12/28 - Christmas WOD #3 and #4

As a note - 39 degree (102 F) weather is not conducive to working out without air-conditioning so I waited out the day as much as I could and got these two done at 6:30pm on my front porch - life is good.

Made up yesterday's WOD along with today

WOD (12/27)
Max push-ups for 2 mins
1 min rest
Max sit-ups for 2 mins
1 min rest
Max squats for 2 mins
1 min rest
Max burpees for 2 mins
55/71/100/25
Score = 251

WOD (12/28)
Tabata hollow body
Tabata squats
Tabata superman
Tabata push-ups
160/86
Score = 246

I was really stoked with my squats on this one - last time we did a tabata WOD like this (a week or so ago) I was pacing myself off of Tim to keep up the speed on the squats and I think I got 141 so was hoping to match that if possible and somehow managed to keep a steady 20 squats per round which was wicked.

Bonus WOD (to even out my numbers on the Holiday Challenge WOD)
9 push-ups
29 sit-ups
40 squats
(still avoiding the burpees at all costs -ugh!)

Remaining totals:
250 push-ups
300sit-ups
0 squats
450 burpees (there will be a 100 burpees for time at some point I swear)

12/26 - Christmas WOD #2

WOD:
30-25-20-15-10-5
Cockroaches
Mountain climbers
4:45

After yesterdays killer leg workout this one hurt just a little but managed to get it done - on my front porch no less.  Loving this 'anywhere/anytime' WODs.  Makes you realize that there is no valid excuse to not work out... there's always time wherever you are! 

Meant to get some burpees done today but with the sore legs it didn't happen.  Ugh... soon! 

No change...
Remaining totals:
400 push-ups
400 sit-ups
300 squats
500 burpees 

12/25 - Christmas WOD... new tradition!

Our box - Cooee Crossfit - is awesome enough to post daily WODs for us to do on our holidays and today was the first one... it was a good one.

WOD
4 rounds -
25 lunges (with hands above head)
50 squats
10:58

This hurt... my quads were pretty much done by the time I finished... it was however really awesome to head to the park in the sunshine and do a workout - it feels right given that it's 30C here - a new Christmas tradition was born today I believe...

Match and Kirst were also so kind as to put together and EPIC challenge for the course of the next 9 days...  to be completed at any time in any order you'd like... 

PLUS! There’s a bonus holiday challenge –
Over the holidays, complete…
500 push-ups
500 sit-ups
500 squats
500 burpees
You can split these up however you like over the 9-day break and any reps completed in workouts contribute to your overall total.

Today I added 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups which along with the 200 squats means I'm on my way but those burpees, oh those burpees - they're going to kill me.  On the positive side however I will endeavor to re-do my 100 burpees for time to try and beat my last go when I was in the Cook Islands.  Need a little mental preparation first though.

Remaining totals:
400 push-ups
400 sit-ups
300 squats
500 burpees

Awesome Christmas Day - did you get a workout in?

My view for today's WOD

12/24 - 12 Days of Christmas

Xmas Eve WOD
On the 12th Day of Christmas Cooee CrossFit brought to me… (drawn out of the hat, care of Lily)
One mountain climb
Two air squats
Three double-unders
Four sit-ups
Five walking lunges
Six toes to bar
Seven cockroaches
Eight pistols
Nine weighted get-ups
Ten (one) 200m run
Eleven box jumps
Twelve box dips
… work your way through, just like the song “On The 12th Day of Christmas”
23:20 (with an extra 200m run thrown in because I can't follow the song)

This was fun and I'm glad some of the potential movements stayed on the board - I'm looking at you burpees!  I got confused when I got to 11 - for some reason when I went out the door I thought I had to run 200m then do 11 box jumps then run another 200m.  I even tried to convince Tim of this (that he'd missed a 200m run - but he wasn't having any of it)... it wasn't until I was on the way back from the second 200m that I realized my mistake.  I thought maybe I'd just skip the 200m in the last round but when I got to it I decided to follow the WOD, sucked up my mistake and did it.  It was a lot of fun.

I did the toes to bar on the pull-up bar rather than the ground and although I can't quite get my toes to the bar I'm getting better than just knees to elbows - I'm about 3/4 of the way to getting them fully and I'm super excited about this new skill.  Another thing to work on in the new year!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas! (source)

Good Luck to Jack-eh! on his adventures in Canada...

12/23 - DU's and squats...

Was nice to have today off work to get in a WOD that wasn't super early... 9:30 is a wicked time and more relaxed that the other time slots (people don't typically need to rush off - except if they have Christmas shopping left to do... haha)

Strength:
3-3-3-3 back squats
30-40-50-60(PR) 

This was awesome as my previous PR was 55kg and I had no problem with the 50kg so I jumped to 60kg though slightly unsure.  Tim spotted me which really helped (he gets some credit here) - I didn't need his assistance but his voice was literally in my ear as I pushed through the reps and knowing he was there to catch me if necessary really helped with the confidence I needed - I'm super happy with this one!  Feeling stronger too!

WOD:
3 rounds -
10 OHS (30/45kg)
50 double-unders
5:07 (23kg- PR)

Again, PR on the OHS - previous best was 18kg so again, super happy...  I also love being able to rock the DU's which makes such a difference in WODs like this one.  I got the first 50 continuous (woo-hoo) then stopped once and then twice on the last two rounds.  Loved it.  Great pre-Christmas Eve WOD... I can't believe I've been doing this now for 5 months - such an improvement and loving every second of it...

12/21...

WOD
400m run
3-6-9-12-9-6-3 sit-ups/push-ups
400m run
3-6-9-12-9-6-3 pull-ups/air squats
400m run
14:06 (knees, orange)

This was hard... I have no sprinting ability to the runs take a lot out of me and I typically only have one speed for anything 200m or greater.  Need to work on sprint repeats!  It was good however because I had Sharon on the first two runs to pace with - we push each other - starting with yesterday's 600m - when one of us falls behind we individually set our minds to keeping pace and we typically trade off on who is lagging - it's a good extra push (and one I struggled without on the last run in this WOD).

The situps and pushups were quite quick - lots of rolling over to keep them going.  I managed full sets of them all though I'm still doing pushups on my knees.

The pull-ups/squat combination was tough.  I did however only use the orange band for them doing sets of 3 at a time.  As everyone around my speed headed out the door before me I took solace in the fact that I was committed to the orange band (even though I *had* a red one beside me).  I was hoping to get out the door quite soon after Sharon so I could try and catch up/ finish with her but I was finishing my last set of 3 reps on the set of 9 when she hit the door so I knew it'd be a struggle - she had about 100m lead on me so I couldn't close.  It also made it a little bit harder to push myself on this but I tried.  It hurt.

As a note for those reading this from elsewhere - we have 4 sized bands at our box and from smallest to largest they are yellow, orange, red, blue.  You can use one or several - any combination to help you out.

AfterWOD
Tabata SDHP/Thrusters (13/20kg)
47

I only did the first 4 of 8 rounds on this as my injury from the push presses the day before started killing me - decided it wasn't worth hurting myself over and instead resorted to some rolling out of my lats/traps and pecs which is slowly starting to help.

Kirsten pointed out after as well that I need to push through my legs more (be explosive) rather than just trying to muscle it out on my arms - this applies to all the overhead lifts so I'll keep that in mind for next time.

12/20 - Lung Burner

WOD #1
3-3-3-3-3 push press
18-28-33-35.5-36.5 (PR)

This was fun and 8.5kg higher than my previous PR! I did something weird however on the last lift that tightened up everything in my traps which is still sore today even with rolling and stretching and heating.  Ouch!

WOD #2
600m run/row
21 box jumps (20/24″)
21 burpees
400m run/row
15 box jumps
15 burpees
200m run/row
9 box jumps
9 burpees
14:16 Rx

Horrible, horrible, horrible.  That's the only description required for this lung burner.  There was no 'rest' piece of this WOD.  Horrible.  BUT... I got it done which is what it's all about.  My legs really felt dead during the burpees as a result of the box jumps but did it... some days that enough.

