What Makes Hard Work?

Are you really working hard? Can you work harder? Why are you answering me if you’re working your hardest? As a trainer, I am constantly reminded that many people come to Crossfit not knowing how to work hard. It can by intimidating; you don’t want to lift heavy, sprint hard,  or work at 100% for three minutes when you’re by yourself. Often times, people not only have to learn how to squat, deadlift, and clean, but also how to work to their max capacity. Crossfit has made me strong, lean, and fast, but it is the intangible lessons of hard work that are the most rewarding. Crossfit is more than just a way to stay strong while I’m sitting at my desk on the 9-5. It’s a lifestyle. It teaches you about hardwork, choices, eating well, and sleep. But when all these things align, I feel invincible (and when they don’t, very, very, very sleepy).

Monday was a busy day. I ended up doing the WOD alone as I scrambled to fit it in, and headed to the gym midday to snatch, deadlift, and sprint 10×100′s. Yes. 10 x 100 m. sprints, alone. The first one was not that fast…. actually it was so slow that I don’t want to post it here. Ok fine. 18. I told you it was slow. I was alone, thinking about how much sprinting makes me hurt the next day and that I should probably use this first sprint as a warm up. Excuses. Excuses. Excuses. Needless to say, I got faster, and faster, and faster. I felt like I was going to trip over my feet and like my hip flexers were going to explode. My abs ached and my throat filled with gunk as my lungs heaved at the end of each sprint. “Beat that last time, beat that last time, beat that last time”.

But why is this so important? Why do I care? I’m not sure I can really answer that question. On one level it’s a personal battle with myself, to run faster, jump higher, lift more, be better. I want to beat my PR, everyday. I want to be the best athlete I can be. But I also have pride. A lot of pride. At the end of the day when I post my times in the public log book at SLC Crossfit, I want everyone else to know that I’m fast, that I am trying, that I am not just a 5’2″ female who is willing to call a mediocre pop magazine read-a-thon perched upon an elliptical my “workout”. I’m here to compete. To motivate others and to motivate myself. I’m here to run those 100 m. as fast as I possibly can, to grimace, to gasp, and to smile when I’m finally done.

Tags: 100 m. Sprints, Clean, Crossfit, Deadlift, Goals, Hard Work, Max Capacity, PR, SLC Crossfit, Squat, WOD