Kat's Training Diary

I spent this past week in Fort McMurray with a group of my gymnasts for a training camp at my old gym. It was a great experience for them all having tons of girls at their level and doing the same skills as them. I think it really pushed them to be better because they were no longer the best ones anymore.

A couple of them learned some new skills too! Alyssa got her kip to straight body handstand and did backhandsprings on the low beam by herself. Emma got her backhandspring back layout stepout on the floor and worked hard on some great tumbling and vault drills. Zoe got to try giants in straps with spot and also did some great tumbling drills. Seanna also got to try giants in straps with spot and worked really hard on the cast to handstand drills they all did.

We will definately go back next year and try to arrange another van full of girls to come with us too.

After yesterday's workout (tabata pullups, pushups, situps, double unders and walking lunges) I was feeling pretty sluggish this morning. My elbows and arms were sore from all the fast circle pullups and I was yawning the entire warmup.

Today our WOD was:
"JOSH"
For Time:
21 OHS (65#)
42 Pullups
15 OHS
30 Pullups
9 OHS
18 Pullups
6:12

The 21 and 9 overhead squats were unbroken, the set of 15 was broken at 8. For some reason the 15s are what kill me in every workout. It's just a complete mental thing. There was no need to put the bar down but I did. And the the pullups were broken slightly. One break in the set of 42, one break in the set of 30 and two breaks in the set of 18.

After I finished Chad yelled me my time. I had to ask again because I didn't think I heard him correctly!! Prior to the workout I was hoping for sub 12 minutes! Boy was I way off my guessing game! Like Chad said... it helps to be really good at both movements. I thought that too until I had a date with RYAN (5 rounds of muscle ups and burpees). I love the two movements apart but it was the combination that was deadly. So I thought RYAN would be the same. Not so bad at all!!

Chad and I took a trip to Calgary on Wednesday and Thursday to be part of the CF Level 2 Cert as test subjects. Thursday morning prior to the cert I wanted to drop in to James' 6am class to get in a workout. I've been to Brett's class a bunch of times and wanted the opportunity to see how James runs his class.

WOW! "Michelle" was the WOD. 7 rounds for time: 25 DB Split Jerks (20#/h) and 25 jumping chin ups. My time was 18:37. OUCH! That was painful. The Split jerks were surprisingly easy compared to the jumping chins. The entire 7 rounds of pain all I could hear was James yelling and telling me that this workout was the first step for next year. The first step to the qualifiers and the first step to games and I needed to bring it. Despite struggling the last little bit with the drive and determination I need to have, that was all I needed to hear. I needed someone to scream at me and put it all in perspective. Stop dickin around and get your game on. The trip was worth it just to hear those words come out of his mouth.

James offered Chad to stick around and train with him, Chris Spealler and Brett Marshall so I ran out and grabbed a bar and coffee while we stuck around.

Another WOW! Haven't seen Chris since my level 1 cert and while it's not the time for peaking that guy always amazes me. Witnessed him doing AMRAP weighted ring dips with 75#!! That's like 60% of his bodyweight, and I'm pretty sure I saw him crank out 5 or 6 reps.

Spent the day doing the 9 foundational elements of CF. Sort of. We were instructed to do crappy reps, shady form, and common mistakes we would see in clients. No exposed hips on the med ball cleans, bicep curling, the famous U press, etc. I am feeling all of it these last couple of days. But it was wroth it. Got to meet Nicole Carroll! That has always been something I have wanted. She is just as short as me but has the strongest looking legs and butt I have ever seen. WOW!

After the testing was all done, Chad and I went out for dinner with all the big dawgs. Couple hours full of laughter and sharing of memories. Of all the laughter and good times, one thing that James said to me stuck with me and I'll never forget it... give yourself two years time, he said. Two years and you will be at the top of your game. You've only been lifting weights for a little over one year and you are above and beyond where anyone could want to be. Just be patient and you will get to where you want to be.

It means alot to hear him say that. To hear someone who has been there and experienced it all, and know that I have that kind of potential means alot to me.

Haven't been posting much lately. Call it lazy, unmotivated, discouraged, etc. Just feeling I'm sort of in a plateau in my training right now. I'm seeing great improvements in some things (ie: new front squat PR, snatch PR, Annie PR) but I don't feel like my improvements are as much as I want or need them to be.

I do CrossFit for me. I do it to be better at life. It teaches me to work through difficult tasks whether they are mental, physical, or emotional challenges. BUT... I also want to be the best. I want to be great at what I do. I never heard anyone say it better than my newest CF friend Michelle Benedict at our CF Gymnastics cert. When asked why she was there she simply said "I want to win. I want to be the best and I don't want anything less than that."

That's what I want. I don't just want to be 'good', I want to be amazing at what I do.

I feel like my weaknesses are really starting to improve drastically. I'm able to do more WB shots than I ever was able to do before. I'm able to front squat and deadlift more. But for some reason all I see is others improving more than I am. I show up consistantly and work my butt off, yet less consistant gym go-ers are improving at a better rate.

I want my goal of qualifying to the CrossFit Games more than ever now. Just like OPT said "I will die on this mat if I have to". I just fear what I'm doing may not be enough...

Woke up this morning to find out CrossFit Regina had made up a workout and named it after me. Thanks Robin. I will definately try it once the pullup bars are finally installed in our new gym.

It is
For Time:
1km Run
21-15-9 of
Overhead Squats (95# men, 65# women)
Double Unders
Pullups
Finish with another 1km Run

If you've done it, post your thoughts and comments! To me it sounds like Nancy on Red Bull and am not looking forward to trying it.

Also, I've been meaning to post the montage I created from the 1st Annual Action Challenge.
ENJOY!!

2009 Action Challenge from Katrina Burton on Vimeo.

The last couple of days we've been having a mini-competition to celebrate moving into the new 5000 sq foot facility.

Thursday was 10 rounds of Cindy for time. Score = 8:05
Friday was "Annie" followed by 8 minutes of rest and then Diet Grace (75#).
Annie Score = 4:32
Diet Grace Score = 2:37

Total Score = 15:14

Alittle sore from these WODs... Then today it was one of the clients birthday so he got to choose the WOD... Task Priority FGB @ 20 reps. Managed to get 17:34!! I am more than please with this score! My regular FGB score is 321 and I usually get 40-50 box jumps each round, so about 1/2 of my score is comprised of box jumps. The task priority forced the game plan out the window and work hard on the things I'm bad at, which are alot of the movements in FGB. It allowed me to think of new goal numbers to hit next time FGB comes up. Also makes me wonder if I should barely row and just take the 2 minutes of rest instead.

Can't wait to attack the WODs next week!!!