CF NorCal Qualifier: Sunday

From a judge's perspective, Sunday was much more low-key than Saturday. We got to show up a little bit later, there were not as many setup hiccups, and everyone had a better idea of what needed to happen. The workout was going to require a LOT of judges, so they press-ganged all the logistics volunteers to become judges. Rebecca and I got to be thruster judges, which (in my opinion) was the best slot. We didn't have to switch out weights in the mud like the deadlift team, and we weren't out in Siberia like the OHS judges. We got a great view of the field, and an easy movement to judge - just make sure they break parallel and reach full extension.



The organizers had the great idea to allow the general public to signup for practice runs at the workout before the official heats, which quite a few people did. This allowed us some trial runs in a low-stakes setting, which really helped work out any kinks in our setup. There weren't many, though - it's a straightforward job. There were six official heats total, spaced about 40 minutes apart. It was fun to watch from our spot up on the hill, though unfortunately it rained nearly all morning. The dirt there is really great, though - nice and sandy, so the mud wasn't slippery or dangerous.



Polly's heat was very exciting. After she went through our station, Rebecca and I ran up the other side to watch her at the OHS (damn that hill is steep!), and as she staggered away from the OHS I ran back down to watch her hit the finish line. It was a thrilling ending. When they came out of the trees, Candace was about 100 feet in front of Polly, and they were racing pell-mell down that incredibly steep slope. Polly - who is fearless at downhill - turned that 100 foot lead into about 10 feet by the time they hit bottom. Candace wasn't going to let her win, though, and they crossed the finish line a second apart. Polly squeaked into the top five, guaranteeing her a spot at the Games in June! Very exciting.

I got to try my own hand at the workout afterwards - though I scaled it down considerably.

"Catch 22"
22 deadlifts @ 225#
Farmers walk with 25# dumbbells to top of inner loop (hill)
22 thrusters with 25# dumbbells
Farmers walk with 25# dumbbells to bottom of inner loop (hill)
Run to pull-up bar and do 22 chest-to-bar pull-ups
Run to top of outer loop (hill)
22 overhead squats @ 65#
Run to bottom of inner loop (hill)

22:16

It was a fun workout. I had some trouble with the C2B pullups (really need to work on those more), but the killer was the OHS. When I came into the station, I was first in my heat and on the heels of the heat ahead of me. When I left, I was one of the last in my heat. And most of my OHS weren't even to true full depth! It was embarassing. Yet another thing to add to the list of shit I need to be better at.

It was a great weekend - a lot more work than I was anticipating, but definitely worth it. Met a lot of really cool folks and got to hang out with friends in a beautiful (albeit a bit soggy) location. And everyone was passionate about CrossFit, so I felt right at home. Can't wait until June! I will be an observer at the games. CFEB will be sending a team to the affiliate cup, and I'll be happy to cheer them on - I'm not quite strong enough yet to be on the team myself. Maybe next year.

The end to heavy lifting week

Well, it was a nice change of pace to something a little less ass-kicking, but it's come to an end. Max has promised something brutally punishing tomorrow, so today we got our last little bit of slow reps with long rests:

Kettlebell Hang Clean and Push-Press 7-7-7-7-7 each arm

12kg - 16 - 16 - 20 - 20 - 24(f)

It was exactly this movement that infamously fucked up my shoulder a couple months ago, so I approached it pretty cautiously today, starting at a weight that was far too light. The 1 pood was enough to wind me, and it got hard once I went up to 1.25 pood. By the time I tried the black 1.5 pood, I was pretty tuckered out, and couldn't get more than 3 reps on my left side and none on my right (this movement is, oddly, easier on my left side). I do think I was better about form, though, keeping the weight towards the center of my body - but my form definitely deteriorates at higher weights. 20kg is really where I need to be for a little while longer, at least until I can dial in all the efficiencies of the form and get the 1.5 pood.

Also: Farmer's walk, 140 pounds each arm, maybe 100m?

Rawr. Sell it!

They said the weight carriers weighed 90# each, but I'm not sure I believe them. That would essentially mean I deadlifted 280# and then walked two basketball courts holding the weight. Maybe that's true, but my 1RM max deadlift was 285# last time I tried it, so I'd be surprised. I think it would make more sense if they weighed 45# each.