{"id":1842,"date":"2012-07-13T15:18:16","date_gmt":"2012-07-13T22:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libernetics.com\/?p=1842"},"modified":"2012-07-13T16:22:45","modified_gmt":"2012-07-13T23:22:45","slug":"crossfit-reflections-of-competition-fitness-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libernetics.com\/?p=1842","title":{"rendered":"CrossFit: “Newbie Throwdown” — reflections of competition, fitness, performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

A\u00a0couple\u00a0of weeks back our CF gym (CrossFit East Sacramento<\/a>) had the annual “Newbie Throwdown.” \u00a0 The idea is to have all the newer members, and essentially anyone who is not at level 1 status, participate. \u00a0The level 1\u00a0athletes act as coach\/captain. \u00a0 It’s an all-day event, 3 WODs plus a floater WOD.<\/p>\n

As it so happens I’m in my 2nd year at CFES, but I haven’t taken the level 1 test so I’m still in what is referred to as “Foundations.” \u00a0So I still qualify as a “newbie.” So I decided to sign up. \u00a0But I admit I had mixed feelings about participating.<\/p>\n

The first thing that gave me a bit of a problem is that there is quite a bit of a lead up to the event. \u00a0Lots of time to dwell on it and get nervous. \u00a0Secondly, unlike regular WODs, these events don’t offer much of a chance to scale. \u00a0There is some leeway, a bit of wiggle room sometimes, but not much. \u00a0So failure has a larger,\u00a0uglier\u00a0face. But I signed up anyway.<\/p>\n

The WODS were announced a few days before the event. \u00a0The first one was a 400m row, 30x 80lb sandbag squat, 30 lateral burpees over a 16 inch bar, and 30 GHD situps requiring touching a medicine ball, and a final 400m run. \u00a0Frankly I didn’t think I could do the 30 squats. \u00a0I was part of a four person team, and it was decided I would go first (the assumption being I would be the slowest.)<\/p>\n

The good news is the 30 sandbag squats were not that hard, and I kept a steady pace during the whole WOD. \u00a0I came in at about 13: 40 for total time, which is the bad news because that is really too slow. \u00a0We ended up being the last team to finish (total time of 19 minutes or so.) \u00a0My feeling is that had I been able to shave a couple of minutes off my time we would have come in near the top.<\/p>\n

The second WOD was a thruster ladder, starting with 95#, then 115#, 125 etc. I knew I could do 95#, but had some doubts about 115#. \u00a0I did the 95#, but couldn’t do 115#.<\/p>\n

The third WOD was a 400m run, then max reps for: 20# wall ball throws, double unders, 30# db ground-to-overhead (i.e, a 30 db snatch), \u00a0jumping pullups, 6 foot wall climbs, and row for calories. \u00a02 rounds, 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off. \u00a0If that sounds like a lot of intense work, it is. \u00a0Bruising\u00a0too — the 6 ft. wall climbs were brutal on the forearms. \u00a0The wall balls were difficult, I’m not good at double unders, and I was\u00a0easily the slowest runner. \u00a0I did OK at jumping pullups, and wall climbs.<\/p>\n

At one point our team was 4th (out of 12 teams) then 5th, and finally 6th overall.\u00a0At the end of the day I was really tired, and mentally worn out. \u00a0I saw quite a few really great efforts. \u00a0Lots of very strong, very fit people were competing.<\/p>\n

The upshot of all this is that guys who outweigh me by 40 to 100 lbs not only\u00a0out-lift\u00a0me, they outrun me. \u00a0 By quite a bit. \u00a0And many (if not most) of the women\u00a0out-lifted\u00a0me and out ran me as well. \u00a0All in all it’s a bit\u00a0aggravating.<\/p>\n

Now somewhere somebody is going to say, but it’s not about competing with other people, it’s about competing with yourself. \u00a0The idea being that it’s all about doing your best, getting PRs, and\u00a0participating. \u00a0The problem with that sentiment is that it’s confusing “fitness” with “performance.” \u00a0I could be totally fit and still have a poor performance relative to my peers.<\/p>\n

Next someone will say well that’s the problem with CrossFit it’s\u00a0competitive. \u00a0And my response is that so is life, except for those who don’t have to compete, or those who choose not to.<\/p>\n

In any case I signed up, I accepted the danger, I knew it would be tough, I knew the people participating were stronger — so why bother? \u00a0That’s a good question, and it’s really at the heart of the conversation.<\/p>\n

In the end I guess I felt like I owed to myself to get in there and take the physical, mental, and emotional pain and make the best of it. \u00a0No PRs, nothing exceptional, I did as well as I could on that day at that time in that place.<\/p>\n

Today I noticed that Chris Spealler\u00a0<\/a>came in 44th (huh?! 44th? yes) at the first event in the CrossFit 2012 games. \u00a0I’ve read Spealler is a great\u00a0athlete — among the elite super-fit. \u00a0No doubt he expected to do better. \u00a0Of course he has quite a bit more potential for upside than I do, but that’s beside the point. \u00a0He didn’t quit, he’s ready for the next day, he’ll keep going.<\/p>\n

Whether I sign up for another competition is an open question. \u00a0Maybe I will, maybe not. \u00a0In any case managing ego, expectations, fear, and risk is all part of CrossFit. \u00a0Sometimes that means not having as good a performance as one would like to have. \u00a0It reminds me of life.<\/p>\n

Cheers.<\/p>\n