05-30-09 Saturday Week16

Fun with Photoshop... silly photo of me and one of my doggies. He's a Great Dane named Wolfgang. The other one is a Bullmastiff named Fran.

Whew. It's been a rough 3 days. I've had some super-intense workouts that just left me exhausted today. It was all I could do to make myself finish this workout.

Training Log
11:00AM
Back Squat 3x5 (high bar)
135 x 5
165 x 5
185 x 5
200 (f)

Then:
"Kelly"
5 rounds for time:
400 M Run
30 Box Jumps 24"
30 Wall Ball Shots 14lbs to 10' target

Time -- 33:35
Tommy -- 33:34
Marshall -- 31:28

Blechk. Was totally not into the back squats. Doing them low-bar style really hurts my shoulder, and Coach Burgener scolded me for doing them anyway... so it was back to Olympic style today. After the set of 185 - didn't really have anything left. Before starting strength bias, my BS PR was 185 for a single (high bar) so I feel like there's definitely progress there.

I was going to join Tommy & Mandy at the pool, but I couldn't move and after eating lunch, immediately fell asleep. Long nap. Active rest tomorrow(maybe) and possible trip to Stone Mountain or some running. Right now, Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family...

05-29-09 Friday Week 16

Kinda cool sketch version of a photo from Regionals sent to me by the nice folks at BGI CrossFit in Florida.

I'm about to have to suck it up and tighten up my diet. It's not that far off, but I've been telling myself I have plenty of time to fine tune it before Aromas. Yeah, well, Aromas is, like 6 weeks away. It's time to suck it up. Tonight's dinner (post-workout) was ground bison on a salad of romaine lettuce, roasted red pepper and granny smith apple. Yummy and satisfying. I'm back on the Paleo horse.

Training Log
5:45PM
25-20-15-10-5
Side Jump Burpees (lateral jump over a 12" parallette instead of the usual jump/clap)
Dumbbell Squat Snatch w/30 lbs

Time -- 16:06

Then:
Front Squat 3x5
135 x 5
165 x 3
155 x5

Afterwards did about 10 strict HSPU negatives to full parallette depth. Also practiced strict muscle-ups and muscle-ups with the turnout for full-extension. Probably did about 12 total. They are definitely getting better and my HSPU strength seems to be improving. I can do 1 or 2 strict ones to normal depth and am determined to improve that max set.

Tried to do the metcon with a 35 lb dumbbell but maybe I wasn't warm enough or something, but I couldn't seem to get control of it with my shoulder so I switched to a 30 lb. I wrote the workout for CFED to today with med ball cleans instead of snatches - Sven just thought it should be a little tougher. It was. I was almost as nauseous when it was done as I was after Fran yesterday, it just didn't last as long. Good times.

05-28-09 Thursday Week 16

This run-in with "Fran" took me 5 times longer to recover than to do the wod!

Took an unplanned rest day yesterday. Emotional drain was starting to affect me physically. I'll make it up tomorrow. Today was a much better day and I'm just trying to use "this, too, shall pass" as my mantra. Sven sent me a wod with heavy power cleans, thrusters and pullups, but I'm still pretty sore from Tuesday. We did "Fran at CFED today as an alternate to the HQ thrusters and as a farewell to one of our original, and awesomest, members, Rachel. I decided to tackle that instead of the AMRAP since last time I did it was September, and I have been wondering if I could finally crack 5:00.

Training Log
5:50PM
21-15-9
Thrusters 65 lbs
Pullups

Time -- 4:08 (previous PR 5:21)

I assuredly decided to also do a heavy lift today in addition to the metcon, but 20 minutes went by and I was still feeling nauseous after Fran so I called it a day. Very pleased that my Fran got over a minute faster but there's a little part of me that wishes I could have been 9 seconds faster to break 4. Next time. ;o)

05-26-09 Tuesday Week 16

I'm having a really hard time right now. I feel like everyone has a beef, and everyone's beef is me. I'm probably blowing it out of proportion in my head. It was a really difficult choice for me to decide to go for the Games. And I made the choice knowing that I'd have to make some sacrifices. Apparently, the sacrifice was my sanity and peace of mind. The worst part is that I could probably take everyone having an issue with me, if I didn't turn it into me having an issue with myself. Beating myself up mentally right now is not only affecting my sleep, it's affecting my workouts, my home life... everything. I've never wanted to throw in the towel more than I do right now, and never worked so hard to hang on to it. What a strange place to be.