The Glut Killers...

The photo below clearly depicts the glut killers we did in yesterday's warmup... if you don't believe me give it a try yourself focusing on slowly moving the back foot towards the leading foot - across the box and back the other way.  Ouch!

Source - Cooee Crossfit

12/19... KB's and DU's and Burpees oh my!

Warm-up
Pretty standard warm up but today Match had us using a band under our feet to walk sideways across the box, pushing against it with the leading foot and resisting it to slowly move your trailing foot together again - glut KILLER - no joke - both sides, both ways and this was just the warm-up...

WOD #1
10-10-10-10
Deadlift
30-40-50-55

This was deceiving - the weight felt good until about rep 6 or 7 and suddenly it seemed impossible - from zero to full on... could really start to feel it in my lower back on the last two sets but happy with where I got to.

WOD #2
5 Rounds
10/10 KB circles (10 each direction)
15 DU's
5/5 KB push-ups (one hand on the KB, one on ground... 5 each arm)
5 burpees
80(?)m KB carry
15:12 - 16kg KB

This was a solid WOD.  Lots of variety but killer on the arms.  The KB circles were pretty standard and except for the first set I nailed the DU's (no breaks in the last 4 rounds).  The push-ups were an interesting twist and harder than usual and the burpees just sucked.  I know that 5 doesn't seem like much but at that moment - horrible (though that could just be my huge dislike of all things burpee).  The KB carry was just about toughing it out - trying to go fast without really bouncing the KB, finding some grip that was somewhat *not* awkward... I much prefer the farmer carry because at least you're balanced on both sides though there's very little ability to adjust your grip.

This was one of those days where I know full on that every part of me is going to have a hard time getting out of bed tomorrow...  but overall, a fun day at the box including the newest little addition - Murphy... the new puppy - much smaller than I anticipated which makes him just a tiny little bit cute...

Saturday Surfski Session...

Becoming a weekly habit now with the nice weather and (slightly increased) confidence for me to get out on my ski at least once on a weekend - Christmas morning surfski session? Definitely...

This past weekend was another great outing in that I managed to stay upright and venture beyond my normal turnaround point - I still stuck to the river and close to shore but went from East Freo to Stirling Bridge - around the piling - and back... my shoulder was starting to get a little sore at the turnaround so I didn't venture any further than back to where I was parked. 

I love being on my ski - when I am it's my sole focus - no time for my mind to wander elsewhere except perhaps brief thoughts of MJ and Shane who have both provided me with tips to my new adventures.  I think by the time I left Vancouver I could paddle my outrigger and think of many wonderous things but if I do in my ski I'm swimming... lesson learned.

A few other lessons I learned/ focused on this weekend as well - skills learned from both crossfit and yoga - is to a) not have death grip on my paddle which I often tend to do when in a bunch of messy water and trying to balance - tension is *not* good... and speaking of tension b) relaxing my face (thanks yoga) because this is a clear indicator of when my body is tensing up/ resisting what it needs to do - a little relaxation and I can easily let the water move under me and c) relax my shoulders - shoulder blades down and back (again yoga) rather than scrunched up towards me ears... those three little things really help me with my stability and flow...  I do feel stronger, quite stable until I see the wake from all the boats - messy water - and it gives me pause, I hesitate and brace rather than feeling strong and paddling right through which would help with my stability but baby steps right?

12/15 - Tabata's...

WOD #1
400m KB farmers carry – 5 KB push-up penalty every time you put it down
16kg (didn't put them down at all)

This one became a purely mental test of strength by the end - there was a 5 pushup penalty to be done immediately upon putting the KB's down...  I didn't want to do this as I was sure I wouldn't pick them up again.  At the start I would alternate between a regular grip and just having them hang from my hooked fingers to rest my forearms but towards the end I couldn't do this anymore - once I got to 100m left I was thinking about how angry Match would be if I dropped the KB's on the concrete so I just decided I wasn't going to and tried to shift them around to relax my forearms as much as possible.

Managed to rip one of my calluses doing this though after all the pull-ups the day before it wasn't surprising... sadly though it still really hurt.

I'm not sure where I went to during this WOD but it was some other place mentally - just believing I could do it - ignoring the pain and moving forward, not stopping.  It was different and awesome and really helped set me up for the next WOD...

WOD #2
Tabata hollow-body
Tabata squats
Tabata superman
Tabata push-ups
Tabata double/single-unders
141 squats/ 85 pushups/ 167 DU's

No rest between each Tabata.

I was beside Tim for this WOD and it really pushed me.  I managed to keep my legs up for all 8 of the hollow-bodies which is a first for me - I did bend them on the last four or so but still kept them elevated and went to another place mentally - just breathing through it (yoga) and focusing on the engaged muscles and using more of my core (not just specific muscles) to spread the work - when I focused on them I could engage different groups which was quite cool.

On the squats I was matching Tim (and he went fast!) - I was motivated to just keep up - and I did even when he pushed even faster on the 5th set.  It was fun - I snuck in one more rep than him when he had a brief pause in the last round and he wasn't happy about it... the battle was one from there on out (all in good fun!).

Superman's were fine, again focusing on the engaged muscle groups and relaxing my shoulders down and back rather than having them creep up to my ears which is wasted tension.  Again, breathing through these sets really helped keep me focused to get through the 20 seconds.

Pushups... horrible - especially after the supermans.  I did them from my knees and tried to keep a solid pace - 20 in the first round then 15 and from then on I was just hoping to get 10ish per round which I did mostly until the end.

Double Unders... Tim knew this was where he would catch me though I did try and put up a good fight - haha!  He told me after he was worried a bit after the first two rounds where I went unbroken right along with him but in the third round I struggled - I kept stumbling and then just gave up to give myself a bit of an extra breather before going hard again.  I managed in total 167 which kicked my previous PR of 115...  I was only behind Jack by 6 (which makes me wish I'd not struggled so much in round 3)... came 3rd overall for the day on this one which I'm super happy about given the amount of work I've been putting into consistency.  It was hard though - my shoulders were screaming after the pushups but got through it.

I really enjoyed today's WOD... took me to a different place mentally and really allowed me to focus on the muscles being used and breathing which was a good change of pace.

Also... weighed myself for the first time in two months (hadn't seen much change on the scale previously even though close were getting looser)... turns out I'm down 8 lbs (3.6kg)... and I'm feeling a lot stronger... I'll take them both!

12/14

WOD
5 rounds -
4 hanging squat cleans (35/50kg)
8 pistols
12 pull-ups
12:59 (28kg squat cleans, orange band for pistols and pull-ups*)

This was a fun WOD though my hands started to pay the price... I was excited about the pull-ups as just the day before I'd linked my first two unassisted pull-ups.  The initial goal was to try and get the first 6 of the WOD unassisted but after the second one I knew it wasn't going to happen.  Instead I attempted an unassisted pull-up at the start of every set which I got for the first three rounds - tried for rounds 4 and 5 but failed (no-rep).  Was fun to at least try and I think this helped even if I wasn't getting full reps - I'm starting to figure out what it feels like.

My hands definitely paid the price again - didn't rip any calluses but I could feel them about it - lots of care needed...

After the WOD we did some ring rows and static ring holds which were hard when my arms were tired - hard to get my arms fully locked out but Kirsten reminded me that I need to focus on pushing down and not allowing my shoulders to come up to my ears... 

12/13

WOD #1
5-5-5-5-5 front squat
30-40-45

Only did three rounds as I was struggling to keep my elbows high with my sore shoulders and didn't want to push it.  I did another set of 3 reps as well at 40kg with my heels on two 5kg plates which made a huge difference to the feel (better)... I can see the benefit of oly lifting shoes for sure - especially compared to my nike frees which are horrible for lifting

WOD #2
10 min AMRAP
16 KB thrusters
16 thigh slaps
16 bumper jumps
5/44 - 16kg KB (squats), 40 bumper (2 stacked 20kg's)

This was fun - again, I substituted squats for the thrusters as the rotation with the KB is hard on my shoulders but this was still a challenge - it's hard to find a comfortable way to hold onto the KB while squatting.  It also took a bit to really work into the flow of the bumper jumps - onto in, in front of, back onto, back behind = 1 rep but near the end I was stringing them together a little more seamlessly.  Was really trying to finish the 6th round (missed it by 4 bumper jumps).

