Wednesday, June 8th 2016
WEDNESDAY WINS!
We love to celebrate the victories of our athletes, no matter how big or small the ‘win’! Today we celebrate Ahna P., an incredible athlete, wife, servicewoman, student and friend. Here’s her inspiring story…
CrossFit has been an interesting journey for my husband, Curtis, and myself. Last summer, while we were sitting around our fire pit with s’mores and beer, Chris B. invited us to check out CrossFit at the Cove. We were doing the Strong Lifts program at the time and of course had the stereotypical thinking of how CrossFit is a sure way to injure yourself with that crazy weight lifting. Well, we tried it that Saturday, then the foundations course, and then became members.
I saw immediate results just after 2 weeks before attending an Army course. I was so shocked to see an increase from 85% to 93% on my push-up score. My scores plateaued for a few years because of a prior hip injury that caused compensation issues on one side. Even after the surgery, I had some residual issues where I ended back on a permanent profile in the Army. For those that do not know what that means, I have the limitation to only do the 2.5 mile walk, versus the 2 mile run, for PT tests.
I’ve probably been hobbling around for about 6+ years. However, I am retraining the forgotten muscles with the awesome care and help from all of the coaches. I ran 2 miles on the treadmill for the first time on Friday during my unit’s PT. It’s been about 3 years and I ran a 16:48, which is 88% for my age bracket. Sure, there was some soreness and a little ankle pain, but not like when I attempted to run previously after my hip surgery. I am gaining the confidence and motivation that it will be possible to improve my overall fitness and to possibly be rid of that profile in the future. I just have to be patient and focus on form (like I learned from Coach Marina that I had a butt wink issue with squats), as well as roll with the extra weight that Coach Brian throws onto my barbell!
Curtis and I do live a busy life being dual military, working, doing school work, chores, and enjoying time with friends and each other. There were plenty of times where our schedules got in the way of the Cove, but we went when we could. Curtis has seen improvements while he was at the Cove, but made the decision to leave to address some upcoming Army events and focus on some compensation issues of his own. He recently deployed to Afghanistan sooner than expected, but he is safe and sound and shouldn’t be gone for too long. He did tell me that “the gym equipment is pretty sweet” and how it is easily accessible. He is also trying to rehabilitate himself back into running and chose a “couch to 5k program” while deployed. He did ask if I could send him his CrossFit shoes so he can do his weight lifting again.
The support of friends and family, to include the Cove and Military family, has been greatly appreciated, both with the physical fitness and with Curtis currently deployed. Despite being apart, we are still continuing to improve and better ourselves… together.
She’s a wife, a mom of three beautiful boys and leads a VERY busy life. Recently she made the conscious decision to take charge of her health and fitness by joining the New You 6 Week Challenge. This weekend she found herself in her closet crying… but they were happy tears! After just four weeks of CrossFit and adopting a Paleo style of eating, she now fits into clothes she haven’t worn in over eight years. She’s hooked on CrossFit, the community here and as she said to me “I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes me!”. Love this attitude and huge congratulations on your success!
FREE FOUNDATIONS NEXT WEEK
If anyone has friends or family who have been wanting to give this CrossFit thing a try, these are FREE Foundations/101 Classes and a great way to onboard. Each session focuses on a different movement and we dial in on proper form and technique.
Classes will run Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of next week at 5:30pm. Let us know if you have someone who wants to join in the fun!
MOBILITY WOD
Pigeon pose on a box 1 min each leg
Shoulder distraction 1 min each arm
WOD
20 KB Swings
15 Cals (Rowing)
10 Toes to Bar
5 Burpees
20 Min AMRAP
Fitness 35/26
RX 53/35
(no RX+ today)
We are so grateful to Ahna and her husband Curtis for their service and wish him a safe and quick return from deployment!
