First morning all week I didn't need to be up, but woke up at 2:53 to pee and then Corey's alarm went off at 3. I stayed in bed until 3:45 trying to go back to sleep and then decided to embrace the day. 6 hours sleep.
as many rounds in 20 min:
95# thrusters x 20
20 COVP chin ups
20 burpees
I was excited to do this one again. I did it back in Feb at OPT and got 4+7. I reviewed the footage and thought about the pacing of it and how it felt and was excited to bust past that. Well, it didn't turn out that way. Getting home later has left time for as much food at night as I normally consume and I think it caught up to me today. I didn't feel horrible, but I just felt empty and had no fuel to dig with. I couldn't even really get my HR up much to suffer. Yes, obviously there is a big mental component to all of that, but I'm getting to the point to where I know when my body is underfed. To be completely honest I have to regularly force myself to eat enough to keep my energy where it needs to be for performance. This can be challenging after spending much mental effort in my previous athletic life trying to not over eat too much and/or exercising obsessively to stay a smaller size as a runner. I've embraced my belief that I need to grow to be successful in CrossFit. I wasn't noticing any or many 5'3" 115-120lbs ladies at the Games. Rather the top ladies of similar size to myself are typically 125-135+lbs. It's not my goal to grow to a certain size, but to eat enough to feel good to perform and see where that puts me. On a positive note, this was genuinely the most positive I have ever felt despite underperforming in a workout. it certainly helped that I had some youngsters hanging out with their moms and being completely excited about how many pull-ups I could do. So that helped me keep a positive perspective mid-way, as I want the youngsters to know that fitness can be and IS fun vs seeing me throw a tantrum because I'm not moving as fast as I had hoped. In the end, I felt really good about my personal growth to accept myself for where I am in that moment and to learn and grow from it. :) Plus we had some fun, as they helped me count my reps and Henry knocked out some burpees with me and they both were working on their pull-ups. Good time! :) Total score was a full round less than last time with 3+7. Round 1 ~5:12, Round 2: ~11:37,Round 3: 19:02 + 7.
I did tie my PR for UB muscle-ups with 7 in my warm-up. And then I did it again about 5 minutes following the 20 minute AMRAP. I think this is the first time I did two big sets in a day. :) So I'm celebrating the PR and setting my mind for 10+ ub this year....12, 15...? :)
This is the first week our other owner of CFA, Randy, is gone for training to prep for deployment. So I'm covering extra shifts, putting in extra time to train coaches, implementing some online scheduling for the Clinic and well, spending more time at the gym and having less time at home to chill and sleep. I've been loving my time at the gym. The energy is fun and well, it never really feels like "work" but I personally feel a bit out of balance when I'm not home from the gym until 7:30 or later and trying to eat and get to bed by 8:30 to prep for the next day. So, I'm putting things in place to be able to more successfully step away a bit more often later to set myself up for success long term.
23rd Tuesday the 26th ...I think I posted this as a rest day in my previous post? Opps.
PM
3 rds for time:
400 m run
21 kbs 1pd
12 chin ups
Helen! I do enjoy this workout, but I get nervous b/c I know it's a benchmark. Did this one at 6p after opening in the morning & hitting a 20 minute afternoon snooze. Did this in 8:22 last May in the old space so new run course and indoor transition area, but a touch slower this time in 8:28. Everything UB and my pull-ups felt smoother. I felt consistent on the runs, but never took all the splits down. Want to get some pull-up bars in the exterior garage doors to save transitions. :) But it's a comparable time nonetheless and I"m probably about 5lbs or so heavier?? Weighed in at 124lbs Sunday morning at the hotel so consistent from 125lbs in May of this year. A new PR would have been nice, but pleased with the consistency nonetheless.
24th off Wednesday the 26th: Off No hikes just too much computer time.
Had some great manual therapy today and Corey really got into some nasty stuff in my quad on the right where my hip was bothering me. Thankfully I think I'll make it a few more days. :) I tend to take on the habit of worrying...it's a trait I've learned from both my grandmother & mother. I think I'm better at keeping perspective, BUT it's in me. Particularly in the middle of the night when I wake up and have an achey hip and get up to pee and it feels weak to stand on. I lay there wondering what I'll do myself if I lose my ability to train. I mean I know I'll find something productive, but well, training is my top value at this point in my life. And I'm having fun with it. :) I ended up being awake from just before 1 until a bit after 2:30 and then fell asleep again until 4. Thankfully, I slept better Wednesday night.