Afterwards I was working on my pull-ups again - trying to connect the kipping now and I managed two - awesome progress - yay for more skills!

12/12 - "Isabel"

Benchmark WOD: “Isabel”
30 snatches for time (45/60kg)
3:55 (28kg)

Was a little scared of this one when I saw it on the board as I don't have much practice doing snatches and it's a little intimidating throwing a heavy weight straight overhead.  I also recalled doing "Grace" last week ("Isabel's" sister) and how hard that was on my shoulders.

I wasn't sure what weight to load up - Match said it all just depends/ no correlation to the weight for "Grace" so I loaded it up the same - 28kg - and tried a few practice reps.  It felt heavy.  I did two consecutive reps and assumed that for the WOD I'd be doing single reps - that's how it felt.  I actually thought about dropping the weight down but Tim saw me from across the room and gave me a little nod that told me I could do it...  he gave me a few pointers about focusing on keeping the bar close to my body and not throwing it behind me and encouraged me that I could do it - even if it was one rep at a time.  Thanks Tim - I needed it!

Once the beeping of the clock counted down...  3,2,1... we were off and the adrenaline started flowing through me - I banged out the first 5 reps straight, no problems.  I then went with reps of 3 for a bit, a few twos.  Somewhere in there I also got out another 4 or 5 straight (it all became a blur) - the only thing I know is that it 'felt' easy... as long as I had good form, committed to the movement and flung it over head getting locked out as quick as possible I knew I was good.  Once or twice I didn't quite get locked out but because of the weight was able to push it up.  I know that I can go heavier on this - realized it when I was done though it felt easier once the "pressure" was on... now I know for next time and I know there will be a next time.

Note - I'm totally paying the price for this today - in the very small muscles on the front of my shoulders (delts?)...  It's the source of all my shoulder problems actually so I'm frantically icing and hoping some rolling helps it go away tonight because I don't want to have to pull way back in order to prevent this...ugh! 

WOD #2
10 min AMRAP of burpees
sprint 100m on the minute, every minute
52 burpees

I suck at burpees, this is a fact.  I knew that going into this WOD I made a game of it - pushing me harder on the sprint portions... I didn't try and bust out the last burpee, instead I was first out the door - my goal being to not let anyone catch me on the sprint... it for the most part worked.  Around rep 7 or 8 I heard Zaki right behind me at the turnaround say to himself and James to try and catch me so I went harder - as did he - he caught me just before heading back inside the box.  All good fun.  My goal was 50 burpees so I managed that - it was so hard with having time after the sprints and trying to get your breathing slowed down to not die... good times.

Afterwards I did TWO unassisted pull-ups with my chin fully over the bar even hanging up there on the first one for a bit so Jack could see... it felt awesome.  I'm all over this... feeling stronger everyday!

DOMS day two...

Definitely have some good ol' Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) from doing so many double unders on Saturday in my barefeet (lesson learned? most definitely not)

My calves are screaming today - definitely not helped by the work heals... oh well.  I got better and I'll take that with a little side of soreness anyday...

Sunday Surfski Session...

Sunday was for surfski... for the first time in a long time... and I enjoyed it.  It took me a while to figure out where I wanted to go - where I wouldn't be afraid of the water, of the wind.  I ended up just in East Freo where my canoe club paddles from - both pros and cons to this location - there is a lot of shore to stick close to to temper my fear of falling in and being unable to remount but there is also a ton of boat traffic, more that I remembered though that makes sense given that now it is summer.

Often I would set myself up to handle the wake, heading straight down it or right into it but a few times I challenged myself by trying to ride it sideways a bit, figuring out where that point was.  I almost fell in once - that tipping point where it could go either way - boat on it's side on my left, paddle bracing right , leaning on it.  And after a precarious few seconds I was upright again, balanced.  Saved.  Dry.  It felt good to have that skill, practice from many days spent surfing my outrigger.  A tiny bit more confidence to add to the pile.

I felt really strong while paddling, core engaged, firm plant and pull, arms straight.  It comes from Crossfit, this strength and stability - I can feel the difference and I love it.  It's a lot more tiring though than outrigger - twice as many strokes... I was still a little tipsy at times though with the secondary stability in my boat I managed to stay upright playing around a bit with the boat wake at different angles, figuring out how to surf.  The one thing I love about the ski over the outrigger is the ability to quickly jump on waves (a few quick strokes and you're on), much more power than paddling only on one side. 

The bonus was that I wasn't afraid this time.  The last time I was out I remember how terrified I was of the water, of everything about it and it's taken me quite some time to get over it.  I think it stems from that one time I struggled in the wind and waves to remount... the fear.  This time it was gone - I still fought strongly against falling in but I wasn't immobilized, tense with the fear of it all.  Perhaps it was because it's warmer, or that there were so many people around, I was close to shore.  Any number of things but each one allowing me to gain a little bit more confidence in my abilities so that one day I don't even have to think about it, it's just a natural movement.

Saturday WOD... on my front porch

Saturday afternoon quick WOD's... just me, my skipping rope, yoga mat and my front porch… who needs a gym?

"Annie"
50,40,30,20,10
DU's
situps
8:25

Slower than my previous attempt because I struggled on the 50 du's.  Was steady on the sit-ups but really need to work on the speed of them if I'm to drop any significant amount of time off of this WOD.

Mini* "Flight Simulator"
5-10-15-20-25-30-25-20-15-10-5
unbroken** DU's
10:27

*Full "Flight Simulator" goes up by 5's to 50 continuous DU's
**unbroken DU's for the number of reps then come to a complete stop and restart for the next set.

Was flawless up til the first 20 then struggled on 25 getting 17 and 22 before managing the 25.  Same for the 30, made about 5 attempts including getting as close as 28 before finally nailing them consistently.  This really adds to the frustration and you have to fight the urge to just give up - especially given that I was on my own.  Was pretty solid after getting the second set of 25 with only a few stuff ups.  I like this and it's a quick little bit of cardio that can easily be thrown in whenever/ wherever.

Feel like I accomplished a little something this Saturday (rather than just lying on the beach) after this workout though it was quick.  Fun!

12/8 - "Grace"

Today we got it on with "Grace"... it was my first time with her and while fun I know if my shoulder hadn't been hurting I could have done better.

WOD:  Benchmark “Grace”
30 clean press/jerk for time (45/60kg)
3:49 (28kg)

The weight was light for me - but still my shoulder was hurting - and I figured it was best not to push it, no need to be broken for an extended period of time.  I managed to clean and press all the reps without much struggle (set of 10 then 4 sets of 5) but I'm feeling it today.  Glad I have a massage appointment already scheduled.

WOD # 2:
2 min KB swings – score = KB x reps
51 reps x 16kg KB = 816

HUGE improvement over my last attempt at this WOD - I got 720 (45 x 16kg) which I'm really happy about.  I initially considered using the 20kg KB which I have been using more lately in WOD's but thought using the 16kg would give me a better comparison from previous attempts and I'm not sure I could consistently swing the 20kg for the entire 2 minutes.  Perhaps next time!  As it was, I put the 16kg KB down once after 30 reps (I remember before struggling to get 20 solid reps - loving the improvements I'm seeing)...  managed to pick it back up quite quickly too. 

KB swings and clean and presses - two of my FAVORITE crossfit movements.  Great day!

"Grace" - source

Afterwards I had to pull a Dukes of Hazard style move (climb in through the open window) to get into my car because some jerk parked both illegally (in front of an emergency exit) and a foot from my car making me unable to open my door enough to get it...

