WOD#130 Nasty Girls 3 x (50Squats/7PUBurpee/10HPC@95#) 26:44@155/169

WOD#130 Nasty Girls 3 x (50Squats/7PUBurpee/10HPC@95#) 26:44@155/169

Nasty Girls classic workout. Compare with 3x(50squats, 7pull/dip, 10x50#HPC12:29@149/182. I used 95# for HPCs which was heavy enough to keep sets at 2-4 reps. Obviously muscle ups is not an option at the Gym without the rings so I did the next best thing i.e. PU Burpee. The pullup bar was higher than what I had done before so I missed the first and that was a bit scary. I got each of the 3x7 since but I had to really concentrate before jumping. Squats were with full depth. I had to break them into two sets each.

WOD#130 Nasty Girls 3 x (50Squats/7PUBurpee/10HPC@95#) 26:44@155/169

First CFE!!! 12min 2.5K C2 rowing Awesome.

CFE#1 2.5K in 12min C2 12:00@158/182

My first attempt at CFE. It was kindda fun. I didnt know I had 12min of rowing in me. I got progressively FASTER and it was quite insane. I also automatically found rythem and more efficient technique which I had never been able to do before due to short rowing sessions. I steadily sped up from a pace of 2:35 to 2:10-15.

WOD#129 Hang Power Snatch 7x1 65# 4:36@138/157

45# HPSnatch was proper but 65# snatch was mostly press. The explosiveness of the pull was missing and something I need to improve upon. Broadly, snatch is a very complex move and it was smart of me to concentrate on form for now without adding more weight.

CFE#1 2.5K in 12min C2 12:00@158/182

WOD#129 Hang Power Snatch 7x1 65# 4:36@138/157

WOD#128 21-18-15-12-9-6PU/Sit+100ft lunges 23:33@160/177

Compare with WOD#95 (25:30@160/174) and WOD#68 (25:10@148/174). This workout always takes the wind out of me despite having no run in it. The lunges are surprising exausting and HR consistently rached 175 on each round. However, it feels good to do a wod exactly as Rxed. The only limitation was that I broke each pullup routine into three sets though I doubt Rxed version really expects 21 PUs in row. I also checked the distance on the plastic lawn outside the gym on Google maps and its 115ft which is close proxy for 100ft. The timing was a PR by 2minutes which is great. Still quite short of 14min I typically see on the website. Long way to go.

I was wondering why it is so exausting to do this workout compared to a run for 25min even though my average HR is just 160. I think the balancing requirements for lunges and grip requirements for pullups cause reluctance for me to start respective sets till I have HR to reasonably lower level. Running is quite brainless in that sense. I am sure I would have similar difficult and higher perception of exaustion if I had to run on slippery slope or on a delicate balancing route. Funny how higher order mental requirements can make perceived exersion more.

WOD#128 21-18-15-12-9-6PU/Sit+100ft lunges each 23:33@160/177

Scaling down crossfit for marathon training

I checked crossfit endurance and I like it's overall approach. I will do this.

Swimming: no swimming

Running: I will do one long run and one speed/hill/interval run everyweek. This will be typically long run and a race on weekend or half marathon race which will serve as both!

Biking: I will continue by 3mi each way everyday commute to work with usual speed hill session I do on the one hill I hit eachway. No biking on weekend.

C2: I will add 1 c2 rowing sessions on easy weekday wod.

Crossfit wide: in return for adding c2 and extra running session, I will only do 4wods per week. I will pick and choose the wods I like. I will skip running only wods. Or I will skip c2 rowing if wods have reasonably long c2 component. I will also keep c2 rowing workouts towards longer time/distances if possible.

Quite a plan. I need to sleep on it and revisit tommorrow to make sure it still makes sense.

Today's wod: 4 rounds 2x30# DB cleans 20, 12 dips, 21situps 20:00@146/169
DB cleans were very difficult. It continues to amaze me how much harder DBs are compared to barbell. I think I will stick to DBs whenever I can. Dips were pleasant surprise. After not being able to do one dip cleanly last time I tried, I surprised myself by doing all 12 in row with few of them quite deep. Pure magic of crossfit! I am sure three days of rest didn't hurt:)

First training run of the season 10.6mi@9:36min/mi 157/187

I decided to ditch the 10K yesterday and instead do a long run today. The central park soil was still damp from all the rain in last few days and it felt great. Ran about 8miles barefoot which was fun. No blisters or injuries. Just a hint of strain on left leg ankle as I twisted my foot badly on way down from a hill. The twist was pretty bad but its amazing how quickly my foot recovered. I just slowed down a bit for a mile. All in all, I got about 6miles or so of quality runs at 8:30-9 pace and rest relatively light including run to and back from home.

I compared this run with brooklyn run and I ran first 10.6mi in Brooklyn in exactly same time which is weird considering how slow the runs felt today, especially including the breaks and commute part. This just confirms the speculation that blister susceptibility is by far the biggest constraint for me running longer distances fast. If I keep training these long distances, I should be fine.

So plan is to bite the bullet and stick to long runs on weekends. No point being hero and experimenting with barefoot running AND crossfit-only marathon simultaneously. Besides, die-hard crossfitters are mistaken about ability to run marathons with only crossfit training. Crossfit makes it easier but sport-specific training is always superior (especially, if it complements crossfit crosstraining) than regular cross-training. The question really now is how to deal with overdose of wods if long runs suck life out of me for a day or two. One easy solution would be to move down crossfit to 4 times a week. i.e. instead of 21wods in 28 days, it will be 16. This will also allow me to run races on Saturday and long distance on Sunday etc.

I am not happy about this. I dont want to skip crossfit wods. I guess I will end up skipping wods which I am weak at which is less than ideal. More extreme alternative would be to squeeze in a wod on Saturday and keep Fridays and Sundays off. Then I can push the wods which I can do at home out of the weekdays. I will end up doing 20wods in 28 days. The 21st wod, I am sure can be squeezed in somewhere.

Barefoot in NY for 898mi

Its in the genes BS

This blog has nothing to do with barefoot running or crossfit but some it seems related.

I was reading this lets-cut-the-crap article and #3 caught my eye. The article suggests that we should not blame genes for getting ourselves sick. I thought about it and drew parallels between people and computers.

One way to look at genes is like computer operating systems. Its clear that brand new computer with same OS looks pretty much the same but it looks very different for two different OS. Certain viruses will attack certain OS and not others. So if you think genes contain codes for a person, EVERY person is a different OS except identical twins. However, OS for people within same family have somewhat similar OS. So two people will have different risk factors for different diseases but correlation is higher if there is blood relationship.

But really, what matters for computer's health is not the OS but how it used. The key to not getting your computer sick is to

1. Install preventive measures like antivirus software and maintain it with updates.

2. Stay away from bad habits (not using good password) and bad softwares or websites as much as possible. However if #2 is compromised since you dont want to degrade "computer experience" too much due to fear of getting virus, #1 acts as a defense.

These two factors are so much more important than selection of preinstall OS on a software for computer getting slow or even crash.

Similarly, for human body,

1. building defenses through exercise and building immune system (by NOT coddling yourself with germ-phobia) is critical.

2. Then staying away from smoking, drinking, junk food, drugs, contagious people will complement #1. But also there is a limit to how much we can do without affecting quality of life. So if #2 is compromised, #1 acts as a defense to potential damage.

These two effects are RIDICULOUSLY important than risk factors based on genes. Its quite frustrating to see doctors/media preach that certain people are predisposed to be obese or have cancer or get heart disease.

Few more references on this topic

http://ep.physoc.org/content/90/4/427.full.pdf

http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/10/29/it%E2%80%99s-not-all-in-the-genes-ask-any-epigeneticist/

http://discovermagazine.com/2006/nov/cover

Back in the crossfit groove PUs/DB Thrusters

WOD#122 5xmax Pull (5) + maxPush(10) 9:29@109/130

Compare with WOD#87 5xMaxPU/elvPush (10/20 first and 5/10 rest)8:29@145/160. The deadlift 5x5 wod on Friday turned out to be quiet a heavy (!) wod as my lower back started aching (in a good way). I wasnt sure if I could do push or pull up as I could not bend down at all but fortunately I did strict pull ups and proper form pushup and both need straight back. I did take is easy and did 5 pullups and 10 pushups in each of the round instead.

WOD#123 20PU L/Strict/Kip with 800m@7min/mi between 23:44@163/188

I took the 800m runs at lighter speed of 7min/mi since I had just finished 400m intervals. I scaled down pullups from 40 to 20 each as well. After the DL back pain, I thought I wont be able to do the 120 PUs. The workout was relatively intense as it still lasted for 24minutes. Form for L-pullups was better. Strict pullups were messy but still much better than in past.

WOD#124 5x(50#DBx21 Thrusters, 50 single jumprope) 36:32@141/177

The DB thrusters are the killers. I had done smaller reps in 60# but this was a high rep (5x21) wod and even at 2x25#, thrusters were hard. I still think DB thrusters are much better variation than barbell which is much easier. The ability to balance the two barbell independently at top of press position is pretty tough and I was much more in control this time around. However, I started reaching my breaking point in last few rounds. I had been doing the 21 reps in 4 rounds which became progressively harder. I think there is just something inherently hard about gathering courage to pull weight on top of your head when you are exausted. It may not be as heart pumping or muscle burning but its a huge emotional drain. On bright side, I think my form for squats and DB hand positioning improved substantially. I did all the thrusters with deep proper squat. I hope this translates well in barbell squats and thrusters. My back was still hurting from deadlift which may have prevented me from bending which clearing works to my advantage for maintaining proper squat form.

WOD#125 (machine!) Backsquat 115# 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 4:37@109/134

Squat box not available forcing me to use the the barbell machine (?). It was ironically quite scary since if I dont get foot positioning perfect, I had to do the backsquat in unnatural angle. It felt quite dangerous. But I am pretty sure I can lift heavier weights on this machine than plain barbell. I tried free form barbell but could not figure out a way to lift it into back squat position from floor.

