What Happened to January?

My husband and I have both been sick essentially since New Year's. He pointed out yesterday that half of January is gone and we've spent that half month buried under the death cold from hell.

This season does seem to have been hitting us harder with colds minor and major. I've missed exercising for at least one five day stretch for the last three months straight. Five day stretches without exercise really get to me, but with these illnesses, I haven't had a choice but to rest in bed.

And yet, I've managed to continue getting to CrossFit classes at a good rate. I'm at a point where I easily slip back into the habit of waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get to a 5 am class. I like being up early and getting in a hard workout. It feels comfortable and right, even when I'm tired and just want to go back to bed like yesterday.

I was dragging during yesterday's workout. After being sick, I was overdue for a rest day, but I wanted to take it today, because on Tuesdays I do a second workout so skipping CrossFit doesn't make Tuesday a real rest day. I sometimes do yoga on Wednesdays, but I don't count that as a workout. It's "active recovery."

I pushed myself through that workout and I pushed myself through my lunchtime workout. Because I'm driven and maybe a little obsessed. I'm never going to be competitive in CrossFit. I'll consider myself to have reached a great milestone if I ever get to the point where I'm doing Rx weights on a consistent basis in the WODs.

I do CrossFit because I like the work. I like discovering what I can do, and getting stronger and fitter and better able to perform what I can perform.

There was an article encouraging people to sign up for and participate in the CrossFit Open even if you don't think you can. I thought it was a good message, but I didn't particularly cotton to her claim "even" coming in 69,870th place was okay. Because I came in 85,953rd place. Nothing wrong with that, but it's a big difference, and I didn't think the article struck the right tone in citing that placement. (Although I did beat her on 17.5 where I took a mighty 50,522nd to her 57,962nd.)

I do agree with the point of it. To me, everyone should do the Open. It's fun, it's community, it's a chance to really have your performance rated and graded and scored. Of course, I also liked taking standardized tests, so that part may not be incentivizing for everyone.

Still. It's hard to know you've improved if you don't make measurements. And the Open is about making those measurements along with the largest fitness community in the world.

After losing half of January, I'm really hoping this season of illness has run its course, because I want to be ready for the Open this year. On to measurement season.