Wednesday morning I arrived to do the workout at 9am. On the way to the gym I stopped at 7-11 to get a healthy dose of caffeine in hopes it would boost my performance(if you have never tried this before I suggest you play around with it a bit as it can be helpful). As I pulled in the parking lot I started to get butterflies. I knew as soon as I walked into the gym I would have to look at the board and see what the times were already for that day. There are alot of firebreathers in the 6am crew and I knew as soon as I saw their times my mindset would completely change. Sure enough I looked at the board and saw that the previous top time(10 something) had been crushed with times of 9:22 and 9:48. So, I revamped my goal and decided I wanted to be sub-10.
A litte background:
- Rowing has been something I have struggled with for the last few months but recently thanks to some coaching tips(thanks B!) I have been becoming more comfortable with it. I did a warm up 1000m row at 60% effort and finished in 4:22 which is pretty decent.
- Thrusters are something I have grown to like and while 45# is still fairly heavy for me my goal was to do them fast.
- Lastly, pull-ups are one of my favorite things and I knew once I got to the pull-up bar I would be able to do them fairly quickly.
Strategizing is a good idea but I find that for some reason my plan always changes after hearing "3, 2, 1, GO!" and today was no different. As I began my row I realized I had started way too fast and while I wasn't tired yet I knew if I kept too fast a pace I would be tired when I got to the thrusters. So I slowed it down a bit(ended just under 4:13) and concentrated on my breathing. The thrusters proved to be difficult, just as I thought they would be, but the first few reps felt fast. I heard Anthony and B yelling at me but I can never quite comprehend exactly what people are saying to me when I'm in the middle of the workout. When I got to the pull-ups they were fast, but they could have been faster. As I went for my last rep I missed it and had to jump up and re-do it.
After I collapsed in a sweaty mess on the floor Anthony told me my time was 9:49(sub-10 woohoo!). However, I would be lying if I didnt confess that a tiny part of me wasn't dissapointed. I couldn't help thinking that if I hadn't missed my last pull-up I would have been a few seconds faster(in CrossFit every secound counts!)
If you're still reading(I know, it's a long post!), I'll leave you with 2 thoughts from today:
- I checked my old time(from May 2010) for 'Jackie' from when I still needed to use a band for pull-ups and saw that I had beaten it by nearly 4 minutes. This is truly when I realized that while I will never stop comparing myself to others that sometimes you are your own best competition. I want anyone who is reading this and hoping to be able to RX a workout one day to know that I have been there too. I've used a band, I've scaled weight, and I've gotten faster because of it. Just keep working on weaknesses, having fun, and giving 100% every time you step in the gym. If you do all those thing eventually you will reach your goals and I hope I'm lucky enough to be there when you do!
- The women at CFW are a group of fierce competitors. Like I said above, before today the best womens time on the board for Jackie was in the 10minute range. Today(before 9am) 3 people had already beaten it and I am positive that as the day progresses the trend will continue. I am willing to bet that by the end of the day there isn't a single previous time still left on the board(In fact, I am skeptical that even my time ends up making the cut). It is truly inspiring to be in the presence of such strong women. When I think about the group of women at CFW I cannot help but smile. So, if any of you read this I want you to know how lucky I feel to share a 'home' with you.
What do you feel when you think of the Men at CF? Please do not discriminate.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfathomable on how far everyone has come. My first baseline i could not do 8 sit ups with out my neck shaking to high hell. But now i can do them by the hundreds.
Nick ... you always seem to be progressing every day...so way to go. And i honestly hope you get that muscle up before me!!!!!! (well sort of).
Awesome blog Nic. I have really enjoyed reading your comments. I love what you said about CFW being a family, that is what makes this place so special. You matter. At other gyms you are lucky if they recognize your face when you walk in. Here, they notice if you miss. It is a privilege sharing this home with you as well.
ReplyDeleteErika