Well, I finally did it. I finished graduate school!!!! How does it feel? As the days progress, and I realize that I don't have a discussion board or a project waiting for me, my heart feels lighter and lighter. I completed my final assignment last night at 9:20 p.m., but the finality didn't really sink in until later today. Instead of thinking right after work, man, I have to get home so I can finish my schoolwork, I found myself thinking, what am I going to do tonight to celebrate being finished?? What an awesome feeling!
I decided to mark the occasion with a Big Night Out four-course meal at The Melting Pot. I hadn't been there since my birthday last January, and what better way to celebrate freedom than to stuff yourself with cheese fondue, salad, beef, duck, chicken, shrimp, and veggies, AND chocolate creme brulee fondue? Oh, and of course a glass of lovely Pinot Noir to complement it all. And Kason had a nice frosty glass of Old Rasputin waiting for me when I got home from work. Love him and love being finished!! I really can't believe I'm all done--it feels like just yesterday I was figuring out which courses I needed to take and when, charting my plan of action, and mentally preparing myself for the long haul. Was it all worth the sleepless nights, week of the flu, junk food cravings, sporadic workout schedule, and overload of cortisol? YES! I can't wait to meet all of the colleagues I learned and interacted with this past year and a half. December will be here before I know it! That is going to be an awesome, exciting month. More to come later...
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Plan
I need a plan to get me going on these lesson plans and FINAL graduate course assignments. I do have two more days left of "break" before I return to work full-time (no kiddos, just on-campus training and teacher prep days) and start my class, but I feel like I need to be getting my tush in gear for the crazy next two months. But I can't get myself going! I think I'm making myself wait to see if Kason returns this weekend. Either he comes back or finishes his OCS training all the way to October. I feel like I "can't" decide my next move until I know exactly when he'll be back with me. :/
Well, I finally got my Implanon inserted yesterday morning. Truth be told, I did feel a bit anxious lying there with my arm in position. But my doctor is an expert at using needles and scalpels without causing pain or discomfort--didn't feel a thing!! The only pain I felt was the nervous energy in my stomach before the actual procedure, the not knowing. But even the prick of the needle that delivered the lidocaine was nothing. Getting my blood drawn imparts much more discernible sensations. Then my doc made a small incision to facilitate the insertion, and she was finished with everything before I knew it. There was an intern who came in to observe the procedure, and I guess it was too much for her, poor thing. She had to leave the room! I'll admit--when I watched a YouTube vid of the process, I did feel a bit squeamish. I kept my eyes glued to the ceiling when I actually had it done--that definitely helped. The doc made a compression wrap for my arm, which looked pretty bad-ass! :) But it started itching by night time, so I was happy to be able to remove it this morning. I get to take the bandaid off tomorrow morning--kinda curious to see what it'll look like under there! I have an interesting bruise at the site where the front end of the rod was inserted. Amy, what's the reason behind it? :) Anyway, I'm totally happy that I don't have to take a pill everyday anymore, and I just have to get this little guy replaced every three years. I don't like to think about the removal procedure though...lots of possible complications, including scar tissue and the like. But I'll worry about that in 2013. :) I have to wait until Monday to workout (no dirt or sweat allowed--Staph is no fun!), and then I have to wait a week before I can do anything involving arms. I foresee lots of running, air squatting, and situp-ing in my future! Not too bummed about that, though--I got a 10# PR on clean and 5# PR on jerk on Wednesday: 125# clean; 135# jerk. :D I could do only 35 pullups (5 unbroken at a time) in 2 minutes, though, but that's my usual Tabata number, so I guess that makes sense.
Going to be a fun day tomorrow--going to the Dallas Convention Center to witness some CF greatness at a friendly competition, as well as live MMA fights (woohoo!!!). Okay, I'm motivated to go clean now, especially if Kason returns this weekend.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Hi y'all!
Smell that? That, my friends, is the smell of freedom. Granted, it's not complete freedom--I do have brand-new English classes to create lesson plans for within these next two weeks, but I have a week off from graduate school! This class I just finished was by far the most demanding, yet the most rewarding. It took me a while to really get the hang of all the jargon and whatnot of research proposal-writing, but five weeks later, I feel like I know much more about my profession, my potential as an educational researcher, and myself personally. August 16 will be the first day of my capstone course. October 10 will be my last day of graduate school!!! I can't believe how quickly this past year and some change have gone by! Of course, while I was in session, I felt like I'd never get to the end, but looking back, I am so incredibly proud and grateful for this opportunity to extend my knowledge and expertise--I feel like I can be a better teacher for my students and really see who they are, what they need, and how important they are to this country's future (hell, to the world's future!). Gotta go finish my research proposal...brb.
Goal accomplished! 47 pages later (that includes cover page and six appendices), I now feel like I can conquer the world, muahahahahaaaaaa!!! But my brain is too tired to do that at the moment. :{
Workouts have been hit-and-miss since my last post, but I did PR on push press (115#), 400m sprint (1:19 from 1:25), and OHS x3 (99# and got 110# x2). Overall, I'm not eating enough and definitely have not been as Paleo as I would like/need to be (I blame grad school!!!!). Sleep deprivation took its toll on quite a few of the doozies, like "Amanda" and the 800m run/150 DUs/50 box jumps/150 DUs/800m hell WOD we did a few weeks ago. Definitely sucked big-time!!! The latest awful WOD was on Wednesday--7 rounds of 5 push presses and 15 unbroken wall ball shots. OMGGGGGG! I used 83# because all the 45 barbells were taken (not that the extra 2# would have made much of a diff--it still sucked!!!). Finished in 13:36 with many of those seconds spent with my hands on my knees. Ack!
Today, we did "Gwen," another sucky girl WOD. 15-12-9 of clean & jerk, but you have to do the sets touch-and-go with as much rest as needed in between sets. I used 85# and couldn't turn my mind off for the second set (12 reps). Stopped after 5 and totally bombed out. But I did the remaining 7 unbroken. (I should have done all 12 over again, but Amber was nice and said to just do the rest of my reps.) Final 4 in the last set took so much outta me!! My mental game is so crappy. Definitely gotta work on it before ACO.
All right, time to eat, watch a movie, and SLEEEEEEP! :D
Goal accomplished! 47 pages later (that includes cover page and six appendices), I now feel like I can conquer the world, muahahahahaaaaaa!!! But my brain is too tired to do that at the moment. :{
Workouts have been hit-and-miss since my last post, but I did PR on push press (115#), 400m sprint (1:19 from 1:25), and OHS x3 (99# and got 110# x2). Overall, I'm not eating enough and definitely have not been as Paleo as I would like/need to be (I blame grad school!!!!). Sleep deprivation took its toll on quite a few of the doozies, like "Amanda" and the 800m run/150 DUs/50 box jumps/150 DUs/800m hell WOD we did a few weeks ago. Definitely sucked big-time!!! The latest awful WOD was on Wednesday--7 rounds of 5 push presses and 15 unbroken wall ball shots. OMGGGGGG! I used 83# because all the 45 barbells were taken (not that the extra 2# would have made much of a diff--it still sucked!!!). Finished in 13:36 with many of those seconds spent with my hands on my knees. Ack!
Today, we did "Gwen," another sucky girl WOD. 15-12-9 of clean & jerk, but you have to do the sets touch-and-go with as much rest as needed in between sets. I used 85# and couldn't turn my mind off for the second set (12 reps). Stopped after 5 and totally bombed out. But I did the remaining 7 unbroken. (I should have done all 12 over again, but Amber was nice and said to just do the rest of my reps.) Final 4 in the last set took so much outta me!! My mental game is so crappy. Definitely gotta work on it before ACO.