12/7

Fun little warm up today... did some stretches/ movements with the PVC pipes before going for the usual 400m jog.  When we got back into the box we played a little 'around the world' game... basically one at a time we took the 3kg med ball and had to throw it over every bar on our pull-up bars - I think there are 12 with one being quite high (our new climbing ropes hang off of it) so that was pretty hard - after I failed about 10 times to get it over this high bar Match gave me the 'trick' move of granny throwing it backwards over my head - it still I think took me a few tries.  Tons of fun... 

WOD # 1:
Strict pull-up practice

We played around with pull-ups focusing more on slow lowering rather than the pulling up motion.  It was nice to work on a skill without dealing with time or reps.  Using the reverse muscle groups too was also good.  Afterwards we had another group 'game' where we had to hang from the pullup bar (straight arms) for 2 minutes - for every fall off the bar (by any of the four of us) we accumulated a burpee as 'punishment' and at the end had to do all the burpees in unison for the rep to count.  We had 7 in total which wasn't too bad and since you're focused on timing they were over before we knew it.

I liked this challenge as a group because we were essentially working as a team.  You didn't want to fall off because of the others and we all had to do the burpees together which also led to team work.  Nice change of dynamic that reminded me a lot of basketball practices in high school and having to run laps for every free throw missed by the team. 

WOD # 2:
15 min AMRAP
200m run
10 OHS (30/55kg)
10 sit-ups
7/2 (18kg OHS)


This was a good WOD - challenging but good.  The OHS were tough - I found in the later rounds (doing sets of 5) that my wrists were the limiting factor and not entirely my legs or arms.  Need to do more handstand walking apparently.  I was happy with the number of rounds I got - managed to finish the 200m on round 8 and *just* get one OHS done.  Was good.

I liked the change up today - added a little spark and a bit more energy into what we come there to do.

12/6...

Another good workout tonight... I enjoyed it though still struggled with the heat and wanting to vomit when it was over - don't like the feeling of lightheadedness...

WOD #1
3-3-3-3-3 snatch grip deadlift
40-50-60-62.5-65(PR)

This was the first time I did snatch grip deadlifts so all lifts were a PR but I'm pretty happy with the final result.  Match noted before the WOD that we would do less with this grip than with the standard deadlifts on Monday so I was pretty happy with how close I got the two - I think maybe I could have pushed harder on the standard deadlifts now however I was really feeling them in my lower back.  I think you're forced to have better technique with the snatch grip (having to get lower to get the grip) which helped me get a higher weight.  Need to remember this next time doing any deadlifts.

WOD #2
15-12-9-6-3-6-9-12-15
Double-unders
Push-ups
Cockroaches
6:50 (du's, knees)

I was racing the boys on this one.  I could see Pete and Tim was to my left.  I was matching Tim pretty good from the start and was keeping up with Pete because of the longer sets of double unders.  I managed to do all my double unders unbroken (stumbled on the second set of nine before even getting one rep out) which I loved.  It made such a difference to this workout - it's how I managed to pass Pete in the end too.  Tim struggled on the last few sets of pushups so I jumped ahead.  It was fun to play right along side the big boys in this WOD as they kill me in everything else most days... I did however only do the push-ups from my knees.  I have to work on my strict push-ups but it still seems so hard from my knees most days.  

WOD #3
300m row
30 med ball jumps
4:07

This WOD sucked.  The row wasn't too bad but the jumping was.  I don't have the ability to 'bounce' when I'm jumping, the elastic strength to just keep going so the pausing after each jump and resetting really slows me down as did my inability to breath - definite lung burner but got it done.

Fun day at the box!

12/5 - it's been a while...

After monday, tuesday and wednesday of Crossfit last week I was exhausted - probably also due to jetlag and overall fatigue.  I took thursday, friday and saturday off (rest days) and did a nice calm 90 minutes of yoga on sunday (which killed my hamstrings it seems).  Beth did a yoga and brunch session for us Cooee folk and it was a lot of fun - we even got to do partner 'wheels' (back bridges) and handstands.  The we sat around a big table and ate amazing food for a few hours.  Quite enjoyable.  Perfect sunday.

I'm struggling right now with the balance between rest and working out - listening to my body.  And on top of that I think I need some changes to my diet now that my body is changing and the weather is heating up.  I lack an appetite in the heat so while I'm generally eating quality food I'm pretty sure I'm just not getting enough of it.  Vicious cycle.  More to come about this in another post though, on to last nights WOD.

WOD #1
7-5-5-3-3
Deadlifts
40-50-60-65(PR)-70(PR)

New 3RM PR of 70kg!  Was aiming to be amongst the 'big' girls today who'd already posted 70kg from the morning sessions and I did it.  I really liked using the reverse grip and I did it right from the start to be used to it once I got to the heavier weights.

WOD #2
3-6-9-12-9-6-3
Thrusters (30/45kg)
Burpee bar hops
KB swings (20/32kg)
14:58 (18kg bar/ 20kg KB)

Match gave us a 15 minute cut-off for this one so I just snuck in under the wire with him and Gordo on either side of me pushing me through the last round of burpees and swings.  It was hard.  It really hurt.  I almost cried and I almost puked.  Fun.  I started off fairly strong but faded quite quickly especially on the thrusters and burpees.  KB swings are still my favorite and it was nice that I managed to get through the entire WOD with the 20kg (blue) even though the 16kg (yellow) was sitting right beside me.  The biggest struggle with the blue was the first rep - I could easily muscle up the 16kg but it's much harder with the 20kg so I had to take a little bit of a back swing before starting though one round I didn't and called no rep on myself as it didn't get high enough (and made me feel like I'd wasted a lot of effort).

I'm going to try for 4 days this week (as was the failed plan last week) but I will be listening to my body as well and also trying to eat more so that I have the energy necessary.

Lovenotes for the holidays...

Lululemon has come out with some holiday 'lovenotes' that you can send from their site: http://lululemon.com/lovenote/

Two of my favorites are:

11/29... doing 'Annie' again

WOD #1 
Sprint for time
200m forward
100m backward
100m forward
100m backward
300m forward
4:04

I crossfit because I dislike running very, very much so this WOD really sucked especially since my legs are just.so.tired.still.  I don't know how or why but alas.  I did it.  The 100m backwards legs were hard - totally different muscle group than normally gets worked and man did I feel it.  Then the transition to forwards again - jello legs!  It was nice to be out in the sunshine though around the back of the building getting this done.

WOD #2
“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double-unders
Sit-ups
8:17 (PR by 36 seconds!)

I was both excited and terrified to do this WOD again especially since I'd just done it for the first time last Saturday (4 days before).  I rocked the double unders the last go round so I knew that it'd be a hard time to beat if I didn't do that again and put a lot of pressure on myself.  I think this pressure resulted in me tripping up on the 50 reps a few times (rather than just once last time) but my DU's are definitely getting faster and overall more consistent with the speed rope so I was still able to fly through.  The sit-ups killed.  Third day straight of solid ab work - those muscles are rock hard under there somewhere - haha - one day...  Still managed to PR which was solid, I'm hoping to add this WOD as a more regular feature in my workouts (can be done anytime/ anywhere) and to hopefully get my time below 7:30...

WOD #3
Tabata Squat

Yup, singular - S-Q-U-A-T... one squat - slowly lowering for 10 seconds, slowly straightening for 10 seconds... ouch!  The last four we did as OHS with a PVC bar overhead - my arms were shaking like jello, it was quite funny.

11/29

WOD #1
Accumulate 30 ring dips or 30 box dips

Managed to do a static hold on the rings for a few seconds but that was about all I had.  Did about 15 dips on the boxes but the angle was hurting my shoulder so I didn't push it.  Definitely a skill I need to work out.

WOD #2
100 burpees for time – do 3 pull-ups on the minute, every minute
90 completed in 10 minute

Last week when I solely did 100 burpees for time I was just over 11 minutes so I was scared of this one but did fairly well.  I could have easily completed the 100 burpees without the pull-ups in under 10 minutes which is a huge improvement (and quite possibly related to the 100% humidity last time I did this).  I'm pretty proud that I did another complete WOD with only the orange band on all the pull-ups (30 reps total), ripped a callus though (oops!)

WOD #3
15-12-9-6-3
Sit-ups
Squats
2:28

A solid steady sprint to finish out the day.