WOD#126 Cindy 10.33 rounds of 5PU/10Push/15Squat 20:00@152/176

Compare with WOD#103 HALF Cindy 6rnds+PUs 10min@171/190, WOD#53 Cindy 10 rnds 20:00@153/172 and and WOD#17 Cindy 5 Rnds. Cindy is easy for beginners but gets exponentially harder with every extra round added within 20min period. Today's Cindy was the full version compared to half in blackbox elements class and it was no where as intense but still it was difficult. The right comparison would be 5 rounds + PU&Push compared to BB 6 rounds + PU. But the later 4 rounds were much more intense. I reached close to breaking point on pullups and pushups by last round. Squats were easy. I seem to have found a rythem with squats now as I get my knees wider at bottom of squat making it possible for me to do a deep and efficient squat.

WOD#122 5xmax Pull (5) + maxPush(10) 9:29@109/130

WOD#123 20PU L/Strict/Kip with 800m@7min/mi between 23:44@163/188

WOD#124 5x(50#DBx21 Thrusters, 50 single jumprope) 36:32@141/177

WOD#125 (machine!) Backsquat 115# 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 4:37@109/134

WOD#126 Cindy 10.33 rounds of 5PU/10Push/15Squat 20:00@152/176

Modified deadlift wod

Original wod called for 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 deadlift but for some reason I thought it was 5x5 and I did that with lighter weight. In retrospect that wasn't such bad idea since I continue to believe that my deadlift form is ugly. Higher rep should help me get the form improve without too much damage. I did the 5x5 at 175# which is heavy enough to make me sweat. Doing two or three deadlifts in a row was tough and I had to stop so technically I can't claim these to be clean 5x5 sets. None the less, it got my heart pumping.a

...

Erin, improved 400m, Overhead squat

WOD#118 "Erin" 5 x (15 20#each DB clean&SpitJerk + 21 Pullup) 37:00@150/175
5 rounds of 21 pullups is 105 pull up which is a lot of pullups. I started getting blisters. I picked light weight 2x20# DB clean and split jerk but it got me tired very very fast. Somehing about moving weight straight from floor to overhead with speed multipletime which is very tiring.

WOD#119 Overhead Squats 45# 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 6:15@107/127
45# was heavy enough for my overhead squat form to be just on borderline fine. Flexibility still an issue. Also pushing arms in the ear is something that needs work.

WOD#120 5 x (400m, 30 boxjump, 30wallball 20#) 33:16@173/193
Cardio on steriod. The 400m runs all at 6min/mi. I was pleasantly surprised that I could do all 5 rounds at this pace, especially after the brutal half marathon this weekend. Clearly I have improved in this department. I have gotten sore thighs though. I mean really sore after no half marathon DOMS. Weird. Also box jumps and wall ball (no throw) were quite hard after getting the heart pumped up. I had to break them in two parts. The jump got harder in later rounds and I was down to 5 per set in last round.

WOD#118 "Erin" 5 x (15 20#each DB clean&SpitJerk + 21 Pullup) 37:00@150/175
WOD#119 Overhead Squats 45# 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 6:15@107/127
WOD#120 5 x (400m, 30 boxjump, 30wallball 20#) 33:16@173/193

WOD#117 30 MuscleUps scaled 18:07@113/136

Compare to wod47 (half 60PU/jumpDips 22:15@131/158) and wod88 (5x5MUs). I also video taped a wod for the first time which was fun. The MU are very remote goal for me. I dont think I could do a single assisted MU properly at pretty much the easiest setting. Too much coordiatation and weird muscle utilization. I still cannot hold still at top of the dip straight without bending back or legs.Pullup part was basically nonexistenant with ring so far down that my grip was next to my neck at the starting position. Ideally, hands should be extended. I just dont know how long it will take to get to a stage where I can stand and do MU attempt.

WOD#117 30 MuscleUps scaled 18:07@113/136

Brooklyn Half Marathon 2:07:12@169/195

Brooklyn half marathon...my favorite! I ran this barefoot for the first time. It was a bit hot at 70 degrees and the Brooklyn roads are much rougher than I had anticipated or hoped for. Parts of prospect park road are very coarse and have sharp gravel spread on the road which sucks. Also the second half of the ocean drive was newly minted and ironically, it much rougher and hotter than first half.

So around 8.75mi, I had a breakdown. I was slowing down but averaged about 9:17min/mi till then but then I started walking which killed any chance of improving my time. I ended up running on the divider lines and tip toe walk at crossing which not only slowed me down but also broke down rhythm of my run. I could feel blisters forming and was terrified of getting them too early to finish since there were 5 more miles to go. But once I made it about 11.5mi, I knew I had broke through that danger and started sprinting. Once i reached the boardwalk, it was very nice with ocean wind and cheering crowd. The board walk it self wasnt too bad but I had to bit careful stepping and perhaps that slowed me down a bit but not much. I liked the way how my feel contoured to the wooden planks. But it doesnt make for a fast surface.

Anyhow, I am glad I managed to run the half with no major injury despite no training and heavy crossfitting workouts this week including several weightlifting PRs just 12 hours before the race. Only regret is the slow time.

Brooklyn Half Marathon 2:07:12@169/195
Barefoot in NY for 887mi

Crossfit Total incl 215# DL and 95#thrusters

WOD#115 Thrusters 45/60/85/95# 7x1 19:03@119/152
60# DB thrusters and 95# barbell thursters. PR! The trick is to open the hip extension quickly on the way up which I havent yet mastered yet. Thrusters using DB are so much more difficult due to utilization of tiny shoulder muscles.Other issue is the bottom position of squat while maintaining proper form.


WOD#116 Crossfit Total (SP/BkSqt/DL 85/95/215#) 43:51@109/134
PR in Back Squat and Deadlift. SP 85# was equaling PR but 95# seems beyond me at this point. DL was interesting. 215# is a lot of weight and raising it was very slow and mind boggling move. I still have my running heel injury and DLing somehow brought back pain to heels which was interesting. All in all, very good results for Crossfit Total. I think I could have improved my back squating score but it gets a bit iffy at the bottom of the squat position and I cant trust what will happen if I loose control on way up.

WOD#115 Thrusters 45/60/85/95# 7x1 19:03@119/152
WOD#116 Crossfit Total (SP/BkSqt/DL 85/95/215#) 43:51@109/134

WOD#114 "Barbara" 10x(10PU/15Push/20Sit/25Squat) no break 57:57@145/175

Barbara is EVIL!. Compare 57:57@145/175 with WOD#74 and #45 (29:54@147/167 and 27:36@136/166) both of which were variation of half Barbara. Today I did the complete Barbara except broke each set in two making it a 10round workout instead of 5. Also I completely forgot about the 3min break but for this scaled down and slow timing, thats probably not such a bad idea.

Halfway point was 23:59 which is not too shaby compared to 28min and 30min last time. But I just noticed this now. During the workout it felt like forever. The pullups were still very tough I broke them in set of 5 reps each. I did exclusively kipping pull up. One attempt at 3strict pullups jammed up my arms for the pushups. However, for some reason, I kept having problem with my grip which was frustrating.

I was exausted by the time I reach halfway mark and I still dont know how I managed to push through to do whole thing all over again. It got really sticky during round 7 which took almost 10min but once I finished round 8, I knew I had to finish the whole thing. Kipping pull ups are the real culprits because they make the extra rounds possible but then each kipping pullup is really exausting. Also its almost impossible to cheat on full extension. Also, I dont remember the last two Barbaras but I did the pushups with FULL range of motion i.e. nose and hips touching ground which was quite challenging in last few rounds. Situps were easy. Squats were a bit difficult, perhaps due to aching calf following 5K run yesterday. Between 5K and Barbara, I am exausted. I still need to do crossfit Total (perhaps tomorrow since its a rest day).
WOD#114 "Barbara" 10x(10PU/15Push/20Sit/25Squat) no break 57:57@145/175

WOD#113 5K@7:47min/mi in hot 80deg 24:17@189/196

WOD#113 5K@7:47min/mi in hot 80deg 24:17@189/196
Barefoot! Compare with wod#67 24:47@185/195 race in March (in my Nike frees in better weather of 35deg). With the 400m and 800m repeats last week, I was ready for this 5K. I am surprised and relieved that the 5K was a PR (though its worth noting that I have run 4mi at 7:20min/mi once before).


Weather was too hot to do fast run at 80deg. I was PARCHED by the time I finished second mile and slowed down by almost a minute in pace for half a mile before picking it up in last half mile. Also the hot surface of the reservior loop was dry and full of tiny stones giving me blisters at the front of the toe. It was progressively getting more unconfortable though not sure if it was that bad during the run. It was, however, pretty bad walking back home a mile from central park. Broadly, the blisters continue to be my real enemies and not so much fitness/muscles/endurance.

Anyhow, the PR effort for the WOD has made me seriously consider shooting for PR next week in the Brooklyn half. 8:30min/mi pace should be enough for me to break PR but I havent been training AT ALL so I am not sure I am up for a half marathon effort at this point. I will give it a shot anyway. The real wild card here is the crossfit. If the crossfit really did magically prepared me for half marathon, then all bets are off. Its definitely worth a shot. It would also give me some indication of how to balance crossfit with marathon training for the NYC in November. If crossfit really does have the magic potion to improve long distance race efforts, it will be an excellent excuse to continue with crossfit full swing and dial down any marathon training programs I might consider. Of course, since blister seem to be my biggest enemy, I dont really think crossfit can help me in that department and I will have to log in a few practice long runs to get my soles strong. Speaking of which, the Brooklyn half ends with a mile on the wooden boardwalk which could potentially be a recipie for disaster for barefoot runner. Hmm. I need a gameplan.

BF in NY for 874mi WOD#113 5K@7:47min/mi in hot 80deg 24:17@189/196

WOD#112 "Michael" 3 x (800m/50bkext/50situp) 24:17@162/185

WOD#112 "Michael" 3 x (800m/50bkext/50situp) 24:17@162/185
Compare to wod#22@30:09 and probably not a max effort as I wasnt doing first two rounds of situps/bkext continuously. I thought the runs will take wind out of me. But I also slowed down the runs to 7min/mi which is hard but not really all out effort. Max HR was 185 (compared to 199 I reached couple of days back for 400m). Interestingly enought both situp sets were well within 2min (US airforce requirement). On related topic, yesterday's 20 pushups (elevated were also well within the 24/2min limit (48sec/78sec). Next time this workout comes up I shouldshoot for 20min if I can get the transition right.

