Hometown: Broomfield, CO now… I grew up in Centennial, CO
Age/Weight: 38 years old, 122 pounds
How long have you been CrossFitting? 17 months
Describe your athletic and/or fitness background.
I didn’t grow up in an
athletics-focused family. My parents
aren’t competitive, and preferred music and theater over sports, so my
childhood exposure to sport was sparse and recreational. I took some gymnastics classes during grade
school, and did cartwheels on the soccer and softball fields instead of paying
attention to learning about the games!
As a teenager, I realized I loved to dance, and learned some ballet and
trained for a few years as a rhythmic gymnast.
I also realized that the high school swim team didn’t cut anyone, and
while I didn’t have any great sprinting speed, I had good stroke form, so I was
a swimmer my junior and senior year.
From college on, I just exercised on my own at a gym or with videos, everything
from kickboxing to P90X and Insanity.
How did you get into CrossFit?
My family was strolling the streets
of a Friday night Louisville Street Faire when Leah was great with child… my
kids wanted to do the burpee challenge to try to win a NoCoast t-shirt, and the
rest is history. My husband, Chris and I
signed up for LiftOne to try it out.
Mostly, I agreed to go to support him… I thought it would be a great
environment for him to get in shape. I
planned to get through the intro and never come back! I’d never touched an oly style weight bar
before, and after the whippings from attempting double unders, and the
exhaustion from the intensity of the WODs, I didn’t think I’d ever really have
the strength or stamina to continue or improve!
Well, I just kept coming, and ended up coming a lot more than Chris.
What is your favorite workout/CrossFit movement?
Any WOD with integrated
rest!/Kettlebell swings
What is your least favorite workout/CrossFit movement?
Anything with longer
distance running/wall balls
What is your most memorable CrossFit moment?
It’s a tie… my first successful
rope climb, and my first successful kipping pull up. Joy and jubilation!
How has CrossFit improved your overall health and wellness?
CrossFit has
changed my whole attitude about fitness.
I used to just exercise so I wouldn’t get lazy and soft. Now I have tangible goals and benchmarks to
improve. It hasn’t been without pain or
injury… but instead of quitting, or using pain and injury as an excuse to take
a break, I’m now motivated to rehabilitate and modify to be in MY best shape.
What is your advice to new people?
If you are like me, you may not think
you’re an athlete, but you can improve your own technique, your own skills, and
your own PRs. Even if you’re injured,
you can scale and modify a WOD to maintain or improve your own overall health
and fitness. THIS CrossFit community is
supportive of all ages and abilities… you don’t have to be in competition
condition to succeed! We have THE best
coaches. Dan, Leah and Sam are amazing
humans. We’re lucky to have access to an equally amazing Physical
Therapist. Mary is such an asset for our
mobility awareness and intervention. Just keep coming!
