Okay, so I will start out with a confession. When I first received the January newsletter that included the CFB Member of the Month, my initial reaction was that this was sort of a silly designation and I hoped that I would not be picked for this distinction. (Sorry Georgia, Hillary and Jordan!) However, I have read each and every biography with enthusiasm and I have really appreciated the chance to get to know members at the box better, so when I was asked to be the April CFB Member of the Month – I was really happy to be asked.
1. Age & Occupation:
I am 47 years old and I am an attorney. (Yes, I am the same age and occupation as Bobby!) I am not practicing law full time, as my primary focus is caring for my family and managing life with four kids in four schools! I spend a lot of time helping out at my children’s schools and at our family’s church, Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church. Did you know that I will be chaperoning 50 high school students on a mission trip to Belize for a week in June to help construct a church building and run a Vacation Bible School for 200 children? At least 2 kids who are going on this mission trip have worked out here at CFB! This will be the third mission trip that I have attended with Kirk in the Hills.
2. How long have you been doing CrossFit?
The end of this month will mark my two year anniversary of doing CrossFit. I really enjoy the workouts and even more so, I love getting to know the people. I was really intrigued to try CrossFit, but it actually took me a year and a half to get the confidence and determination to call Hillary and Jordan to try the intro.
3. Why do you do CrossFit?
I came to CrossFit to get in shape and to try to stay in shape. I am particularly motivated to work out when I contemplate the struggles that my parents have with general mobility in their aging years. My father is 86 and my mother is 83 and neither one of them are able to walk easily unassisted. Additionally, my brother struggles with both walking and standing because of health issues. I often think about my family and how some of them simply could not even attempt scaled versions of our workouts, so I want to give my best efforts to take care of my health so that I can take care of those that I love.
4. What is your favorite movement? and 5. What is your least favorite movement?
Really? A favorite? No. I have a love/hate relationship with all of the movements. I typically dread the start of each workout and then love the fact that I was able to finish it. The sense of accomplishment from completing a workout that I am uncertain of performing is one of the biggest motivators to keep me going with CrossFit. This has been exemplified through my participation in the CrossFit Open both last year and this year. When members of CFB were signing up for the Open last year, I honestly did not even know what the CrossFit Open was. When it was explained to me, I was asked if I would participate and I replied that “No, I can’t perform the skills required for participation.” Our CFB Coach responded, “Don’t focus on what you CAN’T do, focus on what you CAN do.” I appreciated her encouragement and I signed up. As a scaled CrossFitter, the workouts were just a little out of my reach. When I attempted 14.2 on a Friday, I just could not OHS 65 lbs. and the 2014 Open did not include a scaled option. I tried the workout for the full three minute time cap, but a 65# OHS was not in the cards. Instead of getting discouraged, I attempted 14.2 for a second time on Monday. Surprisingly, I was able to hit 6 reps. Had I not signed up for the Open, I am certain that I would have walked away from this workout assuming that it was out of reach. This year, when 14.2 was reincarnated as 15.2, I felt that I could handle the 10 OHS at 65 lbs., but I had never done a C2B pullup. In working with another CFB member, I learned that I could attempt this skill with a reverse grip and I was able to hit the mark. My 14.2 Open workout that started with a score of 0 became a 15.2 Open workout score of 33 for which I was both surprised and proud. (You can ask Bobby and Jordan how painful it was to watch me attempt my double unders and T2B in the 2014 Open workouts and each of them will attest to the fact that with time, comes progress).
I will also add a quick note about my 15.5 experience since this workout is still fresh in our minds and in our muscles. Last Friday, I approached 15.5 with the attitude that I wanted to better my 14.5 score of 27.12. I was able to clock in at 18:37 and I knew that I gave it my all. But I had hoped to be closer to 15 or 16 minutes. Throughout the weekend, I thought about how I broke up my thrusters and how much time I spent resting in the WOD with the barbell still above my head. I decided that I really wanted to redo 15.5, just to see if I could approach the workout differently and end up with different results. On Monday, I redid 15.5 with the determination to do the thrusters in sets of 3 throughout the entire workout. The small sets made a big difference in my results because my body did not hit complete failure. I dropped 3 minutes and 16 seconds for a final time of 15:21.
6. Do you follow a particular diet to fuel your training?
I do my best to eat clean and choose fresh, healthy foods, but I do not follow a strict diet.
7. What are your short term goals?
I want to keep working out regularly and keep working on my skills. My double unders are painfully slow, but I am determined to get better at them.
8. What are your long term goals?
On a long term basis, I want to inspire my family (and in particular, my kids) to keep caring for their health. When I was really busy in my early professional years and as a new mother, I did not make the time to stay fit. As a result, I slipped a disc in my back and was unable to walk after the birth of my fourth child. I ended up in physical therapy and developed a determination to strengthen my core so that a simple task like walking would not be a challenge.
Also, when I signed up for CrossFit two years ago, I also signed up for my first race – a half marathon. I ran the Brooksie Way Half Marathon in September 2013 with a goal of finishing the race. I was able to finish with a time of 1 hour, 58 minutes. I am thinking about running a few more races.
9. What is your biggest achievement at CFB?
Walking through the door on the first day and continuing to come.
10. If there was a WOD named after you, what would it be?
I don’t know! I have my sights set on doing the Filthy Fifty for my 50th birthday in a few years. In November 2017, we can call it Amy’s birthday WOD.
Parting words …
In wrapping up – I would offer that my view on working out here at CFB is that you should do this for yourself. Run your own race & set your own goals. Be proud of what you are accomplishing today and set new goals for tomorrow – even if the goal is mainly just to keep showing up.
