Breakthroughs

People in the CrossFit community talk a lot about breaking through certain fears. Being upside down, lifting heavy weight, whatever. I have never been scared of those things. I can’t do a handstand pushup, but it’s not fear, it’s strength (lack thereof). So I don’t get those “breakthroughs.”

But in skiing I face a lot of fears.

Oddly, in snowboarding, I’m not usually scared. Not sure why. But that’s not the point. The point is that I bought my own gear (!!!) and took my new board for a spin this weekend. I had only boarded that one other time, but my second time out we decided to tackle blue runs. Steep blue runs. I wasn’t scared, but my technique was bad, I couldn’t get turns I had gotten before, and I got a little frustrated. Then, it clicked. The mechanics of the turn. Weight on the left heel means let the turn develop. All the sudden I could turn again, and was flying happily down the mountain grinning. Breakthrough!

Today, I went skiing. I wasn’t scared! I went down steep stuff with a relaxed body position with good (enough) form in my turns. Breakthrough!

The one (snowboarding) I worked through. The other (skiing) I didn’t. Why do breakthroughs happen? When do they happen? Can you make them happen?

I’ve told myself not to be scared skiing a million times. I’ve told myself I know what I’m doing a million times. Today, I just skied. And now, I must confess, I get why people love it. It’s the closest you get on earth to flying.

Breakthroughs!