Florida Open 2015
The Florida Open 2014 was my first Rx competition. I decided to compete in the competition again this year, partly because I was given a small discount, and partly because it's a fairly small, not super overwhelming competition. I already wrote about my feelings leading up to the competition-- basically, I just didn't want to do it.
Actually, I was looking forward to the last 3 workouts of the competition. It was 15.5 that I was dreading. I really hate thrusters. But I surprised myself by excelling at the workout. The key was a steady row where I pulled hard and focused on slowing my breathing. For the thrusters, I broke them into smaller chunks, never thinking in terms of 27, 21, 15 and 9-- it was 10, 9, 8; and then 3 sets of 7; then 8 and 7; and finally all 9. Mentally, that helped me-- the work didn't seem too much or too hard. I finished with a time of 10:28; good enough for 2nd place.
WOD 2:
I had practiced this one-- my friend and fellow coach even constructed a power pin for us to train with. Competition day? We were packed into some very close quarters. There was no room for error. There was barely room for the rope to spin. My judge stood directly in front of me. Too close. Everyone was just too close, and I lost my mind. I jumped once. Tripped on the rope. Jumped again. Tripped again. I tried to step farther away from the other ladies, the judge. There was no where to go. I trip-jumped my way through, finally stringing together 10 for the last of the 50. By then, I was firmly in last place. The following rounds of dubs went better, but there was too much ground for me to recover. I finished 5th of 6.
I returned home, fairly frustrated, but not defeated. I just had dug myself a fairly deep hole. But half of the competition still remained.
Day 2 of competition, and I was definitely feeling my quads from the thrusters. I was also going alone because my husband/coach would be coaching his weekly Oly-style lifting class. It would be a long, lonely day, and I would be on my own to do last minute strategizing. The hardest part is not hearing anyone "in my corner" during the work. I rely heavily on hearing my husband's voice, commanding me to "pick up the bar!"
WOD 3:
I recently PR'd on my snatch-- hitting 110. Not an impressive weight for an Rx competitor. I knew this would be my weakest event. I had also been practicing this one (incorrectly, I would find out 5 minutes before my heat), and I could hang snatch 95 lbs, fresh. I completed the complex at 95 lbs. but wasn't able to hit 105. I was disappointed that they didn't provide 2.5 lb plates, after all, it was a competition. The "cluster" at 85 lbs, wasn't the snatch complex like I thought. The cluster turned out to be a squat clean and overhead press-- basically a thruster. Awesome. The cluster scoring was only for a tie break. When time ran out, I was quite frustrated to discover that I was beat out by one rep and took last place in the WOD.
I wasn't devastated. I felt strangely ok. Maybe I was too resigned. Maybe I wasn't angry or frustrated enough. Maybe having a little fire would have fueled me to a better performance in the final WOD. Or maybe it would have caused me to fall apart.
WOD 4:
The rope climb would be scored separately from the chipper. I had practiced and could do 4 climbs. However, the rope looked higher and was definitely thicker than the one I practice on. I knew I had to get 4 climbs, and I did, earning a tie for first in the WOD.
At the last minute, they changed the chipper time and the row. We were given 12 minutes and only had to row 20 calories. I was disappointed. The row is my strength. Wall balls, I hate. But in competition, you cannot hate anything. I chipped away, placing somewhere in the middle of the pack and no where near where I needed to be to be close to the podium. I finished 5th place.
Bottom Line:
I very much finished with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I felt more matured through the process of this competition. I kept my emotions in check and stuck with strategy even when things spiraled out of control.
Moving forward, I'm not sure where I am, competitively speaking. In some aspects, I feel like I've proven myself-- even though I've not made any podium. I've worked hard, made some great progress and done things I've never thought I'd do. I'm enjoying coaching very much, and I could see myself shifting from athlete to coach. But on the other hand, I feel like I'm still so new to Crossfit and Olympic style lifting that I have far to go. And I just love the thrill of it.
Until I figure it out, I think I'll increase my milage. I'm really missing the long runs.
Actually, I was looking forward to the last 3 workouts of the competition. It was 15.5 that I was dreading. I really hate thrusters. But I surprised myself by excelling at the workout. The key was a steady row where I pulled hard and focused on slowing my breathing. For the thrusters, I broke them into smaller chunks, never thinking in terms of 27, 21, 15 and 9-- it was 10, 9, 8; and then 3 sets of 7; then 8 and 7; and finally all 9. Mentally, that helped me-- the work didn't seem too much or too hard. I finished with a time of 10:28; good enough for 2nd place.
WOD 2:
 |
| WOD 2 |
I returned home, fairly frustrated, but not defeated. I just had dug myself a fairly deep hole. But half of the competition still remained.
Day 2 of competition, and I was definitely feeling my quads from the thrusters. I was also going alone because my husband/coach would be coaching his weekly Oly-style lifting class. It would be a long, lonely day, and I would be on my own to do last minute strategizing. The hardest part is not hearing anyone "in my corner" during the work. I rely heavily on hearing my husband's voice, commanding me to "pick up the bar!"
WOD 3:
 |
| WOD 3 |
I wasn't devastated. I felt strangely ok. Maybe I was too resigned. Maybe I wasn't angry or frustrated enough. Maybe having a little fire would have fueled me to a better performance in the final WOD. Or maybe it would have caused me to fall apart.
WOD 4:
 |
| WOD 4 |
At the last minute, they changed the chipper time and the row. We were given 12 minutes and only had to row 20 calories. I was disappointed. The row is my strength. Wall balls, I hate. But in competition, you cannot hate anything. I chipped away, placing somewhere in the middle of the pack and no where near where I needed to be to be close to the podium. I finished 5th place.
Bottom Line:
I very much finished with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I felt more matured through the process of this competition. I kept my emotions in check and stuck with strategy even when things spiraled out of control.
Moving forward, I'm not sure where I am, competitively speaking. In some aspects, I feel like I've proven myself-- even though I've not made any podium. I've worked hard, made some great progress and done things I've never thought I'd do. I'm enjoying coaching very much, and I could see myself shifting from athlete to coach. But on the other hand, I feel like I'm still so new to Crossfit and Olympic style lifting that I have far to go. And I just love the thrill of it.
Until I figure it out, I think I'll increase my milage. I'm really missing the long runs.
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