Category: Split Jerks

would it…

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
— Helen Keller

Fresh off of a CrossFit filled weekend, I hobbled into the triple-wide to get my due at the Monday 8:30pm WOD. The 8:30 on Monday is becoming a lovely new tradition. Taught by Andrew, it is a small gathering of folks at the end of what is usually a very long day. Insert standard Monday cliches here. But cliches have grown to who they are because they are true. The weekend was full. Almost too full. Friday Night Fights (a group/team WOD that usually lasts about two hours), followed by a Paleo Food Fest for which countless athletes cooked and shared their dishes with other countless athletes. I cooked paleo curry chicken salad, with paleo mayo. It was delish but time consuming to make and left my kitchen in a shambles as cooking from scratch a new dish for the first time for a large number of people tends to do. Then home and to bed late Friday night.

Back to ACF Saturday morning to judge fellow athletes for 13.2 WOW (Workout of the Week) of the CrossFit Open, then I hit the 13.2 Open WOW myself (227 score), then home to throw the ball for Oliver, then back to ACF for a jump rope clinic to try and learn double-unders from 2:30-4:00pm, then back home to shower and get ready for a Birthday/St. Patty’s Day celebration at a CF friend’s house. Sunday, Strongman, followed by more Open judging, then home again whereby I was so wound up, so stimulated from the packed weekend of socializing, that I ended up back out again to meet a fellow Strong Person for appetizers and a weekend recap. Lots of busy time. No time to write. No time to regroup. Monday’s WOD, while difficult to motivate to get there after getting home from work and just wanting to lie down and sleep off the weekend, was a destination I was committed to reaching. I said I would be there and I was going to make it. My performance, less then stellar, weak really. Could barely get the 100lbs. overhead. Was unable to do so with the standard Power Clean grip, so channeled KeHo’s teaching and widened my grip to the Snatch grip and up the bar went to the shoulders. Split Jerk overhead.

Sometimes when I write this stuff I wonder if anyone is actually reading it. Does it even make any sense, a Snatch, a Clean and Jerk? I remember the first time the terms started to make sense, about 8 months into CrossFit when it finally clicked and I thought, I know what the F* a Clean and Jerk means! That was a good day. So many anachronisms, so many terms.

More importantly let’s focus on how sleep deprivation and a weekend of cheats can affect your performance. They have a profound affect on your body. Remember that. I try to whenever the fun of socializing over beer and nachos seems so much more important than swollen joints and arms going soft on an Olympic lift. It all comes down to choices and acceptance of the outcomes of the choices.

I. Barbell Strength:

Establish a 1RM Clean and Jerk

Completed: working up from 65lbs. to 100lbs. with the Snatch grip. Wouldn’t it be something if I could get my weight down and my strength up and thereby meet in the middle someday where I can lift my body weight overhead?

II. Conditioning:

CrossFit Open 2011 WOW 3

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes of:

Squat Clean (165/110)

Jerk (165/110)

*Each Squat Clean counts as 1 Rep, a Jerk must be completed before moving on to the following round

Completed: at 85lbs. 18 reps total.

sticky notes.

“For the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that Love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.”
― Viktor E. Frankl

I’ve been nominated for female Athlete of the Year at ACF. I’m afraid to admit it but this means a lot to me.

First, the resistant thoughts: the award feels out of nowhere. The four nominees were picked by the coaches, what were the qualifications for being nominated? How did they decide? I am hardly a top athlete at ACF, nor a member of the competition team, and I scale most of my WODs. I do not even have double-unders yet. Yet.

So there we go.

Now, some more rationale: if you think about it, how many times in your life are you nominated for anything? Especially for something you enjoy and work at. It’s not as if I knew such an award existed and have been working towards it ever since joining ACF. No, pretty sure the award is new this year. I do not want to be a part of a popularity contest. I do want to be a part of being recognized for hard work. And if you read this blog you know I like to work. I like goals. I like goals because I do my best work in life when working towards goals.

I relish being surrounded by positive people and strongly believe we all deserve to be supported and loved on the paths we each choose, whether we agree or not, whether you’re leaving me behind and I’m sad to see you go.

There is a sticky note on the dashboard of my car that reads; To Do: Act from Good. My overall goal in life is to act from good. It’s not easy. Sometimes it just plain sucks. I get jealous and sensitive and sad and disappointed and can grow angry and quiet and just want to be left alone. But I do not enjoy acting from these places and try to move out of them as best as is possible, gently rescuing myself and those around me that might have been dragged down too. There is such a thing as karma, but there is also the belief in being a part of the good. A greater good. Where there is darkness; light. Darkness is easy, light takes patience and love.

So, the award. I’m thrilled. The winner will be voted for by ACF members on Saturday night. I am trying to not put too much thought or hope into actually winning the award. I do not want to be disappointed. I do not want to wish failure on others. There’s also no such thing as a trophy for everyone. That’s ridiculous. The whole point of entering the race is the chance of winning some day. Where’s the fun in not being able to Win!

So here I stand in the land somewhere between grateful, hopeful, patient, and free puppies and world peace for everyone if I win.

I. Strength:

In 12 minutes, work up to a heavy single of Shoulder-to-Overhead

Completed: working up to 110lbs. overhead. Failed at 115lbs. My split jerk was off tonight, it’s  usually a movement I feel very comfortable with, but not tonight.

II. Conditioning:

Open WOD 12.3

AMRAP in 18 Minutes of:

15 Box Jumps (24/20)

12 Push Press (115/75)

9 Toes-To-Bar

Completed: at 20″ box jumps, 55lbs. push press, knees to elbows. 7 rounds total plus 2.

I like these 8:30pm classes. Gives you time to get home after work, unpack the day, play with the dog, settle. The key is to not get too settled and to remember that you are going to go out again.

When you do make it back home, usally for me around 10pm, you are ready for bed in every way. Tired, beaten, accomplished.

All’s Quiet in the Triple Wide

It was quiet today when I walked into CF Triple Wide. Well, quieter than usual. I found it soothing. For the most part it was a strength training WOD. Never tried a split jerk before. Thought it would be awkward, but then discovered otherwise. Found the move to be fairly natural, and comfortable.

Warm-Up:

Split Jerk Practice

WOD:

I. In 10 Minutes:

Work Up to a Heavy Split Jerk

II. 6 Sets:

5 Push Presses

AMRAP Pullups

Rest 3 Minutes Between Sets

III. For Time:

500 Meter Row

Completed: Part I – Split Jerk warm up @ 55lbs. Part II – 6 sets of Push Presses @ 65lbs. and 15 Ring Pull Ups. Part III – 500 Meter Row @ 1:52.

Couple of things. I think I’m starting to wimp out on my weight. Need to start pushing myself more. I push myself aerobically, but when it comes to the weights, as much as I enjoy it, there’s some fear there.

On another note, when I visited the ACF site tonight to copy down the official WOD for today, the WOD for Friday was already posted. Take a look if you dare. I’m going to bask in the soothing remnants of my Thursday, and enjoy it for now. Tomorrow is another day.

Lastly, and we’re all friends here, right? It’s the Eve before my 43rd Birthday. Tonight I’m home with Oliver, indulging in all my favorite past-times; reading, assessing my CF progress, filling my Nordstrom shopping bag, and getting ready to go to sleep. How times have changed. It’s pretty normal to assess where you’re at in life when these milestones roll up, on, and over us. To me, Birthdays have always been a mixed bag, kind of like the Holidays, especially once you get older. As I write this, on the eve of my birthday, and with the Holidays a month in the rearview, I can tell you that I feel incredibly blessed for so many things in my life.