I had recently completed all 5 workouts in the CrossFit Open after not doing much upper body work in the 2 months previous due to a hand injury. I’m not at a Crossfit gym currently and wanting to do some of the things I enjoy outside of Crossfit (CF).
During the period I had the hand injury I was doing more cycling and running. I realised how much I enjoyed running and set myself a few goals. First, I wanted to run more frequently and build up slowly to make sure I didn’t injure myself. It worked and I was able to get up to running a 10km.
If you don’t know much about CF, they have something called GPP (general physical preparedness), which means if you do CF style exercises, you should be prepared to take on other activities and/or sports. I’ve been doing some CF style workouts along with running, climbing, and cycling.
So, looking for a new goal I wanted to put this GPP theory to the test. I chose to run a half-marathon. Before starting CF back in 2009 I ran a lot and could run a half marathon in under 88min. This is a 4:10/km pace. Today with less running specific training, I was hoping to do sub 5:00/km pace. A much slower pace, but perfectly acceptable without the training.
It was a great unknown on how I would do today. I started out too fast and struggled with pace through kilometres 16, 17, 18, and 19. I finished strong trying to get under 1 hr 45 min but was a little slower than I thought I would be.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because we all need to be challenged and taken out of our comfort zone. This is how we grow and become better versions of ourselves. When we are stuck in the same old patterns and routines, we become stagnant in our growth.
How can you challenge yourself to become better? Is it a physical challenge like mine? Is it a mental challenge? Could it be a nutritional challenge? What about a travelling adventure? Get out of your comfort zone by challenging yourself to a new or old and stop being afraid of those things you WISH you could do.
Leave a message in the comment about your next challenge.
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