Was playing around with Shonelle and Vini after class and did some DU's - first attempt and I got 52 in one go so I left it at that.  New PR!

Also, adding WOD #4 on the day - sweeping out my yard... heavy work!  Haha.

Accomplishments!

Last night I:

- completed 52 consecutive double unders after the WOD while playing around with Shonelle and Vini.  I was so excited about this - 20 more than my previous PR.  I love my speed rope!

-officially graduated myself from the red pull-up band to the orange - for the past two WODs (Monday and Tuesday) I grabbed both the orange and red (just in case) and didn't use the red for either (45 total reps Monday, 30 Tuesday) so I think I'm officially done with the red band.

-ripped a callus off of my hand - this wasn't something I was happy about especially since I've been so good and maintaining my hands but alas - on the bright side though - even after it happened I still managed 4 more rounds of 3 push-ups (winning!)

Future WOD... 300 Workout

Adding this to the WOD to do list...

The 'Original' 300 Workout:
25 pull-ups
50 deadlifts (Rx 60kg/135lbs)
50 push-ups
50 box jumps (Rx 24")
50 floor wipers
50 single arm KB clean and press (Rx 16kg/36lbs)
25 pull-ups

It looks quite straight forward on paper and I'm sure it will KILL.  Still though, I want to try it - scaled though...  Who's in?

11/28

My arms were dead last night… I think it’s a combination of a week long holiday (in which I paddled almost 50km), my body being extremely tired (even with an insane amount of sleep Saturday night) and the WOD last night at the box.

WOD #1

600m run

21 squat cleans

21 pull-ups

400m run

15 squat cleans

15 pull-ups

200m run

15 squat cleans

15 pull-ups

19:19 (23/18kg, orange band)

This was a hard workout.  Initially the 18kg squat cleans felt good when setting up so that’s what I went with but after the 600m run it felt heavy.  I struggled through the first set of 21 reps at this weight then dropped to 18kg for the next two rounds which even then was still a struggle.  I just feel fatigue in my entire body. 

I was pretty excited about getting through the entire WOD only using the orange band for the pull-ups even though I had the red band on standby.  This is the first time I’ve done this and I was super proud.  I was one of the last ones to finish the WOD so while I was on my last round of pull-ups Jack was right beside me, cheering me on.  When I was about to start he said – break it down, 5 and 4 and I shook my head fully planning on 3 sets of 3.  I somehow managed to bang out five in a row though and then thought okay, 2 sets of 2 to finish but with Jack counting beside me I knew I couldn’t stop at two reps.  It took everything I had to make sure that last rep counted and I did it – 5 and 4!!  Thanks for the awesome coaching/ inspiration Jack!

This WOD was interesting too in that we usually do the runs at the end of each round, not so much at the beginning so rather than killing it on the 200m run knowing you could collapse when it was done you had to mentally prepare to get back into the box and bang out more moves.  Definitely played with the mind a bit.

WOD #2

Tabata hollow body

Ouch! That’s all I can say about this.  My abs still hurt from Annie on Saturday so this didn’t help.  Struggled through it though knowing everyone else around me was experiencing the same pain.

11/26 - Happy 1st Birthday Cooee!!!

Saturday was Cooee's one year celebration.  It of course included all requisite birthday items - champagne, cake, large amounts of food and a WOD.

1st Birthday WOD
30 squats
run to next station
30 stick jumps
bear walk to next station
30 double-unders (or 60/90 single-unders)
walking lunch to next station
30 push-ups
run to next station
30 wall balls
200m sprint to finish
10:45

There was a choice to do 10, 20 or 30 reps (beginner, intermediate, animal) at each of the stations - I think that the majority of people chose 30 solely because it was deemed animal...haha.

I was the last one to finish this WOD.  I struggled with my DU's and the push-ups and wall balls killed me because my arms were just so tired from a week of racing.  I pushed through it though and completed the WOD - though only once.  Some people went for a second round to accompany Match, Kirst and Tim who were too busy coaching/cheering/photographing the first time through.  Since I struggled so much with my DU's during the WOD I decided to bust out my speed rope and work that out.

On vacation I had big plans to tackle 'Annie' and took this post WOD/ pre brunch time to get her done. 

WOD #2
'Annie'
50-40-30-20-10
DU's
Sit-ups
8:53

I'm pretty happy with this.  The sit-ups were what slowed me down the most.  My DU's were solid!  Got through the 50 stopping only once (30, 20) - same with the 40 (26, 14).  The rest of the DU's were done unbroken! So pumped!  It means that I managed to sets of 30 solid DU's in the same workout even when tired (my max. is still only 32).  Definitely an achievement.  I can bring my time down by focusing on the sit-ups - I definitely felt the pain the following day - abs.so.sore.

I felt satisfied that I managed to sneak this one in and then could enjoy all the goodies afterwards - most of which were amazingly tasty AND healthy (minus those cakes!).  It was a spectacular morning.

The one thing this past week of traveling and also sneaking in 'Annie' has taught me is that is quite easy to bust out a body rocking Crossfit WOD in little time with little planning - anything can be used as equipment as well if you're out in the world.  I see parks and playgrounds in totally different ways now and it's fun and challenging and satisfying!

Back to the box tonight!

Happy 1st Birthday Cooee - source

11/18 to 11/25 - Catching up!!

Catching up... while I was on vacation for a week, the WOD’s didn’t stop…

Friday November 18

WOD: "Popeye"

21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Hanging cleans (30/45kg)
Toes to bar
KB swings (20/32kg)
100m farmers carry between rounds

25:10 (23kg, ground, 16kg, 16kg)

Was supposed to be well on my way to Rarotonga by this time but my plane from Perth to Auckland was delayed (by a day!) because of mechanical issues so I took the opportunity to join the 9:30am WOD at the box.  It was a great time to workout – fairly relaxed small group and another good WOD.  ‘Popeye’ had more KB swings which I definitely felt in my lower back (fourth WOD in a week with KB swings – ouch!).  This was a steady workout though hard to make up much ground as the 100m famers carry was awkward.  Had a chance also to catch up with Angie for a well-earned breakfast afterwards as well which was great fun!  Need more post-WOD breakfasts.

Arrived in Rarotonga on Friday afternoon after departing Friday night (dateline!) so didn’t do another workout.  Had a chance to grab a boat for the OC1 race on Saturday but opted to pass out of sheer exhaustion.  I have no doubt physically that I could do it but I wasn’t in the correct state mentally to deal with the ama side conditions and with the reef being so close it was probably the best option.

Sunday November 20

Vacation WOD #1

10 minute run

2 minute rest

100 burpees - 11:06

2 minute rest

10 minute run

I was searching for a spot since my arrival to do this WOD (I promised Jack that I would) but there was a lack of grass on the island and while I could have done it on the beach during one of our group stops it would have just been messy to get back into the car so when we had an hour of down time before heading to a local’s for lunch I ran over to a field near our hostel and got it done.  It was hard.  So.hard.  Especially on my own in what felt like 100% humidity at 1pm, the hottest part of the day – but it was my only option so I perservered.  The run down wasn’t too bad, the wind was nice and cooling and it was under a bit of cloud cover.  The burpees were hard, I tried to just be steady but struggled a lot while dripping with sweat.  The run back was hot – the sun was back out in full force and radiating off of the road but at least I knew how long it was going to take so it wasn’t too bad.  Recovering after this was quite hard in the heat, even a cold shower didn’t make much of a difference.

Monday November 21

Vacation WOD #2

18km womens outrigger race (seat 6) – 1:55:17

Approx. 20 minutes rest

8km mixed outrigger race (seat 6) – approx. 50 minutes

For those that aren’t outrigger paddlers, the races above were iron races in a six man canoe – meaning 6 paddlers for the entire distance (versus change races – see below).  Typically seats 1,3,5 paddle on one side and 2,4 paddle together on the other. Approximately every 12-15 strokes everyone changes sides on a ‘hut’ call.  Seat six paddles as much as possible while steering the canoe with ‘pokes’ that act as a rudder for the canoe to manoeuvre it.  Because of the conditions seat 5 would sometimes stay on the left longer to help keep us from ‘huli-ing’ (flipping over).

