RAGIN GAMES RECAP

2 Days before: started feeling slightly under the weather. Little bit of a cough and some congestion. Started taking some Zyrtec, and extra vitamin C, got to the point where it was tolerable, didn't feel like it affected me when i was working out. Might have just been a little extra stress. I also went to a PT about my shoulder and he believed the issue to some tightness in my pec minor. So we did some tissue work and he gave me some other stuff to do. I left his office, went to the gym and was able to do a strict HSPU almost pain free for the first time in a while. So i was feeling pretty good at this point.

The day before: I thought a lot about to competition on the ride down. Mainly trying to remind myself that this is what i wanted, a chance to run with the big boys and see how I stacked up. I kept telling myself to just go have fun and enjoy the experience. I was also reminding myself that I was a Regional top 200 competitor and that I would do fine.  I got in later than I wanted to. I just didn't have someone to take my last class for me. I got into Lafayette around 9-9:30, got in bed around 10:30, asleep by had to get up at 5:45 to shower, eat, and get there to register. So sleep wasn't great. Did not wake up feeling ready go.

First event: For time, 8 Minute Cap
60 Double Unders
30 Back Squats, 155
40 Doubles
20 Front Squats
20 Doubles
10 OHS
I was feeling good by the time i warmed up and we got ready to take the floor. Then I got a hard look at some of the guys I would be going against. It became very apparent to me very quickly that this was not the JAAL. Everyone in my heat was extremely impressive looking and felt a little out of my league. But that is what I want. This was the kind of competition that i wanted to see.
3.2.1 go. Doubles are fine knock out 60 and i get to bar near the front of the pack. I do the 30 BS unbroken and go back to the rope. I finish the 40 unbroken and got back to the bar. Lost a little bit of ground on the squat but I'm still ok. My plan was to go 12-8 on the FS. I do the 12 and thats when the bear jumped on me. I did the last 8 in 2 sets of 4. I got back to the rope and i can barely jump. It took me 4 Sets to finish the last 20. Ive fallen back but I'm still right there with a few people. I figure ok my legs are shot but its nothing i haven't felt before. I felt like a had the stones to go unbroken on the OHS and finish. Well, bar gets over my head and i feel like I've never done an OHS before. Did 4, then 2, then 2, then 1. then failed the last rep twice. Im the only guy in heat that didn't finish.

Second Event: 8 Minute AMRAP
50 Cal Row
30 WB
10 MU
I had long talk with myself about going to get some redemption on this workout. I know i would be behind on the row but after watching the heats before i knew that if i went unbroken on the wall balls and muscle ups like i did in practice, I would be in decent shape. I came out rowing high 1200 to high  1100. Last off the rower like i thought i would be, did the wall balls unbroken, no problem. muscle ups, sight problem.  You saw them. I felt winded, when i get winded its hard for me to maintain technique and get the power to pull over the rings. You saw the video guess. you can tell the rest.

Third Event: 3 Rounds for time
6 clean and jerks, 185
18 BF Burpees
Shoulder started getting a little tight at this point and I knew if i tried to string reps together on the CJ my heart rate would get really elevated and the burpees would suffer. So the plan was to single the CJ and be aggressive on the burpees. I first 6 single were quick and i went to work on the burpees. Found a pace that felt was aggressive but maintain able and held it. Second round, same story. Last round, I felt like i could push the last set of burpees. Ive always been a kicker and thats what I did. Last 18 burpees were by far the fastest. So got to end on a good note. beat 1 or 2 in that heat, so that made me feel a little better, not much but some.

So, overall it was a great event. It was exactly what I wanted, just wish the results had been better. I really tried to sit and think about why i felt so bad about it. This is what i came up with. Ive never been an "individual athlete" Ive always been a team guy. So I was just embarrassed because I felt like i had let the gym and my gym family down, silly thinking back on it now but thats how I felt at the time. We had a lot of members who made the trip who had never seen me compete before so they got to see me get my butt handed to me, and that sucked. It made it hard to face them for some reason. Lastly, of course, like you said i felt like i put some hard effort into getting ready for this thing and it always sucks when it doesn't turn out the way you would like. Now after the dust has settled, i feel ok, just taking it for what it is. It did give me a better perspective on how good some of these guys are and its given me some motivation to to try to "go there" more often. even when i don't have anyone to train with.  Not sure if this is exactly what you wanted but it feels good to get this off my chest.