CrossFit Open 16.2

I'm a one and done person when it comes to the Open. The only time I can remember redoing a workout was 14.3 because of that little mix-up with unofficial scores. The boyfriend and I flew down to Orlando last Friday for a wedding so I got up to the workout at the 6:30 AM class. I didn't make it through the first round.

Workout 16.2

Beginning on a 4-minute clock, complete as many reps as possible of:

  25 toes-to-bars

  50 double-unders

  15 squat cleans, 135 / 85 lb.

If completed before 4 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:

  25 toes-to-bars

  50 double-unders

  13 squat cleans, 185 / 115 lb.

If completed before 8 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:

  25 toes-to-bars

  50 double-unders

  11 squat cleans, 225 / 145 lb.

If completed before 12 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:

  25 toes-to-bars

  50 double-unders

  9 squat cleans, 275 / 175 lb.

If completed before 16 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:

  25 toes-to-bars

  50 double-unders

  7 squat cleans, 315 / 205 lb.

Stop at 20 minutes.

I knew I could've cycled through the 15 squat cleans at 85#. That isn't that heavy for me, but I was no repped once and missed my last rep right as the clock hit 4 minutes. I had a flight to catch so I just went home. My coach Al even said I should redo the workout.

All weekend I thought about my score and I knew I wanted to do it again, but after the weekend in Orlando, I was tired, still hungover, and just kind of bleh. I showed up for the 6 PM WOD and waffled between doing Jackie with the class or redoing the WOD. I am glad that my coaches Brandon and Bre pushed me to do it again. Bre judged me and it was awesome to have her support.

Two year ago I got my first toes-to-bar during 14.4 and it took me until the time cap. This year I completed two rounds of 25 and was able to get 10 in a row. My doubleunders are actually very good (super proud of the practice I put into these) so my tie-break score is sweet. I did the first 5 squat cleans as singles but I realized I was wasting a lot of time picking up the bar. Bre said she didn't think I was going to make it through the first round until I knocked out 10 reps in a row unbroken. I really like barbell cycling so that's a plus. I came in under the 4 minute time cap, knocked out some TTB as singles, made it through the doubleunders unbroken, and then hit 2 squat cleans at 115# before the 8 minute cap. 

I am proud of myself and very glad I decided to redo. Bre put it really well - if you think you can redo and beat your score by a few reps, don't do it. If you can beat your score by many reps OR one more rep will get you into a whole new round (like mine did), you should definitely redo. Bre also told me that I inspired her by making it through those 10 cleans unbroken, and that made my week because 1. I love Bre 2. She's a really good friend 3. It's pretty fucking awesome to be able to inspire a Regional athlete.

Traveling 101

This post was inspired by the RelayRides Travel Must-Have's campaign. Because I am the worst, I didn't write this post before the holidays and ended up ignoring my own advice and that's how I found myself in Walmart at 9:30 PM digging around their workout clothes section. Do you know they don't sell shorts in the winter?

I've got quite a bit of travel this month and this time I won't forget these fitness travel essentials.

1) ALWAYS pack one workout outfit in your carry-on. If you don't, your checked luggage will 98.9% of the time make a detour, even when on a direct flight to your grandma's. This is a major bummer when you have the 12 Days of CrossFit early the next morning.

2) Pack lightweight multi-purpose shoes. I love to bring my Saucony racing flats because I can use them for running and CrossFit and they barely weigh anything.

I own the Grid Type A4s but the newer Type A5s are on sale.

You could also spring for the Type A6s but I don't like the colors as much.

3)  Bring a jump rope. If you're into CrossFit, you know how annoying it is to do doubleunders with someone else's rope. And no matter what you're into, you can get a great workout in wherever you are with one simple piece of equipment. I have an Again Faster rope but I covet an RPM Fitness bare cable rope. They're absolutely beautiful and they really hurt if you miss.

100 Doubleunders

A year ago Anthony, my coach at Hell's Kitchen, told us that if we all committed to 100 doubleunders a day, we'd all have doubleunders. The idea of being able to do 100 doubleunders, not unbroken, just 100 doubleunders within a window of time was unfathomable to me. When people complained that it would take forever to complete 100, Anthony said that even if it took an hour, we should do it because how were we going to reduce the amount of time it took if we didn't practice.

source

So fast forward. I attended a doubleunders workshop, I upgraded to a cable speed rope, and I got unbroken doubleunders. But like anything, if you don't use it, you lose it. I moved down to Atlanta and was messing with a rope one day that first week and my doubleunders were horrendous. Victor walks over to me and says that I'm working too hard for doubleunders and he was right. Victor tweaked my form, gave me feedback, and generously offered to size my new rope.

