Shavers and Whores

"Worry about yourself."

That's what everyone says, and I should take that advice someday.  But for right now, I worry about a lot more than myself, and if I could manage to stop I would save myself a few gray hairs and blood pressure points.  Of course we all worry about things beyond ourselves: our kids, our families, war, personal devastation of any kind.  Those are all important things that we should worry about - but that's not what I'm writing about.

I'm writing about Shavers and Whores, because they impact one hour of my life when I'm trying to better myself, even though I should be ignoring them.  Because, you see, among the convivial, teamlike, encouraging and supportive environment that makes up most Crossfit gyms, there are Rep Shavers and Clock Whores.  And they are supportive along with all the other people.  As they finish before you, they come and stand next to you and say, "C'mon, you can do it - you're almost done."  And there goes my sanity, right when it's at it's most fragile point, in the last stretch of a grueling hour that I use to make myself better and happier, not angry.  In hindsight, the anger acts a bit like jet fuel, providing super-human strength and endurance when I need it most.

The Clock Whore: This is the guy or girl that wants a great time to write on the board, above all else.  He or she wants to be up there with the hard core athletes, the ones who might be blessed with God-given talent but also have worked their butts off to achieve the level at which they compete.  The Clock Whore (ha, I was going to make that a CW but that's my husband's initials and he definitely is NOT a Clock Whore, so I would probably have to pay dearly for that) does not care about form or technique, would never "no rep" themselves and try again for better form, and is asking, no, BEGGING, for an injury.  There are times when people focus more on form, and time when people try to increase their speeds.  But keeping both in mind will prevent injury and allow for many more years to work on their next PR (that's Personal Record in case you're out of the loop).

The Rep Shaver: This is just a cheater.  If everyone is working out as a group, and you must say to yourself, "18, 19, 20, 49, 50 - Close enough, done," then your time looks good with the rest of the group.  And I hope you feel better in that brief moment of finishing with everyone else.  But this elusive success is short-lived, and failure has longevity.  This is where I say, "You are only cheating yourself."  And that's true, so why do I feel violated? I think it's because of  -- return to paragraph 1 -- I have a hard time worrying about myself.  But also, I have a hard time letting you take the same credit for the hard work and counting Every. Single. Rep. that I do. 

If you suspect you sometimes take the easier road and fall into the Shaver or Whore groups, here's some advice: Stop Selling Yourself Short. You are capable of doing and completing the workout.  It might take you longer than it takes another person, but who cares? After all, when the same workout pops back up 6 months from now, what do we do? We check our previous times and weights.  If they are honest numbers, then challenging them is fun! There's no better feeling at the end of a workout then to say, "New PR.  By 30 lbs and 3 minutes." It's then that you know your investment in discipline, time and money is paying off.  You are getting healthier, stronger, and faster. 

There are many workouts where I am questioning my ability to get through even as the coach is counting down to start.  It's also frustrating to see everyone else finish, knowing that I have a little bit or a lotta bit of the journey still ahead of me.  There is no point in cheating myself.  For that hour, on that day, with whatever is going on in my life, with however I feel, I will complete it to the best of my ability (Yes, that includes muscle soreness, colds, allergies, and hangovers.)

Okay.  Now I'm going to go worry about myself.  I've got exactly one hour before the kids get home, and then I get to worry about someone else again.