25th 6/27
AM
AD max cals in 10 min
The screen shut done to this "Honn Club" visual with literally less than 30s to go. One of my coaches was working at a similar effort beside me, and so I finished out the session going off his clock, but I'm without any final data. :( I know I was not on pace to break the 190 cals I did the Monday of Regionals. This is what I could recall after the fact: Minute 1: 21 Minute 2: 40 Minute 3: 59 Minute 5: 89-91 7:30: 135 9:00 ~ 160+...I was picking up speed again into the finish and remember feeling confident that I was going to hit 175 and possible get over 180 if I dug. I was confused by why I was doing this again so soon, but Coach replied, "Pre-regionals is not the same as post-regionals" well, that was for sure. I wasn't nearly as there mentally to dig and fell off quite a bit from minute 3-7 but then found more as I headed towards the finish.
PM I regret to say that I completely did not check my email with programming today, as I remembered the testers with AD and the kb/burpee BUT I completely didn't recall the CGBP until well, just now on Friday afternoon...will knock it out tomorrow morning unless I hear otherwise. Maybe with the 77% 20 rep snatch tester too. :)
A. CGBP - build to a 1RM
+
3 rds for time:
25 kbs 1.5 pd
25 burpees First time doing this one, but I've seen it done several times. Was definitely pretty moody by Thursday PM. I have spent less than 90 minutes in the woods with my muts all week and I feel badly for my pups. They are far from neglected, but I'm an optimizer!! :) I'm also generally tired and well...so it will not go on forever.
Paced the first two rounds of burpees and the goal the whole time was to do the swings UB. Then dug in on my last set of burpees. At first I was just going to do 5 faster at a time and then I got to 5 and decided that I should just finish the damn thing so I kept my head down and worked. :) Corey had down it earlier in the day as he is headed to a comp in a couple weeks that has this as the first event. He wouldn't tell me his time beforehand, as he knows I'll pace to beat it, but I got him in the end without knowing. 7:53 vs 8:11. I thought he beat me, and had a smile on my face nonetheless, but was glad to hear that I beat him after all. We're not competitive at all around here. :)
I copied Amber's morning outfit and then she showed up to train int he evening. we rocked it out as gym twinkies...I'll make sure I add my white and pink striped socks next time! :)
22nd Traveled 4 hours to Raleigh for competition. I hit up CF Invoke to get in some snatch work with the small but mighty Christmas Abbott. She and I have similar C&J maxes, but she kicks my ass in the snatch with well over 70kg, as you can imagine some great technique! I'm always thankful to receive coaching especially from a new perspective. As coaches & athletes we all always have little nuances that we focus on & many differ from person to person. Well, the little things make a difference and I always find more adrenaline to knock out some lifts in a new environment under the eye of an inspiring lady!
AM
A. Snatch - build to a max We did several lifts between 65 & 85lbs to work on some various areas...main one being to drop under faster and drop down vs riding the lift down. After that I started moving up and it went something like...93/103F/113/123/128/133 FFFF...138F, F...back down to 133F, F...after the 138 I told myself only 3 more attempts at 133, and on the 3rd I finally wrapped my mind around it. I literally had to say over and over in my mind as I approached the bar and set up, "You can, you can, you can, you can...!!!" and just like that I did. :)
rest as needed
B. 77% of part A - 20 reps for time My right hip was bugging me more than ever after the car ride and sleeping on that side at the hotel the night before. I was feeling it when I would pull off the ground and while it didn't seem to limit me I was nervous about doing a bunch of reps under fatigue. I'm sure I would have been fine, but wanted to be conservative as it was the most I had felt it during training.
rest as needed
C. 50 strict HSPU for time Funny I remembered my time from this previously being 10-12 minutes so I thought 7:30 was an improvement. But then I found a time last fall/winter when I had done them in 7:22. I started with a higher set this time and ended up on singles MUCh faster.