WOD#112 "Michael" 3 x (800m/50bkext/50situp) 24:17@162/185

400m running with 199HR, DB thrusters, L-PU, Row

WOD#110 3 x (400m@6min/mi + 15 squats) 10:17@188/199

Max HR reached 199! which is a huge increase from previous high of 196. The 400m interval with tiny breaks were uncomfortable but not really that hard. The difference was that these intervals were done in Nike frees as opposed to Supernovas for similar wods before and that made world of difference. The runs were very smooth. No issue wtih heel pain.I messed the wod spec by reading the squat counts at 15 instead of 50 as Rxed. This was not intentional scale down. In fact, I am not sure its a scale down at all if the running became more intense due to shorter squat sets.

WOD#111 Twins 2 x (3m min Row/20ElevatedPush/20DBThrusters60#/20L-PU) 42:15@146/173

The DB Thrusters at 60# were killer. I have done quite a few Thrusters at 65# using barbell (eg. Fran) but DB was a whole different ball game. It was quite difficult getting through the "sticky point" and then maintaining proper straight line without a twist on overhead portion of push. The trick which helped me get through last few sets of 3 reps was hard breathing followed by holding breath before squating. Rowing was fine. I was disappointed at scores (650m/630m) for 3min rowing but I am also hurting a bit from interval runnung yesterday. Elevated pushups were easy. I did all 20 in on go in each round. L- PU contiunue to be tought and I did them in sets of 3/4 with some back support. I did manage to get legs straighters for last 2 of each set of 3 L-PUs.

WOD#110 3 x (400m@6min/mi + 15 squats) 10:17@188/199
WOD#111 Twins 2 x (3m min Row/20ElevatedPush/20DBThrusters60#/20L-PU) 42:15@146/173

WOD#109 500m/1000m/2000m Row with 30-20-10 elevated Pushups

Rowing was relatively consistent at 2:20-2:40min/500m and ended the 3.5K in 17:25min. It was very exausting which was surprising since it cant be more difficult than running. Rowing may not be as exausting from cardio perspective but it is quite a whole body cardio + strength workout and I dont think I have EVER rowed anything more than 1000m so I am pretty happy I didnt breakdown in the last 2000m rowing round. The Elevated Pushups were quite interesting. I did the 30-20-10 sets with legs on a medicine ball without getting off the ball and resting after sub-set of 5 in high position of pushups. It made the for the 30 and 20 pushups very dicy in the end. I was also having some problem keeping balance on the ball as I got tired. I am glad I decided to do this sub for benchpress. It made for an excellent workout for me, arguably more complete than regular benchpressing which I have still yet to try (yes quite intentional)

WOD#109 500m/1000m/2000m Row with 30-20-10 elevated Pushups

WOD#108 21-15-9 45#OHS/BurpeePU 16:43@167/191

WOD#108 21-15-9 45#OHS/BurpeePU 16:43@167/191

21-15-9 at 7:03-6:09-3:29 with PUburpee and OHS @ 45#. This seems like a brand new wod. I dont think I have done burpee pullup before. Burpees in general are pretty exausting. But burpee pullup not only adds pullup element to burpee but also needs very quick coordination to grasp the bar on the way up from burpee without looking up too early. I religiously tried to make the transition from burpee jump up to pullup bar fluid. This was the most fun part of the wod. Its amazing how sharp coordination gets when your brain senses danger of falling down despite the exersion. The trick was to take break (which were quite unavoidable for me) in sitting position after finishing pushup and jump up without looking up or aiming and then try to figure out how to grab the bar on the jump up on the fly. Only part needs some work is the transition from end of the pullup/jump into push up. I just dont know how rest of the crossfitters do this transition so fluidly. I have to drag my feet back, often one at a time which just doesnt feel right. If I can figure out a way to continue down the pushup after sitting down in a fluid motion, I think my burpees will improve a lot. On overhead squat front, I decided to take it easy with just the 45# bar and that turned out to be excellent choice. I was having vey hard time keeping the bar overhead as I got exausted. In fact, couple of time, I just had to bring the bar down to hang position since I could not hold OHS stance even in standing mode. This needs some core/midline stabalization as strength wasnt really the issue, just balancing bar overhead was tough. Perhaps I will start doing some GHDs every other day or so.

WOD#108 21-15-9 45#OHS/BurpeePU 16:43@167/191

First regular BB wod (Hansen)+FGB

WOD#106 Fight Gone Bad (65#SDLHP/45#PP) 80+62+73=215 17:00@174/189

Elements class#6 (elements of FGB). Compare with wod#91 (45#) score 209 17:04@162/177 and WOD#100! Mini FGB 11:07@171/184 and WOD#24 score 245 (25#/45#). FGB continues to be quite a workout. Since the weights were a bit heavier (65# for SDLHP and 45# for PP), strength was a biggercomponent of this workout compared to my previous wods. The box jump was higher as well as also wall ball included the throw for a change. The strategy to start with wall ball and end with rower workout reasonable well. I still remember how hard is it to do wall balls after rowing. However the rowing scores were a bit smaller (10/10/13) as a result. Total score 80+62+73=215 reflects a deliberate slow down in second round after overestimating my capacity in first round. Also the strong numbers in last round reflect coaches pushing for a strong finish.

WOD#107 Hansen 6 x (15 35#KBswing/Situp/Burpee) 23:10@163/174

My first regular wod at blackbox. It was a hero workout called Hansen scaled down to 6 x (15 35#KBswing/Situp/Burpee). Frankly I didnt push too much because I had just finished the fight gone bad the previous night. Also it was a very rough bike ride to the blackbox since it took much longer than it takes to bike through midtown. About 5minutes of this ride was a real workout touching 160+ HR as east midtown can be very hilly, especially when you are rushing through traffic and late. The workout itself was good.
Btw, I had to take off shoes halfway through as laces came off. I realized that barefooting at blackbox may be harder than I thought since the rubber surface has strong coefficient of friction so when you are doing dynamic motions like burpees, where you need a little bit of leaway to adjust positions on the fly, there is good chance of getting a blister. I didnt get any but its worth thinking about which workout is to be done before making show choice (or lack there off)

WOD#106 Fight Gone Bad (65#SDLHP/45#PP) 80+62+73=215 17:00@174/189

WOD#107 Hansen 6 x (15 35#KBswing/Situp/Burpee) 23:10@163/174

WOD#105 Fran@65# 12:35@174/188

WOD#105 Fran@65# 12:35@174/188
Elements class #5 (Jeff SP/SP/PJ, extensions, thursters)) with Fran wod. Compare with wod#58 20:05 @ 149/185 with same weight. 8minutes is quite a bit of improvement and I am pretty sure pull ups and in particular squats for thursters were much better form. I must say, I dont remember how hard last Fran was but today, the thursters were exausting and pullups this time were kipping pullups which only made the HR higher. Looking back it is not entirely clear if the HR was the limiting factor or strength but everything seemed hard. The second split seemed very long (splits: 4:30 / 5:48 / 2:15). Of course a HR for the two frans on top of each other tell the whole story. Its not even same class of workout. Its much shorter workout but much much more intense. It is almost frustrating to know that my best effort last time was not even to my best effort. The improvement in time was clearly not related to my fitness improvement.

WOD#105 Fran@65# 12:35@174/188

2nd/3rd Elements Classes max HR hitting 190/194!

WOD#103 half Cindy 6rnds+PUs x (5PU/10Push/15Squat) 10min@171/190

This was the second elements class. The wod for the class fortunately was something I had done couple of time before (once 5 rounds, once 10 rounds in 20min). I did a quick check was amazed in difference in intensity. The wod in crossfitnyc was by far the most intensity. The number of rounds were not too impressive but they were much better forms. The only weakness in form was the pushups. I thought they were complete but then coach pointed I wasnt touching the ground at the bottom. Touching the ground put a complete break in my momentum as I just could not do the 10pushups in quick manner. I hope this is due to my pushup Tabata effort to breaking point on previous day. Otherwise, I will have to work on my pushups. I cant have pushups weaker than pullups.Rest of the elements class (coach Joshua) was fun. We did some squats and deadlifts again and tried SDLHP (new trick learned is spreading the legs) and backsquats (trick is to lock the bar in notch just below the neck and not on the neck itself). We also touch on kipping pullups and ring dips/muscle ups. Finally the high point was the headstand and HSPU. I managed to get on headstand which was first for me. This is something which needs lot of work but I am ecstatic that I could even stand on my hands at all. I always thought I couldnt till i could do body weight overhead squat (which is of course BS).

WOD#104 21-15-9 Burpee/MBallClean 7:33@174/194

Elements class #3. Max HR of 194! No running involved...just the killer burpees. This is by far the highest wod MaxHR not involving running and forth highest overall. Interestingly enough, this wod was not a max effort. There was some work involved in correcting technique for ball cleans. The burpees were the killer. I did the last 9 burpees without stopping which caused HR to shoot. It may have something to do with a comment by the coach about last workout before the weekend.

The elements class was constructive as well. We worked on jump ropes, SP, front squats and most importantly kipping pullups. I discovered benefits of chalk and also importance of keeping hip extension straight in swing forward. Also, the trick to avoid blisters is NOT to jump on the bar but rather find a box and have the grip first before starting the kipping. (The gym owner stepped in to give us this tip which was a nice touch to the class). One of the classmate developed a pretty bad open blister during the pullup so the tip was definitely welcome.

No running this weekend. Just volunteering tomorrow for the More Marathon in Central Park.

BF in NY for 864mi

WOD#103 half Cindy 6rnds+PUs x (5PU/10Push/15Squat) 10min@171/190

WOD#104 21-15-9 Burpee/MBallClean 7:33@174/194

Second elements class, half cindy and pushup crisis

WOD#102 Pushups Tabata 10-10-10-10-5-5-5-5

As suggested in first elements class, I did a push up Tabatas. I started with 10 each round but soon realized that I wont lost all 8 rounds with 10 pushups. I scaled down to 5 in fifth round. Even then, I had couple of moments of scares when I had the darnest time pushing up and I was just about to fall flat on face. What a brutal workout for a 4minutes!

