CrossFit Cheerleaders

Today I heard the loudest cheers yet at Derby City CrossFit, so distracting and attention demanding a few of the other coaches who were lifting some serious shit on the other side of the wall stuck their heads around a corner to see what the commotion was all about.

One of the awesome things about CrossFit you hear so much about is the community of it all. When the most elite of the athletes forging to be elite finish, they often cheer on the ones who are struggling or bringing up the rear. Countless articles, videos, and testimonials are out there hyping the whole 'CrossFit Community' thing.

I'm often not always the slowest one in the class anymore, but today I was the final one on the floor as the others recovered. I didn't feel I was, per se, struggling to finish the WOD that didn't look too bad on the board....

WOD

Push Press – 80% of Press – 6 x 2
+
10 Power Cleans
10 Box Jumps
10 Power Cleans
20 Box Jumps
10 Power Cleans
30 Box Jumps
10 Power Cleans
40 Box Jumps

.....until about the time I got to the 30 Box Jumps set.

Often it’s the workouts that don't look hard or intimidating that are the worst.
I felt good about myself considering it was only about a year ago I overcame my fear of jumping over or onto anything and began hopping up on a box for fun. Even more badass is the 'small' box I jump on now is even bigger than the one I was used to practicing on. AND, not to compare but sometimes its hard not to, there were others in the class who weren't jumping at all, simply stepping up on the box one leg at a time, which I did for a long time when I first started out and would definitely still do if I moved the box up a size.

So here I am, working on my form and focusing on landing in the middle of the box. Trying not to stomp my feet so loudly when I land by pretending I am an Indian sneaking around in the woods with a light step. (I know, my mental visualizations are silly sometimes but whatever it takes to make it through, right?)

My newest improvement comes from some instructional advice from Coach Sean who tells me to stand all the way up at the top when I land. Every time I land now I think 'Erect!' and it already improves my form and feels better immediately to take the time straighten out my hunched over physique before hopping back down and powering through the set.

Someone before class announced we would be doing 100 box jumps and DAMN that's an intimidating number to have stuck in my head! So I just go one at a time, mentally envisioning the complete, correct motion a split second before I command my body to move and I plug away at each set.

Mainly during any box jump I am just trying to keep a positive, clear focused mind. Not let a fearful thought creep in to be planted of busting my shin and disrupt my flow with any seeds of doubt.

I got this and I know it.

Plus, I know my 3 year son is going to walk through that door any second with his Dad to pick me up, my special escorts of the day. I am wearing down from those damn Box Jumps and when I see them enter my smile alone is enough to send me sailing through to the end.

I wave them over and as he hesitantly looks around wide-eyed at the curious surroundings, as he works his way around the various bodies littering the floor. I see him eyeball the big dudes with the large weights.

"Mommy has 12 more to go, Buddy, come on help me count!"

He's into it now. I am fired up. The end is right there to be stomped into history, nothing but a page in my workout log.

There's no messing up now.

He is focused too, waving his arm down at his side with each count like a ref in a wrestling ring.

"1.......2......3......."

And that's when the real noise begins.

The other CrossFitters start clapping their hands and hollering. Bryce seems a little taken aback at the sudden commotion, but my smile turns into laughter and for a second it gets harder to land my jumps in the correct form I have been practicing. More smiles and applause permeate the room.

My husband is lingering off to the side, embarrassed probably at the sudden attention on us. He has our camera in hand and is attempting to catch this moment on film following my strict instructions that if they got there while I was still working out I wanted ACTION shots for my fitness scrapbook! (No, that book doesn't exist yet, but will one day and I need some real documentation besides my words of my transformation and growth!)

Everyone is still carrying on and I might have been a little embarrassed at all the attention myself if it had been focused squarely on me, but they are watching him. Encouraging him to 'Cheer Mommy on!' and 'Count for Mommy!'

"Two more Bryce!" I say to let him know the madness is almost over.

My heart swells and I pat his shoulder for assurance, just in case he is getting scared of all the people starring at him, wondering if they were crazy.

And maybe we are all a little crazy for what we put ourselves through on a regular basis in the name of fitness, but today I loved the sport of CrossFit more than ever.

And it wasn't because I finished a tougher than anticipated WOD.
It wasn't because I improved my Box Jump skills.
It wasn't even because I had people cheering me on till the end; it was because they were cheering him on, cheering me on.

“We fix pain…”

Today is my 3 month CrossFit anniversary and I completed my first full workout in 10 days. After 12 weeks of intense training, 4-6 classes a week, sometimes 2-a-day, my weeklong+ break didn’t come as a result of slacking off or burnout, but pain.

My biggest fear of hurting my back again had come true. And not even from a lift of the barbell or kettle bell swing. The odd angle of a catch-and-swing awkward motion as one of my kids jumped to me in the pool with reckless abandon off the deck put me out. Yep, with an if-y back stupid, simple wrong twist actions like that is enough to put you on your ass for a few days.

I made it to the gym a few days to foam roll, stretch and loosen up, but of course the anxiety and ‘depression’ over being hurt again set in. Pair an injury with the triple whammy timing of feeling like crap from a summer cold and cough with starting my period and yeah, I could have curled up with some ice cream and an ice pack and called it a day.

Sorry, guys but a woman’s menstrual cycle no matter what degree of crazy she is, wreaks havoc on our emotions sometimes. It’s called ‘hormones’ and unfortunately they are a real physical phenomenon that afflicts the best of us from time to time and fucks with our head and emotions. And let’s face it, men will never know or understand what its like physically or emotionally when you live a majority of your entire lifetime losing the lining of one of your organs every month. Fun times in Female Land, let me tell you.

A few things happened to pluck me from the downward spiral of hormonal, hurt, unhappy despair. When I was close to tears and feeling familiarly stuck on the couch counting the down the hours until I could take another Ibuprofen, I emailed Coach Ben a plea for a prescription to get past feeling sorry for myself.

Then Ben texted the magic words to put my pain into perspective.

“You’re not injured ... You’re hurt. Totally different.”

He was right! I just tweaked my back a little and if I let it rest without working out on it continually like before, kept it iced and loosened, I would be just fine.

With his next statement I was motivated to show my face at the gym.

“We fix pain...” He said.

Hell yeah.

Even if I couldn’t complete a warm up or WOD because at that point my pain level was preventing me from being able to bend without severe pain or lift my kids. That’s always the stab in the heart when they run to me with arms wide open and I can’t just scoop them up for hugs and kisses.

I lightly rowed as I watched my noon workout buddies bang out a Friday WOD. I longingly gazed at their action from the floor on the foam roller then iced down my lower back. I still felt better, physically and emotionally, when finished.

And when those damned hormones threatened to spill tears from my eyes as I talked to the 12:00 class coach (Come on, Leah get it together…. there’s no crying in CrossFit and especially in front of Coach Ryan!!!!) he offhandedly uttered the next inspirational phrase of the day…

“It’s not a big deal. Shit happens.”

Yes! So not a big deal. Shit happens!

CrossFit is the anecdote to pain, emotional or physical.

I walked out those doors and drove home smiling.