We stayed Saturday night in Raleigh to watch a couple of our teams compete on Sunday. I thought about doing it on the rowers that were around the gym, but to be honest one of my faults is getting caught up on what others will think and I just didn't want to be "that girl" who was at the competition to spectate, but had to knock out my 60 minute row test in the middle of it. Some just may see it as me being dedicated, but as a previous exercise-addict I just don't want to be perceived as obsessive about my training. I'd rather chill at the comp and get my training in at other gyms when possible. I was planning to do it Sunday PM when we made it home, but it was 7PM when that happened and I needed to be up early so I opted for a good night of sleep and to do it in the morning. PM Monday 25th AM
row 60 min for max meters'
I spent a portion of Saturday afternoon texting Meghan & Dunsmore as I knew they had both done this in the past and I wanted something to shoot for. Meghan had just over 13.100ish and Dunsey 13,600ish. I felt like it would be doable and was kind of looking forward to it. Corey advised that I stand up every 10 minutes and do some brief back extensions to avoid "creep". I did so every 10 minute for the first 40 and then grew too irritated at how much I would lose on my overall average for getting off for ~20 seconds. Everytime my average would drop a bit and then I would spend the next 10 minutes trying to get back to where I was, but each time I kept getting a little slower. Aerobically it was no big deal. I could have done it for 2 hours, but man, my ass was so uncomfortable. From about 6 minutes in my butt hurt....I was using all kinds of funky technique to shift my weight from cheek to cheek. Dale referred to it as "pistol rowing" and I kind of felt like a kid pretending to be an airplane soaring through the sky. :) Was about 500m off Meghan's score and after she had said to me, "you can do better than me for sure" when we chatted well, I had set that expectation for myself and then felt a bit irritated the rest of the day. It's been a long time since I felt irritated following a workout. BUT that is what happens when I get hung up on comparing myself to others and not simply focusing on doing what I CAN do in that moment on that day. :) I drove the whole way back Sunday PM and my hip was far less irritated than after I was the passenger the whole trip down on Friday. Still bugging me more than I would like. Particularly bothersome upon getting up from seated positions. And when I get up from sleeping it feels weak initially and then over time I don't notice it. Missed my MT session this morning too, as I didn't finish up with my client in time to get in the hour row and make the session before coaching the group classes.
Tuesday 6/26 -Rest Day
Brief 40 minute hike with dogs.
170lbs. Missed twice at 165lbs so that messed up my timing a bit. Had time for one chance at 170 and got it. This was the same as my max at the OPT Athlete Camp last September. I have since power cleaned 185lbs in competition in May, but have not exceed 170 in training. My right hip was a bit bothersome as I would receive the load so my body may have been guarding. I was hesitant going into the 8 min test, but didn't notice anything throughout.
rest 2 min
PC - 90% amrap in 8 min
While I was a bit bummed to not improve on my single from last fall, I was excited to compare the same load for reps in 8 minutes. Result: 12 reps more...50 reps!
Felt solid & in control the whole time. Midback became fatigued near the end and Dale kept having to remind me to set my back before the pull.
20th:
Row 2K time trial
This was a long day. Was at the gym early to coach, then had a mid-day filming promotion for a fundraiser I'm organizing for July 20th, "Exercise to Save Lives"....if you live in Asheville you should definitely come! It supports the local ISR program. :) We did a test run of the events with some kiddos who were all great and fun to work with, but they definitely take the energy out of me. In the evening I worked with a new client and by the time I knew it, it was 7pm and I was alone in the gym. I knew I was ready to pull a PR as my old one was around 8:20 so I focused on that. Nothing out of this world, but a 4s or so improvement down to 8:16.4. I'll take it.
Monday: Sleep ~9p-3a. Woke up to Corey's alarm. He snoozed and I was awake so I embraced the day.
Rest day. No hike. R Hip still achey, but not limiting with any movements.
