13 Years In, Why 25.1 Was My Favorite

Dread. Fear. Overthinking. Nausea. Anxiety. Overthinking. Pressure. Panic. Overthinking. And a whole lot of leaderboard watching.

That was the CrossFit Open for me, in a nutshell, between 2012 and 2017.

As much as I hate to admit it, as a four-time Regionals athlete and 2014 Individual CrossFit Games athlete, I never enjoyed the Open. Not once. Sure, I grew from it, built character from it, and overcame fears from it, but I never enjoyed it.

A New Me in 2025

After stepping away from doing what I have called before “real CrossFit,” let alone competing, for the last eight years, I decided to join my gym—Kea Athletics in Surrey, BC—at their Friday Night Lights to complete the 2025 Open workouts. For me, CrossFit means showing up four days a week, five days a week when I don’t get derailed by ten other things going on in life, and hopping into a class for one hour. I give it my full effort once or twice a week and pace myself considerably on the other days.

As a 41-year-old mother to an 18-month-old, I’m fitter than most people I know, but I, in no way, have elite fitness. Needless to say, this year’s Open is about pushing myself just enough to feel proud of my effort, having fun, and socializing with the people I’m starting to get to know at my new gym.

CrossFit Open Workout 25.1

Walking into the gym, pushing my little man in the stroller, I couldn’t help but smile. I arrived at the gym for an Open workout, and I wasn’t nervous or anxious. While I was maybe dreading the pain a little bit, I was relaxed and didn’t feel any pressure to prove anything. I warmed up with the class, and someone asked me what my goal was for the workout. I laughed and said, “I have no idea. Just to try not to rest much, if possible, I guess.” That’s when it dawned on me how different and enjoyable this experience was going to be.

For the first time ever before an Open workout, I hadn’t thought much about it, hadn’t overthought it. I didn’t have a game plan, and it felt amazing. OK, so I lied. About 30 seconds before the clock started, I did have a brief moment where I felt a wave of nerves rush through my stomach. But then I looked at my husband and son, and it brought me back to the present day, one in which I enjoy and appreciate what my body can do without needing to compare myself to others or feel pressure or expectations.

The Workout

During my past experiences in the Open my nerves were always so high that my heart rate skyrocketed to an uncharacteristic place early in the workout, not because I went out too hard, but because I had so much anxiety I couldn’t control. This usually caused tingling in my face and throughout my entire body and sometimes partial blindness, which caused me to slow down and resulted in a performance I knew was way worse than it could be during an ordinary training day. Not this time. Two minutes, three minutes, and five minutes into the burpees, dumbbell cleans-to-overhead, and lunges, my heart rate was in control, and my body felt calm, which only built my confidence that I could push myself without red flags.

Conclusion

Thirteen years have passed since I did my first Open, and I can confidently say 25.1 is the proudest I have ever felt after an Open workout. Bring on 25.2.

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