Our garage has no room for cars.
I hate missing class. My garage is stocked with just about everything I need (except maybe a 2-pood kettlebell) to tackle a WOD, and I don't mind working out in my PJ-pants, but it's just not the same as kick-starting the week alongside the other early-morning nutjobs at CrossFit Palo Alto.
As soon as I realized I was going to be stuck at home on Monday morning, I sighed and shot Tim a text message asking what he had in mind for today's WOD.
As soon as I realized I was going to be stuck at home on Monday morning, I sighed and shot Tim a text message asking what he had in mind for today's WOD.
He responded last night via Twitter. "Ready?" he asked.
"Always," I responded, eager to find out what was in store for the morning.
"Always," I responded, eager to find out what was in store for the morning.
"Row 2K."
I stared at the words on my iPhone screen, slack-jawed. Rowing is -- to put it mildly -- not my favorite thing in the world. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard; I couldn't think of an appropriate response that didn't include foul language.
"Get off the floor," Tim wrote a minute later. I'm not on the floor, I thought. Not yet.
But hey: I asked for it. So I hustled off to bed, determined to rest up for the morning shenanigans in my garage.
Strength Skill:
After warming up, I eased into my snatches and overhead squats. It's been a few months since I last practiced snatches as a strength skill, and my first few awkward reps showed me just how rusty I'd gotten. Without the benefit of Tim coaching and cues, I took a short break tore-read skim the snatch chapter in Greg Everett's book and study a few videos on YouTube before continuing.
Resisting the temptation to go heavy, I managed to get into a groove after a couple of sets. Most of my reps felt solid (with the exception of a couple towards the end, when I failed to keep my chest up and ended up stumbling). I suspect I was distracted by the knowledge that it was almost time to mount the erg.
Metcon:
The bad news first: My goal was to finish sub-8 minutes, but I finished in 8:07 -- 3 seconds slower than the last time I attempted this workout (and 22 seconds slower than the first time I pulled 2K). By this objective measure, I'm moving in the entirely wrong direction. Plus, immediately post-WOD, I was flat on the floor for a good few minutes, panting and leaking fluids. (From my pores, people. My pores.)
I know exactly why I didn't beat my previous times. For the first 1000 meters, I deliberately kept a slower-than-usual pace in an attempt to conserve energy for the back half -- and it was a spectacularly dumb idea. At the 1K mark, I'd already let 3:57 slip by, and yet dialing back my speed hadn't stopped my legs from burning like crazy. At the midpoint of the workout, I realized my plan to save some gas in the tank had backfired. Try as I might to speed up and make up some time in the last 1000 meters, I couldn't. Live and learn.
But here's the good news: This time, after completing the 2K, I did not topple off the erg and curl up into a fetal position. My thighs did not clench up so hard that I had to pound on my quads to make them release. I did not roll around on the floor with my face contorted in a rictus of agony. My butt cheeks were Charley-horse-free. And I did not feel like barfing all over myself.
Instead, after a minute or two, I picked myself off the floor, walked into the kitchen, and ate a sweet potato.
Progress!
But hey: I asked for it. So I hustled off to bed, determined to rest up for the morning shenanigans in my garage.
Strength Skill:
- Snatch to Overhead Squats (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)
After warming up, I eased into my snatches and overhead squats. It's been a few months since I last practiced snatches as a strength skill, and my first few awkward reps showed me just how rusty I'd gotten. Without the benefit of Tim coaching and cues, I took a short break to
Resisting the temptation to go heavy, I managed to get into a groove after a couple of sets. Most of my reps felt solid (with the exception of a couple towards the end, when I failed to keep my chest up and ended up stumbling). I suspect I was distracted by the knowledge that it was almost time to mount the erg.
Metcon:
- Row 2K
The bad news first: My goal was to finish sub-8 minutes, but I finished in 8:07 -- 3 seconds slower than the last time I attempted this workout (and 22 seconds slower than the first time I pulled 2K). By this objective measure, I'm moving in the entirely wrong direction. Plus, immediately post-WOD, I was flat on the floor for a good few minutes, panting and leaking fluids. (From my pores, people. My pores.)
I know exactly why I didn't beat my previous times. For the first 1000 meters, I deliberately kept a slower-than-usual pace in an attempt to conserve energy for the back half -- and it was a spectacularly dumb idea. At the 1K mark, I'd already let 3:57 slip by, and yet dialing back my speed hadn't stopped my legs from burning like crazy. At the midpoint of the workout, I realized my plan to save some gas in the tank had backfired. Try as I might to speed up and make up some time in the last 1000 meters, I couldn't. Live and learn.
But here's the good news: This time, after completing the 2K, I did not topple off the erg and curl up into a fetal position. My thighs did not clench up so hard that I had to pound on my quads to make them release. I did not roll around on the floor with my face contorted in a rictus of agony. My butt cheeks were Charley-horse-free. And I did not feel like barfing all over myself.
Instead, after a minute or two, I picked myself off the floor, walked into the kitchen, and ate a sweet potato.
Progress!
I dropped by the gym in the afternoon and watched Tim and Paul row 2K. This was the aftermath.
