19.4 - Just keep moving.

“Just keep moving. Down and right back up. Step it back, step it up. Don’t rest on the - NEVER REST ON THE FLOOR. Just keep moving.”

Armando’s voice droned in my ear throughout 19.4. If he’s your judge/coach, you’re going to hear him over the music, but he’s not yelling (unless you rest at the bottom of a burpee). He’s both calm and resolute. He’s going to tell you exactly what he needs you to do, and you’re not going to think about objecting. 

In typical Open style, 19.4 had a line in the sand. There was a part that was inclusive for all, then a skill that divided the crowd. Almost everyone can pick up a 45lb barbell. Not so many can do a pull-up. I wasn’t worried about the second part - I’ll stress over that another year. 

The first part was the test for this year: snatches and burpees. I love snatches and would have no problem at either the scaled or RX weight, but I have a love-hate relationship with burpees. There’s nothing fun about the movement - lie on the floor then stand back up. But, I have yet to find a movement that is so honest with your progress. There’s not a way to cheat it. You can’t kip it, or press it out, or even do it wrong. Lie on the floor, then stand back up.

Somewhat ironically, the movement standard that made me decide to scale this workout instead of RX was not the snatches or the burpees. It was the “over the bar” portion of the burpees. Lie on the floor. Stand back up. Jump over the bar. 

Yeah. Not so much. 

If I had opted in for that, I would have done a round of snatches, one burpee, then spent the next 5 minutes at a minimum psyching myself up to jump over a barbell (this is roughly 9” high, for the record). I do the same every time a workout has box jumps. If I can distract myself first, I can do them. Given a split second to think about it and it’s not going to happen. Scaled standards to the rescue - just step over the bar between reps.

Tomorrow we do it all again. Just keep moving. One more Open workout, then time to start hammering those weaknesses for the next time. My lungs are already burning thinking about the SuperFr Just keep moving. Go in with a plan, stick to it, and just keep moving. 

19.3 - A Dose of Humility for the Worst Type of Arrogance

The Open has a unique ability to point out the holes in your training. In my case, 19.3 didn’t point out anything I didn’t know. Instead, it pointed out a gaping hole I identified a year ago and deliberately ignored. 

I had a knee surgery in January 2018. Nothing major - just cleaning out a bunch of pieces of debris that had calcified over the past 15 years since my ACL reconstruction. In the weeks after my surgery, I identified a significant gap in my unilateral strength. I hadn’t been able to get into the bottom of a squat for a couple of months prior due to the debris in my joint, and anything unilateral was out of the question for the extra stress it caused. I had developed a large gap, and I knew I needed to fix it. 

Fast forward a year, and I haven’t done a lunge in probably 18 months. Have they been programmed? Absolutely. Did I sub them out because they hurt and I needed to work on them at my own pace? Again, yes. Did I actually do the out of class work on them? No. 

So when 19.3 was announced and it started with a 200 foot walking lunge with a 35 lb dumbbell, followed by 50 20-inch step-ups with that same dumbbell, I could only laugh. Lesson learned. 

CrossFit has a way of finding our weaknesses and hammering them. It’s a matter of when, not if, those weaknesses cause a problem. You may spend a year avoiding a movement, but at some point, it’s going to appear somewhere you can’t, or don’t want to avoid it. 

This life we live is a privilege. The pursuit of health and fitness is not something everyone chooses, and it’s not something everyone understands. Every day I get to walk into my gym is a blessing and a privilege. Not everyone is capable of doing that; not many choose this path. Spending a year not working on the pieces I knew should be a priority is the worst kind of arrogance. Every moment of the 9:56 it took me to complete a 200 foot walking lunge was a lesson in humility that I needed. 

I have the opportunity to spend the coming months chipping away at my weaknesses and closing those gaps. I won’t sit idly by this year and miss the chance to be better. After the next Open, I will not be able to say I wasted my opportunities. I won’t laugh because a year of avoidance came back to bite me. I won’t have to assume I won’t be able to complete half of a scaled workout. 

So bring it on, 19.4. Point out my weaknesses - it’s just fuel for my fire.

19. 1 Three Years Down the Road

Three years. 

Three years since I started this blog. 

Three years since I joined my first CrossFits Open. 

So much has changed in those three years. 

I switched gyms. Tigers Den made me love CrossFit, weightlifting, and this community, but I needed a change. 

I found my tribe again in D-Town CrossFit. They love me and support me in all the ways I need, and they helped me find my love for fitness again. They feel more like home every day.

I quit my job without another one lined up, and without any solid prospects. It’s not really a choice I would recommend to most people, but it was a choice for my mental health. I needed better, so I jumped. That leap of faith paid off when I landed at a new company where I have grown and thrived. 

I changed my nutrition plan. My coach Becca looked at me about a year and a half ago and said “Kristin, we need to do your macros.”

She was right. 

She gave me was a manageable plan, but more than an effective and manageable plan, she gave me the lack of judgement I needed. I’ve had rough weeks - plenty of them. Sometimes I haven’t been diligent in taking care of myself the way I deserve, but she doesn’t judge. She puts me back on track and tells me i am capable and worthy. 

I lost a beloved grandmother, and gained a new nephew. 

I had PRs, and injuries.

I finally found a hairstylist I love (if you don’t know what that’s a big deal, then you clearly need to find one, too).

I quit paying rent and started paying a mortgage. 

I grew. 

So much has changed in three years, but one thing is the same: I’m still working on myself. I’m far from where I want to be, in any aspect, but for what feels like the first time, I’m finally making consistent progress for an extended period of time.

Three years ago, I did the CrossFit Open for the first time. The overwhelming joy and community, the pain, the accomplishment and permanently written on my heart. Last year was a bit of an off year - I had just had knee surgery in January and, honestly, I don’t really know how I managed it. This year feels fresh in a way I didn’t really expect. The CrossFit season is different, but then again, so I am. Why would it be the same?

19.1 was a burner. 19.2 will be too. Bring it on; I’m ready.