Let's talk competition

Sometimes the judges and spectators can be the heaviest burden you'll have to bear

CrossFit Games open Sectionals. WOD 11.4
Complete as many rounds in ten minutes as possible.
60 Face to bar burpees, each burpee starts facing a loaded barbell and finishes with a jump over the bar
30, 120lb overhead squats
10 muscle ups

Let's talk a little bit about competition.

As I have stated before, I have been doing the CrossFit Games Open Sectionals. Up until today I have been very disappointed with my performances. It seems as though I have been playing mind games with myself.
Every WOD up until today I have come out of it wondering why I couldn't push harder when I know I was capable. How come I haven't pushed as hard in competition as I do working out on my own?

I strongly feel that when you choose to compete in your sport, it becomes an entirely different beast altogether. You suddenly have a massive group of people all cheering for you who who all expect a performance from you. They know what you are capable of.
But they will all witness your shortcomings as well. The fear of letting them down can cause one to hold back. It can make you afraid to give it your all and suddenly crumble. So you hold back, because giving a strong performance somehow seems better that giving it your all and falling apart.

This is a tough hurdle to overcome. I think almost everybody we competes at any level has experienced the exact feeling I am talking about. Some call it fear of failure, some call it wrestling with your inner demons. It's that voice that says everybody here is going to see you fall apart and it is the loudest voice you will ever hear. The scary part is that not a single person in the arena can hear what it is saying to you. Seasoned veterans can see it in you though.

4 Weeks in, I was finally able to single that voice out in the crowd and tell it to shut up. I decided this morning that I was going to perform to my best. I voiced my my intent to the universe and turned out what is to me an incredible performance. one full round and 14 burpees. Sure I feel that I could have done better. Everybody feels that way after a WOD. But no matter what I placed on the leaderboard, my biggest victory was over myself.