When I tell people this, they usually say, “Oh, nice!”
I respond, “It was far from nice.”
THE TRUTH OF A CROSSFIT MASSAGE
When you CrossFit and you get a massage, it’s far from a fluff, “feel good” massage where you are gently rubbed all over and you leave feeling relaxed. Instead, you spend good money to be gritting your teeth, cussing in your mind, and trying not to scream “stop” because the pain is that intense.
These are my deep pressure massages. I hate them with a passion. They absolutely, 100% suck, and I can’t believe I pay my hard-earned money to be in pain.
But I do. Every month.
Because it’s the only way I can move.
Afterwards, even though I’m sore from my massage for days, the mobility I regain is worth it.
At my last CrossFit competition, Battle at the Box Utah, I did as expected considering my back is still bothering me despite having twice-weekly adjustments by my chiropractor. What I learned was this:
I can no longer compete against girls 20 years younger than me
I got my butt kicked
Whatever I did at that CrossFit competition, I felt for days. I did nothing on Sunday, the day after, or on Monday. Walking up and down the stairs was painful. I did a recovery row, bike, and walk on Tuesday. I finally got a workout in on Wednesday. Still, as a 44 year-old CrossFit athlete, I can no longer do the things I used to do five years ago.
RECOVERY TIPS FOR CROSSFIT MASTERS ATHLETES
Listen to your body. Don’t hit the gym on Monday if you are not at least 75%. Give your body time to heal itself after all the work you did.
Drink lots of water. I mean, drink LOTS of water. This will help flush out the junk and wastes in your muscles so they are not quite so sore. I think this was a mistake I made. I did not drink enough on competition day because I hate using the bathroom every 30 minutes.
Roll out. Find a foam roller, and no matter how painful it is, roll out at least for a few minutes a couple of times a day.
Get in some light movement. This, too, will help flush out waste products and get nurtrients to your muscles to aid in muscle tissue repair and recovery.
Sleep. This is hard for most of us since most CrossFit athletes are A-type personalities and always on the go. However, sleep helps you recover and your muscles to repair, so force yourself to do so.
I disliked it before I began CrossFit, but now I absolutely despite it.
Reason being is when you have muscles, there’s not a lot of clothes you can purchase that look good on you at the average clothing store. Sure, you can go online to buy CrossFit shorts, pants, bras, and more, especially workout gear, but even online, the dressup section is limited. However, as most of you know, clothes you have to try on for the most part to see if they fit or not.
Yesterday, I sallied forth bravely amidst the holiday shoppers on the quest for a “nice blouse.” This wasn’t just on a whim. I have been asked to become a social influencer at my job and be in videos. My first assignment is for a high-end vitamin client, and I needed a nice blouse to wear.
For the past two years (before COVID-19), I have been working from home. I wear my pajamas to work every day and rarely leave the house except for the gym, the chiropractor, and to get groceries. Needless to say, I was way out of my element yesterday.
My Experience Shopping as a CrossFit Athlete
Shopping with a CrossFit body for women is discouraging to say the least. Many small tops don’t fit because of our shoulders and arm muscles. And the bigger sizes you go, they hang way too loose around the stomach, making you look horrible.
Thus, I tried on shirt after shirt and came up empty. It was extremely frustrating, which is why I hate going shopping. I did find two shirts that look pretty good on me in end after going to Kohl’s, Target, and Dillard’s.
I couldn’t take it anymore and had to go home after that. It was extremely demoralizing to say the least. I love how I look, and I’ve worked hard to get here. However, the majority of women in the United States do not look like me, which is why you find clothes that don’t fit everywhere you go.
If I continue to need clothes, I will have to go in microbursts. Wish me luck!
Yesterday, my daughter and I competed in a CrossFit competition called Alter Egos at CrossFit Decimate.
CrossFit Decimate in Colorado Springs is a great gym. The owners are top-notch, it’s a wonderful space, and a great place to visit and compete. They are one of the only a few gyms to tackle holding a CrossFit competition in Colorado during COVID. For that, I have a very deep respect for them. It’s most definitely not easy complying with Colorado’s COVID restrictions, but the fact that they were willing to hold one and successfully tackled it puts them first in my book.
So my daughter and I tied for last. We scaled the last workout so she could do the deadlift weight. It was fun, but very tiring and a very long drive. Will most definitely do this again next year.
For the past several months, I have struggled physically. There have been times when my neck hurt, my back hurt, my legs were tight, and my hips were locked. I chucked this all up to CrossFit, but there was always something wrong with me. Rare were the days where I felt 100%.
We moved, so I had to find a new chiropractor. I tried one who had 178 five-star Google reviews. This chiropractor took x-rays and did a thorough analysis of my spine. What he found was my pelvis was tilted, my middle back was locked up, and my neck was out of alignment. So that would explain all of that.
