Welcome, May!

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The past few weeks have been stressful. Training new employees, dealing with difficult customers, not sleeping well, not exercising (I’ve gained 20 pounds in the last two years), getting through family drama (two life-threatening events in the same day, 2000 miles apart: my dad’s heart attack in NM and a 9 year grandchild starting the rest of his life with Type 1 Diabetes) . . .  My CrossFit lifestyle withered into oblivion when I lost my job at the University in 2020, as Covid got going. Deep depression brought me to a standstill as I took a few months to try to reset. Since then, my physical status has been on steady decline. Now my daily schedule looks something like this: Work 3-11 pm (on a good day), Go to bed at 4 am, get up between 10:30 am and noon, get booted up and go back to work. If I get one day off a week I’m fortunate. At least I don’t have to work all night for now. That was the worst.  So I haven’t had time or energy to do much, even read, much less write. And since my

Outta Gas

Today's WOD got me. I mean it got me good.

It's not unusual to find bodies all over the floor when the WOD is over, but today I died much earlier than expected.

Started with 4 sets of 10 reps each of Bench Presses (115#, 120#, 135#, 145) the moved got right to work on 3 rounds of:

  • 20 Upright Row (45#)
  • 30 Ab mat situps
  • 400m run
  • 50 walking lunges
  • 60 sec Plank
Got the WOD going well enough, but in the second round I ended my run feeling like something was off. Stepping out the door of the cardio room to lunge my way back to the weight room, I stopped for a second at the water fountain, got a drink, a few more breaths and counted 40 lunge steps to the weight room. 10 more inside and I was done. 

I assumed the Plank position and sweat began streaming off my head like someone poured a glass of water over me. Don't get me wrong. I was already sweating--but this was a stream. 15 seconds in, my body was shaking. I closed my eyes while the clock ticked down a painfully slow 45 seconds. I dropped to the floor and could not move. 

The floor held me as sweat ran in rivers. Still could not move. My only thought was, "what's happening? Ok, rest a minute." A minute went by, then two. My training partner finished his rows and sit-ups and I was still on the floor. He stepped out to hit the treadmill. When he returned 2 minutes later, he found me sitting on the bench at my station. 

My spirits sank. I wanted to finish. I needed to finish. 

I'm the "coach" after all. The example. 

And here I am sitting on the bench looking like someone hosed me then beat me with it. 

I strategized, "Ok, One thing at a time. 20 rows. Split 'em up. Two sets of 10. Four sets of 5. 20 sets of 1." Then I did the sit-ups in my head. "Three sets of 10 . . ." and so on. 

Me and the floor had a stare-off. I couldn't move. 

My partner counted out 50 lunges like he was at a CrossFit wedding, coming nearby asking "you ok?"

I pulled my shirt over my head and closed my eyes. The Minister of Silly Walks lunged back to his station for his one minute plank. I was done. 

Smoked. 

Empty tank. 

Like someone flipped a switch. 

Disappointed I did not finish, we put our toys away and got cleaned up to re-enter the afternoon. 

The only thing I could think that happened was that I did not eat breakfast. I never miss breakfast. But today I did. So if that's the lesson, I won't be missing breakfast again. But if the WOD simply kicked my butt, well, that ain't happening ever again either. 

It was too much like quitting and I don't like that. The word never crossed my lips, but it sure felt like it. Just ran out of gas. 

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