Raced with the Jericho girls on their second crew for the 18km race – they had asked me to steer because JD wasn’t comfortable in the conditions (best thing when dealing with the ocean is knowing your limits!)  It was awesome to jump in with them even though I haven’t actually paddled in 3 months.  It was by far the hardest race I've steered - I've steered in bigger water but there was just something so unrelenting here - it seemed like there should come a point when it would settle down and get a little bit easier (as we were rounding part of the island) but it never did.  Combine that with reef on one side and occasional lack of power in the canoe... I think I was a little scared once or twice... learning for sure.  It didn't help that we had a super light ama but we dealt with it - JD spent a good portion of the upwind time on the left, but we were solid...  We surfed nicely on the downwind... the bonus of Vancouver paddling and English Bay conditions - surfing all the little stuff – we didn’t have the power to catch the big waves so we let the big ones go by and we got the little bumps that came behind them that really moved us along...

I jumped in to steer a mixed crew after as well (8km) mostly Canadians and we were giving Nappy Napolean's crew a run for their money... he was steering and I followed him on the upwind and then took a slightly different line downwind and we almost caught them - we walked away from a crew that was right beside us the whole way because they were waiting for the big surf and we grabbed all the little bumps it was like a 4:1 ratio which really helped us.... take what works right?  Was great to get back out there paddling (and steering again) – just like riding a bike and it was amazing to see how Crossfit allowed me to stay strong and paddle hard throughout.

Tuesday November 22 – rest day… really sore from Monday’s races, a little bruised on my left side from the gunnel too.  Wanted to get a workout in but we were all over the place all day so it didn’t happen.

Wednesday November 23

Vacation WOD #3

Round Raro Relay – 38 km change race

3:37:05 (I paddle approx. 2:20)

For those that aren’t outrigger paddlers, a change races is the same as for the iron races above however the crew is composed of 9 paddlers.  The distances are longer and therefore paddlers ‘rotate’ out of the canoe to get a rest/food/water in the escort boat (motorized).  For changes – the escort boat drops the paddlers getting into the canoe in the water ahead of the canoe and the canoe comes to them – they get in on the ama side (left) of the canoe while the paddlers getting out for a rest drop out on the non-ama side (right).  These paddlers are then picked up by the escort boat.  The theory is to be really quick at getting in the canoe to avoid slowing it down (the paddlers remaining in the canoe are paddling while a change is happening).

This was a really fun race given that I woke up and prepared to race but didn’t actually have a crew to paddle with.  An Australian crew (North Queensland) found me and asked me to paddle with them (thanks Lili!).  I was deemed the  ‘youngest looking masters (+35 years old) paddler ever’ which makes sense since I’d only been 35 for 20 days.  Heh.

I really enjoyed this race because I had no expectations.  It had been well over a year since I’d done a change into a canoe and the conditions were expected to be ‘challenging’ but still I was confident (as much as anyone should/could be going out into open water).  I had a lot of fun, my changes were solid even while having to get into the canoe on top of someone at times and after the first piece where I had a chance to warm up/ work out the aches from Monday’s racing it felt good.  The conditions made the kilometres pass quickly and it seemed liked we’d just started when we actually passed the half way mark.  Having the Relay end on the same stretch as the Iron races also helped in gauging the distance left.

Some people on the escort boat managed to see some humpback whales and the front of our canoe saw a huge turtle – me, nothing but the pristine and stunningly blue waters of Rarotonga.  It was a blast to get into a canoe and do this race.  We came second in Masters as well which was just a bonus for a fun morning.

One of the highlights of this race (the race organizers ran an exceptional week all around!) was the local polynesian drummers that welcomed each canoe home (once a canoe rounded the last 100m or so home they started up) and the fresh fruit - watermelon, pineapples and coconuts that were served to us once on land - the baby coconuts were drilled open and came with a straw - nothing like recovery drink straight from the (neverending) source!

Thursday November 24 – this day technically didn’t exist for me – crossed the dateline on my way home.  Jumping forward in time!

Friday November 25 – travel day – had a long layover in Brisbane and didn’t get home until almost 9pm so no workout

Saturday November 26 – Cooee 1^st Birthday WOD (see next post)

I had bold ambitions to do a few more Crossfit WODS while I was away but with the delay in leaving and the lack of space to skip/do anything else (no grass) it was difficult though I think that I did get enough physical activity during the week with all the unplanned outrigger racing – it was a great change of pace.

Unexpected Entrant in the Round Raro Race - source

What a change looks like (not my crew) - source

11/16 - Naughty Forties WOD and Vacation WODs

Nasty’s Birthday WOD:  ”Naughty Forties”
400m run
40 KB swings (20/24kg)
40 sit-ups
40 KB circles
40 box jumps (24/20")
40 KB SDHP
40 double-unders / 150 single-unders
40 KB 1 arm swings
400m run
18:54
20 x 20kg KB + 20 x 16KG KB for swings
20kg KB for circles
20" box (full jumps - no step-ups)
16kg KB SDHP
DU's
16kg KB for 1 arm swings

I really wanted to Rx this but my shoulders and back were having none of it after the past week. I'm just tired.  I feel it everywhere and while I've been managing to eat well I'm just not getting the amount of rest I need to (not without trying to though).  I fell really behind on the first 20 KB swings and never really caught up to the rest of the group but still pushed through strong.  Couldn't string together more than about 10 DU's in a row which was frustrating but with only 40 it wasn't too bad.  The 400m runs hurt though - it's still the distance I'm learning to love.

I've reached a point in my Crossfit journey where the rapid increase in weight has slowed and I'm stuck between a 16kg and 20kg KB (our box unfortunately doesn't have 18kg KB's) and between 23kg and 28kg barbells (typically)... I'm trying to balance going heavier while still maintaining movement throughout the WOD - I did most of this workout as four sets of 10 reps so I was still fairly consistent while still pushing my boundaries on strength.  I'm good with coming in at the back of the pack if it means I'm going a little heavier and pushing my comfort zone and then eventually I'll be fast again I just need to put in the time.

Post-WOD:
40 weighted sit-ups (5/10kg)
1:37 (5kg)

This one killed my arms/ shoulders more than my abs - just holding the plate up was hard but it was over fairly quickly.

Tonight I leave for vacation in the Cook Islands.  My planned WODs for the week are:
-100 burpees for time (thanks Jack!)
-'Annie'
-100m handstand walk for time (thanks Tim!)
-'Flight Simulator' DU's for time - 10,20,30,40,50 thought might amend to 5,10,15,20,25,30,35 - each set unbroken before stopping at moving to the next (thanks Match!)

Back in a week!

Crossfit Accomplishments...

Today was a wicked day for reaching some crossfit goals I'd set for myself/ have been working on over the past few months...

-I finally did an unassisted pull-up (no bands) - it was only one BUT I did it and it was witness... it wasn't pretty but still one step to being better... Coach Jack saw it!

-also, while playing around after the WOD I tried to get on the rings - set up for a ring dip - and I was finally able to get both my arms locked out at my side - I'd been able to get one but never both but today - success!  I could even hold it for a few seconds.

I'm seeing the improvements from all the shoulder work we seem to have been doing - quite happy about it!

More on tonights WOD - Naughty 40 - tomorrow...

11/14 - it has to get easier from here...

First WOD of the week... first WOD back after the Affiliate Cup...  Match made a comment before we started that it was most definitely a WOD that would make us feel like we'd accomplished something this week... I hope it gets easier from here - it has to get easier from here (or maybe my body will catch up on rest)...

WOD #1
21-15-9
Clean & press (30/45kg)
KB swings (16/24kg)
Run 600m
9-15-21
KB swings
Clean & press
22:14 (23kg/ 16kg KB-Rx)

This was hard.  I was tired.  But I managed to make it through.  Thankfully there were no squats as that might have done me in completely.

