Redo, Repeat, Do Over, Rerun, Replicate, Rehash, Again Again Again......and a little Beast Mode

The Open. 14.3. Whew. A doozie for sure. Here's the workout:



Not terrible, right? Deadlifts start at 95 pounds. I got that. Box jumps (bleh) - oh wait....you say I can step up? Killin it. I watched the cool kids do it online:



Of course Tovar nailed it in her white shorty shorts. Man, those legs......killer. So, watching them I realized perhaps this will more difficult in reality than it sounds on paper. Weird. That's almost every WOD of my life. When they sound easy/do-able you need to RUN. It's going to suck. Bad. And this one did.

The worst parts? My grip started to go towards the end. It got heavy. My lower back was on fire. There was no time to catch your breath. I didn't wear a belt (stupid and it was part of my plan). AH! 8 minutes of hell. I got 113 reps, almost cried out of frustration, and was hurting for two days. I seriously thought I would do this one again. Get a few more reps - every rep counts. I did it originally Friday night. I spent all day Saturday stretching, doing mobility, staying warm, etc. Sunday morning rolled around and I had to text my coach "Not gonna happen. Still too sore. 113 is fine with me". He said that was the right choice and let's focus on 14.4. Not all workouts are made to repeat. This summer? Sure, I'll give it a go. This week? Nope. I did do 14.1 and 14.2 twice, but I was not sore, I did not have injuries, ripped hands, etc. Honestly, I'm not sure at this point how many more I could get after 113. A belt - might add a few. Quicker transition times with weight changes - maybe a few more. Not enough to make killing my back worth it.

Here's the first two rounds of 14.3 - deadlifts only.

I know what your thinking...."Tovar wore her white shorts......Ann, what were you wearing?" Glad you asked. My favorite Reebok nano speed shorts (I'm obsessed. I love them so much). My favorite knee socks - skull on back. My new Reebok Nano 2.0's (the hubs designed them for me!). My new t-shirt from I Am Beast Mode.  I love this thing. First of all the length is perfect for me. I do NOT like shirts that ride up. This is a good length, I didn't have to mess with it once. It's super soft. I mean, SUPER soft. I dig the logo on the front. Clean. Black and white. Perfect. The back?

How do you NOT love the back? People were reading it and commenting on it all night. Pretty great. 

I also got the tank. Also SUPER soft. Who doesn't love a wolf? A kettlebell? A wolf biting a kettlebell? Nailed it. The cut on this is great - not so narrow that a side boob pops out (I hate that) and again, the length is awesome. Best way to test length? Thrusters. I was in thruster hell for this WOD. Do you see it? Of course you don't! No belly hanging out. None. I'm officially in love with this one. 

I Am Beastmode is a company in California that was founded by athletes for athletes. They have a bunch of great stuff up on the website - I've been hearing talk of a commercial and a new Spring line coming soon too!

Check them out on instagram (@iambeastmodeusa) and facebook. 

Hope everyone is recovering for 14.3 and is making awesome guesses about what might be in store for 14.4. Muscle ups???? Will burpees appear? Where are those wall balls???

Bathroom Breaks....

I am no stranger to nervous poo. Nervous Tummy. What ever you want to call it. If you have run a race with me you have spent time waiting by the porta pottys or even peoples homes. Yep. Twice I have stopped and asked strangers if I could use their bathroom. No one has time to hold that in.

I also get a huge case of nervous poo when big events come up. Meetings at work with difficult parents. Gets me every time. I'm getting better at calming my nerves, but it still happens.

The morning of the Crossfit Total (Press, Squat, Deadlift) I thought I was going to live in the bathroom. I survived and did not shit my pants (whew!). Saturday I'm doing a Crossfit Competition called Superfit. It's with a partner and friends will be there, so it's not too bad, right? Nope. Nervous poo already. I honestly can't even tell you what I'm nervous about. Just happens. Once the event starts I'm usually fine. But if you can't find me Saturday, I'll be in the bathroom.

Yesterday we did a work out that actually made me feel a lot more ready for Superfit.

The WOD: 5 rounds of 5 deadlifts and 10 burpees

In February we did this workout - good thing I write down EVERYTHING. I deadlifted 153# and completed the workout in 6:30. Yesterday I deadlifted 185# (!) and finished in 5:57. I refused to look at the clock during the workout because I thought I was going to much slower.....suprise surprise! I was really really happy that I increased the weight and decreased my time. Makes me realize I'm stronger and faster - which makes me feel better about Superfit.

I also got new shoes for deadlifts and squats. Behold, the awesomeness of chucks:

Cute, right? Guaranteed to get you faster times and more weight. Also, got my hair highlighted. Back to blonde. I didn't realize how much I missed it until it was back. Clearly that also helps in the gym.

Wish me luck Saturday. My first Crossfit Competition. As long as I survive I will write it all up next week. Hopefully chock full of pictures.