What is a WOD?

If you have stumbled across my blog you may be wondering what a "WOD" is or why it is part of the title. A quick look back at the birth of this blog via the archives will explain it pretty clear. The day was August 16, 2011, my first post explaining the new adventure Marc and I began... CrossFit. Each day for well over a year, I blogged about the WOD (workout of the day), my progress, my feelings and anything that would inspire me to keep moving forward no matter how hard or how challenging it would become. I had no idea at the time, how much my life would change in the 9.5 years that would follow that post. I had no idea that my well-being and mindset would be affected so deeply by a type of workout and group of people. I had no idea that my very best friendships would form by the bond of Crossfit, that some of the most important people in my life would surface through the values we share and fun we have doing it. I had no idea I would end up competing at the level that I have, that my son (who was not even a glimmer at the time) would be in his 3rd year of CrossFit Kids, that I would wake up at 4:00am every day drag myself there after nights of zero sleep with a newborn baby... just to get a good workout in and feel like "myself" again... I had absolutely no idea that I would become the woman I am today because I made the choice to invest 100% in myself, put my body and mind first... and make no excuses.

Through my 9.5 years, I have lost track of how many competitions I have done. I remember the first one, the uncertainty, the lack of confidence, the nerves. I of course, very clearly, remember the last one before the pandemic. There are many lessons I have learned since my first (hello, you dont need 3 days worth of food for one day of competition), to my latest (dont underestimate your training). There are many lessons that I still need to, and will, learn as well. What I do know, is that I strive to be the very best athlete that I can be with every single rep I complete, whether competing or not. Full reps, good form, honest clock and rep count means more to me than a "good" time. I take as much pride in my CrossFitting as I do with everything else in my life and if a clean WOD, if  proper form and full reps make me a little slower than the others, thats OK with me.

My first WOD was with CrossFit Wachusett, in the garage of a two family home. Marc and I were two of the first handful of members to join. The reception desk was a bunch of palates, we did wall balls against the 2nd floor deck, the garage door had to be closed to jump rope when inside, otherwise I would hit the door overhead. The squat rack was a portable stand and our running route was around the block. Eventually, the membership grew, and they moved into a mill building nearby. I started working out at 5am for a hour every morning and can honestly say, (aside from the 4 weeks I took off after Z was born) I have not missed a 5am workout in 9.5 years. I am even one of those "sickos" that finds a CF Box when on vacation. In 2013, CFW qualified a team for Regionals, I was on the team selected to represent at Reebok CF Headquarters that May. The next year, we qualified again and I was selected as the alternate. I did not compete at Regionals, but trained with the team until the day before. The next year, February 26, 2015 the day of the release of 15.1, my son was born. 

In 2017, just before The Open in February, I made the decision to leave CrossFit Wachusett and join CrossFit 696. With the switch, my development changed, training strategy changed, mindset changed and I began to grow again. New coaching, new challenges, new approaches and of course the reborn drive kicked in. I trained weekdays at the box and on Saturdays with two girlfriends at one of their houses in the garage. 

May 13, 2020, everything changed. The world was "shutting down" and it was uncertain if we should go to the box. The garage seemed the safest bet... and within a few days... it was the only option, as the box was forced the close its doors for safety. Not know what we should do, as programming for ourselves proved to be just a game of  "who can pick the workout to make the other person suffer more," and was not going well... we started looking at on line programming options. It did not take us long to settle on Ben Bergeron's CompTrain Masters, which we have now been following for over a year. 

The question of NOT working out while the gym was closed never crossed my mind. The question was what and how would I would be able to continue my daily grind. You see, the time I spend working out is not just "working out." This is MY time. This is the time of day I am not a mother, a wife, a friend, an employee... this is the time of day that is all about me. It is where I lay it all on the line. I invest in my well being. I give thanks to my body. I invest in my future. I challenge myself. I trust the process. I give 100%  every day and I leave nothing behind. I consider myself one of the luckiest people and have thanked my friend in every way I can, ten thousand times. Not only do I use of her garage but, she throws down with me daily and pushes me when its hard... you know those mornings when there is little to no sleep, or you just dont feel like moving, shes there. She understands. She does it too. 

We are in the midst of the 2021 No Bull CrossFit Open. This is the first step on the "Road to the Games" (look for a post coming up to explain all of these steps). Thanks to CrossFit, I have been able to maintain my healthy mindset, relationship with food, and not only mental but physical well being through this pandemic. I feel good. I feel prepared and I feel like I will give (have given) it all Ive got.

Change does not happen overnight...

August 2011 @ CFW Garage

This Morning - March 19, 2021 @ 696