Friday, July 22, 2011

CrossFit Hat Trick

1 Week: Three PRs. I think Mista Miyagi say, "Dassa vedy goo Daniel san." We've all been in that place where you feel you're in a bit of a training rut. It could be for any reason, really. Maybe you're burned out, maybe a heatwave has struck the midwest and has been sucking the very life and O2 out of you. Or maybe you just had a baby and sleep has now become like that old best friend whom you are no longer on speaking terms with and when you happen to run into each other your meeting is just all awkward and short lived. You're numbers on lifts aren't what they've been when they've been at their best, your times seem to be getting slower, all is not well with your Jedi crossfit-force. Last week, this is where I found myself. I went into this week determined to get back into a good rhythm. I decided to keep swinging hard at everything thrown my way with the hope that maybe I'd connect with something. It began on Monday with my quest to pick up something heavy from the ground to my shoulders and then put it above my head. I programmed the following WOD for the CFS games competitors: C&J 5-4-3-2-1. Then, 1 minute of Toes Through Rings, 2 minutes of Double Unders, and 3 1/2 minutes to reach a 1RM of C&J (barbell begins unloaded). I warmed up well and on the 5-4-3-2-1 ended up hitting 290lb on the clean for a PR but missed the jerk overhead. On the 6 1/2 minute WOD I didn't do as well as I know I can (ended up with 432- got 265lb C&J) but I at least took away a small victory in reaching a new PR for clean. Momentum. Wednesday, I did the shoulder press,push press, front rack split jerk strength component of the CFS daily WOD. On split jerk I ended up sticking 285lb for another PR. More momentum. I had tossed around the idea of hitting "Fran" on Friday with CFS Coach and CFS Games athlete Andy Koch earlier in the week. Once Friday was upon us I wasn't feeling so frisky about going overhead after the volume of overhead training I did throughout the week.
Buuuuut....I decided to suck it up and be a gamer, dang it :) !!! No better time than right now...right? Right. Here's what ensued:


Gotta love getting a new PR on "Fran" (2:24) ...also gotta hate losing to that beast of a man, Cap'n Koch who also PR'd with a 2:18 (well done, sir!). But, hey 3 PRs in one week? Now, if that ain't positive momentum...

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I Love You Too.

I was once reading this great book (you may have heard of it- it's a little book called: The Bible) and it said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Well, my heart is now as abundantly full as it could ever be, so I figure I might as well speak a bit. Last Saturday July 2nd, at 8:39am, Jenny, Vincent, and I welcomed a brand new family member into the Mhire clan. Emille Annalise Mhire came into the world with big bright almond-shaped eyes and with a furry head of blackish-brown hair. She was very alert at the time of her birth. Slowly stretching and squirming about, her movements were like a baby ninja pterodactyl.

Although the adrenaline rush and excitement I felt witnessing the birth of both my children was certainly impacting, nothing compares to that moment hours, days, or weeks later when your newborn locks eyes with you for the first time. It's that moment when they look up at you and seemingly telepathically say to you: "I know you. You're my protector. You're my mother" or "You're my father. I love you". It's an irreplaceable moment and memory which recently brought me overwhelming joy as I looked into my Emille's eyes just as it did 3 1/2 years looking down into the eyes of my baby Vincent.

It's yet again the beginning of a brand new adventure in our lives!