What's up?
13 years ago
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Recap of the All Cities Open
Top three life lessons from ACO:
1. Other than the nerves, plus building enough courage and confidence, the hardest part about competing is figuring out when and what to eat. True story, I was on the verge of vomiting the whole time.
2. I pee a lot. A lot. Maybe I had too much Spark, maybe it was the nerves, but I felt like at every opportunity I had to run off to find the loo.
3. CrossFit athletes GLOW. On the phone with Mom I said, "I look like such a creeper because I'm staring at everyone. But seriously, everyone glows. It's like Greek mythology out here."
Here's the breakdown:
Wod #1: 1 rep max back squat
I was thrown off guard when I was asked at check in what my 1rm back squat was. I meekly said, "Umm, 180?" Sounded good in my head even though I had only done 150#, or 153 (to be exact) the other day with Sally. I always feel decapitated when I do heavy back squats and it's one of my least favorite lifts. Turns out I uttered the right number though (even if it was a lie) because I got paired up with Karen and Katie Russel who I met at the OlyAthlete meet for the first event.
I managed to crank out 160# with some great pointers from Jon, who was my honorary coach for the day.
Wod #2: 4 rounds- 20 sec max wattage row, 40 sec rest, 20 sec chest to bar pull ups, 40 sec rest
Umm, so who's done chest to bar pull ups?! Not me. I ran over to Jon, "Soo I've never done chest to bar before... What's the secret?" This was another event where, with great advice from Jon, I managed, but I am adding row with the damper at 10 and CTB on my list of things to work on. It was a cool wod with the rest programmed in there, of course the 40 sec went by quickly but it was enough to breathe a bit before the next set.
Wod #3: 10 min- Every minute on the minute, squat clean 45% of your 1rm back squat. For the rest of the minute, do double unders.
Turns out that it was great that my back squat was so light because it was used for the clean weight! For this workout, the squat cleans weren't that bad (my weight was 75#) but it was such a leg burner. Going into the competition I would say that I had double unders but coming out, I definitely need to practice them when I'm fatigued. It's one thing to have doubles when you're fresh, but it's a completely different story when you're in round six of a wod.
Wod #4: On about a mile course, run to an 80# sandbag, 15 ground to shoulders, run, 15 70# Russian kettlebell swings, run.
Wheeee doggies was that bag a bia! When they demoed the movement it looked so easy to clean it to your shoulder but when I got to the bag it was almost impossible for me, until I heard two things- 1, Carey said "Bear hug it!" and 2- Jon said "Drop under it!" and then I figured it out! It still wasn't easy and it took me all of 10 minutes just to get through those ten reps but I did it and was able to finish through the rest of the course, though it wasn't in the allotted time cap. I was so impressed watching the later heats master the sand bag, especially Alex!
It was a great event and I liked how the programming had everyone finish at the same time. Thank you Jon for all of your coaching! Thank you Chard for telling me to go and for being a great friend and mentor throughout the event! Thanks Karen for being a great wod partner and battling through the sandbags with me! Lastly, big thanks to Team LLcoolJ, my Jess and Linds, for their everlasting encouragement!
1. Other than the nerves, plus building enough courage and confidence, the hardest part about competing is figuring out when and what to eat. True story, I was on the verge of vomiting the whole time.
2. I pee a lot. A lot. Maybe I had too much Spark, maybe it was the nerves, but I felt like at every opportunity I had to run off to find the loo.
3. CrossFit athletes GLOW. On the phone with Mom I said, "I look like such a creeper because I'm staring at everyone. But seriously, everyone glows. It's like Greek mythology out here."
Here's the breakdown:
Wod #1: 1 rep max back squat
I was thrown off guard when I was asked at check in what my 1rm back squat was. I meekly said, "Umm, 180?" Sounded good in my head even though I had only done 150#, or 153 (to be exact) the other day with Sally. I always feel decapitated when I do heavy back squats and it's one of my least favorite lifts. Turns out I uttered the right number though (even if it was a lie) because I got paired up with Karen and Katie Russel who I met at the OlyAthlete meet for the first event.
I managed to crank out 160# with some great pointers from Jon, who was my honorary coach for the day.
Wod #2: 4 rounds- 20 sec max wattage row, 40 sec rest, 20 sec chest to bar pull ups, 40 sec rest
Umm, so who's done chest to bar pull ups?! Not me. I ran over to Jon, "Soo I've never done chest to bar before... What's the secret?" This was another event where, with great advice from Jon, I managed, but I am adding row with the damper at 10 and CTB on my list of things to work on. It was a cool wod with the rest programmed in there, of course the 40 sec went by quickly but it was enough to breathe a bit before the next set.
