Cross Fit ~ Week 7 ~ Day 4

Getting close to the weekend! Yeah! Today's workout was a 5K run up at Edgewood/Canada Rds. Oh how I so wanted to just hit the snooze button and roll over, back to sleep- but I got up in large part because my friend Yvonne was going to meet us and before I left the house I checked email and had one from Yvonne that she wasn't going to make it...but I still went.

There were 4 of us plus trainer Jeff. I did not do the whole run and what I did do was partly run/walk. I have never been a runner and I'm not sure I ever will become one- I really do prefer to walk briskly! Jackie and I move at similar paces, so didn't take long for she and I to be "pulling up the rear" ~ maybe that's why I don't like running..I have always liked to be "in front" or "first"- all my life. In fact, in first grade the teacher told my mother, "Pamela must learn that she can't always be first." Guess I never learned that lesson! I still like being first and in the front! Anyway, we did our pace and Jackie wasn't feeling well, so we slowed down to a decent walk for awhile and then she encouraged me to go on and she was going to head back to the car. So I did for awhile and then started to feel bad that she was going back alone and here I was running alone which didn't make me feel very comfy either. So I turned back to meet up with her.

In talking on our way back, I think I realized part of my problem is that I really need to know distance, etc. This trail did not have mile markers or anything like that (at least not that I noticed)..vs. Sawyer Camp Trail that does have the mile markers all the way through- I think for me knowing, "ok just passed one mile", "ok just passed two miles" - it's a psychological thing for me. Yes, I could invest in a Garmin or similar- but like I said, I can't imagine being a runner on a regular basis, so it's not worth it to me to invest in something like that. When I was running solo after leaving Jackie, if I had known - ok it's 1/2 a mile to reach the turn around point, etc. I might have pushed forward to do that as the return run was easy- mostly downhill...

...oh well, I'm still proud- I did go, I tried and I did what I could. But boy did my lungs really tighten up when we started - don't know if it was the terrain with the weeds, etc. playing havoc with my allergies or what, but I had the allergy cough all the way home. I do plan to work on my running while on the cruise....that I think I can handle!! Tomorrow is friday and one of the team is celebrating a birthday this weekend, so the WOD is a special birthday workout- from what I understand- the # of repititions = her age and she's going to be 49!! I'm scared, but since we are not dancing tomorrow night- I plan to be there!

Cross Fit- Week 4
(but for me really week 3 due to my cold and crazy schedule that followed)

Well, hello Monday, hello 5am alarm clock - was tempted to not get up and continue to cuddle with the kitty. But I got up, and made it to Optimal Fitness for the WOD. (Workout of the day)

Robert was there, but no Jeff today (he's off in Tel Aviv for a week)- so we had Ben taking his place and just as the workouts change daily- when you have a new leader....that changes things up a bit also.

Warm Up was a little different- we did our stretching and then 50 jumping jacks, but he challenged us to engage our brains while doing jacks. Criss-Cross the feet each time, change how your hands meet above your head (fists, thumbs, open hands, back hands, etc.)- of course the only problem with that is nobody was counting!

Then we did little jumps with feet together, from there a "cross-country" type motion and then adding a torso twist to the movement.

After that, we started the WOD. Ben explained that June is "Murph" month. He told us why:

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.

This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it "Body Armor". From here on it will be referred to as "Murph" in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.

THE WOD IS THE FOLLOWING:

1 mile run

100 pull ups

200 push ups

300 squats

1 mile run

So after the warm up- off we go for the run, into two groups - those who think they can run a 1 mile and those who think 1/2 a mile is all they can manage. I told Ben, I'll give the mile a shot- but don't worry if I drop off. I ran my mile...then we returned inside to tackle the rest. We paired up and could manage the tasks anyway we saw fit to do. Brien and I were teamed up and we decided to do 10 sets of 10 pull-ups, push-ups and squats. Well we failed to read completely and thought we were supposed to do 100 of each task- but anyway- we figured no problem once we did the 100 of each, then we'd finish up the push ups and squats. Well, we ran out of time. We got through 9 sets of 10, then off for the final mile run. I thought I was going to DIE!! We were back at 630am after the run, and did some ab work: planks, flutter kicks, scissor kicks and then we were done.

The idea behind this workout though is time based and ideally I think you'd want to do the entire workout and see how long it takes you. I've read on the Cross Fit website discussion board some people doing the entire workout in 17 minutes. Well, I'll be a long way from that kind of time...hell I run about a 12 minute mile. I did have quite a few problems with the pull-ups. I was not using the assist machine that I'm used to- but instead using a bar with the elastic suspension- well it would take me a flippin' minute just to get in the elastic - oh and getting out of the elastic was not a pretty site. Once I went onto the pull-up assist machine I felt more productive on that task.

I would say that overall- Brien and I completed 9 sets of 10 ..so we did 90 pull up, 90 push ups, 90 squats and ran 2 miles- in what I would think was about 40 minutes. (***ok, update ad of 6/2/09...I just found out today that because we were teamed up, we were supposed to "share" the workout: i.e. 50 pulls up each, 100 push ups each and 150 squats each....I think we would have completed it all and would have been much easier without as many pull ups- that was bringing me down!!)

So, how do I feel? Ha, ha, ha...well I am sorry that I didn't get in there last week, because after being away from Cross Fit for 7 days- (3 days from week 2 and then 4 days from week 3)...I'm hurtin' for certain! I'll be lucky if I can get up the stairs tonight after an evening on the couch! LOL Add to all of this a sunburn from yesterday- I'm a mess! But "I will survive"...I always do, it's in my nature!

I will say though 1/2 the battle is really the mental game. Having the ability to put mind over matter and push yourself. I was a wimp- when we went for that first mile run and I gave my "disclaimer" about maybe dropping off- wimpy wimpy wimpy!! When we went out for the last mile run, I didn't say it, but I thought it to myself "well if I only do 2 laps that'll be ok". But after I did the 2 laps, I did the 3rd and really thought ok, "I'm done"- but then the mental game comes in and I'm thinking, "only one more lap- you can do this, take your time and just do it". I remembered back 6 years ago when I did my two sprint triathlons and ran 3 miles- which is really not a BIG deal at all...but when I was doing that race and on my way back (it was a loop course), I so wanted to give up and then there were kids on the course, running towards me (starting their run portion of the race) and yelling, "you can do it, keep up the good work, you're almost there". It's amazing what words of encouragement can do for you.

On the last lap today, Ben paced with me. The thought of "nobody runs alone" and "we run at the slowest runners pace" and then when we saw the finish, he pushed me to give a little more, to push a little harder....and that brought me back to 6 years ago when I saw that finish line and how I couldn't wait to get there.

If I understand correctly, this will be the Monday workout for the month of June because Ben was commenting about how lucky we are to have 5 mondays in June! We get to honor Navy Lt. Michael Murphy with his favorite workout 5 times this month! HA!!!