Old School Feeling

When I first began going to CrossFit back in 2007, I would show up at CrossFit Pierce County, read the workout on the whiteboard that Gene had for us, and we would just get it done.  I had no idea going into the gym that day what we would be doing.  I didn't plan my day around the workout, and I never walked away from one because I just wasn't feeling it, or had done something similar in the last few days.  Sometimes we would have one or two short WODs, sometimes a longer one, and every once and a while we would do what we called an "Epic" WOD...  and epic they were.  I loved those days...those days were old school.  Go to the CrossFit gym for the challenge...to challenge yourself, to challenge each other...for the old school challenge.


The Reebok CrossFit Games Open  workout 14.3 had that old school feeling, not because of the workout itself, but for how I went about it.  I got to 803 CrossFit just before the reveal show began and started to warmup.  I wasn't really sure what I was warming up for, but I just got ready.  They announced the WOD, and as it began, so did my final preparation.  I got the weights out, the box, and I ran through a few warmup reps.  I was ready, and as time ran out on the ladies...we set the clock to 8 minutes and I started my go.  110 reps later, completing 20 of the 25 deadlifts at 275 lbs, I was done.  14.3 was over....I was the fourth person in the region to have a score validated, and was humored as to how it steadily fell from that high mark.  It didn't matter to me; I challenged myself...and I was satisfied.  Had I taken a day or two off to prepare, maybe watched a few videos of peoples attempts, and picked their brains then maybe I could have gotten a few more reps.  Even now as I write this I have to fight the urge to prepare myself for a second attempt....remember though; on to the next one.

I liked the old school approach to just going into the gym, seeing the workout, and getting it done (for better or worse).  That was how it used to be; back in the day when it was just about beating yourself, and being better than the man you were the last time you did something.  That was before we checked online to see the workout and decided hours prior how we would approach it, and what level of motivation we would bring to the box with us.  I'd like to go back to that kind of old school approach, but then again, I'm not sure what would I look up at 9 pm each night.  For now I'm just gonna keep pushing myself.  These workouts are my new benchmarks...my new challenges, and I will be better next time.