Tuesday: Sleep 8:30p-1a and then I guess I fell back asleep, but it didn't feel like a deep sleep until around 2:30. Thought about getting up but kept trying to sleep more, as it just seemed ridiculous to get up. Then Corey's alarm went off at 3a again and I got up too. Hip was mildly achey and I am a bit anxious to get back to training. I guess my body doesn't need much sleep when I'm not training. :)
Training 5:30am
A. Front squat: build to a max 95lbsx5, 135x3, 155x3, 165x2, 175x1 (old PR...easy), 185x1, 195x1...200lbsx1,F @ 205lbs. Holy geez...I was not expecting this this morning, but gladly welcomed it! Warming up I pulled the 25lbs off after the 95lbs and thought...going to keep these out to get 185lbs today. And then the reps kept feeling good. 200lbs was my FS goal for the year so now it's time to up that and set the goal of a 200lbs clean for the year!
B. Incline bench: build to a max 95x3, 115x1, 125x1, 135x1, 145x1, F@150lbs
C. Power snatch: build to a max 65lbsx3, 85x2, 105x1, 115x1, 120F,120F, 110x1, 115F, 115F. Called it.
A1.Sumo Deadlift x 3-5 x 5 sets 5x 135lbs, 185, 225, 245, 255, 3x275lbs
A2. Option #1: Axle press x 4-6 x 4 sets.
A2. Option #2: Strict HSPU: AMRAP x 4 sets. ( Recommend barbell shoulder press of -66% BW prior to HSPUs) 13, 12, 13, 13 = 51. Think these are strict hspu PRs.
P2: AMRAP Manmakers
Partner WOD
AMRAP in 12 minutes
P1: Run 200m
P2: AMRAP Manmakers
I was in an odd numbered group and bailed out after 7 minutes for MT appt. Completed 3 rounds of 200m run & 5 MM with 20lbs.
Saturday
My right hip has been bothering me for a couple days. Nothing that prevents me from doing anything, but bothersome when I get up from sitting and it has been generally achey. When I woke up in the middle of the night last night and took some pain reliever I took that as a sign to take today easy.
In about a 60 minute period I did ~1.5 rounds of the warm-up which had 4-8: strict C2B pull-ups, snatch press-unders, skin the cats on rings & KB windmills. Then I did about 4 sets of 3 muscle ups and called it a day. Mostly I was coaching and catching up with everyone during that time.
PM hike 30 minutes.... Lloyd & Hoka scared away a bear for us on the Mountains to Sea Trail along the BR Parkway today. Only one of many reasons to let your dogs be dogs and run off leash! :)
In general, it's been great to be back in the gym and have some time to train with others. There is something about sharing a bar with someone that makes lifting that much easier. For me, it doesn't even matter if we're of the same ability, as I certainly had to reduce the load Karl was lifting for the last few sets of deadlifts on Friday. Simply the energy of going back & forth on sets always seems to help me set PRs without much emotional investment into the set. Plus Brooke set a PR on her BTN jerk Wednesday night so I guess it's helpful to others as well! :)
With that said...if anyone ever wants to come train with me I'm always happy to have company! I promise I'm not as serious or intimidating as I may appear. :)
Sunday: Rest day except for 3 hour hike
My hip doesn't bother me walking, but still feeling it. vaguely when at rest and immediately upon standing. Manual therapy Monday morning!
Event 6
100 DUs
50 HSPU (30, 8, 5, 5, 2)
40 T2B (28, 12)
30 Sh to Overhead (100lbs axle) (4, 3, 3, 5, 5, 4, 4, 2 into lunges)
90ft walking lunge w/axle (completed in two sets)
12:03 - 5th place
I learned more about myself with this workout than probably any other. Every year there has been something & sometimes multiple things in the workout that I would create fear around.
To use the past two years as examples in 2011 it was the double DB ground to overhead with 40lbs & last year the 70lb DB snatch. Both of which turned out better than I could have anticipated. I didn't end up being left behind staring at the DB(s) as I had feared.
