Days 174 - 177 aka...did that really happen or was it a dream?

Geaux Crossfit Family

Yesterday was the big day - Fight Gone Bad!  It was AMAZING!  I just feel like it was one of those experiences that could be life changing or, at the very least, it was a day I will never forget.  And I am not just talking about my 17 minutes....there is just something about supporting other people that are going through it...yelling for others..trying to motivate them.  I am so thankful to be a part of the Geaux Crossfit family....this day was really what it was all about.  I really never even thought about the possibility of a gym being a community...one that supports each other and cares for each other.  We get that at home and at work and with our neighbors.  But with a gym?  I really feel badly for people that are too scared to walk through the door.  A little less than 6 months ago that was me.  I remember calling my husband from the parking lot of Geaux Crossfit..I was crying...having a panic attack..and was so scared.  But luckily I knew Catherine was in there waiting for me - my dear friend and former trainer.  Without her I would not have walked through the door.

Getting Through It!

Back to Fight Gone Bad.  I was super nervous on the drive there and then when I first arrived.  But, for some reason, when the day began I started to feel pretty calm about the workout itself.  The first heat started at 9am and by the time it was my turn at 11:30, I was ready.  It was really brutal - so much harder than when we do it at the gym.  It was so hot - the air felt like a sauna.  There was actually a point during Round 2 that I didn't think I was going to be able finish..but I did and got a score of 198.  I have no idea if that is good and I really do not care.  It just set an easy goal for next year - get in the 200s....

Amber Looking Soooo Strong!

During Round 3...I was feeling the pain.  Exhaustion was setting in and I had enough.  But seriously, I had one of those moments in life...I don't even know how to put it in words.  I wish I could have taken a photo.  I could literally feel the love around me.  I was doing box jumps and was suddenly overcome with thankfulness and happiness for the fact that I was literally surrounded by people that have carried me to that moment.  My parents, husband and children were all there screaming for me.  My dear friend Kelly P. was there with her parents and son, my friend Heather who is a former colleague...I didn't even know she knew about the event, and my Geaux Crossfit family.  Tom, who is part of the 6am crew came to cheer me on even though he wasn't competing, the owner Johnny, Catherine, and the rest of the Geaux Crossfit family - some I consider friends and others I met for the first time that day.  And my beloved trainer Amber.  She is the one that pushes me to do my best everyday.  She has confidence in me even when I don't.  She is really the one that got me to a point where I felt like I could even attempt something like Fight Gone Bad.  I knew I couldn't let her down...so I pushed through it and finished!!

Truthfully, I am still riding high because of yesterday.  For the first time in my life, I felt like an athlete.  I really never thought I would...and I am going to allow myself this quiet, internal celebration for a few more hours... then, when my alarm rings tomorrow morning, it is back to reality and, more importantly, back to Crossfit!