Fran-tastic?

It was a short but painful first meeting today.  The buzz in the gym was electric and the times being posted were inspiring.  I knew she was coming, Coach IA² had made subtle hints that when the new gym opened up the ol' bitty would be probably be making her appearance.  And on this fateful July day without fail there she was staring anyone straight in the eye who came to christen the new gym.  She came with the intention of humbling us all and she didn't relent, a worthy opponent for even the most fit of the Ignite family.  For the first time since I started out in pursuit of conquering FRAN I could picture her.  No longer a faceless enemy she took shape in my imagniation.  Built like a brick house, leathery skin, stringy dyed blood hair with that rode hard put away wet look. A mouth like a sailor and a hard as nails attitude.  The kind of women who thinks someone, no strike that, anyone, should pay for the hell she has been through.    

It seemed too soon to face off against my worthy foe but at high noon on the count of three I had no choice. Every good general knows you don't send in your troops unprepared even if you know they might not come out alive so W and I talked strategy and laid out my "battle plan". Prescribed wasn't going to happen yet BUT I could get a feel for the type of barrage FRAN had in store for my mind and body.  The plan was simple thurst 35 lbs and do jumping pull ups, go as hard and fast as you can, try not to stop or break reps for at least the first 21.  Push yourself mentally, get an idea for what it feels like metabolically (seriously I don't even really know what that means but sounds good right?), feel the fatigue and fight through it, leave it all on the bar and finish so that you drive home with the CF cough. 

So on the word "go", I pressed forward and struggled through 45 hard reps and much like I thought today's WOD proved to be a war of attrition.  I did what I set out to do I beat her in my own way and now I know what it is going to take to come out the victor.  

You know what they say "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer".  This won't be the first or last time we meet....until then...