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@matt_5577 and I crossing another goal off the list…
Saturday (Nov 30) – Flash back to early 2014. Tavia asked us to write down our goals on the board as we walk into @CrossFitCanuck. Every time you walk in, you see what you have put down and hopefully you work towards meeting and exceeding those goals. As I sat contemplating what my goals could and should be, some were carryovers and others were new. @matt_5577 suggested that I compete in a CrossFit competition and offered to be my partner. I wasn’t sure that this was something I would be able to handle. As a part of Team Paparazzi, I have photographed various events for the Canuck Family. They are intense. Even with all the gains I’ve made over the last 2 years, a comp would be on another level. On the board it went. Exciting things (and in most cases growth) happen outside of your comfort zone. Saturday evening I added another checkmark to the board.
Even though @matt_5577 has shifted his focus over the last few months from CrossFit to Weightlifting (Platform Assassins), he has stood by his promise to partner up with me for my first competition. I waffled and waivered as the year has gone on, but every time I come into the box I see the board and 5 goals posted there. I didn’t hit the 2h25m Half Marathon (but I did improve my time by 9 minutes) and the 250lb (looks to be a tough one), but I did complete my Level 1 and I competed in the Open. Only 1 open item left. The Comp.
We Lift AMRAP 10. Am I crazy? Maybe. Crazy maybe, but I approached @matt_5577 he jumped at the chance to team up. OK. We’re in. This is outside my comfort zone and I was really, really nervous about letting my partner down. As the weeks leading up to the comp disappeared, I got more and more nervous. What am I getting into? Even though We Lift posted (and completed) the 4 WODs, I didn’t really watch. I would take whatever was coming as it headed my way. Well, except for the DUs, I knew there would be DUs.
Warm-up
300m Row
Skips/DUs
Squats
Thrusters (@45lbs)
I spent just short of an hour getting warm and working on DUs. Sunday I started feeling much better about not having to make @matt_5577 do ALL the DUs. I was consistently hitting Single-Single-Double for between 5 and 7 reps. OK, that’s not amazing, but at least I will be contributing.
Lungs of Fury (10 minute AMRAP)
3 minutes ME DUs (1 partner at a time)
Then…
10 Thrusters (@95lbs)
20 Front Rack Lunges (@95lbs)
These didn’t look as bad on paper…
Well sometimes practice doesn’t translate to the game and I was having trouble hitting anything. The DUs would start, I would hit one and I would stall. It was later that I found out from @DefconRX that my rope was hitting the wall and that was messing me up. My Partner kept us in it and even when we hit the bar he was on fire. I felt like I had no power and no lungs. It was very frustrating. There’s no stopping and the WOD is only 10 minutes so you have to go as hard as possible. When the buzzer went we had 367 reps in the bank.
1 Tonne (10 minute AMRAP)
1,000lb Clean & Jerk (Each Partner must lift 1,000lbs total weight)
Then…
10 – 15 – 20 – 25 – 30 Reps of…
Box Jumps (30”)
OHS (@95lbs)
My first ever 30″ Box Step-up
The plan wasn’t to lift too crazy, but I wanted to make sure we didn’t waste too much time. @145lbs, we could hit 7 Clean & Jerks and then move on to the Ladder. I hit 4, @matt_5577 hit 7 and I cleaned up the last 3. The 95lb OHS posed a serious challenge for me as my 1RM is 100lbs. I got the dreaded no rep on several reps and resigned myself to the Box. Even that was extremely challenging and Step-ups were my only recourse. They weren’t pretty and would have been worse if @humphrda hadn’t reminded me about the running start. 151 reps total.
@matt_5577 making the OHS look Easy
Don’t Collapse (10 minute AMRAP)
10 Burpee Over Partner (Alternating each round)
Then…
10 Shoulder to Overhead (@95lbs)
10 Hang Power Cleans (@95lbs)
10 Deadlifts (@95lbs)
This one got a little crazy, because the Over Partner part was Over Partner in a High/Low Plank. Oh and there was also the little football 2 step to get over your partner. This was the point where my mindset got flipped. @matt_5577 and @SavannahJessie could both see that I was starting to get frustrated, not wanting to disappoint my partner and irritated that I wasn’t hitting all my reps. They both reminded me that a year ago, there was no way that I would be competing in a competition and @matt_5577 let me know that he was happy to be here as my partner. 205 reps complete.
Go Big or Go Home (10 minute AMRAP)
6 Hang Power Snatch (@95lbs)
12 Kettlebell Swings (@50lbs)
18 Wallballs (@20lbs)
2 Things. Each partner must complete each activity before the team moves to the next and this WOD should have been called ‘Unbroken’. If the weight is dropped all accumulated reps in that round are voided. If the ball is dropped, rested on the wall, the reps are void. Les Barf. We got into it and everything was peachy until we got to the Wallball. It’s funny how the dynamic of the Wallball changes when you can’t drop it. We powered through and managed not to lose any accumulated reps. Total reps 210.
What a day. After WOD #1 my legs were jelly and after WOD #4, everything was jelly including my brain. I won’t lie though, this was one of my most memorable CrossFit experiences. I’ve been to a few CrossFit competitions, mostly to be a cheerleader or to take photos. For the most part they are well run, but the WODs tend to be plain Jane. The guys behind @weliftathletics have taken things to a very interesting level with the addition of their ‘Kicker’ in each WOD. DUs to gas you, 1000lb Buy-in, Burpee over Planking Partner and my new addition to the list of CrossFit Swear Words (right next to ‘No Rep’), ‘Unbroken’. They have set the bar pretty high with this inaugural competition, there will be no easy WODs here. If you want to compete, you had better be ready to work until you are shredded and then be ready to find 1 more rep. The schedule of events was solid, they stuck to it and everyone knew where they had to be and when they had to be there. Maybe the coolest part is that they weren’t asking us to do anything that they hadn’t already done. @weliftathletics completed the WODs (under a shroud of secrecy) to make sure they would be a worthy test. Mission Accomplished.
Congratulations @weliftathletics on a successful first event and here’s to many more.
I still have lots of work to do as I try and find my path to health and fitness. Life is trying very hard to stress me out (Condo Sale and Techie Exams) and I am not getting to @CrossFitCanuck to Row or WOD as often as I want/need to, but it won’t stop me. Every achy joint and muscle, every wound from a skipping Rope is another step to being healthier. I will find time to get it done, but one thing is for sure, with the people I have found and the fire that CrossFit has lit inside me, it will be a wild ride!
Beez
Special Thanks to #TDOTSFITTEST for the photos!
