Everybody loves reading about the success stories of the pretty girls in the gym, but today it’s another popular topic: my failure.
Do not expect tips to improve your technique. Do not expect insightful coaching. No, this is a little rant.
Please indulge me and read it. Let me know if you have any advice for me, or perhaps empathize with me, in the Comments below.
Please answer a question for me. Whoever dreamed up today’s WOD? That person should be flogged; flogged with a jumping rope!
Unbroken Double Under Pyramid
5-10-15-20-25-30-35-40-45-50
-45-40-35-30-25-20-15-10-5
Scaled- Triple the single unders unbroken!
20 Minute Time Cap
Being the Defiant guy that I am, I scaled the scaled version to simply doing Single-unders. Bear in mind, only a month ago, I was just getting the hang of jumping. My highest consecutive run of singles is 102, so I figured I could perform my scaled version and still find the WOD challenging.
3-2-1-Go!
I’m off to the races. I got into my rhythm and I climbed up the ladder to 50 in 9 minutes and 11 seconds. I figured there was hope that I could pull it off before the time cap. WRONG!
The second round of 45 jumps never happened. I stumbled at 42. I tripped at 39. Then the wheels fell off. I couldn’t get any rhythm and I’d struggle to string a half-dozen jumps together. I’d rest 15-20 seconds to regain my composure, all to no avail. With 30 seconds to go I caught the groove and made 44 jumps and tripped on 45. Epic fail.
During this WOD, my heart rate hit an all-time CrossFit high of 166. It may have gone higher, but I caught a glimpse of it at 166.
When fatigue sets in, the coordination suffers, timing is off, more mistakes happen and your body is defeated by what is happening between your ears. The frustration, the doubt, and many other emotions just undermine the rest of the game. I have been defeated failing to accomplish something I have never done, a weight I have never moved, etc. But to be defeated doing what you have done before, and what you know you are perfectly capable of doing is the worst.
It sounds like you had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad workout today. Some days are like that. But don’t confuse that with failure. Failure is when you give up and quit.