Workout of the Day:
Pull-Up Clinic, or
Three sets for max reps of strict pull-ups,
and then,
“Death by Overhead Squat”
One Overhead Squat in the first minute,
Two Overhead Squats in the second minute,
Three Overhead Squats in the third round, etc….
(Prescribed Weight: Men-45; Women-35 lbs.)

3 Rounds of 11.3 Miles for Time
Written by the one-armed stud of Invictus, Kath Baker

“A blessing in disguise.” If someone had said that to me a month ago I likely would have had a melt down. For the first time in my life I was really hurt. I have had a ton of minor injuries over the years but never anything that took me out for weeks, never mind months.

It wasn’t just that I got hurt. It was how I got hurt. Throughout my life I should’ve been seriously injured or dead a thousand times. Too many falls into crevasses in the middle of nowhere, falls off rock faces that landed me flat on my back in the dirt below, not to mention the gazillion times I’ve gone airborne over handle bars, off skis, or with ice axes flying by my head. But I just took myself out in the seemingly safe environment of a gym (not Invictus). Seriously?!

My head wasn’t in a good place. I had just moved to San Diego and joined Invictus, but I dreaded going. Not only was I the new kid, but because I couldn’t use my arm, I was the one who couldn’t do the WOD. There were no attempts to PR, no goals to work toward, benchmark days made me want to crawl into bed and eat a pint of ice cream. (Paleo started getting REALLY hard!) My attitude was horrendous. But almost everyday a coach would tell me to keep coming to Invictus, that it would help me heal faster and it would keep me strong. Eventually I began to believe them.

Despite continuing to put everything I had into my modified WODs, something was still missing – a goal. I needed to have a goal – something hard and preferably something kinda crazy. One of my doctors happened to be an accomplished ultra-marathoner. He invited me out for a run one Saturday morning – little did I know that in two weeks I would be running my first race.

I found out two days before the Noble Canyon 50K, that I was registered. The race had been closed for months but the doctor managed to get me in. Crap. What did I get myself into? I’ve only run three times – 11 miles, 9 miles and 5 miles. I’m not a runner – running is boring and it makes my knees ache. I’ve never even run a marathon! But it’s in the mountains, and I know I can move in the mountains. I guess I found my benchmark.

7 am – the gun goes off. My strategy: 3 Rounds of 11.3 miles for time. In my head I’m doing a WOD, its something I’m comfortable with and I know what to expect. My first round always feels slow, then I cruise the second round, and then it’s a battle to go as hard as possible to the end.

The starting pace seemed slow, until about a mile in when we start ascending the narrow, rocky, single-track. The race had over 10,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. People seem to be cruising and I’m still out of breath. I try to keep up with two girls I know but before long they were gone. Crap. Ascending is the part that I’m supposed to be good at.

I just left the fourth aid station and am in the middle of my second round. I’m finally relaxed. Not out of breath, no more nerves. I’m tearing around a corner and see the girls I couldn’t keep up with. I can’t believe I caught them, and that I’m about to pass them.

Round three. It’s supposed to start hurting but every mile feels better than the previous. “I just ran a marathon, and I don’t want to stop, why would anyone want to stop after 26.2?” (Clearly I was a little delusional!) “Where’s the wall everyone talks about?” “Maybe I’m going to do good after all.”

Somewhere around mile 30. It’s now 106 degrees and the sun seems to be radiating off of everything. I’d give anything for 40 below zero and howling winds. “Are my shoes melting…I think they’re melting.” Physically I’m fading – big time; but I still feel mentally very strong. I’m almost done with the WOD. I look at my watch and think that I have enough time to finish before the 7 hour mark. I have to finish before 7 hours.

I push as hard as I can and I cross the finish line at 6:57. I’m done. Physically, mentally, emotionally – done. Kinda like after trying to PR Fran.

In the days following the race I reflected on what got me through it and how I did so well, because it doesn’t make sense. As Crossfitters, I think we tend to focus mostly on the physical strength that we gain from the programming, our goals are to lift heavier and move faster. But this race made me realize that the coaches and the programming at Invictus give us so much more. The focus and determination, the mental and emotional strength, and the confidence are what got me through Noble Canyon, and for this I thank Invictus. The coaches encouraged me to continue training even though I was injured, and their positive reinforcement changed my attitude. I would recommend an experience like this to anyone – try something mentally hard and see for yourself how strong CrossFit has really made you.

Although I still do not consider myself a runner I intend to continue doing ultras. My next race is in November and it’s 5 Rounds of 10 miles for time.

(Editor’s Note – Kath is a seriously legit stud. She has battled through more one-arm kettlebell swings, rows, push-ups, etc… than most people do in a lifetime. It’s no big surprise that an athlete of her quality and determination would excel at any endeavor she took on. We’re stoked that Kath is a part of our family, and look forward to seeing her succeed as she chases down new goals and distances on a CrossFit Endurance program.)