Fear and Insecurity

A happy (probably because it is over) Molly McVeigh after her blisteringly fast 500m row time of 1:43.3, which according to the official Concept 2 Rower website, is well in the 90th percentile.

The day's row times. A lot of killer times and some close finishes. Molly edged out Vero by .5 seconds and Matt got Kyle by the same margin. Great work everyone.

CrossFit should be a joyous activity.  Huh?  CrossFit is all about being hardcore and elite and extreme, right?  Sure, a bit, but in the end, Crossfit is about having fun.  Yes, the kind of fitness that CrossFit seeks and engenders is no laughing matter, but if doing CrossFit isn’t fun and doesn’t make you happier, then don’t do it.  I know that sounds harsh, but I mean it.

Sometimes I can sense a less than joyful undercurrent in some people in class.  That undercurrent is fear and insecurity.  Fear of failure, of not being as good as another, of not getting the fastest time or the biggest numbers.  It is well and good to compete with others and CrossFit certainly encourages such competition.  But the competition that matters most is with yourself.  With the stopwatch and yourself.  With your training log and yourself.

If you always compare yourself to others then you will never be happy.  Yes, I know it is a cliche, but it is also true.  In CrossFit, there is always someone better, and if you happen to be the best, just wait a week or so and someone will better that.  The top 2 male finishers in the 2007 Games didn’t even finish in the top 10 in 2008.  Does that mean that they are less of a human being, or even less of an athlete?  Hell no, they are both great athletes, and so is the guy who finished 100th. But, you’d never guess it to watch some people mope about or recriminate themselves for not getting first.

I guess what I am trying to say is that times and scores matter, of course they do and I would be a hypocrite if I said anything different.  I know that Kyle loves to beat my times and quite honestly I am stoked that I can still whup him in a couple of things.  But, and I am being even more honest here, what really matters is the amount of effort one puts into the workout.  If you really charged it and you didn’t get the best time, or even the 10th best time, who cares.  No one does and you shouldn’t either.  If you didn’t give it your all, then kill it next time.  Tomorrow.

Look folks, I am not going to the Olympics, and frankly you probably aren’t either.  I am not the best in the world at anything and neither are you.  So don’t get so caught up in being the best in your little pond of a CrossFit gym that you are anything but joyful that you get to come to a great gym and train under great coaches and workout next to other great people.  And if you do happen to just kill it and get the fastest time, or the highest score, or the heaviest weight, well then right on, congratulations, but you know what folks, let’s keep it all in perspective.

Now, that doesn’t mean that CrossFit West Santa Cruz is going to stop timing the WODs, or that the record boards are coming down, or that we are going to start holding hands while working out to the sweet soothing sounds of the dulcimer in woodland glens with flowers in our hair and singing satyrs prancing about.  No way.  More weight is still the order of the day, deeper on that squat, the chest should be hitting the pullup bar, push it on that sprint, and dammit, get back on the bar.

But always remember, CrossFit is a very powerful force.  That is why we are all doing it.  Just make sure that it is a force for good in your life.

Thoughts?  Please post them to Comments.

By the way, if you are out and about downtown tonight, support CFWSC’s newest member Evie and the SC Roller Girls’ season opening party.  All the info right here.

Workout:

Snatch Balance–work up to a 1RM.

Then:

Work the Sotts Press–it doesn’t have to be super heavy, just get a feel for this rare lift.

Then:

5 Rounds

200m Run

5 Push Press–go as heavy as you can manage.

Please post WOD completed and score to Comments.