Thursday, April 29, 2010

Oh...Now I get it...

One of my daily rituals is sitting in front of the TV while I recoup and log my last CrossFit workout. The other day I was watching that hideous piece of brain sucking technology when I saw a commercial talking about "Ah-ha" moments. It got me thinking about the first days and weeks that I started CrossFit, and how extremely difficult and challenging certain movements were (and sometimes still are) for me. As I flipped through the pages of my log book I let my mind drift back to some clear memories that stood out in my CrossFit journey. I remembered the first workout when I stopped using a resistance band for pullups, the day I jumped for joy that I got 3, yes that's right, 3 double unders in a row, and the day I got my first legit ring dip. Those days I felt like I won the lottery, that I was suddenly unstoppable.

Now, kipping pullups are just another movement, suddenly the other day I hit 40 double unders, and doing sets of ring dips doesn't phase me. But what did it take to get this far with those movements. For me it was a few ah-ha moments and some rules I told myself I would follow.


Ah-ha Moment Number 1:

One day we were warming up for "Jackie" and I realized that pullups were never going to be easy. Boom! That was it. Now, I could accept that it was going to be a struggle to do 30 pullups in a workout, or I could pretend that doing pullups on a band would eventually make unassisted pullups a breeze. I chose to accept that no matter how long it took me to do 30 Rx pullups I was going to complete the task. 11 minutes later I did! By the end I was knocking out only one at time, but they were getting done. The quote that reminds me of this moment is, "If you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done."


Ah-Ha Moment Number 2:

Double unders...If you've known me and my CrossFit history, then you know double unders have taken me through hell and back. When I was first starting to attempt consecutive double unders, everyone kept telling me to "relax," "don't force it," "you are trying to hard." Every time someone told me that I wanted to punch them in the face. I would think, "Whatever. What the *#!% do you know? This is me and my body and I can't get this damn rope to pass under my feet with out effort." I would squeeze the handle of the rope so hard my grip would usually be shot, along with my ego, by the time my battle with double unders was over. I would watch countless Journal videos and Buddy Lee tutorials with no hope. For months, I would come home, park my car, get out and do 50 double unders before I would let myself go inside. The first time I did Annie it took me almost 13 minutes. I did single-double combos the whole time. My second battle with Annie I knocked off 4 minutes, better, but still not the improvement I was hoping for. After about 6 months off on again/ off again success, I got 20 DU in a row during a workout! Lately I've been able to consistently hit sets of 20 in a row, part in thanks to a little rule that was created. My double unders don't count at all during a workout unless I can hit a certain number in a row. There have been lots of "wasted" double unders, and I'm sure my times have been slower, but my double unders have improved exponentially quicker with this rule in place. And I think I've also learned how to relax....but I will never fully admit this. :)


Ah-ha Moment Number 3:
This moment doesn't apply to my ring dip experience. I know my organization isn't the greatest, but bear with me. I also don't really know if this a moment or a rule, or a moment that created a rule, but who cares. Whatever this is it made me a better CrossFit athlete. :) I think I figured this out during a match with "Helen" back in November. What I figured out is to never discount my ability or my mental capacity. I use to think okay "Helen," I'll run but keep my breath, break up the kettle bell swings at various numbers, and do X sets of pullups. One workout a little bird put it in my head to never let go of the kettle bell, ever. So I didn't. Bang! Dropped 3 minutes! But it was more than that, I didn't start believing in my abilities until someone else told me. Even when I swam, I had to hear my coach tell me what time I should aim for. I never picked one for myself and if I did, it was a weak attempt at a goal. Just that little moment made me realize that I am my biggest fan or worst enemy, and I'd rather be a fan than an enemy. I don't think about the numbers anymore. I think about the feelings of the movements and how I expect to feel during the workout. For some people this may not work because it may make them feel "pukie" before the workout even starts, but for me, it brings a sense of calm because what ends up happening is exactly what I had imagined. With a new found control over my mental ability, my physical ability has been challenged to a whole new level because I do not "scale" myself mentally.


These are a few of the moments and rules that have shaped my development as a CrossFit Athlete. What have been some standout moments for you in your experience with CrossFit? Have you made adjustments after having your ah-ha moments?