Crappy 5k, Jackie

Well, Saturday we did our run, and I can't believe how much I sucked. I am so bummed, and kind of embarrassed, but I will post my results just so I can have the satisfaction of improving...

Chip time: 30:46

Gun time: 32:12

Pace: 10:22 min/mile

My Nike+ has been telling me that I'm running a nearly 9 min/mile pace, but apparently it has been lying to me. I didn't think calibration was really necessary, but now I'm seeing the error of my ways. I will hit the track on base today or tomorrow and run exactly a mile so I can get the calibration set and know exactly how slow I still am.

I just wasn't focusing during the race. My stride was short and I felt choppy. Blah. Husbeetle rocked it with an overall pace of 8:10, and he finished under 2 hours. He makes me proud. :)

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WOD was "Jackie".

For time.

• 1000m row
• 50 thrusters (45/25)
• 30 pullups

Results: 14:21 (blue band on pullups)

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Can I just say that I feel like I totally missed the boat on this workout?

The row went well, I did the first 250m pretty fast, and then settled in at about a 2:20 pace, which is normal for me.

Maybe I didn't row fast enough, because it wasn't my legs that were wobbly during the thrusters, it was my arms. I did 20-10-10-10. The last 10 were a bitch. I'm glad I chose to do 25 pounds, or I would've had to slow down a lot on those, and I was going for a fast, intense workout.

Pullups... I intended to use the white/beige band, but when I got up on the bar, I couldn't even get up for one pullup. I got down, rested, tried again, same result. So I had to waste the time of putting the blue band in place. I should've had it set up as a backup, lesson learned.

By the time I finished all my dicking around getting the pullups done, the intensity was totally gone.

I really thought I should've felt this one all over, but my legs still feel almost fresh. My arms are brutalized, though. My hand made it through OK, just a little ripping of the scabs from last week, I was really happy about that.

I'm looking forward to repeating this WOD in a month, and seeing improvement. I think if I can get my rowing down around 2:10 pace, that would rock. And of course longer sets of the thrusters, maybe two sets of 25 if I can gut it out. 10-5-5-5-5 on pullups would be awesome. We shall see.

Crossfit cripple

Oh yes, that is me today.

I skipped yesterday because I was super sore. But then today I told myself, "Self, if you go and do the workout it will loosen you up, and you'll feel better."

Um, yeah, so not true.

My armpits hurt. I had no idea I had so many muscles in my armpit area. And my chest muscles hurt. Not to mention my scabbed over hands are now cracking open. Tuesday is still wreaking havoc on my body. Ack.

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WOD:

3 rounds for time

• 500m row
• 25 kettle bell swings (24k/16)
• 25 double unders (substitute 125 regular jump ropes)

Result: 20:48 (did regular jump ropes)

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Obviously this workout shows that I need to learn to do double-unders. Need to find some videos on learning that.

I felt like total ass swinging the kettlebell, and usually I really enjoy that movement. Maybe it was just a lot heavier than I've done in a while? Most likely. It felt like it was 50 pounds, and I thought it was just going to fly out of my hands. My form sucked, I couldn't get my hips to snap because my grip just felt so tenuous. Stopped to rest a lot. Definitely a workout to try again in a few weeks and see how I've improved.

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Tomorrow I'm running a 5k, and Husbeetle is running a half-marathon. He's such a sexy beast, and I love him for it. We'll do a 1/2 together sometime soon. :)

Kelly "Lite"

WOD: Kelly "Lite"

3 rounds ("regular" Kelly is 5 rounds)

• 400m run
• 30 box jumps 24"
• 30 wall ball shots (20lbs/14)

Results: 29:36 as RX'd

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I pushed myself by using the 24'' box, and the 14lb med ball -- lots of the chicks at the gym today scaled down to 10lb ball, blah to that (but hell no to the 20lb'er). I also tried to use the 8' line on the wall, instead of the lower line for women. I honestly think the lower line is kind of a cop-out when the weight is already scaled down.

But at the same time, I think I could've pushed myself harder on the runs, and also on the wall balls. I wasn't keeping up any kind of rhythm with them, just doing random sets of 2, 3, 4, 5. I'd like to blame yesterday's total shoulder annihilation, but I just wasn't focusing and pushing myself. I'll do better on those next time.

My box jumps kicked total fucking ass. I was feeling good about being the only chick at 5pm or 6pm jumping the 24'' box. I think at least 2 of those ladies were selling themselves short, and could've done awesome on 24'', but did 20''.

Crossfit Apex

I was reading through some articles on the CrossFit Games, and then meandered over to the home gym of the 1st place female competitor, Crossfit Apex. What I love about this site is that they post a picture of their whiteboard at the end of the day, so you can see the different loads and times of their athletes. Love it! Much easier to digest then reading through the comment on the main site.

