Crossfit Day 30

Today I had the chance to sleep a bit late, but my sleep was restless from about 6:30 on. I wasn't really awake, but I was in a light sleep. Part of the problem was that my husband was up early making breakfast. I can't really complain about that! And another part was that today was going to be my last day.

It's not that I won't ever do Crossfit again, just that the month I paid for is up. University classes start next week, and I don't have the time or the money to continue to take the Crossfit classes like I have for the last month. I'll try to keep going, as often as I can, but I know it won't be as often as I want to. And I'm not happy about that.

But I am looking forward to sleeping past 5am on workdays again.

Today's WOD was intriguing. I didn't really know how it would play out.

*AMRAP in  20 minutes:
- 500m Row, then
- Snatch (5pts), or
- Clean (3pts), or
- Deadlift (1 pt)
Perform the barbell movements for as long as it took to row (1 bar & same weight for all movements).
*Partner 1 rows 500m while partner 2 performs AMRAP,  then partners switch once 500m row is completed.

When I got to the gym, I took the first chance I had to corner the trainer and ask him about what his recommendation for my hands would be. I did spend the night with my hands in socks, coating the exposed skin with a layer of lanolin, but they weren't exactly ready to go. I mean, I was glad we weren't going to be on the pull up bar, but I wasn't sure how I would handle the weight lifting with the raw spots on my palms.

I had brought my cycling gloves, since they had some padding on the palms, and he offered to loan me weight lifting gloves, but, in the end, I decided against full-fingered gloves. Instead, he taped my palms up and I gave that a shot.

Other participants in this morning's workout (there were 8 at the 8am class), noticed the tape and asked me what happened. When I explained, I was advised to get a callous shaver and just use it whenever the callouses got big. Since I'm not going to be doing this as often, I might or might not do that. I'm thinking of getting some weight lifting/climbing gloves without fingers as protection against future callouses, but I haven't decided on that yet. I mean, I might be stopping the Crossfit classes, but I still want to be able to do a pull up!

After we did warm ups, we got out barbells and went through the movements of snatch, clean and deadlift. Then we chose weights and partners and decided on our personal strategies.

See, the points system gave incentive to do the harder movements of the snatch, or the clean, over the deadlift. The heavy lifters in the class had a lot of discussion beforehand about what the recommended weights should be. I knew that I wouldn't be working at a prescribed weight. I could clean 55 pounds with difficulty, and maybe snatch 35 pounds with great difficulty. Deadlifts, I could get much higher, maybe 85 or even 95 pounds before it became impossible.

Based on the points system, and my familiarity with the movements, I decided to focus on doing cleans, and then, if I got too tired to do them properly, I could knock out fast deadlifts with the light weight. I set my bar up for 45 pounds and brought out a rower for my partner and I to use. (I did try doing a snatch with 45 pounds, but I'm not there yet.) I partnered with the same person I had worked with two Saturday's ago, when I froze myself running outside. She went first on the rowing machine while I began to lift.

Most people were letting their barbells crash to the ground when they finished their rep, but I kept my grip steady on the bar and brought it all the way down before going back up. My speed was about the same as the person across from me who dropped. At least, for the first round.

It takes about 2 minutes to 2 and a half minutes to row 500 meters when you're pushing it like we were. That feels like forever when you're lifting. Heck, it doesn't feel that great when you're rowing. The rowing was harder on my hands than the lifting, but neither was beyond bearable. They stung a bit under the tape, but the tape did the job of providing an extra layer of protection.

It was intense. Breathless. I was determined to keep moving, but sometimes it was hard to get myself going. I would pause, and then force myself to quickly complete small sets, 3 or 5 or 10, bang, bang, bang. Then another breather. Then time to switch and I had the constant row, trying to extend every stroke as far as possible, no stopping, stinging hands. Switch to cleans, drop to deadlifts. Back to row.

Until it was over.

I did 35 cleans on the first round, 20 cleans and 31 deadlifts on the second round, 25 cleans and 11 deadlifts on the third and 25 cleans and 19 deadlifts the last time I lifted. I ended the AMRAP on the rower, bringing my rowing distance total to 1750 meters. By the points system, with 61 deadlifts and 105 cleans, my lifting totaled 376, and my partner got to 370. I wrote our joint total of 746 on the board.

I think my body learned how to do a better clean after all those reps. One thing that I had issues with was how to do the shrug at the top that precedes the flip to the front rack position. But after 105 in 4 fast sets, it's been ingrained into my body. Especially after the trainer reminded me to use that shrug. It really helps when you do the reps correctly - it actually does take less energy over the long haul than doing it wrong.

I thanked the trainer for the tape and then I walked home. My husband had already gone to the gym to get his workout done, taking the car. So I rode my bike to the gym. And then I did another sprint sections run, where I warm up for 2 laps, and then do 3/4 slow, 1/4 fast, 1/2 and 1/2, 1/4 slow, 3/4 fast, 1 fast, 1 slow and repeat. I just didn't do it as fast as I did on Wednesday. Not after today's WOD. I almost didn't do it, but I know that my ITB will thank me (by not hurting me).

By the time I did my post-run lunges, my husband was done with his workout. We went to the hot tub together, but didn't spend a long time there. Hunger pulled us out.

He drove home. I rode my bike. One last hard push before I could rest.

And I intend to rest.

After taking only 3 total rest days in the last 33 days, I am feeling worn out. I knew this pace was not sustainable, but I'm very proud that I finished strong.

I am going to miss this.