What Have I Done??!!
Hey, Patchers! I hope you've all been enjoying the summer! Summer school ended a few weeks ago, and I've been trying to get my life organized and ready for another year. I'm moving into a new classroom (same type of class, but new room), and if you want to realize how much stuff you actually own, just try moving from one room to the other. OMG, the amount of stuff! And it's all GOOD stuff! I'm almost done organizing that, and the new classroom is 95% ready to rock. I felt like I got a great workout moving furniture and everything by myself. Well, it might have been good, but I've discovered something that I think is going to be GREAT!Last Thursday night, I tried out my first CrossFit class. Now, I was nervous as all hell - I'm not "unathletic", but these people are freakin' intense! I just had this feeling the whole way there that I wasn't going to belong, they were going to kick me out/laugh at me/tell me to come back when I had a clue. I walk in and people are lifting weights like beasts. I wanted to RUN out of there, but I said to myself "No. Stay. Try. If it sucks, you don't have to come back." I had a friend with me, and her friend came along, too, so I wasn't alone. The thing is my friend is a workout beast...you can see why I was feeling uneasy.
So, we walked in, met the coaches, talked a little bit about what we do, how we do it, why we were there, etc. We were shown a few basic movements, and given intricate coaching on the execution of each one. Nobody wants you getting hurt at CrossFit. So, from those 3 basic movements, we had the formula for our first WOD (workout of the day). Now, 3 movements...basic, I should have had a handle on it, right? No...I needed a modification for one. I was so scared to tell one of the coaches that it hurt my feet...bad...but I had to speak up. Not only was it ok, he was so happy that I told him, and he gave me a modification that worked out the same group of muscles in a way that wouldn't hurt me. Glorious! We were ready to start. He made us all stand in a straight line - of course I had to go in front (whomp whomp). Whatever. He told us that this WOD should be completed in 20 minutes, but because it was our first class, he would allow 30 minutes to complete it. 7 sumo deadlift high-pulls with an 18-pound kettlebell, 14 dumbbell snatches (7 on each side) with an 8-pound dumbbell (or, if you were cool like my friend, a 10-pound dumbbell), and 7 burpees - basically throw yourself on the floor and get back up as fast as possible. That was the one that hurt the feet, so I got to do 7 push-ups instead. So 7/14/7, and that sequence had to be completed 7 times in under 20 minutes. He said he would allow 30 minutes because we were beginners. I said to myself "I'm never going home." The clock went on, we counted down, and BAM!
I did ok. Bozo that I am didn't really eat anything before going to the most intense workout of my life, so I'm figuring my blood sugar dropped at one point into the 50's - good times. I worked through it, though. Took small breaks. It hurt. I wasn't really watching the time, trying not to freak myself out. And I couldn't see what was going on behind me (which, in hindsight, was a smart move by the coach - he had my number...LOL!). When I finished...and died on the floor...my official time was 18:41. I did it! Completed it! In under 20 minutes! I met the expectation of the coaches without needing any additional time. I couldn't believe it. As much as I was dying, I felt so great. So satisfied with myself. I still didn't pay attention to anyone else's time. I'm sure it was like 12 minutes for most people, but I have to learn not to care about that. It's not about anyone else. It's about me. I need to do what I can do - at my pace - in my time - and just keep striving to do it better.
When I was done, and the coach put my time on the board, he came over and sat on the floor with me. He told me that I "proved him wrong", and that I was "kickass". He also loves my calves. They're huge, but muscularly impressive. Really, how bad could it have been if he loved my calves, thought I was kickass, and I proved his expectations of me to be wrong? I felt accomplished. Dead, but accomplished.
Now, I need to schedule some private coaching sessions so I can learn all of the movements of CrossFit and how to execute them properly. I'm telling you, this box (that's a CF gym - I'm learning the lingo...LOL) is all about safety. I like that. I am heading into this with previous injuries, so I'm going to learn how to compensate and substitute other movements so as not to injure myself further. After that training, it will be time to start up for real. I'm not going to lie...I'm still quite scared! LOL! I had asked my acupuncturist about it - if he thought I was even remotely capable. He was all "HELL YEAH YOU CAN DO IT!" If you're going to scream at me in capital letters, I guess I have to try. I mean, you took the time to bother with Caps Lock...the least I can do is go to a trial class. So glad he pushed me, and so glad I did.
It's 3 days later, and I'm still in a little pain...LOL! I'll get better at this. I will!
