The gym on Saturday was horrendous. It was the named Crossfit Workout Nancy, which with 5 rounds of 400m running was always going to be a bad one for me. Especially with the over head squats mixed in, it meant there was no rest for the legs.
Depressingly I was unable to make all the runs, the 3rd and 4th run resulted in a few walks. I’m sure I’m physically capable, it’s just a mind over matter thing. When you’re struggling for breath, the legs are killing you and the mind is (none too quietly) whispering in your ear: “You can’t go on… You only have to stop running and the pain will disappear….” but then I guess that’s why they call it Mental Toughness. 😉
You’ll notice I didn’t say I walked on that last run. I would say that was out of choice, but no. Matt / Fozzie, a long time member at Crossfit Manchester and a Taekwondo instructor, having just finished his Nancy, decided to run another block of the Mill just to keep me company. As much as I didn’t want him to, it kept me honest and I made the run, thanks Matt.
It certainly goes some way to demonstrating the close bond between members of Crossfit Manchester, which is in part of course due to the 2 great coaches we have in Mark and Karl, but also to the camaraderie that Crossfit engenders amongst its members. Whilst every workout is scaled to each persons individual abilities, there’s something special about everyone doing the same workout on the same day and in the gym, at the same time. Crossfit builds a team spirit and sense of unity that you don’t get at your normal gym, where everyone is lost in their own iPod world, doing there own thing.
The scaling also meant that I was soundly beaten by Derrick, who has just turned 60 and for much of the (for me) 22 minute workout was neck and neck with Lawraine, who has said she doesn’t mind me saying that she is 59 (I think, Lawraine, correct me if I’m wrong!). It was Lawraine lifting first in the Crossfit Girls Olympic Weightlifting Video I posted last week.
