Shelese Lyng

After years of strenuous and competitive athletics I took a much needed break. Still young, I could eat whatever I wanted and do random runs/workouts at local gyms and still remain fit. Time went on and those things didn’t become as easy to do. When I did go to the gym I would definitely go all out, but it became easier and easier to find excuses not to go. I slowly got more and more out of shape and local running events became a lot more difficult. As I was born with a competitive gene I was seeking something to get into that would be realistic and sustainable. I had a few friends that had been doing crossfit in the area and began having incredible results. After heavily researching all the pros and cons I went to my neighborhood box for their weekly free class. After one 60 minute free class I was hooked. I signed up for foundations classes at Ballston Crossfit in February 2013.
After two months of crossfit training I ran in the 2013 Cherry Blossom 10 miler. Although not a great time, I finished in 1:37:10 without having to stop and walk and felt relatively good afterwards, considering I had done zero running training prior to the event. After registering for the 2014 Cherry Blossom I vowed to add running into my training so that I could beat my 2013 time. Well….that didn’t happen. After 14 months of consistent and regular crossfit training (and dropping 25 lbs) I went into the event again with zero running training and stressing that I would again be average and either run the same time or at best a tad better than the previous year. 2-3 miles in I felt great, 6-7 miles in still great! I didn’t start to feel anything other than great until about 8.5 miles but knew that if I got this far I could still finish strong. I shocked myself and running companions by finishing in 1:25:09, a full 12 minutes faster than the previous year.
BCF reminded me that I can push myself and my body to do things that I would never imagine possible. I have gained more confidence, agility, and strength in the past year than I have had in years. The group dynamic and dedicated coaches were the elements that I had been missing since college. I have gained amazing friendships, pride in myself and in my fitness, and will continue to push myself to be better/faster/stronger.
Thank you Tucker and Team BCF!