it's all Games

CrossFit Games.
The Big Show.
The Effin' HUGE Carrot at the end of another year of training.
Done.

I'm done my second year at the Games.

It was fanfrickintastic!

Last year the Masters Comp went on at the same time as the Individuals and, being my first year, I was pretty star struck by all the elite names in CrossFit walking around everywhere.
This year, 2013, the Masters Comp was before the Individual Comp started, so my focus was more on my fellow competitors. We had time to just hang out a little more, get better acquainted with old friends and meet more new ones. It was awesome. 

My age group, the Masters Women 55-59yrs were having a great time together from the start.  Lots of goofing around while waiting in the 'corral' to be led onto the field, plenty of hugs and high fives, and just a general desire for everyone to do well.  Truly wonderful.

From the qualifying Open in March to the Games in July, I trained hard and was pushed farther by my coach, John McEvoy, than I thought possible.  Yeah, I even cursed him out on more than one occasion.
"WTF, he must think I'm 30 or something.
I'm lifting too heavy.
Too much volume.
Yada yada yada."
I not so secretly loved it all.  :)
I'm 57 and he had me doing WODs with 185# deadlifts.  I mean, I LOVE that!  The confidence I gained in myself as an athlete will stick with me long beyond this year's experience.

The Games WODs were heavier and harder this year.
The excitement and positivity were awesome.
I left for CA and The Games wanting to enjoy the experience, giving all the WODs everything I had, and leave knowing I had done just that.  Mission accomplished!
A little snapshot:
The one heat I won...and of course I'll show you this one :) ... is the link below:
 push-drag-pull: heat 1
Overall, I ended up in 8th place. My goal was top 10, so I'm a happy competitor!

Not only was John with me in CA, but my daughter (and John's wife), Sara McEvoy, was also there. It was great to have them both with me.  If they were nervous for me, they hid it well, which benefited me. :)

Shout out has to go to my gym, CrossFit Beacon. Their continued support and shared joy in this adventure we all call "life" is phenomenal!

Feeling a little antsy after getting home to ME, (it was jokingly said by Chris Spealler, CrossFitter extraordinaire, "what do I do with all this fitness?") I spent almost 5 hours doing yardwork the next day. Mistake. My arms and hands were junk afterward.  Didn't do much of anything the next couple of days. Then today, a little more functional fitness: only 9 holes of golf, but I was exhausted!

 Easing back into everything, but not coming to a dead stop.

Ultimately, the Games are a great venue for the sport side of CrossFit, but even without those to shoot for, there are so many goals to work toward.  I still plan on keeping up my training blog despite having different goals for my training now. It all keeps me moving ahead!
And hell, training to be kickass at life is no small task! :)

mastering movement

Just over three years ago I started my CrossFit "lifestyle".

Day 1 WOD:
Tabata air squats, holding the squat in the 10sec rest = trying to look casual walking to my car with rubber legs
Day 2 WOD:
Wallball/kettlebell/rowing triplet = completely hooked but holding onto my 'escape clause'
Day 3 WOD:
2K row = remember saying aloud "this will be so much easier when I don't have to reach over my belly!"

Obvie loved it.
Got used to icing my knee after every WOD until I realized I was no longer doing that.  My knees got better because my rubber legs got stronger through movement.
The thought of NOT moving around as a CrossFitter anymore became a foreign, almost scary thought.
Rowing became noticeably smoother as my belly decreased in size.

As a coach at CrossFit Beacon, I have been able to help other people through the early stages of their own CrossFit lifestyle. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to watch athletes of all abilities light up when they begin mastering a movement that leads them to a PR (personal record) of any variety: faster or stronger or a new skill.

Now, while I love working with all age groups and abilities, I really love working with 'my' Masters  (45yrs+). Almost 6mths old now, the Masters Class began with three sisters, one of whom I kept popping in on at her job and asking not "if" but "when" she wanted to give it a try. She and her sisters started together in January and while one stopped due to various life circumstances, the other two have become the steadfast anchors to the Masters Class.
We now have two Masters Classes (am and pm) that each meet three days/week. Along with fellow Beacon coach, Tyson, we work with Masters who show up each class to be able to master movement more comfortably each day.
They have various levels of joint issues to work around, but they still show up because they know we will be able to modify and scale the workouts to accommodate their needs while still challenging their muscles to get stronger. They're getting fitter, losing weight, gaining strength, having fun!
They share their PRs not just by the increases in weights they can lift, or how much faster their 500m row is, but by how much better they move outside of the gym....by how much better they move in life!
After only a couple months in, one of the Masters shared, "I picked up my 55# dog for the first time last night." 
One of the Masters athletes did not like the thought of getting down on the ground for sit ups when she first started as she was worried she couldn't get up because of some wrist issues.  Now she is up and down all the time because she has mastered how to modify her movements around her wrist issues.
Some other "aha" moments of proof they are mastering movement are:
"For the first time in years, I was able to not only put my own snow tires in the back of my car after they got changed out, but I just tossed them in!"
"I walked up the stairs normally this weekend. I haven't done that in a long time. I always had to stop both feet on one stair."
"I'm able to garden again."
THIS is mastering movement for the pure and simple reason of enjoying a more functionally fulfilling life. 
It's great to see athletes PR on lifting and sprints and skills, but the ability to simply move, which most of us take for granted, is pure functionality brought to you by the practice of 'whole body' movement.
It's absolutely inspiring to see what these Masters athletes do. They may bitch and moan about the WODs like we all do...in fun :) ...it's what CrossFitters do...but they show up, do the work, and are therefore able to notice these awesome changes in their daily lives. 

As a side benefit, the Masters athletes are really inspiring to Beacon as a whole. I know they don't even realize this!
The Beacon community of athletes often comment on how they love seeing the Masters athletes come in each week.  They show this appreciation by being truly wonderful with them. They are encouraging and supportive, with one member, Scott, even holding up his iPhone for music for them during WODs before we had the speakers in the lower gym.

What these Masters athletes do weekly, despite whatever physical issues they may have, is awesome. They do it for themselves but others benefit from just seeing them work at mastering their own ability to move better!