Reflections on the 2017 CrossFit Open
Not gonna lie, I am happy that the Open is over for a whole bunch of reasons:
Five weeks is a long time for me to sustain a level of excitement and enthusiasm for anything, much less athletic endeavors that test my weaknesses week after week. On the other hand, seeing our community come together every Saturday for five weeks to work hard, support hard and party hard makes for a set of experiences I can’t find anywhere else. I got to yell myself hoarse, cheer for people in the 6 AM class who I met for the first time, share mimosas and feel pride for myself, my coaches and my community. Given that, maybe I’m sorry to see the Open end after all …
Open workouts are hard and I couldn’t Rx them all (stupid pull-ups!) so I’m glad to go back to my routine. On the other hand, I did Rx 4 out of 5 WODs, and I put together 136 double-unders, something I never would have attempted in my normal routine. While I’m certainly not a double-under queen they don’t scare me any more and I’m looking forward to getting them to a point where they come naturally. Given that, maybe I’m sorry to see the Open end after all …
It does seem silly to do something for five weeks that, at the end of the day, is pretty meaningless. I certainly didn’t finish in the top 200 to get to the Master’s Qualifiers and the only way I’m going to the Games is to buy a ticket. On the other hand I did finish in the top 44% of my age group in the world and damn close to the top 30% in the region. Still doesn’t sound like much to brag about, but on the other hand, in 2016 I finished in the top 60% in the world and the top 66% in the region. I think I can consider that some serious progress and something of which I can be really proud. Given that, maybe I’m sorry to see the Open end after all …
To me the Open was a way to quantify my progress, identify gaps and weaknesses and set some goals for next year. It was also about watching people get their first bar muscle-ups or Rx a WOD for the first time or spend 39:54 finishing thrusters and double-unders or row their brains out just to get one more calorie. The Open was never just about me it was about the thrill that comes when we all come together to give our best, to ourselves and to each other.
Given all that, maybe I’m sorry to see the Open end after all …