I just read a great post on Spealler's Blog. He entitled it "The Cycles of Competition". It is obvious to me, by the tone he uses, that he is speaking to himself (or reminding himself) just as much as he is speaking to those who follow his blog. I would say it is pretty direct insight into the mind of an athlete that has been an incredible force in this sport. I would also venture to say that, based on what I read, he is an athlete that has struggled to overcome the pressure of competing. It takes an awfully strong human (mind and body) to take this type of "beating"...training...year after year. The quotes that are mixed in the following are quotes from his post.
In the post, I love what he says about the drive to compete. I know that a lot of competitors feel pressure to compete from all directions, both inward and outward. The greatest pressure I see, is the pressure that comes from a fear of not living up to expectations. Expectations that are real but also expectations that are perceived. "...the second [the] drive [to compete] turns into a fear of failure, we take the fun out of it. We take the joy out of what got us started and why we started competing at the beginning. It’s important to keep that...it takes pressure off of us."
We get so caught up in this competitive season.You guys make a ton of sacrifices left and right. Each of you is making sacrifices everyday to be better at this sport. Some people in your life might not understand this commitment...and that's OK. Some of you are training 15+ hours a week, and you are committing to competing in this sport with your body...but if you don't believe in yourself and you aren't having fun, you are wasting your time. If you are being hamstrung by doubt or by other people's perceptions, you have already lost. You are winning the battle with your commitment to your training...Make sure you are winning the battle with that commitment in your own mind.
Make the Decision to let yourself succeed in all of your goals. Allow yourself be okay with striving for those goals. Allow yourself to believe that you can reach those goals. Enjoy this journey and HAVE FUN! "Don’t be afraid to take the risk, but you have to realize that you aren't defined by your result, it’s not WHO you are, it’s just something you do."
Read Spealer's post HERE
On a much lighter note:
In a fight between Chuck Norris and a Two-Headed Khalipa-Speal, who would win?
In a Fran + Grace off between Chuck and The Khalipa-Speal, who would win?
Please show your work and explain why you chose your answers, this will be graded using a
"points per place finish" system seeing as statistical scoring systems and grading "on the curve" are of no
use to Crossfit TM.
Tough Decisions today...tough decisions.
 |
| Chuck Norris versus The Khalipa-Speal |
Oly Strength
1.Block snatch pull + snatch (below knee) - 2 x 1 (1+1) @ 80%, 2 x 1(1+1) @ 85%
2. Block clean pull + clean (below knee) 2 x 1(1+1) @ 80%, 2 x 1(1+1) @ 85%
3. 3 Snatch deadlift to knee + 1 snatch pull 4 x 1(3+1) @ 105%
Block pulls should be at or just below the knees
Squat Strength
Back Squat
Warm Up 1 x 4 @ 65%, 1 x 4 @ 70%
Work Sets 4 x 3 @ 75%
WOD
Class WOD
Goat/Engine WOD
5 minute pistol work to low box
30 alternating pistols for time
Find someone who is mean and ask them to judge your pistols.
If you ARE mean, judge someone's pistols.
Non-Pistoleros, Touch And Go your pistols to a box
Rest 1 minute
AMRAP in 4 minutes:
50 Wall Ball Shots
30 double unders
Rest 1 minute
15 Muscle Ups for time
Non Muscle Uppers work on Hip Pop to rings
You can find an example of this from 2:00-2:10
in this Carl Paoli Video
Why didn't you just say, "GINNY! This is for you!" Sheesh. :)
ReplyDelete"it’s not WHO you are, it’s just something you do." - I swear this is a Batman quote. I believe the first movie Christian Bale did.
ReplyDeleteLove you post Kody, made me tear up....
Quit being a baby Ginny, we already have Drew!
"It's not who I am underneath, it's what I DO that defines me." - Batman
Delete*Introspective Tangent Warning*
There is a slight difference in the perspectives of the Spealler and Batman quotes, but they are essentially wrestling with the same conceptual question that plagues anyone who dares to achieve something significant, something beyond the ordinary, to which the result is not guaranteed and thus there is a substantial risk involved to that person: they have dared to dream.
