"Thank you CrossFit Ignite"
So I’m competing in the CrossFit Open. Which is a little like saying I’ve taken up SCUBA diving without a breathing apparatus. There are few people less equipped for any type of athletic competition than I. Which is probably why it’s my first ever. I spent the 3 nights before the first workout having anxiety dreams about the gym. I almost hyperventilated before i started. I scaled it. It was hard anyway. It was 20 minutes long and I prayed I could keep moving. And I did. I wasn’t graceful and was barely proficient. But it was moving and inspiring to work out with people at every level who were all pushing themselves to their own limit. Today I did The Crossfit Open Workout 17.2. It was worse than 17.1. Lunges aren’t my strong suit. Walking lunges are worse. Walking lunges with 20 lb barbells balanced on my shoulders make me look like I’m trying to fall over. I could barely do one. I had to do two rounds of 50 feet of them spaced in between hanging knee raises and dumbell cleans. For proficient athletes that was only the first part of the workout. But for me? I fought for every lunge. Every. Single. One. I dropped the weights. I had to start over. The workout was 12 minutes. It could’ve been an hour. In those 12 minutes, people I didn’t know and one dog (I’m not kidding, named Sailor) cheered me on from the sidelines. When the workout was over I burst into tears. And the people I didn’t know hugged me and told me how well I did. And the dog licked me. For the record, there’s nothing quite like doing the ugly cry in front of strangers while being licked by a dog. One of the many unexpected experiences brought to me by CrossFit IGNITE. CrossFit Ignite has undone many years of childhood gym misery for me. Of thinking I was less than, not good enough, not fast, not strong. I’m still not strong or fast but I’m now surrounded with people who think I can be more and who are determined to stand by me, to help me and coach me to help me get there. Thank you to the people of CrossFit Ignite for making every workout worth it, to Coach Steve for his never-ending patience, and to my first ever favorite coach Matthew Apol for teaching me to do more, get better.