So I have now entered a phase to fix all that, which is adjustments three times a week, tailored to fix me. I just started. I’m not gonna lie, it sucks. The area he adjusts are tender and sore.
I have cut back my CrossFitting as well. No back squats. No heavy deadlifts. I am struggling mentally to just do it because I’m stiff and sore and feel like I’m one hot mess.
So I’ve entered a season of healing. I’m even debating about taking a break from CrossFit altogether so I can heal completely. I want to keep moving for the rest of my life, so I have to do something now in order to do so.
I don’t say this often, but that will be the last time I do that workout.
I love CrossFit, and I love the Hero Workouts, which are meant to push you to your limits as you honor a fallen soldier who fought and died for our country. I love doing these in their memory.
However, I cannot do Chad again.
It’s been three days. My right calf is finally “fine.” My left calf is still locked up and extremely tight. I can’t walk without a limp. It hurts to touch it. This sucks.
Again, my normal CrossFit workouts have been completely ruined.
I’m just too old to do these things, like running a 10k. I’m in incredible shape, but that doesn’t mean I can beat my body up and not suffer the consequences.
I don’t know why I do these things to myself. They are challenging and fun at the end once you’ve done them, but the after effects on my are devastating.
I just can’t keep doing this, and I guess I have to learn the hard way it seems.
My daughter and I did a CrossFit competition, Battle at the Rock, last weekend at CrossFit Castle Rock. I’ve done this CrossFit competition before, but my daughter hasn’t. I entered master’s, and she did open. She had to scale everything, but she had fun. I did much better than I had anticipated — mainly because I did 100 double unders unbroken.
After five years of CrossFit, PRs or personal records, are hard to come by. So when they happen, they are special, indeed.
Today, we did DT, a CrossFit Hero WOD I’ve written about before. It is:
12 Deadlifts (105 lbs)
9 Hang Power cleans
6 Push Jerks
I PR’ed by over 2 minutes, which was super exciting for me.
When you’ve been doing CrossFit for this long, it’s a constant mental struggle and lots of ebbs and flows. PR’s and CrossFit competitions help to keep me motivated on the days I don’t want to workout at all.
Last weekend, my daughter and I (my son tagged along as well) traveled to Lehi, Utah, for a CrossFit Competition. We were partners, and we entered Battle of the Box Utah in the intermediate division. It was fun. We got to swim in Salt Lake. We tried to see the largest open-pit mine in the world, Bingham Canyon Mine, but it was closed due to COVID.
We got to do pistols in the competition. Overall, it was an okay competition. Neither of us liked the second WOD, which had you doing burpees every minute on the minute while trying to complete an AMRAP.
I’ve been absent of late. That’s been on purpose. There was nothing I felt like I had to say, so I didn’t say anything. While life still keeps chugging along, it still sucks, let’s be honest. Vacations cancelled, wearing masks, hiding from others and the world… I truly thought this would be over by now, but it’s not.
THOUGHTS ON GREG GLASSMAN’S COMMENTS
I will not talk about the nature of his comments, but only say this: I’ve learned you can’t say anything anymore. You can’t publish anything. You can’t go anywhere without the assumption that you are being videotaped.
While none of us agree with Greg Glassman’s comments, there was a time where he would have been forgiven, where his apology would have been accepted, where his fallacies for being human would have been recognized by all of us who are all just as guilty of sin as he is. He would not have been forced to resign, there would not have been such an uproar, etc.
Greg Glassman founded CrossFit but is not CrossFit, yet everyone wanting to de-affiliate because of his comments saddens me. Where is forgiveness in all of this? And does what one man thinks affect your love for CrossFit? It doesn’t mine.
IT’S BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE I’VE STARTED CROSSFIT
I can’t believe time has flown by. My CrossFit Level 1 Certification is due for renewal, and I’m not renewing it (I decided this way before the uproar). I just don’t need a piece of paper and $1,000 down the drain to tell me that I know what I’m doing when it comes to CrossFit.
I MISS CROSSFIT COMPETITIONS
I am craving a CrossFit competition right now. I can totally see this fall having non-stop CrossFit competitions as all the boxes try to squeeze them in. Fine by me. Bring them on.
Trueform Runner with my Paddleboard behind it
MY TRUEFORM RUNNER
My dear husband got a screaming deal on a Trueform Runner for half off. It is barely used. I am in love. I’ve never run on air before, but this machine is as close to it as I’ve ever felt. Super excited for when the winter comes, and for my aging bones.
I’VE TAKEN UP PADDLEBOARDING
Every year for my birthday, I buy myself something big. Last year, I bought two paddleboards — one for me and one for someone to go with me. Needless to say, they have been a God-send in the midst of COVID. I can escape on the lake, get away from everyone and the world, and let the soothing waves wash away all of my anxieties, frustrations, and sometimes anger at the world.
