What do you consider to be a PR? Is it a number, a value, a weight, an accomplishment that has a measurement, an ability, an action- I consider it to be all of these.
Today, at crossfit, one of my friends did something she had never done before. When you enter your score in our system, if you achieve a higher weight, you get a gold medal next to your name. This is nice for a coach to see to show that the programming is effective and that people are getting results.
I'm not going to lie, it is nice to see a gold medal by my name.
Back to my friend, she was upset because she had never done this movement before (PR right there) and so her entry was new and did not get a PR since there was no previous record to measure against.
The coach said "you don't need a fake yellow measure to tell you that you are doing great!"
I loved it so much. Seriously, the little yellow medal only shows up for weight lifting numbers, and for benchmark wods. It does not show up for the following:
- you committing to join.
- you signing up and showing up
- you showing up before the sun rises day after day
- you showing up when the thermometer doesn't even tip 0'
- you showing up the morning after a blizzard
- you sweating profusely through your clothes because you are working as hard as you can
-you willingly admitting and modifying movements you are not yet capable of, but still participating with 110%
-you never ever ever quitting
- you gasping for air, but still moving
- you completing a task you were not capable of before
- you reaching a range of motion once unattainable
The gold medal does not show up for lots of things, but here's what does. Shouts, cheers, claps, jumping- that's what! Sometimes we don't need a gold medal to be near our name, we can let everyone else know by our reactions. I tend to do a cartwheel when I do something I once could not do before. The gold medal is not watching you day in and day out, but I'll tell you who is, your coaches and your wod mates- we are there for you, we notice things and we recognize things the gold medal knows nothing of.
I can see the determination in your face when you are pushing hard, I can see your frustration when you are trying something that is difficult, I see your excitement when you surpass your own expectations, I see the glow in your skin, I see the confidence in your stride, I see the gains in the muscles you are starting to build, I see the progress in your movements, I see the sweat angels you leave on the floor- I do not let these things pass me by as the gold medal so often does.
The gold medal is cool and can make you feel special, but so can you. When you get a PR, whatever it is, even if it's not quantifiable or measurable, I better find out about it by your reaction, I better hear you scream or see you do it. I want to feel the vibes shooting through the room.
What you are doing every day you show up, you are working towards that numerical PR, you are striving for that gold medal. That gold medal pales in comparison to the rewards you are getting every day. You are being rewarded with a healthier longer life because of a better, stronger, more confident you.
Focus on the work, sweat, range of motion, and just the bigger picture. The work you are doing is never unnoticed. We see it all and we are damn proud. One of the best parts of my job as a coach is being able to cheer someone on and to celebrate PR's, big, small, tiny, minuscule, it doesn't matter. Show up, sweat, fight, grunt, breathe hard, push through, carry on, and you will always have a gold medal in my eyes.
LOVE
ReplyDelete