CrossFit Athletic Group

So I have this CrossFit shirt at home that has the pyramid on the back of it. The other day I was looking at it and realized that I probably am not emphasizing "Metabolic Conditioning" in its proper place in the hierarchy - especially with Mrs. Gloria. So yesterday we did a 400-meter run and, with a few stops, she finished in 4:35.

This morning Mrs. G, for the first time, did not stop at the turnaround, or on any point there or back, and finished in 4:21.

Her limiting factor: breathing.

The sensation of not being able to breathe is... I don't know exactly. I often overlook it because, I mean, it's a CrossFit workout dude. You know what you are getting into. But there is the "Hey I feel like I'm working hard" sucking wind, and then there's the "My lungs are hurting and are literally about to explode" sucking wind. The first category is something everyone I've met in here feels comfortable with; the second, let's say, takes some getting used to.

The difficult part for me coaching this is I've never had that fear triggered by heavy breathing; I know it either is going to come back or it won't; so far it always has, and I've challenged that boundary pretty thoroughly. But I need to respect that that fear is a thing, and while it's not a excusable reason to stop during a workout, it's a reason nonetheless and needs to be practiced.

Mrs. Gloria will be doing a 400-meter run by herself every day to practice this until there's ice on thr ground, at which point I'll be holding her arm as she does the 400-meter run. Eventually both her body and brain will adapt to getting over the fear of not breathing, and she'll be better off for it. The more it takes to get you breathing heavy, the healthier you'll be.