Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014

>> remember why you crossfit.

Sweet potatoes, check. Water, check. Protein, check. Lacrosse ball, check.

As we’re packing for the local CrossFit competition, Fittest in the Valley at CF Maui Extreme at 8 a.m. Saturday, I started thinking about competition. Why the heck do we do this.

Not only is competition a test of your programming and a great way to increase the level of your training, while learning a lot about yourself, it should be a lot of fun. However, there are dark sides to a competitive nature — many that arise in the form of self-criticism, feelings of comparison, judgement and dissatisfaction and even straight up trash talking and hatred. It makes for quite the rollercoaster of emotions.

The photo above shows some of the faculty and staff at Kamehameha Schools Maui during a CrossFit training session that I led on-campus Thursday. When you look closer, you see comedy, a general appreciation for fitness and a solid sense of context. Context, in that, these people are striving to be healthier. They’re not out to get one another. They could care less about their “times.” And they had no idea what “Helen” was when I tried to explain it. The group had a healthy context of health and fitness.

Remember why you do CrossFit — why you joined in the first place and what it felt like when you started. Was it to get in shape? Was it to have fun and get healthier? Was it to lose some weight? Chances are, your reasons for training were similar to the KS staff’s motivation for exercising.

Thanks to CrossFit, we are burning calories, building muscle and fighting obesity-related illnesses every time we WOD. We’re having fun. And we’re steadily improving in work capacity and mental toughness.

It’s easy to lose track, especially around competition, of why we do what we do. We get caught up in the scores, the body shots, the booty shorts and the cheering. But for those of you who are competing, or who are watching, or who are part of our community Upcountry or at another affiliate, remember to retrace your steps in this journey of CrossFit. Celebrate where you are now, no matter what the leaderboard says in the end. Your score is not your athletic identity. It’s a culmination of the days you do well and how you treat the days you don’t do so well. It’s the sum of your journey of fitness and all the other facets that make you unique.

This competition will come and go quicker than the clock counts down in “three, two, one, go.” Take time put it all in perspective. And most of all, have fun!

And in the end: IMUA, CrossFit Upcountry! We’re so proud of you!

102514 WOD

A. Group warmup

B. Stretch

C. In teams of two, partners alternate whole rounds to complete three each of:

200-meter run

25 wall balls (20/14) to 10′ target

10 toes-to-bar