Having been under the weather far too often this year, I have missed out on a lot of WoD training.
Today as I ponder about the Holiday 2017 Challenge with Concept2, I am feeling a little sad for myself because I want to row. I need to row.
However, I am not yet ready to row. I still have four more days until cleared to row.
Wah. Wah. Wah.
Still, I am taking a look at my schedule to see if I can get in a 100k row to qualify if I begin next weekend.
Hmmmm……..to be continued….
301/365
Today was the CrossRope JRPC Event 4: 500 Single Under jumps with a 2 pound rope. I was all excited for this challenge until today when the hours flew past and it was actually time to go to the box to get it done.
The battle for my workout mind took place between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. The subliminal whining began at 5 p.m. and never let up until I was down to the last 150 jumps. Well, maybe that was the last 120 jumps. It took me thirty minutes just sitting around to get to my rowing warm-up, and I love to row, normally.
But not today.
Actually it was not until the last 60 jumps that I finally felt my heart and mind align for a moment, just to hear, then believe, that I could push through to the end with gusto!
Thanks be to Heavenly Father for hearing my prayer to help me focus and not quit. It was His spirit touching my heart to move forward with that wonderful push through at the end.
232/365
Today was JRPC 2: 250j with the two pound, Fury rope, for time at Guns Out CrossFit.
I did it and then gently rowed 100 meters.
After that I stopped in to see my old bowling team and friends at Bama Lanes.
The final stop was to Sundown where I bought me a delicious cheeseburger with fries and chatted with the owner, my friend and CrossFit teammate and Coach, Susan Thomas.
Ain’t Life Grand?
Oh, yeah.
228 /360
Today was the last day to get all of my meters in for Week 3:30k of the Dog Days of Summer Challenge 2017. Tomorrow begins Week 4:40k and the thought of muffing up on completing this week’s challenge was weighing on my mind over the weekend for on Saturday, after I finished my last 2,000 meters, I thought I had shorted myself by 1,000 meters. Therefore, the plan was to take advantage of such a short row and to finish off the week by way of 30 seconds rowing followed by 30 seconds of rest for 10 rounds.
Being alone and without music was the nicest part of my row. It was great to feel my heartbeat, to feel my pulse elevate and to hear me regulate and control my breathing for each stroke. I could huff and puff and grunt all I wanted through each round. And I was spectacular at challenging myself, round after round, staying focused. (Well, at least it felt that way in my own mind.)
Setting the lever to 8, then launching off of each round with a quarter, a half, a three-quarter pull followed by ten regular pulls seemed a brilliant strategy. The goal was to maintain a reasonable number of strokes per minute (SPM) to maintain at minimum 100 meters in thirty seconds per round and then row all out on the last round.
It was great having a series of short rows. It has been a long time since having to merely row 1k in a day. It was really wonderful to row in silence and alone as previously mentioned. But the best part was realizing that I had already met my 30k for the week when I stopped to think things through. I forgot all I had to do was look at the Dog Days 2017 board to see they had tracked and categorized each week’s row for me. (Gibbs-slap my own head with my Crew Stop rowing glove on.)
Turns out I did not need to row that last 1,000 meters. I rowed them simply because I wanted to and now I am securely over what is needed to complete this week’s requirement.
Now on to formulate tomorrow’s 40k strategy!
#TeamEmJoKim #TeamGunsOutCrossFit
203/365
Today was a much happier rowing day. My head is back in the game. I managed to squeeze out 11,000 meters while enjoying each stroke.
The music that inspired me came from The Ultimate Bee Gees and The Spirit of America with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
All is right again in my rowing universe.
Now I can sleep happy. Truly.
198/365
When I have had to take time away from CrossFit due to illness or injury, it always feels so great to get back to the box even though there is always a feeling of apprehension. Getting over the mental battle that it is going to be sweaty hot in the box, that I am going to be sore for having missed too many WoDs, and the #TrynaWannaJustDoSomething feeling can trip me up.
Today was filled with excuses. But I truly persevered. That is when the mental milestones paid off.
For the last couple of weeks I have really missed running. In my mind’s eye, I have been craving running, been able to see myself running, and being a very happy runner… in my mind’s eye. (I crack myself up. Oh, before I forget check out this study on Natural Stride. It makes me feel great pride for my personal running style: The Granny Shuffle.)
