Dealing With The Open

With the Open only a few weeks away, I wanted to talk about something all athletes (and people) will experience – doubt.

There you are, half way through WOD 13.1 and you’ll be thinking to yourself “I just don’t have it, I didn’t train hard enough, I’m shot”. Don’t be that guy or girl.

Accept the fact these WODs are designed for a couple of reasons

1. To find the THREE fittest people in the world
2. To give you a measure of where you are against the best in the world
3. To help guide you onto a better path of health and wellness.

If this is your first Open, don’t be discouraged – this is a litmus test designed to give you feedback so you can become better. CrossFit, by design, exposes our weaknesses. And everyone has them. Everyone. Rich and Annie have them as well as you and I. Many athletes are good at one of the following – body weight exercises, cardio, strength. Almost no one is good at all 3. So by its design, CF is going to expose your “least good” domain. That’s OK, in fact, that’s good. Because that feedback helps you and your coaches tweak your programming to make you a better rounded athlete, where your “least good” domain gets stronger. Celebrate the feedback, it’s your friend once you get past the sting of comparing yourself against the worlds best.

If this is your second Open, look at the YOU of last year vs. the YOU of this year. I strongly suspect there is plenty to celebrate. As we develop as athletes, it’s common to “raise the bar” in our expectations of ourselves. That’s normal and healthy, but you need to be a careful. If you raise the bar too much or too quickly, you’re setting yourself for disappointment. Expect more, but be realistic. I’ve seen a lot of our members make huge gains the last year, and yet they are upset that they’re not even “better”. Try not to go there. We’re all on a journey – enjoy the ride. Where else can you find a better and more capable you?

–Shawn