After five rousing sets of jerks this morning, I was feeling pretty good for someone who hasn't slept more than half a wink per night in a week. (I hate hotel beds. Also: I thought developing an app was tough, but that was a piece of cake compared to actually managing a product launch. Remind me to never, ever do this again. Ever.)
But then came the metcon:
3 rounds:
In 4 minutes, row 400 meters and then max double-unders.
Rest 1 minute.
Total score = the number of double-unders completed after three rounds.
That's right: ROWING. And DOUBLE-UNDERS. For a split second, I contemplated jumping into my car and speeding off.
On the plus side: During the first round, I managed a stretch of 51 consecutive double-unders. I'd like to think I could've kept going, but when I got over 50, I was so excited that I got myself tangled up in my rope. I'm nothing if not smooth.
When this one was over, I spent a good few minutes flat on my back. I think I hate cardio more than I hate hotel beds.
Result: 242 double-unders as RXed. Not super-shabby, though Mark beat me by a few reps. And by "a few," I mean over a hundred.
Still working on my left leg. I think I'm going to start from scratch, and try to move through all the progressions from my left side until it can do everything my right can do.
I wish I could blame my crappy performance on my jump rope. Before the WOD began, I pulled my Buddy Lee rope out of my gym bag and saw a big crack in the middle of the plastic cable. M's Buddy Lee rope snapped in two last week, and it looked like mine was about to do the same. I quickly wrapped some athletic tape around it and got in position for the start of the workout, but realized that my rope wouldn't unwind. It was coiled around like a curly fry.
To be perfectly honest, though, my jump rope wasn't the problem. I know this because my first, third, and final sets of double-unders went entirely smoothly. With the exception of a hitch in my step early in my first set, I went unbroken on all of those rounds.
So ultimately, the rope wasn't to blame for my frustratingly awful second and fourth sets of double-unders. For whatever reason (mental? physical?), I couldn't rip out more than a few at a time, and kept snagging my right foot on the rope. The more I tripped, the more flustered I got, and the more flustered I got, the more I tripped.
Result: 10:20 as RXed. Yup -- I lost over a minute on my Annie time.
It's good to be back in the gym -- even if it was at 5 a.m. the morning after Christmas. But don't look at me like I'm crazy; I wasn't the only nutjob at CrossFit Palo Alto before the crack of dawn despite not having to work today. Four others showed up for class (and for CoffeeWOD afterwards).
Okay, maybe we're all crazy.
Strength Skill:
Deadlifts (3-3-3-1-1)
I had a shot at matching my previous PR today, but failed to hoist the bar off the ground. I could've given it another yank, but although my back's feeling fine these days, I thought better of it. Good thing, too -- I needed the gas in my tank for today's metcon.
Metcon:
3 rounds for time:
50 double-unders
30 air squats
15 pull-ups
This looked easy when Tim wrote it on the whiteboard, and for the first round, it was. Most of our metcon workouts are designed to be 10 to 15 minutes long, but after flying through the initial round set of double-unders, air squats and pull-ups in 2 minutes, I thought to myself: I have a shot at finishing sub-7.
But in the second round, I had to take breaks after every dozen double-unders or so, and my pull-ups weren't unbroken. It took 3 minutes to finish that round.
Still, it was the last set of double-unders that did me in. My forearms felt numb from the one-two punch of pull-ups and rope-flinging, and my feet began snagging on the slowing rope. It took a whopping FOUR minutes to complete the final round.
Medicine balls. Why'd it have to be medicine balls?
But first:
Overhead Squats (5-5-5-3-3)
These felt great this morning. It's been a few months since we last practiced overhead squats, but I felt strong and stable through my midline. I kept it light and easy today, but I'm hoping to establish a new PR later in this cycle.
Metcon:
50 double unders
21 wallball shots
21 medicine ball cleans
21 medicine ball sit-ups
15 wallball shots
15 medicine ball cleans
15 medicine ball sit-ups
9 wallball shots
9 medicine ball cleans
9 medicine ball sit-ups
50 double unders
The first set of double-unders flew by. The final set? Not so much. And in between, the wallballs kicked the snot out of me. I wasn't bothered by the med ball sit-ups, but the cleans were tougher than I expected -- probably because I was still reeling from the wallballs.
