Trying Out RX

I posted a couple of days about being thankful for being a strong swimmer when I went to watch the RX guys take on the swimming WOD at the recent Primal Throwdown. I also mentioned that it's been a while since I was in the pool, but never the less, I decided to have a shot at the WOD anyway!

And I chose to do so on probably the worst possible day. I was teaching boxing earlier that morning and after a massive clap of thunder, I hear the tell tale whistle from to poolie, getting everyone out before the lightning strikes. Luckily when I finished boxing the pool was back open, but the wind and rain were hanging around.

The set up at the gym I'm at wasn't ideal for what I was about to attempt, but normally people don't jump off the rower and dive straight into the pool....I do weird well. So I got through the WOD in 8min 10 seconds. But some errors were definitely made!!

For starters, the row killed me. And I didn't realise until I was almost through the 50 calories that I had it set on 10...idiot!! Error number two - rope choice. Normally I like to use a speed rope, which I don't personally own and in the past have borrowed a friends who is currently in Vegas. So instead stole one off a much taller friend, key word being tall. The rope as too long. I tried a couple before I was wet and tired and got some out and through I would be fine, but had my normal rope there just in case. Thank god! After about 20, I was sick of the speed rope hitting my toes and changed over to my normal rope.

Final rookie mistake, and whether this was because it was cold outside -throwing a thin rope at numb feet when your tired and stop jumping as high, or just the fact that I wasn't wearing shoes but oh my lord my toes!!! Both ropes kept either hitting right at the edge of my toe nails or onto the tops on my feet and it flippin hurt!!!! So I admit I took a mid WOD pause and ran to grab my shoes and quickly chucked them on...my cold numb painful toes just couldn't take it any more.

As expected the swim was the least of my worries, despite having not plunged into the water in a very long time, its not something you forget that quickly.

It's safe to say I have learnt from my mistakes and give me a couple of weeks (maybe a session or two back in the pool) and I will have another crack at it!