Hilton Head, Crossfit, and a Daily Affirmation

So I spent the last week under the sunny skies of Hilton Head Island, a family destination and tradition of ours for the past couple of decades.  This time, we went with family and friends, which meant instant entertainment (and built in babysitting) for our children.  That meant.....daddy and mommy could actually vacation a bit.  THAT meant.......a week of food that I normally do not eat (stay tuned for a follow up post on that, for I have a lot to say on my return to "food reality").

After a few days of fun in the sun, I ventured away from the family to Crossfit Hilton Head, just a couple of miles from our beach house.  I was excited to be at a new gym, away from home, and I was a bit nervous not knowing what to expect.  I was a bit insecure about working out with a younger guy who played college lacrosse at Syracuse!  BUT.....I was more nervous about how my body would react after treating it like a playground the night before (again....more on that in a post to follow).  I'll give you an idea of SOME of what I ingested then night before.....

Daiquiri bar at Hilton Head's famous Frosty Frog

Walking in, I was immediately greeted by Craig, the owner (of Crossfit...not the Frosty Frog!)  After some idle chit-chat, a couple of others walked in, both visitors to the island like me.  We spent time stretching together.  We all did two minutes of as many double unders as possible, and then we all spent time working on our shoulder mobility with a lacrosse ball.  The workout of the day was brutal on a normal day let alone after stuffing myself with toxic food and drink the night (ok...NIGHTS!) before.

Here's the WOD (Workout of the Day)

That is a total of....

150 squats
105 pull ups
45 ring dips (I used a resistance band under my knees...just can't do them alone....yet)

My time:  24:23

At first it was a bit intimidating working out with a guy who played college lacrosse at Syracuse, however once the workout started, I never thought about him as Craig, the owner, was coaching, motivating and pushing me just like I was at home.

  It was nice to go 12 hours away from my home gym and get the same kind of instruction, coaching, and motivation.  Reminded me of this....

So I retuned the next day to complete the Crossfit Games Sectional WOD #3. (If you don't want to click on the link, I'm competing in the sectional workouts of the Crossfit Games to see how I stack up against others out there in the world as this truly is a world-wide event.  No way in hell, I'd advance, rather it's a litmus test for me to see where I am fitness-wise.)  

As Many Rounds as Possible of....

165 lbs squat clean

165 lbs. jerk

In case you don't know what that is......here's an idea of a guy much lighter than me doing much better than me

I have to say...I did not think I'd even get one rep.

My score:  7 reps.  I was fine with that as again....I spent the last several days not caring for my diet.  BUT.......as previously stated....stay tuned for my next post on how my food impacted my second attempt at this workout.  

It was great and energizing to be at a new Crossfit gym.  It was awesome to get the same kind of experience as I do at home.  It was great to compete away from home and do better than expected.  At the same time.....I returned home feeling physically unfit, lethargic, and thinking like this.....

Stay tuned for a full report on my return to reality......