The NewFitter

After blogging about my fears for the NewFitter competition, I think it's only fair that I share not only the results, but my assessment of the day.

I have been no stranger to admitting my lack of athletic prowess that was pretty consistent throughout my life.  So, the mere thought of entering a competition based on physical ability was mind-blowing and slightly masochistic for me.  Any accolades I've received in the past were usually academic based, with a few exceptions.  This competition was going to be a whole new world for me, and I was unsure of how I felt about it.

Anyway, I thought I would take you through the workouts (WODs) first.  When I arrived at CRCF, the whiteboard there had the following three WODs listed:

WOD 1:
Three rounds of:

400 meter run
15 thrusters (35 pound weight for women; 65 for men)
15 box jumps (20 inch for women; 24 inch for men)

Time limit: 15 minutes

WOD 2:
7 minute time limit to:
Row a 1K
Do kettlebell swings until time (35 lbs for women, or one pood; for men, 53 pounds or 1.5 pood)

The catch with this one was that your score was only based on your kettlebell swings.

WOD 3:
15 minutes to:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:

Deadlifts (95 lbs for women, 135 lbs for men)
Burpees
Sit ups

And I was going to be in heat 3.  (There were three heats for the WODs, because of space limitations).

Oh goodness, after reading this workouts, I panicked.  I knew that the run would be partially uphill outside, and I'm also not the best rower.  CRCF was packed full of people, and I just felt overwhelmed.  All I could think about was not vomiting and making sure that I actually moved.

After a warm up, I cheered on my fellow CRCF members, and had a pep talk from one a fabulous member.  It helped me calm down before my heat:

(Sidenote: All photos are courtesy of Saint Clair Studio.  Evan and Erica are fantastic photographers and their photos have a great photojournalistic quality.  The best part?  I never even realized my picture was taken the entire day.  They are good at what they do).

When the time came for my heat, I found my position, my judge (who was very nice), and anxiously waited for time to be called.  And then, the run began:

It seemed fine and dandy at first, until we got to the hill.  I definitely felt the burn in my quads.  It was frustrating, because I felt like a 400 meter run shouldn't be that hard.  But it was tough.  I flew through the thrusters, but the box jumps were rough.  I kept going, and tried to keep up with the guys who were competing.  And thankfully, my awesome coach did part of the run with me.  At one point, I told her that I couldn't keep on going, and she emphatically said that yes, I could, and I would.  She left me no choice but to put one foot in front of the other:

I finished the WOD in 10:50, and was in third place.  A part of me felt giddy; another part of me wondered if I could have pushed it faster.  Honestly, I don't think I could have, but when I found out that the woman who won the WOD finished in well under ten minutes, I had a blip of a defeatist attitude.  There was no way I could have completed that WOD any faster; did that mean I wasn't up to snuff?

Before the second WOD, I spent some time with my fellow CRCFers, which took my mind off the WOD and helped me put it in perspective.  After chatting and laughing together, I remembered that it was pretty awesome that I had placed, and now all I had to do was keep on going.

Before WOD 2, I had to figure out a strategy.  If I tried to row too fast, it would just destroy my endurance, and I wouldn't be able to kettlebell swing.  If I rowed too slowly, I'd lose time on the swings, and I love kettlebell swings, and besides, my score was based off of my number of swings.  So, I decided to aim for a 1K in 4:30, and see how many swings I could get after that.

My score: 73.  While I placed fourth in WOD 2, my proud accomplishment was that I did all 73 swing unbroken -- I didn't once put the kettlebell down (in well over two minutes!)  But, even though I didn't place in that WOD, my score still put me in second place overall.  All of a sudden, I had a brief thought: if I didn't stop once, there might be a chance I could win the NewFitter event.  Seriously?  I had to keep going, full force ahead.

Before the heat began, I spoke to one of my CRCF friends, and together, we came up with a time in which I decided I would try to finish the WOD: 7:30.  It seemed ambitious, but having a goal was helpful.  Anxiously, I got into position for my deadlifts.  I had already asked my coach to hover nearby.  I covered my hands in chalk, hoping I wouldn't lose my grip on the bar.  I was sweating before the clock even started.

And then something really awesome happened.  My fellow CRCFers surrounded me throughout the entire WOD and cheered me on.  My coach, Melissa, was with me every step of the way, encouraging me to keep on going and not to stop for a moment.  Hearing others scream my name kept me going.  Knowing that I had the support of my friends provided an almost out of body experience, and it gave me an adrenaline boost.  I felt nauseous; slightly delirious.  The WOD was a blur, but all I knew was that I couldn't stop.

And I finished the WOD in 7:37 -- by far, the fastest female time, the third time overall.  I was more than forty seconds faster than the next woman.  It was definitely an "OMG" moment.  I was tired, I was sweaty, and I was sore -- but I did it.  And with my own family members and my CRCF family with me, I felt invincible.

Right after finishing, I barely had the energy to give my coach a high 5 -- but the attempt was made.

The results were calculated:

And folks, I won my first athletic competition.  My goodness, I gave it my all.  It was, by far, one of the most mentally and physically draining days of my life.  But it felt great; I felt great.  I did something I never thought I was capable of doing, and even when it felt impossible, I didn't stop.  I've worked very hard to get to this point and I'm proud of myself.

As I reflect back on Sunday, I know that I have a lot to still learn and do at CrossFit.  But I also know that none of this would have been possible without the amazing community I belong to.  Yes, we're slightly cultish; yes, we have weird slang; yes, we do some bizarre workouts, but I have such a supportive, lovely network, and it means the world to me.

(Such a wonderful group of people!)

Sunday reminded me that I am one tough chica, and that I've come a long way since this summer.  I'm strong.  I'm athletic.  And I have the perseverance to keep on going.  CrossFit has given me a great outlook on life; it's boosted my confidence significantly.  It's taught me that I can do things that I never thought were imaginable.  And I feel so lucky to have met so many wonderful people in the process.

Alright, sappy post over.  A big thanks to all those who have helped me reach this point.  And now, I think I may finally be allowed to call myself an athlete.