It's a good reminder that something as simple as a stuffed ball can be a brutally effective training tool.
After a week of tossing and turning, I finally managed to get a decent night's sleep last night. I woke up at 4:20 a.m. feeling like I could tackle the world -- but it turned out I couldn't even manage to tackle heavy front squats.
Strength Skill:
Front Squats (5-3-3-1-1)
Try as I might to hit or exceed my PR, I failed to front squat even 10 pounds below my previous best. This is another groove that needs grease. (But then again, all my grooves could use some greasing.)
Metcon:
100 double-unders
1K row
800-meter run
I usually hate cardio-heavy metcons, but after Monday's grip-killer, I was relieved not to see any pull-ups or toes-to-bar on the menu. And to be honest, I'm starting to look forward to double-unders now that I can string 'em together with some consistency. This morning, I didn't get tripped up until after I'd cranked out over 40 double-unders, and the rest didn't take long to complete. Then, it was just a matter of doggedly slogging through the rowing and the running.
CrossFit Palo Alto's closed for Turkey Week, so for the first time in a long while, I got to play around in my garage with some of my toys. Some of them -- like my Fat Gripz -- have been sitting in a box for a month, waiting for me to get off my ass and try 'em out.
Now that my back's feeling better, I want to work on getting it stronger -- and so my plan is to start doing some low-rep sets of deadlifts and strict presses, mixed with some super-short metcons. Sound familiar?
Dallas and Melissa of the Whole9 have a PTP template from their CrossFit 603 days, so I decided to jump right in with their programming for Day One. First up: the "Buy-In":
3 rounds:
20-second handstand hold
15 Russian kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
10 box jumps (20″)
This was a fun way to kick off the morning and get the blood pumping rushing to my head. Once I was nice and toasty, I was ready for PTP.
I had trouble wrapping my thumbs around the width of the Fat Gripz -- my grip felt much more awkward than I expected -- but the starting weight was light, so I managed just fine. We'll see what happens as the weight on the bar starts creeping up.
Press:
Warm up: A few reps at a light weight
Set 1: 60% of 1-rep max, 3-5 reps
Set 2: 90% of Set 1 weight, 3-5 reps
I used the Fat Gripz on the strict presses, too, though I don't think it made much of a difference. Presses don't rely much on finger strength, so I'll probably skip the Gripz for this movement next time.
Cash Out:
3 rounds for time:
30 double-unders
15 knees-to-elbows
This sounded easy, but the KTEs rocked my world. I cranked out the double-unders without much trouble, but they wiped me out enough to make the knees-to-elbows a royal pain in the butt. Also, to be consistent, I'd stuck the Fat Gripz on the pull-up bar, too -- and it didn't take me long to start regretting it. Getting a handle on the bar was much more challenging than I anticipated, and my hands kept slipping off. Ugh.
Result: 4:27 as RXed.
I need bigger hands. My teeny little baby hands aren't cutting it.
A week of vacation on Maui has left me well-fed, tanned, and happy, but there's nothing like coming home to sleep in my own bed, cook in my own kitchen, and work out with my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs at CrossFit Palo Alto.
Strength Skill:
Kettlebell Snatches (5-5-5-8-8-8)
Today, my kettlebell snatches felt tight and controlled; I was able to punch out effectively and string the reps together without banging the weight down on my forearms. For me, the lack of bruises is a sign of progress. Pathetic, right?
Metcon:
4 rounds for time:
10 power cleans (155lbs / 115lbs)
20 ring rows
30 running jump-ropes
The men's RXed weight was beyond my reach; I would've put myself in traction trying to clean 155 pounds forty times in a metcon -- even if my back was 100 percent. I went with the women's RXed weight instead, and found that it was plenty heavy. But it wasn't the cleans that killed me today.
Nor was it the stationary-running/jump-roping movement, though I have to admit that at the start of the workout, I was all left feet. For whatever reason (*ahem*lackofphysicalcoordination*ahem*), I couldn't get my legs to hop over the rope one at a time without tripping after every five or six jumps. It took until the third round for me to get into a decent rhythm, and it wasn't until the final round that I went unbroken. Still, I got through 'em fine, and they didn't take long.
