Day 2 of The 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games was a day to get things
done but have some fun...briefed on workouts, given gear for the
tri and testing out the water...
Tuesday
7/10/12:
Tuesday morning we were told to report mid-morning to be briefed
on the tri. A few marines generously volunteered their time
to scare the living pee out of us with Dave Castro. We were
warned of sharks, rip currents, rocky ocean floor, rattlesnakes,
signs of ammo on the base and more - comforting for all us
athletes…or not!
Immediately after the meeting we were all issued fins, booties
and swimming suits that we carted with us to Manhatten Beach to
give it a go. Imagine hanging out for a relaxing day at the
beach and seeing close to 100 muscle-bound athletic bodies coming
your way like The Gangs of New York with their matching Reebok
suits, fins, caps and goggles - a bit intimidating for sure.
Then they saw us all attempt to put on fins, walk backward into the
ocean and try to figure out what the heck we were supposed to be
doing out there…all while laughing our heads off.
Intimidation factor gone, entertainment provided!
The water was much warmer than we all remembered from last year
and the breakers were almost non-existant…we were all hoping for
similar conditions the next morning. According to rumors from
friends/coaches/internet, fins are supposed to be easier to swim
with, so I was encouraged upon first attempt that I was going to
feel like Michael Phelps (ha!). I felt more like a bowling
ball…I am just not a good swimmer and I didn't feel comfortable
with big Ronald McDonald fins on. I still swallowed half of
the ocean as I struggled to find my inner-fish. That practice
swim left me a bit nervous for Wednesday morning, but there was
nothing I could do about it..I had to get the job done.
After the ocean practice, we were all bussed to the Home Depot
Center for the first time since arriving in L.A. Here we were
issued our single-speed Redline mountain bikes. Now we were talking
my language! I was pumped to see the new bikes (that we got
to keep by the way...cheers to Reebok once again)! They had
them lined up according to height, so we each picked a bike from
our respective line and bike technicians were patiently waiting to
help with any adjustments that needed to be made. With legs
the length of a toddler, I definitely needed my seat lowered!
Wham, bam, thank you ma'am...it was time to test this baby
out. They had cones in the parking lot and side road for us
to follow as to avoid collisions as 100 people tried to get a feel
for their bike. I hadn't been on a mountain bike for months,
but like they say "It's like a riding a bike"...came back so easy
and was so much fun! We loaded the bikes on a bus, then us on
a different bus and called it a night as all the athletes went
their separate ways to crash and prep for the beginning of The 2012
Reebok CrossFit Games.
