Reminder: Tonight is the Dog Haus Running Club Mixer. Meet and mingle with other local athletes starting at 6pm tonight at Dog Haus on Green St.
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As you know, Ellen, Jeff B and Suzy competed at WODstock last week. This was their very first competition – and they did awesome!
Ellen had a few thoughts to share based on her first competition experience:
In life we make choices: Sometimes we make good ones, sometimes we make terrible ones. Then occasionally there are times when you wonder just WTF you were thinking. Signing up for WODstock was one of those moments for me.
Jeff, Suzy and I signed up for the WODstock team competition along with another friend, Matt. When the team portion was canceled, the other 3 decided to continue on to compete in the individual heats. I followed suit, a bit reluctantly and spent the rest of January trying to come up with a good excuse to get out of it. If you’ve seen me at the box over the last 9 months, you’d know that there isn’t anything fancy about me at all – I’m not the quickest, I’m not the strongest, I’m not the tallest and heck, I’m not even the shortest. I spent quite an amount of time before this past weekend stressing about the competition and 30 minutes outside of Temecula, I asked Jeff to drop me off or take me home (I’m not kidding). To his credit, he told me to shut up and continued driving.
Here is what I learned:
1. You are your own worst enemy.
I was so worried and stressed that I would embarrass myself and the box because I wouldn’t be able to get through some of the movements. In my second round of the first WOD, I was so nervous I could hardly pick up my bar. I finished dead last with my reps, only beating out the girls that didn’t bother to show up. I expected people to point and laugh but alas, all I received were pats on the back and good jobs. I showed up and I cleaned 85 lbs a few times and swung a 24 kg kettlebell. As stupid as this may sound, it was something I’ve never done before.
2. Make it your own.
Second WOD was released – and sh*t, I can’t snatch or OHS the weight. I can barely make it look acceptable at 55 lbs let alone 65 lbs. Well, I can run away and hide or just get the F out there and do what I can do. I was the first person to take off my weights and just did the WOD with the bar – a decision I don’t regret for one bit. None of my reps counted but heck, I did all my toes to bar! Laura, the girl who was stationed across from me (and ended up #1 overall), finished her WOD and came over to cheer me on. Seriously, how cool is this day getting?
3. Have fun.
Luckily, my floater WOD saved my butt and shot me up above some of my other competitors. Holy crap…really? When I stopped stressing, I spent the time between my WODs screaming, cheering and meeting people. I met a girl who flew down from Alaska and she showed me a text from her husband, “How was your workout this morning?” We spent the next few minutes giggling at how silly husbands can be. I learned that Laura is trying to start her own gym. A girl from NorCal shared her chalk with me and the guy running the competition gave me a double high five for cleaning 85 lbs. Today rocks!
4. We are all different. We are all the same.
We all have reasons and obligations that keep us from working out – our lives, various hobbies, events, husbands, wives, kids, jobs, health issues, stress…and a million other things that make us both sane and crazy at the same time. It makes us who we are…but the moment we step into the box, we immediately have something in common. All of us have skills that we wish we could do better but that’s what makes friendships and camaraderie so wonderful. You fill each other’s gaps.
5. Do what you do well and carry on with dignity.
The day was over, but the competition wasn’t – we still had a Spartan Race to do the next day. I know I can run pretty decent and I had a chance to move up just a tad more. A couple of the other girls and I would switch positions back and forth but always cheering each other on. I ended up 5th in the division for the race and final score – 10th place. Hey, I wasn’t last!
6. Love your family.
Suzy, oh, Suzy. The mthfckng badass that every girl wishes they could be: tenacious, strong yet humble and inspiring. She fought through the WODs even though she wasn’t feeling well, silently and solidly kicking everyone’s ass. Suzy was relentless and pretty much picture perfect on her WOD movements. She was exciting to watch and it was an honor cheering her on. I was fortunate enough to share the experience with her by my side. I can’t wait to see how far she goes.
Then there is the amazing Kris, who was our coach and mentor for the day. He would cheer us on and give us as many tips as he can squeeze in between working the heats. The only time I saw his emotions was when either Suzy or Jeff dropped their bar. I don’t think he is supposed to, but he’d yell out pointers and sneakily move closer to them to make sure he was heard.
Jeff, my favorite workout partner-in-crime and one of my best friends – not only did he talk me off the ledge a few times but he was steadily strong through his own WODs. His compliments from the competition piled sky high and probably needed some antibacterial soap with all of high fives he got from his fans and admirers. He might never admit to it, but he could have easily finished in the top 5 of his division on the Spartan Sprint. Instead, he stayed within my sight for 99% of the race to make sure that I got through my obstacles okay. He is my rock.
Last but never least – the rest of the crew at 626. The oh-so-flipping-awesome coaches we have and all the other members that cheered us on throughout the day…THANK YOU! I know I could not be where I am without you guys. It’s been a good 9 months and I look forward to the years ahead together.
7. Accept the gift of time.
I am guilty of wanting what I want, when I want it. Sometimes so much so that I forget the work and progress that goes into achieving your goal. I wanted to be strong, I wanted to do a good OHS…but the truth is I just wasn’t quite ready yet. What I learned from this weekend is that I am where I am now and it will take work and patience to get to where I want to be. Be kind to your body, be nice to your mind and be accepting of yourself. I’d like to do this again next year and complete the WODs along with my awesome teammates without scaling down further. That is my goal – and everyone can hold me to it!
WOD: C& J / Lateral burpees
1 comment. Leave new
WOW! inspired by that. Thanks for sharing Ellen!