Athlete of the month July 2013 Neela Das
Since we are coming into summer, we are all going to start sweating a lot more. No one sweats more
that Neela Das, so she is the Athlete of the Month for July! Neela has quickly become a solid member of
our community. She consistently volunteers for events (thank you so much for doing that!) and always
supports others with a high five and a smile. Congratulations for being Athlete of the Month Neela!
How long have you been doing CrossFit?
I took my first CrossFit class in September of 2010 and have stuck with it ever since! I can hardly believe
I’ve been doing it nearly two years now – as they say, time flies when you’re having fun! I still look
forward to coming to the gym every day; somehow it never seems to get old (except for workouts with
lots of burpees – those get old REALLY fast! LOL!)
How long have you been at Lynnwood Crossfit? Why Lynnwood Crossfit?
I’ve never been to any other CrossFit gym other than LCF. A friend of mine knew Jesse from years back
when he was a trainer at Mieko’s. When I asked my friend if he knew what CrossFit was (I had read an
article that was pretty vague), he told me about Jesse and how he started up LCF. He said Jesse was
an awesome person and trainer and that it’d be a good environment to try it out. I took his advice and
showed up one day for a free On Ramp class…and here I am, two years later, still at LCF!
LCF is one of the coolest places on the planet! From the first day I walked into the gym, I have been
completely encouraged, supported, challenged, and welcomed. The community at LCF is really special –
I’ve made so many great friends in such a short period of time, which a totally cool and wonderful thing
that I never could have expected. The other reason I come to LCF is Jesse…he’s the most kick ass coach
because he really cares about each of his students. He always has time for questions (and trust me, I’ve
asked some pretty dumb ones in my time at LCF), always seems to know exactly what to do/say to get
his athletes to perform to the best of their abilities (he designed some custom weight lifting shoes to
help me improve my squat position), talks you off the ledge when the WOD didn’t turn out how you
wanted it to (hello nuclear meltdown after a million failed pull up attempts!), tells you to toughen up
when you’re being a total wussy (“so are you actually planning to put some weight on that bar, Neela?”),
and is always cracking jokes reminding us how it important it is to enjoy life and have fun.
You had an injury this year, but you continued to show up to classes and now you seem to be as strong
or even stronger than before. What did you learn about yourself during the time you were modifying
workouts?
Thanks! When I broke my wrist, I was panicked that I’d lose all my progress and have to start all over
after I healed. As much as I love crossfit, the thought of having to start over after all the hard work I’d
put in was overwhelming. Jesse told me the only way I’d regress back to the beginning is if I quit coming
to the gym all together. So, after a few days off for my surgery…I hit the gym as hard as I could given I
couldn’t use my left arm at all. Jesse and the coaching staff all accommodated my injury and amazed
me with their constant creativity – always making sure I was pushing hard, but also being mindful of my
new restrictions.
I think what I learned most during the three months of recovery was how to focus on what you can do
vs. what you can’t do. It was a huge lesson for me. I often get focused on what I can’t do and I let it get
to me, which is a horribly unhelpful habit. There was a ton I “couldn’t” do while I was injured, so I had no
choice but to focus on what I could do – and in the end, that one simple shift in my approach wound up
making me both physically and mentally stronger than I was before my injury. Pretty cool – and a lesson
I’ll carry with me not just in the box, but out in the world. I have been shocked by how little the injury has set me back. Coming every day and training during recovery made all the difference. I definitely notice that my wrist is weak in comparison to what it was pre-injury, but each week I feel it getting a little stronger. I know won’t be long before I’m at 100%. What’s really crazy is that since I got cleared to resume normal training in late May, I’ve pr’d my snatch, deadlift, and overhead squat, and also managed to take about 20 seconds off my mile time. With the exception of running, I did all those other movements heavily modified during my recovery so to be
getting PRs so soon is SUPER cool.
What is your favorite workout or movement?
Grace is probably my favorite.
What workout or movement makes you want to turn right around and walk back out when you see it
written on the board? Have you ever see the WOD and walked back out?
Helen! Ugh – she is my nemesis. Although, after meeting Kelly last Saturday, I’m not a huge fan of hers
either. I am proud to say that I have NEVER walked out of the gym after seeing the workout on the
board; however, I’d be lying if I didn’t point out there have been a couple of times I’ve had to miss class
and upon hearing the what the workout was, felt complete and total relief that I missed it! LOL!
Can you tell us something about you that we don’t know about you or might surprise us about you?
I’m the 1983 Regional Pairs Roller Skating Champion…my partner and I went to nationals where we
ultimately placed 12th. #likeaboss 😉
How do you eat? Zone? Paleo?
I try to Zone as best I can – it’s an ongoing battle to get this part of the equation dialed in.
What are some of your fitness goals for the coming 12 months?
Anyone who knows me knows the answer to this: CONSECUTIVE PULL UPS! I also want to break 200#
in my deadlift (so close!), figure out the absolute mystery that is double unders, and face my biggest
(and newest) fear: the one-rep max squat clean. Last time I did a heavy squat clean, I broke my wrist.
I haven’t done heavy squat cleans since then so will need to put my big girl pants on, pick up the bar,
and conquer the weight I was trying for when I got injured. I also need to keep working on my squat
mechanics, get rid of an ab mat (or two) on my handstand pushup, and be a better rower. I have TONS
to work on!
In closing, is there anyone you would like to thank?
The Five O’Clock Five first and foremost (Jeannie, Kari, CC, and Kazie). They each inspire me, encourage
me, and push me. We have all become a close knit group this past year and it’s so amazing to have made
such wonderful friends and training partners. I’m very fortunate to have landed in the 5:00 class with
them!
I also want to thank Jesse (see above for why I have so much love for this guy!), Rich (who always tells
me not to sass him, but doesn’t mind when I do it anyway!), Jamie and Kevin who have been some of
my biggest supporters and are always so kind and helpful; and Abi Grove (even though she’s not here
anymore, she taught me so many things and made a huge impression on me that I will never forget).
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