Sunday, November 9, 2008 by Rebecca

Performance Testing

Warm up: ME, Burgener Warm up, run 400m

WOD:
1: One Mile Run

2: Max Rep Pull-Ups
-Advanced: C2B Pull-Ups
-Intermediate: Pull-Ups
-Beginner: Jumping Pull-Ups

3: 400 Meter Run

4: Max Rep Push-Ups

5: Max Rep Kettlebell Swing
-Advanced: 2P/1.5P
-Intermediate: 1.5P/ 1P
-Beginner: 1P/.75P

Results:
1: 11:11
2. 19 Jumping
3. 2:08
4. 24!!!
5. 16 - ha ha ha

Comments:
I really debated whether to go to class today or not. Yesterday was a huge amount of work, and I didn't get to bed until almost 2 and I was having major anxiety about work ... but I wanted to do some sort of aerobic activity before breaking my fast ... so I decided that I would go to class with Daniel, just do the mile, and be done with it. Ha. Right.

ooo - well - here's why this blog is awesome. Until just this second, I thought that my best mile time was 10:30, and today was a bit of a let down. Well - my memory clearly SUCKS - because I went to check my past time, and it turns out my GOAL is to get down to 10:30, and my previous best time was 11:21, so today's effort was ACTUALLY a PR! go me!

I still had major cramping issues in the last half. I dunno why, but practically the second i cross the 'start' line and begin the second half of the mile the cramp just appears. Slowly, but I can feel it gathering, and despite my best efforts to breathe it away, it still comes and smacks me down. I dunno if it's a psychological thing or my insides are really just only ready to put up with so much jostling before they tell me to QUIT IT ALREADY! Today it got so bad that I couldn't run 2 steps without serious pain.

I was probably between 200 meters or so away from the finish at 9:45, and I REALLY wanted to just run through the cramp - i was pretty sure I could hit 10:30 if I did - but I just couldn't quite do it. I DID manage to run the last 50-75 yards at a reasonable clip, though. I'd like to try running a mile at a proper track and see how that goes.

Max decided that the way to measure 'Max Rep' jumping pullups was that the jumping had to be continuous, and as soon as you failed to get your chin above the bar, you're done. I got 19. I feel like this is slightly confusing max continuous reps and max reps. For pullups, 'max reps' counts as long as you don't let go of the bar. You can hang as long as you're able. I think that for jumping pullups, the same sort of concept should count. Obviously you can't count holding onto the bar as any form of work with jumping pullups, but you should be able to count all good reps - even if there are a couple bad ones in there - as long as you are continuously jumping and actively trying to get good reps - little mini 'resting jumps' wouldn't count. Anyway. Next time. 19 is still pretty decent - especially the day after clean & jerks and SEVEN climbs!

the 2:08 400m is - astonishingly - the best one I have run recently. Though not a PR, I have to go back - and it was AFTER having run a mile! I was the last one done - but the only person who had my own stop watch and therefiore the only one who got my time, since apparently max had a stop watch malfunction. He tried to make everyone run it again after 3 minutes rest, but there was a class rebellion, and we just moved on to pushups.

so ... 24!! wow. Downward dog was a bit more helpful today than it was last week, but, again given how thrashed I felt this morning, I'm kinda astonished.

by the time the KB swings came up, I was just tired and done, and the 16 was a sort of halfhearted effort with the 12kg KB. someone walked kinda close to me and made me lose my concentration, and I was fine with that.

You know - it's kida fascinating ... most of today, and up until the writing of this post, I sort of felt like most of this workout was a wash - the original title had a "*snicker*" appended to it it because i thought it was kinda laughable to have tried to test performance on a day I felt so donein. But I actually got PR's, or near PR's for most of the exercises. I wonder how much was attributable to working out fasted, and taking advantage of the additional recovery fasting offers.

Daniel said that he was talking to a classmate today after class who said that he was inspired by me. Specifically by my willingness to push beyond merely 'tired' and really push for those extra reps or that shorter time or that extra weight. That was really nice to hear, especially when I wasn't personally very impressed with how I did today - although clearly I underestimated my performance.

Afterwards we went Rudy's where I had a Monster burger (two 6 oz patties) and FRENCH FRIES! and ate EVERYTHING. Wow was I hungry. I even had a huge class of milk before we got our food. Daniel was astonished when, after I polished off my massive hamburger, I proceeded to also polish off most of my fries. Frankly, I was too. But - FRENCH FRIES. Definitely couldn't let those go to waste! mmmmmm.

3 comments:

Ev said...

Great tenacity, Bekka! I hope work is less stressful today and that you get some good rest and recovery time. Congrats on your push-up and one mile run PR too.

Melissa Urban said...

First of all, 24 push-ups are no joke. I'm way impressed. But it definitely speaks to your determination AND your improved conditioning that you pushed through this one AND scored some PRs. WAY TO GO!!!

Jenn said...

Congrats on the one-mile PR - that 10:30 is close enough to taste! And doing a 2:08 400 after the mile shows how much your running has improved. 24 pushups - fantastic! That would put you over 80% for the Army PT test. Pushing through your fatigue and getting the PRs is a testament to your determination.

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