Everyday people doing the EXTRAORDINARY together!

Great song by Nicole Mullen
EVERYDAY PEOPLE

What an extraordinary year at our Synergy Strength home. MU PR's all around for so many of us, 531lb. back squat, a 1:58 FRAN, a baby boy lifter and CrossFitter on the way for a special couple and new Synergy locations to help more people get fit and fitter!! There was a Bronze medal in there too.

Whats' really cool about this is we are all everyday people doing these extraordinary things TOGETHER. I know exactly where every success comes from in my life. I also know there are many more  in the plan for me if I will just acknowledge them. I'm listing to this great audio book, "The Power Of I AM" by Joel Olsteen. It's a story about the words we choose to speak and the great power they hold.

There is more hope for a stupid fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.

Proverbs 29:20 (GNT)

I have started being especially mindful of the words I speak to myself. Words I put after I AM. I AM excelling at butterfly pull-ups. I AM well prepared for The Open. I AM approved and anointed. As everyday as I AM, I also know that I will do extraordinary things because I AM a child of the most awesome, high God. 

OOoooo... did I just mention The Open?? 

Only days until we register for The Open. I've had several enquiries as to whether I'm going to compete again. It makes me smile 'cause it's like asking me if I'm going to breathe today. My lovely sister who made the trip to Carson to watch me in 2015 said, "You're going to do that AGAIN?" Hahahahah, yup. 

Yes, yes I am going to compete again. It's been woven into my fabric, it's in my DNA, if you look closely at my eyes you can see that word, tell me you're out to best me in a workout and pay attention to the look I give you.  Where can one find more fun?

Lately I've been coaching on the importance of having a plan to reach a goal for a workout. A member told me the plan for 15.5 was not to die. We explained to her that not dieing is NOT a plan, it's the goal. What's your plan to make that goal happen? In the end no one died from 15.5 and we learned the value of a plan.

What's my goal for this year of competing? My goal is to win GOLD at the Games in 2016. Here's a start to the plan to make that happen:
1) close the gaps in my CrossFit skills (butterfly pull-ups, MU's, Oly lifts)
2) ensure my level of fitness is at it's peak (run this winter 'cause it's going to be a good winter to run in SK)
3) master reading a workout to optimize my strengths and minimize my weaknesses
4) focus on performance not outcomes

Sounds solid to me. Wait though till Coach Chad reads this. It will be followed by a text with a subliminal message and maybe a summoning to his office. On a side note, a gal walked into the NE location on a Wednesday when Coach Chad was there and she asked, "Are you Laurie?" And he quickly replied, "I wish I was but no." Mostly true.

I'm very excited for The Open to start as SO many of us at Synergy are. We've been working hard, calling each other out and getting the extra reps. In essence taking Coach Benko's programming and hammer smashing it. WE ARE READY!!

I'm an everyday person doing the extraordinary because I have an extraordinary God who has given me an extraordinary CrossFit community. Do you believe the same about yourself? Try it.

I know where it all comes from.

Deity ~ Nicole C Mullen

For who is God besides the Lord?

    And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength[a]

    and keeps my way secure.

 

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

    he causes me to stand on the heights.

2 Samuel 22:32-34New International Version (NIV)

Going, going...gone

I just competed in my third CrossFit Games. It’s been two years since my last trip to Carson. Here's my story of the 2015 Games.

Sunday July 19^th

Seeing my beautiful daughter, Justine, immediately upon landing could not have made me happier. Well the turkey and blueberries she had for me came in a close second. AND she was ready with the Uber app to get us a taxi.

I could use that height for rowing, you know. 

It wasn’t long and we were walking into the Manhattan Beach Marriott to register and pick up my games equipment. It was exciting for me to have Justine there. The other two years I did this alone. 

There was a short wait for one of the Reebok reps to come and take us into the change area where we walked to a high bar table. He placed a BIG box labelled with my name on the table and handed me a new sports bag. I was waiting for him to open the box but he knew how to make it fun. He explained how the uniforms were chosen this year and pointed out the gal who designed them. He talked about a special make-up kit she put together for each Master’s athlete. It included waterproof mascara that I hope you all noticed me wearing. Finally he smiled at the look on my face or maybe at the size of my biceps and opened the box. 

