Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face

That's a common boxing maxim, and it's true for many situations. There is a financial tsunami sweeping through our banking institutions. The interesting fact about a tsunami is that it doesn’t do the most damage when the wave crashes inland. It's when it recedes that we see the devastation that has resulted. The collapse of the subprime mortgage business began some time ago and only now do we see the wreckage that has followed. There is a bright spot. Our Canadian financial institutions are strictly regulated and have escaped the disastrous results that have befallen the enormous investment banks in the US. Our holdings are largely intact although my mutual funds have taken a nosedive with the stock market plunge. Warren Buffet advises buying blue chip now because they are bargains, strengthening your portfolio.

What does this have to do with Crossfit? Plenty. Because I work for a Credit Union, our staff have been busy helping customers understand the impact to their portfolios and planning new products to give our customers greater choices. Resulting from that, this plucky Crossfitter and blogger has been compelled to be early to work and late to leave on the days when I head to the gym. Coupled with a busy home life doing renovations, I have done only two Crossfit WODs in the last two weeks. Meantime, I have continued to Zone diet and I have been going to the fitness centre in my building during my lunch to row 6000 metres for time. I feel I must do something to keep my fitness.

I got to test my plan yesterday during the "Elizabeth" workout at Crossfit Langley.

But before that, we worked on strength training with push presses - three repetitions for five rounds. I started light with the bar, and then working my way up from 95lbs to 145lbs for the last round. I was feeling the difficulty with my weights. While 135lbs isn't light, I can usually handle that easily. The gas in the tank just wasn't there. I realized that my first WOD after a layoff was like the first round in a routine. It's the worst one and it will get better. I also realized that rowing 6000 metres for time doesn't do diddly for strength training.

On to Elizabeth. Sweet, sweet Elizabeth.

21 - 15 - 9

Squat cleans

Ring Dips

I had some soul-searching to do. Rx weight was 135lbs and I knew it was too heavy. But I had a hard time letting go. I didn't want to go light because of my layoff - just suck it up and take longer. I opted to be sensible and choose 115lbs. That turned out to be very, very wise. Within 12 cleans I knew that it was going to be difficult. At 15 reps, I had to put the barbell down and shake my arms and breathe. My heart was pounding like a jackhammer and I could see stars at the edges of my vision. After a short rest, I picked the barbell up and did the remaining 6 reps in two sets. Over to the rings. These are not too bad although doing them strictly adds much time to the round. I had to break these up into sets of six to preserve decent form.

After the first round of 21, I was done. Absolutely fall down on the floor drooling ... done. I would pay someone, preferably someone in India who works for rupees, to do the rest for me. Seriously, I had money in my gym bag. With fear and fatigue rising, I went back to the barbell. I struggled and barely managed 5 cleans before I had to stop for breath. I remember this feeling. This was like my first weeks in Crossfit where I thought I was going to DIE and was asking myself why the hell I was doing this.

I chalked up because it helps. 5 more cleans, stars dancing around when I stood up. Who would have thought that 115lbs was so heavy? I stood there gasping for breath, feeling a strong urge to puke, the went back to the barbell. Rinse and repeat.

I thought the last round of 9 reps would be much better, with the surge of power I often feel when coming in for the homestretch. That eluded me today as I crash, bang, boomed my way to the last few cleans. My form was okay, but I couldn't muster the intensity. What a sad feeling. The last ring dips I forced myself to make them as best as I could, part from wish to honour the spirit of the routine and partly as punishment for allowing myself to get into such a state.

And then it was over. 13:58. I lay down on the mat and stared up at the ceiling fan. Sometimes I looked at the lights too. I have no idea how long I lay there but it wasn't long enough.

I remember reading the blogs of Sterling, Michelle and Leanna, all lamenting about how hard a layoff is when returning to the gym and how badly it sucks to suffer so much at stuff you could zip through weeks before. I add my voice to theirs. It sucks bad. Like a punch in the face.

See you Saturday.