Lauren's Story

I am a CrossFitter from CrossFit Delaware Valley's 'Red's Gym' program at Mars Inc. in West Chester, PA.  I came to CrossFit in January '08 with excellent cardio-respiratory fitness built from years of competitive distance running.  Through CrossFit, I have broadened my fitness and gained some much needed strength.  Interestingly, my CrossFit training has improved my running, although I spend less time training on the road!  Here is my story: When a coworker asked me 'Are you going to do the CrossFit class?', I thought 'Yeah right, I don't want to bulk up!'.  Misconception number one..  I also thought 'I run for seventy minutes everyday, I am probably at the peak of my fitness anyway'.  Misconception number two..  Boy, was I wrong! I signed up for the class and found it to be quite different than I expected.  In fact, I found myself becoming competitive with my classmates and really getting into it!  My previous capabilities were greatly improved, and I was realized that there really are no limits.  I can now do 50 pushups in a minute (my previous best was probably about 20!), 'real' pull-ups, and an endless number of squats.  When I told Rob that women can't do many pullups, he told me 'Lauren, I don't consider you a woman, I consider you a superhero'.   I knew that CrossFit was something special. I have found that the workouts such as Fight Gone Bad and Filthy Fifty are my specialty.  I love them! After a few weeks into the class, Rob asked if I was willing to participate in a bit of an 'experiment'.  He knew that I came from a running background and that I wanted to improve my 10k time.  The experiment was to prove that a combination of CrossFit, interval sprint workouts and the Zone diet would improve my running times (rather than running the same old long distance everyday as I had been doing).  I felt honored that he wanted me to be the one to try this out, and eagerly accepted the challenge. Although it's been a lot of hard work, the 'experiment' program is a winner.  I have dropped my 10K time by about 2 minutes and can now run 400m faster than when I was on the track team.  I even set a personal record in the 5k at the Ridley Challenge Run by running a 20:26!  Running faster by running less?  It's amazing, but it works.. I'm obsessed with CrossFit.  Although it requires discipline and focus, the benefits are definitely worth it.  I faithfully follow my training program and the Zone diet, despite many desirable temptations (i.e. birthday cake, pizza, and my favorite candy - Raisinets!).  I competed in the CrossFit Games in California [July 5-6 ] and hope to go back again next year.  I know I need to improve my double unders, press, bench, and the other big lifts if I want to have a chance to compete with the best, but I can do it.  My high school track coach once said this to me and I carry it with me every challenge I meet: "If you want it, you've gotta talk yourself into it!"