From Couch to CrossFit

When my coach told us about the Helen Challenge competition, I knew I had to sign up.  Was I ready to compete in front of other people for the first time?  No way!  I am really uncomfortable with the idea of other people watching me work out and I tend to crack under that particular type of pressure, so voluntarily signing up for my first CrossFit competition was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve done to date.  The Helen Challenge focuses on mental toughness, though, and pushing through that fear and nervousness to see what you are actually capable of.  So, even though I was terrified, I signed up. 

For this competition, you complete Helen twice — once at the beginning of the course and then again after four weeks.  This Saturday, I did the first Helen workout in the Intermediate Plus division as follows:

HELEN  — 3 rounds for time, 12 minute cap

• 400m run
• 21 kettlebell swings @ 16kg (about 35 lbs)
• 12 pull ups (w/green band)

I made it through 2 rounds + 250m of the run when the clock stopped.  The run and kettlebell swings were fine, but what killed me were the pullups.  To be frank, I sucked!  Even with the bands, I really struggled.  I think the issue is that I still don’t have a solid grasp on the kip.  As a result, I’m exhausting way too much energy trying to do strict pullups with the bands. 

So, the bad news:  My performance was disappointing.  After that first set of pullups, my nerves and embarrassment put me in a really bad place mentally — I didn’t even finish the WOD!  The good news:  I’m pretty sure if I work really hard at improving my kipping pullups, I’ll be able to improve my time in March. 

To meet my goal of improving my Helen time, I will do the following:

1. Not skip a single CrossFit workout during the week.
2. Book a PT hour with my coach to work on kipping and film my attempts so I can focus on improving my form.
3. Make a plan for practicing my pullups every week until I re-do Helen, whether that means buying a bar I can kip on, finding one to use for awhile, or spending more time at the gym before or after workouts.  No excuses!

I am so inspired by the women who work out beside me — even on days when I feel like a total failure, they support me and cheer me on and lift me up.  Here’s to four weeks of focus, training, and POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE! 

I got this!  (I think!)