All right, time to eat, watch a movie, and SLEEEEEEP! :D
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hell-en
As most of you know, the 2010 CrossFit Games were last weekend. When I wasn't glued to my school work, I was glued to the Crossfit site to watch it live. So awesome! Anyway, the second individual WOD was Pyramid Double Helen. Doesn't that in itself just sound awful? It's basically six rounds of Helen broken into a 3-2-1 rep scheme, so: 1200m run, 63 KB swings, 36 pull-ups; 800m run, 42 KB swings, 24 pull-ups; and finally, 400m run, 21 KB swings, 12 pull-ups. The fastest men's time was 16:59 (cut-off was 22 min.), and I can't remember the fast women's time, but the cut-off was 24 min. I knew we would have to do at least one of the Games WODs but wasn't expecting this one!!!! Ack! And I was unable to do the morning class or the noon because I had to fast last night for blood work this morning, and Mel would like me to do the WOD with her on Thursday, so I will mentally prepare myself for it in the meantime. I'll work on my school work tonight and make good use of that extra hour. Roosters in the morning!
WED: New girl WOD from last year's Games: "Amanda" 9-7-5 of muscle-ups and snatch. Looks easy, right? WRONG! I subbed pull-ups/dips for the muscle-ups, so I did 18 p/d for the first round and 14 p/d for the second round. Had I made it to the third round, which I didn't, I would have done 10 p/d. Sam kept telling us that we would be able to finish the WOD in 12 minutes (cut-off) if we knew how to do the movements right. Well, apparently, my snatch sucks too much because I finished the first two rounds only. I used 73# (used 38# bar as that was all that was left besides 33# and 15#), and I just couldn't get my act together on the snatches. The pull-ups and dips weren't the issue. My technique on snatch prevented me from finishing in time! So, I still need to work on this lift, and once I feel like I've pretty much mastered it, I'll try Amanda again. I wonder, though, if I'd been able to do MU progressions (I have those down pat), would I have finished before cut-off? The class was too large for that kind of sub, but it bugs me to think of it. I know some previous classes did do progressions, and their times were fine. Anyway, it's water under the bridge. On to the next one.
THURS: HELL-en and I mean H-E-L-L. I would have been laughed out of the Games!!! Did it rx'd and finished in 36:09. I wasted tons of seconds resting too much and trying to catch my breath. I know my mental game just wasn't there today, nor was it yesterday. Could it be that my brain power has been sapped by my graduate course? The academic thinking portion of my brain has usurped the reserves in the athletic/physical part, methinks. Ugh. Either way, this Games WOD was no joke, and I have all that more respect and awe for the competitors. Here was my running internal monologue as I went through it:
1200m run: Good steady pace, a bit slow for my taste, but I want to keep Mel's pace so I don't get too tired...
64 KB swings: 15 per set isn't too bad...hmm, my arms and hips feel okay so far...just keep chalking between sets
36 pull-ups: Ack, 5 per set ain't gonna be possible for me. No grip! Gasp, gasp, rrrrgh!
800m run: pantpantpant...ugh this sun is hoooooooooot pantpantpant...keep moving, legs!! No walking!!!!
42 KB swings: Hoooboy are my arms and hips feeling tired...get that bell up! Stay calm, keep that pace...omg Mel is already on her pull-ups! 10, 11, 12...
24 pull-ups: Grrrr, two reps at a time? Stupid pull-ups, stupid pull-ups, can't get my breath, stupid pull-ups! Darn it, I ripped! Back to it!!!
400m run: Just...gotta...keep...breathing...gah that sun is hot!!!!
21 KB swings: 11 and 10, keep swinging, thank you Mel for counting the last 10 for me...
12 pull-ups: Two at a time, two at a time, keep me going Mel, okay last six, three at a time! DOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!
In retrospect, I should have pushed myself harder on the runs, and the KB swings ended up being less of an issue than I had thought. Pull-ups still need work. Above all, I needed someone to count and push me--I am so bad about that if I'm going through it alone. Tons of things to improve! But I'm soooo glad I actually went in and did it. Next time I'll do better!!!!
WED: New girl WOD from last year's Games: "Amanda" 9-7-5 of muscle-ups and snatch. Looks easy, right? WRONG! I subbed pull-ups/dips for the muscle-ups, so I did 18 p/d for the first round and 14 p/d for the second round. Had I made it to the third round, which I didn't, I would have done 10 p/d. Sam kept telling us that we would be able to finish the WOD in 12 minutes (cut-off) if we knew how to do the movements right. Well, apparently, my snatch sucks too much because I finished the first two rounds only. I used 73# (used 38# bar as that was all that was left besides 33# and 15#), and I just couldn't get my act together on the snatches. The pull-ups and dips weren't the issue. My technique on snatch prevented me from finishing in time! So, I still need to work on this lift, and once I feel like I've pretty much mastered it, I'll try Amanda again. I wonder, though, if I'd been able to do MU progressions (I have those down pat), would I have finished before cut-off? The class was too large for that kind of sub, but it bugs me to think of it. I know some previous classes did do progressions, and their times were fine. Anyway, it's water under the bridge. On to the next one.
THURS: HELL-en and I mean H-E-L-L. I would have been laughed out of the Games!!! Did it rx'd and finished in 36:09. I wasted tons of seconds resting too much and trying to catch my breath. I know my mental game just wasn't there today, nor was it yesterday. Could it be that my brain power has been sapped by my graduate course? The academic thinking portion of my brain has usurped the reserves in the athletic/physical part, methinks. Ugh. Either way, this Games WOD was no joke, and I have all that more respect and awe for the competitors. Here was my running internal monologue as I went through it:
1200m run: Good steady pace, a bit slow for my taste, but I want to keep Mel's pace so I don't get too tired...
64 KB swings: 15 per set isn't too bad...hmm, my arms and hips feel okay so far...just keep chalking between sets
36 pull-ups: Ack, 5 per set ain't gonna be possible for me. No grip! Gasp, gasp, rrrrgh!
800m run: pantpantpant...ugh this sun is hoooooooooot pantpantpant...keep moving, legs!! No walking!!!!
42 KB swings: Hoooboy are my arms and hips feeling tired...get that bell up! Stay calm, keep that pace...omg Mel is already on her pull-ups! 10, 11, 12...
24 pull-ups: Grrrr, two reps at a time? Stupid pull-ups, stupid pull-ups, can't get my breath, stupid pull-ups! Darn it, I ripped!
400m run: Just...gotta...keep...breathing...gah that sun is hot!!!!
21 KB swings: 11 and 10, keep swinging, thank you Mel for counting the last 10 for me...
12 pull-ups: Two at a time, two at a time, keep me going Mel, okay last six, three at a time! DOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!
In retrospect, I should have pushed myself harder on the runs, and the KB swings ended up being less of an issue than I had thought. Pull-ups still need work. Above all, I needed someone to count and push me--I am so bad about that if I'm going through it alone. Tons of things to improve! But I'm soooo glad I actually went in and did it. Next time I'll do better!!!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Jason 2
Sounds like a cheesy horror sequel, doesn't it? Well, it was horrible, but in a different way.