WOD#103 half Cindy 6rnds+PUs x (5PU/10Push/15Squat) 10min@171/190

This was the second elements class. The wod for the class fortunately was something I had done couple of time before (once 5 rounds, once 10 rounds in 20min). I did a quick check was amazed in difference in intensity. The wod in crossfitnyc was by far the most intensity. The number of rounds were not too impressive but they were much better forms. The only weakness in form was the pushups. I thought they were complete but then coach pointed I wasnt touching the ground at the bottom. Touching the ground put a complete break in my momentum as I just could not do the 10pushups in quick manner. I hope this is due to my pushup Tabata effort to breaking point on previous day. Otherwise, I will have to work on my pushups. I cant have pushups weaker than pullups.Rest of the elements class (coach Joshua) was fun. We did some squats and deadlifts again and tried SDLHP (new trick learned is spreading the legs) and backsquats (trick is to lock the bar in notch just below the neck and not on the neck itself). We also touch on kipping pullups and ring dips/muscle ups. Finally the high point was the headstand and HSPU. I managed to get on headstand which was first for me. This is something which needs lot of work but I am ecstatic that I could even stand on my hands at all. I always thought I couldnt till i could do body weight overhead squat (which is of course BS).

BF in NY for 864mi

WOD#103 half Cindy 6rnds+PUs x (5PU/10Push/15Squat) 10min@171/190

WOD#102 Pushups Tabata 10-10-10-10-5-5-5-5

WOD#101 Element#1 Tabata 8xSquats 15-15-15-15-16-17-18-19 4:00@160/184

WOD#101 Element#1 Tabata 8xSquats 15-15-15-15-16-17-18-19 4:00@160/184 First Element class wod was Tabata Squats. 20secON/10secOFF 8 rounds of air squats. I kept the first four rounds light at 15 and then linearly ramped up to 19. The coach (Court) did 22-23 setting a pretty high standard. The effort probably wasnt my max efffort but front portion was thighs were sore the next day, partly because we did so many slow and proper squats in the class. We also did proper form sit ups, push ups, regular/jumping pullups and deadlift. The high light was the squats. The trick was the butt backing exercises and arching of the back.

BF in NY for 864mi

WOD#101 Element#1 Tabata 8xSquats 15-15-15-15-16-17-18-19 4:00@160/184

WOD#100! Mini Fight Gone Bad (at Black Box) 11:07@171/184

WOD#100! Mini Fight Gone Bad (at Black Box) 11:07@171/184

2 rounds: 1min rounds of Rowing/8# wallball/Squats/Situps/PU/Break. Average HR was pretty high at 171bpm with max 184 despite no sprints. The max mostly came in wallball as its a tough workout and it comes right after rowing. The situps were full range of motion and PUs required taking hands of the floor. I dont have exact stat but approx: 15-15-30-29-15-*-13-11-20-20-10

The fun part was really the location. This wod wasnt a regular wod. It was part of a beginners' class at the CrossfitNYC. I just thought it was a bit cool to make it a wod#100. Of course I am very quickly falling behind in the regular wod and its likely to get worse due to elements class coming up. The difference in atmosphere is amazing. Its felt very "raw". I notice someone looking for tap to cover blisters. I heard floorwide annoucement which had something to do with blood and pullup bars (I didnt hear the whole thing but it sounds nasty). Even on the beginner's class routine, I had "fun" doing pushups on floor which required raising hands at end and on my first pushup I noticed wet droples right below my face. The rest of the routine was all about avoiding getting my face getting smashed into it (whatever it might have been).

On barefoot front, I did lookout for any barefooter but didnt see any so that issue is still outstanding. Also trainer mentioned about sprints involving running down 3 flights and on street and back up. Interesting concept but not sure if its feasible running on streets. Perhaps I should start bringing vibrams as a compromise.

WOD#100! Mini Fight Gone Bad (at Black Box) 11:07@171/184

BF in NY for 864mi

WOD#94 3 x (21 L PU, 3 x 3 ropish PU) 13:25@140/154 +21 KPU

As usual, first set of PUs were easy and they dramatically got harder after that. First round took 2:45 while next two took well over 5min. After a rest day, it felt good doing PUs, especially since my legs were sore from the semi-RACE last weekend. Rope clibe was substituted by rope PU 3x3. I need to find a rope to do the original. They key here is grip. I still dont think I can hang by holding a towel.

WOD#95 21-18-15-12-9-6 PU/Sit +100Lunges between 25:30@160/174

Monster workout! Interestingly enough, my timing was 20sec slower than WOD68 (25:10@148/174). Clearly my PUs have improved since and I inrtoduced kipping PUs so I would have thought that my time would improve. I took long breaks before and bween PUs as lunges got my HR elevated.

WOD#96 SP, PP, PJ 5 x 1-3-5

45# warmups and 65#

WOD#97 10KRACE@8:20 Barefoot in chilly rain 50:46@177/189

(substitute for 5K WOD) The race at 50:46min might be a PR for me (previous PR 52:08) though I cant be sure because I think I might have missed the startline by 0.1-0.2mi (the start and finish are stacked close because Centra Park is a 6.03mi. If I add a minute+ I get damn close to PR. So I am not going to challenge the PR.However, more interestingly, the barefoot running turned out to be a disaster. The main problem was dumb decision by me to run to and back from the start line 2mi from home (6+2+2=10mi!). My feet were not ready to 10mi barefoot fast run on wet surface...wet and very coarse surface of central park loop. The race was fine except for the big crowd but I had trouble getting back. Its too bad because I really wanted to run this race kindda fast. Avereage HR of 177bpm is not that high so I didnt push hard from cardio perspective. But I had to take it a little easy on my soles. I am sure it did not help that I had to run to the startline 2mi from home before the race making it effectively 8mi race. Oh well.
It was raining continuously the whole time and it was windy and chilly 45 degrees which did not help. I didnt realize this till I got home but the problem was two blisters on my right foot. One at base of the heel and other at front of the sole. I am a bit disappointed, partly due to missing a PR and partly due to these blisters. None of them are serious and they are all close under solid sole skin. But I was looking forward to the crossfit wod tomorrow at Black Box and now I will have to go limping (it at all). Ouch. I really want to heal before it. Just for fun I tries crawling around the apartment on all four to give the soles some rest. It was enlightening how hard life can be without legs. Also the new strength in hands have been coming in handy keeping pressure off heels when moving around. Anyway. Lessons learnt are* Bike to and back from races.* Not underestimate issues running longer distances in wet cold conditions* Need those long runs if I want to avoid repetation of the last year's marathon.

BF in NY for 864mi

WOD#94 3 x (21 L PU, 3 x 3 ropish PU) 13:25@140/154 +21 KPU

WOD#95 21-18-15-12-9-6 PU/Sit +100Lunges between 25:30@160/174

WOD#96 SP, PP, PJ 5 x 1-3-5

WOD#97 10KRACE@8:20 Barefoot in chilly rain 50:46@177/189

Weightlifting Mania DL205#, SP75#, Clean/Jerk95#

WOD#98 HPClean/SplitJerk 7x1 95#
45#, 65#, 85#, 95#. It was easier than I thought even though 95# is a PR for me. It must have been the fresh arms after long break. Also no major breakdown in form etc. The trick was to decrease width of the grip so that the clean part end on a right position for jerk setup. Also it helps to make the grip deep in the palms in the clean even though its a pull because it minimizes the strain on wrist on jerk. I did go for split jerk than plain jerk as it just felt right. I am not sure if thats a problem. Split jerks are so much more fun than regular jerks anyway.
WOD#99 Crossfit TOTAL! DL 205# (PR), BkSquat 85#, SP 75# (PR)
All three PRs but bksquat was equaling PR not exceeding. DL was a MAJOR PR up from 165#. Also the grip was hard but it felt like I could go up some more. Interestingly SP was exact opposite. I tried 85# couple of times with no success. Even 75# SP was technically incomplete since I halted halfway through but made it in a second push. Its just amazing to see this big difference in leg strength vs arm strength. Bk Sqaut was not a 100% effort as my heels and calfs are still not 100% after the 10K on Saturday. All in all, pretty much all 4 weightlifting routines today were PR efforts. Not bad.

WOD#98 HPClean/SplitJerk 7x1 95#
WOD#99 Crossfit TOTAL! DL 205# (PR), BkSquat 85#, SP 75# (PR)

4mi RACE as interval training 6:42min/mi

WOD#93 4x800m in 4mi RACE 6:42/33/58/37 13:25@182/192

Compared to WOD#16: 13:36 (6:48)

This is a long overdue WOD which was stuck due to cold weather and heel injury (incidently due to heel strike in sprints/rope jumps while using shoes!). It was a bit chillier than I had expected but mostly dry. The surface was cold and it was a bit windy so my soles became insensitive halfway through the race which concerned me. But then they thawed and it was back to normal by last mile of the race. There is a hint of clear blister under right foot front sole (same place as marathon injury). The skin is so tough that the blister is not as sensitive as regular blister but none the less it will keep me away from running for couple of days.

The 4miler race was very crowded. Good that I didnt plan on racing the whole thing. I jammed my 4x800m interval training in this race which means 800m race and 800m rest. It worked great. I jogged first 800m (which included the cat hill...thank god) and then raced next half mile till mile mark and then rest again etc.I kept going back and forth from the perspective of other runners running at my average pace which must have been interesting. Anyway, according to my garmin, the intervals were all betwen 6:30 and 7:00 averaging at 6:42. Not too shabby. However, the pace was not even and steadily deteriorated after about 250m. Also max HR was nowhere near max possible HR so a lot of this must have been mental. Oh well!

