This is a letter of encouragement to CrossFit Master athletes who may be embarking on their first Open. This is not targeted towards the elite CrossFitter who has aspirations of making it the Regionals.
You may be sitting on the fence, wondering if you have what it takes to do the Open WODs.
I encourage you to jump in. Set a goal for yourself. It may be uncomfortable, but you will amaze yourself. These next few weeks will be a roller coaster of emotion. Buckle up. Here is a brief tour of five things you may experience in the next month.
Your first R is Register
You wanna play? You gotta pay! Well you may not have to pay. Register on the Crossfit Games site. I pay because I enjoy checking my weekly stats. Though I am always in the back of the pack, it is encouraging to see how I am surviving, as other athletes drop out of the game. Download the free phone app. Watch the videos. Have fun. I also Register because it is an act of Commitment.
The second R is Resistance
Whenever a person sets a goal, the mind jumps into action, desperately seeking to preserve the status quo, and creates barriers to success. I am not talking about the real-life obstacles that may in fact actually exist. No, I am talking about the imaginary ones conjured up by your imagination.
“You are not good enough!”, …strong enough! …experienced enough! …to heavy! … too old!
Yeah, I have heard all of these rattling about between my ears, and so have you.
The third R is Recommit
After you Registered, you have pushed through the Resistance. You have sorted out the true obstacles, from the imaginary ones. Focus on what you can affect. You have set the Resistance aside, and now is the time to Recommit yourself and focusing on achieving what is within your power.
The fourth R is Revise
Revising means there may be times when you may need to assess what is before you and set a more realistic goal.
For example, if your Max Deadlift is 200 pounds, it might be realistic to lift 225 in the Open or any CrossFit Comp that has you pumped up. But, it is unlikely you’re gonna pull 285 off the ground. Yes, you want to challenge yourself, but foolhardy injuries are not part of the plan.
Perhaps you may need to pace yourself differently than you would like in the first movement of a WOD, to ensure you don’t gas yourself for the second.
You may have already done three Open events at RX, but don’t let your ego set you up for injury. You may need to Revise the fourth WOD and go Scaled. There is no shame is exercising good judgement.
The fifth R is Regret
Let me ask you a pointed question. I know we all want success, but that doesn’t always happen. Recognizing that, would you rather show up, give it your all, and fail; or just stay home, and never know if you could have done it? I believe it is safe to say, most of us would regret not trying, much more than we would failing.
Now, get off your R’s and sign up for the Open. I’ll be looking for you on the Leaderboard next week.
The sixth R is "Roger that" great article. Michael Kerr get you R's signed up!!!!!