First CrossFit Session

I've had gym memberships and 100% of my workouts were performed on the treadmill, the elliptical, the stairs, or in a cardio class like spinning. On a few occasions, I sat on a couple machines and worked my legs or abs. The only area I avoided like the plague was the weights area. I was always intimidated by weights. I had this crazy idea in my head that weight lifters have unwritten codes understood amongst one another so as to differentiate between the aerobic and anaerobic "athletes." I know that my non-muscular physique fitted in loose shorts and shirts with sponsored logos written across the back would have given away the fact I had no clue what to do with a dumbbell. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to the entire gym that I was in unchartered waters had I picked up a 20lb bar and started making banshee noises on the third rep. And so, I stayed away from the muscle masses and remained in my comfort cardio zone.

Today, at 5:20 pm, I ventured into a crossfit building. If you are unfamiliar with Crossfit, "CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program...CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy." I wanted to incorporate core strengthening in order to improve my running form and to help me get faster, and I decided to join the latest training frenzy of Crossfit because I could use any help to get me to my goal of running a sub-2 half marathon. I read the pros and cons online and decided that the pros outweighed the cons.

Much like my gym membership attire, I wore loose fitting running shorts, my running shoes, and a running shirt with sponsored logos that was a goody from the entry fees of a race. I was informed by the owner (whom I had met the day before when he gave me the lowdown of what to expect)to bring a towel, water, and a notebook. A crossfit member who was in tip top condition (and who I also met the day before) was going to coach me on the first day. I took a deep breath, made sure my laces were tight and double knotted, and walked in. I made an attempt to count the total amount of people there, and there must have been 15 including myself. There were more women than men and four out of the six women looked absolutely lean and toned. The other two seemed to be up to par with me (I found out later on they had started about two weeks ago). Not a single one of the men and women present smiled at me. I caught some of the women through my peripheral vision sizing me up and down. When one is in an environment in which one is completely comfortable in, and a new person walks in, I think we forget what it's like to be the new person. I immediately felt like I was entering the unchartered territories of the weight lifting section at the gym and questioned if I belonged there. I reminded myself that each of the individuals present were most likely not born with muscles and that they too had to start from scratch and that I had just a much of right to be there. Nonetheless, I tried to remain in the shadows.

I was instructed to warm up on a bike, and was to then push a sled across the room. Following the warm-up, we all formed a circle and did 30 jumping jacks. Next, we formed rows and went into the plank position with arms extended forward and we had to walk up to our arms with our legs while they remained straight. Of course, I was on the last row, by myself and was the last person to reach the end of the mat. We finished the warm-up with 30 more jumping jacks and push-ups. I was proud of myself because I was able to perform the push-ups.

Once we were done with the warm-up, I was given one-to-one sessions because I needed to learn proper form to lifting weights. The coach showed me how to do a "clean." I had to practice bringing a bar from my legs up to my shoulders. It was very challenging for me and I felt like a dancer with two left legs because my brain did not seem to be able to tell my body what to do. My lack of coordination was/is a reason why I've stuck to running. We must have spent a 1/2 hour repeating the darn "clean." We proceeded to shoulder repetitions from a bar that was on a rack about stomach height. I discovered my maximum weight for a repetition of five was 40 pounds and my maximum weight for repetition of 20 was 30 pounds! This was all logged in my notebook to help me know the correct amount of weights in order to work my muscles. It felt good to learn this as I never knew how much I should lift, how to lift, and how many repetitions to perform.

The session ended with me going back to the bike and the sled. On the bike, I sprinted for ten seconds and rested for 50 seconds for five consecutive minutes. On the sled, I did two laps with long strides and ran two laps. On that final lap, I heard people cheering me and telling me "Good Job." Even though I wanted to puke, I kept my composure and smiled. At the od of the workout, I knew I wanted to come back again and wear my full running gear with pride. I'm really hoping this will help me stay strong on miles nine and forward of my half marathon, which I've discovered is when I really start to lose my running form. For now, I'm doing Crossfit four days out of the week and running two days of the week.