Nope -- what really got me were the ring rows. We positioned the rings so that when our arms were extended, our backs were parallel to (and just an inch or so off) the ground; with most of our body mass directly under the rings, the struggle against gravity was no joke. The first round flew by, but each of my last three sets of ring rows were interrupted by long pauses, during which I lay on my back, stared at the ceiling, and wished I was still sunning myself on an island beach in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The CrossFit Endurance run performance workshop earlier this year was fun and informative, and I also enjoyed the refresher on natural running technique at the recent MovNat Fundamentals session in Palo Alto. But it wasn't until today's Flow Running seminar that everything finally felt like it clicked into place for me.
The man behind Flow Running is Patton Gleason, an experienced ultra-marathoner and trail runner. (He's also the founder of the Natural Running Store, a fantastic source for CrossFitters and runners looking for Inov-8s, Altras, and Vivo Barefoots.) After getting acquainted with Patton on Twitter, I finally got to meet him a few months ago at the CrossFit Games; every time I passed his booth, I stopped to chat him up. Not only is Patton an expert in natural running techniques (and a Paleo eater!), he's a warm, funny and charismatic guy. It's impossible to not like him.
Patton traveled up to the Bay Area to lead a couple of two-hour Flow Running seminars at CrossFit Palo Alto this weekend, and I'm glad I got a chance to attend. The time flew by as we learned how to run efficiently and stay injury-free. I was amazed at the amount of information Patton was able to pack into just 120 minutes, but by putting us through a number of short running drills, he gave us a ton of firsthand experience that'll likely stick with us for a good, long while.
If you're familiar with minimalist running techniques (e.g., POSE, Chi, MovNat, CrossFit Endurance), Flow Running won't be foreign to you. Patton emphasizes many of the same foundations of running: proper posture, focusing on firing hamstrings rather than hip flexors, a quick stride with feet landing directly under the body, heels kissing the ground, leaning forward from the ankles to generate forward momentum.
But today, I also learned a bunch of new things that helped me tie all of these lessons together. Patton showed us the connection between jump-rope and running technique. He emphasized breathing techniques, and maintaining consistent inhalation and exhalation throughout a run. He explained the benefits of keeping one's center of gravity lower to the ground, and the importance of keeping our feet loose and relaxed. Patton taught us to focus on just one or two things that are within our control when we run, rather than struggling to keep everything picture-perfect.
And best of all, we learned by doing. Many of Patton's lessons were taught through easy, fun drills that reinforced the nuggets of wisdom he was imparting to us. After each running drill, we had opportunities to watch demos, ask questions, and soak in Patton's responses.
My favorite line of the day: "We are not broken." If we listen to our bodies and run in a way that's consistent with our physiology, we'll be just fine.
Despite not getting enough sleep last night (as usual), it’s been weeks since I last walked into the gym feeling as good as I did this morning. As much as I hated missing class (and Nicole!) on Friday, taking a breather was just what I needed to recharge my batteries.
Strength Skill:
Turkish Get-Ups (1-2-3 on each side)
It’s been a year since we last practiced kettlebell TGUs in class, and I have to admit that this movement’s more challenging than I remembered. I stuck with a light weight today (1 pood), and focused on re-familiarizing myself with the proper form. For the most part, I did fine -- but I do need to work on resisting the impulse to plant my hand behind me when I’m on my way back down to the floor.
Ironically, my nagging ankle issues ended up improving my double-under form. Normally, I tend to jump high and stomp down forcefully during double-unders, needlessly expending exhausting myself in my efforts to clear the rope. But with a tender left ankle that can’t sustain hard impacts, I was forced to keep my jumps small and controlled. Using less energy meant that I could settle into a more consistent rhythm, and I was able to get through the rope-jumping fairly quickly (for me, anyway).
Visualization also helped. In my mind, I replayed videos of CrossFit Games athletes doing double-unders with their feet barely leaving the ground. And thirty feet in front of me at the gym, I could also see Kyle -- our resident double-under fiend -- lightly bouncing up and down as his rope whipped around him. I did my best to keep up with him, and though I didn't succeed, I PR'ed by three minutes. Not a bad way to start the week!
I went no further than 30 pounds over my bodyweight today -- it's nowhere close to my PR from New Year's Eve, but I wasn't about to go crazy today. Fight Gone Bad is just a day away!
