"I am excited to see how I perform in the Regional environment."
Between the last two workouts of the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games Open, Mickey Schultz managed to move up two spots and secure 60th place.
The finish meant an invitation to compete at the North East Regional.
“For the last Open workout, I realized I needed to make sure that I performed well enough to stay in the top 60,” says the 38-year-old. “Having performed it last year … I knew what I could do and I wanted to be sure that I beat that number.”
The high school science teacher isn’t new to Regional competition.
In 2009, Schultz finished in 5th place at the Regional. The next year she traveled to the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with CrossFit Montclair’s affiliate team, which finished 13th at the Games. In 2011, she competed again as an individual at the Regional, coming in 14th.
Schultz’s past year of training has not gone as well as she would have liked. Although she set PRs, she says she was hot and cold.
"There were sessions that I got beat up by a PVC pipe and there were times that performing a snatch seemed impossible because I was thinking about each and every movement,” Schultz explains. “The end of the winter seems to be the hardest time of the year for me. My schedule has gotten too full and life too hectic. I was having a really hard time finding my groove."
Schultz, who competed in basketball, cross-country and track at Rochester University, says the level of competition the Open provided surprised her. So much so she admits she didn't properly ramp up her training to prepare for the five weeks.
Although she is disappointed in her Open performance, Schultz says she is proud to have qualified for the Regional considering all she juggles as a mother, teacher and athlete.
"I look at how well I live my life and balance everything and I am pleased by how I did," she says.
And now she is rejuvenated in her training for the Regional and becoming more focused.
"I have increased my gymnastics practice and really increased my intensity. I am working on my lifts much more regularly and really focusing on my weaknesses: handstand push-ups and muscle-ups,” she says.
Typically, Schultz works out five times per week following the regular gym programming.
“Included in the classes is strength training about three times a week, focusing on all the major lifts,” she says. “I perform met-cons every time I workout and the length of them varies. I add in skill work when I find the free time outside of class time.”
In terms of her expectations for herself at the Regional, Schultz has no specific goals.
“I feel lucky to have made it and I hope to be able to complete all the workouts,” she says. “The weights are heavy and the workouts are hard. I am excited to see how I perform in the Regional environment.”
