15.5: First WOD of the Florida Open
First, let's get caught up. I've been writing a series on the 2015 CrossFit Open:
15.1 and 15.1a: The CrossFit Open Begins
15.2: Chest to Bar Pull Ups are Evil
15.3 or "Reality Check"
15.4 or "No Rep City"
The workout:
If you don't know what a thruster is, then Google it. Basically, it might be the most hated exercise on the planet, next to the burpee, the thruster's evil cousin. We all knew the thruster was coming; they've been in every Open. And we all knew it would be brutal. The thing about thrusters... I hate them so much, I can't stand even practicing them. I mean, most things I hate, I look forward to adding to my workouts because I know the more I do the hated, the better I get and soon will conquer it. Not so the thruster.
There was good news: I love rowing.
Not only would I be closing out the Crossfit Open season with 15.5, I would be competing in the Florida Open, which was my first Rx competition last year.
Honestly, as competition day approached, I was ready to quit. Yes, quit. Actually NOT go to the competition. Driving down to Miami with my husband, all I could think about was how much I wanted to still be in bed, doing anything other than a Crossfit competition. Not exactly a mental state ready for success.
And to make matters worse, as I walked up to the check-in table I had to convince the ladies working that "No, I'm not a spectator; I'm an athlete. Yes, I'm competing. Rx division. Yes, Rx division!" Oh, the look of skepticism on their faces did much to boost my confidence.
15.5 was not going to go away. I just kept filling my mind with one thought... "The only way out is through." I had to do it. And the quicker I could get it over with, the better.
I checked the leaderboard to see what numbers other masters were putting up. I checked my friends' numbers. Of course, I checked the elites' numbers. I really had no idea howslow fast I could do it. I originally wanted to go under 11 minutes. Then as the workout approached, I decided anything under 14 would be acceptable.
(Did I already say how much I hate thrusters?)
I had been adding them to a few workouts, but not enough. The previous Sunday, I completed the following workout (encouraged by my son):
10 thrusters @ 65 lbs.
20 KB swings @ 55 lbs.
8 thrusters @ 70 lbs.
20 KB swings @ 55
6 thrusters @ 75
20 KB swings @ 55
4 thrusters @ 80
20 KB swings @ 55
2 thrusters @ 85
20 KB swings @ 55
I needed a plan: for the 27 thrusters, I'd go 10-9-8. For the 21, 3 sets of 7. For the 15, 8-7. And just get through the 9. The row had to be a high number on the damper and slow (but not too slow) and steady, focused on recovering my breath.
I pretty much stuck to my plan. I felt like I went too slow on my first row. There was so much time to think! Somehow I survived the thrusters, and they weren't so bad. When I finished, I was shocked and thrilled that my time was 10:28. Good enough for second place in the workout.
Unfortunately, the high from this first workout would come to a crashing halt in the first moments of the second WOD...
15.1 and 15.1a: The CrossFit Open Begins
15.2: Chest to Bar Pull Ups are Evil
15.3 or "Reality Check"
15.4 or "No Rep City"
The workout:
There was good news: I love rowing.
Not only would I be closing out the Crossfit Open season with 15.5, I would be competing in the Florida Open, which was my first Rx competition last year.
Honestly, as competition day approached, I was ready to quit. Yes, quit. Actually NOT go to the competition. Driving down to Miami with my husband, all I could think about was how much I wanted to still be in bed, doing anything other than a Crossfit competition. Not exactly a mental state ready for success.
And to make matters worse, as I walked up to the check-in table I had to convince the ladies working that "No, I'm not a spectator; I'm an athlete. Yes, I'm competing. Rx division. Yes, Rx division!" Oh, the look of skepticism on their faces did much to boost my confidence.
15.5 was not going to go away. I just kept filling my mind with one thought... "The only way out is through." I had to do it. And the quicker I could get it over with, the better.
I checked the leaderboard to see what numbers other masters were putting up. I checked my friends' numbers. Of course, I checked the elites' numbers. I really had no idea how
(Did I already say how much I hate thrusters?)
I had been adding them to a few workouts, but not enough. The previous Sunday, I completed the following workout (encouraged by my son):
10 thrusters @ 65 lbs.
20 KB swings @ 55 lbs.
8 thrusters @ 70 lbs.
20 KB swings @ 556 thrusters @ 75
20 KB swings @ 55
4 thrusters @ 80
20 KB swings @ 55
2 thrusters @ 85
20 KB swings @ 55
I needed a plan: for the 27 thrusters, I'd go 10-9-8. For the 21, 3 sets of 7. For the 15, 8-7. And just get through the 9. The row had to be a high number on the damper and slow (but not too slow) and steady, focused on recovering my breath.
I pretty much stuck to my plan. I felt like I went too slow on my first row. There was so much time to think! Somehow I survived the thrusters, and they weren't so bad. When I finished, I was shocked and thrilled that my time was 10:28. Good enough for second place in the workout.
Unfortunately, the high from this first workout would come to a crashing halt in the first moments of the second WOD...
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