Becoming CrossFIT

One of my favorite benchmark WODs is Cindy because it looks and sounds so deceptively simple and then those darn push-ups get me every time! I just don't have the upper body strength I guess. Today we did Cindy and I felt a little down on myself afterward because I didn't perform as well as I had hoped, but then I had a great conversation with another member that really got me excited about CrossFit and performance again.

Anna is one of the newest members to CFSP and has been coming to classes about a month now. Prior to joining CF, she ran quite a bit. We were talking after class and she told me how lately she hasn't been running as much because she's so sore after CF she can hardly walk! I laughed, it's so true! Recently she went out of town for a conference and did some running at the hotel gym. Get this: she ran TWICE as far as she normally does and didn't get tired along the way. She was really amazed at that, since usually her knees start to give her trouble. We posited that all the squats she's been doing at CF has maybe helped with the knee issues. Gotta love them squats!

It's really neat to hear stories like Anna's, since it demonstrates how we can become fitter and more athletically capable without even realizing it. I think it also speaks to CrossFit's "general preparedness" outline of fitness: be prepared for anything, anywhere...even if it's treadmill running in a hotel gym! I will say that since joining CF, I'm better at dashing to catch a bus too...

Despite my somewhat lackluster performance today, I have to remember that I may be making gains in other areas that Cindy just didn't pick up on. Maybe I can't do that many push-ups, but I'm pretty sure my bear crawls are getting faster and my box jumps are more strung together. And even outside of CF, my fitness may be be improving.

With that in mind, I decided to return to a skill that I developed a long time ago that has since fallen by the wayside with school and getting older: dance! That's right, I signed up for hip-hop dance classes today, to start September 18. Stay tuned for more posts on that!