Return to the scene of the crime

It is January 2018 and I'm 11 days away from turning 50 years old, I have a 52" waist and weigh a whopping 350 lbs. 

Several years ago (6 to be exact) I went and joined a crossfit box named "Crossfit Unmatched".  I began training there to get into better shape as I had seen what it had done for so many others.  It was tough but I stuck with it for about 6 months and then all of a sudden I stopped.  I had made great progress, lost a lot of weight and generally felt better.  But I stopped and I don't remember why now.  Then I went back about a year later and started all over again, this time I was determined to last longer.  But I didn't then either, I went another 5 months and stopped going again.  I don't remember why that time either.

Yesterday on January 17th 2018 I went back to Crossfit Unmatched, heavier and more out of shape than I've ever been in my life.  Thankfully outside of still having treated high-blood pressure I'm still mostly healthy.  This time though I took my son Cooper with me, he's 11 and in great shape due to his constant activity and soccer and cross-country running.  My coach Matt Kolozsvary greeted me as an old friend and said "welcome back, glad to see you".  I was grateful for his encouragement and more importantly his insistence that I scale the day's workout so that I was able to return and not be hurt.  I agreed with him wholeheartedly and proceeded to begin the WOD (workout of the day).   

I could not do the warmup run, so I rowed on the rower instead.  I was able to do the stretching which was quite good I thought.  Then we began the workout,  I found I could do the jump rope, not double-unders, but regular jumps.  That is more tiring than you'd think, but I was able to do that.  The lunges were next and I found that my balance and strength were not all there, so I could not do them with the bar.  I ended up doing lunges next to the metal rack so I could steady myself.  I could not do the full number and unbroken, but I kept going.  Lastly was the rope climb, I've haven't been able to do that since elementary school so I did the scaled versions of that. 

The end of the hour came and I was spent.  Cooper meanwhile, had been doing all the exercises very well and several of the others and Coach Matt were very impressed with his effort.  More importantly I think he actually enjoyed it and he wants to come back with me.  This makes me the most proud and hopeful, if I can break the cycle of not being a couch potato with Cooper then there is hope.


I am super sore today and walking, going up/down stairs is interesting but I'm going back tomorrow and Cooper is going with me.  I am determined to not quit this time, to think if I had continued going from the first time I joined where I would be now.  Oh well, can't dwell on the past, it's time to move on to the future.

Day 1 of this journey is over, next....Day 2.

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