WOD#93 4x800m in 4mi RACE 6:42/33/58/37 13:25@182/192

BF in NY for 854mi

Fight Gone Bad, OHSquats

WOD#89 5 x (9 x HangPowerClean 85# + 3 x 3 rope pullups)

I cleaned up my clean. Rope pullups was fun. It wasnt really easy but the challenging part was the grip and not pull itself. I tried doing it on a towel but I couldnt hold on to the grip. Hang power cleans were quite difficult but I managed to squeeze the 45 out. I broke first three rounds in 2 and last two in 3 subsets.

WOD#90 5 x(25 BkExt, 30 Situp) 17:04@162/177

Easy workout on paper. It becase hard as time went by. I can feel that my midline is much stronger than similar workouts before.

WOD#91 Fight Gone Bad (45#) score 209 17:04@162/177

Compared to WOD#24 score 245 (21min). Great workout: 3 rounds of 1minute rounds of Row for calories+Wall Ball (15# no throw)+Sumo DeadLift high Pull(45#)+Boxjump (15inch?)+Push press (45#)+1min rest. Here was the 209 score breakdown:13-13-17-17-15, 15-15-13-15-13-15, 15-10-10-15-13-5

The score was down from last time since I didnt get the 10sec break between the sets like last time. That explains the shorter time of 17min instead of 21min last time. It was hard getting back from row machine in time and do enough wallballs. The pushpress and SumoDL were done at just 45#. Anything heavier would have reduced my score substantially. Rx was 75# which is doable so I will try to increase load next time even if it drops the score.

WOD#92 5 x (400m@7min/mi, 15 OHSquat 45#) 24:08@169/188

I was very surprised how hard the overhead squats were. Clearly technique is key but even heartrate was quickly pumped up during these squats. I realized during the workout that I need to keep the hands far. Still they were not far enough so that might have been part of the problem. I need work on shoulder flexibility. Also very important: SHOULDER TO THE EAR! Left shoulder is hurting a bit due to miss aligned weight load during the workout. I started having breakdowns in the third set so forth and fifth sets were not very deep on squat side. The third round included three times when I had to get the bar down to hang position through awkward range of motions. Runs were fine. Still concerned about the running in shoe business. I am no longer used to heel strike and the heels are hurting as of next day morning.

BF in NY for 848mi

WOD#89 5 x (9 x HangPowerClean 85# + 3 x 3 rope pullups)

WOD#90 5 x(25 BkExt, 30 Situp) 17:04@162/177

WOD#91 Fight Gone Bad (45#) score 209 17:04@162/177

WOD#92 5 x (400m@7min/mi, 15 OHSquat 45#) 24:08@169/188

Bunch of WOD logs incl half-murph, PUmania and Oly Lifts

WOD#78 Clean and jerk (65#, 85#?) 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
WOD#79 Back Squat (65#, 85#) 3-3-3-3-3
WOD#80 J.T.21-15-9 x (HSPUass, Dips, PU) 12:41@129/141
WOD#81 Half murph incl 2x1mi@8min/mi 46:59@156/188
46:59@156/188 (Compared to Wod#25 MURPH 54:46@153/198 1mi 46:59@156/188 (Compared to Wod#25 MURPH 54:46@153/198 1mi 6:46/50pullups/100pushups/150squats1mi 8:00)This is definitely a killer workout. Unlike last time, I was not dead by the time I reached the second miler but I was definitely hurting. I considering doing some of the second half after the run but that was just too hard. This wod, this is pretty heavy loaded takes about 50min to do first half so doing the whole thing would easy mean 2hrs of continous torture. I think these 2hrs will be worse than second half of the marathon.

WOD#82 Split Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 45#, 65#/85#
Split Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 45#, 65#. 85#. Substantial improvement in form as I developed confidence to stick my head under unsupported weight. Its still tough to trust skills enough to do a deep squat to catch the barbell on its way up but the jumping aspect clearly helps. There were a few reps with hint of presses at top of the jerk.

WOD#83 Karen 150 #15 wallball (no throw) 7:27@173/184!
Karen in exausting! despite no throw (whic is a major scale down), the wod can eay compete running for anarobic activity. I took 30sec break per 30sec/20 throws but HRvstayed averaged 180ish for later part of wod. 20-20-20-20-20-20-15-15 per min.

WOD#84 DL just 95# 21-15-9 + 3x800m@8:30mi/min 18:10@175/187
After Karen, this wod was tough even with a lot of scaling down. The runs even at slow pace of 8:30 felt like 7min/mi (seriously) till I realized that it was 7mi/min. Just plain full body fatigue which was hard to shake off.

WOD#85 PU Mania 10x(1@20#, 3 strict, 5 kipping) 25:52@136/157
The weighted pullup was quite hard. I must say the weighted pullup made regular pullups much easier. Weighted pullups might be a short cut to improving pullup counts. Of course, 10 rounds of 9 pullups each is plain crazy so the splits steadily deteriorated from 38 sec to over 4min.

WOD#86 Front Squats 3-3-3-3-3 20:10@145/174
45#, 65#, 85#, 95#, 115#. First three rounds were without the rack so needed pickups and holding in between. At 115#, this is by far the heaviest PR, up from 45#. I think the main difference from the effort in Jan is the well developed shoulders now coming in handy to provide nice and safe slot of tugging in the barbell for front squat. The squat were quite deep however I think I was leaning forward a bit at the bottom most position. No aches in back so thats a good sign.

WOD#87 5xMaxPU/elvPush (10/20 first and 5/10 rest)8:29@145/160
I managed to squeeze 10pullups in the first round and then 20 elevated pushups. But next 4 rounds were not upto that standard and I scaled down. Total PU30, pushups 60. I probably could have pushed harder but I was pretty spent by the time I reached 5th round.

WOD#88 Lynne 5x(5assist MU!, 5PU, 5ringdip) 27:23@118/141
This was my first attempt at muscle up. It became clear in very first attempt that this is almost a hopeless attempt. I did MUs withlegs on the floor. First 4 set were done while sitting with L-shape keen bent and the last with sitting in a squat directly below rings. Clearly the former was lot harder. MU will take a long time. I think there was exactly once out of 25 attempts when I got into right deep dip position but couldnt pull up. That brings me to the dips portion of the wod. Rings dips are a beast as well. I have practically no range of motion in the dip. The dip is basically couple of inches of motion without reaching full extention. Depth is obviously lacking as well. Work in progress.

BF in NY for 848mi
WOD#78 Clean and jerk (65#, 85#?) 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
WOD#79 Back Squat (65#, 85#) 3-3-3-3-3
WOD#80 J.T.21-15-9 x (HSPUass, Dips, PU) 12:41@129/141
WOD#81 Half murph incl 2x1mi@8min/mi 46:59@156/188
WOD#82 Split Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 45#, 65#/85#
WOD#83 Karen 150 #15 wallball (no throw) 7:27@173/184!
WOD#84 DL just 95# 21-15-9 + 3x800m@8:30mi/min 18:10@175/187
WOD#85 PU Mania 10x(1@20#, 3 strict, 5 kipping) 25:52@136/157
WOD#86 Front Squats 3-3-3-3-3 20:10@145/174
WOD#87 5xMaxPU/elvPush (10/20 first and 5/10 rest)8:29@145/160
WOD#88 Lynne 5x(5assist MU!, 5PU, 5ringdip) 27:23@118/141

Learning olympic lifts the hard way.

Today's workout included 5x9 hang power clean @ 85#. While I had been focusing heavily on keeping good form on midline stanalization, I used deadlift positioning for my hands on the bar. To be more precise, the hands were way too far. Not only did the triangular shape arm position made the clean wobbly, it would scratch soft skin on inner side on both thumbs. Halfway through this high rep workout, I lost outer skin pn both hands as can be seen in picture above. This forced me to get arms closer to body. This also made the clean easier.I haven't check yet but i'm pretty sure this is correct form. Later. ...

8mi@9:10mi/min hafl Barbara, DL165#, 170Pullups, 50 Ring dips!

8mi@9:10mi/min 1:14:41@168/187

Another slow training run which turned out to be pretty fast 8mi@9:10mi/min. At 50 degrees it was almost too hot to run since it was quite humid. I need to start running in sub 50 degrees, especially when its dry. The dirt path was wettish but not too to wet or cold to run on. It made fo a nice soft path to run on. The only harsh part was the chipped wood part on west side of the reservior. It was supplemented with brand new chipped wood which was a bit to hard to run on since it wasnt really broken into a path yet. But its good that I didnt get any blisters. The soles are a bit tender but nothing major. There is slight bit of dead outer skinning giving out which is probably a good thing.

WOD#74 (half) Barbara 2.5 x (20PU, 30Push, 40Sit, 50SQT) 29:54@147/167

Barbara is EVIL. I did not realize the simple math that 5 rounds of 20 pull ups and 30 pushups means 100 pullups and 150 pushups! I am nowhere in shape to do this, despite TWO rest days I took. At the end of the second round I started feeling pain in left shoulder upper joint and I had to stop soon after. Even pushups were hard to do with the shoulder pain. This is the second time I did Barbara. Both times I did half the Rxed workout except last time I did all 5 rounds of half the reps and this time I did 2.5rounds of full reps. Unfortunately, the timing was SLOWER this time by couple of minutes which sucks. Very disappointing, especially after wasting two days taking rest.

Oh well! May be next time. After all the art of maximizing benefit from crossfit is to not give up during hard workout despite pain and strong desire to quit but at the same time not to overdo when a specific pain becomes a threat of full-fledged injury. Its hard to differentiate but in this cse, the shoulder pain was sharp shooting and I had to stop as my form started detiorating rapidly.

WOD#75 7x(10HSPU, 10 LPull, 15Lunge) 20min@149/169

7 rounds in twenty minutes of 10 Handstand (with knees support) Push-ups, 10 L Pull-ups, 15 Step Lunge. I liked this workout. All in all, 70 L-pull ups is not an easy feat, especially on day after doing 50 regular pullups in Barabara. The HR was pretty high, especially during the lunges. Between the three routines and HR elevation, this was a pretty good whole body workout. Most rounds were about 2:50sec except first two and last one which were about 2min. I had whole minute left after round 7 which I used only for HSPU.