Training Log
5:30PM
Deadlift 3x5, 1x20
225x5
255x4
200x20 (16/4)

5 rds for time:
10 Dumbbell Squat Clean Thrusters (35 lb DBs)
15 Step-Ups 20" box w/35 lb DBs
200 M Farmer Walk w/35 lb DBs

Time -- 48:26

That was awful. I wanted to quit. It was raining intermittently and I wanted to excuse myself from the farmer walks. I wanted to get lighter dumbbells. I kept telling myself that Sven made a mistake - he must have sent me the men's weight.
I KNEW it was going to be awful. And it was. But every day - I hold a mirror up to people's faces - the mirror has the truth in it. It shows you exactly where you are and what you need to do to get where you want to be. The ones that can't handle the truth usually find themselves somewhere else for some reason or another. I am not perfect. I am not the best. I make mistakes and I don't always do the right thing. I can't ask others to look in the mirror and face the truth if I am not willing to do the same thing. And the truth was - I was capable of finishing the workout as it was written. And I will never be sorry that I did.

05-24-09 Sunday Week 15

The gym was a sea of barbells when we finished.

After our workout yesterday, Drew said, "Hey, tomorrow we should do a chipper wod." So I threw something together.
BTW, 1 Bear is a power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press -- all done without releasing the bar. Multiply by 3, and that's what we did in between each chipper set. (Legend for non-CFers, like my mom: DU=Double Unders, SDHP=Sumo Deadlift High Pull, HSPU=Handstand Pushup)

Times as follows:
Drew -- 20:27 Rx
Shana -- 26:18 Rx
Tommy -- 28:35 Rx
Jen -- 34:26 (75# SDHP/Bear, Asst Ring Dips, mod pike pushups)
Brooke -- 34:34 (Asst Ring Dips, HSPU neg to 2 abmats)

A few notes on how this went for me; 90 double unders were unbroken, lunges unbroken, situps mainly unbroken, SDHP broken into about 4 sets, ring dips many were one at a time, the bears went smoothly and were pretty much unbroken. I made it to the HSPU first and the clock said something like 19 mins.... 6-7 mins later, finished the HSPU. Dammit.

I am sore. Shoulders have had it. Rest day tomorrow if I can stand it! Drew and Jen, come visit anytime! We love having you! Tommy, good luck at your L2 !!

05-23-09 Saturday Week 15

Brooke, Drew, Tommy ... all in snatch triple extension.

Got together this morning for a trainer wod. No one had a game plan so Tommy served up a short little met-con for us. Drew is visiting from CrossFit Hyperformance in Savannah. Check out their gym (there's a link on the right side of the page ---> ) He snagged himself a qualifying spot at Regionals also, and will be headed out to Cali in July.

Training Log
11:30AM
5 rounds for time:
7 Chest to bar pullups
5 Power Snatch (w:80 m:115)
3 Dumbbell Push Press (w:40's m:55's)

Scoreboard:
Shana -- 6:36
Drew -- 7:26
Tommy -- 9:07
Brooke -- 9:41

Post wod .... (just me)
Deadlift 3x5
205 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 5

I've been slacking a little on the strength bias work. Trying to recommit myself this week. And, oh yeah ... I. AM. SORE. Ow.

05-22-09 Friday Week 15

When I saw this wod, I was fairly convinced Sven is trying to kill me. It went better than I expected. Brooke and I made a field trip to CFATL for a change of scenery - thanks Ian!

Training Log
7:30PMish
For time:
30 Overhead Squats 65lbs
10 Thrusters 115 lbs
50 Pushups
10 Thrusters 115 lbs
30 Overhead Squats 65 lbs

Time -- 18:36
Brooke-- 26:?? (w/95 lb thrusters)

Hardest part was lowering the 115 lbs. I mostly dumped it and then had to clean it way too many times. Phew. I probably won't be able to lift my arms tomorrow.

05-20-09 Wednesday Week 15

Ugh. I hate back squats. I maybe pushed it a little too hard with them today. I did hit a PR so, that's good. But it's possible my form deviated just a bit too much as my back immediately started bothering me. I got a glowing report from the chiropractor yesterday so I'm hoping I haven't undone all the good healin' I've been doing.

Training Log
5PMish
Back Squat
3x5
185x5
190x5 (ouch)
165x5 (w/high bar)
The low bar position is bothering my shoulder. High bar seems a little tougher but not so rough on my back so I might go back to these for a while.

