Everything was set up the night before. Breakfast was cooked and ready to be reheated, gym clothes were set out, lunch was packed, dinner was prepped in the crockpot and waiting in the fridge. I rolled out of bed at 5am, jumped in my clothes, and was out the door by 5:07.

Mick was writing the WOD on the board when I got there. Jerk? Don't know that. Thruster? Don't know that. Strict pullup? Can't do those. Looks like this one will be entirely scaled (modified).

I was standing in the center of the room and Mick looked around. "Everybody! This is Erin!" I turned and waved. The room milled into action, getting setup and working through the warmup.

Mick came over to me. "Do you know what a jerk is?" I shook my head. "Right." He showed me where the bars are stored, where the PVC pipe is, where the medicine balls are. "When you squat, squat to this," he said, dropping a 20 pound medicine ball at my feet.

I picked up an empty training bar--20 pounds--and Mick talked me through the movement. The jerk is a movement designed to move your body under the weight held on your chest--you are not moving it over you, you are moving under it. I practiced the hop-lunge-extend-step move until he was satisfied that I wouldn't hurt myself, and moved away to help others.

For strict pullups I did ring rows. Thrusters turned out to be squat presses, with which I am familiar, and I did those with the 20 pound bar. There were about a dozen people in the class, so we set up for a Girls and then a Boys round, 5 minute AMRAP of 3 Pullups (I did 5 rows) and 5 thrusters. First round, easy. Second round, easy. Third round...wait what happened to my thighs? Fourth round...how is this not over yet? Fifth round...can I dawdle? Time is counting! Row! Row! Row! Now grab that $#(*$^ bar and get down...

"Time!" Yelled Mick. "Ladies, change places." I panted. Was that really only 5 minutes? Only FIVE MINUTES? Without pause I turned and ran out the door for the fence, encouraging my knees to lift. To the fence wasn't as much of a challenge as I expected, but when I turned to come back up the small rise my heart stuttered. I walked to the top end of the parking spaces, then turned and ran to the fence again. Satisfied, I walked back inside.

Grabbing my water and sucking it down eagerly, I held up four fingers and then 5 when Mick called my name. Promising Mick I'd foam roll at work, I sped home. My thighs are going to hate me later, and I eagerly anticipate it.