Confessions of a Teenage Meathead

 

Back Squat #170 - New 1 Rep Max

(More videos at http://www.youtube.com/themeghamix.)

 

 

• I lift at the gym either in the early morning with the old dudes or in the afternoon with the high school football players and wrestlers.
• I consume at least one protein shake per day.
• I have a favorite protein powder and can give you a run-down on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the protein world.
• I used to eat small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours.  Now I eat with at least the same frequency, but a WAY bigger appetite.
• I get special chances to give input on fitness products and supplements at work because everyone knows I take that stuff seriously.
• I almost got caught by a coworker flexing my biceps in the mirror at the office.
• I practice "fast elbows" for my cleans when I think no one is looking.
• I watch YouTube videos of people lifting heavy or busting out muscle-ups.
• I put way more effort and moolah into what I wear to the gym versus what I wear to work.
• I felt like a total pansy lifting dumbbells this week. 
• I have explain fitness equipment and movements to the less informed guys at my office.
• Last week I hurt my elbow trying to air-practice a lift in the bathroom stall.
• I need a ton of sleep each night or I get grouchy (here's hoping I'm in the midst of a growth spurt).
• I was kinda pissed that I missed a chance to PR my bench press last week cause the guy I asked to spot me actually didn't know squat about spotting.
• I have guys at the gym tell me they don't lift like I do because they don't wanna bulk up.
• I scoff at the wimps doing "pushups" who don't actually touch chest-to-floor on each rep.
• I scoff at the other wimps doing "pullups" who don't fully extend their arms on each rep.
• I care way more about the weight on my bar than the weight on my scale.
• I don't have time for yoga because it would cut into my lifting days.
• I do make time for mobility because K-Starr says it'll up my front squats.
• I'd rather go to the Olympic lifting and "Girl" WOD class than the team/partner WOD class.
• I'm saving money for my L1 CrossFit Cert since after that I can take the Striking course because I love to hit stuff.
• I want my husband to choose his med school based on CrossFit gyms and resources in the area (UCSD = Mike Burgener.)
• I can explain Wendler's method cause I use it regularly.
• I'm more stoked about compliments on my traps than my hair.

Oh yeah,

 

AND I'M FREAKED THAT TOMORROW I WILL WAKE UP WITH A CRACK IN MY VOICE AND HAIR ON MY FACE. 

 

Sincerely,

Former 20-Something Girly-Girl

 

Veni, Sustuli, Vici: I Came, I Lifted, I Conquered

Me in my crazy Nike capris
swinging the #53 kettlebell!

Last week at the box we retested the WODs from the 2012 CrossFit Open.  Due to my schedule (and the fact that my body doesn't do 5 days in a row with no rest), I made it in to retest just two of the five.  I was picky about which WODs to retest, since I wanted them to really show me my progress.  (I had only started CrossFit a few months before the open, and there were a lot of movements I couldn't execute, besides not being able to lift much.)

I started with Open WOD 12.2 on Tuesday:

"Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of: 30 Snatch #75/45 30 Snatch #135/75 etc."

Previously, I'd been able to get 30 reps at #45, but zero at #75.  I'd finished out the workout with 18 reps at #55, but my "official" score was 30.

This time, I was pumped because my snatch form has gotten much better and I know I'm stronger.  If I could do just one rep at #75, it would show a big improvement!  I got through the 30 reps at #45 fairly easily in about half the total time allotted.

I loaded up for #75, and failed my first attempt.  Before I got serious about CrossFit, I think the old me would have said, "Ah, well.  I tried."  But new me said, "I bet if I focus on everything Jared was telling me about my form last week, I could do this."

The next one went up!  I couldn't link reps because I was actually in the fitness center instead of our box, and the weight plates are not the sort you can drop or bounce off the ground.  It took me a while, but I managed 8 reps at #75 before running out of time.

I was so stoked!
 

On Friday, I came in for Open WOD 12.5:

"Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes: 3 Thruster #100/65, 3 pull ups, 6 Thrusters, 6 pull ups, 9 thrusters, 9 pullups"

I was particularly stoked to retest this WOD since it was the only one of the five that I couldn't RX anything!  I originally did the thrusters at #55 and used two bands (blue and purple) for the chest to bar pullups for a total score of 56 reps, but an official score of zero.

