Back From Holidays

I have spent the last week camping with the fam and some friends.  It is always lovely to get away although not so nice to be in a camper trailer in the middle of a heatwave.  I had grand plans of doing a couple of  camping WODs but it was waaaay too hot.

My baby girl

Moo

Our early morning visitor

Keppel Island

Kicking back

It hurt getting back into Crossfit this morning.  Not only has the heatwave continued but a week of overindulging has made me feel weak as a kitten and add to that a very 'un-fun' WOD of:

Dead-Lift

5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3

-

Then..

-

For Time:

50 Double Unders

18 DeadLifts B/W

50 Double Unders

15 DeadLifts B/W

50 Double Unders

12 DeadLifts B/W

50 Double Unders

9 DeadLifts B/W

50 Double Unders

6 Dead Lifts B/W

50 Double Unders

3 DeadLifts B/W

Run 1 Mile

I stupidly decided to attempt RX'd for this little sucker and regretted it in the first round of deadlifts.  This WOD nearly broke me and I admit to having a few tears midway through the workout.  People were going out for their run and I was still stuck on my 3rd round of deadlifts.  My hands were tearing from the deadlifts as they had softened up from a week off and lots of swimming.  I felt unwell and was sore but the only thing that kept me going was the fact that I didn't want a DNF (did not finish) after my name on the whiteboard.

I finished the WOD in 33:45, around 10 minutes after most of the people who trained in the morning session. I'm proud of this workout as I wanted to give up and yet I didn't.  I may have walked most of the run and I struggle to link double unders and deadlifts but I fought every inch of the way and that can only make me stronger.  I'm grateful, yet again, for my coaches as well as my teammates.  Gabby and Zoo met me out on the run and cheered me on for the home stretch, there were others waiting for me back at the box with the hose running so I could cool off in the water.  There are the WODs that I know I killed and then there are WODs like these ... and I reckon these types of WODs matter most.

New socks!

It takes some serious talent to whip your belly during double unders

Just What I Needed

This was today's WOD:

For Time:

-

Row 800m

Run 1 Mile

18 Wall Walks

Run 1 Mile

80 Double Unders

-

Turkish get Ups and band Pull apart’s with any remaining time.

 

To be honest this workout filled me with dread.  I would be one of the slowest rowers and runners at my box, my double unders still need a LOT of work and I still have issues with going upside down.  I have to admit I had a minor meltdown last night after looking at the scores online for the last few days training plus seeing this workout AND attempting some headstands.  I looked at my goals that I set a few months ago and realised that I haven't really achieved much since then and my immediate thought was ,"why should I bother!" (with a few expletives thrown in).  Yeah, I was having a sooky-la-la moment which wasn't helped by my hubby's tough love approach.  He doesn't tolerate my whingey "I suck at everything" moans ... and often calls me on it when I start but sometimes I just need a hug.

 

This morning I procrastinated while getting ready and nearly talked myself out of going.  All the things I have been reading regarding training recently were going around in my head.  Do I feel like this because I really need to rest or am I just cherry picking my workouts?  I dragged my arse to the gym.

 

I was in the second wave and tried to set a decent speed for the rower.  I have been working on my stroke rate but I think I'm getting worse.  As usual I was the last off the rower.  I did the usual shuffle for my run leg and was happy that I just kept 'running'.  I liked the wall walk part of it.  My scaling was floor walks as I can't get vertical into the handstand against the wall.  The second run was tougher but at the same time this was where my mind went into a 'happy place', I focused on the sun on my face and the lovely breeze.  The double unders were tough, I wasn't feeling well by this point and was really sucking in the air but I didn't scale these and for that I am proud.  I got a few good runs with these with the limiting factor being my pelvic floor muscles.  Again, I'm amazed at how you can talk yourself into things and I set myself the goal of the last 10 being unbroken which I achieved.  It's the little things like that that make me happy.

 

As I spent some time after I finished to cheer on the others I didn't have time to do the turkish get ups but did a few pull aparts to complete the workout for the day.

 

I think I needed this workout.  I have loved the strength stuff we have been doing recently but it has been getting me down a little.  It was nice to just do a cardio based workout where I could just chip away and get into a groove.

Sigh

I trained Monday and haven't trained since ... well, apart from walking Mossy.  I don't have any energy and, to be honest, I don't want to collapse in a heap on our holidays next week.

Is it odd that I feel like I've lost my identity?  I'm the workmate/friend who lifts heavy stuff, who has callused hands and bruised legs, who is fit and strong.  I feel like that has been taken away from me (and it's only been a week!!!)  I don't feel fit, I feel tired and weak.  I look forward to training everyday.  I check out the WOD and plan my scaling and strategy.  I love it and I feel like I'm more than a mum who works fulltime.

