“Once in a while, it’s good to challenge yourself in a way that’s really daunting.”
Since returning to Dubai in January 2020, I have participated in numerous fitness events around the city, mostly in pairs, trios or teams of 4,5,6 athletes (aside from our internal community weightlifting/powerlifting throwdowns). Many of these events have challenged me with new formats (e.g. Hyrox and Primal Race), movemenents (e.g. swimming and sled pulls) and/or equipement (e.g. the worm and the yoke).
Being part of a team has been a whole lot of fun, and I’ve been so incredibly blessed to team-up with some really good athletes who have pushed me to achieve great things, both in training and in competition. That said, for a little while now, I’ve sort of wondered what it’d be like to compete individually again. Are my body and mind still up for this kind of challenge?
Throughout my time living in Vietnam, from 2017 to 2019, I became fully invested in the sport of CrossFit. I thoroughly enjoyed working out, coaching, and especially competing, particularly when it involved travelling to other countries. Over the course of one year, I participated in 5 different events, 4 of which required getting on a plane. In 2018, I competed in Thailand (which was my first ever CF competition), Malaysia, as well as Vietnam (where I lilved at the time). In 2019, I travelled to the Philippines and to Indonesia.
Being able to combine my interests for both fitness and travel throughout that one year was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately though, after leaving Vietnam in 2019, alot happened, and my passion for CF has never quite been the same since then.
A few months ago, I came across a post on IG for a competition which will take place in Egypt in November and this sparked something in me. The thought immediately crossed my mind that, after 4 years, maybe I would like to try another individual competition. So, over the summer holidays, I completed the 4 required qualifying workouts. I knew I was not at all prepared for the qualifiers, but I figured I had nothing to lose. If I qualified, great, and if not, I had other team events to look forward to here in the UAE.
Just recently, the results of the qualifiers were released, and I’m happy to confirm that I made the cut, but just barely.
This reminded me that I was in a very similar position back in 2019 when I had barely made the cut for the competition in the Philippines, and after weeks of intense training, I managed to work my way up the leaderboard throughout the competition weekend. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had to this day; the entire process taught me alot about myself, as well as what I’m capable of, both physically and mentally.
Now, despite the fact that I have made progress in many areas since my last individual competition, one issue I have been facing over the last few years is that of feeling somewhat sick during short and quick CF workouts. As of late, I have really been enjoying powerlifting and weightlifting, but give me a workout with thrusters, burpees or the assault bike, and suddenly my nerves become uncontrolable and my anxiety is through the roof. This terrible feeling has caused me to doubt myself and to question whether I can get myself back in a position to compete in the sport.
But, really, what do I have to lose (aside from the costs for flights and accommodations, and unpaid days off work)? In the grand scheme of things, my overall placement holds very little importance in comparison to my efforts and the experience I will gain.
My only expectations towards myself over the next 2 months are to commit to the process while still having fun training, and then to lay it all out there on the competition floor when the time comes. I know it is going to require alot of hard work, commitment and sacrifice, as well as lots of discomfort, and I won’t deny the fact that it’s all a bit ‘scary’, but I’m also quite excited for the opportunity to travel and compete internationally again.
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