*I’m going to start short & sweet about the conditions
of the day, simply because they definitely affected the entire
feeling/perception/completion of the event, but then I’m going to focus of the
true heart of the matter.*
As this was my first competition, I don’t have anything with
which to personally compare the event. I
have been a spectator before, however, so I do have a semblance of what it
SHOULD be like from that angle. This particular competition was crowded, freezing,
disorganized, dangerous and poorly judged: BUT I STILL DID IT.
Now that’s enough of that. ;)
The Garage Games:
Main Street Pride.
You know that moment when you realize, “holy crap…I ACTUALLY
have to do this while people I know and care about are watching?!”
And then it feels like a kettle-bell is sitting on your
chest as you wait your turn. And hours pass while watching your fellow
competitors crush the workouts and you lose faith in yourself with the next
thought, “What have I done? I can’t do it that fast/well/heavy?!” And the cold
seeps through your shoes and two pairs of socks, as your heat continually gets
pushed back, while feeling, “It’s going to be so embarrassing when I can’t
actually do it, and everyone is watching.” And then you’re standing there in
your sectioned off square-footage for the first workout, strangers and friends
alike standing 2 feet away behind the precarious caution tape, and the only
thought left is, “Well, I’m doing this.”
PVC MANIA
 |
So I don't (thank goodness) have a shot of myself
for this WOD...so here's JAMES! |
From there, it all just happens. Snowballs, in fact. It’s a
“3…2..1…GO” and the KEEP GOING instinct takes over. My muscles tensed up immediately from the
cold as I shot back and forth through the PVC, and there was a moment where all I
wanted to do was quit, but then this ridiculously cool and confident
instinctual voice BOOMED into my head to say,
“Too damn bad, Rachel;
there is no quitting now.”
But even
more surprising than that, was my initiative—not just to do it—but to do it
RIGHT, and to the best of my ability. WHO AM I?!
I won’t lie, it was damn hard. Cold, slippery, and
difficult. I could hear my judge saying, “you can just step over, if you want.”
(ie. Instead of the two-footed jump over the PVC to the next burpee, one could
simply step over it.) But that wasn’t the workout, that’s not what I had
trained to do, and I wanted to do it right. So you’re damn straight, this girl
kept jumping! Even as the burpees got harder and the dips felt like death,
crazy-primal-Rachel wouldn’t let me give up; and neither would the group of
faces DIRECTLY in front of me, cheering me on the whole way. That may have been
the best and worst part of the whole thing: having those friends—front and
center—watching me as I triumphantly made those jumps…yet, disappointingly slowed
my dips. They watched me trip up in my shoot-throughs, but not give up in the
burpees. It was amazingly terrifying. Then several expletives and 9 minutes
later, I was done. I was NOWHERE NEAR
finishing at the first of my heat, but when he announced the time, my mind
screamed, “RACHEL, THAT’S TWO MINUTES
FASTER THAN YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT THE GYM WHERE YOU BROKE THE PVC!!”
I walked away sore and hot and flabbergasted into the arms
of that same group of people who were there with me through each excruciating
minute. I walked into encouragement, camaraderie, and even a flat out lie,
“Rachel, you looked beautiful doing it,” (Thanks,
Nick.) a sentiment of sisterhood, “I’m so glad we did it together,” (that
means you, Lil’ Dana and Kim.) and even a long lost appreciation, “You crushed
that!” (We miss you, Charles.) With two events left, I had assumed I would fall
back into worry and anxiety as I waited out the time, but instead I was fueled
for more! “One down, what’s two more?!”
More importantly, I had a job to do: I
also had to be one of those faces in front of the crowd; I needed to be a voice
heard above the rest to help a friend push through that last set. Screw the
workouts, the best part of this weekend wasn’t my scores or times (though, they
helped), it was the family-atmosphere of friendship and support that we brought
with us in our happy-go-lucky-group!
STONE FACE
 |
All right, super blurry but
CHECK OUT THOSE GUNS?
(Where did they come from?!) |
Time did move slowly…primarily because of the severe cold, wetness
and lack of bathrooms, but the next event was right up my alley anyway:
Push-Presses and Kettle-Bell Swings.
And once again, I had my girls with me and friends all around. I could see Lisa prepped with the other half of my dynamic duo, TEENIE, poised to take pictures and--contrary to
what Nick may have said--I know there was NOTHING pretty about me in this
event. Except for the fact that I was again among a group of people who came to
do the workouts, and do them RIGHT—making sure to keep an eye on form and
performance, instead of taking advantage of poor judging. I didn’t get to do this one in the gym, but 9
rounds+10 presses feels pretty damn decent. I credit a good portion of it to
our good man, Matt, who’s height and proximity to the front of the line made it
much easier to hear him and see that he was right there with us the whole way.
