I am sitting giving applause to the three sets
of podium finishers on the arena floor: the teams, female and male
winners. It is a bittersweet end to what had been the most fantastic
weekend of athletic competition I have been privileged enough to be a
part of.
But before I get all deep and stuff, here is the low down
on event six and seven. I was on a bit of a high after winning event
six, as not many athletes can claim a win at their respective regionals
and it certainly taught me a lot. The regionals are not about winning
events, well within reason, but it is about consistency. Being good
across the board as opposed to excelling at an event or two. That is
precisely what separates the good, from the great Crossfit athletes.
Event six consisted of 100 double unders, 50 handstand
push ups, 40 toes-to-bar, 30 shoulder-to-overhead with an axle bar, and a
90 ft walking lunge with the same bar in the front-rack position. I was
nervous about the handstand push ups as it was one of my lesser
strengths, and something I had been working on. The morning build up was
good as I spent most of it on the Chiro's table being cracked, creaked,
twisted and manipulated as my lower back was tight as anything after
event five. On a side note, I had never been to a chiropractor before
and therefore never had the infamous neck click of death. So when he
asked me "So, when was the last time you were adjusted?" and my answer
was "never". He cracked a wry smile, similar to that, I would imagine,
of a coach about to administer a bunch of kids their first beep test,
cruel. Needless to say, after about 45 minutes of "adjusting" I felt
fan-flippin-tastic! I started my usual warm-up routine prior to event
six and mentally took myself through it. I knew the double unders would
be a piece of cake, and if I could get past the HSPU's I would be ok.
Alan Foulis Lane 6! Out I walked and again, like the five
times before, couldn't help smiling but this time the crowd was much
louder and the vibe was electric. I felt like I was a gladiator, or
something equally manly, about to wage war. 3, 2, 1, GO! Double unders,
as I knew they would be, were great and I breezed through them in just
under a minute. Now for the HSPU's. I just kept telling myself, just
keep pushing and Kip as many as you can. I got to the late 30's and it
was myself and the guy next to me, both struggling one at a time. Then,
summing up this incredible sport for me, he said "Come on bud, we can do
this, lets go, one rep at a time" I laughed and said "I'm glad you said
one at a time" And we then completed our reps together. I love this
sport.
Toes-to-bar were tough but manageable and I managed to bang
out 14 shoulder-to-overheads before the time ran out. I was glad that
event was done and now had to recover!!
ICE. BATH. Two
words that I despise. I know how good they are and hence why I
subjected myself to what can only be described as torture in its purest
form. Seconds feel like hours in there! Now the ice baths were located
outside in the athletes warm up area where spectators could come watch
us get ready etc. So, I walk out with my towel and there happens to be
quite a crowd outside and as a result I think "Ok, I can't act like a
wuss now in front of all these people, I need to get in and act like
this is kiff". Luckily I had my cap because I got in and just pulled it
down so people couldn't see the expression on my face, which I imagine
would have resembled something from a Stephen King novel. I got through
it and had time to go an watch my buddy Nico, who woke up in the morning
looking like he had pole stuck in his spine. His back was a mess after
the deadlift event and to be honest I wasn't sure if he would compete
today. Nevertheless he did and did very well! We had a couple short
hours before the last event and I was waiting eagerly for the final heat
roster as I desperately wanted to make the top 12 in order to compete
in the final heat.
13th. I was sitting 13th for the final heat and therefore
would be in the 2nd last heat whereas Nico had made the final heat, and
I was stoked for him! After a quick rub down it was time to get ready
for the last time. I couldn't believe it was the final event and what
seemed a massive challenge and distant goal, was now just about over.
Just over four months of solid training, the expectations of both myself
and others of me, sleepless nights, bloodied hands, aches, pains, early
mornings, and late nights, all came down to this. To be honest I was
happy with how I had done so far and proud of how my body had held up
under the tests of Crossfit. So for the last time...
Alan Foulis Lane 6, Crossfit Tokai. I had seen a tweet
earlier saying I was a favourite for the heat and I must be honest I
never expected to read that about myself but kinda felt that I had
earned it now. The final event was four rounds of the following:
15 foot rope climb
30m dash
4 x 100kg Squat Cleans
3,
2, 1, GO! I lept up onto the rope and made the two climbs relatively
easily, considering I had learnt to climb rope properly around two weeks
prior. I jogged across and hit the four squat cleans and for the first
time, really heard the crowd. There must've been close to 2000 people in
the arena for the final event and man was it electric in there and I
was loving every minute. It felt like I was in a movie for some
reason... the lights bright, the crowd loud and the reps being smashed
like the Hulk... haha OK not quite.
Anyway, the rounds flew by and I finally got to my last set of
cleans. I hit one, failed the second, hit the second and third, and took
a breath before the last. I took in the noise and the energy and felt a
bit like time slowed down as I savored every second of these final
moments on the arena floor. I knew it would be a while before I
experienced it again... Final lift. I gripped the bar tightly, moved
down into the squat position, my head straight, the sounds muffled now
and quickly ran through the lift in my head: "Shoulders and hips at the
same time, extend hips, shrug hard and drop under the bar. Secure. Stand
with elbows driving upward". I took a deep breath and hit it. Landed in
"the hole" of the lift securely and began the stand. As I began to
stand up, the crowd started screaming and cheering, with my completion
of the lift there was a huge cheer!! I dropped the bar and jogged over
the end mat, completed my customary two burpees, and thanked the crowd
for their help on that one.
Before time was up I cheered on a fellow athlete to
finish, unfortunately he didn't make it, but he gave it everything. And
that is what this is all about... everyone pushing their own limits.
Beating their best, giving everything until there is nothing left to
give, then standing up and doing it again. The weekend of competition
showed me what Crossfit was really about. While there were winners, and
prizes to be won, the most impressive aspect of it all was the human
spirit and the spectacular scenes of athletes cheering one another
through another painful rep. The guy next to me in event six, saying we
can do this.
So, there I was, applauding the podium finishers and
enjoying the last moments of what was an phenomenal weekend. I learnt a
lot about the sport and also a lot about myself. I know what I need to
work on and, after some rest :), I cannot wait to get back into the Box
and improve. However, even more than that, to get back to the box and
enjoy some WODs with my friends and fellow crossfitters.
So, with one eye on the future and a podium finish as my goal, I will once again resume the journey of Forging Elite Fitness.
I
hope you have all enjoyed this journey with me, as much as I enjoyed
sharing it. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up with a
tweet, comment, or e-mail :) Till next time, Keep on keeping on and
remember, its all about the journey.
Peace be da journey.
@Al_dog7
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