I had high hopes of RXing this time...I have been working on my chest to bar pullups and I know my thrusters are WAY stronger. 

Well, I tried a few times to get an unassisted chest to bar pullup, and it just wasn't happening.  Coach Jared told me to try the red band for the workout - it would still be a challenge and would be an improvement from last time, but not be so difficult that I couldn't get through any of the WOD.

I loaded up my bar for the #65 thrusters and told myself that I just wanted to get through the end of the round of 6 and 6.  I actually was pretty strong for 3 and 3 AND 6 and 6, which made it kinda tough to keep pushing as hard when I'd "made my goal" way earlier in the time than I'd expected.  The round of 9 was okay on thrusters but the pullups took me FOREVER.  We had to no rep ourselves, and chest to bar makes it REALLY easy to know if you made it or not...if you didn't feel yourself make contact with the bar below your clavicle...it didn't count.  Finally I got into a little rhythm where I started with a "trashed" kipping pullup and used it to get momentum to have a strong kip into linking a few chest to bar reps.  I took too much rest on the set of 12 thrusters and finished with 50 total reps, and an official score of 3.

Not what I'd hoped, but still definitely an improvement.  I'll take it.

After the WOD, we had to "cash out" with a 500 meter row and 30 kettlebell swings.  You were supposed to either pick a weight at which you knew you could link all 30 reps without setting the bell down, or a really challenging weight.  With a little encouragement from Coach Jared, I decided to try the #53 for the first time ever!

I managed to link 10 reps 3 times to finish out my swings! 

Made the PR board!

I was so proud of myself for trying - I love seeing my hard work pay off, not only in my physical capabilities, but in my mental game and confidence!


You tell me: What are your recent achievements?  Did you nail your first double-under (my mom!)?  Qualify for Boston (my mom's friend who is incidentally my friend's mom!)?  Pack your lunch?  Avoid chewing out the guy who cut you off?  I wanna know!

"Meghan" WOD (Birthday Part I)

Mom, Jess B, & Patti helped me celebrate.
Workout details below!

On Tuesday I hit my first quarter century (and no, I don't mean in cycling terms).  Between early presents and belated celebrations, October is turning into Birthday Month!

I have been so blessed by my family and friends - here's some of my swag so far.

Jared bought me chocolates.

Taryn got me a cute purple tote...I think it was meant as a gym bag, but I eat so much that it's now my lunch bag.

My parents got me new Nike workout pants... 

...and a new lululemon top.

You can't see very well from the photos above, but the bra of the top is the awesome blue print I was in love with:

And of course, what is a birthday without CrossFit?  (Well, for most people, probably a good one.)  I was stoked that Coach Corey made a birthday WOD for me - our whole box did it all day on the 23rd in my honor.  It was a fun mix of stuff I hate (wall balls, thrusters) and stuff I like (pullups, cleans).  It was kinda brutal - very deceiving.  The weights aren't super heavy so it doesn't seem too tough...at first.  Apparently everyone at our box hates me now...go figure.

My goal was to finish in under 25 minutes...and I made it! 

I also ended up with kind of a nasty blood blister...but I felt super proud of myself for doing 50 unassisted pullups in a workout! 

More gifts and festivities to share with you next week...boy am I getting spoiled.


Celebrate with me!  Here are two ways you can join in the birthday festivities:

1. Take on "Meghan."  You can do my birthday WOD in your box or gym!  If you are not familiar with the movements in the workout, PLEASE enlist a certified personal trainer or CrossFit coach to walk you through these.  And by all means, scale if you need to!

"Meghan"

Row for 25 calories

(be sure and set your rower to show calories and not meters)

Then, 2 rounds of:

25 wall balls

(guys use a 20 pound ball, girls #14)

25 pullups

25 squat cleans 

(it's me as a CrossFit newbie in the video!)

Then, when you finish your second round,

25 thrusters

(75 pounds for guys, girls #50)

If you workout at home but still wanna join the fun, try this one instead - no equipment needed!

