“Wherever you are, whatever you do, be in love”
– Persian poet Rumi
Happy Persian New Year!
After four days of celebration — which included hanging with my family, sleeping 9-10 hours a night, getting another Open WOD under my belt and eating baklava for breakfast — I’m back in D.C. feeling incredibly relaxed, grateful and happy.
The “sofreh haft seen” is a table decorated with symbols of spring. Sumac symbolizes the sunrise. Vinegar is for age and patience. Senjed, the dried fruit of the lotus tree, symbolizes love. Samanoo, a sweet pudding, symbolizes affluence. Sprouts symbolize rebirth. Apples are for health and beauty. Garlic is a symbol of medicine and health. Many families also include gold coins, colored eggs, flowers, sweets, candles, a mirror and a goldfish.
There’s no need to re-live every last, indulgent, not-always-paleo bite, right?
Suffice it to say that I. Am. Full. Like, pants-with-buttons-and-zippers-won’t-have-a-place-in-my-wardrobe-for-the-next-week type of full.
The highlight of the eating was definitely the traditional new year meal, which included…
Sabzi polo. (Basmati rice with fresh herbs.)
Mahi. (Broiled salmon with lots of lemon juice.)
Kuku sabzi. (Fresh herb frittata. Click for recipe.)
And red wine and roasted acorn squash to round things out.
To balance out the eating, I squeezed in plenty of activity. Here’s the workout rundown from the last few days:
THURSDAY
10-min OTM
Odd mins: Max Effort Dead Hang Pull-ups
Even mins: Max Effort L-Sit Hold
Then…
8-min AMRAP:
1 Rope climb
5 Burpees
2 Rope climbs
10 Burpees
3 Rope climbs
15 Burpees
4 Rope climbs
20 Burpees, etc…
I’d never successfully done a rope climb before, but after a half-hearted attempt and some pointers from my coach, I hoisted myself up halfway! I used the workout as a chance to practice and made it through 4 (half) rope climbs and six burpees (out of the round of 20).
FRIDAY
Unbroken Power Cleans x 3
55#–65#–75#–75#–75#
Then…
“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double-Unders
Abmat Sit-Ups
My DU’s weren’t unbroken — I split up each double between 3 singles — but I did each and every rep, slowly but surely. Took me 18:51 Rx’d.
SATURDAY
Open WOD 13.3:
12-min AMRAP:
150 Wall Balls (20#/14#)
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle Ups
I tried this workout last year the first time it was programmed in the Open, and got through about 100 wall balls before time ran out. On Saturday, I finished all 150 in 11:58 and had my hand on the jump rope, ready to start the double-unders, when the clock hit 12:00.
Can I hope for a 50-rep improvement if when this WOD appears again next year? 
I’ve got a sinking feeling that this workout will become CrossFit Open tradition.
SUNDAY
Rest. After yesterday’s wall balls, my legs aren’t really giving me a choice in the matter.
