13.1
When I watched the live announcement I was immediately looking at the equipment. I got so excited to see a barbell. I was mentally prepared for a crap ton of burpees. But still, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Instead of hitting a WOD on Wednesday like normal, I opted for a swim at the pool.
Anyway, watched the videos, etc. and thought my goal would be 1 rep at 165. Late last night one of the trainers texted me and told me he and another trainer just did the WOD and got 154, or 4 reps into 165. They both have much stronger cardio engines than me so I knew right then that 165 would be hard. My strategy would be to just work.
The 40 burpees were not horrible. I went out too fast, something I told myself not to do. Slowed it down a notch and just tried to keep pushing. Got to the first set of snatches, broke them up, and got through them. The set of 30 burpees was the worst and felt like it took me way too long. Big guys ain’t fast at burpees, son. It was here that I changed up my goals and just wanted to get through the set of 135. I made it to 26 before hitting the cap.
So here is the thing… I met neither of my goals. Failure? Oh heck no. This WOD was a combination of the first 2 Open WODs from last year. In 12.1 I got 72 burpees in 7 minutes and in 12.2 I got 56 snatches (26 reps at 135) total in 10 minutes. This morning, I did 40 burpees and 30 snatches in just under 8 minutes. I was able to do 30 more burpees and 26 snatches with the remaining time. To combine the two WODs and hit the numbers I did, I am more than pleased.
One of the guys that was doing the WOD with me has been one of the rabbits I have chased for a long time. When I started he was always lifting heavier and moving faster than me. He got to the barbell first each time this morning. In the set of 30 he was about 8-10 burpees ahead of me. All I could think about was getting to the barbell. When I did, I was able to catch him and pass him. Next week will most likely be some WOD where he will slaughter me. But we need to remember these moments as they drive us. They show us that by working at something and having a goal, we can get there. That is what I took away from this morning.
Scott’s quote at the end. Relevant. Applicable to life.
Loved this. If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting on? Prove to yourself that you have improved yourself.
Registration for the Open starts tomorrow. Who all is signing up?
Proud to Be Strong
This article hit home with my this morning. Not too long ago I came across AJ’s journal where he was documenting his experience with CrossFit. It was great to read. Here was an immensely strong athlete going through the paces at CrossFit.
If you aren’t familiar with the guy, here is an excerpt from the CrossFit Journal article “From Strongest to Fittest”:
In March 2011, A.J. Roberts achieved a world record. Weighing 308 lb., he lifted a total of 2,825 lb. via a 1,140-lb. squat, an 870-lb. bench press and an 815-lb. deadlift. To commemorate his achievement, Roberts got the Westside Barbell logo tattooed across his back.
That right there is some serious strength. The guy was big, checking in at 308lbs. That was about the weight I started off at when I was losing weight. I thought health was on the scale. I thought that all I had to do was drop 40lbs and that I would be fine. Losing weight would solve all of my problems.
I am still a big guy. And you know what, I always will be. And you know what else, I am perfectly fine with that. I don’t want to be skinny. I don’t want to be small. I like having a big frame. I like being strong. It makes me feel good. To see an athlete like A.J. Roberts begin the transformation he is beginning is really exciting for me, probably because on some small level I relate to him. Like him, I am not a fast runner. I don’t breeze through metcons. Burpees kill me and I am far more comfortable with a barbell in my hands than a jump rope.
As I have progressed, I have come to realize that the thing that matters the most about how I feel is not what others think I should become, but what I want to become. I will never be a fast runner. I will never be a fast cyclist. I will never be a quick swimmer. I am not saying I never want to improve at those things, because I do, but I do it because I have to. I do it to be healthy. I do it to stay active. I lift weight because I want to. It makes me feel better to be strong.
I imagine a lot of A.J.’s power lifting buddies looked down upon him for transitioning over to CrossFit. I can only imagine the people in his ear telling him what he should or should not be doing. But in the end, he made the decision about what he wants, which is really a great story. This guy is a freaking monster and I truly hope that CFHQ will cover more of his pursuit of the CrossFit Games. I wish this guy nothing but the best.
If you take anything away from this rambling, I guess it would be to find what you love to do and go after it. Don’t be afraid of people telling you what you should and should not do. Find that goal, that dream, get locked in on it and don’t stop until you reach it.
This was one of the more inspirational stories to come out of the Games this year. Deborah Cordner Carson was a DNF in 2011 as she could not overcome her fears of the ocean swim, which was the first event. She had to have the worst sinking feeling when the first event announced for this years Games was a tri, starting with a 700m ocean swim. What I love about this story is that despite being totally afraid of it, she did it. And instead of a DNF this year, she fought all the way to the end, finishing 13th overall.
The Outlaw Way
If you embed yourself into the realm of CrossFit then you have heard of Outlaw CrossFit. I have been following their programming and progress for several months, despite the fact that I cannot actually do their programmed workouts. Perhaps one day I will have a home gym and focus more on certain things, but the reality for me right now is that I am window shopping. The day I am able to have the equipment and time to follow specific programming of my choice, it will be this.
“Finding His Way” is a great article about Rudy and what he, and his athletes, have accomplished so far and well worth the read.
Got a text from our box owner today that said “Check out the Games site”. So I hop online and see the photo that I took of him right there on the front page, first thing you see. For those that don’t know, our box owner is Bryan Shockley, who finished 5th overall in the Masters at the 2011 CrossFit Games, and is featured in this article about the South East Masters.
“No one gave this to me. I earned every bit of it” - Chris Spealler
There very few people with engines like this guy.
Katrin Davidsdottir judge cam during the snatch ladder. Very impressive how easy she makes this look.
Holy Volume, Batman!
Photo by Sevan Matossian
I would venture a guess that anyone familiar with CrossFit is also familiar with Rich Froning, Jr. And for those familiar with the winner of the 2011 CrossFit Games knows that the guy is almost inhuman in his ability to handle high volume workouts and recover as quickly as he is capable of moving through a WOD. The video is a little on the lengthy side, but well worth watching.
Goodbye, Productivity
Live Jumbotron stream for the CrossFit Games Central East Regional competition. You can also follow on Twitter as well as catch some action on ESPN3.
For fellow CF junkies, this is the one to watch. The male competition will feature so many names that I can’t mention them all. My money is on the big dog, Froning, who is going to show up to this in a big, big way.
2012 CrossFit Games - Open Competition Recap
My first run through the CrossFit Games has come to a close. This year for me has been different fitness wise. While I am still making progress, getting stronger, etc. my primary goal with this competition was to set a personal benchmark and find the areas that I really need to improve upon. If I judge my experience on those criteria alone, it was a resounding success.
A lot of my blogging is done for others to read, but a lot is done for me personally. I like being able to go back and see past numbers, thoughts, goals and compare them to present. Feel free to skip over this if you want as a lot of this is reflection and I want to go back in a year and compare. Since this is a little long winded, I’ll put the rest of my thoughts behind the jump.
173. Oh my.
This.