"Meghan Lite"

25 jumping jacks

Then, 2 rounds of:

25 pushups

25 sit-ups

25 air squats

Finish it up with:

25 burpees

2.  Send me a present!  In November, our CrossFit team will be running the 7th Annual Winter Pineapple Classic - a 5k run with obstacles along the course followed by a luau. 

100% of the proceeds go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Please support me by going to www.winterpineappleclassic.org > click donate > type in Meghan Matson > complete the donation process.  All donations are 100% tax deductible.  If your company has a matching gift program please request a match of your donation.  Thanks for supporting me!

Portland Rock 'n' Roll/Upcoming Races

Let's take a little trip down memory lane.

This spring, Jared and I ran the inaugural Portland Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon.  (If you are not interested in a 5-month late post, scroll to the bottom to see what's on the horizon.)

I trained by loosely following the CrossFit Endurance blog.  (I say loosely because I did WODs at my box instead of their prescribed WODs.  And because I was busy and missed some of their outlined training.) 

It was spring in the Northwest when we started training.  At the time I was also volunteering with my musical theatre class, going to hot yoga several times a week, and CrossFitting regularly.  (Oh, and that full time job thing.)  But we had signed up for the run a year in advance because we love Portland, and the entrance fees were on sale!

Needless to say it may not have been the best time to train for a half, which is why the CrossFit Endurance approach seemed fitting.  Most of the runs are short but brutal, and the idea (in my perception) is that you are packing the intensity of "normal" training into less time.  This meant my longest runs were on the weekend and fairly comparable to other long runs, but my mid-week runs were usually some sort of programmed speedwork (example:
"Run (TUE): 4-8 x 400m, rest 1:30, hold within 3-5 seconds" - so in this case you're only covering 1-2 miles total).  This saved me planning long routes and allowed me to get a lot of running done on the treadmill at my office...which was great since doing track work at that time of year reminded me of the story of Noah's Ark...ya know, where God floods the earth:

The water came up to my ankles at parts of the track



I felt pretty good going into the race.  My previous times for a half were 2:04 and change for the Kirkland Half and 2:05:48 for the Bend Half.  I was reasonably optimistic about breaking 2 hours since I felt like I was in better shape all around than my previous races.

However, it was not to be...we started out too fast for me to maintain, and one thing I had not expected was that my lungs had benefitted from the condensed intensity, but my FEET had not built up their usual toughness.  Partway through the race I had enormous blisters and each step became excruciating.  I told Jared to finish without me when we were about halfway.  Highlights included onlookers with boomboxes playing "Thiller" and "Footloose" (one of my all time faves).  The bands themselves I found disappointing...perhaps because much of the time I seemed to arrive just after a song or set.

Then, a few miles from the end, my knee problem from the previous December kicked in with a vengence (likely because the blisters were throwing off my gait).  I was actually crying at mile 11 because my knee hurt to run, but then if I walked my blisters would hurt for that much longer.  Luckily at that point one of my favorite coworkers caught me.  Her plan was to go slow and walk through all the remaining water breaks. 

I finished with her in one ugly piece at 2:17:29, over 10 minutes slower than my previous times. 

Jared was able to break 2 hours, clocking in at 1:56:17 - so glad I encouraged him to push on alone!

I could barely walk around in the pouring rain to get my awesome swag.  I was impressed that they had "rain ponchos" ready for all of us and great goodies in addition to our medals.

The rest of our trip to Portland was amazing:

Delicious!

Nike store - duh

We hit up lululemon as well as Nike, and in addition to great gear, I got a free headband since lulu was giving them out if you'd run the race!

We read about the Sunshine Tavern in a magazine of Jared's and it was absolutely incredible. 

Fresh air seating

Ginger ale shanty

Dessert as an appetizer

I beat Jared at one of the arcade games!

The enormous burger we split

We spent the first night (before the race) at the Hotel Fifty, since it was affordable and right between the start and finish lines.  The second night, we splurged on a Starlight Guestroom at the Hotel Vintage Plaza.

It was too rainy and cloudy to see the stars, but I was so sore and blistered from the race, that we pretty much spent a day reading and eating snacks in the hotel room.  It was awesome to have so many comfy places to sit and all the gorgous natural light! 

