This is part of a series exploring the lessons I learned from the 2024 CrossFit Open. Open 24.2 was about the power of playing your best game.
If there was ever a CrossFit workout made for me, Open 24.2 was it.
Open 24.2 was a 20-minute AMRAP — as many rounds and reps as possible within the time — of 3 movements:
- 300-meter row
- 10 deadlifts
- 50 double-unders or 50 singles (the scaled option).
This might have been the first time I was confident about my ability going into a CrossFit workout.
I do best in longer workouts that require a steady pace and consistency over the duration. I know at the right pace, I can endure.
Unlike with burpees and dumbbell snatches of 24.1, my height gives me an advantage on the rower. While not the fastest on the rower, I know I can row at a decent pace.
Deadlifts are my best lift. The weight for scaled athletes — 95-pounds — was less than 50 percent of my 1 rep max, and was substantially below my typical “working” weight.
I knew I could handle 10 lifts at this weight without breaking up the set, even under fatigue. Doing deadlifts under fatigue is literally what I train for.
I spent the past year working on my jump rope skills, and I knew I could do 50 unbroken on a good day.
The only question was whether I’d have a “good day.”
Doing some quick math, I felt confident that I could get 7 rounds, if not more.
Then doubts started to creep in. Instead of doubling down on my self-trust, I made the mistake of outsourcing my wisdom. I asked two coaches what they thought was realistic for me. Both estimated I could get between 6 and 7 rounds — lower than my initial estimate.
Open 24.2: Before and After
I decided to do Open 24.2 at Friday Night Lights, instead of at my usual morning workout time. I reasoned that I might get a boost of the energy from the full community, which could propel me to a better finish.
I completed 6 full rounds plus 270 meters on the row in the 7th round.
I fell squarely in line with what the coaches had predicted I would do. By most standards, this would be a respectable score. People told me I crushed it.
But I was disappointed. I failed to meet my own expectations.
More important, I had failed to stand up for what I knew I needed to succeed.
I didn’t play my best game.
The second time, I completed 7 full rounds and 117 meters on the rower, surpassing my personal expectations.
For the first time in over a year of doing CrossFit, I felt like I crushed the workout.
When Good Isn’t Good Enough
By objective measures, I “ran a good race” in my first attempt.
I didn’t go out too hot; I maintained a steady pace on the rower through all rounds. I went unbroken on all rounds of deadlifts. I broke up a few sets of the singles, but none of them took up a lot of time.
On the surface, it didn’t seem like I had much room to make up time on a redo, without improving my rowing technique, speed, or stamina.
Improving skills, speed, strength, and stamina are the obvious ways to improve a score, but they take time.
I knew I couldn’t improve my skills or speed significantly in two days. I also knew I didn’t need to.
This workout was all about the strategy for navigating transitions.
Proper set-up and placement of equipment was crucial for managing the transitions well.
That’s my best game.
But I hadn’t played it. With the crowd of people at Friday Night Lights, I didn’t get the set-up I wanted. And in the rush to start, I failed to stand up for what I knew I needed.
During my workout, there was some interference from other people in my field that cost me time and frustration.
My video review confirmed that the interference slowed me down significantly and I never recovered.
But by far, the biggest time drain was the transitions.
In total, I had almost 4 minutes in transition time — enough to fit in an extra round, even if I didn’t do any individual section faster.
The Power of Playing Your Best Game
Creating spaces to produce optimal outcomes and strategizing flows to minimize transition time is literally the game I play in my life every day, for myself and my clients.
It’s one of the reasons I write in the gym — leveraging momentum, minimizing transitions.
This is my best game.
For my second performance of 24.2, I remembered to stand up for it.
- I set up my space exactly as I had wanted to the first time.
- I recruited support from people who could hold space for me, pace me well, and give me the encouragement I knew I would need when the fatigue set in.
- I implemented a strategy for how to transition between the different movements.
When I had the confidence to stand up for what I needed and play the game I knew I could play, I got a better result.
What’s Your Best Game?
Every endeavor in life is a game. They key to success is to know what your best game is, and to find a way to play your best game in the context of whatever game you’re playing.
What is your best game?
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