I did this hero WOD last year shortly after I joined CFDC. I remember it sucking then (mostly all the dips), and it sure sucked the second time around. I'm wondering if it would have felt as bad if I'd done it at noon (missed my regular WOD time reeeeeally badly today!!!). Haha, now I'm just making excuses, right?
We started off with five sets of a heavy 3 on jerk. I got up to 115 but just couldn't get my head through/elbows locked out on that third rep. So my heavy 3 is 105: not complaining but still should have gotten that last jerk at 115, I think.
During Jason, I had to just focus on counting all the squats. I did sets of 25 on the first 100; did my 10 pull-ups/10 GHD box dips; and then I did sets of 10-15 for the remaining rounds of squats. The squats really weren't too bad, but my legs are still shaky, as are my shoulders and arms. 100 total pull-ups and GHD dips will do that to you!! I finished in 21:43, which was over the 20-minute cut-off, but Sam gave us 25 minutes to finish. The pull-ups were what held me back. I did my first set unbroken with no problem, and then I broke up the 20-30-40 sets into fives--I did five pull-ups followed by five dips. Just couldn't keep my grip for some reason. Anyway, I know I did loads better this time around, but it still sucked! Glad that's over, and now it's time to shower and get back to my work. Wonder what tomorrow's pain is going to be (I'm hitting up the noon for sure!! Can't take the evening heat, bleh!).
Looked at my old time back in April (it was the first month I'd joined CF, too! Thanks, Jamie, for telling us when we last did it), and I finished in 22:50, but I didn't specify whether I did the 3:1 ratio as noted on the blog or 1:1 like I noticed others doing...Since I didn't even have pull-ups yet, I would deduce that I did it 1:1. If that's the case, then I'm happy with how I did today! Also, back in the day, we didn't do a strength WOD before doing a met-con, and that day, all we did was "Jason", so now I'm doubly happy! :)
I did this hero WOD last year shortly after I joined CFDC. I remember it sucking then (mostly all the dips), and it sure sucked the second time around. I'm wondering if it would have felt as bad if I'd done it at noon (missed my regular WOD time reeeeeally badly today!!!). Haha, now I'm just making excuses, right?
We started off with five sets of a heavy 3 on jerk. I got up to 115 but just couldn't get my head through/elbows locked out on that third rep. So my heavy 3 is 105: not complaining but still should have gotten that last jerk at 115, I think.
During Jason, I had to just focus on counting all the squats. I did sets of 25 on the first 100; did my 10 pull-ups/10 GHD box dips; and then I did sets of 10-15 for the remaining rounds of squats. The squats really weren't too bad, but my legs are still shaky, as are my shoulders and arms. 100 total pull-ups and GHD dips will do that to you!! I finished in 21:43, which was over the 20-minute cut-off, but Sam gave us 25 minutes to finish. The pull-ups were what held me back. I did my first set unbroken with no problem, and then I broke up the 20-30-40 sets into fives--I did five pull-ups followed by five dips. Just couldn't keep my grip for some reason. Anyway, I know I did loads better this time around, but it still sucked! Glad that's over, and now it's time to shower and get back to my work. Wonder what tomorrow's pain is going to be (I'm hitting up the noon for sure!! Can't take the evening heat, bleh!).
Looked at my old time back in April (it was the first month I'd joined CF, too! Thanks, Jamie, for telling us when we last did it), and I finished in 22:50, but I didn't specify whether I did the 3:1 ratio as noted on the blog or 1:1 like I noticed others doing...Since I didn't even have pull-ups yet, I would deduce that I did it 1:1. If that's the case, then I'm happy with how I did today! Also, back in the day, we didn't do a strength WOD before doing a met-con, and that day, all we did was "Jason", so now I'm doubly happy! :)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Motivation? I gots tons!!
So I was just complaining on Saturday about not feeling motivated at all to finish my big assignment, but guess what my grades for the first week's assignments were? 100% all-around!!!!! AND, the icing on the cake: my professor posted two student examples to help everyone better understand what she had been looking for/expecting on our first big assignment (30% of our grade), and one of them was mine! I was so stoked!!!! I couldn't believe it. LOL So that was definitely a huuuuuuge motivator, and I am going into this week with much more confidence, positivity, and initiative. LOVE it!
Workout today sucked totally, mainly because of the met-con, which was ten minutes of suck. Well, first we did four sets of five DL--I worked up to 185# and since we had four girls sharing a bar, I stopped there. I could have done at least 195, but I'm not complaining...too much. ;) Then the met-con was 800m run and AMRAP burpees within the remaining amount of time. I sucked wind on the 800m run big-time. I blame not enough sleep over the weekend and the kettlebell swings we had to do between each set of DL. Anyway, it took me almost four minutes (ack!) to finish my run, and then it was burpee time. Wow do I hate burpees, especially when I'm trying to catch my breath from a half-mile run. I got in 61, which I guess isn't too bad, but I thought I should have done at least 70. Took too many little breathers. Then again, quite a few others got only 30-something! I suppose I did the run just right as in I didn't push too hard (not that I could anyway) so that I'd have enough gas for the burpees. Then again, if I'd run faster, I would have gotten more burpees in...maybe? Anyway, glad that one's done, and I'm pretty ready to tackle "Jason" tomorrow: 100 air squats, 5 muscle-ups (I'll be subbing pull-ups and dips, or C2B pull-ups if that's what they want us to do), 75 squats, 10 mu's, 50 squats, 15 mu's, 25 squats, 20 mu's. It's been forever since I last did this hero WOD, so I'm curious to see how well I do. Better get to sleep so I have enough energy tomorrow. Evening class for me for sure!
Workout today sucked totally, mainly because of the met-con, which was ten minutes of suck. Well, first we did four sets of five DL--I worked up to 185# and since we had four girls sharing a bar, I stopped there. I could have done at least 195, but I'm not complaining...too much. ;) Then the met-con was 800m run and AMRAP burpees within the remaining amount of time. I sucked wind on the 800m run big-time. I blame not enough sleep over the weekend and the kettlebell swings we had to do between each set of DL. Anyway, it took me almost four minutes (ack!) to finish my run, and then it was burpee time. Wow do I hate burpees, especially when I'm trying to catch my breath from a half-mile run. I got in 61, which I guess isn't too bad, but I thought I should have done at least 70. Took too many little breathers. Then again, quite a few others got only 30-something! I suppose I did the run just right as in I didn't push too hard (not that I could anyway) so that I'd have enough gas for the burpees. Then again, if I'd run faster, I would have gotten more burpees in...maybe? Anyway, glad that one's done, and I'm pretty ready to tackle "Jason" tomorrow: 100 air squats, 5 muscle-ups (I'll be subbing pull-ups and dips, or C2B pull-ups if that's what they want us to do), 75 squats, 10 mu's, 50 squats, 15 mu's, 25 squats, 20 mu's. It's been forever since I last did this hero WOD, so I'm curious to see how well I do. Better get to sleep so I have enough energy tomorrow. Evening class for me for sure!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Bleh
Ugh, for some reason, I just don't have the energy and motivation I usually do for my graduate work. I'm finishing up the first week's assignments (all 12 of them), and I'm on the very last one, but I just can.not.get.myself.going. I don't want to think about it or sit here and do this last assignment, although it's worth 30% of my grade!!!! Aaagh! What's wrong with me?! I'm almost to the finish line, and I'm petering out. It's not like I'm not giving myself breaks and whatnot--I went to workout four days this week, and I've watched a few movies. No excuses!
Well, since Murph, I felt pretty wrecked, but once Tuesday rolled around, I was more than ready to get back into the box.
TUES: Backsquat 5-5-5-5-5 I ran out of time and had to stop at 142# (I used kg plates), bleh. My 10RM is 145#, so I know I had much more in me. Oh well--I had to share with two others, so I didn't get in my last 5. Then we did an awful met-con--3 rounds of 200m Farmer's Carry (I used 35s) and 25 pull-ups. Chase gave us a 15-minute cut-off, and I could tell by the 15th pull-up that I wasn't going to make the cut-off, so I scaled the reps. Ugh. Had no grip after the FC, and the last round took me an eternity to finish the 200m. Worst WOD yet! Many people got their first hand rips on that one.
WED: Power snatch, heavy double--I got up to 85# (PR), but I just didn't have the right mindset to get 90#. I was happy with this weight, though, because 90# is my 1RM. Then we did "Tailpipe" (ugh!)--for three rounds, with a partner, row 250m and while one partner rows, the other holds 2 KBs in the rack position. I partnered with Erica again, but this time we did it rx'd, with 35# KBs. We did it one second slower (7:27) than when we did it in December with 26s. I was pleased, but I thought I rowed my ass off (my splits were no slower than 1:52), so I was a bit disappointed that our time was not faster.
FRI: Five rounds of this complex--5 deadlifts, 5 hang power cleans, 5 front squats, and 5 push jerks. No regripping or resting allowed. I went in thinking I'd make it no further than 85# because of the hang power cleans, but I managed to finish my last round at 95#! The push jerks were tough--by that time, you're so tired from the other movements, so it's hard to drop under the bar as quickly as you should. Mine were ugly, but they counted. Mel really helped me believe in myself and power through the fatigue. This WOD was very mentally challenging. If I am going to compete, I seriously need to work on my mental game.
SAT: Oh man, today's workout was great--I can already feel the soreness settling into my shoulders and legs. First Sam had us warm-up for thirty good minutes with kettlebell exercises, including one-armed overhead holds, goblet squats, heartbeats (HATE those), and Russian swings. We also did half Turkish get-ups, 25 each arm. Whew, those are tough! I could feel it then and can still feel it. I started with a 26# KB but after six reps, I switched out for a 20# DB. We also did 25 med-ball sit-ups, which I felt more in my shoulders than in my abs! Lots of shoulder and stabilizer muscle work today. After that great warm-up, we did 5 sets of 3 heavy floor presses. Instead of lying on a bench, we lay on the floor and pressed the weight. I worked up to 100#x3! It was very exciting because the last time I did this, I could hardly press 85# on the floor because the ROM is so limited compared to doing it on a bench. It's amazing how strong I've become--I honestly surprise myself sometimes. (Not meaning to sound conceited--just commenting on how I don't realize how much strength I've gained until we do something like that.) Between each set of presses, we did lawnmowers with a KB, 8 reps each arm. It was basically a bent-over row. I used a 26# KB. Again, my shoulders got a major workout today. After that, we worked on our snatch technique--3 reps at a time, focusing on one particular aspect that needed attention. While I could think of numerous aspects I need to work on, I chose my shoulder shrug (poor shoulders!). I just used 65# to work on my technique. Most of my reps felt good. Finally, Sam made us run an 800m time trial. By then, it was very hot, and most of us were pretty tired, but somehow, I ran one second faster than my best time. I sprinted the last 200m. So my new PR for 800m run is 3:24--still not optimal, but I plan on working on my running since I've neglected it since wintertime hit, and the coaches scheduled less running. Overall, it was a kick-ass workout today, and I'm going to really enjoy my rest day tomorrow. Shoulders are shot! OH, AND I got Howard to finally try Kozy--he got the Bowl 'o Doom, and he polished his bowl. Yet another convert, muahahahahahaaa! :)
Okay, now that I have procrastinated to write this post, I gotta get back to my assignment (grumble, grumble).
Well, since Murph, I felt pretty wrecked, but once Tuesday rolled around, I was more than ready to get back into the box.
TUES: Backsquat 5-5-5-5-5 I ran out of time and had to stop at 142# (I used kg plates), bleh. My 10RM is 145#, so I know I had much more in me. Oh well--I had to share with two others, so I didn't get in my last 5. Then we did an awful met-con--3 rounds of 200m Farmer's Carry (I used 35s) and 25 pull-ups. Chase gave us a 15-minute cut-off, and I could tell by the 15th pull-up that I wasn't going to make the cut-off, so I scaled the reps. Ugh. Had no grip after the FC, and the last round took me an eternity to finish the 200m. Worst WOD yet! Many people got their first hand rips on that one.
WED: Power snatch, heavy double--I got up to 85# (PR), but I just didn't have the right mindset to get 90#. I was happy with this weight, though, because 90# is my 1RM. Then we did "Tailpipe" (ugh!)--for three rounds, with a partner, row 250m and while one partner rows, the other holds 2 KBs in the rack position. I partnered with Erica again, but this time we did it rx'd, with 35# KBs. We did it one second slower (7:27) than when we did it in December with 26s. I was pleased, but I thought I rowed my ass off (my splits were no slower than 1:52), so I was a bit disappointed that our time was not faster.
FRI: Five rounds of this complex--5 deadlifts, 5 hang power cleans, 5 front squats, and 5 push jerks. No regripping or resting allowed. I went in thinking I'd make it no further than 85# because of the hang power cleans, but I managed to finish my last round at 95#! The push jerks were tough--by that time, you're so tired from the other movements, so it's hard to drop under the bar as quickly as you should. Mine were ugly, but they counted. Mel really helped me believe in myself and power through the fatigue. This WOD was very mentally challenging. If I am going to compete, I seriously need to work on my mental game.
SAT: Oh man, today's workout was great--I can already feel the soreness settling into my shoulders and legs. First Sam had us warm-up for thirty good minutes with kettlebell exercises, including one-armed overhead holds, goblet squats, heartbeats (HATE those), and Russian swings. We also did half Turkish get-ups, 25 each arm. Whew, those are tough! I could feel it then and can still feel it. I started with a 26# KB but after six reps, I switched out for a 20# DB. We also did 25 med-ball sit-ups, which I felt more in my shoulders than in my abs! Lots of shoulder and stabilizer muscle work today. After that great warm-up, we did 5 sets of 3 heavy floor presses. Instead of lying on a bench, we lay on the floor and pressed the weight. I worked up to 100#x3! It was very exciting because the last time I did this, I could hardly press 85# on the floor because the ROM is so limited compared to doing it on a bench. It's amazing how strong I've become--I honestly surprise myself sometimes. (Not meaning to sound conceited--just commenting on how I don't realize how much strength I've gained until we do something like that.) Between each set of presses, we did lawnmowers with a KB, 8 reps each arm. It was basically a bent-over row. I used a 26# KB. Again, my shoulders got a major workout today. After that, we worked on our snatch technique--3 reps at a time, focusing on one particular aspect that needed attention. While I could think of numerous aspects I need to work on, I chose my shoulder shrug (poor shoulders!). I just used 65# to work on my technique. Most of my reps felt good. Finally, Sam made us run an 800m time trial. By then, it was very hot, and most of us were pretty tired, but somehow, I ran one second faster than my best time. I sprinted the last 200m. So my new PR for 800m run is 3:24--still not optimal, but I plan on working on my running since I've neglected it since wintertime hit, and the coaches scheduled less running. Overall, it was a kick-ass workout today, and I'm going to really enjoy my rest day tomorrow. Shoulders are shot! OH, AND I got Howard to finally try Kozy--he got the Bowl 'o Doom, and he polished his bowl. Yet another convert, muahahahahahaaa! :)
Okay, now that I have procrastinated to write this post, I gotta get back to my assignment (grumble, grumble).
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Murph
Well, I went in this morning at 10:45 expecting to totally bomb Murph since I didn't get to sleep until after 2 a.m. The Rangers game was delayed due to rain and didn't start until 9:30 last night. Then we had to stand there and watch the fireworks (the cops and security wouldn't let us cross the street to get to the far parking lots until the fireworks were over). I did not like being delayed--it was late enough when the game ended, and then the display was another 20 minutes. Anyway, I had originally intended to do the 9 a.m. Murph heat, but since we got back so late, we did the 11.
I had two goals going into this second go at this hero WOD (AQAP: 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and 1 mile run): 1) complete it rx'd (not with a vest but all movements as prescribed) and 2) finish within an hour. Felt pretty good on the first mile, and as I ran, I visualized my strategy for the push-ups because they are my weakest movement. Finished the first mile in 8:15--about the pace I had wanted to run it in. I did the first five Cindy rounds with my shirt, but after that fifth round, the shirt had to come off, so I rolled shirtless. Actually, and maybe this is purely mental, I felt a lot lighter on everything, especially the pull-ups, without the shirt (haha)! Maybe I'll go shirtless more often now? Anyway, I started out doing 5 pushes, few seconds rest, then the remaining 5. After about six rounds, I did 4 pushes, rest, 2, rest, 2, rest, 2. The pulls and squats were the easiest, so I made up time on those. I didn't go to my knees at all!!! I had noticed in the Regionals pics that athletes were doing a sort of flop and then pushing themselves up, so I emulated this approach to the push-ups. I made sure to lock out my elbows at the top, let myself plop down onto my chest (and stomach), and pushed up--it made this movement a lot more doable. Not to say it was easy, though!! But I'm happy I didn't let myself go to knee push-ups. It took me about 37 minutes to do all 20 rounds of Cindy, and then it was time for my last mile. I think I spent the majority of the first 800 trying to get my breathing under control! Once I hit Dyer on the second 800, I tried to sprint...haha, my legs didn't want to move much faster. But I finished in 56 minutes and 15 seconds--almost six minutes off my old time. Woohoo!! When I get to the point where I can finish this WOD in 45 minutes, I'll wear a weight vest, as it's supposed to be done. But until then...I'm going to keep working on push-ups and making myself run hard despite fatigue. My last mile took me about 11 minutes!!! I was so tempted to walk during that first leg, but I figured if I slowed down that much, I wouldn't be able to get myself going again, plus I wouldn't have beat my old time. Love this WOD and feel honored to suffer through it for an American hero. This event was also a donation drive for the NSWF (http://www.nswfoundation.org/), so it felt great to be a part of it.
Okay, nap time before the big UFC heavyweight champion title fight!!! Should be good, although lately, title fights have been going to decision (boooo).
I had two goals going into this second go at this hero WOD (AQAP: 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and 1 mile run): 1) complete it rx'd (not with a vest but all movements as prescribed) and 2) finish within an hour. Felt pretty good on the first mile, and as I ran, I visualized my strategy for the push-ups because they are my weakest movement. Finished the first mile in 8:15--about the pace I had wanted to run it in. I did the first five Cindy rounds with my shirt, but after that fifth round, the shirt had to come off, so I rolled shirtless. Actually, and maybe this is purely mental, I felt a lot lighter on everything, especially the pull-ups, without the shirt (haha)! Maybe I'll go shirtless more often now? Anyway, I started out doing 5 pushes, few seconds rest, then the remaining 5. After about six rounds, I did 4 pushes, rest, 2, rest, 2, rest, 2. The pulls and squats were the easiest, so I made up time on those. I didn't go to my knees at all!!! I had noticed in the Regionals pics that athletes were doing a sort of flop and then pushing themselves up, so I emulated this approach to the push-ups. I made sure to lock out my elbows at the top, let myself plop down onto my chest (and stomach), and pushed up--it made this movement a lot more doable. Not to say it was easy, though!! But I'm happy I didn't let myself go to knee push-ups. It took me about 37 minutes to do all 20 rounds of Cindy, and then it was time for my last mile. I think I spent the majority of the first 800 trying to get my breathing under control! Once I hit Dyer on the second 800, I tried to sprint...haha, my legs didn't want to move much faster. But I finished in 56 minutes and 15 seconds--almost six minutes off my old time. Woohoo!! When I get to the point where I can finish this WOD in 45 minutes, I'll wear a weight vest, as it's supposed to be done. But until then...I'm going to keep working on push-ups and making myself run hard despite fatigue. My last mile took me about 11 minutes!!! I was so tempted to walk during that first leg, but I figured if I slowed down that much, I wouldn't be able to get myself going again, plus I wouldn't have beat my old time. Love this WOD and feel honored to suffer through it for an American hero. This event was also a donation drive for the NSWF (http://www.nswfoundation.org/), so it felt great to be a part of it.
Okay, nap time before the big UFC heavyweight champion title fight!!! Should be good, although lately, title fights have been going to decision (boooo).
Thursday, July 1, 2010
PR wooo
Was lazy on Monday after getting back from OH, so I skipped that WOD, plus the thought of all that running in Texas heat made me feel sick.
Friday "hotel" WOD at my mom's house: 5 rds of 10 each of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats; I finished in about 6 minutes (I was on a Lady Gaga kick all last week, so I used her songs to time and motivate myself).
Tuesday: Heavy single of power clean--I failed on 121# (used kg plates) but got 115# (PR). Mel was awesome and watched me and coached me. I need to work on the drop--I don't drop fast enough. Then we did the Secret Service Snatch Test, which of course left my wrists super tight and bruised. Serves me right for not snatching correctly, eh? Got 114 reps in with 26# KB--last time we did this, it was back in December, and 26# was rx'd for girls. Weird that it was 35# this time! I didn't do as well this time. :( Got in over 130 reps last time, but I think I did the movement correctly that time unlike this go.
Wednesday: "The Drill" which was 8 sets of a complex: power snatch + OHS + hang snatch + snatch--all without regripping the bar between movements. I worked up to 70# but got stuck on the hang snatch and so finished out the last 3 rounds at 65#. Not too upset about it, though--it was really good practice. We were supposed to do 10 100m sprints, but since it was pooouring down rain and storming, Sam had us do Tabata front squats with rest in the rack position. Man did those suck! Girls were to use just 45#, but after resting in rack position, I was fighting by the third round! My lowest rep count was 6 (ugh!!!). Sweat was dripping into my eyes because the coaches closed the gym doors when it started pouring, so the box was a sauna. I was more focused on avoiding getting sweat-burn in my eyes! Erin counted for me and pushed me--she kicked butt! She was very consistent with 11-12 reps per round. As a final activity, we did various plank holds--front, both sides, and Superman. It was a great workout, but I would have preferred sprinting in the rain over those front squats!
Thursday: Made up Monday's WOD with Erin, and wooow I'm glad I waited!
Front squat 5-5-5-5-5 with C2B pull-ups between sets: I worked up to 64 kg (we used the middle room since the racks were already set up), which is 140.8# and a PR. Sure felt heavy, especially after yesterday's Tabata front squats with rest in the rack position. I did five C2B pull-ups after the first 10 threatened to rip my hands, and since I'm doing Murph on Saturday, I wanted to play it conservative. Then we did the met-con: 4 rounds of 400m run, 20 GHD situps and 20 GHD back extensions. Took me 14:21, which I was happy with since my goal was to finish in under 15 min. That third round of GHD situps was the toughest--I couldn't get my breathing right. Glad I made that WOD up, though! I hope we do Michael sometime, and I'd like to do it rx'd (no scaling reps). I did a scaled version with Carin a while back, and we wore a weight vest for the 800m runs and scaled the situps and back extensions to 25 reps each instead of doing 50 each. Fun times!
We're going to the Rangers vs. White Sox game tomorrow evening, and then Saturday is Murph Day! Woohoooo! My goal is to finish in under 61 minutes and to do it rx'd until I crap out on push-ups and have to go to knees. I did it with all knee push-ups last time. The coaches scheduled the first-time Murph (for CFDC) go the Sunday right after Thanksgiving, so that was an awesome way to kick-start our return to healthier habits. LOL!
Friday "hotel" WOD at my mom's house: 5 rds of 10 each of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats; I finished in about 6 minutes (I was on a Lady Gaga kick all last week, so I used her songs to time and motivate myself).
Tuesday: Heavy single of power clean--I failed on 121# (used kg plates) but got 115# (PR). Mel was awesome and watched me and coached me. I need to work on the drop--I don't drop fast enough. Then we did the Secret Service Snatch Test, which of course left my wrists super tight and bruised. Serves me right for not snatching correctly, eh? Got 114 reps in with 26# KB--last time we did this, it was back in December, and 26# was rx'd for girls. Weird that it was 35# this time! I didn't do as well this time. :( Got in over 130 reps last time, but I think I did the movement correctly that time unlike this go.
Wednesday: "The Drill" which was 8 sets of a complex: power snatch + OHS + hang snatch + snatch--all without regripping the bar between movements. I worked up to 70# but got stuck on the hang snatch and so finished out the last 3 rounds at 65#. Not too upset about it, though--it was really good practice. We were supposed to do 10 100m sprints, but since it was pooouring down rain and storming, Sam had us do Tabata front squats with rest in the rack position. Man did those suck! Girls were to use just 45#, but after resting in rack position, I was fighting by the third round! My lowest rep count was 6 (ugh!!!). Sweat was dripping into my eyes because the coaches closed the gym doors when it started pouring, so the box was a sauna. I was more focused on avoiding getting sweat-burn in my eyes! Erin counted for me and pushed me--she kicked butt! She was very consistent with 11-12 reps per round. As a final activity, we did various plank holds--front, both sides, and Superman. It was a great workout, but I would have preferred sprinting in the rain over those front squats!
Thursday: Made up Monday's WOD with Erin, and wooow I'm glad I waited!
Front squat 5-5-5-5-5 with C2B pull-ups between sets: I worked up to 64 kg (we used the middle room since the racks were already set up), which is 140.8# and a PR. Sure felt heavy, especially after yesterday's Tabata front squats with rest in the rack position. I did five C2B pull-ups after the first 10 threatened to rip my hands, and since I'm doing Murph on Saturday, I wanted to play it conservative. Then we did the met-con: 4 rounds of 400m run, 20 GHD situps and 20 GHD back extensions. Took me 14:21, which I was happy with since my goal was to finish in under 15 min. That third round of GHD situps was the toughest--I couldn't get my breathing right. Glad I made that WOD up, though! I hope we do Michael sometime, and I'd like to do it rx'd (no scaling reps). I did a scaled version with Carin a while back, and we wore a weight vest for the 800m runs and scaled the situps and back extensions to 25 reps each instead of doing 50 each. Fun times!
We're going to the Rangers vs. White Sox game tomorrow evening, and then Saturday is Murph Day! Woohoooo! My goal is to finish in under 61 minutes and to do it rx'd until I crap out on push-ups and have to go to knees. I did it with all knee push-ups last time. The coaches scheduled the first-time Murph (for CFDC) go the Sunday right after Thanksgiving, so that was an awesome way to kick-start our return to healthier habits. LOL!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Light at the End of the Tunnel
What a month! I'm so looking forward to finishing up my master's program and having a normal sleep schedule. Ugh! Having too little sleep these past six months has really affected my game in the box, but I know I'm almost finished with school and I have to keep my eye on the prize! After October, it'll be game time. I'm going to train for the ACO and perhaps Sectionals after that, I want to take a martial art (probably Jujitsu or Tae Kwon Do), and I want/need to take Spanish language classes. So much to look forward to! Plus, I'm helping to pioneer an over-age high school that opens this fall. I'm the department chair and an instructional leadership team member. While there is much to do to prepare and maintain so that the students and school are successful, I truly and wholeheartedly believe in this program, and I am committed to doing all I can to make it successful.
Okay, about WODs! Monday's was the KB swing/DU one we did in January, and it was weird but during the movements, I was sure I was doing much better on the DUs than last time, but I actually got less reps. I knew I bombed the KB swings--I think I tweaked my lower back on the back squats (medium-heavy 3, which I did at 145#), so I was pretty ginger on the swings. Total reps: 206, but I know I got at least 20-30 more in January. Sleep is such a make-or-break factor in working out!!!
Tuesday's WOD: A fun Father's Day chipper (more like a sledgehammer!)
100 ft walking lunge (of course my knees got scraped and bruised)
50 burpees
75 ab-mat situps
20 HSPUs (used 1 abmat and a green bumper)
100 air squats
30 pull-ups
50 box jumps (used 20" box and thought I'd die!! These sucked so much, probably because of all the squats.)
Time: 19:58
I'd wanted to finish within 20 minutes, so I did accomplish that goal (barely!), and the pull-ups felt so much easier this time. I remember a brutal Saturday chipper that involved 30 pull-ups--started and ended with them, and those last 30 were the hardest thing ever! This time, I easily strung 5-6 in a row before dropping to rechalk, shake it out, etc. I'm anxious to do more skill work on MUs, though, but I do need to work on OHS as well. I can OHS 95# x3, but I want to be able to do Nancy rx'd (65#) and not wuss out. It's a mental game for sure... Lots to improve on!! I have a week off from class next week (still have three assignments due this week, which I have to do while in OH visiting fam/friends), so I hope I can get more quality skill work/WODing in.
Oh and I went to Lancaster's box (Crossfit CODE) this morning at 6. They did the main-site WOD, but we used barbells instead of dumbbells and abmats instead of GHDs (this box doesn't have GHDs yet for some reason). So, 3 rounds AQAP of 15 thrusters (I used 75, which felt like a lot more after the first round) and 30 situps. I finished in 11:47, which I feel is too slow, but I had to drop the bar after every 3-4 reps on the last rounds. Thrusters are icky!
Well, time for a shower and school work (and maybe a nap--had four hours of sleep last night and couldn't really fall asleep).
Okay, about WODs! Monday's was the KB swing/DU one we did in January, and it was weird but during the movements, I was sure I was doing much better on the DUs than last time, but I actually got less reps. I knew I bombed the KB swings--I think I tweaked my lower back on the back squats (medium-heavy 3, which I did at 145#), so I was pretty ginger on the swings. Total reps: 206, but I know I got at least 20-30 more in January. Sleep is such a make-or-break factor in working out!!!
Tuesday's WOD: A fun Father's Day chipper (more like a sledgehammer!)
100 ft walking lunge (of course my knees got scraped and bruised)
50 burpees
75 ab-mat situps
20 HSPUs (used 1 abmat and a green bumper)
100 air squats
30 pull-ups
50 box jumps (used 20" box and thought I'd die!! These sucked so much, probably because of all the squats.)
Time: 19:58
I'd wanted to finish within 20 minutes, so I did accomplish that goal (barely!), and the pull-ups felt so much easier this time. I remember a brutal Saturday chipper that involved 30 pull-ups--started and ended with them, and those last 30 were the hardest thing ever! This time, I easily strung 5-6 in a row before dropping to rechalk, shake it out, etc. I'm anxious to do more skill work on MUs, though, but I do need to work on OHS as well. I can OHS 95# x3, but I want to be able to do Nancy rx'd (65#) and not wuss out. It's a mental game for sure... Lots to improve on!! I have a week off from class next week (still have three assignments due this week, which I have to do while in OH visiting fam/friends), so I hope I can get more quality skill work/WODing in.
Oh and I went to Lancaster's box (Crossfit CODE) this morning at 6. They did the main-site WOD, but we used barbells instead of dumbbells and abmats instead of GHDs (this box doesn't have GHDs yet for some reason). So, 3 rounds AQAP of 15 thrusters (I used 75, which felt like a lot more after the first round) and 30 situps. I finished in 11:47, which I feel is too slow, but I had to drop the bar after every 3-4 reps on the last rounds. Thrusters are icky!
Well, time for a shower and school work (and maybe a nap--had four hours of sleep last night and couldn't really fall asleep).
Saturday, June 12, 2010
One step closer to a MU
Wooo, went this morning to the box to help out with setting up WOD in the Park, and I decided to just go up to the rings and try to get a MU. Well...I did one! According to Bobby, it was a jumping one because my feet were touching the ground. But I'm happy about the fact that I can do it! Did another one and tried a few kipping ones. Mel taught me a great skills move to practice to get the second part of the transition, so I'm going to go in tomorrow (maybe) and practice, practice, practice!
WOD in the Park was fun but hot, although there was a nice breeze. Now it's time to focus and finish up this week's assignments. Maybe I'll allow myself a movie today...just for my sanity.
WOD in the Park was fun but hot, although there was a nice breeze. Now it's time to focus and finish up this week's assignments. Maybe I'll allow myself a movie today...just for my sanity.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Snatch PR (FINALLY)
As you can see, I finally PR'd on snatch 1RM today! In the past, I always suffered from a mental block when I got past 80# on this lift, but today I was determined not to let that happen. So I PR'd by 10# and snatched 90#. :)
Met-con was crazy but fun in a way: 300m row, 20 ring dips, 300m row, 20 ring dips, 300m row. I subbed dips on the GHDs with my feet on a 20" box because every time I do ring dips with a band, my foot cramps up and basically debilitates me for the rest of the workout. I can string two to three unassisted dips together, but that would not have been enough for this WOD. I finished in 6:22--not bad, although I know I could have finished faster if I hadn't totally run out of gas on the second to last 100m on that final row. Geeeeez, I kept my pace between 1:50-1:55 but that 100m, I was pulling between 2 and 2:05! Ugh! Anyway, happy that I finished before 6:30.
Kason left for OCS on Wed. so I've tried to keep my chin up and just focus on finishing this school year up (next week is my last one! YAY!) and earning an A in this current grad course. Haven't had quality sleep or enough of it in so long...I can't remember the last time! Looking forward to having just grad school and WODing to do. :) Can't wait for the WOD in the Park tomorrow! It should be a blast, and I hope that one of my students who expressed interest in going actually shows up. Okay, back to my assignment.
Met-con was crazy but fun in a way: 300m row, 20 ring dips, 300m row, 20 ring dips, 300m row. I subbed dips on the GHDs with my feet on a 20" box because every time I do ring dips with a band, my foot cramps up and basically debilitates me for the rest of the workout. I can string two to three unassisted dips together, but that would not have been enough for this WOD. I finished in 6:22--not bad, although I know I could have finished faster if I hadn't totally run out of gas on the second to last 100m on that final row. Geeeeez, I kept my pace between 1:50-1:55 but that 100m, I was pulling between 2 and 2:05! Ugh! Anyway, happy that I finished before 6:30.
Kason left for OCS on Wed. so I've tried to keep my chin up and just focus on finishing this school year up (next week is my last one! YAY!) and earning an A in this current grad course. Haven't had quality sleep or enough of it in so long...I can't remember the last time! Looking forward to having just grad school and WODing to do. :) Can't wait for the WOD in the Park tomorrow! It should be a blast, and I hope that one of my students who expressed interest in going actually shows up. Okay, back to my assignment.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Cindy!!!!
As you can see, I am excited about doing Cindy again. Last time we did this benchmark was in the winter sometime, and I almost completed 10 rounds rx'd (was 3 squats shy). I want to get at least ten full rounds in this time!!!
Woo, got two PRs today. We did a heavy 3 of squat cleans (not 3RM), and I did 105# x3. I tried to do 115# just to see if I could clean it, and I did! That's a 10# PR. Granted, I did it only once, but that's a new 1RM for me. On Cindy, I did 11 full rounds rx'd plus five pullups. Woooooo!!! Got a tiny rip in one of my callouses, too. :) I hope we don't do Chelsea during the hottest months like last summer, but chances are, we will. Ugh. That was the only time I ever felt Pukie threatening to pay me a visit! Anyway, the box is closed this weekend for Regionals, so I gotta work hard this week! So far so good! My new class starts, too, so things are going to rev up again. Kinda wish school was out already so I have more free time...ah well--three more weeks after this one!
Woo, got two PRs today. We did a heavy 3 of squat cleans (not 3RM), and I did 105# x3. I tried to do 115# just to see if I could clean it, and I did! That's a 10# PR. Granted, I did it only once, but that's a new 1RM for me. On Cindy, I did 11 full rounds rx'd plus five pullups. Woooooo!!! Got a tiny rip in one of my callouses, too. :) I hope we don't do Chelsea during the hottest months like last summer, but chances are, we will. Ugh. That was the only time I ever felt Pukie threatening to pay me a visit! Anyway, the box is closed this weekend for Regionals, so I gotta work hard this week! So far so good! My new class starts, too, so things are going to rev up again. Kinda wish school was out already so I have more free time...ah well--three more weeks after this one!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
San Fran Crippler
Ooooooiiiee, this brought back memories of the blazing June heat at a nooner last summer. We had a huge group then and went in at least four or five heats. So fun! This time around, I used 115# instead of 95#, and I finished in 7:37. Not sure what my time was last time, though, unfortunately. Either way, I back-squatted about 85% of my bodyweight 30 times, followed by a 1000m row, so it was a freaking good WOD. Can't wait for Saturday--game night and getting Phoenix to take the plunge! ;)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Interval Helen
Well, I got a B+ in my class. I have to say, though, I'm quite surprised that I earned a higher score on my final paper than I'd anticipated! If I can buckle down and get all A's in the rest of my classes, I'll be okay.
WOD today was great: We worked up to a heavy power snatch + 3 OHS. I stopped at 80# since I was really wobbly on the OHS. Bah, I hate those things. I need to work on them. :/ The met-con was interval Helen, which I did rx'd (35# KB and kipping pullups). I shaved about two minutes off my best regular Helen time, too, at 11:40. Sweet. The 400m runs weren't too bad, but I hated those KB swings. After so many, you can't really feel your forearms or grip the pullup bar too well. Fun! Overall, a good day at the box. The weather was really hot until about ten minutes before 5, so we got perfect weather for our workout.
