I started actual Crossfit classes at the end of April 2012 (after going through a month of the basics, learning some of the core pieces, etc). Crossfit is a scary beast, but it will change your life for the better. You won't realize how much stronger or faster you've gotten until you stop and look back over your time line. We keep a notebook where we write down the WODs (workout of the day) and our results of said WOD.
I recently have had two workouts that made me realize how much better I have gotten...
The first time was this past Wednesday. We had to do sets of wall balls (50, 40, 30, 20, 10) with a 400 meter run after each set of wall balls. Wall balls are where you have to stand close to a wall, while holding a medicine ball. Then you squat. As you stand up you throw the wall up and against the wall, having to hit a high mark on the wall. You catch the ball as you're squatting back down. What's even more "fun" is after finishing the sets, when you turn to run, you realize your quads have locked up and you have to "learn" how to work your legs so you don't just collapse (I won't tell you how close I've come to eating the floor).
Anyhoo - it took me 21:51 to finish this WOD. But, back on October 4th we did this same WOD and it took me 25:34 to finish back then. Holy shit, I've gotten faster!
The second occurrence that made me wake up a little was today. On January 12th, my box (as Crossfit gyms are called) began a Paleo Diet Challenge. A lot of Crossfitters believe in eating Paleo or as Paleo-ish as possible. On that day, we took measurements of different body parts: biceps, chest, waist, hip, thigh. We recorded our weights. We had to do a WOD. This WOD was a 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings, and 12 pull ups... and you had to do three rounds of that. We were given a 15 minute cap. On January 12th, I barely made the cut off. I finished in 14:58. Two freakin' seconds to spare.
Today was the end of that challenge. We all remeasured our parts, weighed ourselves again, and - of course - redid that workout. I was nervous about the workout. What if I didn't have a better time? What if I didn't even finish this time (I cut it pretty damn close last time).
I finished that WOD in TWELVE MINUTES, FORTY-SEVEN SECONDS! I cut off 2 minutes and 11 seconds. It took what was left of my strength to not burst into tears of joy when I saw the clock after I did my last rep.
I am so proud of myself. I am proud to see how far I've come in less than a year. Yes, I still have lots of self-doubt ("can I do this workout??"). But, slowly and surely I'm getting over it. As I continue to get faster and stronger and BETTER!