Wod #3: 10 min- Every minute on the minute, squat clean 45% of your 1rm back squat. For the rest of the minute, do double unders.
Turns out that it was great that my back squat was so light because it was used for the clean weight! For this workout, the squat cleans weren't that bad (my weight was 75#) but it was such a leg burner. Going into the competition I would say that I had double unders but coming out, I definitely need to practice them when I'm fatigued. It's one thing to have doubles when you're fresh, but it's a completely different story when you're in round six of a wod.
Wod #4: On about a mile course, run to an 80# sandbag, 15 ground to shoulders, run, 15 70# Russian kettlebell swings, run.
Wheeee doggies was that bag a bia! When they demoed the movement it looked so easy to clean it to your shoulder but when I got to the bag it was almost impossible for me, until I heard two things- 1, Carey said "Bear hug it!" and 2- Jon said "Drop under it!" and then I figured it out! It still wasn't easy and it took me all of 10 minutes just to get through those ten reps but I did it and was able to finish through the rest of the course, though it wasn't in the allotted time cap. I was so impressed watching the later heats master the sand bag, especially Alex!
It was a great event and I liked how the programming had everyone finish at the same time. Thank you Jon for all of your coaching! Thank you Chard for telling me to go and for being a great friend and mentor throughout the event! Thanks Karen for being a great wod partner and battling through the sandbags with me! Lastly, big thanks to Team LLcoolJ, my Jess and Linds, for their everlasting encouragement!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Backyard Barbell
My parents got the Girls Gone Fit Haus a barbell plus metal plates while they were in town. Thank you Mom and Dad! The barbell + Myriam's 12kg kettlebell + Tribe sandbags + 50# kettlebell + random PVC pipe = Lory's Backyard Barbell.
Tonight I broke all of that equipment in and did:
3 rounds
10 burpees
50 double unders
10-1
Deadlift
push press
power clean
All using 65#, not setting the bar down until in between rounds.
3 rounds
15 Russian swings (50#)
10/10 L/R KB snatch (12 kg)
1 dead hang pull up
Whew! That felt great! Just in time for tomorrow's Mustache Throwdown with the guys at Atomic Athlete and Westlake Crossfit. Come join at Zilker park at 9 am! I think the girls are going to try to paint on dirty 'staches, it'll be a sight to see!
Tonight I broke all of that equipment in and did:
3 rounds
10 burpees
50 double unders
10-1
Deadlift
push press
power clean
All using 65#, not setting the bar down until in between rounds.
3 rounds
15 Russian swings (50#)
10/10 L/R KB snatch (12 kg)
1 dead hang pull up
Whew! That felt great! Just in time for tomorrow's Mustache Throwdown with the guys at Atomic Athlete and Westlake Crossfit. Come join at Zilker park at 9 am! I think the girls are going to try to paint on dirty 'staches, it'll be a sight to see!
Monday, November 15, 2010
And then it was Fall.
It seems like one day I was complaining to Annie about how hot it was and then the next day I was pulling out my heated blanket. Hello fifty degree weather! Fall (winter?) seems especially fun this year in my awesome snatchlife sweater thanks to the beautiful Erika! I'm loving Saturday mornings at the Girls Gone Fit Haus as we run outside to see how cold it is (crops today or shorts?) and squeal back inside to grab more layers.
Tonight at Defiant we did:
1 full snatch from the hip, 1 from the ground, as it got heavier, just from the ground.
55/65/75/85
Turns out I don't know where my pubic bone is. Keith told me my hand should be bit wider and the 85# snatch felt like it just flew up. I remember when 75# snatches were a struggle and it's great to see the progress with oly lifting.
1 full clean from ground, 1 split jerk
75/85/95/105/115
3 rep back squat with the Sall-meister aka my Dream Team member
95/115/125/135/145/155
I haven't back squatted in a long time. I've been working a lot on front squats to improve getting out of the hole of the clean. I'll have to do crossfit Totals again soon to see where my numbers are.
What's coming up? I've got goals to hit 3 non-kipping HSPUs by January, 130# OHS, and I still want to learn how to do butterfly pull ups. Thankfully, I work out with the marvelous Jess K who has been giving me lessons. I can visual myself doing them but when I jump on the bar, my bod wants to kip normally. Circles, Lor, circles.
Guess who is excited to see the new Harry Potter movie??
Tonight at Defiant we did:
1 full snatch from the hip, 1 from the ground, as it got heavier, just from the ground.
55/65/75/85
Turns out I don't know where my pubic bone is. Keith told me my hand should be bit wider and the 85# snatch felt like it just flew up. I remember when 75# snatches were a struggle and it's great to see the progress with oly lifting.