We went out for Stumptown, and I even got coffee!  I'm usually a tea drinker, but this stuff was just delightful.

We woke up early on the final morning to beat the line for Voodoo Doughnut - we planned to go on our first day, but the line looked like Disneyland! 

SO worth it.

Our swag from Nike, lululemon,
Voodoo Doughnut, and Powell's Books!

While the trip as a whole was absolutely amazing, the race for me was horrible.  Nothing like crying on the course and then limping to lunch afterwards with some friends who also ran the race.  I was miserable and felt like CrossFit Endurance had kinda let me down.  I was sure that I would not be running. Ever. Again.

Well, after about 5 months of focusing on other things like paring down my schedule to something reasonable, I have not one, but THREE races on the horizon.

October: Pumpkin Push

 I ran this with friends in 2010 and volunteered with a friend in 2011.  This year, I'm doing both!  (Seriously, they let you run for free and give you a tee shirt!  All you have to do is be there at 5am...oh wait.)  Here's the inspiration for my costume:

I'm stoked! 

November: Winter Pinapple Classic

I ran this with Jared in 2008, 2009, and then missed running it in 2011 because I got the days wrong.

Still dating in 2008...with our pineapple baby!

This time, we will be running as part of a big team with our Mercer Island CrossFit family!  This Hawaiian-themed event is all for a good cause as 100% of the proceeds benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Please support us by going to www.winterpineappleclassic.org and clicking donate. Type in my name or Mercer Island CrossFit and then donate to the cause. Thanks for your support in the fight against blood cancers!

December: 12ks of Christmas

This has been a holiday tradition for Team Matson ever since we got married. Jared is not huge on Christmas, but he loves running with me and so this was a great thing to start doing in 2009.  2010 we ran again just the two of us, and in 2011, we roped our family in as well!

I'm hoping to have one of my best friends join us this year - this is the only race of the three that I'll really have to train for - eek!


You tell me: Any races coming up for you?  Have you ever cried during a race?  Do you have a favorite VoodDoo Doughnut?

My First RX Girl: Jackie

Well, folks, after almost nine months, I finally did it.

I RX'ed a benchmark WOD.

Look, Ma!  No bands!

I started training in earnest for the 2013 Regionals at the beginning of last week.  My new regimen includes one day a week devoted to a "Girl" WOD.  My first girl attempt was Helen last Friday.

I managed 24 pullups and then I was toast, so I didn't actually finish the workout.  (But after 24 "real" pullups, I felt pretty darn proud!)

I was trying to decide what Girl WOD to try this week (I'm trying to start with the ones I think I have a shot at RXing), and with a little help from my favorite coach (my husband is an L1 CrossFit trainer), I picked Jackie:

For time:

Row 1000m

50 thrusters #45/#35

30 pullups

I felt pretty confident about a decent row, and the thrusters seemed light.  Generally I row about a 2:25 500m, so I hoped for a sub-5:00 row, and planned to break up the thrusters into 20, 15, and 10.  I had high hopes of linking my first 10 pullups, too.

I got to the box and warmed up thoroughly.  I subbed in wall balls for the box jumps in our warmup of the week, and threw in a few pullups with the purple band to refresh my kipping form.  Then I was ready to work!

I managed the row in 4:57 and was able to keep the thrusters to three sets.  I got to the pullups and only linked the first 5.  I knew it would be tough, but I wanted to cap the total WOD at 20 minutes and felt pretty sure I could still do it.  I told myself I would get at least two pullups every time I went up on the bar (what's the point of kipping if you can't use the momentum?) and that I would take it slow and steady.

I was down to two reps at a time pretty fast, and had to no-rep myself a few times.  I had to do the 29th and 30th pullups on their own...but I finished in 18:57: a minute faster than my goal for the WOD!

I'm so stoked!  It's really fun to see all the effort I've put into my pullups pay off like this.  I'm pumped to keep working through my list of the Girls and someday RX them all!  I'm tempted to buy myself a 14lb medicine ball and give Karen a shot next week.

You tell me: What's your first RX benchmark WOD?  Do you have a favorite of "The Girls?"  A least favorite?  How are you "better than yesterday?"

