Grace Challenge

So, CFOT has borrowed a little sumpin' sumpin' from Petranek Fitness and started a benchmark workout challenge. Our first benchmark challenge workout is Grace. Here's how it works. There are different groups, depending on the weight used. There is an overall elite winner and an overall advanced winner for both women and men. There is also an overall winner for the most improved. Everyone pays an entry fee, and then the money goes into the kitty to be divided for the prize money. The division you chose is the division you stick with. There are groups for beginner, intermediate, advanced, and elite athletes on the challenge. But whatever group you choose, you have to stick with it through the challenge. So, our first test was today, and the final test will be in February, after 8 long weeks of work.

So, I showed up a little later than the 830 class start time because I was dragging a bit this morning, and I knew we were doing this in heats. So I watched some of the other heats run through before jumping into the next to last one. I decided to go elite since, well I did Grace before with 115 lbs, and well, yeah. So, I used a bar that someone had already loaded to 100lbs and away I went. I was able to touch and go for most of the first ten. Then after that I broke into a few sets of three, and Danny, who was an AWESOME counter today, told me that at 2:00 in I had done 16. I was over halfway. I started to get very tired, and had to break down into touch and gos of two before dropping the bar. But Danny and Big Brother Gar were there to keep me moving and they were AWESOME. Having them keep me on the bar really helped me to get a good workout in today. By the mid twenties I was dropping to singles, but they said form was still good which made me happy. At about 4:00 I was on rep 24. Danny was pushing me to get in under 5:00. With :30 left until that magic number I was on rep 27 and had 3 more to go. At 4:48 I called time.

For all the stress I've been under lately, the bubonic plague, working so damned much and not eating well... I was damn happy with that time. Not only was it sub 5:00, but it was sub 5:00 with an over rx'd weight. Female Grace is prescribed with 85 lbs. I went with 100lbs on the bar. That made me happy. I haven't been that happy with a performance in the blue room in awhile. It just plain felt good. Now we'll just have to see if I can hold off the other women in the elite category over the next few weeks. They are tough as nails and I'm going to have to work my butt off. But hopefully I'll get to see my name at the top of the elite category in a few weeks. We shall see... we shall see....