Who’s Who: Debra
18 Jan
1-18-2010
1) 10 min muscle-up practice, alternate w/ L-sit holds.
2) “Rhiannon”
AMRAP double unders in 10 min?
3) 100 med ball tosses for time. (100 each, mix your throws. If ball hits ground, 10 burpees each.)
For this next Who’s Who we have Debra. She recently took the time to write us a testimonial about her experiences here at the gym. Some of you who were not so athletic before Crossfit may identify with Debra’s story.
I was never an athlete. Active, yes, but not an athlete. Typical childhood activities: bicycling, rollerskating, dance lessons, softball. But I never excelled at anything. On a whim I went to a basketball tryout in junior high. I was not chosen. Surprise! I had never played, did not come from a sports family, and had no clue about how tryouts worked. I felt embarrassed at my public display of ineptitude. Which of course for a teenager is the most terrifying emotion possible. What was worse than not making the team was how it colored my view of sports and myself. I would not think of myself as athletic or tryout for anything competitive again. I went back to my comfort zone: biking or the occasional bout of running or lifting some light dumbbells at the gym and stayed there. For approximately the next 30 years.
Then 40 struck. Ok, I thought, I’m going to start running again. Be better. I worked up to a 5K and even improved my time a little. But then I started losing interest and all that effort fizzled away. I needed something different.
I started surfing for Portland gyms and found Crossfit. Hmm. Interesting. Now in other parts of my life I am not a shrinking violet. I have gone toe-to-toe with some tough guys without thinking twice to defend my team or my project at work. And if you threaten my cub this momma bear will tear your head off. But I spent two months looking at the website before I got the nerve to call. Those adolescent fears die hard.
The Paleo diet sold me. Prior to finding Crossfit I had begun to shift to a low carb diet and did not want some trainer telling me I needed to eat brown rice to survive. I finally called and made an appointment for an intro. Whew. The hardest part was over. I met with Rochelle and liked her immediately (who wouldn’t?) and signed up for OnRamp.
I wasn’t expecting to be the fastest- ha- or the strongest but I didn’t know I would be the slowest either. Teenage horror struck again; I was the fat slow kid in gym class! (I was relieved Crossfit does not make you choose teams to participate) The first few weeks I felt intimidated and down on myself. This time, however, I had the perspective of 40 years. I remembered my 11 year-old softball season, the one where we did not win one game, a la Bad News Bears. We missed easy grounders, struck out, and knocked into each trying to catch pop flies but we also had the most fun that season. Just the joy of running and playing and moving your body. So now when I get lapped even with a head start, I tap my inner Bad News Bear and laugh. This is the most fun workout I have had in a long time.
I still can’t shoot a basketball but I am an athlete.
How were you introduced to Crossfit? I found it surfing for Portland gyms.
Favorite WOD/lift: Snatch
I have always wanted to: live abroad
1 word people use to describe me: conscientious.
Outside of the gym I like to garden
Something nobody knows about me or would be surprised to know about me: I know how to polka
Favorite physical activity outside of Crossfit: bicycling
Favorite place to eat in Portland: Toro Bravo
Song that gets me pumped up for a workout: Would I Lie to You? by the Eurythmics
Proudest accomplishment: professionally: meeting a huge deadline while understaffed and under resourced, before my better allocated colleagues. Personally: my son Max
Debra,
Your story is so inspiring! I can definitely relate. Thank you so much for sharing.
Way to go, Deb! You are a great lesson on confidence and perseverance! You are doing awesome. I really enjoy seeing you and your smile on those odd days I get to be there in the morning.
You’re awesome and inspire!! I love to see you at training sometimes.
Great story Debra, very inspirational stuff! I had my wife read this after I did today. Your story is so similar to my wifes, and I think that you may have given her a nudge in the CF direction.
Now, if only I can convince her that sweat isn’t gross…
Thanks for all the nice comments! CF has been such a positive experience me, especially being part of such a supportive community.
Thanks for sharing! Being an “athlete” is a state of mind and the mind is a powerful thing! I see you in the morning and it is so nice to know you better.
Yay Deb! You’ve made such awesoem progress.
Debra I love your story keep it up girl!