May 2008. My second day of CrossFit. Linda was her name, and she was well versed in the frustration of young men. And me, just a barbell-lovin' farmboy from "down the line," who had no idea what he was in for…
Mike and Tyler had been drinking the Kool-Aid since February, and were already seeing results. I was coming off a 3-year Powerlifting rip, competing in the 198lbs class. My first WOD was a huge stroke of luck: CrossFit Total. My second was….a little less lucky. Though I was pulling 500+ deads on a semiregular basis, my power clean was an abysmal 135; to make up for it, I added weight on the deadlift. I didn't rush; I paced between exercises. I tried to keep my thoughts – and my lunch – to myself. I was partially successful. I've never run into Linda again.
If CrossFit is good at one thing, it's this: exposing your weaknesses. The more weak links in the chain, the quicker the chain will snap. You can only coast on your strengths so far; ultimately, there's going to be a big confrontation, and the winner ain't a fixed bet, amigo.
There were a lot of scrapes, twists, and pains at Catalyst Games 2009. Be sure of that. Some were mentioned once and then tucked away in some dark recess of the unconscious mind to be dealt with later. Some were temporarily hobbling. But 48 hours later, there was only one ache being discussed at the Park: regret.
I wish I hadn't dropped to the Scaled 2 Class.
I should have kept going.
I should have shown up and done the first two Events.
I should have done it as Rx'd.
I should have done it, period.
You never regret the WOD you finish. You never look longingly at a platform on which you've left everything you had to leave. You never wish to have all that sweat back.
If a WOD intimidates you, good. It's exposing a massive opportunity: a chance to strike right at the heart of your weakness. A chance to kick Mr. Sandbag while his gloves are drooping. It's a chance to make an investment: to pay a big lump against the principal, not just cover the interest. Because there IS interest: the longer you wait to deal with this stuff; the more you choose your WODs based on your strengths and ignore the "hard ones"; the more you turn your cheek to that blazing, illuminating bulb, the harder it's going to be for your sight to adjust.
C'mon, Linda. One more chance, baby. You and me, down by the river…..