WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT STRENGTH

I HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN CROSSFIT FOR ROUGHLY 3+ YEARS WITH NO PREVIOUS WORKOUT EXPERIENCE AS FAR AS RUNNING AND STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING GOES.  I THOUGHT THOSE GUYS AND GALS (ESPECIALLY) WERE STRONG, FIT AND JUST DOWN RIGHT CRAZY.  I COULDN'T BELIEVE THE AMOUNT OF SKILL THAT WAS PRESENT IN DOING SUCH SIMPLE MOVEMENTS LIKE DOUBLE UNDERS TO THE MORE COMPLEX ONES LIKE SNATCHES.  ON TOP OF THAT THE PROGRAM THROWS MAKES YOU INTO A HUMAN GUMBO.  I QUICKLY LEARNED THAT PAIN WAS JUST APART OF THE DAILY DOSE OF ANTI AWESOME FOR YOUR MUSCLES.

AFTER SPENDING SOME TIME INDOCTRINATING MYSELF INTO THE PAIN CAVE I COULDN'T HELP BUT REALIZE THAT I HAVE KNOWN THE STRONGEST PERSON WAS RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE.  MY GRANDMOTHER ROSIE.  SHE NEVER GAVE UP ON ANYTHING THAT I CAN REMEMBER, AND WAS NICE TO THE POINT OF PUTTING NUNS TO SHAME ;).  NO MATTER HOW TIRED OR HURT SHE WAS SHE WOULD TRY HER BEST TO GET LIFE DONE.  ALTHOUGH SHE DIDN'T WORK AS I WAS GROWING UP BECAUSE OF VARIOUS MEDICAL ISSUES, DEPRESSION, MILD PARKINSONS, BREAST CANCER (WHICH EVENTUALLY TOOK HER LIFE RECENTLY AS IT MORPHED INTO STAGE 4.  

BUT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HER FOR THE STRENGTH SHE SHOWED, ESPECIALLY AFTER HER FIRST DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER 9 YEARS AGO.  I WATCHED AS CHEMO TOOK OVER BUT SHE STILL FOUGHT TO GET BACK TO AS CLOSE TO NORMAL AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT A COMPLAINT THAT I CAN REMEMBER.  

SO THIS BRINGS ME TO MY POINT, I'VE DONE MANY A PAINFUL CROSSFIT WORKOUTS BUT I CAN'T SIT HERE AND SAY THAT ANY OF THEM WERE THE EQUIVALENT OF THE PAIN SHE ENDURED OVER SEVERAL MONTHS/YEARS FROM VARIOUS MEDICATIONS,CHEMO TREATMENT POSSIBLY POOR DIET.  SO I DEFINITELY KEEP HER INT HE BACK OF MY MIND WHEN I'M SUFFERING THROUGH A WOD OR FEEL LIKE GIVING UP.  I DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO DO THIS AS I SEE IT BECAUSE UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE ME COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW I SUCK AT THIS OR THAT DURING A CROSSFIT WORKOUT SHOULD BE ACCEPTED BY ME.  I'VE HAD THE STRONGEST PERSON IN MY CORNER FOR YEARS,  WHICH HAS EMERGED IN WAYS THAT HAS RECENTLY DAWNED ON ME THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.  I WROTE HER NAME ON MY OLY SHOES, DEDICATED A WOD TO HER 2 ROUNDS 16 WALL BALLS, 8 MUSCLE UPS, 16 BOX JUMP BURPEES, CARRY A #95 BARBELL 100M DO 21 OHS, CARRY IT BACK. 

OH AND AWESOME "FUCK CANCER" T-SHIRTS.  

I will try not to hold myself back and continue to fight through what comes my way in the gym...destroy, erase, improve.