Wednesday, October 10, 2012

One Year of CrossFit


I have been meaning to write a post reflecting on my first year of CrossFit.  I have been working on this for a few weeks because, not surprisingly, it was difficult to choose a single, cohesive concept to encompass an entire year.  

One year ago I made a decision that changed the course of my life.  I decided I was going to "try CrossFit".  I sent a (now embarrassing) short autobiography to the owner of a gym downtown.  After I demonstrated my lack of fitness for 7 minutes, we went on a very educational 400 meter walk on which I was audience to an abridged history of CrossFit, the United States Armed Forces, and diet and programming for competitive athletes.  After some self-reflection and Facebook "encouragement" from the gym's head coach, I decided to sign a one year contract for unlimited classes.

During the next twelve months I underwent a pretty significant physical transformation.  I am not a naturally gifted athlete, but I was born with enough coordination to be good with lot of practice and hard work.  Sometimes I get frustrated that it takes me more practice to "get it", but I wouldn't change who I am if I could. If it came easier I don't think I would be willing to work so hard for it, and I don't think I would be as forgiving of myself when things don't go according to plan.  I am willing to literally tear myself apart in training even if I am going to come in last.  I did that for long enough that I don't come in last very often anymore, and sometimes, I come in first.  I did come in last today, but I came in first on Saturday ;-)
 
Unfortunately, until recently this toughness had not translated into all aspects of my personality.  Throughout the year, I used sarcasm and self-defeating humor to lighten the mood in situations where I lack confidence.   I am nice, but unwilling to take a leadership role except in situations where I feel completely comfortable.  I create harmony and camaraderie, but to the extent that I let myself get pushed around quite a bit.  I am done with it.

I am running out of jokes, and it is time to be something more than the nice girl who is pretty good at making fun of herself. There are times in your life when you just cannot be the same person you were the day before.  Like the extra small t-shirt I recently got trapped in (not a joke, I am super jacked now), I have outgrown my old role in my community. I owe so much to my gym for the athlete I have become, and it is time to pay it forward.  There are a lot of people who will be training for competition for the first time this year, and I know they are going to need support and leadership - because I did.
 
Training for team competition is a different kind of commitment.  It isn't something you do for a few months, then say, "I don't want to do this anymore because I have no life, and I am sick of eating broccoli, and training doesn't make me happy anymore, and the dramatics of my personal life are more important than the goals of my friends.  
 
I know it is hard, but I know that it is worth it, so I promise that I am not going anywhere.  I promise that I will be fully committed through the end of the 2013 season no matter what. I promise that I will be the kind of teammate that I want to have.  

I am not going to complain about ring dips, or feign apathy about workouts with handstand push ups because I am not going to get a "good time".  I am not going to use the excuse that "I just suck" to explain a poor performance, because I don't suck, and neither does anyone following the competition programming.  

I "accidentally" created the B-team last December because it was an easy way to blow off steam and frustration and joke about "not being there yet".  As I have grown, so has my "B team" which has come to embody the spirit of the underdog, and the willingness to put your ego aside and keep your shit together.  This is what I expect from myself and what I expect from my teammates.  
 
I could not ask for a better group of people to train with, and I look forward to being here for every body's pain, no reps, and success during my second year. 
 
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About Sam

I am a writer in Omaha, Nebraska sharing my adventures in the foundations of healthy living - nutrition, being active, and being funny.

I was born in Kansas City in the sweltering summer of July, 1986. I was nearly born in the car because I was so pumped to get my life started. I have been bouncing off of the walls ever since. Growing up I hung out with the big kids who were even older than my sister (and best friend) Allie. I quickly developed an "I'm over it" 'tude toward kids my own age whose pastimes seemed juvenile - an interesting perspective coming from a preschooler. My snobbish worldview was hard earned however, as I was forced to learn both multiplication and division early to keep up when we played "school," and I was always forced to do dangerous stuff first to make sure it was okay, like eating unidentified berries and making the first run on super steep hills while sledding. We biked all day, ate wild honeysuckle, painted the house with mud, and collected cicada shells for no reason other than they stick to fabric and freaked my mom out.

I quickly realized that even little legs can get you as far as a car can, and as a young child, you really have nothing but time. My adventures were only restrained by the fact that adults do not find it acceptable for young children to explore the town on foot unaccompanied. I prematurely developed a desire to be an independent self-supporting person, so I opened a Kool-Aid/popcorn business to finance my big plans. Looking back, I would say that the only issues holding me back were my limited advertising budget and the fact that I was still too short to ride roller coasters. People just don't take you seriously when you can't go on the upside-down rides.

I was moved to Omaha in the second grade. I continued walking all over the place, exploring surrounding neighborhoods and visiting grocery stores to pick up my favorites: Goldfish, Sprite, and sugar cigarettes. I don't even think you can buy those anymore, and for the record, I never started smoking.

I never lost my hard work ethic, and I needed to increase my income to afford my new hobbies of beading and Polaroid photography. At the age of ten I mailed in a response to an advertisement for paper delivery routes without discussing the issue with my family. Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands when people don't share you vision. The people at the Omaha World Herald must have had a good feeling about me becuase they contacted my parents to tell them that they wanted to hire me but would feel better if there was an older family member onboard. I still wonder if Allie holds any resentment toward me for pulling her into the labor force when she was only twelve.

In third grade, I followed Allie's lead and began taking dance classes at Mary Lorraine's Dance Center. For the next eleven years it became "what I did." Nowadays, I train more like an athlete, but I will always move like a dancer, and being in a studio will always feel like home.

After high school I relocated again (this time of my own volition) to study "everything" in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I acquired a degree in marketing and finance that I may use someday. More importantly, I became a close friend and Alpha Phi sister with a cross country runner who easily persuaded me to train for the 2005 Lincoln half-marathon. I have been running ever since. In April 2011 I developed plantar fasciitis after jumping into an intense 50-70 mile/week schedule. This is the first athletic injury in my life. Although it has been indescribably frustrating both physically and emotionally, the silver lining is my increased receptivity to more variety in fitness disciplines.

I enjoy Pilates, yoga, enjoy Zumba, plyometric interval training, running, walking, and seeing how quickly I can run up stairs without losing my lunch. When I am too exhausted to move, I read and write. I love fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, poetry, philosophy, song lyrics, and comedy. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I love spell check, and felt tip pens.

I am happy and optimistic most of the time. I enjoy living simply and deeply. I hope you enjoy what I have to share.







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