Final Granite Games Masters Sectional: The "Big Girl" WOD

Today would be the last Granite Games Sectional WOD;  I would re-attempt the workout I had bailed on on Friday, Fail Day.  It seemed like a fairly simple WOD: 3 cleans, 3 jerks; 2 cleans, 2 jerks; 1 clean, 1 jerk, at 95 pounds for masters women.   I had watched Coach Pat do it (twice), as well as the two other SISU Masters Sectionals athletes, and it didn't seem bad.  Plus, it was short; just a four minute AMRAP.  Really, how bad could it be?

So I was a bit surprised when I talked to HatGuy on the way into the box. HatGuy is competing in the Sectionals in the non-master's men's category.  He's a very talented CrossFitter who makes everything look as easy as I make it look hard, but perhaps his most impressive talent is his ability to complete almost any WOD without losing his hat.  True, it did fly off a couple times during the muscle ups that the young 'uns had to do instead of chest to bar pullups--but he retrieved it and put it back on each time, so I didn't dock him any talent points for that.  Anyway, when I asked HatGuy which workout he'd be doing today (we all seem to be on different schedules), he said "the Big Boy workout." When I looked confused, he elaborated "you know, the one with the cleans."

Well, I hadn't thought of WOD #4 as particularly a "Big Boy" workout...but then I remembered.  I'd only seen masters athletes complete the WOD--and they used a scaled weight.  The young guys had to clean and jerk 225 pounds. And then I remembered further...on Friday, as my unhappy stomach and shoulder and I attempted to warm up, a guy had done a 225 pound clean and jerk--and when he dropped the bar after completing the lift, I thought it was going to go through the floor.

So yeah, a Big Boy WOD.

And, when I thought about it, I realized that it was going to be a "Big Girl" WOD for me as well.  95 pounds is close to my PR for a clean (I've done 105) and is my PR for jerks (as of Online Qualifier WOD #1).  And that was when my shoulder was feeling much better.  Once again, I thought I might be looking at completing a small part of the WOD--in this case, the first three cleans--and then spending the rest of my time futilely trying to move past the next movement, in this case the three jerks.

After the number of times I surprised myself in the Qualifier and the Sectionals you'd think I'd have learned to trust myself a bit more by now, eh?

But, as with the other WODs, I figured all I could do was my "whole-assed" best (and I have definitive proof that I had done my whole-assed best in yesterday's pistol WOD, because today my whole ass hurts). So I completed the thorough warmup prescribed by Coach Jason, and worked hard on trying not to bend my arms early in the clean.  I'm finally getting to where I can feel how much easier cleans and snatches are when I do them correctly, and 95 pounds is heavy enough that I certainly want all the "easier" I can get.

This WOD called for multiple cleans in a row and then multiple jerks in a row, rather than the usual clean-and-jerk combo.  I knew, though, that I was going to have to set the bar down after each jerk and re-clean it for the next attempt; I didn't dare try to lower the bar back to front rack position because I knew it would aggravate my shoulder too much.  So I knew I was looking at doing more cleans than I technically needed to. Proper technique--or at least, as close to proper as I could get--would be essential.  Any time "proper technique" is essential, I get a bit nervous...

And then it was WOD time.  The first three cleans were, as I had anticipated, no problem.

The jerks were a bit of a different story.  Each one took several moments of "pause and psych myself up" before the attempt, and all were a struggle.  I lost the bar behind me once...

 Damn, that's not good

Fortunately I'm pretty good at leaping out of the way

Now, where's that bar?

...and had to do a bit of wobbling about a couple other times before I could stabilize everything enough for Coach Jason to indicate that the rep counted.

Doin' a little two-step with 95 pounds

I had hoped to get through one complete round, or 12 reps...so when I finished my 16th rep and threw the bar down just as time ran out, I did indeed feel like I had completed the WOD like a "Big Girl."

Those rubber plates bounce good, don't they?

And then, (risking becoming an even bigger girl), I once again went to McDonald's to upload the video and submit it for scoring--and to have a celebratory hot fudge sundae.  

And then Sectionals were done.

And I have to say, this has been one of the most fun athletic events I've ever done.  I've surprised myself with what I can do more times than I thought possible; I've had a blast getting to watch really good CrossFitters do their stuff; and I've generally just enjoyed the hell out of every minute of the Qualifier and the Sectionals. And whether or not I end up qualifying for the Granite Games, I consider this whole experience a huge success and I can't thank the SISU coaches enough for making it possible.

And now you'll have to excuse me...I need to go refresh the Leaderboard for the 100th time and check the standings...