We found an interesting recipe:
What do you get when you take two scoops of “competitive runners”, mix with two busy lives and flavor with a sprinkle of empathetic wit?
You’ll get two mid-career CrossFit athletes who have restructured their lives, created a new balance and found a higher level of fitness while continuing to be pillars in their communities.
Meet Melanie and Mike; the M & M.
Five years ago, when we first heard about this “CrossFit” thing, I (Mike) decided to find out what this is really all about.
I connected with Kate, TAL’s owner, and scheduled a time for a baseline test. To the uninitiated, the baseline test is a waterfall style workout, starting with a 500-meter row, followed by 40 air squats, 30 sit ups, 20 push ups, ending with 10 pull-ups. For 8 minutes. Or more realistically, as far as you can get within eight minutes. The total repetitions accumulated represent your baseline score, and you can retest that same workout in the future, to see how you’ve improved over time.
Although there were plenty of scaling options available, the workout absolutely humbled me. I was proud of the fact that I didn’t vomit on my shoes.
At the same time, I also knew that this was the challenge for me. I decided, on the spot, to become a member of TAL. If it had been a fluke, I’d attribute the decision to join, to the lack of oxygen in my brain, but seeing that we’re still here five years later, there’s a lot more to it.
As I got to know the community, slowly becoming an integral part of it, I heard about an “all gym” initiative. I ended up participating in the “Whole 90 Challenge”, which is meant to teach you nutrition fundamentals while pitching you against other teams in a friendly competition.
This is where Melanie, my wife, companion, and accountability partner comes in.
I’m definitely not a chef. Quite on the contrary, I can actually burn water. Melanie did the major lifting during the challenge. She kept me on track.
All the while, I upheld the “first rule of Crossfit” – always talk about CrossFit. I described the things I’ve done, and more importantly, the things everyone else around me was able to do. Over time, Melanie got to know some of my fellow TAL athletes without even having met them.
At the same time, Melanie saw the changes in me. Physically as well as mentally. Five months later, she decided that I’ve had enough of a head start, and she to joined me at TAL.
Grab the tissue box, because there’s something I didn’t see coming, and when I tell you about it, it might sound somewhat dramatic:
I am really glad Mel decided to join me. We never worked out together.
Professional constraints took time away from us that we would have rather spent together. Such is life, though, correct?
Raising a family, although the most enjoyable journey in life, also takes a little bit of time away from being ‘just couple’.
I missed my wife.
When we were still competitive runners, it was an even more elaborate schedule.
In fact, when I was marathon training, Mel would watch the kids – the following year she would train, and I’d watch them.
Now with the girls gone, we had something to do together again.
The two of us.
As a couple.
Those were among the first thoughts that rushed through my mind when Melanie told me that she wants to join me. Life. Was. Amazing.
Mel’s background is similar to mine in that we were both competitive runners. We understand what it means to work through barriers. And knowing her, I knew that she would jump right into the deep end. Unsurprisingly, she did.
Something else came about, though. In hindsight, I can see, appreciate and understand it, but haven’t outrightly planned for:
Before I knew it, we were re-working our schedules around The Athlete Lab.
Get up early and work
At 3:00 pm – walk the dog
At 4 pm Crossfit
We have retooled our lives around a ‘staying fit’ schedule, and through it, we actually spend more time together now than we have in who knows how long.
If you need to, re-read my “sappy” paragraph. Slowly. Live right into it. Feel it…and you know what I’m feeling.
Life has changed. It has become larger. We added an entire community to our family. We welcome TAL members to our deck parties, we join at numerous events at the gym, or independently organized gatherings. Whether we’re working out at TAL, or playing league kickball with other TAL members, or welcome them to our plays at the Rosetown Playhouse Theater.
Had you asked me five years ago, whether I can imagine that life would shake out the way it did, I would not have thought of this kind of story.
Of course, Mel and I have physical goals and we are pretty competitive people. We both like a challenge and have competed locally. Friday Night Lights, an annual 5-week CrossFit tradition, is “must see TV” in our opinion.
In the midst of it all, Melanie and I will be celebrating our 29th anniversary in the fall. In that, we are not alone either. We have found the support and friendship of a lot of TAL couples, whole families, and individuals. We witnessed several engagements have attended weddings of fellow TAL members, and we’ve smiled at the faces of many new TAL babies!
How do I end this? Honestly, I’m not sure. Each day is as unique as the workout that we’re looking forward to completing with our TAL family. We both have found a really supportive place, with people we care about, with staff that looks out for us, and Kate and Michael keep the place so damn clean
Ultimately, this place is more than just a gym for us.
It’s family.