Hail to the Queen 2013

Another Hail to the Queen Competition is done.  The CrossFit Metropolis ladies had a great day - taking 4th in the Rx'd division and winning the scaled division for the third year in a row.  (Congrats to EJ & Paige!)  We had 12 women compete and a whole slew of people from the box came out to support us.

I got off to a slow start, but I picked it up for the second two WODs and feel pretty good about my performance. 

I learned that I have a habit that I never knew about: I stop and reset between each thruster.  I'm told it's not a pause - but a full stop.  I had no idea that I did that.  Anyway, it's ridiculous and inefficient and something I'm going to have to work on.  

I have lots of thoughts to share, but my forearms (among other things) are shot, so that's going to have to wait.

-Gym Belle-

An Open Letter to the Metropolis Queens

Ladies,

Tomorrow is the eagerly anticipated Hail to the Queen 2013 competition.  I am proud and excited to be heading back to this competition with such an amazing team of CrossFit Metropolis women - we've come a long way from the early days when EJ, Sandy and I braved this event on our own.  

The advice I want to offer is not my own.  It comes from the early days of CrossFit Metropolis when these rules were written in chalk down at the corner of the blackboard:

1. Introduce yourself - shake hands w strangers and friends
2. Give it your all, but don't take yourself or the WOD too seriously
3. Celebrate achievement - yours and others
4. Enjoy yourself

Eric's "house rules" formed cornerstone of everything that Metropolis was, is and should be.  Take them with you tomorrow.

Introduce yourself - shake hands w strangers and friends

We're CrossFitters.  We compete every single day at the box.  Events like this are special in part because they are as much about community as they are about competition.  Our Metropolis community belongs to a larger CrossFit community - and it's a pretty incredible thing to be a part of.  Take the opportunity to meet people from other boxes.  Cheer on the random girl next to you.  Reach out to the girls who aren't traveling in a pack.  Someday you may venture to a competition alone - so share the love.

Give it your all, but don't take yourself or the WOD too seriously

You all train damn hard.  You owe it to yourselves to give it your best tomorrow.  Focus, stay positive and dig deep.  Give it everything you've got so that, at the end of the day, you know you did your best.

And if it doesn't work out the way you're hoping, shake it off.  There will always be another WOD to conquer tomorrow, and another competition to look forward to.  

Celebrate achievement - yours and others

Only two women will "win" tomorrow - and I hope they're both from Metropolis - but every one of us will have an achievement to celebrate.  Having the balls to compete is worth celebrating.  Being part of this incredible team is worth celebrating.  The one really awesome WOD, the unbroken set, the perfect snatch - let's make sure we celebrate all of those things.

In our early days, we didn't send the biggest groups to local competitions - but we've always sent the loudest.  When a Metropolis woman is competing, let's make sure that she hears our cheering.

Enjoy yourself

Duh.  Let's make this an awesome day.

In short, be Metropolis tomorrow and all will go well.

-Coach Gym Belle-

PS -There was also something on the old blackboard about remembering to flush.  Keep in mind that tomorrow's event is an all women's event.  Expect long lines at the ladies' rooms.  

Week in Review 1/27/13

Monday

Thrusters: 63x5  68x5 73x5 78x5 83x3 (didn't attempt last two) 83x3 (same deal).  I think I might have been able to 83 lbs with more rest between sets.

Front squats: 93x2 98x2  103x1 108x1 113(f) 108(f).  113 is my current PR.  It would have been nice to hit it, but I was pretty fried from the thrusters.

Conditioning WOD: 4 x 40 seconds on, 20 off of freestanding handstands, hanging l-sits and plank.  This was really hard.  I made it through all the planks, but fell on the last two handstands.  My first l-sit was respectable - after that, they were a mess.

Snatches: 10x2 every minute on the minute for 11 min at 58lbs.  I started at 3 reps each minute, but kept failing the second lift, so I changed to 2 after 3 sets.

Tuesday

DT (5 Rounds for Time: 12 deadlifts, 9 hang power cleans, 6 push jerks): 13:46 at 63 lbs.   After round one, I  switched to behind the neck jerks at 35 lbs because of mobility issues.

Wednesday

5 minutes of Evil Fran (21-15-9 65lb thrusters and pull-ups, with 3 burpees at the top of each minute)

WOD: 10 Muscle-Ups, 20 over-the-bar burpees, 30 Overhead Squats, 40 heavy Russian kettlebell swings, 10 Muscle-Ups: I finished in 17:23 at 53 lbs for OHS, 1.5 pood for KB, and using box false grip ring rows & dips as a sub for muscle ups.

Thursday

Rest

Friday

Snatch: 3 sets of 3 reps at 35lbs, 2x 53lbs, 1x 58lbs, 1x 63lbs, 68(f), 1x 68lbs, 1x 68lbs

Clean and Jerk: 2x 63, 1x 73lbs, 1x78lbx, 1x83lbx, 1x88lbs

Saturday

Approx. 3.5 miles of running/walking to acclimate to the temperature in Miami.

Sunday

Miami Half Marathon - NFT.  More on this soon.