When I looked at the workouts this year I saw those 30 Sh to OH and immediately took on my same fear of being the only left there trying to knock out reps. So I asked James if I could do this workout every week leading into Regionals. And he granted my wish. :)
Each week was a learning experience. Just to use the HSPU alone as an example the first week it took me 3:30 to get through the 50 reps. By the 4th week I did them in under 2 minutes. (Thank you Amber for the extra push that week. She made a comment before we started the workout along the lines of...I"m really good at the Dus & HSPUs, but you'll probably pass me during the T2B". Sometimes I respond well to a little challenge and I caught her before the hspus were over. :)
The first time I used the axle (second week of doing the workout) it took me around 6 minutes to do the 30 reps struggling with 2-4 reps at a time and I was 2 minutes over the 15 minute cap on the whole workout. The very next week I attacked the axle and was suddenly able to knock out bigger sets even doing a set of 10 from 20-30 and took my time down to around 12:30...4:30 faster than the previous week.
While sure whatever I do in days prior to the sessions would make a difference, I can assure you that I didn't do anything nasty and high volume leading into these various sessions. And let's face it, I did not suddenly acquire the ability to do high rep HSPUs. The difference was in my mind. When I allow myself the opportunity to let go of the fear of going to failure in the hspus I discovered that I can knock out 33 consecutive hspus, take a short rest between shorter sets and never feel like I was on the edge of not being able to do them. And with the axle when I get out of my own way and just accept it vs focusing about how much I hate it, I'm actually pretty damn good at it & 100lbs is not an overwhelming load for me at this point afterall. Oh what our mind can do to us... Going into the weekend of Regionals I knew I had grown and taken the next step this year as I acknowledged that I wasn't "dreading" any part of the weekend. I was actually pretty excited to show up and do the workouts with other competitors! But by Sunday morning my self-doubt devil was chirping in my ear. I was still dealing with the disappointment from Saturday morning a bit and fighting to keep caring to push hard when chances to qualify to the "big show" are little to none. That devil & my self-supportive "you can do anything you put your mind to" angel were battling it out back & forth in my brain all the way through the final steps of the axle walking lunge.
I often find it to be a surreal feeling when I'm out on the floor of a big competition. They make the announcement that "these are your top ladies after 5 events..." and one at a time we head out onto the floor. Every time I focus on flashing a big smile to remind myself to have fun and that this IS the fun part. The time when I get to test all the work I do in the gym and see where it puts me relative to everyone else. Up until recently I used to feel like I hated competition and often felt confused as to why I kept going back to it. In time, I've come to acknowledge that it's my attachment to the outcome and fear of what others may think if I do or don't do (fill in the blank) that brought a bunch of negative feelings & stress around competition.
As I ran out onto the floor for event #6 (the same event that I had been excited for) I was fighting my self-doubt devil behind my smile...."who are you to think you can compete with these girls?" After doing worse on Saturday morning than I did in training the devil pulled out, "it's just like college, you aren't that great when it counts afterall. Maybe you can do well in training, but then you just freeze and shut down in competition...." And then there is my sweet little self-supportive angel sometimes meekly and other times boldly speaking back, "You CAN do this, you deserve to be here, you are talented, you are strong, you know how to fight, test it, don't be afraid, be excited!..."
We line up in our lanes, jump ropes in hand and we wait for the countdown. Once the "3, 2, 1...Go" is said, it becomes like a blur for me. Double unders were better than any of the practice sessions and then under the wall and some panic started to set in. Worked through it and knocked out my HSPUs in 30, 8, 5, 5, 2. I was aware of the announcer and who was where during this time. I knew I was in good position going into the toes to bar. I find that it's very easy for me to keep doing something once I start, but it's during all the little rest breaks that I feel surrounded with a cloud of uncertainty and doubt. For the toes to bar I knocked out 28 just by thinking over and over, "one more, one more, one more... from about rep 15 on. Wasn't too hard to get myself back up and make the decision to finish the 40 with a set of 12, but then I came off the bar and it was like..."Oh boy, time for that axle." In the end, I didn't attack quite as much as I was hoping, but it also could have been much uglier. There were no tears and in general I would say that the angel won. The power went off in the facility while I was on my last set of 10 but I barely noticed. I finished the 30 reps off with a double & kept it on my shoulders to go into the lunges....something that I had never done in practice. I dropped the bar once about 10 feet before the halfway line on the floor. Definitely had the doubt creep back in then, but after a rest I picked it up and focused on one step at a time all the way across the line. I didn't feel like I showed what I am fully capable of, but I did what I could in that moment, on that day to pick up my 4th top 5 finish of the weekend.