WOD#76 SP65#, BkSquat85#, DL165#

PR in DL at 165#. In fact, I stopped at 165# even though I did 3reps instead of 1. No reason just taking it easy. On the third rep, the finger grip was the limiting factor. Pushpress at 85# was too much for me. BkSquat at 85# was probably not the limit but since I had done 125 airsquat previous day, I couldnt push to the limits on squats. There is another wod coming up with 3-3-3-3-3 backsquats. I will try to push the weight past 85# and see how it goes. Also other limiting factor is inability to squat all the way down so I dont want to just keep adding weight without making sure I can do the reps with full depth.

WOD#77 10Rounds (5Pull, 5RingDip, 15Sit) 30min@118/147

My first wod using rings! WOD called for 5 ring dips per rounds. My form as horrible but atleast I got started. This may be as bad a challenge as pullups if not worse. I still cannot hold still on rings on top of the dip position. Also the depth of each dip was barely couple of inches. I had to push rings up to at least get those two inches without use for push from floor (height spec: top of ring same level as nipples).

Pullups on the other hand are getting stronger. I did all 10 rounds with the 5 pull ups unbroken despite lack of kipping ability at door pullup bar. I still dont do the pullups through 100% range of motion but at least I can do them unbroken. I tried to do the last of the 5 with deeper ROM with some success which is encouraging. Also pullup count for the week is 170 (50, 70L, 50) which is not too shabby.

BF in NY for 848mi

WOD#74 (half) Barbara 2.5 x (20PU, 30Push, 40Sit, 50SQT) 29:54@147/167

WOD#75 7x(10HSPU, 10 LPull, 15Lunge) 20min@149/169

WOD#76 SP65#, BkSquat85#, DL165#

WOD#77 10Rounds (5Pull, 5RingDip, 15Sit) 30min@118/147

Ah nice 5K barefoot run in 70 degrees!

WOD#72 5K+ (3.68mi) 32:07@171/184

70degree temperature = Barefoot run in CP. The grass and reservoir path were soaked and cushy from all the snow which melted over last few days. It wasnt cold though, I almost forgot how good it felt to run on grass. Yummm. I ran it reasonably fast at 8:43mi/min (8:30mi/min excl traffic stops). I didnt want to risk any funny injuries. Just like last time, this was the fastest training run ever. Coincidence? And it didnt even feel that fast.

WOD#71 Jackie 1000m row, 50x40#DB Thursters, 30 PUs 24:44@147/170

All upper arms workout. I liked doing thursters using DB. Towards end, it was getting clear that I dont have symmetric strength between two arms as the left hand could not keep up with right hand arm and I started loosing control (with just 20#!). Thursters were the hardest. PUs are getting easier. I managed to do sets with 6-7 PUs which is higher than usual 3-4.

WOD#71 Jackie 1000m row, 50x40#DB Thursters, 30 PUs

WOD#73 Clean and Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 45#, 65#, 85#

Complete failure at first rep attempt at 95# on Jerk part. I still cant do jurk properly and it ends up being push press. It has something to do with fear of getting under the weight. Ironically, I did have a mini-accident when the weight came down somewhat behind the head causing funny body position and some strain on lower back. No damage done but scary for a brief moment. The major problem was inability to let go of the weight. I need to work on exit strategies for bailing out of the weights. Also interestingly enough, I scrapped back sideof index finger (cant imagine how that happened with barbell in the grip. But I think this is the first time I had minor cut in crossfit wod (blisters dont count). Quite a moment.

The finger cut and some pain in lower back made me take a day off just to be on the safe side. Part of the reason was general breakdown in my daily routine as my cycle had flat last Friday forcing me to reorg commute etc. Also I forgot my HRM which I kindda need for the brutal Barbara long due now.

WOD#71 Jackie 1000m row, 50x40#DB Thursters, 30 PUs 24:44@147/170

WOD#72 5K+ (3.68mi) 32:07@171/184

WOD#73 Clean and Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 45#, 65#, 85#

Helen and other WODs

WOD#68 sit/pullups 21-18-15-12-9-6 with 100fr Lunges between 25:10@148/174

The lunges got progressively harder, especially to keep balance. Also the pullups were brutal and I could only do them in set of 3 most of the time. I quite like this style wods which are quite hard to start with but decrease in reps making them more even in effort over the whole wod. I also tried something new on BOSU, looking at watch instead of floor making it harder AFTER an intese workout.

WOD#69 DL 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 (95#, 115#, 135#) BODYWEIGHT!!!

I think this is probably the first time in my life that I lefted anything bodyweight exept body (mine or otherwise), Pretty cool. It wasnt super hard but I decided not to push luck past 135# for now. An obvious PR.

WOD#70 Helen 3 x (400m, 21x40#KBS, 11PU) 19:16@169/188

Quick but exausting workout. The HR averaged at 169 which aint bad for 20min workout. Interestingly enough the max HR peaked at just 188bpm despite the three 400m runs. I think it has something to do with quick stride and full control of the runs. The pullups were hard as usual but I did them in two sets each with first set.

Technically I missed out on one pullup per round (not a biggie). Also for KB swings (Rx 54#), I couldnt trust myself doing anything more than 40# right after the 6min/mi run, especially since I had to hold it over my head:-)

BF in NY for 836mi

WOD#68 sit/pullups 21-18-15-12-9-6 with 100fr Lunges between 25:10@148/174

WOD#69 DL 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 (95#, 115#, 135#) BODYWEIGHT!!!

WOD#70 Helen 3 x (400m, 21x40#KBS, 11PU) 19:16@169/188

5K 24:47@185/195 in Nike Free 5.0 + Joshie

I finally reverted back to shoes for the race today (well...nike frees which are more like half shoes). Its the first time I had run any distance in shoes outside since blazing hot runs in June 08, ironically because it was too cold. It was snowing lightly with wet and chilly road conditions and didnt want to test my luck after the tingly toes I had gotten in my last run in slushy cold surface back in Dec.

Also part of the reason was that I haven't run barefoot lately much and really wanted to run the 5K fast. The 5K turned out to be pretty crowded and I could run my best and had to be content with sub-25min run. The course was also very hilly which I wasn't really prepared for. In retrospect, shoes definitely slowed me down a bit. Something to do with less spring action and less efficiency. I could feel the lack of spring action when I tried to push forward. Its like trying to run faster in sand. Here is a video of a girl running in shoes vs socks side by side without any coaching. Interesting gait analysis worth checking out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9itkEkcQ8WM

Anyway, March is now here and I should have plenty of opportunities now to making good time in races barefoot. I am also falling behind on wods so I decided to count the 5K as a substitute for a 7rounds of 400m (with hip extensions in between). I may try to make up the hip extensions (21-18-15-12-9-6-3) later in Gym as I cant do them well at home. The other two wods lined are also pretty interesting, including another famous girl wod "Helen". On related topic, the rings are here installed on my bathroom door teasing me everytime I walk around the house. Still cant hold still on rings. Longest I could do was about 5sec with very bad form (bend forward, with wrist twisted inside).

WOD#66 Joshie 3 x (L+R) x (25#DBsnatchx21 + 11L-Pullups) 40:38@146/176

The WOD worth talking about is Joshie (hero workout) I did on Friday. Joshie looked insanely tough so I had been postponing it for a while and also I scaled down big time. Original wod called for three rounds of 21 righthand DB snatch@40# + 21 L-pullup and repeat for left hand. Thats total of 126 snatchs and L-pullups. Since I had never done snatchs, I scaled weight down to 25# (which was probably a bit too light). Also since L-pullups are strict pullups (no kippings), 6x21=126 were too many so I did 6x11=66. Also the L part was not really strictly L but atleast I tried my best.

Either I scaled down too much (which sounds unlikely) or the rest day made a big difference because the workout was not as hard as I was expecting. Also I realized in the last round that I was not doing the snatch properly as I was doing partly push. The trick is to pull the weight off the ground with explosive leg strength. When I corrected this form, I easily did all 21 reps at 25# without any break and it didnt even feel that hard, Excellent full body workout really.

BF in NY for 836mi

WOD#66 Joshie 3 x (L+R) x (25#DBsnatchx21 + 11L-Pullups) 40:38@146/176

WOD#67 5K sub(7rounds of 400m/84 HipExt) 24:51@185/195

More WODs

The 6min/mi 400m rounds are getting easier. I hope I can keep it up for the 5K this Sunday. The weather is warming up so perhaps I can get some runs outside over next few days.

WOD#64 50Dips/Pushups/HSPU w/ 400m@6:00 between 23:06@152/190

Upper Arm Tricep/mania! Rx was 50 ring dips but I cant even hold static position on rings never mind dips so 50 ring dips were out of question. 50 regular Dips were easier than I thought. However, I didnt/couldnt really do complete dips so thats something I need to work on. All runs were at 6min/mi despite slight tightness in back side of the right leg ankle. Max HR reached 184/190/188 so its getting easier. I was surprised at this but the hardest routine turned out to be 50 pushups as I was actually grunting in last 15 or so pushups. I had done 50 pushups before but perhaps not in chunky sets of 10-15. Or perhaps it was doing pushups after dips and/or fast runs. But as Rxed I tried to keep the pushups as honest as possible though perhaps I was short by about 1-2 inches at lower most position. Also, I noticed I had psudo muscle failure couple of times (i.e. uncontrollered movement going down which was a bit scary. Finally, HSPU is long way for me as I havent even tried head stand yet.I did HSPU with half weight (supported on knees) and that was not very pretty. Its quite clear to me that I need to practice more such workouts before I can trust those shoulder muscles to take entire body weight.

WOD#65 Push Jerk 7@45#/65#

I havent fully internalized technique for Push Jerk and cannot push weights much more before I get the technique right. Part of the problem is lack of flexibility in shoulder and back.

WOD#64 50Dips/Pushups/HSPU w/ 400m@6:00 between 23:06@152/190

WOD#65 Push Jerk 7@45#/65#

No running in this damn cold weather.

I am still looking forward to the 5K this weekend. Its been so cold this week that no running. It warmed up to 45 degrees on one day but it was raining so I skipped running. Besides, since the 90 (more like 120) double unders, I have been feeling pain in the heel of left foot. Ironically, I was wearing highly cushioned Adidas Supernovas when this happened and not while running barefoot.

