3 THINGS I LEARNED AFTER CROSSFIT OPEN WORKOUT 15.5

Can you believe I made my boys dress like a pirate to the delight of my niece… and they actually did it?!

It is three days after I did the final workout of the CrossFit Open, and every hour, minute, and second of the past three days, I have been reminded of that precious little gem of a workout thanks to the searing pain in my quads. Open workout 15.5 taught me three things:

1. NEVER, EVER, EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DO 15.5 IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SPRING BREAK.

I always wonder why CrossFit HQ plans at least one week of the Open to coincide with my Spring Break. You would think they would look at my calendar and realize I have beaches to go to, daiquiris to drink, and non-gluten free food to eat.

This year, my parents surprised us with a Disney Cruise. Who cares if my kids are 11 and 13 and think Disney characters are lame? Except that Cinderella. She’s a hottie. We loaded up for a fun 7-day adventure where doing the electric slide with Goofy was the most exercise I got in a day. I was more concerned with eating free ice cream and dressing up like a pirate than I was about the final Open workout that would be waiting for me after I got off the boat. And did I mention alcohol? When you are stuck in close quarters where the toddlers outnumber the adults and there are grown-ups wearing costumes everywhere, alcohol is required. Needless to say, I was NOT in tip-top shape for 15.5.

2. THRUSTERS STILL SUCK.

There you have it.

3. THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE WHEN YOU START CROSSFIT.

I have been doing CrossFit for over five years, and I still get sore. But not THIS sore. Open workout 15.5 was a good reminder of how a new CrossFitter must feel after they come to my gym on a Monday.

The pain. The agony.

Monday is usually squat day at ALL IN. If the newbie is like me, she wakes up on Tuesday a little sore and arrogantly thinking she is not as sore as she thought she would be. By lunch time, the soreness begins to settle in. She soaks in a hot bath with epsom salt, eucalyptus, lavender, Mr. Bubble. Surely, tomorrow will be better. She may wake up in the middle of the night unable to move her legs to spoon her pillow. On Wednesday morning, she can barely get out of the bed. The panic begins. Why do her legs feel worse two days later? Did she do permanent damage? Where is the Bio-Freeze? By Wednesday evening, she is walking like a show pony, heel-toeing it because she is unable to straighten her knees all the way. Surely, tomorrow will be better. But no. On Thursday, she is still unable to get off the toilet without using the handicap railings (or towel rack, your choice). This CrossFit stuff is dangerous, she thinks. You can get hurt.

Yes, Open workout 15.5 left a lasting impression on me. But at the same time, I’ll take the soreness. I finished the Open. I did all of the workouts RX’d. My time on 15.5 sucked as bad as those thrusters, but I did the best I could on that day. And here’s a win- I did not throw up in the trash can that I so lovingly placed next to me before the workout started. This is CrossFit. It’s what we do.

Surely, tomorrow will be better. Right?