It took forever to try it all on. And I mean trying just one of everything since we received multiples of each piece. It did get my shoulders mobile. 

Next was the accessories stop. I was pretty sure we were getting a pair of shoes but when my Reebok rep told me we were getting five pairs of shoes my jaw dropped. Trying on five pairs of shoes took even more time.  Justine was an angel not saying a word as I tried on each pair at least three times. She packed each pair into the new bag. We moved on to get a water bottle, a hat, a toque, a swim cap (EEK!! Courtney!!), five pairs of socks, knee sleeves and headbands. It was crazy!

Back to the Uber taxi and off to our house in Venice, CA. It was really nice but no AC. That was a slight oversight when booking. I hit the pillow with quite a headache that night. I’m pretty sure it was not enough food.

Monday July 20^th

I woke up feeling much better. We headed over to Duece CrossFit where we met Logan, coach/owner. Coach Chad was in heaven. Logan ran Strongman seminars, which meant the box was very well outfitted for a Strongman workout. However, I’ve never heard someone complain so much about the heat. #itssohotouthere #imdieing #clairemorewater

Nicole, Claire, Justine and Matt did the class WOD. I think there were some Grace PR's!!! I worked on 10 repetitive snatches, T2B, C2B and some of the fun things being done in the WOD such as rolling pistols.

CrossFitters always have arms around each other. 

Coach Chad and I took off soon after this for the Stubb Hub Center in Carson for a briefing on the WODs. This year was a little different than what I knew from previous years. Coaches and athletes were going to be very separate. Our coach could only come into the warm up area with us. We were walked into the stadium the way we would go before each workout and the coaches went a different way. This was my view as we headed down the tunnel into the stadium for the first time. 

My first look at ZEUS.

What we found out at this briefing was that we had to be present each morning at 7:30 am to get the real briefing on each day’s WOD's. So much for knowing a little more.

We got moved to our warm up area to wait for our coaches. It was a mass workout going on before anyone could say 3 2 1 go. We all wanted to test the equipment. I immediately noticed the Free From treadmills and wondered if this was a clue to our 1000 m run. Needless to say I jumped on that first to figure it out. Next I moved to the pull up bars. WOW they were high, higher than I had ever practised on, but not too bad. We would have a block to the side if needed to step up on. I didn't give that pull-up bar much more thought at the time.  

Tuesday July 21st

The Triplet

To be honest I can't remember a thing about starting this workout. All I remember is finishing the first GHD's and running up to the ZEUS rig. I'm not sure what it looked like for you, the spectators, but it truly was ominous. It was like a Transformer ready to reach out and grab me. What I'm about to explain happened in less than 2 seconds so keep that in mind. I run up to Zeus with great confidence that I will jump to that pull-up bar and knock out my first 3 C2B's. I get under that pull-up bar and look up. (remember, MAYBE 2 seconds) It felt like I stood there and just stared. As I looked up it was dizzying. I could see my pull-up bar and the other huge bar at the top of Zeus and then to the cloudy sky that had no ceiling. What I couldn't tell was exactly how high my pull-up bar was. My depth perception was shot. I jumped thinking, "Please let me catch that bar." 

After that lucky jump I went straight to the box at the side knowing this was not going to go like it did in practise. The C2B's in this workout proved to be my undoing. I was not prepared for Zeus. The 16th place finish really didn't bother me, surprising even to me. I knew there were a lot of points up for grabs yet and some of them were going to be after my name. 

Max Thruster
I'm very proud of this workout. I thrustered 160# even though it got no-repped for my feet moving. My successful 157# got me a 1st place tie. Looking back on this event, I waited too long to attempt 157#. I knew I would have time for three attempts BUT I had to be absolutely sure that 157# was going up so I used up a substantial amount of time resting for it. An error? Perhaps.

SQT
The practise run-through of this workout really hurt and as such, I was most nervous about this one. It was way too fast to make mistakes. I worked very diligently on visualising how it would go and continued to tell myself it was a good workout for me.

