This was a little intimidating, but overall not so bad. There were many people at Rocky Lake that had plenty of Crossfit experience, not just those that had been there since it opened its doors almost a year earlier, but people who had some history with the sport. But in the months that Shane had the club open before my arrival, he had cultivated a pretty close nit group of people who were very supportive of beginners. And I know from experience why – teaching actually helps you get better at something. Whether it’s academics, sport, work – it doesn’t really matter – if you look critically at something someone else is doing and apply your comparatively greater experience to then give them pointers on how to try things differently, it helps you learn yourself. It helps you develop a deeper knowledge of what you’re helping them with. And there were plenty of people at Rocky Lake that seemed to understand that.
The first MANY classes, as fit as I thought I might have been going in, I was outpaced by pretty much everyone in the room. Anyone that had been there even for a month had a fitness level that was pretty strong and adaptable to the varied workouts that were thrown at us. It was humbling but also challenged me to work harder. I started signing up for more like 4 classes a week – a few during the week and at least one day on the weekend.
Then, just a couple of weeks before Christmas, I got perhaps the worst cold I’ve ever had. So bad that I couldn’t attend class – I couldn’t stop coughing much less exercise. Frustrating. And by the time I was well enough to get back into class regularly, the Christmas holidays were upon us and that meant a reduced schedule of classes. So I went to whatever I could, and waited for the regular schedule to resume so I could get back into the swing of it again.