Event 7
4 Rounds for time:
2 rope climbs (15')
100ft run
4 squat cleans (135lbs)
100ft run
for time.
5:51-9th place
Similar to Event 6, I had done Event 7 four times in practice. I was far more consistent with these sessions and felt prepared going into the final event. The most challenging part was the rope climb. My hands were pretty beat up from the weekend and I was having difficulty going down the rope in warm-up. In fact, I fell on each of the two rope climbs I did backstage. The first time I came down and landed right on my kneecap which didn't feel very good and the second time I came down and bounced on my butt. Jeremy Gordon, a fellow OPT coach who coaches Gretchen Kittelberger, saw me fall both times and said to me, "Shanna, are you OK??" I just had to laugh at myself and then decided to go have my hands re-tapped and save any more climbs until I got out on the floor.
Being able to feel confident with this last workout is a testament to the improvements I made over the past couple of years. Last year when we had cleans at 135lbs I was relieved that they could be powered and that I didn't have to squat. This year the 135lbs squat clean was not a problem and I was looking forward to knocking out some touch 'n go reps at the end of the weekend.
I did just that....4 ub in the first round, the middle rounds are blurry to my memory, but I think I did doubles and then went 4 again at the end.
The live coverage replay was fun to watch. My mom told me I looked like a deer in headlights and others told me that they have never seen me look happier. While I did feel a bit like a deer in headlights not really knowing when the camera was actually filming and barely able to hear the announcements over the speaker to know when to step forward and wave as directed....I also was super happy to be there. While the ultimate goal was not about to be accomplished, my main goal that I had set for myself last year when I took this picture
and set the intention of not just participating on Sunday, but to be in the final heat of ladies on Sunday was realized. I rubbed elbows with girls that I will watch compete at the Games this year. I've improved in my gymnastics ability and am have yet to realize just how strong I can be.
In the meantime I will celebrate my 6th place finish which is my best Regional finish to date. (See full results here. ) And I was pleased to see this table which puts my Regional finish as the 67th best of the 643 other female regional athletes in 2013. I'm closer than I have ever been to realizing my dream of competing at the CrossFit Games and I am excited to get back to training and see where I'll be a year from now.
For next year I have set the intention of overcoming my mental block of not feeling like I want it as much as others and quieting that devil on my shoulder to create the possibility of being on the podium in 2014....
Slept fairly well after day 1. Got about 9 solid hours with the help of some melatonin....didn't use it going into Jackie but I didn't want to stare at the ceiling all night before the 100s. I know there are different theories on this...that it's good to be all stressed out, but personally I hate feeling tired and had practiced the melatonin in training without any issues.
Event #4 "The 100s"
100 wall balls
100 C2B pullups
100 pistols
100 snatches at 50lbs
25 minute time cap.
I was nervous for this one, but not as nervous as Jackie. I was also excited to attack this one, as it had gone well in training. The first time I completed 56 snatches and the second 76 . I was confident that I would be able to finish it on Game Day and was looking forward to doing so. Well, I kept to my plan on the WBs: 25, 7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 8, 7...plan was for ~10s rest b/w sets. That was a bit slow as I was 5:35 vs 5:15 coming off the wall balls. C2B pull-ups went well. I did 32 sets of 3 and one set of 4. Done over I think I would have done one big chunk and then gone to sets of 3. I think that could have given me a bit of an edge without burning out, but I didn't practice it that way so stuck with the plan. I closed on the crew a bunch and was the second to come off the pullups just behind Crawford. I got off the pull-ups and then it was like I literally forgot to be excited. I forgot to compete. I stopped attacking. I had this damn mantra in my head of "pace and breathe". I knew I shouldn't be thinking it, but wasn't able to switch gears. And well....I paced and breathed and got passed. I don't know why I took my water bottle out on the floor with me. I never had water or BCAAs on the floor in training, but was nervous as I felt pretty hungry going into the event. ( Had two hard boiled eggs and banana with PB each of the three mornings for breakfast. The issue was probably not with breakfast, but with not enough the night before. Had a burger without the bun and some fries, but not sure that I even finished the fries....learn for the future.) I ended up taking 5th overall completing 59 snatches. This moved me up to 5th overall. In general, this is the workout that I really wanted to improve upon this year...the big chipper that they have every year. And while I was disappointed that I didn't feel like I showed what I was truly capable of I still placed MUCH higher than I have on these workouts in the past two years. Although I am presently unable to find the previous years placings, but I am quite confident that I was not top 10.
