10/9 - Perception vs Reality?

Got to the box thinking it was Wednesday and not Tuesday so when Coach Tim started warming us up I was a bit confused (he doesn’t coach on Wednesday)…. Anyway.  It looked like it was going to be a good one with the rowers set out leading into a bunch of stations that would take us through the chipper.  We had a bit of a warm-up and then got into it quite quickly.

WOD
500m row
40 box jumps (28”/24”)
30 double-unders
20 pull-ups
30 burpees
40 sit-ups
2 min rest, then repeat

25:13

My split time for the first round was 11:18 then two minutes rest and 11:55 for round two – a positive split but not too bad considering about 10 of those seconds alone came from the row.

Back to the beginning.  I started in the first wave and was glad that I did (I didn’t want to be watching others struggling through the movements ahead of me).  I was steady on the first 500m row, focused on staying relaxed in the recovery and getting good pull each stroke.  I was fairly steady at just under a 1:55 pace for the distance and more importantly didn’t feel like I wanted to die (it’s a definite improvement). 

When Coach Tim briefed us on the WOD he told us to start with step ups to let our jelly legs adjust after the row (Match also confirmed this) but I think there’s something stubborn about me (surprised?) which wouldn’t let me step up even though the Rx height was higher than usual (24” for girls).  I gave myself 5-10 seconds of shaking out my legs, really focused and jumped onto that 24” box.  I was still feeling the row at this point and my breathing was quite high but I kept chipping away at the jumps.  For both rounds I did 10 single jumps to get adjusted then finished the remainder in sets of 5 rebounding jumps resting on top of the box.  I definitely made good time on these as compared to others stepping up or doing single jumps throughout.  Also – I’m so happy that back when I was resting my shoulder I was challenging myself on other things – 24” box jumps being one of them.  I don’t find them that bad anymore.

The double unders were easy and quick though shot my heart rate through the roof.  I did both rounds almost unbroken with a few at the end after I’d tripped up.  The second round was quite interesting as – TMI alert - I was pretty close to leaving a puddle on the floor.  Had there been any more than 30 reps I just might have.  It’s a girl thing.  The pull-ups actually felt pretty good.  For the most part I was pretty solid in getting 3 reps out at a time which I was quite happy with as usually my kipping rythym gets lost after two reps.  Another bonus – I didn’t rip my hands.  Guess cutting off my calluses earlier in the day paid off. 

Ah, the dreaded burpees.  I knew these were going to such but as I say every time – just keep moving.  I had to keep repeating this mantra in my own head as well, down and up, down and up.  I think I broken them into sets of 10.  Did at least 10 a time anyway.  I realized that the worst part of my doing these is that I count way too much in my head – it’s a repeat of the same number – I say it in my head when I hit the ground – 1, I say it again when I jump my feet in – 1, and then again when I jump up in the air – 1… now consider doing this for 30 reps.  Just as you’d imagine it makes it seem like way more than there are.  Interesting.

After surviving the burpees the sit-ups were a breeze albeit still a mental battle to keep moving, keep breathing, keep going.  And then rest.  The two minutes felt both long and short if that makes any sense.  Before I knew it, it was time to row again and since I finished first out of the first wave I started on my own.  It was good though to know (at least in my mind) that people were ‘chasing’ me and I was trying to hold them off.  Pushed me a bit harder than it would have otherwise.  I thought for sure that the second row would be the worst part of the WOD but I was so wrong.  I again kept a steady and (mostly) relaxed pace though a bit slower than the first round.  I think overall I averaged about a 2 minute pace overall.  I didn’t want to kill myself though.  The box jumps were much the same though I had more confidence I could get through all of them with the rebounding (after the first 10 to adjust).  The DU’s were fast and I managed to (barely) not pee my pants.  The pull-ups were just a matter of getting back on the bar as fast as I could force myself to after each mini-set.  The burpees… oh, the burpees.  They sucked.  So, so badly.  It was good that they were so close to the end as it let you see that finish line but at the same time they seemed never ending.  The sit-ups? Just icing on the cake really, a last quick(ish) push to the end.  I’m quite happy with how I performed on this one – it was hard, it took a lot out of me and I felt nauseous for quite some time afterward but I did it and lived to tell (you all) about it.

Mobility

Glutes (oh so painful)

IT band (with ball)

Pecs

Rolled out lower back

Chatted/ gossiped with Angie

WLC Challenge

Food co-op day (I love Tuesdays).  Chicken and pineapple salsa and salad from Brenda and Spanish inspired tastiness from Ang - a chicken and cauliflower rice dish and gazpacho (yum!).  In exchange I brought ginger beef and broccoli with a shredded salad of carrots, cucumber, beets, cilantro and cashews.

Perception vs Reality?

Was a bit of an interesting metal day regarding how I’m feeling about my body.  I feel a little squishy and like my belly is getting bigger and so I weighed myself as a bit of a check in and was actually down in weight – the lower end of where I usually am (I waver between 61-63ish kg on any given week) and this surprised me as it was opposite to how I am feeling.  This was also confirmed by Brenda who made a impressed comment on my abs (as I overheated during the WOD as I usually do and had taken my shirt off).  I found it quite interesting – perception vs reality.   I think a little bit of it has to do with this engrained “cheating” aspect of the WLC, a slip up feels like ‘breaking the rules’ and will somehow lead to instant weight gain or poor performance or whatever.  I know, it makes no sense when I type it either but my mind is a funny place.   

I guess I just need to remind myself that slipping up or cheating or whatever – enjoying myself is perhaps a better way to put it – isn’t going to completely derail where I’m at – I know better than that – I know how I got to this place, I have developed good eating habits overall, I know what my body needs and I know to not go overboard (though when I do I am completely aware of it too).  So on top of not feeling guilty about what I eat (that was the WLC week 1 revelation) I also have to add perception versus reality to my way of thinking.  Maybe that’s what I’m meant to get out of this challenge – more mental tools to keep me on track overall.  Can anyone reading this relate or am I really over thinking this whole thing?