Strive to be “Breathtaking”

WOD 8/26/09:

For Time:

400 Meter Run

21 Deadlifts (135/95)

21 Burpees

400 Meter Run

15 Deadlifts

15 Burpees

400 Meter Run

9 Deadlifts (this workout appears much longer than it actually is…it is a 21-15-9 rep of deadlifts and burpees, with less than a mile run :+)

9 Burpees

And now to the title of this post:  ”Strive to be Breathtaking.”  Lisbeth, owner of CrossFit Watertown, is a much better writer than me; however, she utters sentiments that I feel each day in the gym.

“It’s OK” By Lisbeth Darsh of CrossFit Watertown.

“It’s okay.” You hear that one all the time, don’t you? On the soccer field, in the classroom, in the office, in your kitchen. Something doesn’t turn out the way you want it to and someone will say, “It’s okay” – even though you both know it is actually horribly wrong.

 

Well, here at CrossFit Watertown, you won’t hear me say that. When some lift, some exercise, some movement gets horribly butchered by one of you, the most you’ll hear me say is: “That happens too.” Because it does happen.

 

But it’s not okay. Not here. Not now. Not in my gym. Not in my world. I won’t accept second-best, half-assed, or “good enough” – and you shouldn’t either. Because you should want more. You should want to be great – even if you’re not capable of it. (Desire and reality don’t necessarily have to be bedfellows, do they?)

 

Being unsatisfied is the only way to improve. Who wants to be mediocre? I don’t. I want most, best, spectacular, outstanding, breathtaking. I want the biggest heart, the fastest run, the heaviest deadlift, the most pull-ups, the best squat. Inside and outside of CrossFit, I want life to be fantastically beautiful with each and every breath I take – and, to get that, I know I have to give everything I have and then give even more. In crazy Courtney Love’s words, I want to be the girl with most cake. Maybe not literally (I hate cake), but you get my point. I want it all.

 

When I was four years old, my dad nailed a basketball hoop to the side of our garage. For every 100 shots I took, one went in. That might seem like a horrible percentage, but when you’re about three feet tall, the rim is a long way from your hands. It’s a big jump shot. So’s life. Toss the ball at the rim again and again. Eventually, one will go in. But don’t decide those 99 other shots were okay. They weren’t. They were necessary. They happened. You learned from them. But they weren’t okay. They were failures. That happens too. Now, we’re gettin’ somewhere.

 

Sven, from Iceland was "breathtaking" to watch get his FIRST MUSCLE UP EVER at the World Games. He refused to settle for mediocrity.

A "breathtaking"performance by Jocelyn Secondi at the Northeast Qualifier

4 Responses for Strive to be “Breathtaking”

1. Mike M:

   August 26, 2009 07:16 am

   Looks like a fun WOD!

   Leave a reply  
2. Mike M:

   August 26, 2009 07:33 am

   Have there been any thoughts on adding a 6:30p/7p on Tuesday and Thursday nights?

   Leave a reply  
3. DP:

   August 26, 2009 08:04 am

   Mike- I'll discuss this with LP and K Dubbs and get back to you asap! Thanks for your feedback.

   Leave a reply  
4. DP:

   August 26, 2009 08:15 am

   Couple people have asked some quesions about the paleo diet and the 80/20 rule.

   The rule is simple: eat healthy and train hard 80% of the time. 20% of the time, live life, take rest days, have a cheat meal. You guys all deserve it.

   You've already made the commitment to achieve elite fitness. So essentially, that makes you far better off than you were 2 weeks ago and 99% of America for that matter. So let's rock it out, get super FIT and have fun!

   Leave a reply