CrossFit Open Workout 19.4 is in the books. It is:
3 Rounds of:
Rest 3 min
Then:
3 rounds of:
I only got 4 bar muscle ups. I used to be much better than that. That’s because since last summer all I’ve been doing is practicing ring muscle ups, not bar. And my bar muscle-up form sucks. So until I fix that, it’ll always be crappy.
I was satisfied. Could have been better. But glad it’s over.
CrossFit Open Workout 19.2 was a repeat of CrossFit Open Workout 16.2. It is:
If you finish in under 8 minutes, you get 4 more minutes to do another round with heavier squat clean weight.
I didn’t finish this round, but I was happy with it. I almost did.
After 2 weeks of CrossFit Open workouts for 2019, I’m just not into it. Without Regionals to measure yourself against, you’re against everyone, and being in the thousands tells me nothing of my fitness level. The CrossFit Open used to be a way to measure your improvement over a year. Now, the only way you know if you’ve improved is in your head. Can you do a muscle up this year that you couldn’t last year? Can you string more double unders together? Can you lift heavier weight?
The CrossFit Open to me is not what it used to be. And that saddens me.
CrossFit Open Workout 19.1 is:
AMRAP 15:
As much as I didn’t like this workout, it played to one of my strengths: stamina. I did well. I was happy with my score. I exceeded my goal. That’s all that matters.
What will CrossFit Open Workout 19.2 be? Give me a barbell or dumbbells. I do believe since this one was all lower body, we’ll see something upper body. Either heavy push jerks, pull ups, or muscle ups even.
This is the first year since I’ve started CrossFit that I haven’t cared about the CrossFit Open, which is technically how you qualify for the CrossFit Games, but as average athletes, it’s just a test of how you’ve improved since last year. I believe there are several reasons for my apathy:
I’ll still do the workouts and log my score and check my standings with others in my age group and region. However, I definitely won’t be re-doing any of the CrossFit Open workouts this year. And I’ll have to try to look forward to it. Tips and advice are always welcome.
This morning I did Bert, a CrossFit Hero Workout named for U.S. Marine Cpl. Albert Gettings, 27, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, who died on Jan. 5, 2006, while conducting counter-sniper operations in Fallujah, Iraq. 
This one, like most CrossFit Hero workouts, is long. It’s:
I finished in 1 hour and 6 min, including time to take my jacket and gloves on and off for the runs. Fun workout. All body weight exercises. Great cardio.
I’m trying to get motivated for the CrossFit Open. This was a good workout. I’m beginning to log my food again with My Fitness Pal. I’m hoping to get stronger and gain more skills. Really, I’m hoping to stay fit and healthy and be happy with how I look.
The CrossFit Open officially kicks off February 21st, 2019.
This is the qualifier for the 2019 Games.
And I am not ready.
I don’t feel like I’m any more ready than last year.
Between injuries, surgeries, and frustrations, I just haven’t been caring much
I have 75 days to prepare.
Once I get my stitches out next week, I think I’ll be ready to hit it hard core.
But we’ll see.
It’s been tough mentally this year for me. I just haven’t cared all that much.
The Open pushes you to do things you normally wouldn’t. It’s a gauge of where you are fitness wise. It exposes your strengths and your weaknesses. It drives you to do better next year.
18.1 My best performance. It played to my strengths: long, short repetitions of movements, and pure mental game.
18.2 I PR’d my clean. Strength is something I always have to work on, which just takes time.
18.3 I’m closer to a ring muscle up than I thought. I almost had one, and I’m confident I’ll have one soon.
18.4 Handstand push ups. I learned I’m not as good at these as I thought I was.
18.5 Chest to bar pull ups. I know I’m not good at these. Last year I could only strict them. This year I kipped them. Another weakness to work on.
I’m very competitive for my age group. Next year, I’ll be near the top.
Overall, this was a challenging year. If I could have done all the movements, I would have enjoyed it. Instead, frustration reigned and by the end, I just wanted to be done.
What I’m looking forward to: doing some competitions, Murph, improving Olympic moves, getting stronger, getting my final pieces in place, dialing in my nutrition, and continuing to improve daily. That’s what CrossFit is all about. Being healthy. Using your endorphin rush to fuel the crap in your daily life, and thriving despite adversity.
The year ahead couldn’t be brighter!
I finished 18.5 last night and felt horrible.
I had to sit down for 15 minutes and then eat something.
Still, I felt bad. I usually never feel bad after a workout.
I think it was a combination of things: stress, anxiety, pressure, my wrist sprain, odd workout times for me, pushing hard on 18.5, etc that my body protested.
I came home and took a bath. Laid down. Felt a bit better…
The Open this year was tough. Very tough. Demoralizing in a way I haven’t been in a long time.
Training begins now for next year.
I’m unsure yet how much of a break I’ll take first.
Right now, I’m just enjoying it being over. I’m awaiting Wednesday when I find out my final place in the region. I know it’s better than last year and that’s all I could have hoped for…
This was the response of an athlete at my box when asked whether or not she’d re-do the workout or not.
At first, I agreed.
However, it has kept coming up in my mind over and over again–a nettle that won’t let go–because deep inside I don’t agree.
The Open for me is about doing the best I know I’m capable of. This entails re-doing the workouts because there is a learning curve–especially to movements such as the hang dumbbell clean that is not all that frequent of a movement in CrossFit programming. If I have an opportunity to do better, I’m gonna take it!
This applies to all aspects of my life. I always strive to do my very best in everything I do because I care about my work and the results. I want to learn to do things better. I want to be a better parent. A better wife. A better employee. A better member of society. A better writer. A better CrossFitter. A better person. This involves practice.
I re-did 18.2 and 18.2a today. My goal was to do 18.2 30 seconds better. My goal for 18.2a was to clean 5 more pounds.
I met both of these goals–almost exactly.
All because I knew I could do better.
If I don’t try when I know I have more in me, I’m letting myself down. And for me I can’t live with that.
So to answer the question: I care and I will care in four months when the lights dim and the hubbub diminishes what my Open scores were. I want to do my very best in this competition. For myself. To verify in my mind all my sacrifices are worth it. It’s important to me. Don’t get me wrong–I’m always in it to win it. But the competition is within.
Challenges and goals. Some met, some not. But always doing my best. Till the day I take my last breath…
I just returned from doing CrossFit Open Workout 18.1:
AMRAP 20 min:
8 Toes to bar
10 dumbbell hang clean and jerks
12 calories on the rower
My score: 267
It was okay. I wanted 10 rounds and didn’t quite get 9 rounds. I may re-do it, but I’m unsure. The row seemed to go on forever.
The atmosphere was great. We all supported one another and cheered one another on.
Still, something was missing, and I can’t put my finger on it. It was different than last year. I think I had all this hype built up in my head, and it was a bit of a let down. I’m unsure. I have such high expectations of myself, and I was disappointed in how I did.
All I know is the Open is different for me this year. It will probably be different next year. And the following…
My Journey to the CrossFit Games 