I'm Secretly Proud of My Calluses

Pull ups.... I used to hate them, now I invite them. I'm secretly proud of my calluses. They represent much more than blood and sweat, more than hard work, more than just being in shape. To me my roughed up palms are an illustration of setting goals and tearing right through them. For those that have been following my blog since day one, you might remember that one of my first goals in CrossFit was to be able to do one pull up and the only reason I set that goal was because my trainer told me to. Once I achieved my goal I learned that I AM a goal oriented person. If I set my mind to something I will work for it and get what I want.

In January of this year I sat down with 3 of my best friends. We had all we needed; margaritas, pen and paper, and of course the chips and queso. We all talked and wrote down our list of goals for 2008. There were the obvious physical goals, but we also saw the need to commit to our futures, become more conscience of our actions, and I personally was ready to start living life intentionally rather than by the seat of my pants. I still have the sheet of scratch paper and all my goals have long been crossed off (even my high mileage running goal with an unknown broken ankle). This last month has had its tragic bumps, but as I reflect on how far I have come in the past year, 2008 has by far been the most successful, rewarding time of my life. Is it the goal setting, the mental effort to live a positive life, or just a case of being at the right place at the right time? Hard to say, but you can bet you bottom I've got some MUCH BIGGER GOALS up my sleeve.

Training Your Weakness

For a long time I hated work outs with pull ups. I distinctly remember having to do 120 ring dips and 120 pull ups as the WOD and knew major motifications would be needed. I saw it on the board and wanted to walk out, but I didn't. During my certification they gave a speech about the CrossFit Hopper. Sort of like a bingo drawing, WOD's and exercises are pulled out of the hopper at random. Whatever comes out is what you have to execute at your best ability. Wait, isn't that real life, you never know what you are going to be faced with next? CrossFit coaches recommend training your weakness (the movements or WOD's you dread the most) to avoid becoming a victim to the hopper. I did just that with my pull ups. Loved to hate them, but I practiced a few minutes everyday until I felt good about them. I suggest everyone else do the same. If you are a born runner, work on your muscular strength and barbell lifts. Or, maybe your legs are built for strength and not speed, push your 5-10K runs and see what it does for your gymnastics moves. That's what CrossFit is all about, training to not suck at life. After all, you never know what will be pulled out of tomorrow's metaphoric hopper of life.