At the end of round two I found myself in a good place. In a field of 20 athletes it's hard to know where you are in the mix. I made a mental mistake by thinking Cindy Kelly, next to me was my only competition. When I picked the bar up for the 3rd round of snatches before she did plus saw her stop in that last set of 10, I slowed down thinking I could take a little break. We both, however, were being clearly beaten down the row by two other gals who found another gear for round 3, Kelli Dean and Tracy MacEachern. I was disappointed in my performance in this workout because I didn't feel completely drained after. It was kind of, sort of an indicator that I didn't leave it all on the field. That's NOT the person I want to spend more time with at the finish line.

Wednesday July 22nd

The Long Chipper
During the briefing of this event we discovered that the run would include an uphill climb three times. I knew this would not be as fast as my flat road run in the practise. AND I only had about a minute to spare in the practise run over the time cap given to us. Therefore it would be a race to get as far as I could into these reps. And I would have to have to face that pull-up bar owned by Zeus. Coach Chad had me prepare for this by practising how to get my grip in place as I anchored myself with my foot against Zeus. Only then would I move into my kip and get going. This all had to happen swiftly and efficiently. Another mistake I made was not preparing for 10 ft wall ball shots. Remind me, please, to always throw to the 10 ft target and maybe even use a 16# ball.  :) That should prepare me. 

This one I remember the beginning well. We all had to stand touching the marker for our lane in the red paint. My judge tells me as soon as we start I can cut past my marker into the blue to head for the stairs. Great, I thought. Apparently no other judge told their athlete that because I was the only one who cut into the blue. I was sure someone would be coming out to grab me (maybe Zeus) and tell me I was disqualified for it. All was well. 

It was so hard to tell where we were in this run as we all had to run to our lanes to enter the field. I was sure I was behind even though the run felt quite good. I got to that 70# med ball go to it. There's some good and bad about the announcers. I focus on concentrating on my movements and yet you can hear them and want to listen to get a sense of where you are in the mix. Apparently I wasn't as far behind as thought on the run or the med balls went really fast because I get to the box jump-overs tied in first. Nice I thought. This is fun. I really did feel great all through this part. Then...Zeus and the C2Bs. I was prepared this time. Our practise payed off. They went much better than on Day 1. I definitely didn't stay in first place but ended this event in 8th place. I was surprised at that...and pleased. 

Double Hanger
At this point I was running out of workouts to get close to the podium. These last two workouts, including this one, went well in the run-through. I knew this was about controlling the DU's. I could go unbroken on the hang C&J. So the plan was to be slow and controlled on my DU's to save grip and forearms for the C&J. I felt really confident about this plan. 

And now I start laughing almost hysterically as I go back to this workout in my head. I totally panicked from the first set of DU's. You know how I said earlier hearing the announcers can be good or bad. Here they were bad BUT it was my choice to let them influence me that way. I could hear them saying names of other athletes that were heading to the C&J and I had at least 30 DU's left to do. It was a total rookie reaction. Change my plan on the fly. And then it began. Trip up after trip up on the DU's. I finally get to the C&J and do them unbroken. If I had been listening then to the announcers I would have heard how I moved ahead of several athletes on my unbroken C&J's and MAYBE could have calmed myself down. That would have been a veteran reaction but no. I chose to throw my plan out the window with the kitchen sink and play another game. Anyway it makes me laugh because I remember right now how I felt right then. It was total panick. And that person is NOT who I want to meet at the finish line either. 

The Sandwich
What can I say. I stuck to my plan and it worked. :) I wish I could have watched my judge's fingers more closely. I watched my interview. Man, I'm crazy...just slow down, stay calm and don't look so psycho. Sheesh. 

With Aaron and Liz!!! 

Final workout ~ Amanda
Coach Chad says the right thing 95.5% of the time. This was one of them "Hey, it's not what we hoped for but it's gives you a chance to prove yourself." Yes, Coach, it does.

I knew, in fact most of us knew we wouldn't finish in the time cap. Shellie E in 5th place knew she would and Tracy M in 2nd thought she had a chance. Shellie did indeed finish. I watched the replay of this workout and admire how calm and steady she was. She has a pretty deep gymnastics background but still worked very methodically at every rep. The rest of us got caught on bent arms in the bottom or lockout in the dip.