Anyway, enough of being the drama queen, I know I'll be back into it soon enough.

La-La-La

That's me with my fingers in my ears, trying to block out what I already know.  I've been looking around the net this morning and came across this blog Jocelyn On Overtraining. Here is an exerpt from it:

Listen, even as a coach who knows better, and as a coach who has had some serious conversations with quite a few of you, it can happen. Overtraining. It is common in CrossFit. It is common even here at the box. And it can be serious.

Having said that, I just want to make one thing clear to those of you at the box who are obsessed about your numbers on the board, or who are pushing yourself extra hard just to be extra fit in general. TOO MUCH TRAINING CAN AND WILL LEAD TO A DECLINE IN PERFORMANCE. 

 

It is a condition called, you guessed it, Overtraining Syndrome.

 

According to Curtin School of Physiotherapy there are two types of overtraining–Overreaching and Overtraining (staleness). Overreaching is the first phase of Overtraining. It consists of abnormal muscle soreness as a result of not allowing enough recovery time between workouts. It will usually happen after several days of hard training and if you aren’t too stubborn to recognize it, it is fairly easy to reverse with a day’s rest and some extra hydration.

 

Overtraining (also called staleness) occurs when an athlete completely ignores the signs of Overreaching (insert the sound of me clearing my throat at all of you over-trainers out there) and continues to train. Many of us athletes think that if we did not beat our Jackie time on a given day, or did not break our previous deadlift PR, that this reflects poor performance and thus signals the need for even harder training. So the next day, we might come in and do TWO workouts to push ourselves further. Unfortunately, this only breaks down our bodies more. It is extremely difficult to recover from Overtraining. In fact, it can actually require weeks, or worse, months of time off. And I KNOW none you want to be forced to take that much time off from this wonderful haven of blood, sweat, tears, and Sam yelling in your ear to get your elbows up or Kyle’s black heart programming workouts in which there is a burpee/pullup punishment for having to rest during sets of heavy KB Swings.

 

Furthermore, athletes are more susceptible to breakdown and overtraining if there are other stressors present in their lives such as work, school, relationships, kids, etc. Huh? Other stressors and responsibilities in life besides CrossFit? Who woulda thunk?

 

I want you all to take a good look at this list of Symptoms of Overtraining: 

 

Training related:

* Unusual muscle soreness after a workout, which persists with continued training.

* Inability to train or compete at a previously manageable levels.

* “Heavy” leg muscles, even at light exercise intensities (walking upstairs, jogging 200m for warm ups)

*Delay in recovery from training.

*Performance plateaus or even declines (again, this is me clearing my throat at a few of you).

*Thoughts of quitting or skipping training sessions.

 

Lifestyle related:

* Prolonged general fatigue.

* Increase in tension, depression, anger, or confusion.

* Insomnia, inability to relax, or poor quality of sleep.

* No energy, decreased motivation, moodiness.

* Things once enjoyable are no longer.

* A compulsive need to exercise (to make up for poor performance, reach fitness goals, etc).

 

Health Related:

* Increased incidence of injuries (again, me clearing my throat).
* Increased occurrence of sickness.

* Increased blood pressure and morning pulse (resting heart rate).

* Irregular menstrual cycle or loss of menstrual periods.

*Weight loss, appetite loss (or even a stop in weight loss even though you are training hard with a calorie deficit).

* Constipation or diarrhea.

 

Spend some time on this list. Are there even a handful of symptoms that apply to you? If so maybe you should seriously consider taking an extra rest day or two. Trust me, I know from experience how hard that is to do. Even as a coach, when it comes to my own regimen I find myself rationalizing my own overtraining behaviors. But with less than adequate rest, we will be doing far more harm than good for our bodies and might end up putting ourselves in a position where we are forced to take weeks or even months off from training. I have a feeling none of us would be happy about that. One thing for sure, my workout journal entry today will simply say REST.

 

In all honesty I could most probably tick most of these.  I am finding it hard to cut back on my training and as I think about it I wonder if it's because of that old comparison monster kicking in again.  You see, people who started CF after me are overtaking me and leaving me for dust.  They are achieving things that are on my goal list and I'm still fumbling around with my lame attempts and no success.  The same people CF and play other sports and never seem to have rest days (some of them talk of going for a run on Sundays, just because ... I'm flat out getting out of my PJs).  I feel like I have to keep training for fear that I will get further and further behind.  Okay, so these people are also 15, 20 or close to 30 years my junior and don't have kids/work full time ... but it must be that *insert sarcastic tone* I'm not working hard enough or that I'm too slack to take the time to work on my weaknesses. 

 

I need to remind myself to be kind to myself, yet again! This is my training ... stop comparing yourself, Michelle!

Conquering Fears

Or at least I'm trying to.

