I COULD DIE On Tuesday of this past week i was attacked by a pit bull. I walked from my apartment to my Landlords door, knocked, stepped back from the door and waited for him to answer. I was waiting patiently so i could tell him the washing machine was broken, instead i listened to his pit bull go crazy barking, growling, and jumping at the door. I was just about to walk a away..the dog busted down the door and i was facing the jaws of a hostile territorial pit bull. Before i could blink the pit bull ran up and attacked me ..i felt its teeth rip into my arm, I wondered if the beast broke my arm, it quickly disappeared behind me and i felt the piercing of its fangs in my leg...the animal then circled to the front of me. "OH MY GOD, I could die at the hands of this dog! I am going to have to fight for my life", I thought. In an instant I could feel my TERROR rise up from the pit of my stomach consume my senses, and i wanted to RUN. Suddenly I heard my father's voice "when an dog becomes aggressive BE STILL". KEEP CALM I grew up with a Dad who was not only a Park Ranger but he used to breed and train dogs to hunt. In this terrifying moment i had to trust his advice that he gave me as a little girl. I began to talk to myself ..."you are not allowed to panic, the dog can sense your fear, you need to just breathe..inhale and exhale slowly, relax your body so the dog perceives you as non- threatening" That Crossfit switch flipped in my head, where you know you can go past the pain, past your fear and I began to breathe to decompress just like i do right before i hear my coaches in crossfit say "3-2-1-GO!" I felt my body start loosen, I kept my eyes on the canine but kept my gaze lowered and i felt my severe anxiety start to recede . "OK Elisa, just breathe, you can do this, keep calm, think!" I start to pray "OK Lord, i am all alone here, there is no one ...no neighbours, no landlord, i don't even have my phone to call 911, no one can hear me, i have no weapons, .....i really need you to get the dog to back down. Please I don't want to die like this" "KEEP BREATHING, Elisa, KEEP CALM" STRATEGY
In Crossfit I approach the WODS (workout of the day) by strategies how i will break down the workload into manageable sets so that i can finish. I am thinking to myself "hmmm this animal weighs 50-75lbs", with that i began to remember how much i can lift overhead in crossfit, i realized i am stronger than this beast, and i do stand a fighting chance against this aggressive pit bull. The savage constantly growled but backed up to its front door(exactly what i just prayed for). I took a chance, with malicious animal watching me , i moved a toe length backwards.... I stood still,counted to 30, and noticed the creature did not become anymore belligerent. I repeated this pattern of movement til i reached my front door. I ripped the door to my apartment and grabbed paper towels to stop the bleeding and sobbed uncontrollably. My daughter Kaite just looked at me bewildered, "What happened to you?" THE AFTERMATH My first instinct was to keep calm and carry on...that's what crossfitters, moms, nurses do...right? My daughter Kaite temporarily dressed my bleeding wounds and i didn't want her to miss crossfit...so i demanded amidst my sobs to go to crossfit. Kaite, was able to talk me down from the ledge and convinced me to go to the hospital to be examined....can anyone say shock? I know by the Grace OF GOD I am blessed to have all my limbs, no chunks of muscle missing and i walked away with my life, but I was truly naive to think i would be OK. I never expected to have difficulty sleeping, nightmares, anxiety, panic attacks, feel overwhelmed just by doing simple chores around the house, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, not laugh or smile, have no appetite, want to sleep all the time, not want to leave my apt, I startle every time i hear the pit bull barking, not want to talk on the phone, to name a few of the symptoms i have. I am even afraid to Crossfit..its the fear of not knowing what i will i be able to do, i have an injured arm and leg! I know my physical and psychological injuries will take time to heal...its just hard for me i am used to being the nurse not the patient, the mom who takes care of everyone else not the one who needs to be taken care of, the friend who listens not the one who needs listening to, the experienced crossfitter who encourages everyone else not the one who will need the encouragement just to walk thru the door. I am a survivor, I will get thru all this stuff , my mom always said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and she is right! I have a strong Faith in God, "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13...Yes I can.
I was reading this past Wednesdays PortCrossfit Blog, cringing at what torture awaited me, when i read the following line and i had to laugh. "On Monday when I was coaching class I had a few tentative members (I won’t name names) who didn’t want to try a less resistant band, but then with a little kick in the rear they were able to knock out pullups on that thinner band." Coach Tyler Le Floch I can tell you from experience that swift kick in the rear by PortCrossfit coaches are a great sign of your ability to advance. I am so grateful for those times when I have had sneaker prints on my butt! BOX JUMPS When i started at PortCrossfit, i could not jump a box. The coaches started me on step -ups onto 3 plates, progressed me to step-ups on the 12 inch box, and then i started jumping. I am cruising along months later jumping comfortably on the 12 inch box when in class one day Coach Kyle turns around and says to me "you can jump the box and a weight plate" (which totals 14inches in height). I kid you not when i say, I felt like I was going to throw up, I know my heart stopped and my face probably looked like this!
