“Rules for Happiness:
something to do,
someone to love,
something to hope for.”
― Immanuel Kant

The Benchmark WODs for the 90DC have been completed. Knuckle bumps all around. Here are my results:

Benchmark WODs:

1. “Fran” – RX (95/65) – Completed at 65lbs. and ring rows, 5:24 on 1/1/13.
2. 1RM Snatch – Completed at 85lbs. on 1/5/13.
3. 7 Minute AMRAP: Burpees – Completed: 64 total on 1/5/13.
4. 10K Row – Completed in (45:22 on 1/2/13) NOW 44:40!!
5. 1RM BackSquat – Completed: 165lbs. on 1/3/13.

BUT, because once was not enough on the 10K row I decided to do it again today. As I sat down on the rower and strapped the feet in, I thought, what the #!*@#$@! am I doing?

Like most things Crossfit it’s 3, 2, 1…Go! and you just do.

This weekend the focus has been on completing the Benchmark WODs. For some reason my timing has been off and instead of hitting the Benchmarks when prescribed during the daily posted WOD, I went all rogue and did them on my own with a couple ACF friends. We connected on FB and picked a time and day to meet and just went for it. 6pm meetup on a Thursday night for a 1RM Backsquat. 10am on a Saturday morning for 1RM Snatch and 7 minutes of burpees. The additional 10k today was totally out of the blue. But when I heard a murmur during Strongman class that some were staying after to do the 10k, the seed was planted.

Then when class ended and the rowers were being wheeled into the triple wide I thought, why the hell not. I have nothing better to do.

If there’s one thing the 90DC is also successful in doing it is in making me a hermit. I’ve stopped socializing much outside of ACF. True, it has only been a week. But my goals of healthy eating and no libations leave me shy of social gatherings for now. Just until I get my feet strongly beneath me. Resolve steadied. It’s a welcomed time out after the holidays.

Plus, I’m competitive and I want my name on the Leaderboard for women in the 10K category. I’ve been watching the scores to date, and while my 45:22 was impressive someone beat it and that made me want to just go again.

It sucked more this time than last. It just plain sucked and the entire 44 plus minutes of rowing the mind is going through a very small rotation of thoughts something along these lines; 998 meters down, only 9,002 more to go, adjust your speed, keep the same pace, sit up straight, shoulders back, tight form, 1,250 meters down, only 8,750 more to go, adjust your speed, keep the same pace, sit up straight, shoulders back…

A majority of the battle is in taming the mind.

You can quit, but you don’t. So you sit there and row. You have no where to go except where you are. And so you focus on what is directly in front of you: the electric reader which is constantly reminding you how far you have come and have far you still have to go. It’s a battle between pessimism and optimism. Whether there’s more meters behind you or in front of you it is up to you to decide how you see them.

The result from today’s 10K row: 44:40. I shaved a minute off of my time from the last row four days ago.