Again, no idea where I finished in this workout but I was certain I fell out of 3rd place. I am disappointed in myself that I didn't look to the crowd to wave at all my Synergy family who were cooking in the sun to watch me. They deserved a wave from me. All I was thinking about is that I will finish this workout in this time cap over the next year. 

Back in the tunnel. 
The 10 of us headed back into the tunnel. Our Reebok team told us to hang on as they need 3 people to go for drug testing. The first name they say is "Laurie with the long last name". Tracy M gives me a sideways hug and says "What's wrong?". I obviously was not hiding my stunned look. I said, "Oh no there's a mistake. Check that again." The Reebok gal smiled. I said, "Really there's a mistake. Check again." I'm not sure if my resolve not to accept her stats put everyone on alert but the drug testing got put on hold. 1st and 2nd were definite but 3rd place was definitely being verified. There were 5 of us sitting waiting for the results. Cindy Kelly with 1st, Tracy MacEachern in 2nd, and Sue Habbe who went into the final in 4th but finished ahead of me in the final, and Shellie Edington who was 5th going into the final but won it, and me. Shellie and Sue each thinking they may have jumped to 3rd and me who definitely thought I did not. 

Had I made that thankful and grateful look to my fans in the crowd before leaving the stadium floor I might have seen Coach Chad and Matty B waving frantically. They had already done the math and knew that I hung onto 3rd place by 2 points. Anyway, when we got the definite, final results in the tunnel I still didn't believe it and as dehydrated as I was, still had some tears. 

Remember reading one of my posts on "winning" and how I decided to see "winning"?  And of course there was Coach Chad's great response to my whining about my performance in The Open. Well I can tell you that stepping onto that podium in the 3rd place spot was ... winning at it's finest. 

This year was very different for me, going back. It wasn't my agenda. It was a bigger one. Thanks, Gen Grant, for this. It came with me to Carson. 

I always pray with joy...being confident of this,

that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion

until the day of Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 1: 3-6 (NIV)

Thanks Tudi! I found myself repeating this.

Yes Coach Chad. It's real. 

It's like Gold to me!!!

What a great ride!

Goof balls who know a little about fitness. :)

Family, community, friends, team mates, camaraderie, mentors, brotherhood, sisterhood, encouragement, suffering, laughing, bar slamming, torn callouses, sore everything...

Is the crazy growth in the sport of CrossFit over the last years due to the fact that crazy people have finally all come together in one place called a box? Maybe.

What is it about what we do at Synergy Strength Crossfit Saskatoon and CrossFit gyms around the world that keep so many coming back for more?

I'd like to know what you think because right now, you get to hear what I think.

Romans 12:10-11 (GNT)
10 Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another. 11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.

I go back to the first time I walked into Synergy Strength and yes, met Chad Benko, the guy with the weird leg tattoo. He walked me through "CrossFit stuff" some of which I could do and others I could not. For example, a strict pull-up. Nope couldn't get one. But I will not forget that, while pulling till I was very red I'm sure, this group of people I didn't know were kind of yelling. And then I realised they were cheering for me to make that pull-up. That's odd, I thought...and very nice.

I came to love so many people at the gym so quickly. Why? There was so much respect for each other. We all showed up to go into a workout together knowing it was going to hurt. Something about doing it together made all that pain okay. And being told that you did great at the end of it all was so encouraging. And being able to pay that forward by cheering someone on to finish the workout or get cheered on to finish the workout was...well it was love.

#1 reason why CrossFit has taken off: it has people workout together causing an incredible amount of energy to be released that results into no one getting left behind. Everyone makes it. At the end of it all, that's a lot of love and respect in one building.


Philippians 2:3(GNT)
3 Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.

Everyday there is something to celebrate for someone in CrossFit: less bands, no bands, more push-ups, less pain, bringing a friend, a big or little PR. What's great is it really isn't "my PR". We all tell a coach, "You got me here. Thanks." or a team mate, "Thanks for pushing me." A win belongs to the group...it's never a one person show.

#2 reason CrossFit has taken off: it's an environment where we all achieve personal success. Knowing we didn't do it alone makes it very enticing because we start to realise and believe there's another PR not too far off in the future. 

