Big News From My First CrossFit Competition!

Well, I don’t know how else to say this except…

HOLY CRAPBALLS! I TOOK FIRST PLACE IN MY DIVISION!

I’m speechless. I really didn’t expect to do that well.

I was in the lowest scaled division because I can’t do unassisted pull-ups or double unders (jump ropes) but I was proficient in all the minimum weights.

The first workout was by far the hardest.

It was basically a ladder of push-ups and jumping pull-ups.

The ladder was 3 push-ups, followed by 3 pull-ups, followed by 6 push-ups, followed by 6 pull-ups, then 9, then 12, and so on until 30 or 7 minutes was up. I made it through 21 push-ups and I was done.

My arms felt like rubber bands!

The next workout was my favorite and the one I did the best at.

It was 2 minutes of tabata-style jump ropes, step-ups and kettle bell swings with 20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest.

Honestly, I killed it winning the round with 306 reps.

The next workout I did (even though it was 4th in the scoring) was a stamina test. I had to carry a 55-lb bar in the front rack position as far as possible.

I did good but not great. The pressure on my neck was too much after 1,399 feet.

The last workout (3) was a killer.

3 minutes of Max Effort Thrusters.

That means as many as you can do in 3 minutes but there’s a catch. If you drop the bar you get a 15-second penalty.

I refused to drop the bar.

I did 53 before time ran out.

This is one of my favorite photos of the competition.

And I caught my friend Leslie snapping it. :)

Even though I didn’t win every round (I only won one) I took first in the division because I had the lowest overall score. Basically that means I consistently performed well in each round.

I’m proud of myself. I did my best, faced some fears (OK, a LOT of fears) and again pushed myself to do something WAY out of my comfort zone. I can honestly say I’ve never truly felt like an athlete before today but I’m totally embracing it now.

Next goal: Train for pull-ups and double unders so I can compete at an Rx division one day. I’m not sure how long it will take but I’ll get there, slow and steady, doing what I can when I can just like I’ve been since I started this crazy journey 8 years ago.

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Results of This Morning’s Stair Climbing Competition

So there ya have it. I conquered 39 flights of stairs in 15.31 minutes. Achieving those 39 flights required me to climb the building twice. I finished 5th overall in my division and 1st among the female climbers in my division.

Not too shabby for my first try. And with absolutely no training or stair practice!

One of the male climbers apparently forgot to wear deodorant. My nostrils are still getting over the shock of his armpit fumes.

I alternated between running the stairs and step-walking to pace myself and keep my heart rate in check. In the final few steps of the climb my eyeballs started to cross and the stairs seems to blend together. I couldn’t tell where the next step began. Whoa! But I kept calm to step safely and finished feeling good.

In case you missed my previous post about the climb, here’s the actual building:

Thank you to everyone who donated to the American Lung Association to help me qualify for the climb! And thank you all for you well wishes, encouragement and support. You guys are freaking awesome.

XOXO,

Josie

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