As someone with a competitive spirit who did not grow up playing sports, CrossFit was exactly what I was looking for and needed in my life. I started it five years ago as a way to manage my stress while working my first job out of college but I’ve gotten so much more out of it than I ever thought I would. I’ve tried a few different gyms in the area but I have been at CFR7 the longest and where I’ve found the most knowledgeable coaches. From getting my first pull up with coach BJ, dialing in my form and PRing my Olympic lifts with coaches Brandon and Anastasia, and most recently getting my first toe to bar with coach Casey, I can say that some of my proudest moments have been inside CrossFit Route 7. The best part is sharing my successes with the friends I’ve made at the gym and having them be just as (sometimes more) excited for me as I am for myself. Not only have I become a better athlete and a physically healthier person, I’ve learned so much about myself – about how much more my body is capable of doing than what my mind tells me it is, how pushing through a workout where I want to just quit will also teach me to push through a time that life is difficult, knowing that it will also eventually come to an end and I will be able to lay on the floor, catch my breath, and high-five the people next to me who helped me get through it.