Preparing for The Crossfit Atlas Games: 50+ Women's Division

Some days, the sleep isn't happening and/or too much barbell work at heavy ( for me) weights and the combo of my most hated movements equals a less than stellar workout. But this has happened before, when I felt like I couldn't manage my usual weights , scaled the pullups to ring rows and subbed in the low box etc. In the past I would think I had lost my fitness, or that I was at last getting too old and moving backwards. I know now that sometimes we just have an off day. Had I tried to do the workout RX, I would not have been even close to finishing. I was tired and just not feeling it. And that's OK. I got to the gym, I did a lot of work and I didn't injure myself. I call that a win. I do find myself worrying a little with the competition looming, that I may have such a day then. But then I back up and realize that the previous week included a 60 minute swim on my supposed rest day and tough Saturday long WOD, with a previously unused heavy weight ( Holleyman with...

        I have often thought to myself at 6:15 AM as I walk into the gym, that I should have taken a rest day. The people in the 5:30 class seem to be working really hard. The workout has ____( fill in the blank with a movement I struggle with). The 5:30 class is now gasping on the floor sweating and barely moving. I could just leave. Go back to bed. Have another cup of coffee. Anything else.        I notice that these thoughts, or similar ones,  are often in my head while I warm up. Especially during the group warmup. The simple stretches or burpees or even a row which is meant to start slow and move to a faster pace, feel just terrible. Its feels like I never go to the gym and that this is my first time. The moment my heart rate starts to rise, I feel uncomfortable. I feel like I want to stop. I sometimes slow down, but in 7 years of doing Crossfit, I have never actually left.  Once, however, I wasn't able to complete the workout. It...

      We did  " Fran"  to day and I feel very disappointed in my result. I know I don't have my pull ups back, but even with bands it was as though I had not been working out all these past few years. I did well with the back squats, getting to 145lbs on the waves, but I can't seem to catch a break when it comes to gymnastics. I work on drills, I try doing extra work, yet they feel as hard as ever and I don't feel as though I am improving at all. My body feels crazy heavy, yet I am wearing the same clothes.       I am back to being strict about eating and no more Monday night vodka and sodas. It was getting to be too much of a regular habit. I think after my mother died last year, I sort lost a lot of energy, I felt old and lonely and just out of sorts. I suppose that's normal, but I hope I can shake it off now that's its been a year. I just want to see improvement on the things I work at. It looks so easy for others and so hard for me. I am goi...

So, one of the things I realize that has affected my progress, has been  that I am not doing as much as I think I am in terms of skills drills. So I went to the  BTWB site and added "plans" to my schedule. I added some core work every other day for the month of January. When that workout of 10 V-ups, 30 seconds side plank Left, 30 sec side plank Right 30 Superman hold becomes "easy", then I will add rounds or time. So far its been very challenging to keep those 30 second holds on a day that I did a Crossfit workout. And today, an active recovery day, usually Thursday and Saturday, will include 45-60 minutes of some walking or running or both. Today it was 51 minutes of brisk walking on a 2.0 incline, with about 6 minutes of running in the second half. I also did some mobility, which I'll be sure to do after any workout.