The only downside is that their main web page has that damn FeedJit widget. That thing still pisses me off...

Skin removal in 60 minutes or less!

Today's WOD

800m run

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 of

* body weight bench press

* pullups

800m run

My results:

• 55:23
• Bench - 65lbs for 21 and half of 18, then 55lbs
• Pullups - used white band for assist up to set of 9, then switched to blue; skin ripped during set of 9

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I just finished using my nail trimmer to remove two skin flaps that used to be attached to my palm. Lovely! Here's the result:

No to scare anyone off, you are certainly welcome to wear gloves or wrap your hands. It didn't happen until I had already done 66 pullups, which is a pretty high number for one workout. I did 96 total for the whole workout.

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Thank God I have been getting better and better at the kipping motion for pullups. WOD's with high reps of pullups were usually occasions where I would almost start crying out of frustration in the past. Not even having bands to help was enough to get my chin up over the bar when I was just doing a dead-hang motion. Ugh.

PS - No, I don't wear my wedding ring while working out. That would really create some nasty side effects in terms of calluses and skin flaps. And the white stuff is chalk. :)

Performance anxiety?

So, right after announcing I will be tracking my workouts here, I took an entire week off. Whaaaaa?

It was pretty much caused by the husbeetle going to another base to shoot for the week, and my schedule/attitude being shot to hell due to being home alone. But still, kind of interesting timing in terms of starting up the new blog.

In any case, I did a quick run on Saturday night (3.3 miles, 32 minutes) to get my body moving, and then was back in the gym at 8:30 this morning.

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WOD:

Complete the following for time:

4 clean & jerks (155lbs/95)

4 power snatch (135lbs/85)

20 GHD sit ups

3 clean & jerks

3 power snatch

15 GHD sit ups

2 clean & jerks

2 power snatch

10 GHD sit ups

1 clean & jerk

1 power snatch

5 GHD sit ups

Results: 13:36 (95 C&J, 65 power snatch)

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My biggest weakness right now is how out of breath I get. I have to rest and slow my breathing to be able to get the weight up. If I try a lift while I'm still huffing and puffing, I end up doing half the motion and then dumping the bar.

The power snatches were annoying. But that is the nature of the snatch. I much prefer one armed dumbbell snatches, I kick ass at those. The wide grip on the bar from the ground is just so damned awkward.

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For cool down, we were supposed to work on something we suck at. I stuck with my usual routine of doing pull-ups. I'm kipping with the beige band right now. I've attempted to do an unassisted kipping pull-up, but no success yet. Maybe another month more.

Something I'd like to work on next, once I get pullups down, is band-assisted hand-stand pushups. This video takes a while to get to the band-assisted demo, but overall it has a ton of great info. I'm really weak on exercises that utilize the shoulder (overhead press, heavy push presses, overhead squats) and I think I would really benefit from working on the hand-stand pushups since they use those same muscles.

No crying

No crying in CrossFit when you are just pissed off at yourself for not being able to do something. That's just fucking defeatist crap, get over it, don't do it.

This is the pep talk I have to give myself every few weeks.

It's almost always related to a workout where I lack strength, when I simply cannot perform the movement properly because I don't have the power to do it.

Don't yet have the power to do it.

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CrossFit is more than just challenging yourself physically, building muscle, getting in good shape, getting skinny, losing your cellulite.

CrossFit is meant to challenge your mind and heart.

It kind of sounds like bullshit when you are looking at the main site, reading the quotes, reading the comments. But when you find yourself laying on the floor after you dumped an overhead squat, or leaning over with that ominous feeling in your mouth like "something's coming up!!!", then you understand the need for that focus on mental challenge, and change.

Looking at a task that is hugely difficult, and attacking it as if it is something that can be achieved is such a warrior ethos. It's what my husband has, that I don't have, and that he tries to instill in me.

But his words can't instill that optimistic belief of "I CAN FUCKING DO THIS!" in the face of anything. My mind still just registers that an impossible task has been presented, and it will be impossible.

Until I shut off the voice of reason and logic, the warrior voice is locked out.

There's only room for optimism in CrossFit, only room for believing in yourself and cheering for yourself.

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I think sometimes women are hesitant to start CrossFit because they see it as something outside their comfort zone entirely.

But once they start, I think they become adherents to the program because it unlocks their warrior side. The woman warrior side -- or as we say in my family, "don't mess with the mama bear".

Women have their own deep wells of mental strength, but those energies are most often deployed to help others. Many of us are raised to placate others, to be polite and perfect, to please, to not make others uncomfortable. We can turn our "mama bear" spirit towards the defense and care of others, like our children and husbands and families, but it's harder to turn our energies towards ourselves, to power our own defense and growth.

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Cultivate your woman warrior spirit -- turn those "mama bear" energies toward yourself. Believe in the power of YOU.

No crying in CrossFit until the workout is done.