Photo Credit:  Our awesome customer @jacelynanne! 

Out of all the things that make CrossFit hard for me…the muscle soreness...the painful workouts...the wanting to throw up...etc. I think the hardest thing for me is learning to be grateful for the performance I was able to give.

Chasing after the wind is common in CrossFit.  All that chasing makes our bodies and minds incredibly strong.  Every time we walk through the doors we find out a little more about ourselves;  how long we can hang on...how strong we are...what our hidden potential really is.

On the other hand, there's never an end to the chasing (in CrossFit, or in life). Show me someone with a 2:00 Fran time, and I'll show you someone who wants a 1:59.

There are 3 ways (that I know of) to deal with this conundrum.

1.  We can stop striving, give up, and wait patiently to die.

2.  We can live our lives in a constant state of discontent; wanting to have, do, and be more at all times, and at all costs.

3.  We can put forth our best efforts, be grateful for who we are, and walk away knowing that the rest is out of our control.

My senior year of high school, at my last track meet, before my last event, my coach said these words to me as he smiled, and shook my hand:  "Ian, leave it on the track."

At the time I understood this to mean that I needed to do my best, to pour everything I had into my race, to not hold anything back.  He did mean that.  However, that's only half of the picture.  I think he also meant that I shouldn't revisit my performance with any regret.

Looking (way) back at my last race, I absolutely know I gave my best effort.  I couldn't have wanted it any more for my relay team.  I couldn't have squeezed any more speed out of my legs.  That day, I pushed up against the wall of my limitations as hard as I ever had before.

Shall I agonize over it?  Should I wish that my time was a 52.9 instead of a 53.1?  Should I wonder if I should have eaten something different, or gotten more sleep, or had a different race strategy?

No.

I am me.  I did my best.  What's done, is done.

I need to remember this lesson as I walk through life, and when I'm upset about a CrossFit performance.

To have any regrets after I've done my best would cheapen who I was created to be, and my creator.  It would be to say that what I've been given, isn't a good enough gift.

We've all been given good gifts. Your best is enough.  Please leave it on the track :)

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