I completed the WOD with the weight that I started which I was happy with.  At one point Match came by and asked if I wanted a lighter KB or to drop 5kg off the bar but I said no.  I was still banging out sets of 5 at a time at that point and figured I could keep it up.  The run was a nice change of pace from the lifting but I could really feel the fatigue in my legs from the weekend.  I was last to head out on the run but came in quite close to the second last person - steady pace on the run helped - not going out too fast.

Increasing reps in the second set was hard - knowing you only had one round left but realizing it was 21 reps - but made it.  Two of my favorite Crossfit movements so it was a good but tough start to the week. 

Leaving for the Cook Islands on Thursday so will try and get two more workouts in before then but that will depend on how I feel.  Regardless, I'm going to do Annie, 100 burpees for time and one yet to be determined WOD (made up by Tim and Jack) while I'm there and hopefully find outrigger crews to race with in the 18km iron and/or the 36km round Raro change race - fingers crossed!

One the last 5 reps of the clean and press (source)

11/12 - Affiliate Cup...

Affiliate Cup Recap…

Saturday was AWESOME!!!  It was my first time competing in a Crossfit competition and even though there was a ton of nervousness and it was an extremely long day I loved it. 

My team awesome team of four was  Adam, Ross, Lisa and myself.  We were in the beginner category along with two other Cooee teams (there were 13 teams in the beginner category

WOD #1

Barbell Run

2 40kg barbells for beginners

As a team complete a 1600m run carrying both weighted barbells below the shoulders – the team must cross the finish line together.  If a bar is placed on the ground there will be a 10 squat penalty to be completed once the run is finished.

11:22 (1^st overall)

We were in the first group to go and had a pretty decent strategy of stretcher carrying both barbells in pairs (guys and girls).  We started out with the boys carrying and took off faster than anyone else – it seemed most teams were walking – and immediately were in front on our own.  It was a steady pace and we communicated and worked well in our transitions.  Towards the end of the second lap however our grip strength was failing – it was becoming quite difficult to maintain the stretcher carry and we switched to one bar for the boys and one for the girls held on our bent arms – this worked because both people could still run forwards however Lisa and I were struggling – Ross took one barbell on his own and Adam took most of the other while Lisa and I helped as best we could on either end and we finished like this.  It was a good start to the day.

The other Cooee Beginner teams were 3^rd and 4^th – solid showing.

WOD #2

KB/ Burpee Broadjump

Male – 20kg KB, Female – 16kg KB

In pairs (male/female) – one pair works on KB swings – only one person working at a time while the other pair completes 40m (approx.) of burpee broadjumps (alternating guy/girl for the distance).  Once burpees are completed team sprints back and switches.  Each pair does both the swings and burpees twice.  Score is finish time minus number of KB swings (in seconds).

2:49 (6^th overall)

This was a pretty straightforward WOD and the burpees didn’t hurt too much because there was too much else to focus on (full partner extension, tagging partners hand, hands behind their feet, burpee, big jump, full extension, repeat) which also made the distance pass quicker.  The KB swings were Russian swings so elbows just had to be above shoulders – we typically only do American swings so it required focus to not swing too high (to get more reps completed).  Again our team had great communication on this one.

All Cooee Beginner teams were top 5 after these two WODS!

WOD #3

“Sam”

250 DU’s (or 750 SU’s) – whole team either does DU’s or SU’s

200 Wall-balls (8kg male/ 5kg female bottom line for both)

150 Deadlifts (70kg male/ 50kg female)

3km row

15 minute cut-off

To be completed as a team.  All reps of each exercise to be completed before moving on to the next exercise.  One person working at a time, one person must be on the rower at all times until 3km completed.

14:54 (3^rd overall)

This was a really fun WOD and worked to some of our strengths both with what we had been practicing at team training (switching out to complete a large number of reps) and also our skills from everyday training (DU’s).  It also had one of our major weaknesses – wall-balls.  We don’t have the proper equipment at the moment to do these at our box so we struggled here.  We were however one of only 18 (total 41 teams) to complete this WOD under 15 minutes. 

Adam jumped on the rower straight off as Ross, Lisa and I killed on the DU’s – I managed to string together 31 at one point, not quite my best but up there.  We were quickly onto the wall-balls but got several no-rep calls with either inability to get above the line or not getting enough depth on the squat.  It was a struggle but we made it through.  During this time Ross switched out with Adam on the rower followed by a short stint by both Lisa and I.  I didn’t get too far and although I could have done more I switched out when Adam came back because my feet weren’t really strapped in (little feet).  Adam was able to finish however while we were doing our deadlifts and then the 4 of us banged out the 150 seconds before the cut-off.  It was a lot of fun and non-stop.  Again, our communication really helped.

All Cooee beginner teams were in the top 5 meaning we all got into WOD #4 – the final WOD.

WOD #4

Squat Cleans/ Sprints

In pairs (males and females working together on difference bars).

7 minute AMRAP

Minutes 1,3,5 – max squat cleans per pair (40kg/20kg)

Minutes 2,4 – max sprints (approx. 40m)

One person in the pair working at a time for both squats and sprints.  1 point for every squat clean, 2 points for every sprint (there/back) – both partners had to be back on the mat before squat cleans could start again after sprinting.

(don’t know our final score)

Our team struggled with the squat cleans though it seemed were pretty much solid on the sprints.  Lisa and I did 61 squat cleans and 30 sprints (15 there and back) but it wasn’t enough for us to place in the top 3 – however – the other two Cooee teams represented – 2nd (Shonelle, Esther, Vinnie, Dozer) and 3rd (Vicki, Jeni, Oli, Dom) overall for the day.  A great showing for the box!

Our intermediate team also had a solid showing placing 6th (Angie, Kirsten, Jack and Pete) and just barely missing the final WOD.

Congrats to everyone from Cooee who competed. Big thanks to Tim who coached us all day and to Match who judged so that we as athletes didn’t have to (and it was agreed upon by all that he probably worked the hardest all day).  Also much appreciation to everyone else who came along to cheer us on – it was great to have that support.  Go green!

Ross, Adam, Jac, Lisa

Friday Awesomeness (in pictures)

11/10 - thrusters and burpees... oh my!

Strength: Work up to your 1 rep max split jerk
30kg
 
I didn't go very hard on the split jerk - my PR is 45 but at 30 my shoulder was hurting so I decided not to push it any further with the comp on Saturday.   

WOD:
15, 12, 9, 6, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15
Thrusters (30/45kg)
Burpee bar hops
17:36 (18kg)

This one hurt!  I went light because of the Affiliate Cup coming up on Saturday but even with the 18kg bar it was hard.  Shoulders and legs were just tired - during and after and more-so today... definitely feeling it.  There was a 25 minute cut-off and I'm pretty sure I'd have taken that long if I went any higher in weight - I can't imagine doing 23kg thrusters at this point but perhaps it's also just a bit of cumulative fatigue (I haven't been sleeping well*) and my shoulder acting up (taking care of that today)...

*I've been trying to get lots of sleep - actually getting to bed early but I'm still not sleeping well.  Need to figure this out because I'm really starting to feel it - just want to sleep all.the.time!

I'm going on vacation next thursday so hopefully that helps though there will be crazy jetlag I'm sure.  I asked Jack and Tim (two of my coaches) to write a couple of WODs for me that I'll promise to do along with 'Annie' while I'm gone.  Jack has already told me that one of them will be 100 burpees for time - so not looking forward to this but I *will* do it.  This is a new me - planning to do WODs on vacation... crazy - good crazy!

Affiliate Cup tomorrow... GO COOEE!!!

This is what 'Claudia' does to me...

11/9 - Last night 'Claudia' and I got it on again...

Last night 'Claudia' and I got it on again and I won.  PR! By almost two and a half minutes... and once again it was a little emotional and probably harder this time than last knowing I could - would - be faster - and alone, with just my thoughts pushing me, not as much cheering.

Strength: Work up to your 3 rep max back squats
55kg

I PRed on this one getting up to a 1RM of 55kg besting my previous from a few weeks back of 50kg.  I didn't even try to go to a higher weight with the comp this weekend.  No need to push it, I just wanted a new PR.

