18.1 and Why the Leaderboard Doesn’t Matter

 

20 minutes is a long time. Did anyone else feel like 18.1 would never end?!

With the CrossFit Games Open season officially underway this weekend, I couldn’t be more excited. Here’s why:

-Community – spending time with athletes and sharing the experience each week is special. To be able to get to do that twice every week (Fridays at Brickhouse and Saturdays at Unify) is truly magical.
-New Athletes – seeing athletes that I’ve just recently taken through CrossFit Fundamentals out on the floor COMPETING is a really cool feeling. Knowing that they are leaving their comfort zones and growing as athletes and people is an awesome thing.
-New Limits – athletes who had only recently gotten toes-to-bar in class, performing 18.1 as RX’d and achieving multiple rounds in the workout. This is growth!
-Old feelings – There aren’t many times throughout the year that we push ourselves physically harder than these 5 weeks. Those feelings came rushing back halfway into 18.1 and it was amazing to feel the upper capacity of what our bodies can do.


If you were nervous before 18.1, you’re not alone. I had butterflies in my stomach the moment I woke up Saturday morning before doing the workout at CrossFit Unify Roanoke.  Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not.

Nervousness shows you care. It shows that you attach value to your performance and strive for excellence. It shows you’re human.

In my mind, the nervousness arose from wondering if this past year of training had paid off. All the workouts, the nutrition, the body work, the habits and personal development – what if the leaderboard shows that it hasn’t? And then I realized…..

It doesn’t matter.

I can’t control the leaderboard. I can’t control what anyone else does or how they perform. The past year I’ve controlled MYSELF and that’s all I can do. The leaderboard now is just another data point in the PROCESS of growth.

During these five weeks, the things I can control are my daily training, nutrition, sleep and recovery.

As Craig Ballantyne says, “Control what you can, cope with what you can’t, concentrate on what matters.”

Each Saturday when doing the workout, what matters is EFFORT and EXECUTION. The result (score) becomes a simple byproduct.

18.1 – AMRAP 20
8 T2B
10 DB Hang Clean & Jerks
14/12 Calorie Row

My goal: 352 reps – 11 rounds
Score: 342 reps – 10 calories short of 11 rounds
Effort and Execution: 100%
Outcome: Success

Lesson from the first week of the 2018 Open: create PROCESS-oriented goals for everything you do, instead of RESULT-oriented goals.


Follow the process that is within your control; the result will follow and is an uncontrollable byproduct. Use it as data, grow from it and move forward.

Bring on 18.2!

Tell me how you did on 18.1!
Follow along on Instagram

 

 

POPULAR POSTS

Recipe: Pizza Chicken

Elevate your protein game with this delicious Pizza Chicken! Packed with lean protein and bursting with flavor, it’s the perfect post-workout refuel recipe. With fresh

SCHEDULE YOUR FREE INTRO

Talk with a coach about your goals, get the plan to achieve them.

FILL OUT THE FORM TO GET STARTED

Take the first step toward getting the results you want!