#eighteenpointthree

Hey all-sorry for the delay on my 2018 CrossFit Open debrief. I’ll likely have to do it in multiple postings. But this one deserves its own post.

I won’t make you wait to find out the happy ending to my 18.3 story.  It happened people.  Finally.  I got my first ring muscle up. I’ve got a long story about the process to get there, but I’ll try to keep it short.

I want to tell you about the power of hard work and commitment. It is truly unfair how hard it has been for me to learn this high skill movement.  But I can’t change my ability.  I *can* just keep putting in the work until my body finally learns what it needs to do. The day of this open workout, I felt excited to try--I had put in the work, and now it was time to see if today was my day (hint: it was).

I want to tell you about the value of being supported by a coach who cares. I cannot count the number of hours Joe Sarti spent with me, practicing the movement patterns, doing the drills, and building strength. And my CFPA coaches Graeme and Tim have given me numerous drills and cues to help me build the skills and awareness required for this task.

I want to tell you about the explosion of support I received before, during and after I hit this muscle up. M. answered my call to be my judge and encouraged and advised me with just the right blend of intensity and calm. K. gave me the perfect cue after I missed my first attempt. And SO MANY friends are screaming their lungs out to help get me over those rings.

And after I hit it? The celebration was mine, but it was also ours.  It was for my  CFPA community who has watched me try and come up short year after year.  It was for all the friends I’ve made along the way. And it was for all of us for whom things don’t come easily. It may not come when you want it, but if you put in enough work, it’s amazing what is possible.  In the words of Mat Fraser, #HWPO