DOUBLE UNDERS TO
HEAVEN
 |
| Push-Up to Death |
10 hours later, this workout is a blur…it was the one I
dreaded the most, and yet it was over the fastest. I am just noticing now,
though, that I did this one on my own. I suppose I’m only realizing it now,
because I can still hear Dana and Tommy as they perched up on a wall, and I can
see Carol smiling away in my direction. Once again, I walked away from this one
having done something I’d sworn I wouldn’t be able to do: 200 singles in a row.
That may sound lame, but SHOVE IT! I figured my calves would have fallen off,
but now…*looks down*…still in place.
The overwhelming feeling of “THANK GOD THAT’S OVER” was
unexpectedly followed by, “when’s the next one?” WHAT?! Again: WHO AM I?!
Finishing out the day watching my girls, Gibby and Sue (remember, my hero?)
tackle pulling Fran was the perfect inspirational ending. We did this: each event, once as individuals,
and numerous times as a team effort in support of one another.
DAMN THAT’S BEAUTIFUL!
Now on to our next point of business.... ;)
YOGA ON THE STEPS
5/19/2013
It is that time of year once more...where I attempt to rally my troops for support, donations and team members for
YOGA ON THE STEPS! This year is a big one: after going back & forth about it for quite some time, I decided that this is the year to start my own team.
The Wellness Warriors Team--the team I have LOVED being a part of for the past 6 year; once led beautifully by my mother-in-law--has a wonderful base of participants, and that gets bigger every year! I'm hoping that by breaking out, I can get new interest to the cause. :)
 |
| Wellness Warriors 2012 |
Background:
Yoga on the Steps is a fundraising yoga-event for
Living Beyond Breast Cancer (where I have worked and volunteered for years) on Sunday, May 19th. Living Beyond Breast Cancer provides education and support programs for women diagnosed with breast cancer of all stages and their families. Last year, the event was so kindly dedicated in memory of my my mother-in-law,
Bea, and I want this year to be just as amazing. I want her honor, and the honor of women we have ALL known who have been affected by this disease, to live on in
Yoga on the Steps! So this is my call-out to Friends & Family, as well as giving you all proper notice that this is:
CrossFit Mount Laurel's Next Group Event!
(Tommy Said I could...)
I've got big, scary ambitions as a Team Captain this year, but I hope we all can come together to help make this event a crap-ton of fun. SO for all of you that are now frightened, don't be. Here's the gist:
#1) This is an ALL-LEVELS, "You don't need any yoga experience" event: meaning all of my "inflexible" friends, runners, performers, CrossFitters, etc. have no excuse. It's going to be easy and I'll be there as an assistant instructor to help.
#2) Signing up to join our team is so easy, a wee-baby could do it: Click
HERE, which takes you to our team page, "
This Primal Yogi Pack," then it gives you the option to login with the social media of your choice
(or you can go through and make your own login, whatever). But if you go through Facebook, after this first sign-in, it's a one-click deal from here on out!
- From here, you can make your own donation page, or it provides you with the basic template; set a donation goal, and you're golden. This site even has pre-written emails that you just fill your contacts in to send out to family, friends, coworkers, etc. for support. SUPER EASY.
- The minimum donation to participate is $60, which you need to have by the event day: Sunday, May 19th, 2013--which I'm positive you can immediately get from a grandparent or drunk uncle.
#3) I would be happy to plan some "Fundraising-Along-the-Way" events to make this easier/more fun: Some of which can involve beer, I'm sure.
#4) CROSSFIT YOGA SHIRTS FOR ALL!: So, I've learned through the grapevine (it's actually my last week here at LBBC) that CrossFit Mainline recently started a team, and a few others are courting the idea...and I am TERRIBLY competitive. So I want to see as many of us as possible taking over the steps of the art museum. And Hey, Tommy...this might be a lovely marketing tool...WINK WINK. Why not shine like we always do, right?
Honestly, this event is always a good time, then afterwards there's food and an expo of healthy-stuff and clothes and nonsense (Girls, you know that Lulu and Athleta will be there...HEYO!).
OH, and if you raise money: YOU GET STUFF! How could I forget! Learn about the incentives
HERE.
All right, enough blabbing.
Until next time, Cave-Kids.
Grr...urg...LOVE,
This Primal Yogi
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