Emily Beers finds the tests of the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games are more mental than physical.
When I qualified to the CrossFit Games, I was ecstatic. Overjoyed. Just happy to be there. My original performance goal was humble at best: not to come dead last. And I accomplished that by finishing 37th.
But the problem with being competitive is you never enjoy being near the bottom—even when your competition happens to be the entire world.
So the Games—ostensibly a physical test—took my mind and spirit through a week-long series of tumultuous emotions: denial and isolation, bargaining, anger, sadness and finally acceptance. While my body was tested time and time again, the physical component of the weekend was much less excruciating than the chaos in my mind.
The experiences that propelled me along my journey were the fleeting moments, the quick glimpses of pure human generosity, humor and inspiration, each moment temporarily removing me from my struggle to accept myself and lifting me up to a place of pure appreciation.
As athletes, we believe CrossFit makes better people. We talk about how the workouts require so much effort that people of weak character just don’t want to do them, and we believe our trials make us stronger, physically, mentally and emotionally. At the Games, I learned that while the workouts themselves contribute to our growth, CrossFit is really about people making better people.