the beat goes on

It's been almost a week since I've muttered a word here.  This past week has been a bit of a cluster f*** for me mentally as I've been trying to focus on the arrival of the CrossFit Games Open.  WOD1 of 5 was announced last Wed: 7min AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of burpees with a jump to a target 6" over your the reach of your extended fingertips.  It was a doozie both physically and mentally.  Dare I say, it was a great WOD...challenging but doable by anyone so it embodied the concept that CrossFit can be for anyone.

I was only going to do each WOD during the Open one time, just like last year.  The small difference was going to be that after each WOD was announced for the week,  I would "play" with it for transition between movements, maybe run through half the time alloted for the WOD to see how it felt, then go all-out on it on Saturdays.  One thing led to another and I did end up going at it twice this week.  That many burpees are tough on shoulders, and I let that get into my head more than it should have.  That's what led to the afore mentioned mental cluster f***!  I didn't want to gas my shoulders in week 1 so I got timid.  I just had to embrace the reality that I'd have to be more diligent about my recovery post WODs.  That led to the shift in my ability to regroup mentally about this year's Open competition.  Bottom line, I want to get to the Games this year.  I was close last year, but with almost 4 times the number of competitors in my age group, it's a whole different comp this year and I'm ready.

After this week, I have reset my head leaving no room for wah wah wah's. :) 

I have also made room in my mental restructuring for the fact that I still need/want to continue my other training while all this is going on.  It's a great thing to keep up a routine during a challenging time, whatever the challenge might be.  A daily routine can help keep the mental seesaw in check, so allow the beat of one's life in its bigger picture to go on!

Back at the box, today's daily WOD at CrossFit 321 was:
 "CrossFit Total"
1 rep max back squat  (185#=pr!)
1 rep max shoulder press (85#)
1 rep max deadlift (245#=pr!)
total weight= 515#
I hadn't done "CF Total" in almost four months and it felt great to put some pr's in my log book.  I love that I am still making pr's (personal records) at 55! They may come in smaller, slower increments now, but I am still getting stronger and that's pretty awesome to be able to measure!! 

I will continue to face the next four weeks of the Open with my reset mental focus, but there's a whole lot going on outside of the Open that is important to me.  Because of that I'll also continue to let the beat of my daily life go on.  :)