COMPETITION: SELF VS. SELF

Russ and Keaka at the 2012 Lahaina CrossFit Winter Strength Challenge.

Frank and I met Russ about a year ago at Lahaina’s CrossFit competition. Even though he didn’t win that day, he placed well and demonstrated that technique matters above all else. We were impressed, and we went home talking about his solid form. At the time, we had no idea that a year later we would be such good friends, and he would make such amazing progress, nailing PR after PR in lifts, metcons and other CrossFit work. His dedication the last few months of training hard makes his recent win awesome for all of us. The best part about his win, though, to us, is that he has a true coach’s heart and remains humble, always wanting to share his knowledge with others and getting genuinely excited when he can help athletes of any skill level succeed. We asked him to write about his training and experience at the recent competition. Here’s what we shared . . .

CROSSFIT AND COMPETITION

First off, I’d like to congratulate everyone who competed at the third annual Lahaina CrossFit Winter Strength Challenge. For some of you this was your first CrossFit competition; for others it was a chance to see what you were made of; and for a few, it was their chance at redemption. Whatever your reason for competing, it was impressive to see every one of you who went out there and gave it your best. Many of our competitors refused to compromise form and range of motion, even when the pressure was on. For that, I am extremely proud of you.

For me, competition is what fuels my drive for CrossFit. My first official competition came when Upcountry Fitness held its second annual Guns in the Sun showdown with events in Powerlifting/Strongman, Olympic Lifts and FusionFit (a hybrid program originated by Upcountry Fitness owner Izaak Terrell). Helena and her sisters had been doing FusionFit classes for a few months and showed support by participating in the FusionFit events. To back them, I also entered; and to my surprise, I got the top score. Coming away from that event got me thinking: Maybe I’m pretty good at this stuff? So to follow up, I entered the second annual Lahaina CrossFit Winter Strength Challenge in January 2012. This was my first official CrossFit competition just like many of you this past weekend. After a brutal 7th place finish in the 1st event, I was able to bounce back with two 1st place finishes in the last two events to secure a 3rd place finish overall. I was hooked. Competition was in my blood.

What keeps me disciplined through all my training is my passion for competition. Not necessarily in community events or CrossFit throwdowns, but to compete with myself. Every day I step into the box my goal is to be better than I was the day before; to push myself in every way, day in and day out, to get the most out of each training session.

Sometimes I don’t always get the results that I am looking for but that’s okay. As long as I am giving my 100% effort I WILL see results, no matter how big or small. And so will YOU. There is no magic pill for success. It takes dedication, perseverance and hard work. Many of you who attend the 6 a.m. classes have seen me at the box, finishing my workouts in the wee hours of the mornings. This is the sacrifice I’ve made to be the best I can be. Believe me, working out at 5 a.m. is NOT an easy thing to do, especially in the winter months when your bed is telling you “NO, DON’T DO IT.” But like I said, there is no magic pill.

For those of you who got to experience the butterflies of competition this past weekend, take some time to reflect back on it. What did you like about your performance? What didn’t you like so much? What were your strengths? What were some of your weaknesses? Use this as a learning experience to better yourself, expose those weaknesses and now train them to become your strengths. For some of you this may be your last competition, for others it may be the first of many. Either way, you’re a better person for having put yourself out there and gave it your all.

For those of you who didn’t have a chance to come out this past weekend don’t feel like this post isn’t about you too. We just started our 2013 Paleo Challenge, we are moving into a new box and there are lots of changes coming this year to CrossFit Upcountry Maui. Take some time to sit down and reflect back on this past year, past few months, past few weeks, however long you’ve been doing CrossFit and set some goals for yourself. Then make a plan on how you will achieve those goals. Whether it is lose some weight, make it to more classes, learn a new skill, or hit a new PR on your lifts, whatever it is, write it down! That is the first step. That way mid-WOD when your body is telling you to “stop” — your mind will be telling you “NOT TODAY!” and you will surely have become a better version of yourself.

Congratulations to all our competitors, I know I speak for the rest of your coaches in saying we couldn’t have been prouder at how well you all represented our Upcountry community.

See you all at the box. – Coach Russ