Post Open Wrap Up

So- the 2014 Crossfit Open is over. Pukie the clown never showed and no one was medivac'd out for rhabdomylosis. There were tears of pain and tears of joy, with lots of gnashing of teeth and writhing in agony. So what did we learn? How did we do?

Dan wrapping up w/ swagger.

First, despite my own misgivings and critiques, I really had a good time. Thursday nights were something to look forward to w/ the DeDomenicas family to catch the pro's doing the WOD at the announcement- a real family affair.

I dreaded and loved the hype and the workouts. The WOD's were killer hard, as they should be. Loved that about them too.

Lessons: An Open WOD is a just a workout. The hype, buildup and release of the workouts caused more mental anguish than any physical discomfort. Folks were all kinds fo amp'd up with anticipation. I too got swept up in the fervor of the moment; what can they throw at us? Can I do it? Jesus, muscle ups- I'm DOA, etc... In all reality- each workout was just another typical long Saturday 'Ben Burner' of  a workout. Unless you stand a chance of going to regionals- the workout didn't really matter, your mindset was much more important.

Ryan hammering the burpees w/ supporting fans!

Second- The do over. I have to say being able to do the workouts a second time to improve your score- not really doing it for me. When you compete- you only get to do it once. I understand if you are sick, have to work, injured, etc...and you must postpone. But if you want to compete- train like it- be on the stage for the gold medal when you perform your best. Dont do it over, its a bad habit for a life that in general doesn't hand you second chances and I assure you, there wont be the opportunity for one in the regionals. If you are going to give it your all- don't do it in the first place. Parenthetically- waiting till the last minute so you have other results to chase kind of rubs me the wrong way- unless you are in a Chase Event in a Pentathlon(different ideal), running after a static score to snipe a lead off the board kind of reinforces the I can't do it on my own- please help incentivize me attitude. It is not building a strong character or helping you push yourself. 

Ramiro w/ the warmup.

Third-The numbers. So running a comp w/ 150,000+ participants posits many crazy challenges, but the scoring system and the display and systematization were pleasantly successful. More than adequate to separate out the real competitors and everyone else while allowing individuals to gauge themselves and their performance. I did find myself at first getting wrapped up in the fervor of number crunching- checking my score- calculating percentiles- gauging my abilities based on the numerous categories available. However, in the end, I started and finished about the same place. Hats off to the programmers for a reasonably successful effort to determine the most well rounded and fit individual in strength and endurance.

 Overall the experience was a roller coaster emotionally and physically.Work travel got in the way- but allowed the opportunity to try another CF gym in PHL- made some new friends in the process!
 

The buildup all week to perform was a mental burden of pressure that was alleviated each Friday monring like an explosive kettle. Workouts played to my strong suit and then bashed my ego pointing out weaknesses. A tremendous learning experience, for starters pointing out weaknesses on many things; snatches, OHS, C2B and rep schemes are too short.  As a metric on level of fitness- except for a super long endurance or super agile event (A 10k or 1/2 marathon event would have been righteous! A man can dream!)- it was pretty well rounded on all aspects of strength and short cardio.  I feel I did very well. Coming in at a strong 299 in the North East Masters 40-44 division. Fuck, I'm old, but still kicking ass!

Worldwide in my division, Top 40%- fantastic having been doing this for only 8 months.

 The real takeaway here was the spirit in the gym- every one who signed up worked hard, supported & pushed each other to new limits and  found new things in themselves.

Some folks kicked out not just 1 rep but 10's of reps of new PR's! How incredible is that?!!! There were no put downs, no smack talk  just encouragement- I have NEVER seen that in any competition. Anywhere. Ever.Will I do it again next year? Probably. Did I have fun? You bet!