“How long have you been doing CrossFit for?”

“How long have you been doing CrossFit for?” – the question I get asked at least once a week, especially from newer members. The answer is a reflection of 1) technical knowledge as a coach 2) physical ability as an athlete 3) aesthetic assessment of physique, all of which is intriguing as a newly fledged CrossFitter.

My attention is always drawn back to the reason WHY I started CrossFit. Cue the hazy time portal effects, and we go back to the sunny climbs of the Canary Islands where I ventured to Lanzarote’s Club La Santa. This was before their investment in a fine looking dedicated CrossFit space, and where from afar I watched Sarah Troelsen Krarup run a function fitness boot camp along the side of the 400m running track. I watched in adoration as she coached a team of 10 or so athletes through some toes to bar and pull ups, and threw large weighted objects around – for fun. She was, in my eyes, an absolute goddess. Strong, fearless, athletic & built. Like no other female I’d ever set eyes on before.

Before I knew it, I had walked over and asked to join the class. Sarah welcomed me to attend a class the next day, entirely for free, to see what I thought. And so I turned up, nerves spiralling like a whirlpool in my belly, as the class told me about their swimming practise in the Olympic sized pool and lifting weights earlier on in the day. I was set away swinging on a bar like a confused and impaired chimpanzee, trying my hardest to master a toes to bar and a kipping pull up. I’d had a personal trainer for a while, I wasn’t a stranger to fitness – why was this seemingly so damn difficult?

Despite the mishaps, I loved how welcoming the athletes were regardless of my gymnastic shortcomings and vowed to pursue it further when I landed back in the UK. And within a week, I had completed my fundamentals session and signed up to my local CrossFit box, the illustrious CrossFit Northumbria aka Method Training, on the spot. Functional training has assisted me exponentially in the other sports I’ve been involved with too – everything from Roller Derby, ice skating, mountain climbing, wakeboarding…the list is endless. I’ve never once doubted the path which led me to this sport. The impact was so huge in fact, beyond the physical benefits, I also changed my career to become a full time coach. This change in particular, almost saved my life. It was genuinely that impactful.

I continue my journey, day by day – educating myself, putting myself under physical and mental hardship, expanding the boundaries that up until this point I’d barely tested. And there’s challenges – A LOT of challenges. And I absolutely fucking love it.

What’s your journey into CrossFit? What makes you keep coming back for more?