Monday's Workout

Dead tired this morning. But I dutifully hauled my lazy ass out of bed and to my 5 a.m. class.

Strength Skill:

• Jerks (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 1)

I'm better at barbell jerks than I was six months ago, when I first started CrossFit, but that doesn't mean I'm good at 'em yet. Every few reps, I'll manage one with perfectly clean form -- explosive hip drive, tight gut, elbows locked out, good punch-out at the top, satisfying thwack! of heels against floor. But for every rep that puts a smile on my face, I screw up two. Either my feet land a bit too far apart, or I don't get under the bar fast enough (which forces me to muscle the bar up rather than using my legs to fully drive it overhead).

A work in progress.

Metcon:

A classic.

5 rounds for time:

• 5 deadlifts (205 pounds for me -- RXed is 275, but at that weight, it's unlikely I'd get more than a few reps off the ground)
• 10 burpees

The last time I encountered this WOD back in August, I finished it in 5:33. Not exactly blazing speed -- Chris Spealler did it in half that time:



In fact, the last time I did this workout, I was beaten by 2 seconds by the one other person in class that day. And she's a small Asian girl.

With another four months of CrossFit under my belt, I figured I'd easily beat my old time (though I wasn't certain I could beat Small Asian Girl -- she's surprisingly strong/fast). When the clock started, I exploded out of the gate, quickly building a lead in front of my four classmates. I took a few breaks here and there -- my burning thighs made the burpees particularly uncomfortable -- but felt like I was speeding along. And I was the first to complete all five founds, with Small Asian Girl just a few seconds behind me. My other three classmates took another minute or so to finish. Even the Terminator. I felt good.

But then I looked over at the clock. 6:18. Forty-five seconds slower than my previous time.

Not good. I should have taken fewer and/or shorter breaks. I should have done all the deadlift sets uninterrupted. This wasn't a long workout; I didn't need breathers. I should have treated this WOD like Fran -- a race to the finish. Perhaps I should have re-watched the Spealler video for inspiration before diving in.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

Next time I do this? No breaks.