Thursday 2-Fer

The weather was so gorgeous this morning that -- though I was feeling a bit stiff and sore -- I wanted to get up and run. So after making today's delicious smoothies (kale, banana, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry) I packed up some things and headed out.

My legs were really stiff at the start of the run, but then I warmed up and felt okay. Not much else to report there... other than the fact that, being a fool, I didn't stretch when I got to the car. Nor did I stretch when I was in the shower at work. Nor did I stretch ALL DAY.

So my hamstrings got stiffer and stiffer and the day progressed. Neato. That said, it's not that unusual to see people limping or moving stiffly around the office...

Then home, where I relaxed a little and then got ready for my second "on-ramp" session of CrossFit. I'm not gonna lie. I didn't want to go. But I also don't want NOT to go. So I sucked it up and headed over to the box.

Was happy to see Stacey there again, but sad not to see "Sarah". A few other folks seemed to have dropped out as well, but the majority of the class was there.

We warmed up on our own -- or were supposed to, but most of us did a few "pass-throughs" and then Stacey and I did a couple of inchworms before we kicked things off.

We did some barbell work today -- the "ladies" bars are 35 pounds each, while the "mens" bars are 45, and the "juniors" are 25. Let's just say that by the end I was wishing I had just grabbed a junior bar...

We started by learning the safe way to do some of the lifts. Yeah, I've already forgotten what they're called. The first one was just bringing the bar to your shoulders, then back down to your hips. The second lift was bringing the bar from your shoulders to over your head, and back down. This got increasingly difficult as time passed.

Then we went over to the pull-up bars and attempted "knees to elbows". Umm, yeah. Luckily the instructor pointed out that for many of us, just hanging from the bars was enough of a workout. Yep.

Then we worked on v-ups -- which are a modification for the knees to elbows move.

After "mastering" (ha ha) the moves, she asked if we were all warmed up (groans) and then she explained the workout. We were going to do each of the four things for a minute each. At the end of the four minutes, we got a minute of rest. We were encouraged to keep track of how many reps we did -- saying that the workout was "scored" by the total number of reps you completed.

Anyway, we were to do the cycle 3 times total. Ready? Go.

First lift went okay, as did the second lift. I tried to do the shoulder movement that's the first step of knees to shoulders. And I felt relieved by the relative ease of the v-up. And then I enjoyed my first minute's rest.

Second round -- first lift good, second lift a little wobbly. I started to worry I would somehow lose control of the bar. Got to the pull-up bar and my hands were hurting. Had to drop off the bar a few times the pain was so bad. Started my v-ups with the one-leg modification, only to have one of the instructors say that we should at least attempt the two-leg version at the start of the set. So I did... and he said, "Great effort." (aww.) And then blissful, water-sucking rest minute.

Third round -- tried to burn through it because I was relieved it was almost over. (Is that normal?) First lift okay, and then I tried to focus on my form for the second lift. And then, well, I think I spent more time with my feet on the ground than my hands on the pull-up bar. My hands are still sore. And then v-ups till the end.

After the session we put our things away, got a little pep talk, and cleared out. I hope I can move my arms tomorrow... at boot camp!