NLI Competition

Well, now I've done something remarkably stupid.  I registered for the Next Level Invitational, a regional CrossFit competition.  I compete on June 23.  We'll see how I stack up with other CrossFitters!

Dreaded DUs

WOD

3 RFT

20 OHS 95 lbs (Rx)
40 Double-Unders (argh!)
20 SDHP 95 lbs (Rx)

21:22

I can't do DUs.  I knew this going into it, and nothing new was discovered in this WOD.  Long after everyone else finished the WOD, I was still struggling with my 3rd round of DUs.  And by struggle, I mean I lost my temper because I was so frustrated with my inability.

I will be working on these for sure.

Team Player

Today was a Team WOD, in which I paired up with a classmate to split the work however necessary in order to complete the entire workout in as little time as possible.  My teammate was a guy named Matt.

Only one person works out at a time.  The working guy can sub out with his teammate at any time during any workout on any movement.  There isn't as much strategy in this as it might seem, but to achieve a great time, both teammates should communicate clearly throughout the workout in order to make snap decisions about the best approach.

WOD

For Time

400m Sandbag Run 60lbs
35 KBS 53 lbs
24 Burpees
35 KBS 53 lbs
24 Burpees
100 Double Unders
35 Pull-ups
24 Clean & Jerks 135 lbs
35 Pull-ups
24 Clean & Jerks
400m Sandbag Run 60 lbs

[Blargh, I can't remember the time we got]

Here was my personal contribution:
200m Sandbag Run
15 KBS
14 Burpees
15 KBS
14 Burpees
18ish DUs
12 Pull-ups
8 or 9 C&Js
19 or so Pull-ups
7 C&Js
200m Sandbag Run

We finished 3 seconds behind the winners, Hector and Travis.  We were leading until the final 50m of the foot race.  It was pretty soul-crushing.  I feel like I really slacked off, especially on the C&Js.  In hindsight, I wish I had taken on the last 3-4 C&Js to give my teammate a break and let him run the first 200m of the final event.  I think that, had I taken the bag for the last 100-200m I might have found the will to beat Hector (or at least keep it very close).  I could tell Matt was pretty gassed in the final 50-100m, so I wish I had done a bit more to give him a chance to carry the energy level all the way to the finish line.

Next time.

Ease Back Into It

For a variety of reasons, I was feeling too sore to work out on Monday, so I gave myself an unplanned day off.  The following day I was feeling a little nervous so I scaled back the WOD in order to give myself a chance to ease back into the usual intensity.

WOD

10 RFT

3 Power Cleans 140 lbs (Rx: 155 lbs)

3 Box Jumps 30" (Rx)

7:48

Of note during this workout was my incredibly crappy form during the first several rounds of cleans.  The bar was too far from my body during the pull, which greatly magnified the difficulty of the lift.  I missed a few cleans because of this.

The box jumps looked a lot more intimidating than they actually were.  It takes a little more focus than the usual 24" jump, but getting clearance wasn't much of an issue.

Vegas, Baby!!

I met with my good friend in Las Vegas and we visited one of the local boxes to get in a workout.

WOD 3/23

42-30-18

Ring Dips (Rx)
SDHP 75 lbs (Rx)

14:00

That was a LOT of ring dips.  I thought that this choice of programming was a bit bizarre, but in retrospect I'm glad to have done the workout since I rarely do such an insane volume of movements.

I was sore for a few days after this one.

Tie Game

Friday 3/23 WOD

5 RFT

200m Run
25 KBS 53 lbs (Rx)

14:23

I can't quite remember my time, except that I was leading the class the entire time until the final 5 or 10 KBSs.  I tied Sarah with identical times.  If only I hadn't stutter-started my KBSs!!

First Place Finish!! (NO Asterisk!)

For the first time, I completed the WOD Rx and finished first among my classmates!

WOD

For Time

21-15-9

Burpee Deadlifts 185 lbs (Rx)

Chest-to-bar Pull-ups (Rx)

400m Run between rounds

14:50

It has been exactly 8 weeks and a day since my first official day of CrossFit and I'm happy to report that I beat everyone, including a few veterans, today.

Burpee deadlifts are simply regular deadlifts, but after returning the bar to the floor (don't let go of the bar), you perform a burpee by kicking your legs out, doing a push-up, and jumping your feet back to the starting position.

I'm not sure why things went so well today.  I partly think that the two guys who usually crush me kind of let me have this one.  But overall, each movement in this workout is something I've specifically worked on in the last several weeks, so perhaps this was the union of all things I've practiced into one WOD.

It was pretty funny to see Hector's (usually one of the strongest in my class) face when we finished our last C2B Pull-ups at the same time and I darted out the door.  He was right on my heels the entire time, which is why I think he sort of gave it away to me, but I wanted to make sure I'd keep a whatever little bit I had in the tank just in case he tried to make a move in the final 50 meters.

All in all, a really great day :)