6PMish
3 power cleans (95#)/3 muscle-ups
Every minute on the minute, adding 5# each round, until failure.
Well. I didn't get very far on these. If you failed before 10 rounds you were supposed to
go back to the last weight you successfully completed and do that for 3 rounds.
I got up to 110# and the cleans were easy but I couldn't finish the
muscle-ups. Went back down to 105 and I got one more round, but failed on the MUs
again on the 2nd round.

I'm done for the day. Sore back may force a rest day tomorrow. There will be mucho icing when I get home.

05-19-09 Tuesday Week 15

Can you tell how much this was sucking...?

Training Log
4:30PM
CFED WOD
For time:
800 M Run
400 M Overhead Walk (w:35 m:45)
200 M Farmer Walk (w:35s m:50's)

100 M Bear Crawl
50 M Frog Hop Burpees

Time -- 15:58

Just barely making it to the gym these last few days. It's been rough, so I'm just glad I did something.

05-18-09 Monday Week 15

OMG. I really wanted to do that HQ wod from Sunday, we did it today instead of the bench press one at CFED. I am notoriously bad at weighted pullups and I love weighted lunges. I was lazy and took yesterday off so Sven reluctantly said it was okay. I did this with my 4:30 class whilst simultaneously coaching...

Training Log
4:45 PM
4 Rounds for time:
100 Ft Walking Lunges (I used 25's)
30 Box Jumps 24"
20 Weighted Pullups (I used 20#)

Time -- 27:13
(Coulda gone faster but had to stop mid-wod to help out a guy who injured himself doing box jumps... )

It's been a rough coaching day. One guy this morning split his leg open on box jumps. DNF. Then during the 4:30, dude popped a rib out of place or something. DNF. 5:30 PM, dude slipped off the pullup bars. DNF. 6:30 PM, chick tried to meet Pukie. DNF. Phew. I'm thinking weighted lunges, box jumps and weighted pullups -- dangerous combo.

05-16-09 Saturday Week 14

Good times at CFATL today! L-R Laura, me, Tommy battle out the 3rd heat.

Took a field trip today to CrossFit Atlanta. Several local gyms brought some of their best athletes out to do a wod. I LOVE getting together and working out with other firebreathers, especially when there's other girls!

Training Log
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
8 Snatches (75/115)
3 Muscle-Ups

Here's a photo of the final scoreboard...


So fun! I want to do it again tomorrow!

05-14-09 Thursday Week 14

Neat pic of HSPU (thanks, Tommy!)

Sven might want me to break my neck. This was not a wod of my strengths today. All stuff I need to work on. I'm feeling pretty good now that my back is better.

Warm-Up/Skill Work
Practiced muscle-up transitions with the turnout at the bottom for full-range. HARD!!
I promise myself to practice these daily until they feel more natural.

Full-squat snatches. These felt AWESOME today! I want to thank my massage guru/NMT for fixing my legs. Normally when I try to catch a snatch in the bottom I lose my balance and fall on my butt but these felt balanced and strong. I'm having a much easier time staying nice and upright and the catch position feels solid. Worked up to 85 lbs which felt almost effortless. Thanks, Matt!

Training Log
7:15PM
3 rounds:
500 M Row
10 Handstand Pushups
10 Push Jerks (85/115)

Time -- 23:39 (kipped HSPU)
Tommy -- 13:30


I was told to keep the rows to 1:45. HAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Right! 1st row, ALL out sprint effort, maintained that pace until 350M and then just died. Finished it in 1:50. 2nd Row was 2:02. 3rd row 1:56, I think - I could not have done these any faster. I tried, Sven. Do I need to remind you that I am a quarter inch short of 5'4" ...?

05-13-09 Wednesday Week 14

Funny pic with all that grass behind me!

Gotta make it a brief one tonight...

Training Log
7PM
"Badger"
3 rounds:
30 Squat cleans (65lbs)
30 Pullups
800 M Run

Time -- 33:57

I was instructed to do this at 80% ... honestly, I don't think I'm capable of 80%. It was more like 90ish... my back feels great.

05-12-09 Tuesday Week 14

Another pic from Dirty South Quals ... this was THE most brutal wod out of all 4 !

Holy crap, I am SO glad to be typing this! For those of you who follow my blog but not my Facebook - just to update you - I've been resting completely for SIX WHOLE DAYS. Holy crap. I had both my chiropractors and my NMT pretty much order me to rest and I decided to NOT be stupid and go against their advice. (I had a lumbar disc that had shifted anteriorly and put me at pretty big risk - to make a very long story really short) But rest is HARD for me mentally! Working out is my therapy and is what keeps me on an even keel so I have been pretty testy these last few days. Today I was cleared to workout and have never been SO glad!!!