Metcon:
50 double-unders
30 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
40 double-unders
25 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
30 double-unders
20 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
20 double-unders
15 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
10 double-unders
10 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
I grabbed a 24kg kettlebell, but I knew that with my ankle sprain, the double-unders remain a no-go. I experimented with some one-legged double-unders before the WOD began, but heeding Tim's advice to not be stupid, I decided to go with single-unders on my right leg instead. Scaling, however, meant having to do 3 singles for every double.
I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to attempt 450 single-legged rope jumps, and not surprisingly, it took forever.
Woke up feeling tired but happy. Last night’s tasty dinner at Marlowe with M and the kids might have had something to do with it. Plus, I’m just one day away from driving down south for the CrossFit Games. (Y'all are going to be there, too, right?)
Strength Skill:
Weighted Pistols (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)
I worked my way up to a 53-pound kettlebell, but my left leg still feels substantially weaker than my right.
The women’s class at CrossFit Palo Alto is starting a pistol challenge in August: Each member is picking a doorway in their home, and every time they pass through it, they have to grab the doorframe and crank out an assisted pistol with each leg. I think I’m going to do it, too. My left leg certainly needs the practice.
Metcon:
For time:
12 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
50 double-unders
10 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
40 double-unders
8 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
30 double-unders
6 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
20 double-unders
4 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
10 double-unders
I didn’t have much trouble with the double-unders today. I was facing Kyle during the WOD, and it helped to try to match his cadence. (He’s crazy-good at double-unders.)
The thrusters, on the other hand, were another story. At first, everything seemed fine. I went with just 105 pounds (rather than the RXed 135), and the first round felt great; my punch-outs at the top were pretty strong, and I managed to finish the first nine or ten reps without pausing. But completing my first 50 double-unders and heading back to the thrusters, I hit a wall. I wasn't able to bust out more than three or four thrusters at a time without dropping the bar. And towards the end, I found myself taking them one or two at a time.
Who knew that thrusters and double-unders could combine to form such a potent punch to the guts?
I'm a big fan of Cindy, the CrossFit WOD that calls for cranking out as many rounds as possible of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats in 20 minutes. It's pure sweetness.
What explains my fondness for this workout? It consists exclusively of three fundamental bodyweight movements -- and all three are right up my alley. I love kipping pull-ups, and can whip through 'em without pause. The pull-ups and air squats get more challenging as the WOD progresses, but in the early rounds, I can dash those off fairly quickly, too.
My affection for Cindy extends to the many different variations of this workout I've tried. I've done a task-priority Cindy, a half-Cindy, a three-quarters Cindy, and a full Cindy -- all of them were fun. And my favorite Hero WOD is Murph, which is basically 20 rounds of Cindy sandwiched between two 1-mile runs. Each time I've done a Cindy-esque workout, I've averaged about one round per minute -- not elite by any means, but not too shabby, right?
So imagine how happy I was to see Tim write this on the whiteboard this morning:
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 pull-ups
...but he didn't stop there. He added one more line:
20 double-unders.
Holy moly. I should have known. After all, we'd kicked off today's class with some double-under practice, during which I clumsily tripped all over myself and my rope. But hey: There's no time like the present to squeeze in more double-unders -- even if it means doing them in a WOD.
Here's how the workout went down:
Pull-ups: Great! They came fast and easy, and I went unbroken with each round. Bonus: No torn skin!
Push-ups: For the first four rounds, the push-ups weren't a problem -- I got through each set of ten quickly and without much of a struggle. But by the fifth round, I was pausing after every few reps, and Tim was reminding me to make sure my chest touched the floor. And by the end of the WOD, my shoulders were utterly fried. In a good way.
Squats: The squats didn't bother me much (at the time -- my legs are incredibly sore right now, though). I broke them down into three sets of 5 reps per round, and just pounded them out.
Double-unders: They went surprisingly well. Shocking!
For the first few rounds, Tim had to keep cueing me to keep my elbows tucked in close to my sides ("T-REX!" he yelled, reminding me to whip the rope with little itty bitty baby dinosaur arms instead of violently jerking it from my shoulders). During our pre-WOD practice, I'd failed to implement this advice.
But during the workout, the pulling, pushing and squatting were so exhausting that I couldn't help but relax a bit and settle into the double-unders. Frankly, I was too tired from the pull-ups and push-ups to flail my arms around, so I had to rely on my wrists to move the rope. And because my legs were burning from the squats, I didn't (couldn't!) rush my jumps, resulting in a much more sustainable double-under pace.
