my 1st crossfit competition

 A special thank you to all friends that came out to watch and cheer.  Your positive vibes were greatly appreciated.  Also, a massive thank you to my “handler”, aka the Duster (my husband), for always making sure I was set with everything I needed and his ongoing support!  Last, but not least a huge thanks to my coach John Vivian.  His ability to make me feel at ease and confident in my technique is uncanny.  Also, his delivery, feedback and constant encouragement is like no other (I think both of them were more nervous than me all day! Hehe!)

 I LOVE experiencing firsts…don’t you?  Your first kiss, your first date, your first love…hahaha…or perhaps switching gears…your first un-assisted pull-up, ring dip, handstand push up or muscle up!  All great feelings.  The best part of “firsts” is that you don’t really know what to expect and you don’t necessarily know how they will turn out.  The anticipation and mystery definitely add to the excitement.

Let’s REWIND to 3 wks prior to the competition…

After hearing Mat Lalonde speak at his nutrition seminar, (early June) I decided to take to heart and “get serious” with some of the suggestions that he made.  I thought in my head, what better time than now.  So I devised a plan.  Here’s how it went.

• cut out all pop– Mat’s opinion that “it (pop) has no redeeming qualities at all” point stuck with me.  Still going strong “sans pop” and I actually don’t miss it at all.
• increase protein and fat intake- significantly…have kept this up as well
• went super low carb/cut out fruit (maybe some berries 1/wk)-reintroduced certain carbs a couple days prior to the competition.  Now back to low carb (15-20%)

Even though these changes were only in effect for 3 wks prior to the competition, they all without a doubt had a positive impact on how I looked, felt and performed.  Cleaning up and tightening your diet really does make a HUGE difference people!  Give it a try…TRUST on this one!  Before you go talking yourself out of it with excuses and saying you can’t…stop yourself.  You CAN, it just takes more effort, that’s all.  A small price to pay in my opinion, once you reap the benefits.  (Ok…rant over…for now!)  The 2 biggest things that I noticed after “tweaking” my diet, were my mood and energy levels.  Both were through the roof!

June 26th, 2010

I slept like a baby the night before (surprisingly)!  Alarm went off, showered up, made sure we had everything and we hit the road.  This was the same weekend of the G-20 in Toronto, so “the Duster” and I left super early, just in case.  A quick stop for Americanos, then we continued on to Element CrossFit in Mississauga/Oakville, ON.  We were one of the first to arrive (traffic wasn’t bad at all), and were greeted by the friendly ECF staff at the door.  Having some time to spare, also gave us a chance to check out this fantastic box. Several minutes later, other competitors started to arrive, alongside fans and my coach “Johnny V”.  Time seemed to pass so fast and before I knew it, I realized that I had to go warm-up for the beep test.

 Event #1 – Beep Test
The test involves running continuously between two points that are 20 m apart. These runs are synchronized with beeps at set intervals. As the test proceeds, the interval between each successive beep reduces, forcing the athlete to increase their speed over the course of the test, until it is impossible to keep in pace with the recording (or, in rare occasions, if the athlete completes the test).

Event #2 – Clean-to-Thruster/Chest-to-Bar Ladder
Competitors will have 20 seconds to complete a rep at each of 10 Clean-to-Thruster stations, then they have 10 seconds to move to the next station. There are four pullup stations interspersed through the event at which competitors will have 20 seconds to complete as many reps as possible before moving to the next station.
1 – 155#/65#/45#
2 – 165#/75#/55#
* – Chest-to-Bar/Pullups/Jumping Pullups
3 – 175#/85#/65#
4 – 185#/95#/75#
* – Chest-to-Bar/Pullups/Jumping Pullups
5 – 195#/105#/85#
6 – 205#/115#/95#…and continue on until step 10.

Prior to the challenge, we had a goal in mind for this ladder wod.  I was confident that the jumping pullups would act as a strength in this event, as I knew I could bang them off quickly.  My target was to clear at least 75 lbs with the clean-to-thruster.  Goal accomplished…check.  After that, I knew I had 20 seconds to attempt 85 lbs.  Both attempts failed.  I placed 11th in this event.

Event #3 – Deadlift, HSPU, Kettlebell Swing
As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes of:
5 Deadlifts 275#/185#/135#
5 men/3 women Handstand Pushups*/5 Pushups men & women scaled
10 Kettlebell Swings 70#/50#/35#

This was by far, the wod I was looking forward to the most!  LOVE all the movements and was totally stoked.  Eight minutes…seems like nothing right? WRONG!!!  It was an AMRAP…I made the “mistake” of checking out the clock only 3 minutes in!  Ignored this, and ended up pushing myself like I never have before.  The last minute or so was almost a complete blur.  Now I fully understand the concept of INTESITY and pushing through your THRESHOLD.  Completed 8 full rounds and was only 10 kettle bell swings shy of 9.  I placed 4th in this event.  For the record, I didn’t puke and was able to see straight within a reasonable amount of time! Haha!

Event #4 – Clean & Jerk, Burpee
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Clean & Jerk 135#/95#/75#
Burpee

Since competing in this challenge, many people have asked questions like…would you do it again?  Are you glad you did it?  Were you pleased with where you finished?  Yes, yes and yes!!!  It was so motivating and inspiring to see and be amongst so many skilled athletes.  I was also so impressed with my placing.  In fact, being 7th and not 1st or 2nd for example, gives me even more drive to improve, succeed and work towards accomplishing new goals.  This experience definitely highlighted my strengths and reaffirmed to me the areas which need continued training and practice.  Can’t wait to get better and compete again!!!  Thank you again to Alex and his crew for hosting and running such a well-organized event!

jumping pull-up

clean and jerk

the aftermath of wod # 3