Listen

Lately I've been doing a lot of listening, a lot of paying attention to the voice that doesn't use words, in this case, my body. As an athlete, listening to your body is not always easy, especially when your heart and mind would rather just flip your body the bird and keep on moving. We all know how that ends, though, and it is not a Rumi quote.

A few weeks ago, during my listening phase, I decided to head back to my local crossfit gym, Green Mountain Crossfit at The Confluence. At one point pre-injuries, I was doing crossfit 2-3 times a week there and loving it. For various life and then injury reasons, I fell out of the rhythm of going and it had been a while since I had a good WOD (workout of the day).

I was nervous as I laced up my sneakers and headed down to the workout area. There were some new faces, but most people I recognized, and the warm greeting I got was beyond welcoming. The instructor, Nick, led us through the warm-up and mobility movements as the 9 athletes circled around him. There was one man there who had done a particularly challenging WOD just a couple days before, and with each mobility movement he was exclaiming his soreness and the impossibility of certain positions.  As we reached up with a plastic PVC pipe overhead, we heard a "What the heck...jesus...that's not ok..." and so on. I appreciated his hilarious commentary because while I didn't share his soreness, I was feeling a little rusty in my mobility and I felt he was reading my mind.

After the warm-up and mobility, we got into some strength movements, and then the workout itself. I went easy and light with the weights, but there was no pressure to do otherwise. As Nick walked around, he gave me spot-on tips to correct mistakes in my form that I hadn't noticed myself. I finished the WOD sweaty, but not completely spent, and so excited about how good it felt! As we stretched out, each person I didn't know introduced themselves to me and welcomed me to the gym.

Last week when I blogged about looking for my Golden Egg, a friend wisely commented that I would "find it within." While I completely agree, I also think that a great community who supports, encourages, and coaches you can help you discover what is within. I am so lucky to have found that support at The Confluence. I have been back several times since that first WOD a few weeks ago, and for the next 8 weeks I will be working with the awesome team of instructors and fitness specialists as I train for the Montpelier Mile on July 3rd.

I look forward to keeping you posted on my progress, sharing my goals and what I have learned with this blog. And, if you're local, please join me at The Confluence or on the track!