Tapering

There hasn't been too much going on, just trying to rest and recover from the last few weeks.  Today was my last heavy breather workout before the competition next weekend, here is a quick clip of it:

My last few weekends have been brutal preparing for this Regionals competition. This is what my last few Saturday's and Sunday's have looked like, not too much of a social life trying to fit these in:

Sat. AM

1-5 squat clean ladder @ 155lb. amrap in 6 min

rest 6hrs.

3rds for time:
200m run
15 KBS @ 24kg
200m run
15 chin-ups

Sun. AM

6,5,4,3,2,1
HSPU
MU
Pistol(alt./side)
(rest 30 min)
For time:
30 power snatch @ 135lb.
30 box jumps @ 24''

Sat. AM
9 snatch @ 155lb.
1 rope ascent(legless)
7 snatch
2 rope ascent
5 snatch
3 rope ascent

rest 3 hrs.

For time:
800m run
50 C2B
800m run

rest 1 hr.

5 min amrap:
5 ring HSPU
35 DU's

Sun.

AM

For time:
30 burpees
350m row
(rest 15 min)
for time:
200m handstand walk

Sat.
Build to a clean and jerk x 3 in 10 mins
rest 10 min
5 min amrap:
10 SDLHP @ 95lb
20 DU
rest 60 min
50,35,20
push-ups
chins
rest 60 min
21,18,15
thrusters @ 115lb.
K2E

Sun. AM

3rds for time:
400m run
10 HSPU
15 box jumps @ 20"
(rest 3 HRS.)
5 rds for time:
15 KBS @ 32kg
10 burpees
20 wallballs 20#

After all this I definitely feel prepared. Though I have been pretty beat up every week recovering from these weekends so training during the week has typically been lighter practice.  This week I have been practicing some of the skills involved in the competition trying to get a strategy.  It's been a lot lighter and I have been pretty beat up which has made me nervous because I need to feel great going into next weekend. I have plenty more time to rest and recover but since I have more time on my hands I get paranoid about every little thing going on with my body and the anxiety is building.  Now it's just waiting time and I'm tired of waiting.

Regionals

The Regional workouts have been announced 2 weeks in advance.  Everybody asks me how do I like the mix of workouts, and I always tell them they look fine.  It really doesn't matter up to this point, I have put the training time in and now I just have to trust my fitness and hit them hard.  I will be worse at some of the wods, and better at others.  I will practice some of the skills and prep my neuromuscular system for some of the demands, but for the most part I will continue with my training which has been focused on speed.  I can't practice the wods because some have such high demand that it will tax my body too much, and I plan on feeling fresh and rested in two weeks so I really can't compare any trial runs to the game time.  I will say that I feel my training over the past year has prepped me perfectly for this competition.  I wanted to work on squats over the course of the year and then transfer that strength to speed which is perfect for the max thruster.  The last month I worked on speed of box jumps which will come into play and wanted to hammer in my running and rowing because those have traditionally been my strengths.  I have gotten better at muscle ups and lower body stamina, which all of these will benefit me for this competition.  Now we will see how it all comes to fruition the weekend of June 3-5!

Here are a couple wods I have been doing focusing on running, rowing, and speed.

Variety

I'm mixing up the exercises and time domains as much as possible to prepare for the Regionals competition only 2 weeks away!  I'm hoping I will feel prepared for anything that comes my way, but they usually throw in something new that I've never done before.  We will see how my training transfers over to unfamiliarity.

Walking upside down

I started with a quick anaerobic sprint that felt better than anticipated.  Afterward, I rested a little and then tried walking 200m on my hands.  I almost quit during this one.  Once my shoulders and core fatigued I had no balance. 200m doesn't sound far but try it walking on your hands, a lot further than you would think.  I didn't realize that my core played such a crucial part in balancing until I realized my legs were flopping over and making me unstable.  The last 40m or so I focused on sucking in my core and balance got a little more manageable.  I finally finished after some long rests to allow my shoulders to recover, but this one was tough, although good practice in case I see it in a WOD.

More Weekend Fun!

With less than 3 weeks left before Regionals,  everything is starting to come together.  I feel the most prepared I have ever felt entering a Crossfit competition.  Workouts are starting to be more fun as I refine skills and everything is feeling good.  Here is a video from the weekend.  I will post some more of the fun ones that I'm doing early this week.

Legs!

Here is a workout I did the other day trying to prep my legs for some heavy lifting at Regionals.  This didn't feel nearly as bad as Sectional Wod 11.6 where it was 10lb heavier and I had to put it over my head. Check that one out here.

"Helen" ish

Here is a workout I did that was kind of like "Helen" but with more transitions.  It allowed me to really push the run hard and didn't hurt the grip quite as bad with a little rest between kettlebells and pullups.

Body Weight Skill Training

Here are some specific body weight skills paired together in a metcon (metabolic conditioning) to work on some shoulder stamina with some lower body single leg work thrown in.  These skills are feeling pretty good as I'm planning on seeing them in Regionals.

Recovery Day

Me and my Dad eating some hearty cioppino in Monterey with my family on Mother's Day.

Weekend Fun!

I had a good weekend with some tough workouts and finished it with a nice Sunday lunch with my family on Mother's Day.

One of the workouts I did was:

"Isabel" + 30 Box Jumps 24"

This was very similar to the previous weekend where I started with a sprint and then finished with box jumps.  Once again, just like last week, my legs were smoked and I had nothing at all for box jumps.  I can't decide if I'm really bad at box jumps or if I just need to pace more, because they feel really easy during warm up.  I was going into this one trying to pace it a little better, but once I saw I could get a PR on "Isabel" and possibly break 2 min I went for it.  And I paid once again on box jumps, oh well.  I will take a PR on "Isabel" of 1:57 when my previous best was 2:18.

I will post a video of my other workouts from the last few days early this week.

Hip Power

I have still been working on more speed and it is coming around.  A few days ago I did this workout:

1k row + 50 BJs 24"

I was tired of all the pacing and strategy involved with the Sectional WODs so I didn't feel like holding back and started by rowing my as off.  I finished rowing at 3:12.  Then I hustled over to the box and did my first jump then the lactic acid built.  I took a couple breaths and then paired a couple jumps together then my legs literally locked up.  I couldn't link together more than 2 or 3 the rest of the workout.  I never felt this before as I felt good but my legs just wouldn't work.  This teaches me a valuable lesson - PACE!  I did feel quick off the ground though which is what I've been working on.

Here are a couple videos of more maximal hip power with snatches, a max height box jump and hang cleans.  I got a 52" box jump then couldn't stand tall on the 54.5".  The snatches and cleans are coming around and feeling quicker and stronger.  If anyone sees anything I can work on, please let me know.

Sectional WOD # 6

The last Sectional WOD is over.  I felt good in this one and had some good subsequent workouts over the weekend.  At the end of 6 weeks I placed 5th in the Region and 57th worldwide.  I'm fairly happy with these placements as I tried not to get too hung up on it.  I needed to stick with my game plan and continue training as I think I achieved that.  I got better throughout the 6 weeks and now I feel ready to dial it in for a month leading up to Regionals on June 3.  This is where it counts; I have to be top three at Regionals to move on.  I will have to find a way to make that happen.