Stay For the Struggle

If you’re going to leave so soon the least you could do is say goodbye.

Jokes, no need to get emotional, folks. In all seriousness, I can’t stand it when people leave their box before everyone is done with the workout.

Okay, circumstantial. If you have somewhere to be, you have somewhere to be. But otherwise, sit your ass down and chill for 15 more minutes until us slow pokes are finished. I’m sure your body could do with a good stretch and roll before you continue on with your day.

I’m very often one of the last people in my class to finish the WOD. I’m getting better, but all in good time; that’s a whole other realm to write about at a later time.

This morning was the first time it had actually bothered me even though it happens every single time. The people who finish first seem to book the hell out of there, maybe saying a quick “bye” and “thank you” to the coaches.

Y’all. Come on. One of my favorite things about CrossFit is how motivating everyone is to each other, and even if there are two people who are ten minutes behind the cool kids, we still want a little encouragement now and then.

Not every time, calm down. Like I said, if you can’t stay, you can’t stay, but at the very least take the two seconds to walk over to the last worker-outers and say a “You got this!” or some inspiring shit like such. You just did the workout and you know how much it sucked, so take into account how much it sucks for a longer amount of time than what you threw up onto the white board.

Each person’s intensity is relatively the same. What I put into my workout is what I get out of it, and whatever Jim over there puts into his ring dips is the same as the girl that killed it Rx’d and finished three minutes before anyone else in the class.

We are all different but we all feel the same in those moments that we strive to complete something that makes us all struggle equally.

Back to my point: Don’t leave without saying something, and if you can wait, please do. Support those whom you shared that struggle with at the start until they reach the very end. It is incredibly disheartening to be one of the last two people left in the box with the coach. It shouldn’t be, but it is. If you don’t care about the people you work out with on a daily basis then start caring. We all clearly have a shared interest in something. We continue to put ourselves through CrossFit, there’s bound to be something else to relate to. You don’t have to establish a besty status with anyone, by any means, it’s fine. Just - you know - care.

We’re only human, but we’re also CrossFitters, which means there is so much more to us than meets the eye. Find out what that is. Don’t be socially awkward with your class after you just shared such an emotional and physical experience together. The shared experience is the closest you can get to intimacy without taking off more than just your shirts. It’s a non-physical intimacy. It’s an understanding that everyone could do what we are doing if they wanted to, but we are the ones who are doing it.

Share that, even if it's just with a fist bump at the end of the WOD when one of you is laying on the floor because the other finished seven minutes ago. That's probably the most motion you can make with your hand after all of those toes-to-bars, anyhow.

 Song of the day