Challenge Accepted... Monday, August 28

With it being a holiday here in the Philippines, the second Monday holiday in a row, it meant many businesses were closed and the city felt so deserted.  Makati had turned into a ghost town.

But the boxing club was open!!! Sweet!!!

Trying to initiate any kind of business meetings or any kind of business dealings for that matter is a next to impossible task on any and all holidays here in the Philippines.  Businesses lock up their doors and companies don't answer their phones, not even their personal cellphones either.  Strange but true.  This meant today I was left emailing various businesses and having to wait till business resumes tomorrow for any kind of response.

Thank God the boxing club was open and so was my condo gym.

Boxing in the morning and then weight training in the evening.

I was challenged the other day, to do a Crossfit WOD (Workout Of the Day).  I was presented the challenge by a man Crossfitter who had done it in 10 minutes and 15 seconds.  I knew I could do the WOD, that wasn't the issue, the issue was how much I could beat his best time.  Oh, and yes, I also knew I could beat him.  

I wasn't being cocky, I was being confident.  There is a difference.

So tonight I headed down to my condo gym and did the WOD.  And yes, I beat him.

I beat him by almost a full minute.  But it wasn't a full minute, it was only 55 seconds, and I was disappointed by the fact.  I stood there backtracking where I could have shaved off five seconds from my time.  I took some extra seconds to readjust my timer after starting it, I gave myself a few seconds break before going into my third set, and I could have gone faster with my release push-ups but I wanted to keep a steady pace and proper form.

I had beat his WOD time but I can't say I enjoyed it.  I don't like Crossfit for the very fact that they push time and they push weight.  Tonight's exercise didn't use any additional weight other than my own body weight but it did push time.  It filled me with such anxiety before starting it and I could feel my heart pounding through my chest as I did the push-ups.  I wanted nothing more than just to blaze through it and get it over with.  I don't want my workouts to be like this, to be so focused on just getting it down.  I probably would have enjoyed it had I done it beside other people but I know I would have made it totally competitive.  It would have been a competition for me and I would have harped on it way too much if I hadn't beat the others.  Everything becomes a competition for me when it comes to sports and fitness, that's the pro athlete in me.