Training Log
6PM
"Half Angie"
50 Pullups
50 Pushups
50 Situps
50 Squats

Time -- 10:14 (chest to bar pullups)
Spencer -- 10:35
David G.-- 10:32

20 min rest then power clean 5x1
115
135
145
155
165 (PR by 10# !!!)

Thanks, Spencer and David G. for staying hot on my heels during this wod and NOT letting me let up! Always great workout pals! It's good to be back in action!

05-06-09 Wednesday Week 14

At least I can still do these. Thank goodness, I love them SO much... :::sarcasm:::

As I sit here typing this, my back is smashed up against an ice pack, another thing I love, icing my BACK. Good times. I have a lumbar disk that has slipped forward (anteriorly)- odd because you'd think back would be where it shifted if it was because of CF, but I don't think it is. I think I slept wrong or something. Rounding would make it shift back (posteriorly). Who knows? Anyway, Doc says, no lifting weights and if it's not better with adjustments next weeks, then x-rays. Eh.

Training Log
7PMish
10 rounds for time:
5 Pullups
7 Med Ball Cleans (14#)
9 Double Unders

Time -- 7:31 (w/chest to bar pullups)
Tommy -- 7:41 (w/20# med ball)


I shoulda used a 20# ball but I thought I was pushing it anyway, I mean a med ball IS a weight... technically. But hardly. I kept moving and did not rest the entire wod, but I definitely paced it. I'm thinking I should push a little harder and really try to move faster. Next wod. Back to my icing now...

05-04-09 Sunday Week 13

Old friend "Elizabeth" -- I always think I like this one... until I do it.

Man, I am SORE! I've meant to take it easy these first 3 days back to it and then start back hard and heavy on Tuesday. But, apparently, the combination of wods I've picked to "take it easy" on have left me with a real sore heiney. I can't really sit down, I just kind of lean over and fall into my seat. Real smooth. Tomorrow is rest.

Training Log
5:45PM
"Elizabeth"
21 - 15 - 9
95 lb Squat Cleans
Ring Dips

Time -- 11:47 (PR by about 3:00)
Kath -- 10:35 (75 lb cleans)
Ann-imal -- 12:23 (75 lb cleans, asst ring dips)


Kath and Ann-imal came over to CFED to do this wod with me. It's so much easier to make myself move when I've got other strong chicks suffering alongside! Thanks, girls!

05-02-09 Saturday Week 13

Not much to say today and no pic -- I left my camera battery charger in Jacksonville and my sister is mailing it to me. Did a late morning workout. Legs already dead from the tabatas yesterday, so I thought I'd mess 'em up even more.

Training Log
11AM
CFED Leg Day
4 Rounds
Single 5-cone suicide (cones are 10 M apart)
40 Air Squats
50 Walking Lunge Steps with 35# barbell backracked

Time -- 23:09
Tommy -- 23:??


Still taking it sorta easy. Goal today was to keep moving and not rest even if I wasn't moving that fast. Goal met. Legs are now toast.

05-01-09 Friday Week 13

Jelli and I posing for photos after the very last wod at SEQs ...

Today, it's back to the grind. Well, sorta. I decided after taking 4 complete rest days I'm going to ease back in to the hard, heavy training - since I'm still sore in my hamstrings and all of a sudden, my low back (mainly on the left side, which is where most of my issues are, apparently.)
I was going to do Elizabeth but will wait to see how I feel tomorrow and maybe do it then. Did the Tabatas today at about 90% intensity.

Training Log
4:30PM
Tabata Something Else
Pullups (done chest to bar) 57
Pushups 51
Situps 87
Squats 123

TOTAL -- 318

After experiencing the very strict judging specs at Quals, I'm convinced that my insistence on quality reps is a good move. I definitely feel like this gave me a BIG advantage. I am always preaching good form as a coach and I feel like I should walk the walk. And I am really glad I have been. I missed three reps all weekend - 2 wall balls and 1 pullup. Most people were not so lucky! Many never made it through the OHS because they couldn't get deep enough... There are a lot of CrossFitters who say if your form is too perfect then your intensity is going to suffer, and I disagree. I'm not talking about your back rounding a little on a long set of deads or being in your toes when you're fatigued and coming out of a wobbly OHS. I'm talking about not finishing reps, not going deep enough, not locking out a push press, etc. I don't see how NOT finishing something would make it more intense! Okay, I'm off of my soapbox now!