Fran Punched Me In The Nose

[image from The Hopper Deck]

Full disclosure: Before today, I’d never done Fran.

I know! The answer to “What’s your Fran time?” is a CrossFit staple. But for a variety of reasons, I always missed it when Fran was on the whiteboard for class. And since it includes two of my least favorite movements – thrusters and pullups – I’ve never tackled it on my own. It’s WAY more fun to do bear crawls and box jumps. (Which is exactly why I need to keep attending CrossFit classes.)

“We have a Fran virgin!” Tristy yelled with evil delight when I meandered into the gym this morning, still half asleep, rubbing my eyes and pouting.

Yeah, it was THAT kind of Monday morning.

We ran 400m, then did 3 rounds of 10 OH squats + 5 pushups + 5 pullups + 10 situps to warm-up. We were assigned workout buddies so we’d each have a counter (thanks, Ryan!), and we were off.

In case you’re not familiar with Fran… it doesn’t look so bad in print:

21-15-9 reps for time:
thrusters, 65-lb.
pullups

In practice, it’s pretty gnarly. RX was not a remote option: 65-lb. thrusters would take me well-beyond any reasonable time limit, and I’m still using the band for pullups. I used a 50-lb. bar and a blue band (1.5 inches wide?). My time: 6:43.

The best part? On thruster #7 or 8, I smashed myself in the nose with the barbell. I kinda saw stars for a second, and my eyes watered, but I didn’t drop the bar. If you looked closely at my nose right now, you might notice that the squishy tip looks a bit more bulbous than usual, and there’s a red mark on the left side. It’s tender to the touch, and my hands are sore from halfway torn callouses.

It was definitely THAT kind of Monday morning.

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Comments

  • heather says:

    Thats awesome time! I did Fran for the first time about a month ago as well….I also hit myself, right under the chin when I was on my set of "15" yeah that made me see some starts too! My time was a lot longer than yours though, 11:33, Oh those pullups!

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Fran is a brat! But I guess I'd be cranky, too, if I was made up of thrusters and pullups. Imagine the self-esteem issues of being composed of those two parts!

  • MelG says:

    Having smashed myself with the barbell on more than one occasion I feel your pain. You are a ROCK STAR for not even dropping the bar.

    Must have been something in the air today, my Monday started with Randy (75 power snatch). I've not snatched since "the incident". Talk about a not so favorite thing. Despite crying and some not so lady like words for both the bar and myself, I finally did one snatch about 4 minutes in and finished in 13 something.

    That which doesn't kill us…

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    MelG! Good for you for tackling that workout after your nasty previous encounter. GREAT JOB, lady!

  • Anniebug, bugger or BUG. says:

    Fran is a witch. But at least her torture is often sub 10. Congrats on your first visit and hope your nose recovers!

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Witch, huh? I would've gone with a different letter 😉

  • Meghan says:

    Love your blog #1.

    #2- My first WOD was Fran. Clarification, my first WOD EVER was Fran… on Monday. And I feel from the pullup rack (I was using the blue band I think? I can't remember now.) Anyway I was on #12 of my 15 and my hands just couldn't hold on any longer so I bit the dust, busted my hip, got up shook it off, finished my 15 then went back for the 9s (and a green band). I think my time was around 7:20 with all of that. I was pretty delirious though. hahaha, just felt like sharing in the trials and tribulations of Fran.

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Meghan! You are made of tough stuff! If Fran had been my first workout, I'm not sure I'd be doing CrossFit right now 😉

    Congratulations on getting through that monster! You're my hero of the day!

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