Some days just finishing is an accomplishment. \u00a0I had three workouts last week and two of those brought me to nearly total\u00a0exhaustion.<\/p>\n
The first workout consisted of rowing 100m every minute on the minute for 10 minutes. \u00a0Simple enough. \u00a0It was my first day back after a week off, and I was happy to have a WOD I could control. \u00a0In other words, I could take it easy. \u00a0Which I did. \u00a0I wasn’t lazy exactly, but just not going all out.<\/p>\n
The next two WODs? \u00a0Not so easy.<\/p>\n
The second WOD was brutal. \u00a0The warm up: 30 53# kb swings, 30 pullups, 30 pushups, 30 squats. \u00a0I had not used a 53# kettlebell before in a determined way. \u00a0 The most I had ever used in a WOD was 44#. \u00a0These particular swings were shoulder height (i.e., “Russian”) but \u00a0it was still hard.<\/p>\n
The WOD: 4x 400m run, 60m farmers walk with 50# sandbags in each hand, 20 box jumps at 20 inches. \u00a0I was tired going into it. After round 1 I was feeling some serious physical stress and getting a bit nervous. \u00a0As in, I can’t do this. \u00a0During round 2 I didn’t really remember ever having been anywhere else. \u00a0The WOD was just about the total of my consciousness.<\/p>\n
I lowered the intensity by taking few seconds to get some water. \u00a0Round 3 was better because I had caught my breath a\u00a0little. \u00a0Round 4 was mostly will power. \u00a0Total time: 19 minutes. \u00a0I was happy to have finished it. \u00a0I found some shade inside to fall down into and tried to relax. \u00a0Laying down didn’t help. \u00a0So I got a small glass of beer (a plastic cup, proving I am not too proud to beg.) \u00a0That helped. I’m not sure how much more I could have done, but I was\u00a0exhausted\u00a0to the point of being dizzy.<\/p>\n
The third WOD was also very simple: a 5K row. \u00a0The trick (for me at least) was to try and keep good rowing form, keep a\u00a0steady\u00a0pace and not stop for anything. \u00a0It took me\u00a024 minutes and 15 seconds. \u00a0Not a bad time, considering I had never done a 5K row. \u00a0Although it was slower then just about everybody else.<\/p>\n
But I did not attempt to lower the intensity. \u00a0I pursued every stroke with as much vigor as I could muster. \u00a0Occasionally my mind would drift, but I brought myself back to the rowing by focusing on my form and the feel of the tension in the chain. \u00a0When I got off the rower my legs were wobbly. \u00a0My lungs felt like they had been inflated to twice their normal size.<\/p>\n
I won’t say I got 100% of those two WODs. \u00a0Probably 95% and 90%. \u00a0But I think I’m way more disciplined in how I go about the workout then before. \u00a0I can feel the stress wearing my resolve down, and the voice that says “quit!” gets louder and louder. \u00a0The resentment builds up. \u00a0No more! \u00a0But to keep going is such sweet pain. \u00a0To get beyond that barrier of “quit!” again, and again, and again — that’s discipline. \u00a0That is commitment. \u00a0That is strength.<\/p>\n
Cheers.
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