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Greg Glassman might say something like this, "Tell me the fitness levels of the 5 people you spend the most time working out with, and I'll tell you your fitness level." We are the sum of the people we spend our time with. Hang out with people who take that step over the line, add a little more weight to the bar, aren't afraid to miss, in fact look forward to missing so they can get closer to making it, and soon you are doing the same.

I am inspired by the newbie who wants to try kipping pull-ups, wants to keep adding to the dead lift bar. That desire to find your limits and surpass them, is how we are designed. Somewhere along the way of life, we get lost because of things people say, things we read, etc. At Synergy Strength we have the most amazing coaches that encourage us to sharpen our edge...sharpen it everyday just a little. AND then we all start doing it for each other.

#3 reason why CrossFit has taken off: we were created to be the BEST version of the GRANDEST vision we have ever had about ourselves. CrossFit does this because we all work and see it to the end together. No one is left behind and in that we all become our BEST at the moment.

Now the word "community". 

"a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals"

What can I say? At this event, I went inside to get water and ice. The young gal serving me asked, "Are you guys like fitness people?" I smiled and said, "Yes, we like fitness." This journey back to the CrossFit Games is not mine. It belongs to all of us. I am only as good as the people I hang out with. And I really think I'm pretty badass. And the guy in this picture with me, does he know how to smile for the camera or what??? 

The smiles, the words of encouragement, the coaching, the joking, the hugs, the shared pain of Hell Week, allowing me to play my music mix, spending one of your weekend days to enjoy each others company while helping me get to CA? It all makes me lower my chin and give gratitude. 

AND remember please...as tough and confident as you think I look or act, and maybe you think I'm even more badass than I do, I fear everything you do and work everyday to be confident. So words of encouragement and love you can show in any way, is very welcome. 

Here's some great words by others that capture why I love my CrossFit community. 

What's in the tool box? What's not in the tool box?

June 9th today. 6 weeks till July 19th when I fly out to Los Angeles.

When I started this blog The Games were so far away. I was looking up a very steep road. If I turn around and look back now, what do I see? I see a lot of dust that I kicked up from running as hard as I could up that road. AND it's been good. But, let's not spend time looking back...we have a trip to plan!

Back to the road ahead. My very first blog post used this picture because of it's very special meaning to me. Go back and read that post :) Here it is making another appearance.

I am very excited to be "Going Back" and I am still gearing up for The Games. My tool box is open and inventory being taken. 

Why not start with a lovely lady named Fran? PR'ed my Fran by 30 or so seconds this weekend. I'm still not at my fastest time ever for Fran but this PR was a great victory. Funny how that happens when you follow the programming and listen to your coaches. How is it possible to do thrusters SO slowly and PR by 30 seconds? 

Snatch and clean & Jerk. I'm very happy with progress here since I haven't had lifting PR's for "years". Yup, years. Double clean & jerk at 160#. 

I PR'ed Fight Gone Bad. I could only be so lucky that a bench mark WOD like this shows up at The Games.  NO pull-ups!!!  

And what about pull-ups? Well, a large part of the Fran PR was thrusters done slowly enough so I had gas to burn on pull-ups. And at the end of Fran when Dale Hopkins shows up to say, "Those pull-ups look way better but we still need more shoulder mobility.", I'll take that compliment. Thanks, Dale!

T2B. Well these have come a long way. No more singles in a workout. I'm working my way up to sets of 5. YAY YAY YAY!!

Thanks to Dawn Ciona for tweaking nutrition to shave off a little body fat. It's probably why I got two more bar dips than Matt Bathgate (thanks for the ego boost by telling me that, Matt. The name calling didn't even bug me) and maybe why I PR'ed that Fran. I however, did not back squat 225# for 2. Oh the delicate balance between lifting body weight and lifting weighted bars. I have great trust that Dawn will have this perfectly dialled in over the next 5 weeks. I have to pay close attention to how I'm feeling and of course, follow the plan. 

Tools that need more sharpening?

