14.1 Recap

When I saw the announcement on Thursday for the 14.1 Crossfit Games workout, I was concerned. 30 double unders seemed doable; however, the 15 power snatches were intimidating. The snatch movement and I are not exactly on the best of terms. Nonetheless, I had registered and committed to the workouts for March.

Prior to the 9am competition workout, I spent some time foam rolling my quads and using the lacrosse ball on my shoulder. With my rotator being a bit off, I wanted to be sure everything was nice and loose. Once I arrived at the gym, I spent about 15 more minutes stretching, rolling, and warming up. The excitement and nerves radiated throughout the group. It was an opportunity to test our skills and catch up with gym buddies we might not see on a daily basis. I chatted with friends and tried to drink in as many demos as possible while warming up.

Due to my discomfort with the snatch movement, I opted to wait a few rounds to participate. It was a ton of fun cheering and watching the athletes in the first two rounds. As my round (3) approached, I became more and more nervous. I stared at that bar (55lbs) with a bit of fear, but knew I could not quit at this point.

Jon started the clock and as the countdown to 10 minutes ticked down, I thought to myself "I don't know what is going to happen, but I have to try." Once I started cranking out the first round of double unders, my confidence picked up a bit. But then, I headed over to the barbell and had thoughts of doubt. Much to my surprise, I completed the first power snatch with no issues! And then a second and a third! They were not easy, but I was actually completing them. After that, the remaining time became a blur. I had to listen for my counter to announce the reps as I moved into a state of complete concentration on movement.

In the end, I completed 3 full rounds of the movements with an additional 20 double unders. The total count for 14.1 was 155 reps! This was so much more than I ever thought I could do going into the workout. There was a fabulous group of ladies (Breanne, Corinne, and Erica) cheering me on, so thanks to them! I know I pushed myself because immediately following the workout, I had extreme abdominal distress, which luckily subsided with enough time for me to cheer on some of the other athletes in round four.

Therefore, I can say that my first crossfit games workout was challenging, inspiring, and memorable. These movements are not things I would have even considered possible 2 years ago, but here I am crushing my goals!