After being put on notice in both a very public and flattering way by my old college friend G, and reading his piece on Cindy, I was hooked, and am thrilled to be providing updates and introductions to Crossfit and other aspects of fitness and nutrition. Lets start with a story:
Saturday, November 6, 2010 – Beast of the East. – My first real Crossfit competition…
My team of athletes and I traveled up the night before, discussing what Ben Bergeron, owner of Crossfit New England was going to throw at us the whole way up to Natick, MA. After nearly 6 months of training and huge strength gains (As my crew will tell you, I went from pale and frail to jacked and tan quickly with the amount of focus I had put on my training and nutrition), I naively thought I was ready for anything.
8am saturday morning – athlete’s meeting – Ben announces the first event… DT – a hero wod – (5 rounds, 12 deadlifts, 9 hang cleans, 6 press @ 155lbs) with a 12 minute cap. I immediately began to panic, I could barely handle a 155 press, and had never even attempted a hang clean at that weight.
3-2-1 go… I made it through 1 round + 12 deads in the 12 min cap, putting me in last place out of the 120 male athletes competing. I was crushed!
Why am I telling you this seemingly sad story? One of the reasons I love crossfit and the community as much as I do is because while there are many humbling experiences along the way, the support to pick you back up is equally as plentiful. I knew becoming a real competitor was what I wanted. My training team was right there to help me get back on track, and 4 months later I came in the top 10 at the Frostbite Challenge hosted by Crossfit LIC.
As we get to know each other better, I’ll be leaving you with little life’s lessons and fitness anecdotes along the way, and I’ll be sure to explain all the crazy terms and workouts involved with Crossfit (example: WOD = Workout of the Day). That said, tonight I leave you with this – my fitness & life’s philosophy:
There will be many long and rough days along life’s journey, and if you join me in adopting a Crossfit lifestyle, there will certainly be humbling lifts and workouts, but as you have these frustrations I want you to remember 1 thing: its not our failures, but rather how we bounce back from those set backs that define us both as athletes and as individuals. Rise to the occasion!
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