TAKING A CHANCE

Have you ever allowed your doubt to keep you from doing something? We are our own worst critic, and sometimes that negative voice inside our head prevents us from trying new things. This past weekend, many of my friends refused to listen to that voice as they competed in various competitions across the United States.

Chris Harris, co-owner of ALL IN CrossFit, was invited to participate in the Outlaw Open in Palm Springs, California. Many of you may not be familiar with the CrossFit culture, but the Outlaw Way is a training method developed by Rudy Nielsen of Virginia. He has taken many athletes to the CrossFit Games and decided to hold an inaugural competition, invitation-only, for the more elite CrossFit athletes.

Chris front squatting 250 pounds.

Chris admitted that he had concerns competing against some of the famous names in our sport. Although he competed in the CrossFit Games on a team two years ago, this would just be him in the spotlight. Here was this incredible athlete that all of us from his former gym admire and aspire to be like questioning whether he was “good enough” to compete at this level. Chris ended up finishing 15th overall, confirming to himself that he had what it takes to take his athletic career to the next level.

Another athlete who put herself out there this weekend is Jana Jager, one of my girls who trains with me in my garage. I have been coaching Jana since August, and the leaps and bounds she has made in such a short time has been incredible. CrossFit on the Plains held a team competition on Saturday, and some of Jana’s friends decided to field two teams.

Jana getting some box jumps.

Again, Jana doubted whether she was “good enough” to compete. She wouldn’t even wear an ALL IN CrossFit t-shirt to the competition because she said she didn’t want to embarrass me if she bombed! I thoroughly enjoyed receiving her enthusiastic texts on Saturday as she kept me posted on her workouts. Not only did she do things she didn’t think she was capable of, including lifting 100 pounds from the ground to overhead, that fire is now lit, and she is ready to step up her training for more competitions.

My friend Randy, one of the first people I ever coached in CrossFit, sought redemption in a 40-mile trail run at Pine Mountain this weekend. About a month ago, he attempted a 50-mile trail run on the same course, only to withdrawl at mile 34. I was there at that race and was heartbroken for my friend who looked so defeated for not being able to finish the race. I worried whether he would ever get back out there and try again. He immediately found another race to do, learned from the mistakes he made in the first race, and finished his 40 miles in 10:07 this past weekend. Did I mention that my friend Billy, who has only been running for 2 months, paced him for 18 of those 40 miles? Amazing!

Run, Randy, Run!

I also had several friends from my former gym competing in a team event in Woodstock, Georgia, including 16-year-old Grey and 18-year-old Harris. These kids showed the grown-ups how it’s done by finishing in 6th place in their division! Phil, who has lost over 120 pounds in less than a year of CrossFit, also competed with Tina, a housewife with 2 kids, and Neil, a doctor, competed with Andrea, someone who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. You can take one look at their pictures on Facebook and know how much fun they had competing together. I am so proud of them!

The above are all ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They didn’t listen to the voice, and they ignored the doubt. Each of them took a chance and ended up surprising themselves with what they were able to accomplish. I encourage YOU to take a chance. Try something new. You will never feel more alive than when you make the impossible possible!