Fighting ducks and the 5th week of CrossFit competition

On Tuesday afternoon I was riding along the Boulder Creek bike path and saw a trio of ducks engaged in a flurry of activity (to the extent that ducks are ever in a flurry of activity).  I stopped, took a couple pictures, and shot a short video.

Of all the critters out there, full-grown ducks seem to be particularly inept at doing harm to one another.

Since the criterium at the Air Force Academy last weekend, I've had a solid week of training; good rides on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, and today (Sunday), mixed in with CrossFit workouts on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  The combination of Tuesday's CrossFit workout and the Cherry Creek time trial on Wednesday night left my legs more sore on Thursday and Friday than I can ever remember them being.  At this stage in the season, that is a wonderful feeling.

This week was the 5th week of the CrossFit open sectionals competition.  The workout for the week was to complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of the following:
5 power cleans with a 145-lb load (bring the bar from the floor to a shoulder-height rack position, set/drop the bar to the floor, and repeat)
10 toes to bar (hang from a pull-up bar, touch the bar with ones toes, lower one's legs to completely open the hip, and repeat)
15 wall-ball (squat and then throw a 20-lb medicine ball to hit a wall above a 10-foot target line, catch the ball, and repeat)

On Thursday I finished 8 rounds plus 2 power cleans, but then re-did the workout on Saturday at CrossFit Verve in Denver and finished a whole extra round compared to Thursday.  Doing the leg-thrashing CrossFit workout on Tuesday and then turning around and racing a 10-mile time trial on Wednesday was evidently not the best way to rest up for a competition workout on Thursday.  I could have told you that well before Tuesday, though.

Verve put on a fantastic event with a schedule that ran on-time and gave every interested competitor a chance to attack the workout.  I showed up unsure of whether I would compete or just be a spectator, but wound up signing up for the first heat.  Afterwards, the CrossFit Roots crew gathered for a group picture.

The mighty Roots Crew, post-workout.  Everyone improved their scores compared to Thursday.

This coming week will be the 6th and final installment of the CrossFit online open sectionals competition.  Stay tuned for an update after the CrossFit open sectional is done and I turn my competitive focus to 100% bike racing.