The fact that I have gone so long without a proper WoD even caused me distress. I kept talking about it with my husband. Yeah, I do not talk sorrow, normally, over not exercising hence another mental milestone: talking about truly missing vigorous exercise, especially running drills. (Did my coaches from 26.2 CrossFit chins just hit the floor on that one?)
That said, I did not run on my first day back to the box. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Dog Days of Summer 2017 lured me back to my rightful place on the rower.
Easing back into rowing, giving my new shoes a second chance with my socks on this time, I only rowed 2008m of the 10k for this week. Still, it felt fabulous. No blisters, excellent rowing form – and I am unanimous in that, all while practicing the strokes per minute made a fantastic first day back in the box. (Except I did miss my Charlie R. today. Wah!)
The bonus moment today?
Two of my teammates are doing this challenge too, their first distance challenge ever! Em and Kim got 5000m of 10k completed today. Woohoo!
#TeamEmJoKim
184/365 #BackInTheGroove
When I first started at 26.2 CrossFit my coaches had me row more than run. Yeah. I was that bad at running. And when I first started rowing, I was that bad at rowing but I took to it right away, never giving up and here I am today, a rowing fool at Guns Out CrossFit.
Over the last few weeks some of my teammates have asked me about my rowing. Here is some basic information that I return to again and again to help me improve my rowing.
Please be encouraged to truly take your time with the Concept 2 site first. Sign up for the LogBook at the top of the page. You can keep track of your training there, online.
Too often, I forget to use the log book unless it is for an Online Challenges or any row where I can get a ranking, like today. That said, please note #ImNotLast!
Good Luck and Great Rowing!
141/365
I set the machine for a one hour and fifteen minute row. Well, I thought I set it for that length of time until viewing the details at the end of the row. Evidently I need to wear my glasses when setting my plans in the future.
My goal was to experiment with a rowing strategy for the upcoming 2017 Summer Solstice Challenge by Concept 2. By adding the 97 meters to make it a half-marathon, it will be a new personal record for me.
My times were a bit sluggish today. I have been experimenting with rowing at different times during the day while building up endurance for the distance. Where I lost time fiddling with my iPhone, trying to get the music straightened out after I rowed the first 6k, made the biggest difference in my strokes per minute.
It was not a bad row overall. It ended up being rather revelatory and encouraging in spite of the one minute loss in programming time and the iPhone music mishap.
I will not make those same errors again. Well, I will make a good faith effort to not do them again.
135/365
Last night Coach Charles posted the WoD for today and I got so excited about it because three of the four MetCons are things I love to do!
“Don’t Hate”
1 mile run for time
200 DU’s for time
2000 m row for time
50 cal bike for time
Any order. Just get er done!
The order I chose to follow was how it came up on WoDify: 
RUN: The only adaptation for me was I pushed Charlie R. in his stroller while running. He did not really slow me down that much since I Granny-shuffle anyway. Probably I could have walked it faster but he seemed to enjoy my speed as I went down the hills… both ways…
The amazing thing was my desire to run today. All I could keep thinking about was how shocked my Teammates from 26.2 CrossFit would have been to see the fire in my soul for running today. And it really made me happy to know that running is part of me now.
Yayeee!
ROW: Yeah Baby! It is definitely my passion.
BIKE: Meh. Not my favorite, especially after pushing the stroller and then rowing. But I did not die so all is well.
DOUBLE UNDERS: These I cannot do yet, so stick with Single Unders. I dread having to double the count so use a CrossRope 1/2 pound rope to justify sticking with the 200 count. Using the heavier CrossRopes is going to pay off soon, I hope!
I am always the last to finish whatever it is to be done. Today was no different. But I was so excited to do each MetCon as best I could and that is what I did. Today was simply a #BestWoDDayEver at Guns Out CrossFit in Montgomery, Alabama.
Thanks to all of my teammates and my especially to my Coach, Happy Birthday Charles, for the encouragement to keep going and Git ‘er done!
129/365
What a happy little HIIT rowing session today: 5 minute warm up, 6x 30 seconds hard rowing with 5x 1:30 second easy rowing intervals and a final 5 minute cool down.
It felt fabulous. I should have taken a photo of my splits. No matter. Today’s row made me think of the next Concept2 Challenge: Summer Solstice 2017.
I can hardly wait!
122/365
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