Pigtails and Kettlebells (Helen)

Good morning!

Yesterday's WOD at Mercer Island CrossFit was Helen, one of the "CrossFit Girls." 

I was feeling a little down about doing Helen, since I'm not yet up to doing more than 1 "real" pullup...well, I can do at least 2, but not linked.  I've gotten to this point at CrossFit where I feel like I should be RX'ing more workouts.  It may be silly, but I kinda feel discouraged looking at the WOD and realizing, "Oh, even if I work really hard, there's no way I can RX."

But...I am working on not cherry-picking WODs and also having a better attitude and just getting out there.  So I sucked it up and headed over after work.  (I also looked up "Helen" workout tips online to get myself more motivated...I found this website really inspiring!)

I ended up getting to the gym early (a miracle, for anyone who knows me) and headed over to the box at about 5:45...the 5pm class was finishing up.  My friend Turk was there and challenged me to a pre-WOD game of racquetball!  I got my butt kicked as usual, but I made a few great kill shots and had one good lob serve (Dad, I hope you're impressed).  I tried not to play too hard since I didn't want to be tired for CrossFit. 

After our Warmup of the Week (which included chest-to-bar pull-ups that for me were more like chest-closer-to-the-bar-than-normal-does-that-count pull-ups), we hit the first part of the workout, a skill.

Skill

2 Rounds:
Row 500m
max effort
rest 3 mins

I'm not a super rower, but I really like it.  There's always been something fun to me about a cardio machine that uses your upper body (and no, I don't think the elliptical counts).  My time for the first row was a lot slower, in part because I stopped to fix my shoe early on and forgot the time was already going.  Oops.

I felt a little queasy after the second row.  I decided that for Helen, at least this time, I was gonna focus more on strength and form than speed, since it was a hot day and the row kinda wore me out!  It wasn't until recently that I started strategizing and giving myself a clear goal for WODs (ya know, besides just "don't die").  I went with the red band for pullups, even though I knew it would slow me down, and the RX 35lb kettlebell.

Coach John let us take the kettlebell part of the workout outside into the parking lot.  I had loaded up on sunscreen beforehand and was stoked.  He counted down and we all took off on the run.  I fell behind the other women pretty quickly, but reminded myself that I was working on form.  I concetrated on breathing, a mid/fore-foot step, good arm swing (i.e. not across my body like I'm prone to) and engaging my core.

I decided to try for all 21 kettlebells unbroken. 



Tee - Nike; running skirt - lululemon;
shoes - Nike; muscles - Mercer Island CrossFit



I love kettlebell swings, and Heidi (one of my fave gals at MICF) had given me some great encouragement about my swing at last Saturday's team WOD.  When I started getting tired and considered bailing on the "unbroken" idea, I remembered what she said about my form and how strong my arms looked...and so I powered through and just kept on going. 

Thanks, Heidi!!!  I made it unbroken on all three rounds!

Our box at the 5k WOD Challenge...with Heidi on my left

The pullups were really hard.  I made it through 8 unbroken on the first round, and after that the most I got through was 6.  In my final round, I did 6, 4, and finally the last 2. 

Coach John got out the sidewalk chalk
to cheer us on for the final round!

 I finished Helen with a time of 14:47. 

Honestly, I think I could've gone faster.  I could've run a little harder and stuck with the pullups a little better.  However...my goal for the workout was to build strength and focus on form, and that's what I did. 

And, since a lot of folks find my blog while looking for workout hairstyles, here's one of my faves: the low pigtails!

I do a deep side part, and then I actually bobby pin the right side away from my face.  This means if (haha) I get really sweaty, I don't end up with side-swept hair plastered to my face.  Pigtails definitely beat the classic ponytail if you'll be doing anything while lying down on the floor (yoga, core work, etc.), and if you have thick hair, they don't give you a headache like the weight of a ponytail can.  Plus they're uber-girly.


YOU TELL ME: What's your best time for Helen?  What slows you down most - the run, the kettlebell swings, or the pull-ups?  Do you get discouraged when you can't RX?  Do you sport pigtails on your WOD?