Humble Pie

Last week, I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine who happens to be an incredibly strong CrossFit athlete. She commented that "the frustrating and fun thing about CrossFit is that there is always SO much that needs improving". That's why I love her (and CrossFit). It takes a special kind of person to find enjoyment out of always having to master something new. Some people may consider it masochistic. I prefer to think of it as enjoyable :)

Amusement aside, what she said is (to me) the heart of CrossFit. It never gets easier. Ever. Once you master a movement, you are then compelled to do it faster. Lift heavier. Throw a twist into it to push yourself just that little bit further.

It's that same never ending drive that attracts me to endurance running. Once I was able to run 5K, I had to tackle 5 miles. Then a 10K. A half marathon. The marathon. A 50k. Soooner (rather than later) a 50 mile and 100 mile race. Get faster, run further.

Not everyone has that kind of drive (this is not a judgement, merely an observation). Sometimes, I wish I could be content with where I am, athletically. But I'm not. And that's one of the reasons I'm drawn to both CrossFit and running. Because there's always something that I can improve on. Always. I don't think the day will ever come when I can step back, look upon my abilities and be totally content.

As a character flaw, it's a pretty good one to have in terms of growing with CrossFit. The great thing about CrossFit as an exercise methodology is that it's infinitely scalable. Most of us tend to think of that in only one direction - simplification. But the real beauty is that every single Main Site WOD can be scaled in such a way so that it's challenging to even the most accomplished athlete. That, in my humble opinion, is what makes CrossFit so popular.

CrossFit never gets any easier. Can it get more beautiful than that?

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