Sunday Story…It’s time

I’ll be leaving for the CrossFit Games on Wednesday. The workouts have been announced and you can see them here:

https://games.crossfit.com/article/age-group-crossfit-games-events-released

I will run a few tests on these workouts just to feel what tactics may be the best to employ but it’s too close to the starting line to go hard at them. I am a little disappointed that some of the higher-level skill work was eliminated or left off. Things like handstand walks and ring muscle-ups are not going to happen for my age group. Oh well. I will just have to make do!

You may wonder what I think of these workouts. The fact is I have no opinion. I look at each one as a stand-alone workout. What is my strategy for those movements? What shoes, knee sleeves, or other equipment is going to best serve me for those movements. How am I going to approach workout number one? Then I put that one away and go on to number two. And so on and so on. This is where my partnership with Invictus really pays off. I rely on their team to guide me in my warmups for each one. I rely on them to provide some strategy options based on the upcoming work. Then I take those ideas and twist and turn and tweak them to my strengths and weaknesses.

The work is the work. Worrying about it won’t change it. Getting upset about it won’t change it. It is what it is and nothing I can say or do will alter that in any way. So, we make a plan and execute it to the best of my ability. And be ready to shift on the fly since getting hit in the face will always cause a shift in strategy!

If you want to watch starting on Thursday morning here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/@legendschampionship8785

Or try this:

https://games.crossfit.com/

 See you on the flip side!

 John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

Sunday Story…The Dark Night

A week or two ago I wrote about the” dip.” At that point in your journey, you are trying to decide if you should stay or go, continue or quit. Knowing you are in the “dip” is half the battle. Knowing what that process is will help you decide what your best path forward should be. Most of us will realize we are in the “dip” and continue. What comes next?

The dark night of the soul. You saw the dip and decided to continue. After that decision things look up and your path begins to glide along. There is yet another pitfall waiting. This is where the second-guessing comes in. This is where you start to question all your life choices. This is where the darkness comes crashing down in a smothering blanket.

This is the nadir, the abyss, the rock bottom. Nothing is working, everything feels wrong and broken, and there seems to be no way out. At this point, quitting feels like the only way out.

At this point, it’s time to step back and be disengaged. Is quitting really the only path? What are the ramifications? What’s the worst that can happen if you continue or quit? What’s the likely outcome of both of those things? This is the neutral position. Look at it as dispassionately as possible. Take out your emotions and personal biases. Look at it as cold as possible. The way forward is really the only way. It becomes a question of which path you will take.

After rock bottom, the only way left is up. See you in Birmingham.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

776-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…Tragedy

Someone asked recently if I write these things on Sunday morning. The answer is no, but I do write them in the week before the Sunday when you receive them.

Today is Thursday, the 8^th of August. My heart is heavy as I type these words. The CrossFit Games opened this morning with a 1.5-mile run followed by an 800-meter swim in a lake in Fort Worth. An athlete, Lazar Dukic, did not get it out of the water. Yes, you read that correctly. About 100 meters from the finish line something happened, and Lazar drowned. We don’t know what transpired and will not speculate here. Nor will we speculate on any failures of safety protocols or individual responsibility.

At this writing, we don’t know what is going to happen with the rest of the events scheduled for the Games. The bottom line is that this is a tragedy. No one enters a competition thinking their life is on the line. I know I don’t. Yet we are all given a finite amount of time on this planet.

We talk a lot about community at CrossFit. We have our community here at Odyssey. We love and cherish each and every one of you. We want you to succeed on your Journey to Extraordinary. All of us are also part of the worldwide CrossFit community. We are all athletes. Today one of us is no longer here. It is heart-wrenching
. We will grieve and honor Lazar as best we know how.

All that being said, our hearts are with the Dukic family. There is a fund started to support them. I don’t have the link but I understand FitAid started it.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com    

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…The Dip

24 days out. This is the “dip” time. The days and times when I question some of my life choices. It feels like I am not getting fitter and might even be going backward. It feels as if nothing is going right, and everything is going wrong. Hip, back, knee, you name it and it’s sore, hurt, and/or achy. Luckily, this isn’t my first rodeo and I recognize these symptoms for what they are…the dip.

The dip in enthusiasm. The dip in energy. The dip in results. The dip in progress. The key to combatting the dip? Recognize it, call it out, and smile as one foot continues to move forward after the other. It’s too late. There is no turning back from here. There is no other cure for the dip, and it is at this point real progress is right around the corner. Just when all looks lost and the trail has gone cold, the sun will break out and the end of the journey will be in sight.

I share this detail with you because we all go through the “dip.” Anytime we are striving and working towards a goal, there will come a point when we want to quit. When quitting seems like the best strategy. Quitting is rarely the right choice when faced with the “dip.” And the primary reason is what is waiting for you when you emerge from the “dip.” The satisfaction of battling through self-doubt, worry, and the suffering of no results. The sweetest victory is the one over your own self-imposed difficulties.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

PS

If you want to see the CrossFit Games next week here’s a link to get into the CrossFit Experience for free and hang out and watch all the action on the big screen. This is an amazing opportunity, and you shouldn’t miss it!

https://www.cuetoems.com/cfexp_2024/Tickets.aspx?l=DLCEZDO9