I can be seen doing the precarious hand stand walks quite regularly at the gym. Funny how that movement creates a range of emotion for the watching eyes. You either say "WOW" because it looks so stable and strong or "YIKES this is going to end badly." because of the flailing legs and banana body. I've still got a mix of both of those variations, WOW and YIKES. 

Muscle ups and bar muscle ups are tools still on order. I know this routine. Work, work, work at the skill breaking it down into it's parts. Spend time on both the parts and the whole. Patience. I wrote a post on my level of patience. Maybe you can go back and read that one too. :) Keep working when results appear to be elusive. The key there is "appear". Commit with intent and purpose and results are inevitable. 

And there's running and swimming. Running is a skill I came to CrossFit with but let go because I totally fell head over heals into CrossFit AND maybe let Coach Benko influence me with his take on running. 

Of course now Coach Benko is programming running for me. Not to worry, Coach. It's coming just fine. Swimming? Well, I'll finish whatever they throw at me when it comes to tight plastic caps that don't really keep the water out of my ears, eye wear that gives racoon circles and doesn't keep the water out either and lanes with a hard wall at the end that I need to pay attention to for safety reasons. 

There is one skill that is new to my tool box and I'm most excited about. Not sure there is one word to describe this skill. Let go of the results and love the process. Love being and doing and the having will fall into place. I'm no expert yet but I'm a million miles ahead of where I was. Let's see if Coach Benko notices because my attachment to results is something that, in the past, has brought me the closest to death by his hands. :) 

So here's the plan. Keep showing up for the workouts, keep resting, keep nutrition high, keep getting better mobility and keep smiling right up to 3, 2, 1, go. YOU TOO...keep showing up!! 

Be sure to substitute "PERSON" for "MAN" :)

The road to the Games...who has the map??

Yes, who has the map and what gear are we in? 

Ya OK. That video doesn't have anything to do with my question but it's an awesome way to open this blog post. The Avengers, a little reckless, smart, committed to their craft, and they don't, by any stretch, conform to the masses. All great Crossfit qualities. 

I recently watched the latest Transformer movie and kinda would like to change my gym name to Optimus Prime. He's older. He's wise, skilled and ... well he saves the world. I know, I know, slightly pretentious but one has to think big or go home. I'm pretty sure Coach Benko would choose The Hulk for my new gym name. That, in it's own way, would be a compliment. 

Road map and cruising gear? I got it. I know exactly where we are and what gear is doing the job. 

The Open was our first major pit stop to the Stub Hub Centre. It was our first chance to check how the engine was working, what kind of gas mileage we were getting and find out if this body was going to make the entire journey.  

Right off the hop 15.1 and 2 ran me through the gauntlet. It was a reality check on my weaknesses, those being any movements where I hang from the bar. I managed a little better in 15.1 with a triplet meaning I had some time before going back to the bar. 15.2 as a couplet however pushed me back for C2B pull-ups way too soon for my liking. That workout gave clear directions on getting to my destination so it was very useful...after I had my sissy fit and Coach Benko set me straight with a look and advice like this:

Laurie, you better tell me you gave it all you had...because we're here to save the world, not top the Leaderboard. 

After 15.2 I shifted into some better gears. I claim a personal victory with 14 MU's in 15.3. Hand stand push-ups proved a good test of push power. And 15.5 allowed my engine to be tested to the max. It performed well. 

So where are we right now? Going back over the plan to this point, my job was to improve every movement where I hang from the bar. The Open certainly tested this and although I didn't save the world or score where I wanted on the Leaderboard, I can celebrate huge gains in those movements due to training up to this point. I was able to hang onto multiple T2B's for most of 15.1 and doing pronated C2Bs? Well I wasn't sure I would ever achieve those. 

BUT...here's the best news. To have a decided heart and seek wisdom are two lessons from a great book. I chose both at the end of The Open. I accepted I had to go back to the beginning to improve my pull-ups. That possibly meant no more work on butterfly pull-ups. BUT...changing direction doesn't mean changing destination. After my heart became decisive about my plan I went to the source of Crossfit and gymnastic wisdom. 

Well Coach Benko and Coach Tron, I hope you ate ALL the candies and ALL the burger

because we're here to save the world, not be lean!!

