Pushing the Envelope: 18.1 Reflections

The 2018 CrossFit season has officially begun and for many of us, 18.1 is in the books. The Open is an exciting time for all CrossFitters as is it when we, the commonfolk, get to compete with the elite and do exactly what they do... well not EXACTLY what they do... but like the same workout just not as fast or not nearly as many reps.

It is also exciting because we get to test ourselves.

People sign up for the Open for many different reasons but I think the CrossFitter that tells you that they aren't the tiniest bit curious to see how they stack up against their age group, or their region (or the world for that matter), is fooling themselves. Every year we get to do the Open and see where we fall in the whole world within our sport.

Which, as competitive people, adds a bit of pressure to each week to perform well. When 18.1 was released I was excited. I liked the time domain and most of the movements.

For those of you not geeking out over the Open, 18.1 is:

20 minute AMRAP (As many rounds/reps as possible)

8 toes-to-bar

10 Dumbbell Hang Power Clean and Jerks (50# for men, 35# for the ladies)

14/12 calories on the rower (14 calories for men, 12 calories for the ladies)

The movement that I knew was going to slow me down was toes-to-bar. My stupid grip gives out and then I lose all confidence in kipping (because I basically see into the future kipping myself right off the bar onto my back LOL). Still though, even with the toes-to-bar, I figured I could complete a round in about 2 minutes so I should be able to get 10 rounds.

Well as many things in life go, I watched that game plan go down the tubes about 12 minutes in when I fell off pace in my 6th round. Each round was getting slower so I knew there was no getting back on pace. So now the only thing to do was to push and give my all for the last 8 minutes of the workout, even though I knew I was going to fall short of my goal. That knowledge made those last 8 minutes REALLY long, but I finished with a final score of 9 rounds, plus 5 reps.

After I finished the workout I felt... well tired... but then a little disappointed, but then a little bit pleased... and then back to disappointed... and I kind of vacillated between those two emotions for the next day or so (along with just the feeling of being relieved that it was done). I thought about redoing it, to go for that 10th round. I figured I had a little over a minute that I would have to make up SOMEWHERE in order to finish that last round and I started thinking about my transitions, where I paused, how I had broken things up... and then I stopped and asked myself, "WHY?"

Why did getting those last 25 reps mean so much to me? Was it because I felt like that was what I was truly capable of? That I didn't give my all during the workout? Or was it that I was being prideful? Being competitive just for the sake of being competitive? I mean, it's not like those extra reps are going to catapult me into an elite category by any means.

Ultimately, I decided that I had given it my all that day, and whether I might be able to hit 10 rounds doesn't really matter. The point is that I did my best with what I had and I should be proud of THAT. I will retest this workout, but not for the open, but in a few months to see if my fitness has improved.

The Open is an awesome opportunity to push the envelope and to test yourself and to see how far you can go. But the danger is that you get stuck in comparing yourself to others which is not only damaging but also pointless. You will gain nothing from beating yourself over not doing as well as someone else, because their progress is not yours and no one has walked your road but you.

The most important thing to remember when competing in the Open is to have fun. You are a part of this community because, on some level, you enjoy this stuff. You enjoy the push and the comradery and the community. You like the feeling of getting stronger, fitter, and faster. You accept the grit and the pain and the strain, in exchange for the feeling of accomplishment.

You're a weirdo. And so am I. So let's have fun and crush it.

Mr. Castro... bring on 18.2.