Oh Kalsu. I have done Kalsu 3 times now. Ever. Kalsu is a milestone for me, as it was the first ever WOD I did at CrossFit Total Control. So.. what is Hero Kalsu?
Kalsu
On the minute:
Complete 5 burpees and perform max rep 135 lbs thrusters on the minute. (95lbs for women)
The goal is to complete 100 total thrusters.
*At the beginning of every minute perform 5 burpees, for the rest of the minute perform as many thrusters as you can during that minute. At the beginning of the next minute perform 5 burpees and then max rep thrusters and so on until you reach 100 total thrusters.
So… My first year I did 65lbs, and dropped to 55lbs. I also dropped from 5 burpees to 2 burpees a minute. I finished in just over 31 minutes. It was bad, and I was terrified of the burpees.
Last year, I did 65lbs the whole time, and completed all 5 burpees every minute.
This year, I thought I had 65lbs on the bar, but it was really 75lbs (whoops!) and I did all 5 burpees every minute, except for my last 4 minutes where I did 2 burpees each minute instead, because I felt like it was either that or I was gonna die, or quit, or throw up, or pass out. Now that I’m done with it, I wish I would’ve just stuck with it and done all 5. It was only 4 minutes’ worth! Come on, Alicia.
At least I had 75lbs on the bar instead! Anyway, I finished in 22:46! I am pretty happy about this! It was hot as balls, and I could make a million excuses about it, like how I usually don’t go to the 10a WOD, and it was hotter, and I wasn’t fully awake yet, blah blah blah, but yeah. I did it, that was my decision, and now my goal for next year is to RX it with 95lbs on the bar. 🙂 That’s a pretty tough PR to jump 20lbs. AND beat my time! I’ll just try to beat my time from last year at 25 minutes!
I watched others suffer and die around me, and I thought, shit.. I finished in under 23 minutes, and people were still going at 39 minutes. (40 min time cap!) I definitely could have suffered more and worked harder. That is my goal for next year.
Kalsu is special to me though. It was my first WOD at CFTC, as I mentioned before. I felt like I had entered Big Girl CrossFit that day. Seems like so long ago, a different world, a different me. I am stronger and faster now, but not as strong or as fast as I’d like to be. I can do it. I have one year, I need to keep going. Get better, be better, work harder, eat more wisely.
I went at 10a because I decided to also go to yoga yesterday too. Mat was teaching the 5:45p happy hour class, meaning there would be music playing! And those are my favorite classes. Mat and Eddie always, hands down, play the best music. I know what to expect with them, and I can trust that I can flow well to the songs those two play. When I go to other teachers’ happy hour classes, I just.. I never connect with the music and my focus ends up being on the songs, and how I don’t like them, and how aggravating it is to be stuck in a hot room with a bunch of people with a song blasting that you don’t like. And you can’t leave! So yeah, I’m picky about my happy hour music and teachers. 🙂
It felt good to go. It has been over a month since I’ve been to yoga! I have been happy with my decision to step back from it, but that is another post. I was happy to be practicing with Mat, and listening to his great music (he played the Radio Retaliation album, which coincidentally, is an album I’ll listen to if I practice yoga at home.)
I had my friend Joe on one side, and my friend Susan on the other, and it was very welcoming and warm and fuzzy feeling to have them near me. 🙂 That is all!
Happy and aggravated about Kalsu. Next year will be better, and harder, and even more awesome. EXCITED TO START YEAR THREE AT CFTC!!!!