every post but this time, I truly mean it. Today was the first time I have ever, and I mean EVER, felt like crying during a workout/WOD. The coaches always joke about it from time to time saying it's ok if you want to cry, just don't give up. Sometimes these WODs are a mental game and you just have to push through the suck, it makes you mentally tougher or so they say. But today I was breaking, mentally I was struggling and breathing was so erratic. With every movement something in my body was yelling at me and my mind couldn't deal with it, a few times I expressed to Joon I want to cry and he simply said, "don't let it break you." So I fought against the tears, and I promise you I was literally on the verge of shedding tears as I squat yet another squat, but instead I just grunted, moaned, and exhaled loudly. So here is what sent me over the edge:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     Tabata Russian KB Swings 25#

10 Rounds of:
20 Sec Max Effort on AirFit
3 Min Rest- Perform 10 Back Squats
(5 Rounds @ 105# / 5 Rounds @ 85#)

Results of AirFit (in Calories)
1- 11.3
2- 15.5
3- 9.5
4- 11.8
5- 11.8
6- 10.5
7- 12.3
8- 11.3
9- 11.2
10- 13.4

This is pretty much all I did and it was utterly horrible. My legs, primarily my quads, hated not only Joon but myself. If you have never gone max effort on the AirFit (Airdyne), you've been warned. To do that than have a 3 minute rest period where I had to perform 10 back squats within that time frame was so brutally hard, not just physically but mentally. The end result is that I did do it, I never gave up and I did my best giving my all. Even on a day I walked into the gym and told Joon beforehand that I was feeling quite tired and that I didn't know if I COULD give me best. Under those circumstances I still performed well. Could have I done better? Probably. My body can, but it's the beast of the mind that holds me (us) back. Besides my second round where I got 15.5 calories, I managed to get a big number on my very last round. We can dig deep when we try.

When it was all done I laid there on the floor for a bit and caught my breathe and whined in discomfort. My first attempt in getting up failed with me just falling right back down, I was experiencing spaghetti legs. After a few more minutes I managed to get myself up and moving around, with a couple of close calls. Once I got to my car though I have to admit that I did get all watery-eyed. This was a very tough workout for me but I am happy I did it and didn't let my mind stop me. Happy Twentieth Session Joon! :)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

labor day wod

Today I took part in the Labor Day WOD at CrossFit Stumptown. I walked into the box with a headache trying to take over and not feeling very motivated. But since I missed Sunday's WOD and it had been 3 days since I worked out I had to make myself get and go, and do it! And now I can say I am glad I did. It wasn't a crazy tough one but definitely one for endurance and to mentally keep you going. Here is what we did:

Teams of 4:
AMRAP (reps) for 30 minutes of:
400m Run
Box Jumpovers
Burpee Pull-ups
Wall Walks

Each member of the team will be doing one of the movements. While the one is out on the 400m run, the rest of us had to count our reps, when the runner comes back than we rotate until the next runner comes back, so on and so forth. In my team there was Candace, Amy, and Zoey. These women were awesome, we were all strong in at least one of the movements and maybe not so much in another. We all kept moving and doing our best. Amy even did 53 box jumpovers in one of the rounds, happened to be when I was running. Candace was pretty proud of herself for running the entire 400m without stopping- right on girl! And Zoey never stopped moving, every time I looked her way she was pushing through it and that was awesome. My proud moment was that I did the box jumpovers without doing step-ups, not even once. I had two mishaps in my first round that caused Tony to come and check on me. Happy to say my shins didn't suffer at all, though I think I stubbed my big toe pretty hard. At the end of the WOD we tallied up our reps and our team got 576 reps in 30 minutes. I am going to say I am pretty proud of us. Good job ladies!

