CrossFitters can be extreme about their workouts. They push the hardest to be the fastest and strongest - no matter what it takes. On some level, it’s the very essence of the sport. But on another, that extremism has the capacity to break you. I’m writing this confessional because I was extreme. I pushed hard. And I broke myself. I started CrossFit in 2010, and like many of you, I quickly fell in love with the competitive aspect. I wanted to be the best, and I believed the best way to do that was to train harder, faster, stronger, and more frequently. I started training 8-10x per week, often skipping my rest days. In November 2015, my left knee starting hurting. Like, a lot. I pretended it wasn’t an issue; rolled out the connected trouble areas and ignored it. My medicine was to push past the pain. So, I did. Three months later, I went to Utah for a fun-filled weekend of snow, skiing, and sippin’ hot chocolate. On the second day of skiing, I was jogging down the slope with my friend when suddenly my knee just collapsed. Pop! Crack! Pop! And I fell to the ground. Much to my embarrassment, I was taken to the ER (by snowmobile, might I add) for some tests. After a few x-rays, they concluded that my patella (knee-cap) had split in half and I had blown out a few ligaments and tendons - just for good measure.
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Decreased performance
- Loss of appetite
- Overuse injuries
- Amenorrhea