WODs continue.

WOD#60 Clean and Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 @65#

Terrible! I remember doing 45 of these last week as a part of 4 different routine (WOD#56) but today, each rep was harder than last and by end the arms felt like they were just about ready to fall off. Not one but BOTH which means it wasnt an injury. It must have ben the Fran and burpees in last couple of days but hard to believe. Even after couple of hours I am hurting but no sharp shooting pain. Very confusing, especially since the rings are in the main due to arrive tomorrow....not to mention Pullups marathon wod coming up.

WOD#61 PU Mania (1-2-3...9-10)  10:00@143/177

This was a lot of fun. This is the only workout in which the HR INCREASED exponentially instead of typical saturation I see. All this time I had been thinking that PU is just a strength training, its quite clear to me now that PU can be quite aerobic if done under time constraint. 

Also, the breakdown I had yesterday on squat-clean was not a limiting factor for the PUs today but right after the workout, I had that familiar feeling of arms just hanging on the side ready to fall off...like in zombie movies. Pretty weird really. Fortunately, the shipment of my rings got delayed so I wont be fulling around with weak shoulders.

Besids ordering rings, another experiement I had been toying with has been the BOSU balance dome. I tried to mimick some weightlifting motions standing on upsidedown dome while keeping balance. I have also been doing 10 squats everyday for last week on BOSU. I made quite a progress since the first time I tried it and couldnt even stand on it.

WOD#63 4 x (400m C2, PP 21-18-15-12@45#) 21:30@153/183

The C2 is moving slowly from strength workout to edurance workout as I am having less muscle fatige but more breathing difficulty doing 500m (250m is not so hard). But total 2km rowing was 9:10). Also pushpress felt harder intially but wasnt really as I managed to do last two sets unbroken. Very nice arms workout with quite a bit of HR work as well.

Speaking of arms, I just got my rings in the mail and they are really nice to touch. However, when I put them up (very easy), even the basis hanging position (top of dip) was rediculously hard. It was so rediculous, I started laughing. RIngs are going to be fun.

BF in NY for 836mi

WOD#60 Clean and Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 @65#

WOD#61 PU Mania (1-2-3...9-10)  10:00@143/177

WOD#63 4 x (400m C2, PP 21-18-15-12@45#) 21:30@153/183

Classic wods incl speed training

With 5K coming up next two weekends, its about time I do some speed work. Very proud to do 400m at 6min/mi under complete control at end of the last wod. I increased stride rates to very high levels and tried to keep body as motionless as possible.

WOD#58 Fran! women's weight:( 20:05@149/185

Fran puts "class" in all of "classic" crossfit wods. Its quite hard and crossfitters often measure themselves by fran time similar to how runner quote 5K or 400m PRs. I really wanted to do fran at original spec (21-15-9 thursters and pullups) for future comparison but I still got no form to do thursters properly. I scaled down the weight from 95# to 65# (women's weight) and broke all routines in set of 3. I just cannot squat down enough in front squat position. I think this has something to do with my extreme inflexibility in shoulder and ham strings. I may not be able to do more complex weight lifting (overhead squat in particular) till my core and my flexibility improves. I am sort of in "blah" phase for pullups as I retrogressed back to set of 3 after doing 5 last time. I blame it on thrusters but we will see for upcoming pullup only wod.

The high point was doing all 9 thruster reps in last round without stopping. HR shot up to 185 which is quite amazing. 20minutes quite pathetic despite 65# weight.

WOD#59 ALL Cardio 28:31@164/196

3 rounds of 500m Row + 21 burpee + 400m (at 7:30, 7:30, 6:00). As expected, HR stayed very high at 160+ most of the time. Max HR touched 196 which is a high for wod (other time I reached 196 in wod was a 4mi race!) Burpees are exausting and unlike running where I cant really stop on a TM, Burpee gives excuse to take break which is not good.

BF in NY for 836mi

WOD#58 Fran! women's weight:( 20:05@149/185

WOD#59 ALL Cardio 28:31@164/196

WOD#57 70 SDHP/dips and new dip station @ home

* SDHP was easy enough with my 44# KB (little less than half the prescribed 95#). Compared to SDHP I did on bar on Thursday, KB makes this work out so much easier and comfortable. Perhaps its got something to do with use of wrist in weird way while doing SDHP on a bar. 

* Dips are still work-in-progress. I tried to do the dip as deep as possible but it just feels like I am no where close to having my upper arm parallel to ground at the bottom. It just puts unbelievable stress on shoulder joint. Hopefully, few more of these dips wods and I will form right balance of muscles to gain enough confidence to push deeper without injury. It cant be harder than pullups, right?

I constructed this dip station at home using legs of a table put upright against the wall. The bars are not stable enough but that by itself makes the workout more exciting. I also ordered Elite gymnastics rings so soon I will be attempting dips on rings where stability will be critical. From what I heard, its going to be struggle just to stand on and hold the top position of dip without shooting the rings sideways, never mind keeping the rings close to body while doing dips. Anxiously awaiting arrival so I can test where I stand.

BF in NY for 836mi

WOD#57 7 x (10 SDHP + 10 dips) 12:28@126/154

WOD, form improvement for C2, Dips and Cleans

WOD#54 DL 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 (max 135# PR)

Progression 7continuous 65#, 85#, 95#, 115# and then 1 each rep of 135#. This was NOT max effort partly because my left front hip muscle seem to hurt in squats and had sharp pain during first rep so I decided to stop at 135#

WOD#55 UpperArms! 3x(250m row + 21SDHP45# + 15PU) 23:43@153/188

Sub row for 400m run at 6mi/min for a round and sub 65#assisted DSHP for one round due to crowd.

I discovered proper form for C2 rower after watching video by one of the C2 experts on crossfit. Trick is to make very long range of motion by bending forward and making a long stroke back followed by slow and deliberate trip back. One way to coordinate the two legs is to count one for the pull and count TWO for way back. The resulting improvement in efficiency was remarkable.

Sumo Deadlift Highpull didnt go so well as I sort of had my hands positioned too far apart making it somewhere in between SDHP and clean. I wish my gym had KBs which would have eliminated this problem. In general, it it pretty obvious that now I can do the motion of some of these more complex weight lifting motions and clearly I have muscular strength to do light weights but cannot perform due to lack of form or perhaps lack of muscle memory to perform the motions right without making an effort. As I increase the loads, this lack of efficiency will become progressively more important.

Pullups were incredibly hard despite nice two day break which bothered me during the workout. It wasnt untill the workout was over that I realized that all the three segments of wod were focusing on same muscles despite seemingly very different workouts. 

WOD#56 45doubleU + 45clean/semisquat65# + 45dips + 45doubleU 48:52@133/170

Form is less than perfect for clean and squat. For some reason, I could not keep myback straght at beginning of squat and thought I was getting pain when I tried to look up to help this problem. I had to raise the stopper higher a bit to help this problem. But all in all, 45 reps were tough. 

Also doubleunders needs more practice. I made sure I didnt count lots of incomplete doubleunders which only added to this workout. Despite 90 reps, I have yet to do two back to back double unders. Interestingly enough, first 45 DUs took 5minutes while the second 45DUs took 9minutes. I dont think the arms or legs were tired but my coordination had deteriorated.

On the brightside, I realized that I could in fact do back to back dips (I have been doing jumping dips assuming I couldnt do back to back dips). I did 11 sets of 4 dips (excl first/last jumping part). Most of the dips were not "deep" enough but I did manage to squeeze a few deep dips just to get a taste. Clearly another classic whole body workout if done to complete range of motion.

BF in NY for 836mi

WOD#54 DL 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 (max 135# PR)

WOD#55 UpperArms! 3x(250m row + 21SDHP45# + 15PU) 23:43@153/188

WOD#56 45doubleU + 45clean/semisquat65# + 45dips + 45doubleU 48:52@133/170

Cindy! (10 rounds up from 5 in Christmas)

I am bit hurting from tight calf and hamstrings after yesterday's run. Nothing major but given that today's wod was Cindy, a favorite, I didnt like that I wasn't 100%. I really want to start hitting wods in at least somewhat respectable range as I am seeing repeat wods. (I had done Cindy back in Dec 21st). This competition between Crossfit and running will only get worse as I get back into racing season. First few wods felt like I was cheating on running by sneaking in the wods. Now its exactly the opposite.

WOD#53 Cindy 10x(5pu, 10push, 15dsquat)  20:00@153/172

10 rounds compared to 5 rounds back in christmas week (HR 148/162)! Still short of 15-20 we usually see in typical crossfitter but at least it was a Rxed.

The major improvement is the ability to do continuous 5 pullups. Even the form steadily deteriorated and I moved to skipping PU with bad form but at least I was hanging up there for all 5 in each set. ALL push ups were excellent form even though it got progressively harder to do the set of 10. I never reached breaking point so its clear pushups are not really bottleneck. Squat were easy as well but both took so much air out of me that I had to catch breath and gather mojo to take the chance to jump in the air and hope that I catch the pullup bar. Its just no fun getting on pullup bar using the steps.

First barefoot run of the season and some fun wods.

First real barefoot run of the season 7.9mi@9:15  1:13:14@166/189. No vibrams! It was warm at 50+ but the central park road was covered with icy cold water as ice on the sides melted. First two miles were hard. I seriouly considered turnining back after first mile as the cold icy water made my feet hypersensitive and then the salt crystals all over the road kept poking and sticking to the sole making it very uncomfortable. The trick was to find water puddles and get rid of them as often as possible. But all this became non-issue after mile 3-4 and rest of the run was pretty nice. It started raining and hailing(!) by mile 6 so I speeded up a bit.

I think this was my first barefoot run since november 30. So I am surprised that I managed to survive the whole 8mile stretch without any damage without conditioning of the feet. There are couple of hints of blisters but nothing to scream about. I didnt even notice them till I was out of shower and back in cozy comforter. Also calfs didnt ache either which was another surprise since, firsttime barefooters often get screaming calfs after a long run. 

