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| "Team Chill" @ Balance Gym CrossFit Bowl 2012 |
You can always do more than you think you can (and you can do even more when you are mentally prepared)
Just today, I competed in a CrossFit competition with CrossFit Balance. It was intended for all levels, with the ability to scale weights, so the competition ranged from elite to newer athletes. It was a team competition compiled of 2 guys and 2 gals. My team was 2 of my trainer colleagues, Duncan and Will, and a new friend, and strong competitor, Rachel. It was also amazing to see so many CrossFit DC friends whom I haven't seen in a couple of years, running this event and competing. It was electric.
We competed in 3 workouts:
1. 8-min AMRAP (as many reps as possible) with Deadlifts. All 4 of us competed, with 4 different weights. One person reps at a time, going for as many as they can unbroken. We had to switch out the weights as we went on. Our team performed flawlessly & efficiently, placing us at the top, after the first event.
2. Will & Rachel performed this one (thank goodness!). It was 3 rounds a piece of 12 hand release burpees, 24 situps on an ab mat, and about a 50-foot bear crawl (my least favorite exercise of all time!)
3. This one was me & Duncan. Another 8-min AMRAP, we had to press a bar over head from chest level, as many times as we could and then run 8 sprints, before the other could shoulder press. The sprints counted for nothing, only the overhead reps contributed to the score, so speed was key, as well as strategy. With this event we finished in the top 3, which was awesome!
Confession time. Leading up to this event and for the last 2 months or so, I have kind of let myself go a bit with my workouts. These are not excuses, but I think my career transition/focus & my move to a new apartment took up a lot more mental & physical energy than I was prepared for. When Duncan told me we were doing this (I don't think I actually had a choice!), I was super nervous. I didn't want to be the weak link and hold everyone back. I knew I had let myself go a bit, and basically just didn't want to suck.
All week leading up, I prepared myself mentally. I spoke words of victory, strength, and encouragement. So did others around me.
There were a ton of strong strong women at this competition, lifting way heavier weights than me, including my teammate. It was inspiring to see what I could do if I focused on it!
Before the first workout, I prayed for strength and stamina. And boy, did He give it to me. During the deadlift workout, I repped out 16 in the first set (that's 6 more reps than my previous rep max at this particular weight back when I was actually in CrossFit shape!), AND I could have kept going, but I thought pacing would be better, since I'd have to do it again. My original goal (what I thought I could do was 6-8 reps per set!) Exhiliration does not even begin to describe how I felt after accomplishing this.
In the third workout, again, I outperformed my own expectation again, because I didn't limit myself during the workout, based on what I had "planned" to do. I am pretty sure I yelled a bit for the first time ever, in a workout! It also helped that Duncan went before me and repped out 30 at his weight, so I kept pushing to 20 reps, in the first round.
How?
Mental preparedness, a will not quit attitude, and an awesome team around not only supporting me, but doing the work too! In my opinion, this trifecta makes you unstoppable in any area of life.
I had forgotten this. Or maybe just not experienced it in a while. So here's the message:
1) Do not limit yourself to what you think you can do
2) Do not call yourself weak, don't tell yourself that you've let yourself go, or that you suck...it may actually come true if you speak that on yourself
3) Put yourself in situations outside your comfort zone. I promise, you will feel alive and exhilirated if you do!
4) Punch out the ceiling. Who says you can't, shouldn't, won't. Just do it anyway!
I love number 2
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