15min AMRAP:
7 deadlifts (275/185)
200m run
250m row

Why I’m Doing the CrossFit Open, Part 6 – Jonathan

Many of you have been following our series Why I’m Doing the CrossFit Open, written by athletes at Roots.  Last up, Jonathan!

Competition awakens something interesting in us. Whether you’ll admit it or not, you know you check the whiteboard for a few specific names before and after a workout. By the same token, I know some of those same folks are checking my score too. I like to think that this is bringing out the best in us, especially at Roots, because those folks are some of my favorite people, so even though I’m trying to beat them during the WOD, it’s all high-fives and fist bumps after.

This effect multiplies in a staged competition with heats and judges (like the Turkey Challenge, Tuff Love, or the Lumberyard Throwdown). The roped-off competition space, the organized stations for athletes, and the officialness of it all collude to instill a unique brand of “It’s go time” in a way that group class WODs never can. After 3-2-1-Go, the feeling that the crowd is watching you makes it imperative to get back on that bar for one more rep before the clock calls time. It can be intimidating, but you know the crowd has pushed you harder than you could push yourself.

Roots throwdowns are the most incredible combination of the two — not only do you hope to beat your buddies, but they’re the ones watching from the crowd, and actively pulling for you to do your best. You’re side-by-side with people you work out with every day, in the most positive and encouraging competition space anywhere, and at the end, you’ll surprise yourself with what you’re capable of.

Why am I doing the Crossfit Open? I get all that, plus I get to compete with my friends from all over the world, because for these five weeks, we’re all posting our scores on the same whiteboard.