What does it take to be a CrossFitter?

Getting to the keyboard and hammering out some thoughts is something that has taken a bit of a backburner these days.  Swimming has started again and school is still ongoing, and serving is still challenging me as well.  I've got a lot on my plate and unfortunately my blog has taken a hit.  I have learned, finally, that sometimes when life gets this hectic, you have to let some things go.  It's not that you really want to, but for sanity's sake and the sake of other projects and needs, you have to. 

This doesn't mean that I have managed to stop thinking about blogs though, or that I've stopped having thoughts.  Lord no! I have those, and plenty of them on a daily basis.  But since life has yet again gotten retarded kinds of crazy, I just don't always get a chance to get my thoughts out.  But recently I've been thinking a lot about being a CF'er.  Not only that I got to thinking about what it takes to BE a CrossFitter.  When there are tons of obstacles in your way, what keeps you going? What do you need to have in order to be a CrossFitter? 

1.  Patience-  I think we've all been in that place where we want results to come and we want them to come fast.  Or we want to be better at things, and we want to be better, RIGHT NOW.  Unfortunately though, that can't happen.  As CrossFitters, we need to understand the value of patience for those things but we also need to understand the value of patience when life gets in the way.  The boss called a late/early meeting and messed up the wod.  You blew a flat tire and didn't make the wod.  You got sick/injured and missed a week.  Boss burdened you with a new project due in 4 days.  PATIENCE.  These things will fade, a new day will come.  Breathe.  Tomorrow is a new opportunity to hit the box, and get what you want out of your workout.  It will eventually get here.  Be patient. 

2.  Pain tolerance- Lots of things we do are fun and we do them because they are fun.  While we're doing them we don't really pay much attention to the other things that are going on because we're having fun.  But sometimes, sometimes the things we do really super suck.  They hurt like crazy and we want to lay on the floor and just die.  It isn't fun.  But if you're going to be a CF'er, you need to understand that there are both kinds of days.  Be ready for the fun, but be ready for the pain too.  And to help with the pain, make a tennis ball and your foam roller your new BFFs!

3.  Determination- My dad always used to tell me that if it were easy, everyone would do it.  It didn't matter what the "it" was, but whatever it was, if it was easy, then everyone would do it.  Clearly we know CF isn't easy, so we know that not everyone IS doing it.  But that means then that CF is HARD.  Which means, it's going to take some work.  It's going to take some grit, some guts, and some sticktoittiveness.  Yeah, that's right, I just made up my own word.  Sticktoittiveness.  Like a mamma bear would fight for her cub, you may have to fight to get it right.  Again, doesn't matter what the "it" is.  It might be snatches, cleans, jerks, air squats, pull-ups, mu's... doesn't matter.  Many of the things we do in CF take that tenacity.  That determination to muddle through.  So by all means, whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!

4.  Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em-  There is a fine line between a suck it up type of pain, and an injury type of pain.   As CF'ers we learn to walk that line very well.  Sometimes though, we may get a toe or two over that line.  But yet, it seems like with CF'ers we are all so full of #2 and #3 above, that we seem to forget that an injury is our body telling us to slow down.  With CF, you need to know when to push, and you need to know when to back off.  While your head may be saying "Go for it!", you've got to slam the break on every now and again.  If you want to live to WOD another day, this knowledge may be what keeps you from getting a serious injury.  If you drop a wod, or scale a wod, this does not make you a p*ssy.  It makes you smarter and stronger because you will be able to wod again.  The guy down the room trying to grit through everything, may not.  Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.  It's a very valuable lesson... so valuable in fact that Willie even put it into a song.  ;)

5.  An understanding of life- It seems like as CF'ers we want every WOD to be perfect, every time to be fast, and we want to be 100% all the time.  I'm learning, albeit very slowly, that sometimes, you're going to go through the slump.  You're going to go through the times when life is kicking you while you're down, and things at the box just aren't going the way you'd like.  But here's where #3 comes in.  Determination.  Be determined to get to the box and do the best you can.  Be determined that when life settles down again, that you will continue to push and get back to where you want to be. Don't let up because things got you down.  Just keep moving.  Or as Dori likes to say, "Just keep swimming."  However, regardless of whether or not you keep swimming, understand that you CANNOT speak whale.  :P

6.  A sense of humor- Guys, CF should be fun.  If it's not, why are you doing it?  You already have a job, or if you're like me, 3.  Why do you need or for that matter WANT another one?  If your WOD has started to feel like a job, reevaluate.  What can you change? What can you do differently? How can you make it enjoyable again?  After regionals, I lost the fun part.  Now, I'm slowly regaining my desire, slowly regaining my sense of fun, and slowly regaining my sense as part of the family.  It got lost for a minute and I had to readjust the sites.  My scope was a wee bit off.  So, if you find yourself losing sight of things, don't be afraid to take a step back and reevaluate.  It's ok.  It should be fun, and you should be able to laugh a time or two while you're in the box.  Cause I mean, after all, how can you not laugh when I mention snatches? ;)

So the question remains, do you have what it takes to be a CrossFitter? If so, then get some!