Happy CrossFit-aversary to Me!

One year ago, on July 31, 2015, I stepped into Clear Lake CrossFit for my free trial class. Today was my one-year CrossFit-aversary!

I remember kettlebell swings as being part of my first WOD. I’m pretty sure this one I’ve posted is it; back then, I didn’t keep a log. I also remember feeling exhilarated and happy. In the past year, I’ve totally been drinking the Kool-Aid. I’m in it hook, line, and sinker. I’ve become so passionate about CrossFit that I’ve spoken about it at Toastmasters. I’ve competed in a couple scaled competitions, and I hope that at some point I’ll compete again. (When I’m stronger. When my one rep maxes are a little bit higher. When you’re basing your one rep maxes against your body weight, and you’re a hobbit shrimp, you need to work a lot harder.)

I’ve learned a lot in the past year, and some of it has been humbling. Some of it has been empowering. And all of it has been awesome, so here are my lessons on my first CrossFit-aversary:

• Track everything. And I do mean everything: write down the WODs, your scores, the weights you use. I’m mildly obsessive about it; I write down the WODs in a WOD Book, and then I enter my one rep maxes into an app on my phone. I was getting down on myself during the Open, and then I looked back at my maxes from where I started and where I am now. According to a chart on the inside of my WOD Book, I’m doing a lot of my lifts at Intermediate-level.
• Learn from setbacks. My second CrossFit competition and resulting injury are a great example of this. I learned not to be an idiot when I pull from the ground. But I’ve also learned that it’s okay to have a bad day when you lose five pounds off your back squat max or fall off a box during box jumps.
• Push yourself. My coaches push me, but I have to push myself, too. It would be easy to go light or slack off some days, but that’s not what CrossFit is about. I have to challenge myself every time I step into the box.
• Get friendly with a PVC pipe. Using a PVC pipe, I’ve learned proper technique for my lifts. I’ve learned the difference between a strict press, a push press, a push jerk, and a split jerk.
• Be proud of how far you’ve come. This is your CrossFit journey, not anyone else’s. When I came in, I could barely clean 35 pounds. A few weeks ago, I power cleaned 75 pounds. I’ve heaved weight over my head that I never thought possible, banged out toes to bar, and done strict pull-ups.

It’s been such an amazing year, and I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring. What will my two-year CrossFit-aversary look like?