Throwback Thursday: What Happens When You Quit A Workout?

The Open is coming and the workouts are no joke. You may not think you can do it but EHP has a community that KNOWS you can do it. The following is a short story from one of our athletes Marc Hedlund fighting to get through The Open's last workout two years ago.

I was too “new” into CrossFit to understand what a tough workout was. Every workout was tough physically, but none so much mental as 16.5 was for me. I started it like any other I do. Too fast. And by the round of 15 thrusters/burpees I felt I was done. I had a double side ache, breathing was out of control and I was mentally defeated. I remember telling myself “you’re done. You can’t finish” and walked away from the bar. Callie was judging me and told me not to go, but I didn’t listen. But as I neared the door, a coach stopped me and asked where I was going. I told him I was done and I couldn’t finish. He told me that’s not ok and I needed to go back. I argued saying I can’t, I just can’t. He told me if I quit, 5 minutes after I will regret it more than if I just go back and finish. He told me it would be 10 times harder to walk back into the gym and face the people there after quitting. I thought “fine, I’ll just go back and pass out at the bar” because I knew I was close to doing that.

So I went back. I am not sure what round I was on, and how many I had left. I knew I was the last one in the gym, a circle of athletes had gathered around me, and that others were counting for me. I remember stumbling once when I went to pick up the bar for thrusters, but the next thing I remembered was hearing someone say “3 more of each and you’re done” I completed them and fell to the floor, only to immediately have another athlete come and pick me up and take me outside. I was finished mentally and physically, but I will never regret going back and finishing. That workout was what keeps me coming back day after day.