1 full clean from ground, 1 split jerk
75/85/95/105/115
3 rep back squat with the Sall-meister aka my Dream Team member
95/115/125/135/145/155
I haven't back squatted in a long time. I've been working a lot on front squats to improve getting out of the hole of the clean. I'll have to do crossfit Totals again soon to see where my numbers are.
What's coming up? I've got goals to hit 3 non-kipping HSPUs by January, 130# OHS, and I still want to learn how to do butterfly pull ups. Thankfully, I work out with the marvelous Jess K who has been giving me lessons. I can visual myself doing them but when I jump on the bar, my bod wants to kip normally. Circles, Lor, circles.
Guess who is excited to see the new Harry Potter movie??
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Bad Day
I had a bad day today. I'm dealing with some stressful things at work, I had a tearful phone conversation with my Mom, I haven't seen my parents that I'm close with in seven months, I'm questioning my goals and I'm questioning the future which all piles on top of me. I don't have these days or even this attitude often but it's still there.
I haven't been to class at Sicfit Austin in three weeks due to schedule conflicts and I debated not even going today. As I walked down Burnet Road to the gym I debated why I do this. Why can't I be like any other "normal" athlete and run Town Lake for my workout? Why can't I just live and not think about goals or the ever elusive muscle up (muscle up handstand push up?!) or paleo/zone or competing or affording Lululemon? I didn't have an answer.
But then I got to class. And for that hour I felt alive. I PR'ed my power clean, did one armed thrusters, one armed floor presses and prowler pushes, all which I had never done before. I got to cheer on teammates as we went through a twelve minute wod, heaving snatch balances and power cleans. I got positive feedback from a great coach about what to work on in the future.
And that future that I was stressing about all day long? It's still there, elusive as ever. But I got to leave the gym with a lighter heart, which is my answer to why I do this. I can throw all the numbers out the window because they don't matter. I'll be doing this for as long as it makes me feel better about myself.
I haven't been to class at Sicfit Austin in three weeks due to schedule conflicts and I debated not even going today. As I walked down Burnet Road to the gym I debated why I do this. Why can't I be like any other "normal" athlete and run Town Lake for my workout? Why can't I just live and not think about goals or the ever elusive muscle up (muscle up handstand push up?!) or paleo/zone or competing or affording Lululemon? I didn't have an answer.
But then I got to class. And for that hour I felt alive. I PR'ed my power clean, did one armed thrusters, one armed floor presses and prowler pushes, all which I had never done before. I got to cheer on teammates as we went through a twelve minute wod, heaving snatch balances and power cleans. I got positive feedback from a great coach about what to work on in the future.
And that future that I was stressing about all day long? It's still there, elusive as ever. But I got to leave the gym with a lighter heart, which is my answer to why I do this. I can throw all the numbers out the window because they don't matter. I'll be doing this for as long as it makes me feel better about myself.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Happiness is decided ahead of time
Here's an email chain from Mom:
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, shaved perfectly and with his hair fashionably combed, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied...
'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can; spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
I am still depositing.'
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, shaved perfectly and with his hair fashionably combed, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied...
'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can; spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
I am still depositing.'
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Bank
Lately, I've been loving the metaphor that life is bank. Just like a monetary bank with it's deposits and withdrawls, life's bank has experiences that cash in on savings. I can apply this to anything- relationships, family, career, nutrition, workouts, all of them become banks. For example, when I go out to events by myself, I bank on the credit of my independence. Or, when I cupcake (Aaron's term from Aaron's Agoge) on workouts, I'm making a cash withdrawal from my account.
Having that bank helps me put life into perspective. I'm not going to have 365 days in a year of perfect workouts. No one is. Yet all of us have an account to stock pile good days and bad, or credits and debits.
Sunday Tribe did:
"Josh"
21 OHS (65#)
42 pull ups
15 OHS
30 pull ups
9 OHS
18 pull ups
My time: 12:47
I'm going to feel that one in my lats tomorrow.
We also pulled the workouts we're going to do for our endurance October workout. It's "6 in 6"- 6 benchmark workouts in 6 hours! In teams of 2 we'll do:
Nancy
DT
Helen
Josh
Grace
Cindy
I'm excited!
Having that bank helps me put life into perspective. I'm not going to have 365 days in a year of perfect workouts. No one is. Yet all of us have an account to stock pile good days and bad, or credits and debits.
Sunday Tribe did:
"Josh"
21 OHS (65#)
42 pull ups
15 OHS
30 pull ups
9 OHS
18 pull ups
My time: 12:47
I'm going to feel that one in my lats tomorrow.
We also pulled the workouts we're going to do for our endurance October workout. It's "6 in 6"- 6 benchmark workouts in 6 hours! In teams of 2 we'll do:
Nancy
DT
Helen
Josh
Grace
Cindy
I'm excited!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
