For the past 8 weeks, I’ve kind of been keeping a secret. Well, not a secret exactly (I’m too much of a blabbermouth for that) but I have been pretty tight-lipped about this thing that I’ve been doing. No, it’s not illegal. No, it’s not immoral. No, it’s not crazy or embarrassing or dangerous. But what I’m finding, the more I open my mouth to share my excitement, is IT is pretty darn controversial.   I mean everyone and their brother has an opinion about this, whether or not they’ve actually tried it.  While a handful of critics are genuinely concerned about my health and wellbeing, the remainder of the lot are just repeating shit they’ve heard- ” ‘they‘ say that’s not safe, ”  “my best friend’s cousin’s girlfriend’s mother’s brother’s neighbor tore his rotator cuff doing that,”  and my personal favorite “you’re gonna end up looking like a dude.”  Before I address any of these unfounded claims, let me just say that as 5-foot-2-inch  woman with long, blonde hair, size 32D boobs (I know, TMI but I’m trying to prove a point), and a booty which quite amply fills out her running tights, it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than some CrossFit workouts to make anyone mistake me for a guy.

However, I do understand how people can allow common misconceptions to keep them  from trying something new.  Until a couple of months ago, I gave the anti-CrossFit buzz more consideration than it deserved.  I was curious to know more about this fitness regimen but let the fear of potential injury suppress my interest. Well, that and being completely unnerved by the idea of rubbing elbows (let alone working out alongside) with a whole bunch of badass athletes, after all I’m just a little, wimpy kid. I couldn’t possibly lift those huge barbells or climb a rope or do a pull up, right?

My CrossFit ride began with an amazing twist of fate.   Last spring, I volunteered to be chairperson for the Jog-a-thon (a running inspired fundraiser) at my daughter’s elementary school. As luck would have it, a new CrossFit box (it still feels weird not saying “gym,” that’s how much of a newbie I am) was scheduled to open just up the street from our neighborhood school. I contacted the owner, Lauren, via email to see if she had any interest in sponsoring our event and she immediately and generously agreed!  Up until I arrived at the still under construction Pacheco Valley CrossFit (PVCF) to meet Lauren for the first time, I harbored all kinds of ridiculous ideas about what it would be like.  Until that moment, I had never set foot in a CrossFit box or met an accomplished CrossFit athlete/business owner.  I imagined that the space would resemble a dungeon filled with creepy torture devices and that the owner might brusquely punch me on the arm in greeting, rather than shake my delicate, easily-crushable hand.  I strolled in to the space, bracing my shoulders just in case, and was met with a hug by one of the warmest and most vivacious people I’ve ever met.  Immediately at ease, I unclenched my mind and took a look around the open and bright space.  Not at all what I expected.  The seed was planted.

Life went on, my usual workout routine continued , the Jog-a-thon happened as scheduled and was a huge success thanks to PVCF’s support!

 

The day of the fundraiser, Lauren mentioned that she was offering a free introductory class for people new to CrossFit prior to their grand opening, and suggested I sign up for one.  I was both flattered (that she thought I could handle a *Workout of the Day* ) and scared shitless (at the prospect of completing a WOD– I wasn’t completely ignorant,  I’d watched youtube videos), but also kind of intrigued.  This was the perfect opportunity for a commitment-phobe like me to attempt something new.

“I’m totally going to do it!” Ithought.

 “I might do it.”

 ” I probably won’t do it.”

I came up with a million different reasons to not even try the free class simply because that is how my crazy brain works.  I envisioned many different wacky scenarios, all of them ending with me rocking back in forth in a corner of the box blubbering like a baby.

“But what if it’s too hard?”

“But what if I hurt myself?”

“But what if everyone else is stronger than me? “

“But what if I really like it?”

It’s a very good thing that I’m completely aware that I’m a total freakshow, because when that fateful, commitment free- day arrived, guess who showed up to class and loved it?! ( Yes, ME and a whole bunch of other people but this is my blog so I’m not going to talk about them.) I strutted home that morning (feeling a tiny bit badass), fully infected by Coach Lauren’s enthusiasm and awe-inspiring strength, and readily committed myself to one year of the unknown.

It’s significant that while I came very close to allowing my stubbornness to keep me from embarking on this new adventure, it’s the same tenacity (which drives  me to complete marathons) that keeps me coming back for more.  Some days I feel like a brute and wonder where CrossFit has been all my life,

and others I’m a sniveling wuss who isn’t sure why she’s bothering to try something so f*@#ing hard this late in life.   These sentiments are usually at their height following a WOD where I had to scale down weight or modify movements way more than anyone else.  For a competitive gal like myself, it’s pure torture having your results written on a huge board for the whole world to see, when you’re not a superstar. (And I really like being a superstar, ALOT.) But besides being a completely different way of training, for me it is also an exercise in both humility and perseverance. No, I can not complete an unmodified rope climb or pull up nor can I yet lift Rx weight, no matter how much I want to.  Luckily, I’m surrounded by an encouraging and smart group of coaches who want to offer alternatives to help me succeed without killing myself, thus busting the “CrossFit is not safe myth”. (As for the rotator cuff thing, participation in any sport offers a small risk of injury.  Runners can sprain an ankle opening a GU on a marathon training run, or so I’ve heard.)  So I keep chipping away at the workouts in my own modified way, eagerly anticipating the day when my strength and ability  finally  begin to catch up with my ego.

Now that you’ve read about the new me coming out, I’d like the world (or at least my followers) to know about this awesome community of which I’m so grateful to be a part! Check out their website:

http://www.pachecovalleycrossfit.com

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