By pacing myself, I managed to fly through most of the double-unders. Yes, I got tripped up an average of once or twice per round, but for the most part, I was able to reel off at least 10 or 12 in a row each time.
My proudest moment: With a little less than 60 seconds left in the workout, I did 15 squats, 20 unbroken double-unders, 5 pull-ups and 1 push-up. As soon as the clock beeped, I collapsed on the floor, but I was happy to have finished strong.
Result: 11 rounds + 6 reps as RXed. Cindy plus 220 double-unders equals magic.
We pack light. Between the four of us, we're bringing a grand total of two carry-on bags to Kauai -- a little one stuffed with clothes, and a bigger one loaded with the really important stuff:
I love practicing deadlifts. Nothing wakes me up like struggling to pick up a heavy weight off the floor. Although I didn't manage to set a new PR, I matched last week's -- and it felt good and solid. I can't wait to stack on more.
Then, after we put away the barbells and plates, things got interesting.
Metcon:
For time:
100 double-unders
1000-meter row
800-meter run*
* There were more class members than available ergs this morning, so some folks ran before they rowed.
It's no secret that I am not a fan of rowing. And although I recently learned how to string my double-unders together, they're not my favorite, either -- mostly because I haven't yet figured out how to do 'em without killing myself. Instead of hopping softly in order to conserve energy, I'm still leaping a foot off the ground with each rep.
Thanks to my overzealous double-unders, my right glute seized up shortly after I began rowing. (In other words: Charley Horse. In my butt.) Then, after I completed the 1K row and dismounted from the erg, my legs turned to mush, and I almost face-planted before I caught myself and limped off to finish my run.
But strangely enough, I enjoyed this one. It was a ridiculously effective metabolic conditioner, and I ate it all up. Aside from a few long pauses to untangle myself from my jumprope, I kept up a relatively speedy pace. And honestly, I can't think of a better way to keep my heart lodged in my throat for 10+ minutes.
I don't know why I can't bring myself to hit the sheets. Last night, after putting the kids to bed and hanging out with M as she practiced her deadlifts in the garage, I spent a couple of hours fumbling around with Illustrator and Photoshop. Trial-and-error ain't the most time-efficient way to cobble together T-shirt designs for my enterprising wife's website -- but if all goes well, they'll look something like this and this.
Finally, at 11 p.m., my phone buzzed with a Twitter message from Tim: "Go to bed. Got a good one tomorrow."
Looks like word is getting out about the pre-dawn class at CrossFit Palo Alto. Even with a handful of regulars missing in action today, 11 of us showed up at the gym before sunrise to get our hustle on. We're blowing up, people! (But not blowing up people. Let's hear it for commas.)
Strength Skill:
Jerks (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)
I jerked my bodyweight today. (At least, it was my bodyweight the last time I checked. I haven't cared enough to step on a scale in a few months. If I've gotten super-chubby recently, thanks for not making fun of me to my face.) My form wasn't too crappy this time -- and I'm sure I could have gone heavier. Next week.
After the dishes were done and the kids were put to bed, I decided to squeeze in some practice. While M did Christine in the garage again (this time, she finished in 14:05 as RXed), I grabbed my Buddy Lee rope and trotted into the backyard.
It took me a while to get going, but once I learned to slow my pace and control my leg kick, whaddaya know? I actually started putting some double-unders together. First, it was two, then three, but each time I felt like I was about to take off, I was interrupted by a clumsy trip-up and/or a nasty whiplash on my arms. But then: A breakthrough.
I ran to the garage (where M was rowing up a storm) and proudly announced: "EIGHT! EIGHT IN A ROW!"
Bug-eyed and out-of-breath, I nonetheless hurried back for more. No go -- after two or three in a row, I got tangled in the rope again. But now, I knew I could do this. I tried again. And again. And again. Then: "FOURTEEN!" I was in the double-digits. I wanted to scream.
More stumbling and tripping followed, but after a few more minutes of sweaty effort... "TWENTY-ONE!"
Holy crap. After months and months of being miserably stuck at the double-under / single-under / double-under plateau, I was finally -- FINALLY! -- getting somewhere.