Now I do 100 doubleunders before every WOD and it takes me maybe 5 minutes. Right now I'm up 60 unbroken. My goal is all 100 unbroken by August 15.

The moral of the story is when Anthony tells you to do something, fucking do it.

CrossFit Mean Streets

Continuing my LA box tour, this morning my friends Jhon and Raiza accompanied me to CrossFit Mean Streets of Downtown Los Angeles. Jhon had gone the day before while I was hungover in my hotel bed praying for a swift and sudden death and he had on the t-shirt to prove it. It was nice that he could lead the way to the box since my brain doesn't always function at 5:30 in the morning.

Double-unders

Double-unders have been programmed twice in the week that I've been at CrossFit IDentity, and like most things in life, practice makes improvement.

Victor, the coach who most frequently coaches the 7 AM WOD and the man I credit with finally getting me into a handstand, told me that I was working too hard for my double-unders. He was obviously right. He gave me some very helpful cues - relax my shoulders, keep a loose grip on the end of the handles, keep my arms at my sides and a little forward, and look straight ahead at some point that would be the horizon if I were outside. And then he fitted my new Again Faster rope to my height. Victor is great if you haven't picked up on that yet.

Speaking of my Again Faster rope - remember when that "Top 12 reasons why this 47-year-old HATES Crossfit" post was making it around the interwebs? The author Mark Johnson from the blog A Write Smart held a meme contest and two people submitted memes. Mark declared both folks winners and since one of those folks was me, I got $25 to Again Faster, which I spent on my beautiful pink jump rope. I love it. It is fitted perfectly to me. I cannot thank Mark enough.

So I heard that the Pink Iron ladies were at CFHK last night. 

Wins and Weaknesses Within the Same WOD

There are days when I see wins and weaknesses within the same WOD, such as this morning at the 5:45 AM class at CrossFit Central LI. I get there just in time for the warm-up and I'm a little tired. Had some trouble falling asleep last night. I get through 50 jumping jacks and then I get the 50 double-unders UNBROKEN. This has never happened before and the highest I've ever strung together before was 31, so this is a definite win.

We gathered for a group stretch and I could feel that I have been ignoring mobility work. We had a 3 minute AMRAP of wallballs and I got 50. These were not unbroken but I didn't drop the ball and I only no-repped once. Again, this is a definite win.

I was really psyched for the metcon at Central LI today because I really thought I could Rx it and then I had my hubris handed to me.

Money Well Spent

WOD:

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
HANG SNATCH
1X3 at 60 percent of 1RM
1X3 at 70 percent of 1RM
3X3 at 75-80 percent of 1RM
3X2 at 85-90 percent of 1RM

You will be given 20 minutes to complete ALL the work, including warm up. Rest 60 seconds between all sets.

CONDITIONING
METCON (TIME)
For time:

40 Burpees
40 Double-Unders
40 Split Jumps

30 Burpees
30 Double-Unders
30 Split Jumps

20 Burpees
20 Double-Unders
20 Split Jumps
15 minute time cap

What Really Happened:

Jumping Rope

So back in the early spring, the 23-year-old would be rambling on about something call double-unders and then he would persist in asking how many double-unders I could do every time we had this conversation. My answer never changed from no. It also took me a while to finally ask what the hell a double-under was and I was like, ohhh, I can jump rope, but yeah, "jumping rope" is not the same as double-unders.

The average person expends way too much energy trying to jump rope. Their jumps look like donkey kicks and they jump when the rope is in the air, forcing them to jump higher to clear the rope as it hits the ground. If you jump right when the rope hits the ground, it takes a lot less effort. These are single-unders. I can do these.

Double-unders require the rope to make two full rotations (hence double-under) for each jump. Woah. Mind blowing. The premise isn't difficult but the execution might as well be brain surgery.

I have watched at least an hour's worth of video on the double-under. These are three of my favorites. I am a huge fan of the second one.

So I haven't been able to do a double-under yet but I did track down my old jump rope and get some practice in on my single-unders. Because my mother is a saint, she came outside in the disgusting humid weather on her own volition to videotape me jumping about.

And yes, that is my sorority softball uniform.