Well, I competed in my first CrossFit "Smackdown" on Saturday. My body is very aware of this fact, as I am so sore that I feel like I've aged 100 years--and was then repeatedly run over  by a truck. Lying in bed hurts, walking and kneeling hurts, bending over hurts, and child's pose is one of the most painful poses ever. I don't think I've ever been this sore--and maybe I was, back in high school during the first week back to basketball or volleyball practice at the beginning of the season (?)--but I seriously don't remember being this beat up. I guess I'm getting old, right? Anyways, here's what I really want to say about participating in this event over the weekend: I hadn't realized how much I missed the competition aspect of sports--the adrenaline pumping, the nerves and excitement around pushing yourself to the limit, being a part of a team and cheering on your teammates, and doing your very best for the team as a whole. There's simply nothing like it. 

Many of you out there are probably in a similar boat--you may have played team sports when you were younger, or competed in track, swimming, or cross country, and then after high school or college, you may have moved on from those activities without thinking that much about it. Even if  you still play in adult leagues through work or with friends (which is really fun!), the crazy, push yourself-to-your-physical-limit-for-the-sake-of-competition is mainly gone from your daily or weekly routine. Practices, scrimmages, and games where you leave your heart out on the field or court may be a long-lost memory, and although you don't think you miss it--or don't ever really even think about it--you may really miss it. 

That's what happened to me. I had completely forgotten about what it felt like to compete as a part of a team and to really try to do your best for the team. I know this sounds dramatic, but I don't think you can replicate this sort of feeling in many ways except true competition. And that's one of the main reasons that I think CrossFit, and especially competing in CrossFit competitions, has become so popular. I finally get why Ben loves competing so much, and although I'm not going to start doing the same (um, I have a LONG way to go before I could ever be as strong as the female competitors, and don't think I really want to be there...!), I really do get it now. Those who compete in triathlons, marathons, or extremely competitive adult leagues (not kickball teams where you drink beer during the game...) may still have this feeling on a more regular basis, and now I get the drive to do that, too :) 

The other amazing thing about CrossFit, and specifically about competing and really pushing yourself in a CrossFit way, is that I probably only did about 7-8 minutes of work total during the events. It was a team competition, so we were switching off and each time that we went, would push ourselves to the limit and then get a short break while our team members went. You would think that this would mean each of us didn't do that much, but I found it to be quite the opposite--when we did go, we would give it everything we had for 1 or 2 minutes, and when we had nothing left, we would give it over to someone else. There's nothing else like that! Pushing yourself until you have nothing left for a short interval? Using up ALL your physical power and energy in 1-minute? Crazy. The fact that I'm this sore from 7-8 minutes of working out is definitely a testament to CrossFit as a whole. 

Oh, and as a sidenote, did I mention how much fun it is to dress up for these things? People had AMAZING costumes (there was a team wearing tarzan-like togas and the "Honeybadgers" had real fur stapled to the back of their t-shirts), and everyone got really into it. I also realized that I missed that--the excitement of getting up early, nervous tummy and all, and getting all decked out for a fun physical competition...

Moral of the story? I think a little healthy adrenaline, nerves, and kicking your own butt (physically, of course) can be good for the body. You know how we talk about pushing yourself to the edge in yoga? Same thing here--only you're doing it for a team and in front of a lot of people cheering you on, so it's a different sort of sensation, both physically and mentally. I think competing is a great yang to yoga's yin, and encourage all of you out there to find a competitive outlet if you miss this part of your past life...

Namaste!
Mary Catherine