Yup, guys this was my first swift kick in the ass!By pushing me out my comfort zone my coach forced me to face my fear that would block my development as a crossfitter and he showed me i was physically ready to tackle moving forward.
MONDAY NIGHTS CLASS In the last couple of weeks in class we have been doing alot of chin-up/pull-up/muscle-up skill work. Two weeks ago we were doing strict pull-up skill work and our coach wanted us to challenge ourselves by trying doing pull-ups on less resistance bands..i used thick black (i only started using this band on march 2, 2013 during Portcrossfit throw down) thick green and thin green..all progressive steps towards my goal which is a pull-up without bands by the end of this year. Then 1 week ago in Mondays nights class with Coach Tyler, I used thick green for 8 reps, thin green for 6 reps..i could only do 4 in a row, rested a couple of seconds then do the 2 more to make the 6, and then i did the 4 reps. I went to use the thin green for the last set which was 2 reps, and I hear "ELISA!! Didn't you just do 4 on that band?" ....oh yeah folks here it comes ....the kick in the ass...so i crack up laughing and i said a meek "yes". Coach Tyler comes walking towards me with a smaller band...not just the next step down in resistance but TWO steps down in resistance so this means I am pulling more of my own body weight up to the pull-up rig to get my chin over the bar!! In those seconds I am thinking "HE is absolutely CRAZY if he thinks I can do pull-ups on that thin blue band!" I exclaim out loud to my coach, "A THIN BLUE BAND??!!" Coach hands me the band and says, "Yeah, you can do this" and steps back. I finish hooking up the thin blue band to the pull-up rig and I take a deep breath. Now I am giving myself a pep talk...." OK Elisa, just try it, the worst that can happen is you can't do one on this level band, your coach thinks you can do this, go for it!" Wouldn't you know I did the last 2 reps in a row on that thin blue band! Coach comes over gives me a high-five and i welled up with happy tears...WOW, I DID IT! Yes, without those sneaker prints on my butt i would have never tried that level of resistance band. POWER CLEANS Last Tuesday we had to do heavy power cleans , 1 repetition rest 10 seconds, again for three more repetitions for 5 sets. I work up to 85lbs which now for me is a comfortable weight. I increase my weight to 90lbs and mistakenly i did 2 touch and go power cleans. I was praying my coach did not just see me do that. I hear Coach Kyle.."If you can touch and go with your power cleans ..YOU NEED TO ADD WEIGHT!!"....as he walks over to me...smiles and says "add 5lbs!" Yup, sneaker applied to butt and I add the weight, so now i am lifting 95lbs. My maxium power clean is 105lbs but that is only 1 repetition...I now have to do 95lbs 16 times...I am SCARED! Can i really do this? Will i be too tired to lift all this weight? Am i really this strong? With each repetition I focus on setting up with good form, not on my doubt or my fear. Yeah you guessed it, I did every one of those Power Cleans, and realized I am really that STRONG! PROGRESS When the coaches ask you to try a new skill, its because they know you can do it, and its time to move you forward to the next skill level. I know its scary, but the joy in trying is immense, failing forces you to work harder, and succeeding is unspeakable happiness. Embrace that kick in the arse! "Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lenghtening, ever ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and the glory of the climb." Sir Winston Churchill
So how are all the competitor's for ECTD 2.0 doing? We are now into week 3! I have read and heard numerous complaints , alot moaning and groaning over changes we have had to make..... Myself included!! So how do we continue to stay on track and cut out the moaning and groaning? WHY? When i am craving another cup of coffee, a beer, or chicken cutlet Parmesan? I think of WHY did i want to change? So stop and think for a moment what motivated you to do the ECTD challenge? What makes you want to change? Is your reason .... maybe you want to look awesome naked, fit back into your super hero outfit, maybe claim the ECTD 2.0 title( you know you want my tiara and ectd sash), or is it to audition for Magic Mike 2? Write down your reason on a post it note attach it to your mirror, your fridge, and your wallet so you will constantly remind yourself why your suffering to change! GOALS! So you want to change, I applaud your efforts ! What are going to do with the changes you have made? I don't know about you but if i am giving up my beloved caffeine fix aka coffee then i want something to show for it! I have my mind set on a Goal! What steps will you make to achieve that goal? Do you want to be a superhero, or try out with the flying trapeze act at the circus after getting your first muscle up or is it going on a date with Eva Longoria (team flo-ringer might be able to help you out with that one)? First visualize yourself achieving your goal, write it down, break your goal down into reachable steps you need to achieve to accomplish your goal, finally keep working at your goal til you attain it! WHAT IS MY WHY? MY GOAL? The Justice League called....said the original Wonder Woman is retiring. I need to be able to fit in my new superhero uniform!
