Strengths

I think a lot of time, especially with something as difficult as Crossfit, I find myself focusing on my shortcomings as an athlete.Never having been an "athlete" before at all, I have trouble even defining myself as such.

I suck at pull-ups. Because I'm still near 200 lbs (203 - I want 199 so bad!!!) it's very difficult for a woman to have the upper body strength to be able to lift that. I was using a box for the last five months (you just basically do the motion but use a box to "jump" up) but today I graduated to the biggest resistance band.  Eventually as I get better with that - I could only do 3 at a time - I'll move down the bands and down with my body weight to a point where I hope one day to do a real  big girl pull up.

The same with push-ups. 203 lbs is a lot to push up and when I first started I didn't have the upper body strength to do any. Now I can do a few, and have no issue with modified pushups (knees on ground). 

So some days where the WODs are full of things I'm not good at, like today's Tabatas, I try and make myself list the things I AM good at.

I am good at squats. Likely because of my young start in life at soccer and the fact that I had to carry around my 300-lb ass for a lot of my adolescent life, my legs are insanely strong. I can do a lot of squats and I can do them quickly.

I am good at medball cleans. Likely for the same reason I am good at squats, I am good at these. I seem to be able to dip down low enough and catch the ball just right. However, their cousin the WallBall I kind of suck at. I blame my depth perception issues because I never throw it right and it usually misses the wall and hits me in the face. Which is always fun to take a 14-lb giant ball to the face (commence dirty jokes here).

I am good at deadlifts. I can lift almost 200 lbs now which is pretty cool to be able to say you can left your own weight in something.

I am good at cheering other people on. I'll stay late or run slower just to help The Last Girl. Because I was her (and sometimes I still am) and I know what a difference it makes to have someone rooting for you, pushing you.

So sometimes, even when you can only do three pullups, it helps to focus on the things you are good at. For me, the hardest part was accepting I was good at anything. It took months for me not to feel like I totally sucked at everything. And now, though I still feel like I can and will improve at some things, I'm feeling a lot less like I suck and a lot more like I'm a work in progress.

What are you good at that makes you proud?