Labor Day 2014- Post WOD

one on one: day seventeen

I went to bed last night feeling pretty sore and thinking that todays session would just plain suck. Then I woke up and logged in and saw that the WOD for the day was "Fight Gone Bad" which I did once before back in July 2013. I was a little bummed because I would miss this WOD since I have other plans for this evening and figured my session with Joon would entail something else. Will it did not, in fact, as soon as Joon learned I would not be back this evening he said that todays session would be "Fight Gone Bad" and I was both excited and scared. The last time I did this WOD my rep count was 137, mind you I had only been doing CrossFit for about a month and half and it was heavily modified. Today I did the WOD, and not only did I RX it but I PR'd it by 41% and got 193 reps. I can not express how unbelievably surprised and happy I am. Joon gave me a goal of 200 reps and though I was like "sure" in my heart I didn't think I'd get that high. I just wanted to beat my old record. So here is what "Fight Gone Bad" is:

Three Rounds of (1 Minute @ Each Station):
Wall Ball 14#
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (SDHP) 45#
Box Jumps 20"
Push Presses 45#
Row (for calories)
Rest 1 Minute
(These weights are for women)

I surprised myself with getting 21 wall balls in the first round, I moved without stopping and even got low on my squats (yay!). Joon and I believed the SDHP and push presses would be where I would excel but I found them the hardest part of this WOD. I couldn't do more than 3-5 reps at a time, and I can easily blame it on being sore or tired but I am not exactly sure why it was so hard. This whole thing sucked! I was consistent with my rowing and have definitely gotten more efficient at that. And I didn't do one step-up on the box jumps, I jumped the entire time. I'd say overall I am pretty impressed with myself and glad that Joon had me do this WOD. I know next time I will do more than 200 reps!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

summer smash crossfit competition reflection

If you've been keeping up with this blog than you already know that I competed this past Sunday, if not, well now you know. Being my first CrossFit competition you can imagine I went through an array of thoughts and emotions during the process. Naturally I was quite nervous leading up to the day, in fact it didn't really hit me until the day before. The morning of was hard to eat breakfast without feeling nauseous. What I was so nervous about I'm not entirely sure but knowing myself, I was probably more afraid of falling or doing something wrong in front of all the people that would be there watching and cheering us on. Because if you know me, you know that it is quite possible that I would accomplish something like that. And no, nothing of the sort happened. My nerves completely diminished the minute Megan, the gracious lady who put this competition together, went over the standards of the first WOD. Suddenly it was like I was back at CrossFit Stumptown and we were just going over the WOD that we would be embarking on. Oh, and allow me to add that the entire competition took place outside. They had the road closed off for the day and set everything up outside where there would be more room and the people walking by for the Hawthorne Street Fair could stop and watch. I didn't prepare for it being outdoors and working out under the hot sun all day, but it was a new challenge that I was forced to deal with. I competed in the Women's Scaled Division with only five other women. Here is my breakdown of thoughts on each WOD that day.

WOD #1:
     AMRAP in 15 minutes of:
     1 Power Clean 65#
     2 Over the Bar Burpee
     200m Run (which actually turned out to be 2 back and forth sprints)
     2 Power Clean 65#
     4 Over the Bar Burpee
     200m Run
     4 Power Clean 65#
     8 Over the Bar Burpee
     200m Run
     ETC ETC.
This WOD was awful. It was awful before I had even started, awful even days prior to the competition. I already knew that this WOD would be the one that I would do the worse in. First of all, running is just not something that comes to me naturally. Sure I can run, but I am not efficient at it. I don't stride well and I don't breathe correctly. This is something Joon and Tony have been working with me on. I'm still a work in progress. Anyhow, adding running AND burpees in the same WOD is like a death sentence for my lungs. I prepared in advanced and made sure to use my inhaler beforehand, and planned on just pacing myself during the run. What I didn't factor in was the HOT weather. The power cleans were of no issue, the weight is light for me and so breezing through those were a piece of cake. The burpees got hard fast with the sun beating down on my and trying to breathe over the hot black mats. In the very first sprint I took off way too fast and burned myself out almost immediately! Rookie mistake #1! Needless to say, I came in last in this event.