As I have said in the past, the thing I struggle with most at CF is the dreaded box jump.  It comes up so often in our workouts and I have had enough of having to modify my training due to the fact that I'm afraid of hurting myself.  I don't believe I have that explosive power required to jump and if I don't believe in myself of course it will never happen.  I spent Sunday afternoon practicing on my step which is 6".  I started with my usual 1-2 skip ... it's like there's a part in my brain that says if I leave one foot down, if I trip I will be okay .... eventually I was jumping with 2 feet together.  I then moved to a step outside which is 8", again starting with the skipping motion but getting to the point of jumping properly.  Right-o, I had made a start to getting over this fear.

Monday is Crossfit day.  I checked the WOD and it consisted of 7 x 5 sumo deadlift high pulls and then seated box jumps.  This is where you start sitting on a box and then jump onto another box.  The fact that you are sitting gives you more power and the ability to jump higher.  I was nervous but felt like I need to start to deal with this.

I started to chicken out as soon as I saw the 20" box come out and, thankfully, there is another girl who does step ups.  I thought I was the only one there who couldn't jump!  We asked what we could do instead.  Sean, the head coach, asked both of us if we were interested in using today as a confidence building exercise and use the plate weights to start off.  The other girl wasn't so sure but I was pretty keen ... today was the day to do this!  We stacked a couple of 25 kg plates and jumped on those.  I think it was about the same height as I was doing at home and I landed them. J (my box jump partner) stacked another and I did the old skippy thing I do ... I just couldn't get both feet to move at once.  She aced it and added more while I stuck to the lower height.  It's funny as we were discussing it and she is afraid of the box so jumping the height isn't an issue whereas I'm afraid of the height ... it doesn't matter what I'm jumping onto.

As we were jumping onto our little weights I was watching the others jumping onto their boxes stacked with weights as well.  Some of the girls were jumping well over 30" and here's me struggling to jump a few weights.  I felt like such a numpty and have to admit I went home feeling a little deflated.

I have to take note of the advice I give to my kids and remember that I will only get better with practice and if I have to take it really slowly to build my confidence then so be it.  Next time box jumps come up I will see if I can do them with the stacked weights again because I am not going to improve while I continue to do step ups and I will try and fit in some practice a couple of times a week.  I'm not going to let it beat me!

A Couple of Days Off

Ouchies

This is what happens when you mess around with hot toffee.  I got a little impatient while making the croquembouche on Saturday and unfortunately spilt toffee on a few fingers.  This finger is still blistered today and as a result I have taken a few days of weight training.  The unfortunate part is, while I could substitute with some cardio, my training has come to a total stand still and I have found it hard to have the motivation to even take the dog for a walk.  Today I feel flat and a little grumpy.  In hindsight, I should have kept up with some sort of training as I feel I need it to keep me mentally balanced particularly as I have a few other things going on.  Another lesson learnt.

Putting My Big Girl Panties On

My video didn't make it as a finalist in this week's challenge and as a result I've had a slight case of 'the sads' today.  Considering a few of the finalists were 'repeat offenders' and are often getting acknowledged in the program I felt like I wasn't part of the cool crowd.  To be honest, I didn't think my video was worthy but it would be nice to have some recognition for my part in the program.  I could try and hide my my feeling but, you know what, I think it's okay to feel disappointed.  I've acknowledged it and have put on my big girl panties and am moving forward. Besides, my training has rocked lately and that makes me happy :-)

Been Awhile

I have been very slack with regard to blogging but to be perfectly honest I haven't felt that positive and nobody wants to read whingy posts. While I have been trying to get my head in the right place my workpants continue to get tighter and even though I'm only 53 kg I feel uncomfortable and disgusting. Anyway, its back to the old drawing board again!

Until I get myself back on track I will take a break from blogging. While this blog is for me to keep track of my fitness goals - warts and all - I really don't feel up to logging this part of my journey. See you in a few.

Back to work :o(

Yep, it was back to work today. While I wasn't really looking forward to going back to the daily grind I have to say I prefer having that routine in my life. I have let loose the last couple of weeks and have put on a couple of kg's as a results. Not to worry - I know I can lose it with some clean eating and kick-arse training sessions.

We dropped the girls off at their Grandparent's for the week. I'm using it as an opportunity to ride to work again which I find as a great way to get some exercise in as well as do my bit for the environment. Mind you it was pretty tough going this morning as I was riding into the wind and has some nasty DOMS from Saturday's leg workout. I tried to make it better by changing my mindset. At the start I was riding along muttering, "f***ing wind, f***ing DOMS" but by the end of the ride I was telling myself that I was burning extra calories because I had to work that bit harder and the ride will help me get rid of the DOMS. Sometimes I have to play these mind games although, when riding to work I just have to grit my teeth and get the job done unlike hopping on cardio equipment where I can stop whenever I want.