Dreams involve pouring your efforts, your focus, and most importantly, your hope into something. And thus if we find ourselves in the trap of only quantifying success as "winning" or "being better than everyone else," then failure is not only a possibility but it is rather a likelihood in Crossfit as we ALL, via body types, genetically decided metabolic capacities, etc, etc, we all have a genetic predisposition to not being as good at some aspect of Crossfit as someone else.
This is why wrapping up our concept of our self-worth, which is really what both quotes are talking about, and our sense of value in what we do or do not achieve/accomplish is so potentially debilitating, because a person is not comprised of the amount of success or failure he or she achieves. Successes and failures are events, isolated instances in time (not to mention, they are quite open for interpretation as to if something was really a success or a failure in the first place) and thus an event or an instance is not what sufficiently defines a person.
No, a person is not defined by their shortcomings or even their achievements. They are defined by their pursuit, by what drives them, what tiny, innumerable decisions they make and, most importantly, by HOW they are in the midst of success, failure, tragedy, triumph and striving to be something more than just ordinary.
It's in the midst of the journey, that first daunting decision to dare, to dream, to consciously say, "Yes, I'm going to start that struggle towards the extraordinary," that a person really discovers their own self-worth from within. As ultimately, we are the only ones who really decide what will define our value or our worth because we are the only ones that can actually ALLOW for something to discourage/encourage us.
I can't control if Drew is stronger than me, if Brad has better technique, if Kameron has a higher motor, etc, etc...but the one thing I can control, is how I let finishing behind them (or finishing ahead of them...you know, if it ever happens) affect me and how I respond to it. THAT is what defines me not only as a Crossfit athlete, but as a person, as a man. Because since I am the only one who ultimately decides what does or does not define who I am, I make the choice every day to believe that my value is not in where I finish, but in how I run the race.
Sorry about the length and seriousness of the comment, everybody...this very thing has been on my mind a lot since Fittest In OK and it just kind of came pouring out.
DeleteMy bad.
Nope.
DeleteNot your bad.
This is awesome insight and advice.
Thanks for the post.
I love it.
In a fight between Chuck Norris and a Two-Headed Khalipa-Speal, who would win?
ReplyDeleteObvious answer.........Chuck Norris.
In a Fran + Grace off between Chuck and The Khalipa-Speal, who would win?
Trick Question........Khalipa-Speal would already be dead, plus Chuck would just demo the bar and rig. So Neither.
A- (so far) Your score may change as other answers come in. Remember, the grade is points per place.
Delete-10 for not showing your work on the first question
+3 bonus points for thinking outside the box on the second
Thanks Brad. One Drew is enough.
ReplyDeleteFS-375x3,400x3,415x3x2
ReplyDeleteHBBS-450x3,475x3,500x3x1
IBP-5x3@185
Oly Strength
1. Jerk - 3 @ 70%-215, 3 @ 75%,-230 2 @ 80%-245 2 @ 85%-260, 2 @ 90% -270 rest 90 seconds
2. Hang power clean (below knee) 2 x 2 @ 65%-245(of Clean), 2 x 2 @ 70%-260
Goat/Engine WOD
4 Rounds For Time of::4:20, HSPUs Unbroken-small accomplishment for me.
10 HSPU
30 Double Unders
30 second rest
Oly Strength
1.Block snatch pull + snatch (below knee) - 2 x 1 (1+1) @ 80%-205, 2 x 1(1+1) @ 85%-215
2. Block clean pull + clean (below knee) 2 x 1(1+1) @ 80%-305, 2 x 1(1+1) @ 85%-320
No Pistols
AMRAP in 4 minutes:
50 Wall Ball Shots
30 double unders
Rest 1 minute-1 round+37WB, messed my time and stopped oops.
15 Muscle Ups for time-3:0? I SUCK
HBBS 4 x 3 @ 170#
ReplyDeleteBlock snatch 2 x 125# 2 x 130#
Block clean 2 x 155 1 x 160 and then lots and lots of fails. Ugh.
Pistols :50
Wall ball/ double: 1 round + 25 wb
15 mu's: 4 min
Class workout:
ReplyDeleteThree Snatch emom for 10 min: 5 at 85#, 3 at 90#, 2 at 95# ( power snatch, touch and go)
Wod as rxd: 10:59
Pistols: 68 secs
Wall ball and DU: 1 round and 11 wall balls
Mups: 9:30 (did some yesterday and sunday, so pretty worn on Mups for the week)