Event 5
21-15-9
Deadlift 205lbs
Box jumps 24"
I first did this workout two years ago in over 6:30 (Exact times used to be here??) and then again on three different times last summer/fall. The first retest was 5:09 last August, then 4:35 in November and a week later 3:55. I was stoked. I did it four weeks before regionals again and this time I was back down to 4:40. I had more touches on deadlifting in the weeks leading into Regionals and while it helped me to feel better on the DLs my box jumps were off and quite heavy. Overall time was 4:37 for a 17th place finish. 20s faster would have moved me up into 10th and cleaning up my box jumps alone would have probably equaled 20s. Generally, it was an improvement from the recent practice as I had more distance between stations and had to move the bar each time which ate up time. 4:37 for 17th Honestly I was hoping to make a bigger statement here than I did. I wanted to go unbroken and I wanted to move faster. But I didn't have that today. I don't have a video from the 3:55 but I knew that I was using the rebound to speed up the deadlifts. They made a big deal about not doing that here so I played it conservative...I think I could have pushed the edge here a bit and gotten away with it, as the judges in my region didn't seem to be very strict on the deadlifts. Main leaning continues to be to take more risks and push to be more aggressive. Gotta work against my nature to pace & move steady. Onward...
This was by far the most composed I have ever been going into a Regional competition. I started to worry that I would feel flat on Game Day when I felt at ease Thursday at check-in. But not to fear Friday morning the butterflies greeted me.
This workout went FAST! I fell asleep a bit on the row and went through the 500m around 2:08 which is a touch slower than I was planning, but then I was really nervous to not be able to go unbroken on the thrusters so I didn't want to start digging on the second half to compensate. I hung out there and finished around 2:15/2:16. I was definitely the last off the rower. Did a good job of attacking the thrusters which was the plan. Focused on one rep at a time and tried to move faster than I did in practice. I remember hitting rep 33 and seeing reps taken away from one of the girls in front of me and the next thing I knew I was hitting 50 reps. Pull-up rhythm felt a bit off. I didn't warm them up much as my hands were feeling sore on the bar and I should have tapped, but didn't tape any of the practice runs and didn't have a problem. But while I hung on for 30 I lost my BF kip the last few reps as I ripped. Finished in 4th with 6:43 which was an 8s PR.
We had 4 options as to what our starting weight would be: 85, 125, 155, or 175lbs. My 1RM is 155lbs so while I wanted to open at 155, I was freaked out over missing, as if I didn't get three it wouldn't only be a last place finish, but my weekend would be over. While I knew it would keep me from having a decent chance to qualify, it was more important for me to get the experience of the full weekend than to take the risk. I've put in a lot of time in the gym over the past year and Regionals only comes around once a year. There are not really any other competitions that have the same feel. So I went conservative and opened with 125lbs. We were only able to jump 5lbs at a time so I did 125, 130, 135, 140 & 145lbs in the 7 minutes. I still felt pretty smooth with the 145lbs, but you never know what may have otherwise happened. This was my worst finish of the weekend with a tie for 28th.
Event 3 I had practiced twice in training. The first time I completed 29 in the time cap and the second time I got 30 in 6:58 or so. I hadn't previously done as many OHS sets beforehand so I wasn't sure if that would be a factor. The OHS were not an issue, but the rings were certainly swinging more than in my gym and I had a difficult time reaching them to steady the swing so that was the most time consuming part. Finished at the buzzer and didn't know until 10 or 20 minutes later that I was the only one to finish. I had assumed that I missed the announcement as to who else was done, as I heard people 3 reps or more ahead of me when I was at 15 which was also the only time I glanced at the clock and it was exactly the halfway point so I knew I had to keep it moving to finish. Was thankful to get through this one and the burpee MU is definitely a fun movement. 1st place in BMU and I think I was in 9th at the end of day 1.
