Another lesson I need to keep learning over and over again at Albany Crossfit: leave your ego at the door.
Sometimes these lessons get in conflict with one another, and makes for a mixed-up kind of lifting experience.
It's Saturday, we're two weeks into the challenge, and I still hadn't hit my 1 Rep Max Deadlift. I was out of town the day it was the scheduled WOD. So like a good 90-day challenger I came in today at 8 AM to do it on my own.
I was feeling pretty terrified. As I wrote a few days earlier, me and Deads, we go way back, and Deads has hurt me more than once. So I am justifiably cautious. It has something to do with the way my body is built, and ancient injuries, and my body's stubborn lack of understanding of how, exactly, I'm supposed to translate deadlift theory into deadlift reality. All these factors play a part in my problems with lifting heavy. Are these excuses? Maybe. It's hard to figure out when analyzing failure is an excuse, and when it's an earnest attempt to learn from mistakes.
Thank goodness Becca W. was there and though she could have been relaxing and foam rolling while she waited for the Gymnasty Class, she wonderfully offered to help me, and she cheered me on and talked me through my nervousness. AND she helped me load my bar. She deserves extra points in the 90-day challenge for showing good sportsmanship! Thank you Becca!
So, what I exercised:
- mobility and stretching
- Deadlifts:
5x55
5x75
3x95
3x135
1x165
1x185
3 attempts at 195--FAIL :( - finished with more mobility and stretching
195 was my old 1 Rep Max. I was hoping I would at least match it today, but it wasn't going to happen. Here's where the whole zen, no-ego thing comes into play. This is the state my body is in today. It's not able to lift 195 pounds, and I need to do some deep breathing and let that ambition go.
I know I worked hard today anyway, because my body is feeling it. I am really glad tomorrow is a rest day, and I am heading up to Camp Fowler for a mini arts retreat. I will be spending two days making Ukrainian eggs.
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| A few Ukrainian eggs, just so you can see what they look like. Some of these I made, and some my daughter-in-law Terrill made. |
I'm thinking, maybe my body wants a longer break than a day or two. I've been pushing pretty hard for the past couple months, and maybe my body is saying I need some extra recovery time. In any case, I'm not going to be back to Albany Crossfit til next Wednesday at the earliest, and I also won't be updating this blog. No internet access. Trust me, it's a good thing. I'll be bringing my foam roller and my yoga mat to Camp Fowler, and I'm looking forward to some luxurious stretching time.
What I ate:
- 7 AM: 2 cashew cookies
- 9 AM: Post-WOD protein shake
- 1 PM: 1/4 c cooked buckwheat, 1/2 c steamed kale, 1/2 c tofu salad
- 4:30 PM: STARVING picked up a bag of cashews in Walmarts and ate a couple handfuls
- 6 PM: playing around with the pressure cooker again, it worked great:
garlic, ginger, onion, sauteed in olive oil;
add 1 lb tofu cut into chunks, saute that for 3 minutes;
add 1/4 c vegetable broth and 2 tbsp tamari sauce
fill the rest of the pressure cooker (8 quart size) with greens--I used spinach and mesclun.
Cook at high pressure for 1 minute (if you're using tougher greens like kale, you might want to go 2 or 3 minutes).
Once you release the pressure, season with spicy sesame oil and extra tamari if desired.
This whole meal took me only about 10 minutes to prepare, start to finish.
I ate about a third of what was in the pressure cooker, mixed with about 1/2 c cooked buckwheat :) - I expect that by 9 PM I'll want a snack, and I'll eat a handful of trail mix.
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