All in all, if I have not lost my foot conditioning, thats a good news. The whole run averaged at 9:15 pace including slow runs to and back from park. The real pace was little faster than 9:00 which is nice. When I plotted all barefoot training runs excluding races, this run turns out to be THE fastest, despiting being on the longer end of distance (7.9mi). I couldnt make it to the Bronx half this morning but now I know I would have had no trouble doing it at 9:00pace provided I didnt have a blister issue.

BF in NY for 836mi

7.9mi@9:15  1:13:14@166/189

WOD#49 Kelly 400m, 30box, 30wallish15# 48:23@156/183

This was HARD. I cannot believe people can actually do 20ft high wallball with 20# ball. I was dead pushing it up overhead at just 15#. The runs even at 7:30 pace felt brutal as the whole wod is designed to keep HR in anarobic levels. I had to take so many breaks just to get HR below anarobic threshold for a few seconds which really defeats the purpose of the wod. Ouch.

WOD#50 Nicole 6 rounds 400m+5strict cont PU 20:00@163/179

Fun wod. 5 unbroken pullups which is a first.

WOD#51 5 X (15KBswing35#, 25situp, 25bkExt, 15 Knelbow 42:95@140/164

Major accomplishment: "got" the right form for Knee to Ellbow in last round making 15 in a set after struggling with 5 in all earlier sets. Rx called for 2 poodx25 but had to scale down to 1pood x 15. First round was 1pood x 25 which was hard. Situps and back extensionsare definitely getting easier.

WOD#52 SP1x5, PP3x5, PJ5x5 all@65#

First time use of the newly aquired barbell (thanks to my neighbor leaving). Now I just need a rack.

Pullups/Dips/backsquat wods

After the race on Sunday, I haven't fully recovered in my calfs. It must be the lack of vibram/barefoot training. Even my trade-mill intervals are in supernova so the calfs were hurting. I had to take yesterday off after doing so many of wods. I was all fresh today except for the calfs and covered two wods. One was just backsquat at 5-5-5-5-5 which are did with 65# (last 75#). Piece of cake. Could easily push for more if I can get my form right. I also tries overhead squat at just 45# and couldnt really do a single rep properly. Torso balance muscles are just not developed to correct for imbalance.

Other WOD was sub for 30 muscle-ups. Original Rx was 120pullups and 120 dips which is plain insanity. I scaled it down to 60pullups (15-30-15) and 60 dips (15-30-15). It wasnt so hard and could have easily done more. The trick was to sneak a few strick pullups with different hand positions into kipping pullups. I am still having trouble doing kipping pullup sets past 3-4. It feels like a technique problem and not so much strength issue. However, this is so much better than last time when I was struggling to even do 50 pullups in 10 rounds. Dips is a whole different story. I tried one strict dip and I barely made it. Rest were all jumping dips.

WOD#47 60 pullups and jumping dips (half wod) 22:15@132/158

WOD#48 Backsquat at 65# 5-5-5-5-5 (last at 75#)

Slow 4mi Race at 8:07 in Vibrams

I ran my second race of this year (6more to go excl marathon). Since I had been doubling up on wods to catch up on a week lost due to vacation, I decided to take it a bit easy. 4mi race at 8:07 pace (8:48, 8:12, 8:34, 7:17). Over a minute in negative split since I had so much reserves left for the last mile. But despite easy effort, the fastest mile was comparable to the average pace I ran for my PR race last year at 7:21 so I am clearly loosing my running fitness slowly. 

As for the race, it was barely above freezing and a bit windy. Also I had to start running the race right after reaching the startline from home which is about 1.5mi as I was late (as usual). The first mile was painfully slow weaving through so many people. But it felt good enveloped by so many people after running in cold windy roads to the startline. Somehow it felt much warmer. The race was mostly uneventful. I considered taking my vibrams off but decided against it as my toes already felt tingly. Fortunately, the road was dry. I still remember the last training run in vibrams on December 21 in similar temperature (in fact slightly warmer 38degrees) but with wet slushy snow on the ground. I had slight loss of sensation in toes for couple of weeks. No permanent damage but quite an experience. Bzzzz.

Next weekend is the Bronx half so I need to start thinking about it. 

 

WOD#47 4mi Race@8:07 32:53@175/196 

(Substitute for 10K wod missed two weeks back + 2.3mi up and bk warmup)

On crossfit front, the overall body strength training through crossfit is going GREAT. In fact, the crossfit workouts are making me wonder value of running long distance runs. I am definitely running marathon later this year but will have to think about training program given the crossfit schedule. Since starting on Nov30th, I have been religiously doing each of the wod (3days with 1day rest) and I am only couple of wods behind schedule. Most of the wods have been significantly scaled down. Its very typical to scale weight or reps down by two while adding some kind of "acceptable cheating" to make it through some of the harder work out (eg. jumping dips instead of ring dips. 

Listing rest of the wods

WOD#36 situp / BackExtension / 45#Thruster / Pullups 36:05@143/173

10 Sit-ups 

10 Hip & Back Extensions 

45 pound Thrusters, 20 reps 

30 Pull-ups

20 Sit-ups 

20 Hip & Back Extensions 

45 pound Thrusters, 15 reps 

20 Pull-ups

30 Sit-ups 

30 Hip & Back Extensions 

45 pound Thrusters, 10 reps 

15 Pull-ups

WOD#37 Hang Power Clean 50#DB 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

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WHOLE WEEK OFF for a vacation

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WOD#38 RaisedPushup/LPullups 14:00@141/165 15-13-11-9-7-5-3-1/rev

11,13,15 pullups mostly jumping (no kipping)

set time Max HR

15-1 0:34 131

13-3 0:52 138

11-5 1:40 142

9-7 2:03 138

7-9 1:56 144

5-11 2:27 150

3-13 2:11 155

1-15 2:12 165

WOD#39 5x(50ft lunges22# + 11 burpees)

Half of Rxed WOD Very very tiring despite no real muscle work. Also for some reason killed my back. I am guessing pushing weights too far back while taking lunges and NOT using active shoulder. Shoulders were bit weiry after pull/push up wod yesterday.

HR reached 183 on each of the lunges except first and burpees were too tiring to do despite scaled down from 21 to 11 (HR maxed at 170+ most of the time)

Max overall HR was 186 which is highest on wod not involving longer runs on heavy weight lifting.

WOD#40 BackSquat 65#/SP65#/DL85# one Rep (light!)

Back ache following the lunges forced very light weights. Could easily add 20# to backsquat and DL but not SP.

Must try again after back gets better.

WOD#41 5 x ( 30situps, 25bkexten)

WOD#42 Thruster 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

WOD#43 Elizabeth 21-15-7 x (Clean 45#, Jumping Dips) 6:32@166/188

WOD#44 Mr. Joshua 5 x (400m/30situp/15x65#DL) 30:50@163/187

Quite exausting, especially after starting with a 400m@6mi/mi. Rest of the 400m were at 7:30min/mi. My situps have clearly improved a lot as I did the 30 situp set in about 45sec-1:05min. DL was easy but very tiring so the weight of 65# turned out to be relatively optimal choice.

WOD#45 (half) Barbara 5 x (10pull,15push,20sit,25squat)

Despite scaled down by half, the order of difficulty was same as the sets i,e. Pull ups were by far the hardest and then pushups with good form. My continuous strict pullups count is now probably about 4 though I will be trying for more in "Nicole" coming up.

List of January wods (no barefoot running)

I havent really been posting at this blog since yearend as I STOPPED running barefoot in this god-awful cold weather. As if its not bad enough to be in first winter barefoot, January also turned out to be insanely colder (5 degrees colder than average). One the bright side, I have been training some speedwork on trademill (in my good old Supernovas purely for social aspect of the work gym). I have significantly improved my tolerance to running 400m reps at 6min/mi. 

Listing all the wods below and next entry.

WOD #26 Hang Power Clean 65# 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 6:25@146/185

WOD#27 Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3 65# 14:20@143/168

WOD#28 Clean&Jerk 65# 1-2-3-4 in 1-2-3-4th min 15:33@156/191

WOD#29 3x(400m run, 15MBPushups, 15pullups) 41@152/192

WOD#30 Pullup var 3, 5x1, 7skip

WOD#31 Front Squat 45# 1-1-1-1-1

WOD#32 5mi Race @ 8:30mi/min 42:45@171/194

WOD#33 mini-pullup/Virtual Shoveling 20-15-10-5

WOD#34 Back Squats 65# 3-3-3-3-3

WOD#35 14:57 65#PowerClean/jumping Dips 15-12-9-6-3 15@152/165

WOD#25 (half murph)

Murph is one of the most feared crossfit workout. Ideal way to start the new years! The RXed version calls for 1mile run, 100 pullups(!), 200 pushups (!!), 300 squats (!!!), 1mile run. I just scaled down to 50/100/150 with 5 sets of 10/20/30.

I did the two runs as prescribed at 6:46 and 8:00. The hr touched 193 in first run and 190 in the second. However, the second run at mare 8:00 pace was worse than most races I remember, never mind the first mile at 6:40. What a nightmare! I had to actually visualize the marathon finishline starting at 59th street to make it through it. This visualization is sacred and only meant for life i'd death running scenario. That gives some idea how exaustimg the mile run was. Funny thing was that nothing was aching as rest the Murph doesn't really use running muscles. It was like hitting a wall within one hour of workout.

As for other parts, pullups continue to haunt me. I barely squeezed in a set of 5 continous Kipping pullups and it was downhill from there finishing at one-at-a-time half complete pullups by the time I reached 40+.

Pushups were easier but only on relative basis. I started with set of 10 each and quickly deteriorated to 5 a set and couldn't reach the floor on way down. 100pushups in one session is a first for me.

Squats was a bright point. I quickly developed a more proper form as I ventured a deeper squat. While hard, somehow it felt much cleaner and I could do 30 in one go. Of course it made squats a real workout as opposed to earlier wods. HR reached 180 the two times I attempted all 30 squats in one go which is pretty heavy.
Phew.

BF in NY for 816mi
Wod#25 MURPH 54:46 1mi 6:46/50pullups/100pushups/150squats1mi 8:00