Last Thursday CrossFit Open workout 15.1 (and 15.1a) was announced. For some people it signalled the first ‘official’ test of their CrossFit training, for others it was an opportunity to see how they compared on the Leaderboard compared to last year, for others it was the first step on their road to Regionals.

Although different participants bring and have different agendas to and for The Open, each WOD provides an individual with the opportunity or a basis on which to measure or compare; a sort of ‘judgement day’ if you will. Unfortunately I think sometimes participants (including myself) get too caught up in comparing themselves to others, worrying about whether they ‘did well’ and reading far too much into not doing as well as they’d hoped or expected. For all but a very very few, The Open is the ‘finals’; there will be no Regionals, there will be no Games. I say this not to rain on anyone’s parade, but instead to try to encourage everyone to enjoy their parade. Do the WODs, push yourself, have fun with your friends, do the best you can, but be sure to enjoy what you’re doing. Whether or not you hit a PB will depend on the programming and your training, but whether or not you have fun and enjoy The Open comes down to you, your attitude and approach.

For me, 15.1 made me face an entirely different form of judgement. My biggest stress last week hitting 15.1 (apart from forgetting something at the Box (which I seem to have developed a particular talent for of late!)), was having to enter my weight on my profile. 170lbs. Yup, there’s a fair bit of me, and I know full well that more than a few people will think ‘geez she’s heavy’ or something to that effect. In my usual way I got to thinking, ‘so what’? It’s a number, some things would be better if it were less, but right now, it is what it is. Much like I’m going to try not to read anything good or bad into a particular WOD result, I’m trying (very) hard not to read anything good or bad into my weight. Do I think some people will? Yeah, I’m pretty sure some people will, but there’s no way I’m letting that kind of judgement interfere with the fun and enjoyment I’m having with this year’s CrossFit Open!