WOD #2 & #3:
     Establish 1RM of Overhead Squat in 8 minutes, then rest 2 minutes and in 20 minutes complete:
     500m Row
     10 HRPU (hand release push-ups)
     20 Step-ups on 20" box
     30 KB Swings 25#
     40 Sit-ups
     100 Double Unders OR 300 Singles
     40 Sit-ups
     30 KB Swings 25#
     20 Step-ups
     10 HRPU
Ok let me begin with the overhead squat, my weakest of bar movements. I only established a new 1RM on this four days prior to the competition, from 65# to 95#. My goal was to get 90# on competition day, and maybe shoot for 95#. But as I was warned by Joon, the adrenaline will push you to go all out. And so after nailing 70#, 85#, and 90# I decided to get a little crazy and go for 100#. I failed the first two tries and even called good after that. But when 90 seconds was announced as all that was left, I decided to give it one more go and NAILED it! In a matter of one week I PR'd the OHS by 35#. How does this still surprise me? I have no clue. I placed 4th in WOD #2. The 500m row was a part of the 20 minute time cap but was scored separately. I came in 2nd place with the row at 2:06. For the rest of WOD #3 I came in 5th place and I believe a part of me died out there on the asphalt that day. As much as I dreaded WOD #1, this one pretty much killed me. Rookie mistake #2 is not knowing how to do double unders yet, so I ended up wasting time doing 300 singles. You know what that means? I means I am learning how to do double unders ASAP. The rest of the WOD was hard mostly out of being tired. I'm not accustomed to pushing myself to continuously move without stopping for water or breathing breaks. I came close to not finishing it under the time cap, but I did. Thank goodness!

Final WOD:
     AMRAP in 3 minutes of:
     Shoulder to Overhead 65#
I chose to do push presses as I felt those were more efficient for me at such a light weight. Before beginning this WOD I felt that my shoulders felt pretty good, especially since everyone seemed to be complaining that their shoulders felt tired. But after about a minute of doing push presses I began feeling my shoulders burn like crazy. I pumped out as many push presses as quickly as I could go. I ended up getting 37 reps in 3 minutes. I placed 5th in this event.

Individually I did alright in most events, especially for it being my first time. I went into this competition wanting not to place last but after WOD #1 I came to terms that I would more than likely place last overall. And you know, I was surprisingly ok with this. I mean at least I signed up and knew I was giving my (almost) all. The end result was I placed 5th overall. This was a pleasant ending to my first competition. Now the bigger question is, what did I learn from this experience?

Well, I absolutely learned that I really need to learn to be a more efficient runner. So much so that I will begin taking Tony's running clinic Saturday mornings in September. I learned that I need to learn to do double unders. And the biggest lesson learned is to give myself enough credit. I am strong. I am capable.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirteen

Today was the first day I worked out since last Friday, we can thank my left sacroiliac joint for that. I have this issue with that area where it likes to get all out of shape and flare up on me. So after doing a lot of KB movements and Deadlifts, and being an idiot and not stretching out afterwards I woke up Saturday morning in awful pain. I couldn't sit or lay comfortable and forget bending or squatting in any way, shape, or form. By Monday I started to feel better and got adjusted, by Tuesday I was functioning better but waited to get back to the gym until today. On the way to CrossFit Stumptown for my session with Joon I found out that the second WOD in the Summer Smash Competition I am participating in this Sunday will be establishing your one rep max in Overhead Squats. UGH! I hate OHS!! Needless to say, this is what we worked on today and guess what? I PR'd!

Warm-up: 2000m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
     3 x 5 Goblet Squat
     3 x 20/10 Isometric Hold Back Extension
     Max Effort Isometric Hold: 27 seconds

Skill + Strength:
     Rack OHS Press Up 7 x 5 (65, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 110#)
     OHS #45 7 x 5
     5 Attempts 1RM OHS (65, 75, 85, 95, 95#)
   
So I went from having a 1RM of 65# from March to a 1RM of 95# today. I owe Joon so much for all his support and help. Between him and Aaron constantly telling me I am stronger than I think I am, I still don't grasp that concept. I am still quite surprised every time I accomplish something so heavy.

I can't wait for Sunday's competition and see how I perform. I am definitely nervous, but super excited about it.

This photo was taken from the competitions Facebook page.