“Embrace your Goat”, or “Embrace your suck” are terms that are frequently tossed around in Crossfit–quite simply, recognize your weakness and strive towards improvement. There’s even a cool t-shirt company that supports this mantra.
As a Crossfit newbie, I feel like everything is my “goat”, especially with olympic lifting. Every movement comes with its own struggle. I recognize that everyone has weaknesses with oly lifting, but damn is it humbling. Not mention heavy lifting scares the shit atta me. It’s a mixed feeling of terror and thrill, yet when I stare at the weight–the pit in my stomach widens. Then I step up to the bar and hope that I can mentally align every body movement necessary to push the weight. Sometimes it works, other times it means ditching the bar. Fast.
Nothing brings me to the point of extreme frustration like ditching the weight. Today was no exception. There was even a point during the workout that I felt my emotions rising and I was ready to walk out. I was in my own head. I ditched the weight twice trying to find my 1 rep/max and I felt like such a wienie. I couldn’t stop chewing on the thought of “when the hell is this going to get easier?”
Anyone who has known me for a period of time will tell you I’m very impatient, especially when it comes to my personal goals. I constantly need to put myself in check and think about the reasons why certain things take time. Crossfit puts a spotlight on my lack of patience. No matter how good I think I’ll be in the shortest amount of time, the weight on that barbell will always put me on blast. Luckily, I have veteran women in my class that provide a source of inspiration and much need encouragement to get me through downer-days like today.
Okay, enough with the emo ramblings. Chin up and just keep swimming.
http://youtu.be/CmyUkm2qlhA
This morning’s WOD (via NorCal):
- Work Up to Heavy 1Rep Front Squat
- AMRAP 7min: 7 Front Squat, 7 Chest to bar Pullup
On a much lighter note, the Crossfit Games are in one week! This will be my first time watching the games live and I couldn’t be more excited. We’ll be driving down to LA on Thursday and viewing all the action throughout the Crossfit mecca weekend. Here’s a quick history lesson to get you up to speed: