Med School and Barbells

I am a third year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine.  In one short year, I will be a doctor (yikes!).  I like to think of CrossFit as a hobby, something that I do for fun.  In conversations with non-CrossFit friends and people in the medical field, I have come to realize that CrossFit has become a pretty serious hobby.  As much as I don’t like to admit, I prioritize CrossFit.  I don’t have a lot of free time and, for the most part, any free time that I have is spent at the gym.  A typical day for me can include 10 hours in the hospital, not to mention the 3-4 hours of reading or studying in preparation for the ever-impending exam.  On most days, if I am lucky, I can meet up with competitor’s class at CrossFit EaDo for a quick workout to get my body moving and give my brain a quick break. 

People often ask me how I balance medical school and competitive CrossFit.  The truth is, as I am sure many other student athletes can attest, I don’t think that I would be as successful in school without the outlet that CrossFit provides.  CrossFit, particularly the competition class, is my stress relief, my form of exercise, my time to take care of myself, and my social hour.  Of course I love CrossFit in itself.  I love to exercise and I love the feeling of really pushing yourself over the edge.  I love being really tired, whole body tired, after a workout.  CrossFit provides this feeling like no other form of exercise.  But I have also become spoiled by the group atmosphere of participating in a set workout alongside other like-minded athletes.  It is no longer enough for me to WOD.  I need to WOD with the best.  The competitors’ class at EaDo provides me with a much needed social element to the daily grind that is CrossFit.  My daily workouts make me more productive when it is time to sit down and get some studying done at the end of the day.  I have more energy and motivation to work hard and be efficient in my studies.  CrossFit gives me something to look forward to when I go home and something else to focus my attention.

I have been participating in CrossFit for about 3 years and have been competing ever since I started medical school.  Each year, it is hard for me to fully commit to competing at the highest level, knowing that school is really my top priority.  This year, school is particularly demanding and I am hoping that I can maintain my balance.  My goals for this season center on maintaining that balance.  I want to stay sane in regards to medical school and to keep enjoying CrossFit.  Of course I want to improve upon my Open performance last year and to contribute competitive scores for my team to help in qualifying for Regionals, but I cannot say that athletic performance is my top priority.  I want to continue to allow CrossFit to be my outlet that allows me to be successful in medical school. 


  As a naturally competitive person, it is really hard for me to enjoy sport without maximizing my potential.  It’s hard not to agonize over my weaknesses and it’s easy to become frustrated when progress seems slow.  However, EaDo Elite programming has really taken the guesswork out of what I should be doing to eliminate my weaknesses.  I know that if I can make time for my 1.5 hr workout, I will be making strides towards meeting my goals.  I am constantly encouraged by those around me at EaDo Elite.  There is always someone to challenge me to be better at the things that I am good at and to give me a pat on the back after a WOD that focuses on my weaknesses.  After months of training, it is nice to have people around you that can remind you how far you have come and to help you celebrate your victories, no matter how big or small.  As we embark upon the Open season and a very difficult part of my medical school career, I hope that I can maintain my commitment to EaDo Elite and to continue to enjoy all the things that I love about CrossFit.  I am excited to see what a year of having fun with training will do for me as an individual in the Open and even more excited for my teammates and fellow EaDo athletes!  There is nothing like a little competition to push us to accomplish things we never knew we could.

 

-Sara Fish has been CrossFitting for 3 years and has a competitive background (Soccer at the collegiate level, Tennis and Gymnastics). Sara's hobbies include doing 150 wallballs with no breaks faster than the 2015 fittest woman. 

 

CrossFit EaDo