WOD today was great: We worked up to a heavy power snatch + 3 OHS. I stopped at 80# since I was really wobbly on the OHS. Bah, I hate those things. I need to work on them. :/ The met-con was interval Helen, which I did rx'd (35# KB and kipping pullups). I shaved about two minutes off my best regular Helen time, too, at 11:40. Sweet. The 400m runs weren't too bad, but I hated those KB swings. After so many, you can't really feel your forearms or grip the pullup bar too well. Fun! Overall, a good day at the box. The weather was really hot until about ten minutes before 5, so we got perfect weather for our workout.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Back to it
Had to miss everyday at the box except Monday and Friday. Ugh! This past grad course I just finished last week was a killer. I don't understand how the professor "taught" this class but had the academic coach grade everything. The coach was super picky, too, so I'll be astounded if I get a B. There goes my 4.0. :( Oh well, spilt milk.
Friday's WOD: banded DL--we used orange bands (grey for guys) and worked on our form, keeping it nice and controlled on lowering the bar. I worked up to just 85# as I was feeling super lightheaded. The met-con was a classic: 10 rounds AQAP of 10 pullups and 10 ring dips. The last time we did this one, it was in May and I used a blue band on both movements. This time, I did kipping pulls and did parallette dips with a medium box. Whew the dips really get you after a few rounds!!! I had to scale my pullups after the first four rounds to 7 because I wouldn't make the 15 min. cut-off otherwise (plus the coach told us to do that). Next time, I'll do all my reps and ring dips. I can do two or three dips in a row unassisted, but if I use a band, I get a major foot cramp, every time. I remember getting one in both feet last time I did this WOD. Sandy counted for me, and she was awesome about keeping me honest on ROM. I sure miss her!!!
Saturday WOD: These past few Saturday workouts have broken me OFF! Last week was a killer chipper, and I didn't make the cut-off but finished it out. Today's was no better: 5 rounds AQAP of 10 burpees (See, Amy? Worst luck ever!!), 30 jumping pullups (those totally winded me), and 15 db thrusters (I used 20# db's). Cut-off time was 20 minutes, and I finished in 18:40. It was super humid in the box today, and I regretted wearing a bra top; otherwise, I would RS'd it!! I really like that the coaches make the Saturday WOD so tough, though. Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean we should take it easy! :)
Time to get groceries, get my hair cut (it's been three months!!!! Had to pay double rent for a month and a half, so that'll do it), and unpack some more. I'm so happy to be done with my class and have the next week off. Whew!!!! Oh, another update: the district is closing my school and turning it into an over-age middle school (i.e., 12- and 13-year-old 7th and 8th graders). There are 1200 over-age middle schoolers in this district, so I can understand why they're doing that. But, the teachers at my school are being displaced, so while we are guaranteed to have a job for next fall, the where is not certain. DISD is also opening an over-age high school, Dallas Horizon Academic Center, which is going to be pretty much a replica of my current school. I'm really interested in teaching there, plus I really like the alternative setting. I'm hoping to get an interview this upcoming week and know what's in store! Also, I see this event as a house-cleaning of sorts because the number of incompetent/lazy/unqualified/apathetic personnel at the school that's closing was bringing the rest of us and the school down. Good riddance!!!! Will keep y'all updated...
Friday's WOD: banded DL--we used orange bands (grey for guys) and worked on our form, keeping it nice and controlled on lowering the bar. I worked up to just 85# as I was feeling super lightheaded. The met-con was a classic: 10 rounds AQAP of 10 pullups and 10 ring dips. The last time we did this one, it was in May and I used a blue band on both movements. This time, I did kipping pulls and did parallette dips with a medium box. Whew the dips really get you after a few rounds!!! I had to scale my pullups after the first four rounds to 7 because I wouldn't make the 15 min. cut-off otherwise (plus the coach told us to do that). Next time, I'll do all my reps and ring dips. I can do two or three dips in a row unassisted, but if I use a band, I get a major foot cramp, every time. I remember getting one in both feet last time I did this WOD. Sandy counted for me, and she was awesome about keeping me honest on ROM. I sure miss her!!!
Saturday WOD: These past few Saturday workouts have broken me OFF! Last week was a killer chipper, and I didn't make the cut-off but finished it out. Today's was no better: 5 rounds AQAP of 10 burpees (See, Amy? Worst luck ever!!), 30 jumping pullups (those totally winded me), and 15 db thrusters (I used 20# db's). Cut-off time was 20 minutes, and I finished in 18:40. It was super humid in the box today, and I regretted wearing a bra top; otherwise, I would RS'd it!! I really like that the coaches make the Saturday WOD so tough, though. Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean we should take it easy! :)
Time to get groceries, get my hair cut (it's been three months!!!! Had to pay double rent for a month and a half, so that'll do it), and unpack some more. I'm so happy to be done with my class and have the next week off. Whew!!!! Oh, another update: the district is closing my school and turning it into an over-age middle school (i.e., 12- and 13-year-old 7th and 8th graders). There are 1200 over-age middle schoolers in this district, so I can understand why they're doing that. But, the teachers at my school are being displaced, so while we are guaranteed to have a job for next fall, the where is not certain. DISD is also opening an over-age high school, Dallas Horizon Academic Center, which is going to be pretty much a replica of my current school. I'm really interested in teaching there, plus I really like the alternative setting. I'm hoping to get an interview this upcoming week and know what's in store! Also, I see this event as a house-cleaning of sorts because the number of incompetent/lazy/unqualified/apathetic personnel at the school that's closing was bringing the rest of us and the school down. Good riddance!!!! Will keep y'all updated...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Jerk
Finally PR'd on jerk today--25# in fact! Got 130, which is 2 #s from my bodyweight. I credit Mel for that PR, too--she gave me that number before I started, and I just didn't want to disappoint her. I've always been about avoiding disappointing my friends and family. When I was in grade school, I worried more about looking bad in front of my teachers than in front of my mom. Though, that's not to say I don't get pissed at myself if I miss a PR or old benchmark. I failed at 135--got scared and didn't even attempt jerking it. Bleh! But I am quite happy with this PR, for sure.
Met-con was 7 rounds AQAP of 3 muscle-ups (I have progressions down but no jumping yet--next on the list; subbed 7 C2B pull-ups, which I can finally do without a band now) and 7 power cleans @ 85# (rx'd). Oops, just realized I did it in reversed order--I did the cleans first. :/ Everyone else worked with partners, but Barbie couldn't use that much weight, so I used my own bar. Ah well! Finished in 14:17 and got a nice rip in a new place--outer part of my ring finger. Tore my palm on Monday on the burpee pull-ups. I read Eric's comment about how to avoid tearing on kipping pulls, but I will need to really practice to do it the way he suggested. In the meantime, I'm just happy to be able to do them during WOD's now and to have C2Bs.
Diet has been mostly good (Paleo) but sometimes a girl just has to have her Nutty Bars!!! I was jonesing for them really bad last night so walked to Kroger for some--oh yeah, we moved to the Phoenix and absolutely lovelovelove it here!!!!! I'll try to post a pic of the bar stools my brother and his wifey sent as a housewarming gift. Castor wondered what the heck I was doing (he was eating his dinner). :)
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