"Elisa, how do you think you did?"

THE QUESTION

This is the question my coach asked me after competing in the "hunger for more games" on December 9, 2012 hosted by my home box, Port CrossFit. This competition consisted of male and female team.  Originally i had signed up to be a judge, but 3 weeks before the competition my friends Don and Vicki found out that, Vicki was injured and unable to compete.  Knowing how much i like to compete, they asked me to substitute for Vicki.  OH MY GOD I AM COMPETING IN 3 WEEKS!!!

COMPETITION DAY
I am a bundle of nerves driving to the venue where the competition is taking place. I arrive early because my daughter is a judge, so i  busy myself by checking in and looking to see what time my heat goes off and what lane we are in.   I choose my corner to put  down my cooler with food and workout gear...i  turn around and see the different boxes descend on the venue all in their boxes colors...sort of like Irish/Scottish clans in kilts...competitors but one big crossfit family. To keep myself from thinking to much about how nervous i am and start finding my crossfit friends from other boxes.  I spot Don, my partner and feel less nervous and he asks with a huge grin "you ready?" i chuckle "yup, lets get this party started!" 

WOD #1

 Don and i had 10 minutes  to work up to a heavy triple hang clean. We are not allowed to put down the bar to do the 3 hang cleans. The team is scored on the total weight we lift combined. I love cleans so i am confident with this Olympic lift. I am worried because the bar we have to use is 45lbs and its very long and awkward for me to hold. Don and i load the bar for 65lbs...1, 2, 3..piece of cake..all i could think while lifting is "don't smash the bar into your mouth"... Vicki and i have done this in class, I chipped my tooth, Vicki split her lip and  had to leave class to get stitches! Don in 3 lifts works up to a triple hang clean of 205, Don makes it look sooo easy! I work up to a triple at 85lbs we still have more time on the clock so i say to Don i am going for 9olbs (my goal was 85lbs)..Don says to me " i think you can do 95lbs" ...i love his confidence in me, but i say to him "i want to be sure i can hit the triple,  so lets load up for 90lbs" I hear my daughter and my crossfit friends who came down to watch cheering in the background! I am  really nervous 90lbs is heavy, so i start to focus and remember what Jon North said "you control the bar" i take a deep breath..1, 2, 3  cleans and i got it..WOOHOO a 25lb PR(personal record) for me! Don goes for his last lift at 215lbs 1, good, 2, good, 3...he misses his shoulders by a hair and the bar goes down. Together we hit 295lbs and are 7th in the scaled division after wod 1.

WOD #2
WOD #2 is a 6minute AMRAP (As Many Repetitions As Possible) of 5 thrusters scaled male weight #70lbs/scaled female weight 35lbs and 5 jumping pull ups one partner works at a time. Don and i are pretty confident about this WOD ..cool...i love thrusters. A thruster is a crossfit movement in which you squat with a weighted barbell and stand up with arms fully extended overhead. The volunteers place a box and a 45lbs weight plate on the box so i can reach the pull up bar and Don and i are in position and wait for 3, 2, 1 , GO! Don goes first hits his thrusters and his jumping pull ups with no problem, i can't start til he is off the pull up bar or its a 5 burpee penalty.  I do my first set thrusters and jump up on the the box to reach the bar, i jump up for my first jumping pull up and miss my footing and fall off the 8 1/2 ft pull up rig onto the box and weight plate below! Did you ever fall in your dreams while sleeping? Well, that's the way I felt falling off the pull up rig! There I am laying across the weighted plate and box like a rag doll, in shock that i fell on my first jumping pull up. All I want to do is cry, i am in pain, i am scared and i peed my pants when i hit the plate, and now i want to go home.  In my head i know i can't go home because Don is counting on me, with that , I hear my judge off to the side who is one of my friends say to me in a stern voice "shake it off and get back on the bar!" I jump up, grab the bar, i am SCARED TO DEATH  with each jumping pull up that i am going to fall again but i continue the wod til we run out of time. Don and i did  a total of 19 rounds in 6minutes. At this point Don and i are in 11th place. Don is happy and i ran to the bathroom to change my wet pants and check for bruises on my ribs!

WOD#3
WOD#3 is an 8min AMRAP of  Burpees and rowing. While one partner does burpees off a 45lbs weight plate the other rows for calories, partners switch every 30 calories. GROAN..i am not a strong rower and Don is not a strong at burpees. I did burpees first while Don rowed, then at 30 calories we switched and when i picked up that handle on the rower i felt like i was pulling a car, i couldn't hold my row pace but i gave it everything i had and so did Don. When we were done ...Don gave me a fist pound "great job partner" all i could do was say i was sorry i didn't do better.  It is one thing to let your self down but its another to let your partner down and  i felt that i let Don down. After this event, We placed 18th out of 25 teams in the scaled division. Well, at least we weren't last.

 MY ANSWER

"Well Coach, I did better than expected in Wod #1..i loved it, i am really happy with a 90lbs triple hang clean! Wod #2 i fell off the bar but i am proud of myself that i got right back up even though i was terrified," He chuckles "i heard about that thru the grapevine" I continue "the last wod, i tanked us, i feel bad about it" my Coach says "you know rowing and burpees are not a strong point for you" I said with a sigh, "yeah i know" ...... i continue " Coach considering  1 yr ago i didn't know what crossfit was, i was 46 1/2 and overweight and unhealthy,  and the last time i competed in an athletic event was in high school which was 29yrs ago. I would have to say i did pretty good in my 2nd crossfit competition  in which there are no age divisions, and for crossfitting less one year and i will keep working hard to get better." He smiled at me and said "yeah Elisa who does that? starts Crossfit at age 46, knows nothing about crossfit and competes in 2 competitions in her 1st year? i still want to see your driver's license i really don't believe that your 47!"

Thank you Don for asking me to compete with you. Vickie, girl get better soon..i miss my partner in crime!

Thank you  PortCrossfit I am stronger today than yesterday!