WOD:  Benchmark “Claudia”
5 rounds -
20 KB swings (16/24kg)
400m run
16:57 Rx (previous time was 19:26 on September 1st)

I was both excited to re-do this WOD and dreading re-doing this WOD.  The excitement came in getting to see how much I've improved in two months of Crossfit and how much time I could take off this time.  The first time I did Claudia it was about surviving it, about Rx-ing it (first WOD I ever Rx-ed) - this time I knew it'd be harder, faster... that was where the dread came from.

Match was coaching us but jumped in with Jack and I to do the workout which was fine by both of us but I had less of someone in my face (like Tim was last time) - this time it was all on me and I could feel it.  It was truly mental.  After the first round every time I stared down the kettlebell after the run I made a deal with myself - 5 reps at a time.  But once I picked it up I knew that putting it down and then starting again would be more effort than just banging out more reps.  I went 20 straight in the first round, and then 10 at a time for the next 3 and 10-5-5 for the final round. 

The 400m runs were hard.  Running is not my strong suit at all and the 400m is exceptionally hard for me but it was just one step at a time through each one.

After it was all over I collapsed in a heap on the floor of the box... Jack was trying to ask me how much I'd taken off my time and I was just struggling to breath through the emotion of it all... not quite as much as last time but there were still a few tears behind my eyes... it was tough all around and somehow I think that this will always be an emotional WOD for me just because of how it went down the first time - how it showed me what I was made of...

The last time (first time) I did 'Claudia':

http://todayigotstronger.blogspot.com/2011/09/last-night-i-got-it-on-with-claudia.html

Swimming WOD... kinda...

So tonight I had to a swim test for my paddling club (it's a requirement outlined by the Australian Outrigger Canoe Racing Association - AOCRA - which is the governing body for all of outrigger in Australia).

Now I need to preface this by saying that I can't swim - I know I could swim enough to save my life but I don't swim for fun - I tend to sink.  Ear infections as a child kept me from learning this little skill.  Though the strange thing is that I really love the water - being in it or on it just not swimming for the sake of swimming.

In order to pass the qualifications set out by AOCRA we had to do the following:

400m swim (8 lengths of the pool)
5 minutes of treading water

I did both successfully though my swimming was both slow and uncoordinated.  Either I float on my back and kick my legs (not using my arms) or I'm on my stomach and using my arms but forgetting to kick.  It wasn't pretty but it got done.

The treading water wasn't so bad - could have done that for quite some time which is an odd contrast to my swimming ability but alas...  done for another year.

11/7 - PR's and KB's

Strength: Work up to your 1 rep max clean
Max. 40kg - new PR!

Probably could have gone a bit heavier but my shoulder was still a little unhappy from last week so I didn't want to push it with the comp this weekend.  It was nice working through this with Angie and trying to keep up with her. 

WOD
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
KB swings or KB snatches
Cleans (35/50kg)
Sit-ups
9:48 (16kg KB, 28kg cleans)

This was a great WOD.  Steady through all the reps.  I'm always a fan of KB swings and the 28kg felt pretty good after the strength WOD. Solid.

Before the WOD we were playing around with pull-ups.  Angie mentioned that an unassisted pull-up is mentally challenging but that she can do it with the yellow band (multiple reps) - and the yellow band is pretty tiny - I wasn't sure I could do one with just yellow but I did manage a single rep.  After the WOD I was goofing around and tried an unassisted pull-up and was *thisclose* to doing one.  All subsequent attempts were futile as my hands were having no part of it but... getting there.  Have a couple weeks to meet my goal. 

11/5 - Team Training...

Yesterday was our final day of team training before the Affiliate Cup next weekend - this week thankfully it wasn't the day after Murph. I was the only person on my team there so I filled in with Vicki, Oli and Dom who were missing Jeni.  It worked well.

WOD #1
Benchmark WOD Annie as a team - each member must complete 25 reps in a row before switching
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats
11:41 (approx.) - Vicki and I used the red bands for the pull-ups, I did the push-ups on my knees.  Was steady to bang this out as a group.

The final three WODs were all chosen out of a hat (one by each team) and they were quite fun - definitely better than some of the ones remaining in the hat after we were done (I read them).

WOD #2
Lift a total of 3000kg of weight overhead as a team with only one person lifting at a time - all four teammates have to use the same weight.
5:21 (approx.)

This was a tricky one to sort out at the beginning to try and maximize weight and minimize reps.  We went for 100 reps of 30kg but might have been better off with 25kg and a few more reps.  The boys did most of the work on this one - I think I was banging out 5 reps at a time with Vicki much the same as it was pretty much our max. weight for clean and presses so it took us more time to do them.  Dom was solid snatching the bar like it was nothing and Oli knocked out the clean and presses quite quickly so hard to know if lighter would have been better... something to think about if faced with this again.

WOD #3 (chose by Vicki)
Accumulate a total of 500 points skipping
-1 point for a single under
-2 points for a double under
3:07

This was solid.  We stood in a circle and whenever the person skipping tripped up the next person went even if it they'd only managed a few reps.  I didn't beat my max. rep of 32 DU's but I did get some pretty solid numbers with my speed rope a few times which was awesome.  It was also great that we could all do DU's - I can't imagine having to do this WOD with single unders.  I liked it, my style.

WOD #4 (this sucked!!!)
400m run - once all teammates are back in the box...
200 box jumps (24" boys, 20" girls - must use the same box - had to rotate it when switching up)
400m run - once all teammates are back in the box..
100 KB swings (16kg for boys, 12kg for girls)
400m run with 4 KBs (10,12,14 and 16kg)
15:58

This was hard - initially we were only told about having to complete (as a team) 200 box jumps - as the clock was counting down Match announced that we had to complete a 400m run as a team first before we could start.  This was hard for me as I'm a slow runner and I knew I'd be holding my team back so I focused on staying with the pack - and we all finished pretty much as a group (all three teams).  The boys started on the box jumps which was great as it gave me a chance to catch my breath - they alternated in sets of 5 and then flipped the box for Vicki and I.  Since Vicki and I don't jump right back at the bottom of the jump we had decided in advance to alternate every jump so it gave us time to reset which the other was jumping.  We were facing each other on the box and it worked really well.  All I did was stare at her feet and when they hit the ground I went.  It did take a lot of focus to stand fully upright on top of the box (new ROM) versus extending on the jump down.  I did however fully enjoy the 20" box after doing Jack's WOD on monday with the 24" box.  And to think it was only a few months ago where I was only stepping up - progress... yay!!

Once we finished the box jumps we were then told we had another 400m run as a team (which I had expected after the first surprise).  Our team was out the door first but Shonelle, Ester and Dozer weren't far behind us and catching up quickly - I knew I just had to stay in front of Ester and I pushed really hard to ensure that I did - BUT.... upon getting back to the box we were greeted with two KB's and told we had 100 reps.  EVIL... but Dom and Oli went first and got 20 done each then Vicki followed with another 20.  I wasn't sure how many reps I'd get through but once I started I knew I could do another 20 since we only had the 12KB (nice and light!)...  as we were getting close to finishing Match was putting out more KB's for each group which was oddly suspicious as I asked Tim what was next and he told me nothing - liar... haha.  I knew it and called him on it and got the best smirk ever.  As we finished Match once again informed us we had another 400m run but this time with all the KB's he'd given us.  I got the 10 but it didn't really matter so much about the weight - it was just awkward - there is no good way to run with a KB.  We finished up and thankfully were actually done.

It was interesting to continually be surprised by what was next - the first 400m run was a complete surprise but you didn't have much time to think about it as it was just time to go and we all did.  Towards the end however it was scary to think what might be next, the constant expectation of more.  Heh.

Was good training.  Awesome to see the different strategies and to get thinking about how we'll do things the day of...  it'll be nice having a coach who is coaching us rather than making up (evil!) WOD's for us... haha.

Thanks Match and Tim for training us and Jack and Tim for coming up with the hat full of WODs...