The 2014 CrossFit Games: Looking Back (Part2)

...Actually, my first workout at Invictus crushed me. Not only did I get lapped by nearly everyone, CJ had to tell me to stop after round three (of a four round workout). This travesty only confirmed, in my head, that my fitness was not where I needed it to be. I freaked out on the inside and via text to Em. I really was going to get embarrassed at Games. I just knew it.

Luckily, we did plenty of workouts that week. Some I did relatively well with, some I got my ass kicked in… and that’s just how it goes. You win some. You lose some. I know that. In fact, I’ve learned that time and time again, but for some reason, I sporadically forget that important lesson.

Back to Memphis.

Home sweet home, ol’ Chickasaw was calling. I had about a week there before heading to Carson for the big show. My hip was still hurting and continued to limit me. At this point, I had come to grips with the fact that it was going to hurt at Games. There was no hope of healing, only pain minimization. I elected to get a cortisone shot as a last ditch effort to provide some, if any, relief. I desperately needed to be able to squat to full depth and lunge, as I hadn’t done so in five weeks. The Overhead Squat 1RM and Midline March events had been announced and I knew those wouldn’t be the only events testing the strength, range of motion, and capacity of my hips.

After the cortisone shot, I finalized my pre-Games prep before heading west. I stuck with upper body workouts, sled pushes, which thankfully didn’t hurt. I also received more treatment on the hip. As I packed for Carson, I had no idea if the shot worked, but there was nothing I could do about it anymore.

Games time.

On Monday, after Games check-in at the Manhattan Beach Marriot, I went to grab a light workout to loosen up and get some good circulation in. I was nervous because this was the moment where I would find out how much pain I was going to experience the next four days of competition. I warmed up very carefully yet thoroughly. My workout included rowing, handstand walks, chest-to-bar pullups, over-the-box burpees, ground-to-overhead, and wall ball shots. I strapped into the erg and began rowing. I felt my hip just slightly and wondered if I was just being paranoid about it. Some might call that denial. Handstand walks and pullups were fine, but those movements always had been, even when my hip was at its worse. Then the over-the-box burpees happened… as I popped off the ground, the all-too-familiar, sharp pain shot through my hip. I stopped for a moment, saddened and disappointed. It was now painfully evident that the pain was there to stay. In this instance, I decided that, while it was extremely upsetting, I wasn’t going to let it stop me. I’ve played injured before. I can do it again. So, I cautiously jumped on the box and walked off the other side for my next rep. I continued and eventually finished the workout, experiencing pain in the row, burpees, and wall ball shots. My hip was going to hurt. That was clear...