It was about this time that my six-year-old came tearing out into the living room, freaked out by the sounds of a whipping rope, trotting footsteps and high-pitched squeals of excitement emanating from outside his bedroom window. But I couldn't stop now. I relocated to the driveway and kept practicing.
So it was in the orange glow of the streetlamp that I wrapped up the evening session with twenty-four (YES: TWENTY-FOUR!) double-unders in a row -- with not a solitary single-under among 'em. I was so giddy that I didn't even care that the lady down the street with the dog was staring at me, trying to figure out why I was jumping rope in my pajama bottoms. (By the way, I'm starting to think that my flannel PJ pants are imbuing me with magical goal-busting abilities. Don't be surprised if I show up at the gym with 'em.)
I know, I know: You're thinking "CALM DOWN ALREADY. So you can jump rope. BIG FRIGGIN' DEAL." Well, it is to me. Tonight, I'm as satisfied as this smug, half-naked pig over here:
It's been awhile since our last encounter with jerks at the gym (as part of a strength skill workout, anyway). The movement felt good and smooth today, but I'm sure it's gonna look like crap once I start going heavier. My goal for this 3-week strength cycle is to jerk above my bodyweight (without putting myself in traction with crappy technique).
As a reminder, here's what it's supposed to look like:
My double-unders did not look like this. At all. Why? 'Cause I'm still so rhythmically-challenged that I have to do a single-under between each double-under. This means, of course, that with every round, I have to jump 60 times instead of 30. In a workout like today's, this is a recipe for: (1) exhaustion, (2) frustration, and (3) a crap score. Today, despite feeling pretty decent about heaving the barbell overhead, I eked out only 3 rounds + 31 reps for a score of 166 (as RXed).
The worst part? My inability to string together my double-unders is all in my head. (I think. I hope.)
I NEED MY FRAKKING DOUBLE-UNDERS. But I'm sufficiently self-aware to know that I'm not going to put in the practice necessary to push past this mental block until/unless I set a deadline for myself. So here's it is: I'm giving myself two weeks to crank out at least 5 consecutive double-unders with zero single-unders in-between. If I can't pull this off, the penalty is 100 burpees and everlasting shame.
I broke the “No-Exercise-Unless-You’ve-Slept-at-Least-6-Hours” rule this morning. My seasonal allergies kept me up coughing late into the night, and after I managed to pass out, our three-year-old woke up wailing ‘cause he couldn’t find his favorite stuffed cat -- whose name, incidentally, is “Cat.” (Creativity runs in the family.)
So when the alarm went off at 4:20 a.m. I seriously considered hitting the snooze button and rolling over. But who am I kidding? I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t go see what crotch-punch of a workout awaited me at CrossFit Palo Alto.
On the plus side, I’m able to carry successively heavier kettlebells as I crank out pistols. On the minus side, my left leg is still weaker than Don Knotts in an arm wrestling match.
Note to self: STAY TIGHT AND STOP ASS-PLANTING.
Metcon:
For time:
21 deadlifts (225/185)
21 pull-ups
50 double-unders
15 deadlifts (225/185)
15 pull-ups
50 double-unders
9 deadlifts (225/185)
9 pull-ups
50 double-unders
The pull-ups were fine, but even with barely one-and-a-half times my bodyweight loaded on the barbell, the high-rep deadlifts weren’t as easy as I thought they’d be. During my final set, I had to dump the bar from a standing position after each pull. I also had trouble stifling the alien-sounding exertion noises that escaped from my throat, like “HUHHerrghh-GUH!” and “aaaEEguh-OOHFF!”
And if that wasn’t bad enough, I still had 150 double-unders to crank out. Sadly, I haven’t yet overcome the mental block that forces me to crank out a single-under between each of my double-unders. (This utter lack of rhythmic ability was foreshadowed in preschool, when I repeatedly failed to clap along to the beat of “If You’re Happy And You Know It (Clap Your Hands).” ) The upshot? I wasted a crapload of time.
Result: 13:58. I’m not exactly thrilled with my plodding performance, but I’m still glad I got the chance to tackle today's WOD.
Bonus: After this morning's vicious rope lashing, I'm starting to resemble a Singaporean caught with a bottle of spray paint. Oh, well. It's about time I got in touch with my Asian roots anyway.
and trotted into the backyard.