Still, these are the minds I trust to draw out the best route to efficient pull-ups. Coach Benko put together the plan that I execute everyday. Coach Tron has spent time and thinking power to find 50 shades of Crossfit language to say the same thing about my bent arm pull-ups so that I get it. "Stop bending your arms!!" just didn't register for me. So now it's back to bands and single pull-up drills with bent arm ONLY at the right time. It has been a fascinating process. How long would you invest time and energy without seeing results / payback / reward? Even maybe feeling like you have regressed?? I'll tell you how long.

The payoff comes AFTER the time, intent, focus, energy is invested. And it's kinda like one day it just happens. My hands would hurt so much from being on that pull-up bar that I wondered if they would ever heal. And then one day I noticed they were better and NOT getting beat up as much from the volume. Granted, I have been paying close attention to their care and being diligent with it. Now isn't that odd! Give attention to something and results are produced. :) I can feel bent VS straight arms on my pull-ups now. I don't drop to single pull-ups in any workout...thus far. (BUT...haven't done Fran since my pull-up plan has been in effect) I am able to say in the middle of a workout before jumping on the bar, "I'm tired, yes, but let's think about this." That's kinda Optimus Prime-like. I continue to see how consistency, intent, purpose and small incremental steps are so subtle and so powerful.

I have to mention Michelle Dmytrowich at this moment. She leaped over a huge hurdle this past week. Michelle did Jackie Rx'ed with all un-banded pull-ups. WHOOP WHOOP!!! She questioned having the band there just in case. She made a choice not to and stuck to it. I know how great the experience was for Michelle to do all those pull-ups un-banded. After being crushed by deficit HSPUs in a past competition, I committed to using a deficit every time they were programmed. I have stuck to it but every time I ask, "Gee can I maintain the deficit for this workout?" I quickly say "YES" and move on. AND each time I complete the WOD with the deficit I learn more about my capacity only because I make the decision and act on it.  I know Michelle will now Rx more and more workouts because that person at the end of the workout is who she wants to spend more time with. Cheers to that person at the finish line, Michelle!! One of the best quotes I've heard lately:

"The nerves at the start never go away. 

I love myself at the finish line. 

That's the person I want to spend more time with. That's why I keep going back to the start line." 

- Rebecca Rusch, Endurance athlete.

I feel confident about heading into the Master's Qualifier on April 23rd. I have a great team of coaches who will be sure the weekend is well mapped. Randy Hills and I need to show up and give it all we have to save the world. I know there will be a Synergy Strength family working along side of us. And maybe some bananas and Nutella?? That is the making of a GREAT ROAD TRIP!!

Trust me and don't be afraid. 

Many things feel out of control. 

Your routines are not running smoothly.

You tend to feel more secure when your life if predictable.

Let me lead you to the rock that is higher than you and your circumstances. 

Take refuge in the shelter of my wings where you are absolutely secure. 

When you are shaken out of your routines, grip My hand tightly and

look for growth opportunities. 

Instead of bemoaning the loss of your comfort, accept the challenge of something new.

I lead you on from glory to glory, making you fit for MY kingdom. 

Say yes to the ways I work in your life.

Trust me and don't be afraid. 

~ Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Isaiah 12:2

Psalm 61: 2-4

2 Corinthians 3:1-8

TWO done, THREE to come

Interesting numbers on The 5th Annual Open!!





















Two done, three to come.

If this is your first Open, you've got your feet wet with two WODs. You have now experienced having a Judge count your reps, maybe even heard the dreaded NO REP? You've watched the WOD announcement on Thursday followed by those AMAZING athletes going head to head. Plus you have gone to bed dissecting your first attempt and how you are going to attack it the 2nd time to get more reps. Right? I'm pretty sure I'm right!

If you're one of the returning Synergy athletes you get to compare your scores to last year. In the case of this year, 15.2 was the repeat WOD. We have come to expect each year ONE workout to be a repeat from the previous year. This is one example of Crossfit being measurable. And it's very cool. Ask some of the Synergy athletes who got their first C2B and then multiples that they didn't have last year!! So proud to hear about all your PRs at our great gym!!

