BAWK, BAWK, BAWK!!!

Monday was a Functional Focus type day, we worked on Box Jumps and Tire flips. I started with the 16" box - no problem, but I did NOT have on my bouncy shoes!! Then the 20" box, ok, again not too bad. Third round - Holy CRAPOLA! My mission was to try the 24" box - the big, whomping, huge box - you know the one - it goes all the way up to your hips. A very high surface for a lead-footed mid-westerner to pounce on! First jump, I walked up - jumped on the 20" to be sure I could do it, then strolled on up to the 24" and jumped. I actually landed it - yep. me. jumped onto a two foot box!! Woo-Hoo! Oh, wait, I have to do 4 more?? In order to land these, I did a weird mini-hop before the big leap....I did it 3 more times...then balked. Not once, not twice, but over and over and over. To put it one way, I "pulled a Patty". Although, I must say, the way Patty knocked out the 20" box like it was nothing, that phrase needs to change, she doesn't "pull Patty's" anymore!! In the end, I let that box get so far into my head, that I had to go back and do the 20" box again, before I could do it again...but, at least I did it. Next, we went out back to play with the tires. First round was 2 flips each way on the girl tire. I tried to make it look as easy as the boys do, which in retrospect, may have been a bit of an error in judgement. Next two rounds were on the boy tire - the big kahuna. 3 up, 3 back. I did it - but that is one heavy sucker. Usually, after tire flippin', everyone else gets these big glorious bruises all over their arms and thighs. I have never gotten them...until now. I must say - they look rather silly. One bruise on each arm - in the exact same spot. It looks goofy.

Tuesday - 3/3/3 Power cleans from hang, Power cleans from floor, Full Oly Squat cleans.

Yay - cleans - that's sarcasm in case you didn't guess. Cleans are a bit of my nemesis - if the weight gets close to a respectable level, I just pull the thing with my arms - I lose the vast majority of hip drive. I can't figure it out. We started with power cleans from the hang. If I'm doing all of my math correctly, I started at 85, 90 95. For the first time in.... I can't tell you how long, I didn't hear the "too soon" "pulling too soon" . I don't think I knew how to react to that. So, I continued on up for the power cleans from the floor. 100/105/110 - still nothing...perhaps a bit too soon - but not like I have been doing. Hmmm.....well, now let's move on to the full squat clean....115, for the first time, I heard it - "you're pulling too soon". I knew it, I felt it. But I got one good one in. So we move on - and here is where I believe I made my mistake. I got greedy. Rather than moving up 5 lbs at a time, as I had been doing - I moved up 10. I went to 125. I did one sloppy one. Then it happened again....I suddenly got in my head and couldn't even do a single thing! I tried to do that same clean about 6 more times, but aborted each one. It was ridiculous. I ended up having to go to Cheri's bar - which had 95 lbs on it, to get in some good ones, before I could start round 3 - which was back down to 115. UGH! Why can't I do cleans without getting uber-frustrated?? Cripes, the worst is, that I know in my head, rationally, I am strong enough that I should be doing at least 150 lbs. Freakin' cleans!! They're as annoying as pullups!

Wednesday - Heavy Fran - 95# Thrusters/Pullups - 15, 12, 9. Well, after the last two days, I needed something to kick into gear. I think this was it, although while doing Heavy Fran, I didn't think I was doing that well. Turns out I completed this in 10:02, taking 3 minutes off my previous time. Who knew?? The thrusters felt heavy and messy. I did the pullups with a red band and a mini - last time I used 2 reds. Next time, sounds like I'm down to a single red band. ZOIKS! Overall, I was happy with this, especially considering I hadn't done many met-cons in the last 6 weeks, while getting ready for the competition.

Thursday - Bench Press - 5/5/5/5/5. I have decided - I need to go heavier, earlier. I did this one, 115/125/135/145/135. When I did the 145 - I only got in 2 or 3 (can't remember for sure). I suddenly have this goal of getting to 200 sometime in the ......semi-near....future - which means, I have a long way to go!!

Now -looking back, what the heck happened to me this week?? Seemingly out of the blue, I suddenly couldn't control the normal reservations and fears that I have - but can usually squelch, and carry on. I think it was a combination of things. Hormones?? perhaps, I am a woman after all. Lack of sleep?? good possibility, the family's in town, so I'm not getting my usual amount of beauty sleep. Now, comes the part that I really hate to admit....but I am becoming convinced alot of it is food. UGHH! Did I really say that out loud??? Here's the thing, the last couple of weeks, while getting ready for the competition, and trying to duck under that terrible thing called "the heavyweight division", I have been eating super-uber-healthy. Probably better than I ever have in my life. Of course, then the family comes in town, and the looming possibility of a definitive celiac diagnosis...and my diet loosens a bit. First of all, I can't take the gluten out of my diet completely until I get the diagnosis - otherwise the test can be incorrect. I hadn't been eating alot of gluten, and I probably need to get a bit more in my system for the test. So, my diet changed a bit -not horribly, but definitely not what it was. Much as I hate to admit it, I felt it. Overall, I just have seem off, mentally, emotionally, and even a bit physically. Ironically, I think I'm looking forward to getting the diagnosis part over with, so I can just do what I need/want to do. Much as I have been kind of fighting the whole 30 day paleo thing that's all over the place, after the last week or two, I may try it, because I am becoming convinced that what you eat makes a difference in how you feel. The one thing I really can agree with, is that you don't know how something makes you feel, until you take it out, and live without it for a while. I guess, I'll have to wait and see, hopefully in the next week or two, I'll know for sure about this whole thing.