Crossfit for the Cure

              Today was a long eventful and fun day at Crossfit Grand Strand.  We started with a seminar at 9am and had Scott Panchik the world’s 4^th fittest man two years in a row come in to talk.  If you don't know him he is the one in the image below.  Yes that is 315lbs that he just power cleaned, what a BEAST!  While there he went over his experiences and how he found Crossfit.  He also talked about what goes on inside the Crossfit Games.  He also came around and critiqued our form on various lifts.  It was pretty surreal that he was there engaging and giving me tips on my form.  This was a great start to the day.  We had about an hour and half break before the Crossfit for the Cure challenge.  I hung around and ate some jerky, nuts, and dried fruit.

               

             The two workouts were Fran and Diane.  The gym got really crowded there was probably 50 to 60 people in here and the majority of them were competing.  The atmosphere was electric with enthusiasm and bright pink outfits.  The guy wearing a pink tutu definitely wins best dressed.  There are two workouts going on at once and about three heats for each.  This wasn't considered a competition since it’s for a much bigger cause but you could tell people were still really anxious to post a good time.  My name gets called in heat 3 and so far people have been giving tremendous effort.  There were a lot of PRs going on a few times around 5 and 6 minute range.  I was up and ready to go.  I had nerves like I use to get before a basketball game excited but yet nervous.  I get through the first 21 thrusters relatively easy.  I’m the second one onto the pull-up bar and I go unbroken separating myself from the rest.  Then I got through 12 reps on my set of 15 and put the bar down.  Took a breath and picked it up and finished.  The crowd was very motivating and Daryl was right next to me encouraging me to get through my thrusters.  I think he was half the reason I PR’d on this workout.  Now I get to the pull-up bar bent over and really feeling it.  I jump up get a quick 10 hop down.  I’m back up finish my final 5.  Final round it takes every ounce of strength and fight in me to get through the final 9 thrusters.  I rush over to the pull-up bar and get through the last 9 reps and see a time of 4:01.  Best time so far, not bad 44 seconds faster than my time less than a week ago.  I collapsed and my heads spinning and I’m just trying to get myself together. The next round one of the contestants put up an impressive 3:30 time squashing my time.  I continually get worse and eventually make my way outside to puke  I had a pounding migraine and couldn’t do the second workout and left a little early.    

100 Burpees!

METCON

100 Burpees for time

Today I scheduled an afternoon metcon of 100 burpees for time.  I knew this was going to be absolutely brutal.  It was just as challenging physically as it was mentally.  This is a very low skill, straightforward metcon just down and up.  Seems easy enough but throw in a high number of reps at maximal intensity and this becomes an extreme challenge.  I started off strong and hit 25 burpees in my first minute.  It was at this moment that I started to realize what I was in for, the next minute was terrible.  My pace slowed considerably only getting about 20 in that minute.  I started breaking them in to sets of five and would take a quick breath.  I was fighting to get through the final 30 reps.  I was dripping sweat and mentally was struggling to carry on.  I ended up finishing my 100^th rep and stopped the clocked at just under 7 minutes.  I was happy with that time considering two or three weeks ago I did the 7 minute burpee test and only got 80.  So I increased my total work by 20% in the same time period. I think I can improve upon that time and get 100 in closer to six minutes.  It took me a solid fifteen minutes just to regain my composure I was in a foggy haze.  I don’t plan on scheduling that again anytime soon.

Reflection

My first month of Crossfit has been amazing with lots of fun training experiences.  I have been overwhelmed with knowledge and have learned a lot.  I have had a lot of good workouts and plenty of bad ones.  Tuesdays are usually a workout involving a lot of squatting.  This seems to be my weakness and I have finished many workouts on Tuesday near the back of the pack.  I have had many workouts where I finished first.  It feels good to be the first one done but it is so much different than any other sport.  You cheer people on after you’re done to help motivate them and show your support.  The day that I feel I gain the most are the ones where you’re struggling to get through a workout and want to quit but have found some motivation inside you to push even harder to get through the workout.  

I have decided that since I want to compete I need a little extra time to work on technique and strength.  So I decided to start my own programming.  For me to get to where I want to be I’m going to need to spend more than an hour to get my skill, strength, and conditioning work in.  It’s bittersweet because I will miss doing the WODs with the class but I’m also excited for what my new training will entail.

Fran

I walked in to the box and walk straight over to the whiteboard as usual and see the one four letter word I don't ever want too see "Fran".  It’s been a little over a month since I did Fran for the first time and here it is again.  My first time was 11:30 and when I did it two days later it was 8:44.  Today I knew I would get a faster time and I was excited and nervous.  It’s kind of the feeling before a game, like the feeling I would get leading up to a basketball game.  I got my barbell set up and placed it near the rig so I would have a quick transition from the thrusters to the pull-ups.  I ripped through the first set of thrusters and pull-ups unbroken.  Then on to the set of 15, and wow does this bar feel heavy.  I get 11 and drop the barbell and take three breaths.  I pick the bar up and get the next 4.  I get to the pull-up bar and I’m really breathing hard.  I hop up and get 15 and now I’m back to the thrusters.  I get 6 and then 3.  I finish the pullups and look and my final time is 4:45.  The image above is "Pukie" the Crossfit mascot and this pretty much sums up me after the workout.  This was a 7 minute improvement from my first time.  I felt really good with my time.  I’m hoping to stay in the four minute range for the Crossfit for the Cure challenge this Saturday.  The 4^th fittest man in the world Scott Panchik is coming to speak at Crossfit Grand Strand Saturday morning before the challenge. Going to be an awesome experience!