Sifting through my 15.1 and 15.2

If you have followed my posts you know the chink in my armour; gymnastics, shoulder mobility and the Olympic lifts. Gee, Laurie, that's not a chink in the armour. That leaves you pretty much naked when it comes to Crossfit!, said the smart-ass blogger. So, how did we handle this large chink so far?

15.1 ~ T2B, snatches and dead lifts,  and 15.1A ~ max C&J.

The chatter in my head at the announcement:

Well I just hit a PR on my C&J. Can I do it when I'm tired? T2B. I'm way better at them than the last time I competed, but how good am I at them? Games good? At least they are in a triplet where I don't have to be back on the bar so quickly. The dead lift is light...that's where I rest in this WOD. 

Chatter chatter chatter right up until it's time to do it. I'm thankful for great programming that keeps us "doing" what we do best at Synergy right through the Open. These days it seems to involve prowlers...often.

When 15.1 and 15.1A are played and laid to rest, it's good. T2Bs went better than in the past. I C&J'ed more than I have in past competitions and didn't land too far down in the standings with a WOD that exposed my weaknesses. ONWARD!! AND I had a great looking Judge for 15.1...way better looking than this guy who's always doing these silly memes.

Who is this guy doing all the cheesy Crossfit memes?

SEE? WAY handsome! I think he no-repped me once though on T2Bs. 

15.2 ~ Never saw it coming. The repeat WOD from 2014. I heard about it at the gym since I was coaching and didn't get to watch the announcement. AND since I didn't do the Open last year, I didn't know what everyone was talking about. I did however hear very clearly that there were C2B pull-ups.  Chatter chatter chatter:

Humph. I can at least do proper C2Bs now...not many but way better than one year ago. This might go OK. (Then I find out it's a couplet with light OHS). This might not go OK. I'll be back to the bar so soon...and 3 minutes to complete 24 C2B PLUS the 24 OHS. Humph. This might not go OK. 

So we roll into 15.2 on Friday. 2 C2B short of getting into the 14's. Easy to make up 2 C2B I was told. I thought it was doable too. Round two of 15.2 was the FIRST re-take of any Open WOD where I did not score higher than my first attempt. I got the same score 2nd time through; 2 C2B short of the extra 3 minutes and easy extra reps. I decided to seriously think about doing it a 3rd time. This would be a first for me as well in the Open, taking 3 attempts at a better score.

Making the decision to do 15.2 a third time through needed to be made with someone I trust, Coach Benko. Hind site is 40/40 and now looking back,  I know I had already made peace with 15.2 not needing to do it again. What nagged me was feeling I made some mistakes by using equipment that I didn't normally use and would not be allowed in a Games workout. Did I believe I did the best I could with the skill set I had at this moment in my training? Or was my ego trumping a truth and wanting to be better than I was at that moment, in that workout?

TRUTH!!

I made huge gains in my C2B pull-ups in this past training period. BUT...I have to accept the gains that I made will have an equal and matching result. My goal is not to be "good for my age". It's to be a competitve Game's athlete. I know what that means and I accept C2B pull-ups need more work to be Games' worthy. Coach Benko said it well. This is what I heard him say regardless of what he thinks he said.  :) 

"What does the leader board mean, really? If you do your best, YOUR BEST, your 110%, you will land where you land in the standings. And at the end of it all, you will be ranked. So don't do a workout with the score in mind. Plan to do the workout with YOUR BEST plan in mind and give it 110%. Laurie, did you do that? And if you did, do you need to do this again?"

15.2 laid to rest. A workout to expose my weaknesses...and that is a blessing. For I can only experience being my best in relation to my weakest.  There are no failures, only learning opportunities. What did I learn? I know myself well. Trust what I already know. I have lots to learn in terms of refining my honed skills and closing my weaknesses and how my skills will serve me best in any given workout. I love that about Crossfit. The opportunity to be the BEST version of me can't be ignored. 

"Your responsibility is to be the Greatest Version of the Grandest Vision 

you ever had about yourself. In this, you have total responsibility. " 

~ Neale Donald Walsch ~ Conversations with God

And always, always....consider the lilies.

24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

Luke 12:24-28New Living Translation (NLT)

Two done, three battles to win!!